Happy Mother’s Day, Australia. A cute little design I put together for my good pals at @shorteesgolf . Look at that little bubba golf ball! Cuuuuuuuuute! BIG LOVE to all the human and pet mum’s ❤️
For all the men at the back who are still unsure.
Male silence has long been the permission slip for violent men to do their worst.
SILENCE = VIOLENCE.
No more. It’s time to speak up. It’s time to show up. It’s time to listen, learn and unlearn male behaviors that put girls and women at risk of violent harm.
I’ve always loved to draw. And ever since I won the grade 4 drawing competition for my super-rad-to-the-max drawing of Raphael (my favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle), I’ve known it’s what I want to do forever.��I’m grateful that I’ve been able to forge a lifelong career in doing that (BIG shout out @jackywinter - my wonderfully supportive illustration agents). Through all the ups and downs of life, I’ve never put down the pencils or given up that childhood love of drawing and inventing physical pictures from my imagination. What a magic trick that is.��One of the things I love to draw the most, and is a HUGE part of my offering as a professional illustrator and graphic designer, is characters and mascots. Especially anthropomorphic characters, AKA, everyday things and objects with humanised faces and limbs, like a happy hamburger or a cute little turtle in joggers.��Drawing characters and being able to lose myself in play is when I’m at my happiest (: ��To celebrate that, here are 65 of my all-time favourite characters and mascots from the vault of Timba Smits. Feel free to pause and pick your favourite and let me know in the comments!��And if you’re a local Aussie or international cafe, bar, pub, brand or interstellar travel corporation, and you’re looking for an original and fun character or mascot (drawn by a human), send me a bat signal, or a DM/email will work.
I was recently asked by @disneyanimation to reimagine a few of their favourite posters in the style of Disney classics, starting with Tangled. Growing up, I devoured Walt Disney’s animations and films, so as an adult artist (and big kid), I was truly honoured to receive the call to imagine them. You can swipe through for some detail (lots of detail) and also my OG sketches. I imagined three posters in total and will share those when I’m allowed, so watch this space.
In the meantime, get lost in this one that GLEAMS and GLOWS. Big thanks to the art direction team and artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios for their trust and guidance on these. 💜💛💜💛
Earth Day. There is no Planet B so we’d better look after the one we’ve got.
Down To Earth. Planet Appreciation Society.
#earthday #characterdesigm #mascotdesign #illustration #timbasmits
Meditations On Violence. 6.3.26
I detest the world’s violence. This sentiment isn’t just reserved for physically violent individuals and groups; it extends to entire societies that fail to recognise the connection between non-physical violent logic, language, and intent, and actual physical violence.
A fun identity and flyer design I made for @shorteesgolf Masters tournament including a bootlegged version of the famous Augusta Masters icon, but in the shape of the state of NSW, and, with a friendly face! (:
Every year, everyone’s favourite 3-par golf course on the NSW coast, SHORTEES, throws an EPIC tournament in celebration of the Augusta Masters. This year’s event is sponsored by @originalbonsoy and kicks off Sunday April 12th.
If you’re good at golf, and want to win some great prizes, and have a shot at winning the Shortees green jacket, you can enter via the links on @shorteesgolf page. FORE!!!
Received some copies of St.Louis magazine in the post featuring my cover art and feature story illustrations. They look great! It’s always nice to see your work in print. Thanks again @stlouismag@t0mwhite for the fun brief and good times. (:
New work for the latest issue of @stlouismag , celebrating 100 years of Route 66, including my cover design, feature opener and 3 fantastic vintage-inspired travel postcards of famous Missouri landmarks along the infamous highway to support the story “Get Your Kicks”. — I loved every second working on these fun illustrations, which include all of my loves - vintage ephemera, type, midcentury illustration, characters and mascots, restricted colours, and texture. LOTS OF TEXTURE. (: — BIG THANKS to St.Louis Magazine’s CD Tom White (@t0mwhite ) for the great open brief and trust in me to go wild on these. Also, a loving shoutout to my good friends @truegrittexturesupply whose texture packs never fail. Texture packs in use: The Rusty Nib Pens, BeatTone Brushes and Distress Press. — “Get Your Kicks” - 100 years of Route 66 (swipe left).
I’m seeing and hearing a lot of people (mostly men) justifying, excusing and defending the violence we’re seeing being caused by violent men, especially against women.
Know this: Those who attempt to justify or excuse aggressive male violence in any way are enablers of violent men and, therefore, complicit in the harm they inflict on their victims.
Regulating AI won’t stop men from being creeps.
The danger is, men will ALWAYS find ways to creep on, abuse and sexually objectify women and children on and off the internet—especially with modern technology like AI—that is, until we can prevent it.
What does AI regulation even look like? And how is that managed now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak?
Even with government AI regulation, the bleeding wouldn’t stop, because AI regulation would be but a bandaid on an open infection: unregulated men.
Idea: How about we regulate men, meaning, how about we focus on educating young boys and men on how to better regulate themselves, particularly around women, from their own emotions, thoughts, and language, to their behaviour, sexual urges and actions.
What we really need to be looking at under a microscope is toxic male behaviour patterns in male society, specifically misogyny and violence against women, as the root cause of these issues, NOT technology.
Because, as I mentioned above, technology is just the gun, we need to focus on who’s pulling the trigger: men.
If we start there, if we can provide better education for young boys and men on the dangers of misogyny, male violence, and the abuse of technology to commit gender-based harm, while introducing tougher laws for men that protect women and children, we might get somewhere.
Drop a 💜 if this resonates or share to supercharge the message (:
Elon Musk, Grok (AI), and Male Violence Against Women.
FTR, In general, I think generative AI is pretty amazing technology, in the right hands, and for the right uses, however we can’t ignore that it was rushed into the market (without proper regulations) too soon, too fast, and we’re already seeing the dangerous ramifications of that in real time.
The violent and sexual exploitation of women and children is something I take very seriously and this issue is not only taking place on Musk’s X.com (formally Twitter) with its Grok AI but here on Instagram too, using Meta’s own generative AI tools.
I’m seeing this misogynistic AI slop more and more as Meta pushes its own generative AI content on all of us. And who’s pushing it? Just look who’s in control of the technology. Men.
Generative AI in the wrong hands, especially male hands, isn’t something we can afford to ignore, especially for the safety of our women and children.
If you see it, report it.
I’m keen to hear other people’s thoughts. 👇
