A wee update

Hello all,

Been a little while since l've updated the blog as I've just had far too much going on to get the words down on the page. First off, I'll give an update on the main subject of the last post - the announced animation project. Sadly, this project was shelved a few weeks into pre-production which is unfortunately common with this kind of work - situations change behind the scenes and projects are shelved. I am hopeful that it will get a resurgence but for now it will remain on ice. I can however talk about the project in a little more detail since it was announced on the Hashtag Show socials. The project was to be an animated intro to the Hashtag Show podcast, under its current format, with its own catchy sea-shanty style jingle. As I say we were early in the process but I'm hopeful it will come to fruition in the future.

I will take this opportunity to update on some of the illustration work I have undertaken in the last few months. First, I completed the football stadium I mentioned in January's post, which was Sunderland AFC's ground - The Stadium of Light. This was a very enjoyable project as it was a stadium I wasn't familiar with, so it was exciting to create something totally new. The project was completed in early April 2026 and two framed prints were delivered to a very happy customer shortly afterwards. On a side note, I am currently working on another football stadium (this one located back in Scotland) and the home team may or may not have finished runner-up in the league last season...

Around the time that I created the Stadium of Light I was also commissioned for a memorial print of Owen Findlay, a close family friend who sadly died in 2023. I have included a picture of this below - this piece is one that I am most proud of as it holds a special place in my heart.

This year I have also completed work on two more Highland Coo designs, a tartan design and a traffic cone design, the latter of which has been very popular so far.

However, the breakout star of this season has been a piece titled "Two Pints." The idea for this work came when | was having breakfast in a café in Stranaer and I noticed this quirky artwork on the wall - showing a coffee bean with a hat like Victor's from Still Game. This got me thinking of an inanimate object that I could design in a similar style and that could draw inspiration from the show. Initially I came up with the idea of two buckets, with the hats and faces, and titled it - "Two Auld Pails" a play on a Still Game reference (two auld pals.) However, upon completion, I realised how much better suited the pints would be to this design. More recently I released an alternative design in size A4 - the pints wearing either Rangers FC or Celtic FC scarves.

Aside from working on my artwork, I have also attended a further two fayres at the Twechar Healthy Living Centre. I decided around this time that I wanted to take another step forward in my professional illustration journey and have since attended four different days at the Kirkintilloch Farmers Market since July 5* 2026. This has been a big step for me (and for Campbell Animation) - initially it did take me slightly outside my comfort zone but I decided that this is the best way for me to learn. Trial by fire if you will. Since starting the markets, I have learnt so much and I feel that with each event ! learn something new, which is an exciting position to be in.

The biggest challenges so far have been figuring out how to deal with rain and wind, which comes with the territory of outdoor markets. So far I have invested in sturdy display boards instead of individual easels and have started attaching all my artwork to the front canvas and sides. This is going to be a temporary option I think and when the wet weather comes in I think I'm going to have to re-think things.

In the interests of growth as a business I have also released a run of coasters initially with three designs -"Two Pints" "Sellick Coo" and "Staunch Coo." These have been a great addition to our display and alongside bookmarks we are finding steady interest in these.

Going forward I have plans to attend another market in Kirkintilloch, Bishopbriggs and Newton Mearns. The former specifically is the first time I will have gone to a market outside of my local area, I am unlikely to know anyone. This is actually an exciting prospect as I can sometimes find myself being a little distracted by conversations with people I know.

I also have several prints in the work just now, one related to Kirkintilloch specifically (and another famous Scottish character) and another one that's a little more niche. I am also working on another football coo, this one Dundee FC, which should be printed and framed soon. I am also hoping to get another print run of A4 Celtic coos and for the first time - Rangers coos.

Until next time.