Yer Actual London Bus Poster by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios

Lunch with a Graphic Artist

Well it's blog time again - what this time?

Many of you good people have made favourable comments on my current artwork (thank you), but not everyone knows that during the sixties I was employed at an advertising agency - Ford's Creative, Bristol, England - as a graphic artist, as well as a designer and illustrator.  Because no two jobs were the same, I was required to work in several different styles for visualisation and finished artwork.  

Rodney Matthews work as a Graphic Artist | Rodney Matthews Studios

In my lunch breaks at Ford's, I would design publicity posters for my band(s), and explore various art style concepts, some of which I kept and will be shown below.  I had to work fast with this stuff, because the studio manager, Denis Lewis, would make a general tour of the studio upon return from his lunch break or whatever he did between the hours of 12.30 and 1.30, and I often overran into company time.  Not good to be caught on freelance stuff at 2 o' clock in the afternoon!

Rodney Matthews at lunch | Rodney Matthews Studios

Here then are some of my 1960s career-risking designs:

Three Ways to do an Elephant by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
THREE WAYS TO DO AN ELEPHANT


Some Colourful Critters by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
SOME COLOURFUL CRITTERS


Question Mark and Earth by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
 QUESTION MARK AND EARTH 
(a design for a poster by a half-assed Bristol company named 'Bog Art')


Yer Actual London Bus by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
YER ACTUAL LONDON BUS
(another poster for aforementioned company)


Pentworth's People Publicity Poster by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
PUBLICITY POSTER FOR MY BAND PENTWORTH'S PEOPLE


Originn Publicity Poster by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
PUBLICITY POSTER FOR MY BAND ORIGINN


Simple Character Sketches by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios
SIMPLE CHARACTER SKETCHES


Incidentally, it was under such circumstances that I did my New Day EP cover for the embryonic Thin Lizzy in my last year at Ford's - 1969.  That in itself was a distinctive style that I no longer use.

Thin Lizzy New Day EP by Rodney Matthews | Rodney Matthews Studios

1 comment

Probly not the right song . But hear go’s . It one.o’clock. ItS time for lunch .umde dum dum ……

Lloyd allen

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