Coca-Cola building illustration
In 2012 I was hired as an art director at Draft FCB Johannesburg. This was my first gig in the big bad world of advertising. The juniors were almost immediately briefed on a proactive Valentine’s Day Coca-Cola brief. In preparation for the presentation I scamped up some ideas. Initially nothing came of that proactive brief, but what happened next still blows my mind. My concept sketch evolved digitally and soon it became the largest illustration in Johannesburg for one of the world’s most renowned brands, only 7 months later. Christine Raftopoulos, (legendary) creative director of the design department presented my drawing to the Coca-Cola client. They loved it and *POW* just like that (kind of), it found itself wrapped around the Life Centre building in central downtown Johannesburg. At the time it was dubbed the biggest illustration and sign in South Africa – at over 44m high, that’s 14 floors! In 2014 I worked on this brand again, this time with Paul Warner, while I was freelancing at Metropolitan Republic Johannesburg.
My human canvases
By the end of 2016 I felt like had my freelance design pretty well setup, with lekker clients and a good consistent workflow. The next intention for my life was to find ways to distance myself from my beloved workhorse – my MackBook Pro. I was in pursuit of creating art with my hands again. I missed drawing, the craft and the exploration that went with it all. I also really missed people. Somehow this all led me to the path of becoming a ‘handpoke’ tattoo artist. Handpoking is a tattooing method whereby no machine is used. It’s a gentler, more traditional technique whereby the needle (the same professional ones used in tattoo machine) is strapped to a stick and dipped into tattoo ink. The process is much slower and more intricate as dot-by-dot the detail comes together. (Side note: I use an imported high-quality vegan ink.) To date I have tattooed nearly 400 people. Thanks to each human canvas, future ones included, for the trust and eternal connection.
Her / mural in Singapore
While travelling to Singapore briefly in 2018, stars aligned and painted my first production piece. What a scene! If someone told me days before that I’d be painting a wall in one of the most law bound cities in the world I’d probably have taken a big bet at the impossibility of it – but alas – here’s me painting ‘Her’ on a wall at SCAPE skate park in Singapore alongside some of the most talented graffiti artists in the hood. What an honour, pleasure and top notch experience.
Wildthing / mural in Cape Town
Cosmic creations – 6 days and many brushstrokes later. This wall mural finds itself in such a beautiful yoga studio in the heart of Sea Point, Cape Town at Wildthing Yoga. This piece celebrates the two feminine energies who started the studio, one representing a more grounded energy and the other more cosmically connected.
Dom Andrea and Lexi Ryman thank you for inviting me into this space and giving me the freedom to create and make an art piece on a moerse biiiiig wall.
Good vibration gifs
This one time I made some groovy gifs for creative humans whose energies and visual aesthetic have inspired me on my journey. Nastassja Van der Merwe (model), Vuyo Mpantsha (photographer from I see a different you) and Doowap (DJ, radio host and public figure).
Pachamamma / mural in Bali
Pachamamma – ‘Mother Earth’ painted in Ubud, Bali in 2018. In Inca mythology she the highest divinity; a goddess who is concerned with fertility, plenty, the feminine, generosity and ripening crops, besides providing protection. She embodies the mountains, and it’s believed that she causes earthquakes (particularly fitting here on this paradise island). She is an ever-present and independent deity who has her own self-sufficient and creative power to sustain life on this earth. Respect her – she is powerful and will strike back if we keep taking too much from her.
The bird perched on the tree acts as a tribute to a critically endangered species known as the Jalak Putih, or the Black-Winged Starling, native to Indonesia. It’s so important we look after all the beautiful creatures that roam this world.
Thank you @bali_taco_bar for letting me paint your wall.
Illustrations over the years
If you’d like to see more drawings (for tattoos specifically), then check out: @handpoked_humancanvases on instagram
