Neil on the Beach in California

Neil at Malibu Beach, California

Pet Shop Boys - Neil Tennant stands on a rocky beach in Malibu, California during the Performance tour. This image was taken by Pennie Smith and appears in the book Pet Shop Boys versus America. The original photo also shows Dainton and Normski.

Neil standing along Malibu Beach in March, wearing a pair of New Balance sneakers that I totally owned like 8 years ago.

The Legal Bit

You can generally do whatever you want with these, except use them to make money. [ CLICK HERE for the rules… ]

(I apologize in advance if the legality seems pretentious; I just want to avoid any unauthorized profits or vulgarity and this is the easiest way to do it.) The original artwork on www.SketchShopBoys.com by Mischell "Meech" Yost is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

YOU CAN: do lots of stuff! You may use these low-resolution sketches to make digital things like online avatars, cellphone and desktop wallpaper, or Facebook profile photos. As long as you don't produce them in large quantities, you can also use them to make kewl things for yourself like t-shirts and buttons; you can print them out and hang them on your fridge, draw mustaches on them and give them to your kids to color, or use them to clean up dog poop.

YOU CAN'T (without my permission): sell the images in any digital or physical form, print them in mass quantities, or use them in a promotional manner that could result in revenue-generation or implication of endorsement (a background for your online store, printing them on flyers to promote your kid brother's cover band, etc.).

JUST ASK! I'm quite friendly - if you're not sure about something or if you are interested in using the images in another way, just send me a message and we'll have a chat. I'll most likely be flattered and allow you to do whatever you want to do.

If you display a sketch anywhere, kindly post a link back to this site (www.SketchShopBoys.com), oh please please please do! If you alter one, just make a note of it with a link to this site. All PSB-related photographs are copyright their respective dates by their respective copyright owners. The photographs used here are of low quality and are solely for the purpose of visual comparison, which I judge to be Fair Use under U.S. copyright law. This site is not endorsed by anyone. Learn more about Pet Shop Boys at the official Pet Shop Boys website.

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About Me(ech)

After some minor kicking and screaming, this is my official "coming out": I'm a FLAMING PETHEAD… which is a festive way of saying "mega Pet Shop Boys fan". If you want to read a bit more…

[ Ooh, I want to read a bit more! ]

WHAT IS THIS? WHERE AM I?
These are sketches of ~~the~~ Pet Shop Boys I've made for no particular reason other than a photo caught my eye.

PET… SHOP… … HUH?…
It's hard to nail down a tidy artistic description of Pet Shop Boys, but I think a "seething mass of elegant contradictions" * is just about perfect. For nearly 30 years they've amassed a pants-wettingly diverse and enduring archive of music — inspired by everything from political history & dirty deeds, to existentialist introspection, hilarity, & the general hopelessness of humanity… and fun and dancing and sex and all the other little snippets of life. Accompanying it all, Pet Shop Boys' visual catalog has maintained a peculiar integrity that manages to seem both orderly and completely bonkers.

ARE YOU A GUY?
Nope! The moustache is purely ornamental.

IS THERE ANYTHING SLEAZY OR VULGAR HERE?
Nope! Your kids are totally safe.

THE PEOPLE LOOK DIFFERENT IN EACH DRAWING! OH, AND IN THE ONE SKETCH THERE'S THIS LITTLE BIT OF PAISLEY FABRIC SHOWING BEHIND NEIL'S ELBOW THAT WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL IMAGE—
Quite often the drawing doesn't turn out to look exactly like the image; after finding a lovable photo I just do what the pencil tells me to do. Also, I drew these with my feet, so I'm lucky they look like anything at all.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ATTENTION?
Although I did unintentionally snag 15 minutes of fame, I'm not looking for any particular attention. I just want to make some scribbly-doos and show them to people who might appreciate or make use of them. Ideally I'd be generating more Pet Shop Boys fans in some inexplicable way.

ARE THE BAND AWARE OF THIS ABUSE OF THEIR IMAGERY?
Sketch Shop Boys is apparently a favorite brunch topic. They pop in every day, tea and sandwiches and all that. Chris:"I dearly wish there were a Sketch Shop Boys fan club." Neil:"We have it bookmarked on Internet Explorer™."

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SSB Recent Updates

8/16/2013
Chris snacks on a finger while absorbing something assuredly grammatically-correct from Neil.

8/9/2013
What's black and white and red all over? This photo of Pet Shop Boys.

8/5/2013
A very interesting wall behind the Boys here.

8/1/2013
Isn't it creepy when someone just pops up behind you?

7/31/2013
Neil knows enough's enough.

7/30/2013
My sincere apologies for Leaving you hanging for 2 years.

[ Older Updates… ]

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12/8/2011
Please have a look at the new sketch, for my (33rd) birthday. :)

10/17/2011
Ain't nothin' but show business.

10/4/2011
Happy Birthday Chris Lowe! Hearts from the USA. (^_^)

9/19/2011
Beat. Beat. Beat …

9/10/2011
I just thought this was such a funny photo.

8/24/2011
You said it couldn't happen there, but how about over here by this bench?

8/15/2011
This simple sketch seemed alright to post. And I think it's appropriate for the state of our world today. ♥

7/27/2011
I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing.

7/21/2011
Chris rocks some serious eyewear for the cover of "Literally".

7/19/2011
You'll need a sweet PSB sweatshirt to hang around Malibu Beach in March.

7/13/2011
Chris shies from the press, but on stage may surprise you.

7/7/2011
This Sunday (July 10) PetHeads all over the world will say "happy birthday, Neil!" Please give Kevin a big hug.

7/6/2011
Becoming an official Pet Text today has destroyed my productivity most terrifically.

6/30/2011
It was So Hard to find time for a decent sketch this week.

6/24/2011
Going West? Bring me a present!

6/16/2011
Everyone's favorite Nightlifers.

6/15/2011
I hope you like the new sketch of Neil from the set of "It Couldn't Happen Here". That 80's Neil-hair could have applied for its own citizenship. If you're bored, stop over.

6/10/2011
Added Neil's feather hat from the Pandemonium tour.

6/7/2011
I have deemed the Being Boring Neil sketch to be sufficiently squeezable. Also today: a sketch of one image from what I assume was a "Yes" photo session.

6/2/2011
Added Chris in the BOY hat from the "Love Comes Quickly" single, and an image from the "Behaviour" album photo shoot featuring lots and lots of prickly roses.

5/26/2011
I have added what I hope is sufficient legal text regarding the photographs. I can see it being a lot harder to say hello to Neil and Chris if we are in court.

5/25/2011
Newz! Added sketches from 2 "Being Boring" sleeves; 7" Neil, 12" Chris (not to be taken out of context).

5/20/2011
URL acquired! I am now officially www.SketchShopBoys.com.

5/16/2011
Blog "launch"! I had to scramble to get it working after a link went up on geowayne.com. 12 sketches added: everything from the "Actually" cover, to "London".

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Sketch Shop Boys - Pet Shop Boys and a Pencil