NEW IDEA...

...and with only a few weeks left before the deadline which is really clever of me... but I've found an area I feel really passionate about.
The protection of working girls
Prostitution is legal. Paying for sex and kerb-crawing isn't. In most cases, when a punter is arrested he is taken away by the police, whereas the girl is left alone and vulnerable on the streets
A lot of police initiatives boast about lowering prostitution in their area, by convicting prostitutes or moving them on.
A few mention rehabilitation centers for the prostitutes
But none I looked at spoke of initiatives especially designed to help the girls themselves. Somewhere they can turn to, to report mistreatment or abuse. Somewhere they won't be judged, only given the untmost protection. A lot of girls are scared to report crimes against them for fear of getting into trouble by the police, or getting into even worse trouble by the pimps/punters they reported. They need to trust that they will be given the respect and protection they need. A safe place to go, and the knowledge that the abusers are being dealt with accordingly.
There are already an unknown number of rehabilitation centres and safe-houses around Britain, and people who want to help. But these places have to remain top secret for fear of violence if the word gets out. Another reason why proper protection is so needed. They need to ensure that the girls can get in contact with these places safetly without the fear of getting hurt, or worse...
The more protection that's given to prostitutes, the more who will feel safe coming forward to the police and the more violent crime within prostitution can be stamped out. And with safer pathways to the rehabilitation centres and medical help, the better the chances of them getting out of prostitution and their lives on track.


Phewww...rant over
Here's a (fuzzy) photo of my (messy) London deskspace. New house, wooo!

Wipe out

More on the 'wiping out' idea. Or 'rub out'? Hmmmmm....

Apologies for the dodgy hand!

Monkeys!!

Follow-up

The idea of a call-card concept, showing the prostitutes, but 'wiping put' the areas that will be wiped out if they don't recieve the medical/mental treatment they're entitled to.
Anyway, here's a couple of drafts...

SO...

Just a couple of rough studies... experimenting with drawing bodies.

And the beginnings of an idea... more on that later!

Oldie

I'm in Dorset without my scanner at the moment, so I need to install my sister's one to my laptop.
But for the time being, here's an early developement painting that was already scanned in.
This is from when I was still looking at the violence aspect of prostitution and sex-work...
I'm aware that the eyes are a bit shoddy! And the hair...

Attempts

These are really rough, but they're mock-ups of altered call-cards. Adjusting the text. They need a lot of work!

Call cards

Walking alongside Park West on Edgeware Road. I found a load of call cards on the floor of a telephone box. Apparently there's a Christian fanatic who routinely goes into the local telephone boxes and rips them off the wall.
Apperently there are brothels all over Park West, inbetween the flats of families, couples and professionals.
I find this mingling of lifestyles hard to get my head around.

Little experiment.... alter-egos.

A ramble and a sketch

I'm now looking more at promoting sexual and mental health for sex-workers. A girl I know helps out at a sexual-health clinic. I have to keep the whereabouts private so as not to endanger the girls who attend, but she was surprised at how normal the girls were. Sex-workers are largly stigmatised, and we forget that they are someones daughter, sister, best friend...
Research has showed me that sex-workers are often given second-rate treatment at clinics as they are often seen as second-rate citizens. Also, the fact that the clinic has to be kept a secret also says a lot on how society view these girls
I want this campaign to appeal for better services for sex-workers, and trying to reduce stigmatism by showing a softer, more vulnerable side to the public, to help people relate to them as normal girls/boys.
I hope this makes sense, I'm not the best at explaining myself!!

A rough sketch, based on a photo of a family. I think it speaks for itself...??

The Short Film Movement- Revised

I changed the layout for the program to something a bit more abstract.

This is the one they're using.

Psyche

I was asked to illustrate a program for the Short Film Movement, to represent a series of films about the human psyche. DeeP!

I only have a couple of days to do it, but this is my (yet to be photo-shopped) finished illustration. It's supposed to have text in the middle, but they're sending me the text tomorrow so I shall fit it in then.

The sad tale of the failed rabbit

Rabbit outline

My Dorset deskspace (i.e dining room table) and progress. Yes, I do need two laptops. One for referencing and one for the all important 4od...

Possibly one of the worst paintings I ever done! I had to call it a day on this poor rabbit, it wasn't getting any better.

Legs

I've done a few pieces for my new project, campaigning for the de-crimilization of prostitution in England. Bit random, I know. But it's something I feel strongly about!

Anyway, the bruised legs. I don't really want to go into the whole violence aspect, it feels a bit to obvious to me. But it's a starting point...

Frames!!

I'm back in the sticks for a couple of weeks...

However, one good thing about Dorset is the abundance of charity shops. Not only for all the books and clothes I seem to stock up on whenever I come back, but also the amount of cheap frames. I've been toying with the idea of frames for a while now, however in London they always seem short in supply and overly expensive.

Not here!

I was very excited to find one shop hidden away with box upon box of vintage frames for as little as 50p each.
I've tried a couple with two of my Bowie owls. I think they work well. I think the owls need some kind of frame to bring them together.

I went to Hong Kong

It was beautiful.