Gromit Unleashed [part 2]

Gromit number 1 was designed and painted for wind-up radio inventor, Trevor Baylis.  It was suggested that I based my design on Baylis himself, incorporating his trademark moustache.  My design has Gromit as a 'wind-up merchant', wearing overalls with pockets filled with inventor's tools and a blueprint.  The badges on the overall show some of Baylis'  inventions  and achievements including his 'electric  shoes' and his time as a professional swimmer and aqua stunt man!

The images below show work in progress.

 






















Gromit number 2 was designed and painted for milliner to the rich and famous, Philip Treacy.


Treacy's brief was to paint butterflies [which reflects his butterfly hat collection]  I lost track of how many butterflies I painted, but I estimate that there are well over 300.

Gromit number 3 was a smaller one designed and painted for David Sproxton, one of the founders for Aardman.

Sproxton's brief was to show Gromit as a phrenology model. Using Gromity words instead of the traditionally used ones, it is visually a very simple, subtle design.  This Gromit will ride the ferry for the whole summer.

I really do feel incredibly fortunate to have been involved in this project.  I made a corner of Aardman HQ my studio space for the best part of June, and was sad to leave when it was over.  As a print maker a paint brush is not my usual weapon of choice, but I actually found this rather liberating and enjoyed all the things that made this job different from my usual work.   Creating the work was comical at times getting into almost yogic positions in order to paint the hard to reach places!  I have had time laps photos taken whilst I was working on the butterfly Gromit - I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure the editor will have had a laugh!