SHUT UP AND PLAY – A Silkscreen Collaboration with Simon Spilsbury

The Gibson SG ‘Shut Up And Play’ silkscreen print edition marks a long-overdue collaboration between White Duck Editions and illustrator Simon Spilsbury. As former studio neighbours and fellow Bath residents, we've worked with Spilsbury on a host of past print projects, but it’s been far too long since we last put ink to paper together. So, when the opportunity arose to transform Splisbury's Gibson SG illustration into a silkscreen print, we couldn’t resist. 

The result? A bold, layered, and deeply textured print that embodies both Spilsbury’s high-energy style and the indomitably raw attitude of Rock & Roll.

For those of you new to Spilsbury's award-winning work, it only takes a glance to find his illustrations instantly recognisable. Known for their expressive linework and spontaneous energy, Spilsbury's drawings have appeared across advertising, TV and editorial projects for the last 30 years, catering for significant names, such as Nike, Virgin, Cobra Beer, and The Guardian. As design writer Steven Heller describes it: 

“Spilsbury’s expressive and chaotic line is a high-speed engine that pulls his drawings along at a frenetic pace.”

As such, Spilsbury's talent has been recognised with industry accolades, including British Illustration Gold and D&AD Silver, and features in Luerzer’s 200 Best Illustrators and Taschen’s 100 Illustrators. With such distinctive style and pedigree, it is no surprise that his recent guitar illustration project has been gaining attention, by bringing together music, art, and print in a truly inspiring way. 

The Guitar Series

Spilsbury’s Guitar Series is an ongoing collaborative art & print project, focused on capturing the personalities of iconic electric guitars and those who play them. The creation of each guitar goes way beyond just illustration, as Spilsbury collaborates with musicians to create unique guitar artworks that are representative of their personal journeys. You could call it a Rock & Roll portrait — a series of snapshots of that musician, energetically composted in such a way that we get a sense of the whole. 

One fine example of this collaborative process is the guitar Spilsbury created with Huey Morgan, frontman of Fun Lovin' Criminals. Working closely with Huey, Spilsbury created just such a Rock & Roll portrait, visually mapping Huey's life — his time in the US marines, his tattoos, and, of course, his beloved Gibson Les Paul Custom. This signed print, offered in a hand-embellished edition, showcases how personal and meaningful Spilsbury’s work can be.

Spilsbury's recent exhibition at The Guitar Show UK was a distillation of this evolving body of work. It included the Gibson SG ‘Shut Up And Play’ silkscreen print, among other guitars, and was a visually striking showcase for this ongoing project.

The Gibson SG: A Rock & Roll Icon

Few guitars are as instantly recognisable as the Gibson SG. First introduced in 1961, it has become Gibson’s best-selling model of all time, favoured for its fast neck, lightweight body, and aggressive tone. 

Spilsbury gave his SG the title 'Shut Up And Play' as a nod to the famous Frank Zappa quote, which has since become a mantra for musicians who believe in letting the music speak for itself. Stencilled onto the body of the SG, Zappa's words add another layer of meaning to this artwork — a tribute to the instrument, to the attitude that defines Rock & Roll, and to the musician who is arguably the most identifiable SG player in history.

The Making of the Edition

This edition was truly collaborative from the outset. We worked closely with Simon to deconstruct his Gibson SG illustration into seven distinct print layers, ensuring that every single detail translated perfectly into silkscreen printed ink. We then produced the strictly limited edition of just 15, here in the White Duck Editions studio, with Spilsbury in-house to get his hands involved in the completion of the edition. 

Here are some key details about the print:

• Seven layers of ink, including two translucent blacks to create depth and texture.
• A lustrous metallic silver that beautifully highlights the guitar's pickups, printed using Lascaux Studio Bronze ink.
• Silkscreen printed onto 300gsm paper stock, custom-made to our studio's specification.
• Large-format at 101cm x 50.5cm makes it bold and impressive. It feels like the near life-size guitar could be lifted from the paper!

The result is deep, gritty, and tangibly layered — just as you want a silkscreen print to be. Spilsbury’s expressive linework is preserved perfectly, with every bold stroke and detail accentuated by the physicality of the layered ink on paper.

Our collaboration with Simon Spilsbury is far from over. There is plenty more to come from this meeting of illustration and printmaking. Watch this space as things evolve. 

In the meantime, if you’re a fan of bold, expressive artwork and iconic guitars, 'Shut Up And Play' is a must-have. You can explore more of the Guitar Series and get your hands on the Gibson SG ‘Shut Up And Play’ silkscreen edition via Spilsbury's shop.