Category: Videos

Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2017 – Double Video Feature [Ep. 34 & 35]

I never took the time to post last year’s two videos from Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2017 in March last year. It was a fantastic event, where I met so many new people, and got to hang out with loads of old friends.

The first video is a summary of the event, and the second, an interview with the brilliant Karie Westermann, who taught the two-handed colourwork class I attended.

After two years in attendance, I’ve decided not to go to EYF this year.

I have plans to attend a character design and art event later this year instead. I’ll most likely post a vlog of the event too. And who knows, I might start posting videos semi-regularly again!

In the meantime, I decided to revive the blog as my personal space to post some of the new projects I’ve been working on; a mix of drawing, watercolour, airbrushing, and so much other stuff… More on that later 🙂

Immortalising the Alfred logo in Minecraft

In recent months, we’ve printed the Alfred logo on stickers, handy little keyboard brushes and we’ve made our own bowler hats to wear at SXSW Interactive in March.

Yet, I think this trumps them all; Alfred user and good friend Zettt created a giant bowler hat in Minecraft and shows it off on video. Even as a Glitch early adopter, I don’t quite “get” Minecraft but the walkthrough is hilarious nonetheless.

I have to admit, I never imagined I’d see our Alfred logo immortalised this way 🙂

For Zettt’s whole post, check out his Mac OS X Tumblr.

Where creativity comes from

It’s Friday, you’ve been giving it the beans all week, working that little brain of yours to the bone (figuratively, let’s hope). You need a boost for that last mile before this evening’s G&T while watching mindless TV (or maybe your evening is more exciting than mine…)

Don’t tell everyone, but I’ve found one of the best sources of creative juices out there…

Alright, fine, it’s a campaign for the South West Regional Development Agency, created by Rubber Republic. It arrived in my inbox last week, with a subject line containing “Viral Campaign”*, so it was within an inch of getting deleted without a second look. Being the end of the day, I was looking for distraction, so I had a look at the video, to find myself delighted by how silly it turned out to be. I love organisations with a sense of humour, and this one’s just wonderfully twisted.

I wonder what would happen if you squeezed Silicon Fen/Cambridge creatives? You’d probably get a CAMRA-approved fermented beverage that knocks your socks off. 😉

[* On the “Viral Campaign” note, I hope agencies will realise that, while it’s fine to call it a viral campaign on your marketing strategy plan internally, a video doesn’t go viral until the viewers make it so. Create something fantastic, give people the tools to share it easily, but don’t tell us it’s a viral. That’s for us to decide.]

My Omni and me

A few weeks ago, Andrew and I wanted to get a couple of beanbags so that we could slouch right in front of the TV to play Lego Indiana Jones (which was a rocking game, btw!). We ended up ordering a couple of pear shaped brown leatherette bean bags.

But by some most bizarre coincidence, two days later, via fellow blogger Tom, Andrew from Sumo Lounge offered to send me a monster-sized Sumo Omni beanbag. It was delivered to the office, leaving most of my work colleagues puzzled when I shoved this big blue bag into the back of my tiny car. (we usually carpool with a friend, but that day, he walked home…)

So this is what it’s like these days in the Pepperrell lounge. A husband, two cats, and a big momma of a mmmm… cozy beanbag.

Gary Vaynerchuk: Tech World 2008 = Hip Hop 1985

Gary Vaynerchuk, for those who don’t yet know him, is the guy behind, in front and all around Wine Library TV. He’s a raving looney, a totally loveable geek but most of all, a rough diamond of community relations amongst the world of overly polished marketing bullshit. He says things as they are and has marked me enough during SXSWi this year that I’ve got a couple of things he’s said up on my board of inspirational quotes in the office. (Thank you Gary, genuinely!)

He also agreed with me that making your own wine is a bad idea, mmmkay dad?

PS – I want my own WLTV sweatband bracelet thinger!