Our new colouring is a a fundraiser for Birdlife International in-conjunction with the Ghosts Of Gone Bird art exhibition and art movement. I have contributed a large watercolour to the show but felt that i wanted to contribute more by bringing in a slice of the Spotting & Jotting ethos into the show and called in a few favours and produced this new colouring book for all ages. Every bird featured in this book is extinct and hopefully through fundraising, Birdlife International can do more to help prevent it ever happening again.

A massive thanks goes out to all the artists who contributed their artwork and time free of charge and a special big thanks our printers- Hato Press for all their help and for generally being fantastic.

All proceeds got to Birdlife International and only available in the shop.

Further info about the birds and artists:::::

1- Rodrigues Owl by Oliver Jeffers : The children’s book illustrator and fine artist, whose books include  The Heart and the Bottle and the gorgeously animated Lost and Found. The Belfast boy now resident in New York kindly found some time to add a bit of life to Rodrigues Owl and what a dapper chap he is.

2- Rodrigues Solitaire by Jon Boam : Definitely one of my most favourite illustrators who is also a kindred nature child whose work and own projects such as Spirit of the Animal captures the vital essence of animals with tie-dye and yin-yang. Keep flying high Jon.

3- Laughing Owl by Marcus Oakley. A true gentleman of the illustration world, a Norfolkian now living it up in London. The extinction of this owl is no laughing matter but Marcus has illustrated him with a look of dignity and pride.

4- Great Auk by James Jarvis. James has drawn and made so much cool stuff its impossible to wrap it up here, everybody loves Mr Jarvis. The Great Auk is the most recent of extinct birds from the British Isle, sadly legend has it that the last of these great birds was killed by some idiot believing her to be a witch.

5- Greater Amakihi by You Byun. There’s plenty to colour on You’s vibrant page! Drawn with a wonderful style with inspiration from her Japanese/Korian roots, creating a dreamlike home for the poor Amakihi.

6- Atitlan Grebe by The Treehouse Press. Suffolk resident and editorial illustrator extraordinaire chose to show his hand picked extinct bird, the Atitlan Grebe  at peace on a still autumnal pond, as all Grebes should be.

7- Rodrigues Owl by Pete Fowler. From this Welshman’s work with the Super Furry Animals to his range of obsessively collected vinyl toys Pete has pretty much smashed it with everything hes done! Not to mention he is great at owls so i was super chuffed when he did one for us.

8- Chatham Rail by Jon McNaught. I first became aware of Jon’s work through our friends at Caught By The River, i was instantly captivated by his simple yet detailed imagery and drawn into the autumnal feel of  his work. I love the melancholy of the Rail staring out his last days into the sea.

9- Giant Hoopoe by Alex Jako. As soon as i decided to do extinct bird colouring book i knew i wanted Alex to get involved. Her intricate penwork brings a huge depth to the project and to an amazing bird that is sadly no longer with us.

10-11- Bonin Grosbeak by Kevin Waldron. Another Irishman in New York making amazing books for kids including Mr Peek  And The Misunderstanding At The Zoo and Tiny Little Fly. His Grosbeaks certainly have a charm and they dont half look easy to catch, hope that wasnt their downfall.

12- Seyechelles Parakeet by Gorey.  A frenchman in New York this time and one of the most influential Graffiti artists in the last ten years to immerge from Europe. This Parakeet like many on this list was wiped out in his homeland by man’s aggressive farming techniques.

13- Robust White-eye by Jon Burgerman. He’s here, he’s there, he’s everybloodywhere, Burgerman!! Jon’s doodles have been seen far and wide, even on Blue Peter!! And these Robust White-eye bothering rats and lovely birds are a fine addition to the ever expanding portfolio.

14- Mauritious Owl by Ghostpatrol. Our only Antipodean contributor hails from Melbourne a city adourned in his creatures and characters. I love how Ghostpatrol has worked the sad demise of the owl into his own work’s mythology. Time to fight back!

15- Dodo by Oliver Hibert. The Arizona desert dwelling, neo-psychedelia artist Oliver has blessed us with a Dodo straight from Alice’s Looking Glass. I hope the Dodo is having as much fun as Mr Hibert is these days!!

16- Red Moustached Fruit Dove by Matt Sewell. I chose this Dove to show a recurring story of many birds destruction by man’s stupidity of introducing other un-native animals to new territory with terrifying consequences. An introduced Great Horned Owl wiped out this fruit Dove, so sad and unnecessary.

17- Black Mamo by Showchicken. A Tasmanian now living in South-end. With a vast bird knowledge and name like his, Showchicken was always gonna be featuring in this book. This simplified  illustration is especially for the book, so check out the amazing original that is being shown at the Ghosts show.

18- White Gallinule by Al Murphy. Another brit abroad over the pond in New York. Al’s Gallinule bounds along with vigour,but its a massive shame he wasnt strong enough to fight of the hungary South Pacific explorers that headed his way his knives and forks.

19- Huia by Guy Mckinley. I’ve known Guy for far to long and could tell many funny tale about him but one thing that has alway stood out about Guy is how well this lad can draw! Me oh my he is good. Especially when he gets his magic brush out.

20- Liverpool Pigeon by Pinky. Good friend, aerosol hippy and psychedelic dad. From his early days of being a graffiti pioneer in Hull to doing a whole series of decks for the legendary Flip skate team, Pinkyvision always keeps it real. A part of him will always be indebted to the Beatle’s Liverpool hence this great tribute.

- Matt Sewell – Oct 2010

It's an interactive colouring-in book of illustrated birds. There's ten scenes to choose from, each beautifully illustrated by Matt Sewell. Colour in the birds to your heart's content & even save the work onto your device!

Matt was asked by Young to contribute to the final month of facts for their great website Learn Something Everyday.

He of course went for a bird fact

I thought i’d share with everyone the new Nesting Box for the wooden birds

Over the moon to have my wooden birds and Spotting & Jotting  featured in the summer edition of Elle Decoration.

I stumbled upon this bright, young punk in Central Park whilst I was in New York recently putting on a solo show. My trip was for twelve days, working round the clock for all but one and a half days after the opening of my exhibition. In these last days I tried to cram in as much of the Big Apple in as possible, so in the last few hours we breezed up to Central Park to take in the sites. But my real aim was to spot a Red Tailed Hawk that Ceri had told me to keep my eyes peeled for. Time was tight and after a stroll, a hot-dog and a few conversations with the resident mad people we headed home, with nothing but a few spots of some weird robin/blackbird hybrid. But just as we were literally leaving the gates my girlfriend shouted ‘Matt whats that!!’ and there he was, the Cardinal in all is vibrant blush glory.<br><br>Looking like a mohicaned, american cousin of a bullfinch and proud as punch, he hung around a while to let me have a good old look before chirping and heading off as if to say “I’m just the tip of the iceberg mate, but you’ll be back. Now go home and tell your people of me!” He was great, I’m sure they are as common as Starlings over there but for me he was everything I needed to seal an amazing trip and to get me back home.

To celebrate Nation Nest Box Week i have painted this Twithouse for one lucky winner.

To enter sign up for my Spotting and Jotting mailing list

or follow on me on twitter and a winner will drawn out of my falconry glove.So if your on my mailing list follow me on twitter and have double the chance of winning, likewise the other way round… Oh you get the picture.
Winner will be announced in 3 weeks

Happy spotting!

For Gas in Japan. Available from Beams

Spotting & Jotting Colouring Book

“Inspiration comes from balsa aeroplanes of our youth, le coq sportif perhaps the freshest sports wear label ever designed, the love of overprint, the power of red and blue trying in vain to shout louder than each other,vintage train signals,and of course the magnitude of natural selection and mother nature’s appetite for beautiful functional design that gives us the gift of  birds”

Eco spent his formative years painting in the late 80′s Graffiti scene; learnt his craft in the now infamous Hull warehouses era, relocating to Bristol in the 90′s and leaving his inimitable mark upon the city.

As his focus broadened to encompass commissions from the worlds of fashion and music, Eco has worked continuously and notably with EH? and Lex Records, for artists such as Dangermouse and MF DOOM.

Alongside commercial success Eco maintains his long-established relationship with walls and, most recently with his cohorts of WSSK, continuing the grand tradition of urban, exhibition and installational art.

His work has been published in frequent volumes for Thames & Hudson and Die Gestalten Verlag, injecting no small amount of irony and a little self-deprecation into the confines of traditional street art.

For more of Eco’s work try checking out here, here and maybe here