Tag: Kid Crayon

6217. Dean Lane skate park (734)

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024

I am hugely encouraged to see that Kid Crayon had rediscovered his appetite for painting on the streets, or perhaps he has had a slight lull in his commercial work, whatever the reasons, he has painted several pieces of late, including this surfing polar bear behind the railings at Dean Lane.

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024

The combination piece features a rather cool polar bear surfing on an orange board in a sea of bubbles. The words Kid Crayon create a fine backdrop for the bear. Readers will know how much I like Kid Crayon’s work, however, this piece seems to lack something from my point of view. I think that maybe the black background isn’t right, or perhaps the bubbles don’t quite work, I don’t quite know, but when it comes to Kid Crayon I do set my expectations very high, so am probably just being a bit hyper-critical. More to come soon.

6150. M32 roundabout J3 (589)

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

This is an unusual, but also rather pleasing piece painted by Kid Crayon, alongside his friend I am Ian, who featured on Natural Adventures yesterday. The whole piece is relatively simple in its construction and made up of only five colours; a yellow background, white letters, green border, grey accents and some random orange squiggles.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

The bubbly/cloudy letters spell out CRAYON, with the letters KID written backwards, a regular device used by Kid Crayon. There is a lightness of touch and ease about the piece and although simple in design it is beautifully executed. I know that Kid Crayon is extremely busy at work, getting paid for what he loves doing, and that makes his street pieces all the more welcome. Nice one.

6109. Upfest 2024 (25)

Kid Crayon, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Kid Crayon, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

This combination character and graffiti writing piece by Bristol’s Kid Crayon was something of a rarity at Upfest this year. It seems fitting that Kid Crayon was selected to paint this wall, because for me, he kind of represents the ‘Bristol school’ of street art, and although the styles of Bristol are enormously varied, somehow KC encapsulates them in his art.

Kid Crayon, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Kid Crayon, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The piece is a tribute to Jack Black, who KC obviously admires, and he openly states “This is not the greatest Montana burner in the world, no, this is just a tribute!”. This statement shows Kid Crayon’s modesty, because this is an accomplished piece, perfectly presented for an Upfest audience. It would have been nice to see a bit more graffiti writing at this year’s festival – maybe next time. More of Kid Crayon’s work in this gallery.

5929. Dean Lane skate park (701)

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

What an absolute pleasure to see SPZero76 and Kid Crayon teaming up this spring to bring us some more EAT Crew joy. This is a fabulous collaboration celebrating the Terminator film franchise, painted in the styles of the two artists, but remaining reasonably honest to the film’s characters. The middle ‘liquid metal’ section spells out EAT.

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

On the left, is a brilliant rendition of a terminator robot by Kid Crayon, complete with smoking gun. The dystopian future character is menacing enough, although Kid Crayon’s soft edge style takes some of the heat out of the menace. There is some great detail in the mechanical workings of the robot, and the whole thing is finished really nicely.

SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

To the right, SPZero76 adds his own twist to the motorcycle-riding Schwarzenegger character, with the inclusion of a couple of racoons that tend to frequent his pieces. There is movement and drama in the piece, which is clean and sharp, just as you’d expect to see from SPZero76.

Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon and SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

All in all, it is just to see these two collaborating again, and I sincerely hope that they manage to do so more frequently this year than last. I’ll be back!

5894. Dean Lane skate park (699)

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

The day I originally photographed this wonderful piece by Kid Crayon was very wet indeed, and although most days have been wet this winter/spring, that day was particularly wet. I mention this because, unfortunately, my original set of photographs were blurred with a spot of rain on the lens. Of course, by the time I returned to get more pictures, the piece had been tagged, so this post has a blurred untagged image and a crisp tagged one. It can be difficult to win at this game sometimes.

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

Kid Crayon has been out a couple of times recently, and it is great to see, I certainly miss his work during the long gaps of street inactivity. In recent years, his work mainly consists of a letters/character combination and with this piece he doesn’t disappoint. The letters are painted in modest colour tones, and the ‘seams’ ‘bolted’ together with ‘rivets’, a writing technique used by other artists in Bristol.

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

The character face is the star of the piece in my eyes an harks back to Kid Crayon’s early wheatpaste faces that got me curious about street art in Bristol in the first place, back in 2015. The trademark crayon is present, floating in front of the character’s face – who needs a signature and letters spelling out your name when you only have to include a floating crayon?

Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

At the time of painting this wonderful piece, Kid Crayon left a little extra, as he often does, by painting the bin at the far corner of the skate park. Stylish stuff.

5852. Cumberland Basin

Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024
Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024

Kid Crayon holds a special place in the evolution of Natural Adventures, as it was his paste ups that drew me into the exciting and mysterious world of street art in Bristol, with posts such as this first one, my 11th post, or this one of the boy eating cheese. I developed a love for wheatpastes because of Kid Crayon, who eventually turned his attention to painting with spray cans.

Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024
Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024

Kid Crayon is nowhere near as prolific as he used to be, but this is probably a good sign, because it means that his work as an illustrator and animator is keeping his busy and bringing in an income. In this bright and colourful piece Kid Crayon has written his name in letters with a variety of fills, and the eye is drawn to the character in place of the letter ‘O’. A fun and most excellent piece reminding us all what a fabulously creative artist he is.

5162. M32 roundabout J3 (467)

Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I was really fed up when I missed the last collaboration from these two in Dean Lane a short while ago. I was just too slow, and in this game if you snooze, you lose. So I didn’t hang around this time, making sure I got down to the roundabout as soon as I knew this had been painted. The collaboration is from Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, whose street work I have only ever seen alongside his friend.

Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Kid crayon has gone for some straightforward writing in pink shades, which is very much a favoured tone he uses. The letters are clean and tidy, with some fun fills adding interest to the two pinks he has used. The lines along the top offer a sense of movement. The words ‘sit up’ segue nicely across to the adjacent I Am Ian piece.

I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

I have seen a lot of designs on I Am Ian’s Instagram account, and he manages to transition them really well to large walls, retaining his bold colours and exaggerated features. In this piece, we see a red-faced character doing sit-ups, building up a sweat and whose eyes are popping. Fun stuff from these two, who really ought to get out more and paint walls together this summer (easy for me to say).

5117. Cattle Market Road (14)

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023

Sometimes I am so far behind the curve I actually surprise myself. I think I was aware of this wonderful winter wonderland piece by SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, otherwise known as the EAT crew, from last Christmas, but I simply haven’t visited the hoarding in such a long time.

SPZero76, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
SPZero76, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023

The whole piece is a continuous story and a great collaboration, with the left-hand side painted by SPZero76 and the right-hand side by Kid Crayon. Inevitably, SPZero76 has included a robot snowball-launcher alongside a woman throwing a snowman’s head.

Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023
Kid Crayon, Cattle Market Road, Bristol, March 2023

Kid Crayon has painted a couple of young lads throwing and launching their own snowballs back. Beautifully sprayed by both artists, this is a fun, cartoon-style piece that really captures the spirit of winter, and snow that most Bristolians can only dream of (even though we had a little bit of the white stuff this year). We just don’t get to see enough by the EAT crew these days. Perhaps they will get busy on the streets this year.

4522. Upfest 2022 (19)

How wonderful to see a familiar Bristol artist taking up one of the semi-permanent walls at Upfest this year. The artist in question is the magnificent Kid Crayon with the first of two Upfest pieces, the other being on a temporary board in Greville Smyth Park.

Kid Crayon, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Kid Crayon, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This rather rare (these days) street piece by Kid Crayon features his name in blues and pinks, nicely worked around the notice board on the wall and a beautiful cartoon-style portrait. The portrait of a silver-haired woman wearing a choker round her neck, is a fine portrait indeed and works so well with his style. The best bit is a return of a floating crayon just in front of the woman’s mouth. It is so good to see Kid Crayon hitting walls again, I only hope he finds time to keep up the momentum.

4507. Brunel Way (160)

I don’t think that there has ever been a time when I have not been excited to find a piece by Kid Crayon. His work has been at the heart of my love for street art, and he is probably the street artist I have followed most closely over the last six years or so.

Kid Crayon, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2022
Kid Crayon, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2022

This piece is quite unlike anything we might expect from Kid Crayon, but there is a reason for that, He painted it as a part of the Secret Writer name exchange idea, where writers wrote the name of another artist (supposedly anonymously – although Kid Crayon signed this one). He was honouring the artist Rasexone1 and in turn Kid Crayon’s name was written by Magnesone. What a stupendous idea and one that binds the street art community, but a bit confusing for people like me who are trying to untangle and make sense of the whole scene.

In addition, this was the first Kid Crayon piece I had seen in a long time and I asked him, at the Upfest festival, why he has hardly been painting lately. His answer was great news… he has been working flat out with some big commissions, and that for an artist is something to cherish. More posts of his even more recent work coming soon.