Tag: Cartoon

6805. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

Ooh! How brilliant to see Mind 49 returning to the streets after a relatively quiet start to the year. Commensurate with his last piece at the Greenbank spot in January, Mind 49 has combined a photorealistic portrait with a cartoon illustration, carrying some threat and menace.

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

The portrait is superb, painted in his unique style that creates what I would term a blurred photorealism, rather than some of the perfect sharp pieces that you see from time to time. The cartoon parts begin around the main character’s neck and show him holding a pistol. In the background, a hooded character looks on. I love the way that Mind 49 brings these two very different styles together and makes them sit side by side effortlessly. Looking forward to more as the days get longer and weather warms up.

6743. Dean Lane skate park (808)

Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

Mr Crawls has had a good start to the year, but rather surprisingly, he hasn’t been painting with his friend Mote – I’m sure there are all sorts of good reasons why. I have loved watching the way Mr Crawls has been evolving his bird characters, and it feels like it is a journey that is still in its early stages.

Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

Here, Mr Crawls has painted one of his gulls (I am using the orange beak as an identifier, as there isn’t much more to go on), which is in a stylised cartoon form. Beautifully simple, but full of interest, with a fine bucket hat, asymmetric eyes and a couple of letters thrown into the bird’s neck. A wonderful character piece in the Deaner.

6694. Dean Lane skate park (801)

I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025

I have a sense that 2025 is going to be a good one for street art in Bristol. Already January, a month that is traditionally rather slow, has been a very active period with loads of artists hitting the ground running. A signal that we could be in for a treat this year is the early appearance of Kid Crayon and I am Ian in Dean Lane.

I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025

This skull piece by I am Ian is full of joy and humour. Painted in a mischievous cartoon style, the grinning skull is accompanied by the slogan ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’, which I guess is a brief description of our existence. The character is expertly painted, with some great shading and fine lines to create features and depth. A wonderful way to start the year.

6692. M32 roundabout J2 (8)

Chill, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, January 2025
Chill, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, January 2025

It is always a little sad when street/graffiti artists move away from Bristol, but some consolation that new artists are emerging or moving to the city, generally at a faster rate, growing the incredible pool of talent. PWA (Pirate Wall Art) took a double hit at the end of 2024, with both Face 1st and Chill leaving town and leaving behind a significant void. Face 1st, it should be registered, has returned several times to paint, just as he said he would. This piece by Chill, however, I think was painted before he left, which made it all the sweeter to find.

Chill, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, January 2025
Chill, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, January 2025

Chill has managed to squeeze one of his stylish cartoon characters onto a column with great skill and without making it look too distorted or contrived. I will miss his urban street-wise people with their caps and ear discs. If you miss them too, here is an updated gallery of his outstanding work.

6690. Greenbank (150)

Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025
Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025

So Mind 49 gets the year off to a cracking start with this fine piece, combining two contrasting styles, demonstrating his awesome technical ability. Mind 49 has always had an activist streak, and many of his early pieces were themed along the lines of animal rights. This one appears to be more about peace, and might be a commentary on the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025
Mind 49, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2025

The character is beautifully painted, peering over a scarf that covers up the lower half of his face. The folds in the material are superbly painted. Superimposed over the portrait is a crudely drawn cartoon of a gun being snapped in half and a dove of peace flying off. The peace symbol to the right indicates quite clearly what this wonderful work is all about. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead from Mind 49, I also think it might be time for a gallery of his work.

6632. Coach and Horses.

Sled One, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024
Sled One, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024

I tend to be very slow off the mark photographing new pieces on this wall of the Coach and Horses pub, but feel that I can take my time to visit, when I happen to be passing because the wall has a very slow turnover and is rarely tagged. I managed to find myself over in the area, after visiting the recycling centre and took the opportunity to check out the fabulous pieces making up the collaboration. This first piece is by Sled One.

Sled One, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024
Sled One, Coach and Horses, Bristol, December 2024

Sled One has always had a rather surreal take on his characters and scenes, but what makes them so special is his incredible talent with the spray can. One is simply left with the lingering question… how does he do that? The piece, called ‘Shit TV’, features a fly, sitting on a turd, watching TV with a pair of 3D secs on and eating popcorn and drinking a milkshake. It doesn’t get much weirder or obscure than this, but Sled One thinks of these things and brings them to life in a remarkable way. Brilliant work from a brilliant artist.

6619. Cumberland Basin

Sam Brentall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024
Sam Brentnall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

The Christmas break continues to be ultra-busy so I am rushing today’s posts a little. Normal service will resume in a few days. This piece, by Sam Brentnall is a wonderfully uncomplicated cartoon character dog holding a chicken, and whoever not?

Sam Brentall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024
Sam Brentnall, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2024

I have only posted one of Sam Brentnall’s pieces before, which was up at Purdown, so coming across this one in the Cumberland Basin was a very pleasant surprise. His work really justifies the phrase ‘less is more’ and what I mean by that is the simplicity of the scene tells a story without overindulgent elaboration. I would definitely like to see more of Sam Brentnall’s work on the streets… perhaps in 2025.

6590. Brunel Way (304)

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2024

Every time I write about Mr Underbite’s character pieces, the word that always springs immediately to mind is ‘hapless’. Just looking at the face, the Underbite character looks like he is down on his luck, or simply unfortunate. It is clever that the name and the portrayal create this image.

Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2024
Mr Underbite, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2024

I haven’t seen any new pieces by Mr Underbite for a long while, so it was great to find this one at the Southern end of thee Brunel Way spot. This is the standard version of the character, in mono colour and without any ‘extras’. As ever, it is always great to find these distinctive pieces.

6582. Dean Lane skate park (787)

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024

Zake bases his work around a cartoon face. A few years ago, the face would usually be just the face, but these days, the face has become the central element to something bigger, perhaps more of a narrative around the face, with things going on.  A glance at this updated gallery of his work gives you some idea of his development and growth as a street artist.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024

This is a curious piece, and all I can think of when I look at it is ‘sperm cell’, a thought very difficult to unthink. I suppose it could be a tadpole, or at a stretch some kind of eel. Whatever it is, it is mildly unsettling and weird. The piece was painted as part of a three-way collaborative wall by Hire, Zake and Ceus, where each piece was utterly distinct from the others in style, colour and content. So the only real element of collaboration was the background and the friendship of painting together.

6577. Dean Lane skate park (786)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024

Super-quick posts this morning, as Christmas shopping beckons and a very busy day ahead. I am quite looking forward to going to some actual ‘physical’ shops, as I am getting a little sick of on-line shopping. Today’s post is a piece by Jevoissoul, who is living up to his promise of having a busy year painting the streets of Bristol.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024

Jevoissoul’s characters have a very distinctive look, crossing over between a sketch and cartoon style. This cheeky chappy, with his baseball cap coming adrift (a nice touch) is nicely painted and finished, and marks the continuous improvement shown by the artist. The placement was at the edge of a production piece, but respectfully managed to avoid overwriting any part of it.