Illustrations Tommy Perman
Tommy Perman Hello, I’m an artist and designer from Edinburgh. I’ve put together this magazine to show you some of my recent illustration work. Over the following pages you’ll see my drawings adorning a wide spectrum of places and objects, ranging in scale from massive projections on to the roof of one of the world’s most iconic buildings to the intimate confines of an iPhone app. My clients include the Sydney Opera House, Sainsbury’s, The Commonwealth Games (official cultural programme), Dewar’s Whisky (Bacardi Group), Carhartt and Nike SB. You can see more of my work on www.surfacepressure.net I’d love to hear from you, please feel free to give me a call on: +44 (0) 7966 142 755 or email: tommy@surfacepressure.co.uk
Sydney Opera House
Client: 59 Productions / VIVD Live Festival, 2014 Job: I was commissioned by luminary multimedia production company 59 Productions, to produce a precise technical drawing of all the tiles on the sails of the Sydney Opera House. My drawing played an integral role in the pre-production process of 59’s stunning VIVD Live commission, allowing their animation team to map complex motion graphics to exact locations on the sails. 59 Productions loved my illustration so much that they decided to incorporate it into the final projections which resulted in the largest, most high profile reproduction of my work to date.
Sainsbury’s Blackpool Talbot Road
Client: Sainsbury’s / Twelve Studio Job: I was commissioned to illustrate four large scale wall murals for Sainsbury’s new flagship superstore in the centre of Blackpool which opened in July 2014. The murals show different aspects of the rich heritage of Blackpool, focusing on: the famous pleasure beach attractions; ballroom dancing; Blackpool Football Club and Blackpool’s historic trams.
Great Circle iOS app
Client: The XX Commonwealth Games / Panel (www.wearepanel.co.uk) Job: Together with long-term collaborators, musician Ziggy Campbell and developer Simon Kirby, I was commissioned to create a souvenir for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. We produced an evolving audio visual postcard in the form of an iOS app called Great Circle. When you open the app you see an image and hear some music. Exactly what you see and hear is determined by where you are in the world and by which direction you are travelling, in relation to Glasgow.
While the app is running the music and pictures change depending on whether you are moving towards or away from the city. If you are moving in the direction of Glasgow the music and visuals will become richer and more complex and if you are moving away they will become more minimal and abstract. In order to experience the most complete version of the music and pictures the user will have to be standing in the Commonwealth Sports Arena in the east end of Glasgow. In effect our souvenir actively encourages you back to the place that it commemorates. The app allows you to buy and send unique physical postcards and posters of my artwork as seen on screen. To download the app for free search for ‘Great Circle Glasgow’ in the Apple App Store or visit appstore.com/greatcircleglasgow Photos © O Street. www.ostreet.co.uk
Dewar’s Whisky / King Creosote
Client: John Dewar & Sons Ltd (Bacardi Group) Job: I was commissioned by Dewar’s Whisky to create a suite of merchandise for King Creosote’s ‘Bits of Strange Homecomings’ tour. This included: a label design for a single cask single malt whisky; four etched whisky glasses; a screen printed tea towel and tote bag.
Photos Š Sean Dooley
Water of Life Client: Imagining Natural Scotland: Creative Scotland / Scottish Natural Heritage / University of St Andrews Job: I was commissioned alongside the writer and musician Rob St John to produce an artwork that asked the question, “What is natural Scotland?�.
Photo © Bleep.com
Water of Life explores flows of water through Edinburgh using drawings, photos, writing and sound and culminated in limited edition 7” folio. The package comprises: a letterpressed folder on recycled card; a 7” record pressed on recycled vinyl and a set of essays by Rob and prints by me exploring the themes of the project, riso printed using soy inks on recycled paper. www.edinburghwateroflife.org
Botanical Drawings
An exhibition of new drawings for Skylark, Portobello, Edinburgh. 9 May – 9 June 2014
These drawings are inspired by visits
disconnected from nature. I’ve spent
I like to set rules and limitations
to one of my favourite places, the
much of my career drawing the
for my drawings. For this set I have
glasshouses at the Royal Botanic
chaotic geometry of the city, often
limited myself to black on white and
Garden Edinburgh.
going to great lengths to remove any
each image is contained within a circle.
signs of life, so I’ve surprised myself by
So that I didn’t stray too far from
developing an interest in plants.
familiar territory I have focused on
I grew up in the centre of Edinburgh and even though this is a relatively
plants with bold striking markings and
green city I still feel partially
structure that’s almost architectural.
Paradise Lost?
A self initiated project, ‘Paradise Lost?’ features drawings of Edinburgh’s saunas produced as a 16 page tabloid-size zine on newsprint, in an edition of 50.
I began this project as a frivolous look at the design of the capital’s ‘sauna’ shop fronts but ended up documenting a part of Edinburgh life that may not exist for much longer. I started drawing the facades of the saunas because they are a peculiar sight in Scotland’s elegant and genteel capital. I liked the way they try to be discreet but fail by looking tacky and conspicuous. Their services are never advertised explicitly but it’s obvious they offer far more than a steamy room. The saunas are a generally accepted feature of Edinburgh’s streets, not just by locals but also by the authorities in a open minded bid to improve sex worker safety. While prostitution is legal in Scotland, running a brothel is not. But Edinburgh’s city council and police have long allowed brothels to operate under the pretence of saunas. By working on these drawings I’ve begun to discover just how complex an issue this is. Independent MSP Margo McDonald and sex workers’ rights charity Scot-Pep have argued that the saunas offer prostitutes relative safety compared to working on the streets or from private homes. Edinburgh’s policy has seen street prostitution fall while in Glasgow a zero tolerance stance has led to a rise. But it has emerged recently that many of the saunas’ business arrangements are less than transparent and as the brothels aren’t officially licensed they can not be properly regulated. On 7 June 2013 Scotland’s newly merged police force Police Scotland sent 150 officers to raid a number of Edinburgh’s saunas signalling a dramatic shift in strategy. As Police Scotland set centralised policies, they abandon the softly-softly approach that allowed Lothian and Borders Police to offer some protection to Edinburgh’s prostitutes. My drawings illustrate 13 of the saunas which are dotted around Scotland’s capital, nestled in between newsagents, pubs and restaurants. Many of them have outlasted neighbouring businesses to become established features of the city’s ever changing landscape. But their future is uncertain. One possibility is that the new police pressure will bring about the closure of the saunas. Alternatively it could force the local council to stop simply turning a blind eye to the way the saunas are run and address the licensing of brothels more openly. Unwittingly, these illustrations draw attention to a tangle of political, social and moral issues that are hiding in plain sight on Edinburgh’s streets. June 2013
Focus Nike SB Carhartt
I’ve collaborated with Edinburgh skate shop Focus for over 10 years, producing a variety of products including this range of decks inspired by Edinburgh / Glasgow street skate spots. Over on the right are examples of my work for Carhartt and Nike SB in collaboration with Focus.
100% Now
to answer and I pondered it for a few
others who upload their phone snaps
days hoping my brain could come up
to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
with something that avoided cliches.
Everyone is obsessed with sharing
I looked up lots of dictionary
what is happening now. I decided to
Job: I was commissioned to draw a
definitions of ‘now’ but nothing
pick a selection of images from my
one-colour illustration that answered
sparked my imagination.
Instagram feed and draw them.
the idea of now?” for the fifth issue
For some reason the refrain of an old
I chose photos I thought would work
of the Indian contemporary art and
Roy Ayers song popped into my head,
best rendered in one colour. I really
illustration publication, 100% Zine.
‘Life is just a moment’ and it triggered
enjoyed the slow process of hand
an idea. I realised I’m constantly trying
crafting versions of pictures I’d taken
to capture ‘now’ along with millions of
in a fleeting moment.
Client: 100% Zine, India
the question “How do you perceive
What is now? This is a tough question
www.hundredpercentzine.com
Biography
Born in 1980, Edinburgh, Scotland,
One of my artworks, Cybraphon,
Between 2002 – 2013 I was a member
I am an artist, designer and musician
is held in the national collection at
of the artist collective / pop band
who works in a variety of media
the National Museum of Scotland,
FOUND. As part of FOUND, I released
including visual art, performance,
Edinburgh and I have won numerous
numerous records and co-created
sound and music. I have a particular
awards including a Scottish BAFTA.
a collection of weird and wonderful interactive sound installations
interest in combining new digital technologies with traditional
Since graduating from Gray’s School
including Cybraphon and #UNRAVEL.
techniques and materials. My work
of Art, Aberdeen in 2002 I have divided
I recently left the collective to
has been shown at a number of
my time between solo and collaborative
concentrate on my own work and on
major art institutions including the
projects. My solo work follows an
being a dad (my son Patrick was born
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
analytical documentary style and much
in January 2013).
and the CCA, Glasgow and in major
of it has taken the urban environment
art festivals such as the Glasgow
as inspiration, dealing with the city’s
tommy@surfacepressure.co.uk
International, Edinburgh International
growth and decay, its temporary quirks
www.surfacepressure.net
Festival and Edinburgh Art Festival.
and more enduring features.
+44 (0) 7966 142 755
www.surfacepressure.net