Australian illustrator Ken Taylor has created imagery for some of rock n’ ’roll’s great purveyors of sound, from the Rolling Stones and Queens of the Stone Age, to Nine Inch Nails and the Mars Volta. He has an easily recognizable style that screams sharp edge cool. Bold and bawdy, Taylor’s pieces use vivid colour to create a cut-out-comic-like feel reminiscent of old movie posters from the 1930s and 40s.

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Beautiful, delicate, fragile, a little bit collage, a little bit sketchfull. This is the work of Kelly Smith. Combining several mediums in a collaborative expose between pencil, paint and print to create timeless works of elegant splendour, it is easy to compare Smith’s works to the last snowflake of winter, fleeting but real, avoiding the brash bright mercantile world for the prettier climes of illustrative pleasure. Smith has a twelve-day exhibition on at the 696 Space in Brunswick, Melbourne, opening November 14.

Trapped in a time warp between then and now, the work of Brandt Peters combines an old school aesthetic with a modernity bordering on futuristic fantasy, with a touch of morbid fascination thrown in for good measure. In other words, he creates wonderful imagery combining cartoon-like pin-ups with sometimes freakish attributes (large skulled beings, for instance), and every now and then seems to throw in a nod to sci-fi — such as a mechanical glass jar — for good measure. Muted tones replace the bawdy colours often associated with such mediums, giving his pieces a whimsical, dream like quality. He must live in a delightfully wispy world.

Tyson McAdoo is responsible for depicting these salacious bombshells, taking seemingly ordinary situations — like sitting on a couch, riding a motorbike or riding an invisible horse (things I am sure we’ve all done at some stage) — and adding some sassy young minx as the focal point, creating a playground for your eyeballs. Apparently McAdoo is imprisoned within his creative universe, or some dungeon according to his bio, accompanied only by ‘two pathetic ghetto rats, Squeezie and Pocket’, and forced to draw the Empress of Ink over and over each day so she dare not fade. You can pick up prints of his work online, and they are damn reasonably priced compared to what some prints go for these days.

He may not be French in his spare time, but Australian illustrator Pierre surely does know how to draw, creating wonderfully fractured universes in which the creatures of his imagination dwell. Pierre has recently released his own children’s picture book, which anyone who writes for children would know is one of the hardest things in the world to achieve, let alone when you’ve done the entire script, illustrating and publishing yourself.

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Creating modern-vintage inspired by 1950s Australian housewives and rock’n'roll style pin-up glamour, Peta Pledger has been producing one-off, made-to-measure or small-run garments and accessories since 2003. Her love affair with the sewing machine began in 1988 when — like many lovely ladies — she couldn’t find any clothing that flattered her figure. Yes, some of us out there actually have up-sized hips and voluptuous frames, meaning we can’t always cram all that gorgeous flesh into skinny jeans tailored with miniscule thighs and teeny waists in mind. So if you want to be looking fine when you attend your next gig, garden party or Mexican stand-off, then check out the craft of Miss Pledger or drop her a line to request some one-on-one apparel creation. Va Va Va Voom!

Yes, the name may be a little strange, and sure, it does tend to conjure up images of things not so pretty, but there’s little doubt that the ethereal art of this strange harlequin is beautiful and captivating. The art of Used Bandaid has even been embraced by New Zealand based company Illicit, who are themselves well known for utilizing unique artists creations in, and on, their fashion and play products. The Used Bandaid creator herself is fiercely, and understandably, protective of her art, so make sure you hit her up in person if you want to flash her talent around.

Wrap your brain around this slice of pie. This here is the work of THH70, someone who apparently obtained human form in 1970. This chap is pretty much known for inimitable style and approach, which THH70 himself has described as being ‘lo-fi urban abstract graffiti’. Combining words, textures, patterns, passion, philosophy, light and darkness, THH70 uses what can only be best described as a weapons closet full of varied mediums. Apparently he also goes so far as to include household products like Windex and X-14 mildew remover in the mix, combining it with his own mad inspiration when creating his pieces.

Based in Osaka, Japan, Shige Tomo is a graphic designer and illustrator who lends his formidable talents to creating deceivingly sweet looking, doll-like creatures, whose malicious stares are quite at odds with their sugary features. Aside from conjuring up an impressive portfolio filled to the brim with these effortless evils, Tomo also has a wonderful collection of dolls and other products available, which bring his saccharine creations to life. Lovely in their simplicity, yet malevolent in their intent, you have to wonder if Tomo had nightmares about dolls when he was a child.

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‘The comic book stylings of an illustrative genius’, is just one of the ways you might describe the work of Jason Goad. And you can’t help but like someone whose website address is ‘ingoadwetrust’. Goad makes use of colour in the same way that Ninja’s don’t, resulting in an welcome assault on the eyeballs. Apparently his imagination is ‘fuelled by warm root beer and egg salad sandwiches’, so may we suggest admiring this amazing artwork at a safe distance.

This has to be one of the best documentaries ever to grace a cinema screen. Following the history of Australian made exploitation films, and the burgeoning Oz film industry that grew from this oft-forgotten genre, Not Quite Hollywood follows the rise, rise and headlong fall of Ozploitation. Featuring interviews with the directors, producers and critics at the height of their game during the 70s and 80s, not to mention the modern master of the genre film, Quentin Tarantino, Not Quite Hollywood is a hilarious ride through plot-holes as big as Ayres Rock (yes, of course we needed some gratuitous Aussie reference in there somewhere) decorated by bad props and buckets of blood-splattered-gore.

If you’ve ever wondered what nerds get up to when deprived of Broadband for two weeks, or you want to find out how William Shatner (think Star Trek era, not Boston Legal) saved the world, then Nerds Gone Wild is your new bible. Packed full of geeky goodness, this perfect-bound wonder will keep you fascinated for hours as its contents reveal everything from what happened to the actor who played Atreyu in the Neverending Story to the world phenomenon centered around Rubiks cube competitions. And yes, they still happen!

The photography of Rohan Hutchinson is amazing, his subject matter of late focusing on the rapidly disappearing back alleyways in China which are being demolished for the Olympics, leaving thousands of people displaced. Hutchinson captures his images on large format negatives, meaning the processed photo can be enlarged almost to the size of a wall in a small room! He has his first exhibition between July 17-31 at the Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne.

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Sassy waifs are the hallmark of Martin Abel’s work. Graphite collides with vector style to create edgy damsels with only a dash of decorum between them. This is some sexy work, regardless of your persuasion. Complimented with a classic comic flair, Abel’s other contributions include work for the official X-box magazine. Keep an eye on this rising star ladies and gentlemen.

Melbourne really is one lucky city. Filled to the brim with talented people, and now with another space to play in. Gorker is the newest gallery space to grace Melbourne’s creative realm with its inaugural 40 Thieves show packing out the venue. Rumour has it upcoming exhibitions will be just as captivating, so keep your eyes glued to their website for more details.

Though I’m not generally one to endorse products willy nilly, every now and then you find something that inspires you to action simply because you can see the possibilities in the medium. Krink Inks are just such a thing. Beginning life as a homemade ink created by graffiti writer and artist, Craig ‘KR’ Costello, Krink Inks are just the thing should your next artist endeavors require a dripping aesthetic or groovy opacity. Also check out their website for a wonderful gallery of work created with their inks.

Beautiful, pretty, divine, lavish, vivid. These are the words you will find your mind spinning towards as you stroll through the Lounge Kat world. Kate McInnes is the mistress behind the wonderful illustrations, which will have any otaku drooling like a Pavlovian creature. Combined like the text from twisted poetry, her recent collaborations with fellow Melbourne artist Bucket ‘o’ Thought are sure to inspire.

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With online ‘art-for-sale’ websites popping faster than magic mushrooms come mother’s day (or so I am told, ah-herm), it can be hard to pick the gold from the garrrr. To make it nice and simple for you, I can guarantee you’ll like what you see at Stupid Krap! Founded by artist Ben Frost and featuring the likes of Beastman, Kelsey Brookes [above], Anthony Lister [below], and Kill Pixie, there’s surely something to whet even the most cynical appetite.

Adorable and noxious spills phosphorescent from the imagination of Nix Toxic, whose art is a wonderful contradiction in terms. Cute creations simper amongst the vibrant but deadly colour schemes. Still other works delight the senses in sunrise shades while mustachioed creatures gaze into nowhere from the canvas. Artist? Scientist? Nix’s works have encompassed many mediums, including graphic design, visual arts, lighting fixtures, furniture and clothing design,with each piece embracing Nix’s belief that ‘anything is possible’.

‘If its not on it’s not on’ is arguably one of the best catchphrases to emerge in the fight against the spread of the AIDS virus, and is still remembered long after it was first launched. Yet the war against this insidious disease is not over, and years later it seems people still have a lot to learn. Designer’s Against AIDS is one organization working hard to spread the word and its latest campaign is sure to catch some eyes. Check it out and do your part