Mat Cross
@matcross.bsky.social
Artist/ Illustrator/ Songsmith
www.MatCross.net
www.MatCross.net
#WIP Been busy constantly blowing my nose (2.5 weeks and counting 🤧) - and now rotoscoping banana fingers juggling loo rolls for a #JollyPessimistic lyric flip book.
October 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
#WIP Been busy constantly blowing my nose (2.5 weeks and counting 🤧) - and now rotoscoping banana fingers juggling loo rolls for a #JollyPessimistic lyric flip book.
Some tiny wobbly sketches from Race Day at Shuttleworth aerodrome. I found myself continually attempting the double finger tap undo shortcut on the sketchbook page, it's been a while! 😬
#sketchbook #shuttleworthairshow
#sketchbook #shuttleworthairshow
October 14, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Some tiny wobbly sketches from Race Day at Shuttleworth aerodrome. I found myself continually attempting the double finger tap undo shortcut on the sketchbook page, it's been a while! 😬
#sketchbook #shuttleworthairshow
#sketchbook #shuttleworthairshow
Here’s the new album cover design, based on a previous supermarket-carpark-sketch-illustration - now with added toilet roll panic buying! The next task is to try rolling back some over-zealous vocal de-essing, and (runny nose permitting) re-singing a couple of tracks.
#JollyPessimistic
#JollyPessimistic
October 1, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Here’s the new album cover design, based on a previous supermarket-carpark-sketch-illustration - now with added toilet roll panic buying! The next task is to try rolling back some over-zealous vocal de-essing, and (runny nose permitting) re-singing a couple of tracks.
#JollyPessimistic
#JollyPessimistic
15th September: #WIP #JollyPessimistic After drawing lots of plastic chairs and the beginnings of a band I ended up putting this composition to one side, though I should be able to use it for something else album related. I’ve since been revisiting a #supermarketcarparksketch
October 1, 2025 at 3:47 PM
15th September: #WIP #JollyPessimistic After drawing lots of plastic chairs and the beginnings of a band I ended up putting this composition to one side, though I should be able to use it for something else album related. I’ve since been revisiting a #supermarketcarparksketch
31st August: #JollyPessimistic Some crops of album cover rough workings - I think I’ve settled on a faux-lithographic cut-out approach. The band are only naked because I hadn’t drawn any clothes yet… though with a raging apocalyptic fire in the background, maybe it’s a little on the warm side? 🤷
October 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
31st August: #JollyPessimistic Some crops of album cover rough workings - I think I’ve settled on a faux-lithographic cut-out approach. The band are only naked because I hadn’t drawn any clothes yet… though with a raging apocalyptic fire in the background, maybe it’s a little on the warm side? 🤷
Yesterday’s sketch in Verulamium Park. I only managed 3/4 of the trees yesterday, and finished the rest off today. In the wind I could hear a fantastic blues band playing from the pub beyond the trees… #stalbans #Verulamium
August 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Yesterday’s sketch in Verulamium Park. I only managed 3/4 of the trees yesterday, and finished the rest off today. In the wind I could hear a fantastic blues band playing from the pub beyond the trees… #stalbans #Verulamium
Realised 10 full comics would take forever, so I’m back to an illustrated lyric book. Rough sketch for Feeding Time - a song about the state of UK politics. Banner reads: Serve with honour or you will be served cold. 🦁
#WIP #JollyPessimistic
#WIP #JollyPessimistic
July 31, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Realised 10 full comics would take forever, so I’m back to an illustrated lyric book. Rough sketch for Feeding Time - a song about the state of UK politics. Banner reads: Serve with honour or you will be served cold. 🦁
#WIP #JollyPessimistic
#WIP #JollyPessimistic
#WIP #storyboarding – Working on a sequence for song 2, OMG — first of 3 about climate change and the COLLAPSE of EVERYTHING (the album title Jolly Pessimistic comes from one).
Testing a scene in #MentalCanvas: a family watching climate news.
Wordless vid, speech bubble book? 🤔💭 #dOom
Testing a scene in #MentalCanvas: a family watching climate news.
Wordless vid, speech bubble book? 🤔💭 #dOom
July 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM
#WIP #storyboarding – Working on a sequence for song 2, OMG — first of 3 about climate change and the COLLAPSE of EVERYTHING (the album title Jolly Pessimistic comes from one).
Testing a scene in #MentalCanvas: a family watching climate news.
Wordless vid, speech bubble book? 🤔💭 #dOom
Testing a scene in #MentalCanvas: a family watching climate news.
Wordless vid, speech bubble book? 🤔💭 #dOom
#WIP #storyboarding - that’s the storyboard for song number one done, just 9 more to go…
July 16, 2025 at 9:05 PM
#WIP #storyboarding - that’s the storyboard for song number one done, just 9 more to go…
#WIP #storyboarding - spread number 2 for song number 1: Black Mirror. 🤳 I was thinking I could put song time markers in key panels so the sequence could be read along with the song, like a low-tech music video? 🤯
July 15, 2025 at 5:15 PM
#WIP #storyboarding - spread number 2 for song number 1: Black Mirror. 🤳 I was thinking I could put song time markers in key panels so the sequence could be read along with the song, like a low-tech music video? 🤯
Hooray!! I’ve finished my album, Jolly Pessimistic, here’s a little snippet of a song called Black Mirror. I’m now in the process of making an accompanying comic book… so it might still be a little while before the album is released into the wild...
#WIP #musicmaking
#WIP #musicmaking
July 13, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Hooray!! I’ve finished my album, Jolly Pessimistic, here’s a little snippet of a song called Black Mirror. I’m now in the process of making an accompanying comic book… so it might still be a little while before the album is released into the wild...
#WIP #musicmaking
#WIP #musicmaking
May 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
March 9, 2025 at 11:33 PM
☀️ Happy Winter Solstice! ☀️
More AI devilry - a rare photo of me in my SUNday best, perched on my solstice viewing chair.
More AI devilry - a rare photo of me in my SUNday best, perched on my solstice viewing chair.
December 21, 2024 at 6:24 PM
☀️ Happy Winter Solstice! ☀️
More AI devilry - a rare photo of me in my SUNday best, perched on my solstice viewing chair.
More AI devilry - a rare photo of me in my SUNday best, perched on my solstice viewing chair.
26.09.24
after deciding not to mask—
a cough sweet
on the optometrist’s breath
#covid
#micropoetry
02.11.24
my knee—
ballooning
over sleepless nights
#1hr26minssleep
#hopefullynotlongcovid
after deciding not to mask—
a cough sweet
on the optometrist’s breath
#covid
#micropoetry
02.11.24
my knee—
ballooning
over sleepless nights
#1hr26minssleep
#hopefullynotlongcovid
December 2, 2024 at 12:51 PM
26.09.24
after deciding not to mask—
a cough sweet
on the optometrist’s breath
#covid
#micropoetry
02.11.24
my knee—
ballooning
over sleepless nights
#1hr26minssleep
#hopefullynotlongcovid
after deciding not to mask—
a cough sweet
on the optometrist’s breath
#covid
#micropoetry
02.11.24
my knee—
ballooning
over sleepless nights
#1hr26minssleep
#hopefullynotlongcovid
November 30, 2024 at 6:26 PM
#inkyfingerpainting on an old iPhone
November 30, 2024 at 5:58 PM
#inkyfingerpainting on an old iPhone
I was chuffed to find this Ravilious-esque ‘tailors dummy’ pebble on Hastings Rock-A-Nore beach this time last week. We’ve got quite a good collection going now, mostly found by Mrs C, though I have to say this one is my new favourite.
HIGH STREET, J.M.Richards, Eric Ravilious
#lithographicpebbles
HIGH STREET, J.M.Richards, Eric Ravilious
#lithographicpebbles
November 22, 2024 at 2:52 PM
I was chuffed to find this Ravilious-esque ‘tailors dummy’ pebble on Hastings Rock-A-Nore beach this time last week. We’ve got quite a good collection going now, mostly found by Mrs C, though I have to say this one is my new favourite.
HIGH STREET, J.M.Richards, Eric Ravilious
#lithographicpebbles
HIGH STREET, J.M.Richards, Eric Ravilious
#lithographicpebbles
My talented art school pal!
November 21, 2024 at 2:21 PM
My talented art school pal!
Random bits from my #sketchbook, which atm is mostly filled with audio related notes and daily To-Doooos.
The first image is the design for the album cover - a wooden puppet stood knee deep in flood water in front of a dilapidated band stand dressed as a Victorian undertaker playing a ukulele.
The first image is the design for the album cover - a wooden puppet stood knee deep in flood water in front of a dilapidated band stand dressed as a Victorian undertaker playing a ukulele.
November 19, 2024 at 2:26 PM
Random bits from my #sketchbook, which atm is mostly filled with audio related notes and daily To-Doooos.
The first image is the design for the album cover - a wooden puppet stood knee deep in flood water in front of a dilapidated band stand dressed as a Victorian undertaker playing a ukulele.
The first image is the design for the album cover - a wooden puppet stood knee deep in flood water in front of a dilapidated band stand dressed as a Victorian undertaker playing a ukulele.
Mini sketches of Hastings dry harbour from the café in Hastings Contemporary. Afterwards went for a stroll on the beach and found lots of sad faced dogfish and some exotic looking shea shells shea shells on the shea floor.
November 15, 2024 at 8:26 PM
Mini sketches of Hastings dry harbour from the café in Hastings Contemporary. Afterwards went for a stroll on the beach and found lots of sad faced dogfish and some exotic looking shea shells shea shells on the shea floor.
