david foldvari

adage

2011-12-12T19:09:00.002Z

big thanks to advertising age for making the bloomberg gaddafi illustration one of their top 10 magazine covers of 2011.

dark london

2011-12-09T13:15:00.004Z

episode one of charles dickens' dark london is out now. here are a couple of my favourites from it.

couple of new things

2011-09-13T00:02:00.003+01:00

Rarely get time to post these days, it's been a very busy summer.. in the meantime, check out the interview in the last issue of crack magazine, many thanks to Jake and Diggy for the interview and for being patient..

also, here's a recent cover for Bloomberg Businessweek, really nice to be working with Richard Turley again. Thanks also to businessinsider.com for the write-up.

solo show in london

2011-07-02T11:24:00.002+01:00

solo show opening at the outsiders gallery in soho this thursday, 6-9pm, come along.

owl

2010-10-12T17:57:00.002+01:00

scary owl is scary.

brooklyn wasteground

2010-08-27T21:02:00.005+01:00

it's 33 degrees here. nov's writing hangs up above.

outsiders

2010-07-20T13:02:00.003+01:00

big thanks to everyone who came down to the outsiders gallery show on the 8th - all the originals sold on the night, but there are still some limited edition signed screenprints available over at shopatlazarides.com. the show is on until the 31st.

göoo

2010-07-02T15:39:00.003+01:00

göoo #9, the 'utopia' issue is out now, there's a double page in there from me and there's a whole lot of other good stuff, get yourself a copy at http://www.revistagooo.com.ar/.

london show

2010-06-29T17:24:00.002+01:00

small group show coming up at lazarides in soho, opening on july 8th. more details coming very soon, meanwhile here's a quick preview.

nabokov

2010-05-27T16:37:00.002+01:00

'invitation to a beheading' is out now on penguin modern classics - another nabokov cover coming up from me soon.

more new stuff

2010-04-13T10:40:00.014+01:00

a lot of new stuff here, some published, some unfinished or unused, mostly from the past few weeks.
this one's for the room in hungary for a feature on erno rubik, out sometime this week i think.

gil scott-heron, did this a couple of days ago.

one of 11 images for a special edition of GQ japan, unfinished version, i'll upload the published version when i get it.

i've forgotten who this was for, nice project, an article about immigration laws i think.

a piece for GQ italy, out in a couple of months or so.

a dps for göoo in argentina, one of 3 images for them, their new issue should be out sometime soon.

editorial leftover

more stuff for gq japan, this version didn't make it to print.

this one's for Time Out, part of 6 images, should be out next week or the week after.

this one was in last sunday's observer.

more sketchbook stuff, this boy appears on the cover of wargames, published by penguin soon as far as i know

new stuff

2010-02-27T02:58:00.005Z

I've been real busy so this blog hasn't had much love from me recently, but here's some newish stuff, editorial jobs and random bits from the last few months.

new website

2009-08-18T23:06:00.003+01:00

davidfoldvari.co.uk has finally been updated. lots of new stuff in the main portfolio and editorial sections, and the best of the older stuff is now in the archive.

burnt

2009-07-06T21:03:00.002+01:00

burnt man, burnt sausage. in the observer yesterday.

drung.

2009-06-26T18:11:00.001+01:00

new one for the observer, i like this one. out sunday.

goodbye G2

2009-05-22T17:13:00.003+01:00

last monday's charlie brooker illustration was my final piece for the G2. it's been a really good two and a half years, so a very big thanks to richard turley for his brilliant art direction, and of course to charlie brooker, whose text inspired all the work. a selection of my favourite illustrations from the brooker pieces will appear on my updated site soon, watch this space for news on that.

meanwhile, my work will continue to appear weekly in the observer for david mitchell's column - here is this week's illustration, out on sunday.

t-post

2009-04-16T21:17:00.003+01:00

noose design now available at t-post, check out their site and subscribe, lots of good stuff going on there.

update

2009-03-03T18:16:00.004Z

just a note to say i'm still here, i've been getting quite a lot of emails requesting updates and new stuff - i am working on updating my website, and am holding back on any major updates here until that's done. it's obviously taking me forever, and this is due mainly to other work commitments, which have to take priority. watch this space meanwhile, a proper update is not far off now. you can also check the blog over at http://www.bigactive.com, which gets weekly updates.

on a slightly different note - a quick message to all illustration students. i've been getting an overwhelming amount of emails from students referencing my work for various projects and essays, and rather than copy/pasting the same reply to everyone, here is a little bit of advice:

if you study graphics or illustration, my most serious piece of advice to you would be to stop looking at my stuff for inspiration as soon as possible. if you want to be genuinely inspired or influenced by what i do, then look outside the tiny and insignificant bubble that is contemporary illustration. watch films, read books, look at other forms of art and design, learn about what's going on around you - anything that takes you outside illustration. despite of what your tutors may tell you, as an illustration student, referencing and studying other contemporary illustrators' work is not only going to damage your own work, but it will only help to homogenise and water down illustration as a whole. there is a big problem with illustration students at the moment - they are spending too much time referencing and copying other illustrators' work, and this will end their career before it has a chance to start. i'm only stating the obvious here, but as a student, you should do everything to make sure your work looks nothing like anybody else's out there, otherwise it will never be noticed, and you might as well get a job in mcdonalds.
i and most other working illustrators i know generally go and see a lot of degree shows, and anyone referencing other contemporary illustrators tends to be seen as ignorant and a bit second rate and crap - nobody wants to see the same old, but we all love seeing things we've never seen before, it's what moves this industry forward. as a new graduate, it's your job to move things forward, and by referencing other illustrators, you are doing the opposite.

so if you're using me as your contextual reference (or whatever), then do the following:
- stop looking at my work for inspiration, it is based on my own background and cultural references, and therefore no use to anyone but me
- look instead at your own cultural and personal background for inspiration, it's what i do
- look at 20th century graphic design and see how much of it you really understand. (i wish i had studied that stuff more at college)
- look at every piece of work you've done over the last year - how much of this work do you feel represents you as a truly unique individual, and how much of it is 100% different from what everyone else is doing? unless the answer is 'all of it', it's time to re-think everything. (i'm not saying i'm exempt from this rule, i have to remind myself to do this a lot).

your tutors have a responsibility to educate you properly, and if they're making you reference nothing but contemporary illustration, they are failing massively. it's your degree, you should demand more.

that concludes my rant, feel free to prove me wrong by showing me amazing new work. there's a lot of new talent out there, it would be good to see some of it put to use.

site update coming real soon.

prints

2008-12-03T10:19:00.002Z

productofgod.net have a few artists' proofs for sale in very limited numbers. There are 3 small series including the piece below (A2 size), and two other smaller pieces (both A4). They are raw experimental pieces and curiosities as opposed to clean and repetitive print editions, so each print is unique and therefore only available in very limited numbers. they're selling fairly quickly so grab one before they're all gone.

unused

2008-10-21T21:54:00.005+01:00

leftovers, sketchbook pages, drawings i haven't used yet and other things i found on my desk.

bristol

2008-10-15T17:25:00.004+01:00

small show coming up at soma gallery in bristol, opens on the 24th of october.

back

2008-10-07T16:36:00.002+01:00

it's been a while, i've moved house and had no internet for the last 3 weeks, which was no fun. here's a shot of something in last sunday's observer, pretty much every editorial piece i've worked over the last month has been about the world falling apart, but this one is by far my favourite.

another horse, another muffhead

2008-09-13T16:25:00.003+01:00

funny how these things go round in circles sometimes.. crying horse in the observer this sunday, pubehead in the guardian on monday. the other two are both editorials from last week, both slightly different from their published versions. the original drawing of the jazz player is now sold.

show

2008-09-11T14:06:00.002+01:00

solo show coming up at soma in bristol in october, details very soon.

olympic unicorn wrestler

2008-08-15T17:48:00.001+01:00

in the guardian on monday.

muff heads

2008-08-15T00:17:00.006+01:00

just finished these for a magazine, not sure if i got it in on time tho. too much work and no fun for the past 2 weeks, everything i've worked on has been very last minute and hectic. next week should hopefully be a lot calmer. more details on these when i know what's happening with them.

pig

2008-08-08T20:03:00.002+01:00

pig head to go with the chef just below, rough version, not sure what i'm gonna do with this yet.

also

2008-08-08T19:56:00.002+01:00

this one's for arena, prefer the prototype to the final so here it is.

nazi bungie jump

2008-08-08T14:22:00.001+01:00

this one is out in the guardian on monday.

2 more

2008-07-23T00:52:00.005+01:00

couple of new things, one is up at madeinbunch, the other is for plastique magazine.

subtext

2008-07-12T03:18:00.002+01:00

group show coming up in san diego in august, few pieces from me and lots of other cool stuff, more info at the subtext store.

bbc

2008-07-08T01:55:00.002+01:00

first time i'm posting a video up here, an advert for radio 4, something i worked on a little while ago with whynot associates, showing now on the bbc.

california

2008-06-27T15:26:00.014+01:00

a few photos from the last 2 weeks..

palm springs, a very strange place. i'm sat here right now. it's 50 degrees.

san francisco looking good

random rooftop

"nob hill"

thps4, anyone?

monterey beaches are amazing

more monterey

deer wonder the streets in monterey, they're everywhere.

insane person and friend, santa cruz

route 1, on fire.

los angeles rooftop action

driving through the desert

few more to come soon..

off...

2008-06-14T18:54:00.006+01:00

i'm off to san francisco tomorrow, so no charlie brooker illustration from me for a couple of weeks. i'll try to get some photos uploaded while i'm there, should be good. the lab101 show opens tonight, if you're near there, get over there, i'll be in LA from the 20th so i'll go along to see how it's going around that time.
meanwhile, here's one for the observer, out tomorrow.

this one was in last monday's G2.

..and one of these is going in the guardian this monday, although it's unlikely the pepsi logo will make it past the lawyers.

bug sex

2008-06-01T13:08:00.001+01:00

in the G2 tomorrow.

pain

2008-05-30T14:20:00.007+01:00

hardcore.

LA show

2008-05-29T19:43:00.004+01:00

4 of about 10 small-scale originals which will be on show at the lab 101 gallery in los angeles, show opens june 14, more info at http://www.thelab101.com/.

new york times

2008-05-28T18:46:00.004+01:00

a small one for the new york times, this one is out tomorrow.

lab 101

2008-05-24T04:09:00.002+01:00

for anyone on the west coast, i'm taking part in a show at the lab 101 gallery in los angeles in june. the show opens on the 14th, and will feature around 10 new pieces from me. i will be in san francisco from the 15th, and will make my way down to LA about a week after that, which means i'll miss the opening but at least i'll be around to see the show. all the new stuff is being framed right now but i'll post a few previews when i get them back sometime next week.

indy

2008-05-19T05:42:00.004+01:00

2 unfinished versions for an indiana jones editorial, difficult subject matter. i like them like this but it's nearly 6am, i might be starting to lose any sense of judgement.

the other one

2008-05-15T01:26:00.003+01:00

from the same issue, review section. something a bit different, i'm into it. a bigger version will be up on my site, which will finally see an update sometime over the next few weeks.

UN

2008-05-10T14:15:00.002+01:00

one of 2 images for the observer this week, out tomorrow.

class b

2008-05-03T10:29:00.002+01:00

quick one i did last night, coming out in the observer tomorrow.

obama

2008-04-30T03:22:00.003+01:00

i remembered to buy a copy this week, so here's a scan for a change. i should really start posting these every monday.

studio still life, 6am

2008-04-09T06:00:00.003+01:00

must remember to get some sleep sometime this year.

quick one

2008-04-04T14:55:00.002+01:00

another one for the guardian, i like this one. not been approved yet, but if it is, it'll be out on monday.

war

2008-04-03T13:21:00.002+01:00

quick editorial done yesterday, this version is my favourite, different version out in the guardian tomorrow. (i think)

4 days in budapest

2008-03-22T09:52:00.014Z

a few photos from the last couple of days..

jesus, donald, and a dwarf

i drew these when i was very small

radios

random dog

another drawing from a long long time ago

rusty door

just a wall

bear pile

tv

depressing ping pong table

new

2008-02-14T02:48:00.026Z

it's been a while, i've moved house, settled into my new studio in north london, and am generally keeping my head down and getting on with my work. lots of new, very different shit coming soon. for anyone in the los angeles region, a new show called "fresh" has just opened at the brand new cerasoli gallery in culver city, i have some stuff in there and will be having a solo show there sometime later on this year, details soon.

some new editorial bits, a lot of random stuff from the studio wall, and a sneak preview at some new unfinished work in progress.

reggie pedro r.i.p

2007-11-17T11:38:00.000Z

i've just heard that reggie pedro is sadly no longer with us. this is a big loss, reggie was an amazing artist, and one of the nicest people i knew.
rest in peace reggie, we'll really miss you.

illustrative berlin

2007-10-11T11:44:00.000+01:00

long silence from me again - moving house and working at the same time, not much fun at all. photos from the illustrative show in berlin are now up, i'm considering going to the opening when the show opens in paris, date for that is 29.11.2007, the place is espace commines, 17 rue commines, 75003 paris. more info nearer to the time. lots of other stuff in the pipeline too, i'll be back to posting more regularly once i've settled into my new place.

process show

2007-09-17T15:49:00.000+01:00

this friday @ medcalf, 40 exmouth market, clerkenwell, london.
come along.

NYC

2007-09-09T15:02:00.001+01:00

for anyone trying to contact me at the moment - i'm in new york until next thursday, large update and lots of new work coming when i get back to the uk.

london show

2007-08-09T11:55:00.000+01:00

i'm back from latvia, had a really nice time out there, i'll upload a few photos in the next couple of days. i'm snowed under with work, so for now i'll be keeping my head down and just getting on with it.
meanwhile, cpluv.com have posted details for a solo show coming up in london on the 21st of september, it's gonna be a fairly small and intimate show, concenrating on sketchbook material, work in progress and other unfinished bits and pieces that i've never shown before. i will be posting more details about this in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space.

wolf

2007-07-24T21:36:00.000+01:00

4 new rough comps for maxim usa, containing recycled old bits and new bits.. these won't be published like this, but i kind of like them at this stage so here they are.
other news - i've been invited to latvia for a few days next week, should be good, i'll be posting pics on here hopefully when i get out there. anything to get me away from the shit weather over here right now.

nixon

2007-07-02T21:16:00.000+01:00

another quick one for texas monthly, out soon i think.

back

2007-06-29T18:49:00.000+01:00

no post for a while, i'm working on a lot of new stuff, most of which will be uploaded here soon. a website update is imminent and i'm gonna be having a solo show in london in early september, watch this space for further info on all of that. meanwhile here's a small thing for the weekly guardian spot, out monday.

d+ad

2007-05-26T01:48:00.000+01:00

wieden kennedy won best integrated campaign for the run london stuff at the d&ad awards last night.
also, big active won best graphic design for the beck sleeves and stickers, nice.

new prints for sale

2007-05-20T23:14:00.000+01:00

3 brand new screenprints, limited edition, signed and numbered, now available at productofgod.

bern pics

2007-05-20T22:50:00.000+01:00

some pics from bern, im not even gonna bother posting mine because fats has some excellent photos of the whole thing over at http://www.hypebeast.com/fatsarazzi/. photos of the party are at http://blog.slamxhype.com/fatsarazzi. thanks to dave, nicola and remy and everyone else at the milieu gallery and the wasserwerk club for making us feel so welcome and for working their asses off to make it all happen.

bern

2007-05-09T23:07:00.000+01:00

ok here are the details for the bern show and the party after that. the date for the launch is may 16th at 6pm, the gallery is milieu, more details here. the party is at the wasserwerk club. new screenprints from parra, jody barton, kate gibb, mat maitland, genevieve gauckler and myself will be available to buy in very limited numbers at the show, and subsequently in equally limited numbers from productofgod. more about this as soon as the site is updated with all the new stuff.
also, for anyone looking for one-offs, there will also be 6 originals from me at the show alongside the screenprints, info on the availability of these soon.

one more

2007-04-27T16:40:00.000+01:00

just finished this one too, it's out in the guardian on monday.

hairy

2007-04-27T10:22:00.000+01:00

here's something i've never drawn before. ..and probably never will again. a massive hairy man with a tiny penis, injecting botox into his own head. this one's about to get rejected by arena mag any second now, for reasons so dumb i cant even begin to explain.

screenprints

2007-04-26T03:25:00.000+01:00

small announcement for anyone waiting to buy prints - 3 brand new limited edition screenprint editions will be coming out in the next few weeks to coincide with a show i'm having with parra, kate gibb and a few others. the prints will be on sale at productofgod, links, info and pictures coming as soon as they're ready.
the show is in bern, switzerland, and the date for the opening is may 16th and i think both parra and i will be out there for a few days. again - more info as soon as i get it.

beck show

2007-04-18T18:00:00.000+01:00

some shots from the beck show at laforet in tokyo from saturday night, i wasn't even aware that this was going on. a collaborative signed beck print will go on sale may 1st, more info nearer to the time.

proto

2007-04-06T14:03:00.000+01:00

star wars, the taliban, riot police and some big guns, editorial prototype, unfinished version. it's for a new magazine for an article called "luke skywalker lives in baghdad", more info when i get it.

book

2007-04-05T21:14:00.000+01:00

picture book by angus hyland is out now published by lawrence king, i haven't been sent a copy, i just noticed it in a shop today. i submitted stuff to this so fuckin long ago that i don't even remember doing it, so the work i have in there doesn't have so much relevance now, and most of it has probably appeared elsewhere since. nice book apart from that tho.

varoom

2007-03-31T18:15:00.000+01:00

the third issue of aoi's varoom mag has an interview with me, i just received it today so it should be out soon, look out for updates on their site. thanks to anna gerber for the nice interview.

prick

2007-03-30T15:09:00.000+01:00

david cameron for charlie brooker's column in the guardian, out monday. im not sure if i'll get away with writing prick on his forehead but here it is anyway.

monday

2007-03-26T16:53:00.000+01:00

new editorial, slightly similar to the telegraph piece from a while ago but so what.

lynched

2007-03-21T12:35:00.000Z

prototype for the cover of a dutch magazine, more info on this soon.

q&a

2007-03-20T23:41:00.000Z

there's a small q&a thing featuring my stuff over at ourartsite.com, there's some pretty good stuff on there, go have a look.

alps

2007-03-17T17:31:00.000Z

mountains, snow, sunshine and chairlifts. chamonix, mont blanc, last week.

3

2007-03-09T17:38:00.000Z

new editorial, 3 versions, not sure which i like best. out monday.

show

2007-03-08T16:26:00.000Z

for anyone anywhere near switzerland, it looks like i'm having a solo show in bern on april 20th. more info when i know more.

large update

2007-03-01T16:31:00.000Z

no update again for a long time, this time it's because - despite being really busy - i haven't done much stuff worth shouting about. there's lots of new stuff around, most of it fairly unremarkable, but there's a few good things here and there.

finally got a copy of graphic10, been out for a little while now, still available at magma books (and apparently also at borders in capetown).

this one is a prototype for a book cover im working on for simon&schuster, more info on this later.

editorial thing for arena, should be out around april, don't watch the other illustrations in there tho. the art direction is going through some 'transformations'.

this one's a 3 page illustration for italian gq, this has been out for a little while now i think.

this was in the telegraph a couple of weeks ago, a thing about detective novels.

loads of new stuff on the way, i have around 3 or 4 shows coming up later on this year, again, more info on those when they're confirmed and when i know more.

burqa

2007-01-12T16:35:00.000Z

this one was gonna be in the guardian on monday for charlie brooker's column, but was rejected because muslim veils are a "sensitive issue" right now... so for anyone reading on monday, ignore the shit illustration im working on right now as a replacement (supposed to be finished in about 15 minutes), and think of this one in its' place instead..

more LA

2006-12-27T03:33:00.000Z

christmas day, seagulls on santa monica beach.

mexican dude, santa monica pier and some coffins.

griffith park view.

malibu

2006-12-25T02:29:00.000Z

today was the hottest day so far. the weather's been so good these last few days that i haven't really felt like getting too far from the coast yet. so just some more standard beach/sun/driving photos again.

mustang. couldn't resist.

venice beach..

2006-12-24T01:33:00.000Z

..2 days before christmas.

santa monica

2006-12-22T02:46:00.000Z

it's pretty good here.

off

2006-12-19T01:43:00.000Z

no post for a while again, mainly because of the usual workload. i'm off to los angeles on wednesday to avoid british christmas, i'll be posting photos on here whenever i get a chance.
meanwhile, wiredesign.com have released 'crossfields' issue 2, i have a few things in there, look out for it.

crackhead

2006-11-27T15:23:00.000Z

pete doherty with a crayon, this one's in the guardian today.

book

2006-11-27T15:20:00.000Z

'thinking visually' by mark wigan is out now, i have a couple of bits in there.

car

2006-11-16T14:04:00.000Z

a quick one for the big issue, done with slight hangover this morning. will appear full page in issue 720.

show

2006-11-12T21:23:00.000Z

private view for the new 4wall show on the 20th, i'll have a few pieces in there, come along if you're anywhere near london.

this friday

2006-11-08T23:11:00.000Z

for anyone in the vicinity of central st martins, i'll be giving a talk at 10.30 this friday morning (10th) at the cockhrane theatre in southampton row. i'll be the one mumbling into a mic down the front with a white light in my face.

g2

2006-11-07T22:20:00.000Z

haven't been here in a while because of work overload. i started working on a weekly page written by Charlie Brooker in the Guardian G2, it comes out every monday, i forgot to get a copy of the last one, but here's this week's.

also, if you live in japan, some of my slightly older stuff is available on t-shirts though graniph, they turned up in the post a couple of days ago.

graphic 10

2006-10-24T05:35:00.000+01:00

the 10th issue of graphic is coming out soon, and that's my face on the front of it. more news about this when i get a copy, it should be full of good stuff by loads of people, there will be a lot of previously unpublished things from me, scans from sketchbooks and notebooks, and some old photos too.

vagant

2006-10-16T21:00:00.000+01:00

lots of images from the new issue of norwegian literary magazine vagant, which is out now.

analogue

2006-10-13T06:41:00.000+01:00

i'm taking part in a show with container at the analogue gallery in edinburgh this weekend, the private view is tonight. unfortunately i don't have time to make it up there in time, but i will be in edinburgh from tomorrow (friday) until sunday, so photos and images coming in the next couple of days. i've never been to edinburgh, i'm looking forward to finally getting up there. i'm gutted to be missing the private view. feel free to email me with any suggestions, things we should see, places we should visit and secret drinking den locations if you know the place well.

new blag

2006-10-13T03:55:00.000+01:00

new blag magazine out now, featuring a discussion with will skeaping, mary burke, fionn, daisuke sakaguchi and myself.

filth

2006-10-07T12:48:00.000+01:00

hectic one day deadlines, gotta love 'em.

beck

2006-10-03T05:20:00.000+01:00

the new album "the information" by beck is out now, featuring work / stickers by most of us at big active. you can also read about it in this month's creative review.

also, turns out the 'resist' pieces i posted a while back made it just in time, you can see one of them in the current issue of w.a.d magazine.

i'm working on a lot of new editorial stuff right now, so more stuff to come in the next couple of days.

magpie

2006-09-20T21:25:00.000+01:00

one from the sketchbook, work in progress.

quiet

2006-09-18T18:03:00.000+01:00

no news for a week or so, spent the whole of last week doing nothing at all. starting work on a couple of new projects now, so more updates in the next few days.

death before distemper

2006-09-09T01:55:00.000+01:00

a couple of photos from the dc recordings party at phonica last night. met the legendary j saul kane for the first time.. sleeves by the super talented la boca, whose work was on show for the first time ever apparently.

french

2006-09-07T11:10:00.000+01:00

2 pics for a french magazine, these might have missed the deadline.

one more

2006-09-06T09:28:00.000+01:00

just finished another editorial piece, don't watch the handbag..

photos

2006-09-04T21:36:00.000+01:00

some random photos from my phone.