Thursday, 21 April 2011
YMO - RYDEEN.
This is the amazingly, addictive song that me and Jord have decided to use for the Music Live brief. Seriously though once you've listened to it once you'll be hooked.
MICHAEL SIEBEN EMAIL.
This is the third and final post where I've contacted various artist I admire via email and asked them a series of questions relating to the big bad world of the industry. It's been an absolute pleasure to hear back from artists that have inspired and influenced my work and how I go about producing it. I was pretty amazed when I heard back from Michael Sieben as I thought he'd be too much of a big shot to reply but I was proved very wrong indeed. Brief background on Sieben. He's an American illustrator based in Austin that studied at the university of Texas receiving a BFA in Studio art in 1999. Since then he has been a founding member of the Okay Mountain Gallery, set up a skateboard company and worked with Thrasher Magazine, Adidas, Toy Machine and Volcom to name just a few. Anyway, back to the "interview".
1. How did you first get into illustration after finishing university?
I was actually doing a little bit of commercial illustration while I was still in school - doing spot illustrations for the Austin Chronicle which is the city's weekly art and entertainment paper. After graduating I just tried to do as much work as I could which basically meant doing a lot of work for free for friend's bands or small skateboard companies. I had a full time job for many years after graduating and I'd do my art stuff at night after work, which included making paintings, working on my website, making zines, organizing art shows, etc. Basically I just tried to immerse myself in art and tried to do everything I could think of to get my work seen.
2. Other then illustrating what stuff do you do like doing?
I like skateboarding, I like to go swimming, I'm a big fan of camping, I like going to thrift stores and staring at old crap, I like reading, watching movies... normal stuff.
3. What really inspires you when coming up with ideas for your work, and do ideas come reasonably easy or do you have to rack your brain for hours on end?
I just try to keep a sketchbook around all the time so that if I think of a concept I can jot it down or make a crude sketch. Later when I'm trying to think of ideas for a painting or a commercial project I revisit my sketchbook(s) and see what's still funny or interesting to me.
4. Its evident that you have a clear, confident working method and technique when producing your work, did you develop this "style" or did it come naturally?
My illustration style developed over many years. It was definitely a conscious decision though. I remember when I was younger, I really wanted to come up with a mode of illustration that wouldn't require me to sign my pieces. I wanted people to look at the work and know immediately who had drawn it. It took many years to get my work to the point that I felt like it was really my own and not just a mash up of my favorite artists. Patience and practice.
5. A lot of your work includes strange little characters and animals that are quite sci-fi/comic book esq looking. These are all cool themes to be illustrating giving a lot for the imagination to play with. Is this what attracts you to them?
I never made a conscious decision to draw characters, it's just what I've always drawn since I was a kid. But I like that people make connections with the characters or are able to see themselves in the work. I don't know if you get that same connection with landscapes or abstract work.
6. When making illustrations, whats the amount of time you typically take to complete them?
Most commercial illustrations that I do (if it's just a single illustration) are finished in 1 work day. But often there's lots of time spent up front doing sketches and talking with the client. But as far as the actual drawing, that happens fairly quickly.
7. Do you prefer to work on your own or in a studio with other artists around for example with Stacy Lowery working on Roger Skateboards?
If I'm really in the thick of it (in the middle of a project) I prefer to be by myself in a quiet environment. But for projects like The Internet Shack I work with other people in a studio and I love the interaction and the sharing/morphing of ideas. So I guess I prefer to be able to work both ways depending on the project.
8. You've worked with a lot of big names such as Adidas and Volcom. Is there any particular firm you really enjoy working for more then any other?
My favorite client is Roger Skateboards. Which isn't really a client since I co-own the company. But I love the freedom of literally being able to do anything I want to do without somebody giving me the thumbs down and telling me to try again. Roger pretty much ends up being the landing pad for all of the ideas that I know nobody else would want to touch.
9. How did you get into working with Thrasher Magazine?
In 2002 (or maybe 2003) a friend of mine told me that Ed Templeton was going to be at a Fugazi show in Austin that I was going to be attending. My buddy suggested that I bring some zines for him (since Ed's a zine collector.) I felt really weird about it since I didn't know him, but I thought I'd be stoked if some random dude gave me a bunch of zines, so I brought a handful of zines with me and gave them to Ed after the show. He brought them back to California with him and showed them to Michael Burnett (Thrasher Editor.) Burnett contacted me and I started doing some freelance work for the magazine. After about 6 months he (Burnett) called and asked if I would be interested in joining the Thrasher staff. As corny as it sounds, It was seriously a dream come true. I started reading Thrasher when I was 12 years old and the opportunity to be a part of the magazine means so much to me. I still get really stoked when I think about that phone call.
10. How has the art scene changed in America since you first became interested in creating artwork?
It's definitely gotten way bigger since I graduated from college in 1999. There are so many more artist run spaces and so many more opportunities for artists to get their work seen now then there were ten (plus) years ago.
11.. Last but not least, what advice would you give to aspiring designers/illustrators?
It's totally cliche, but be patient. For most artists it takes years before their work becomes recognizable or marketable, so use those years to practice your craft and to refine what you're doing.
1. How did you first get into illustration after finishing university?
I was actually doing a little bit of commercial illustration while I was still in school - doing spot illustrations for the Austin Chronicle which is the city's weekly art and entertainment paper. After graduating I just tried to do as much work as I could which basically meant doing a lot of work for free for friend's bands or small skateboard companies. I had a full time job for many years after graduating and I'd do my art stuff at night after work, which included making paintings, working on my website, making zines, organizing art shows, etc. Basically I just tried to immerse myself in art and tried to do everything I could think of to get my work seen.
2. Other then illustrating what stuff do you do like doing?
I like skateboarding, I like to go swimming, I'm a big fan of camping, I like going to thrift stores and staring at old crap, I like reading, watching movies... normal stuff.
3. What really inspires you when coming up with ideas for your work, and do ideas come reasonably easy or do you have to rack your brain for hours on end?
I just try to keep a sketchbook around all the time so that if I think of a concept I can jot it down or make a crude sketch. Later when I'm trying to think of ideas for a painting or a commercial project I revisit my sketchbook(s) and see what's still funny or interesting to me.
4. Its evident that you have a clear, confident working method and technique when producing your work, did you develop this "style" or did it come naturally?
My illustration style developed over many years. It was definitely a conscious decision though. I remember when I was younger, I really wanted to come up with a mode of illustration that wouldn't require me to sign my pieces. I wanted people to look at the work and know immediately who had drawn it. It took many years to get my work to the point that I felt like it was really my own and not just a mash up of my favorite artists. Patience and practice.
5. A lot of your work includes strange little characters and animals that are quite sci-fi/comic book esq looking. These are all cool themes to be illustrating giving a lot for the imagination to play with. Is this what attracts you to them?
I never made a conscious decision to draw characters, it's just what I've always drawn since I was a kid. But I like that people make connections with the characters or are able to see themselves in the work. I don't know if you get that same connection with landscapes or abstract work.
6. When making illustrations, whats the amount of time you typically take to complete them?
Most commercial illustrations that I do (if it's just a single illustration) are finished in 1 work day. But often there's lots of time spent up front doing sketches and talking with the client. But as far as the actual drawing, that happens fairly quickly.
7. Do you prefer to work on your own or in a studio with other artists around for example with Stacy Lowery working on Roger Skateboards?
If I'm really in the thick of it (in the middle of a project) I prefer to be by myself in a quiet environment. But for projects like The Internet Shack I work with other people in a studio and I love the interaction and the sharing/morphing of ideas. So I guess I prefer to be able to work both ways depending on the project.
8. You've worked with a lot of big names such as Adidas and Volcom. Is there any particular firm you really enjoy working for more then any other?
My favorite client is Roger Skateboards. Which isn't really a client since I co-own the company. But I love the freedom of literally being able to do anything I want to do without somebody giving me the thumbs down and telling me to try again. Roger pretty much ends up being the landing pad for all of the ideas that I know nobody else would want to touch.
9. How did you get into working with Thrasher Magazine?
In 2002 (or maybe 2003) a friend of mine told me that Ed Templeton was going to be at a Fugazi show in Austin that I was going to be attending. My buddy suggested that I bring some zines for him (since Ed's a zine collector.) I felt really weird about it since I didn't know him, but I thought I'd be stoked if some random dude gave me a bunch of zines, so I brought a handful of zines with me and gave them to Ed after the show. He brought them back to California with him and showed them to Michael Burnett (Thrasher Editor.) Burnett contacted me and I started doing some freelance work for the magazine. After about 6 months he (Burnett) called and asked if I would be interested in joining the Thrasher staff. As corny as it sounds, It was seriously a dream come true. I started reading Thrasher when I was 12 years old and the opportunity to be a part of the magazine means so much to me. I still get really stoked when I think about that phone call.
10. How has the art scene changed in America since you first became interested in creating artwork?
It's definitely gotten way bigger since I graduated from college in 1999. There are so many more artist run spaces and so many more opportunities for artists to get their work seen now then there were ten (plus) years ago.
11.. Last but not least, what advice would you give to aspiring designers/illustrators?
It's totally cliche, but be patient. For most artists it takes years before their work becomes recognizable or marketable, so use those years to practice your craft and to refine what you're doing.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
F*CK YOU.PAY ME.
2011/03 Mike Monteiro | F*ck You. Pay Me. from SanFrancisco/CreativeMornings on Vimeo.
Some good advise from working designers in the real world. Definitely worth a watch.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
MUSIC LIVE.
So for the Music Live brief (create and install an illustrated interpretation of a music track to adorn a series of connecting glass panels at the studio of Music) me and Jord have decided to team up and collaborate to come up with some ideas for the brief. We've sort of decided to choose a track by YMO called Rydeen. Immediately we felt that it reminded us of our childhood playing side scroll games on the Sega such as Streets of Rage, Altered Beast, Golden Axe and watching Power Rangers. With this in mind we though it' be pretty cool to come up with some ideas to maybe use pixelated imagery and use the glass panels as one continuous image like a sidescroller. After listening to the music repeatedly there is a clear Japanese feel to it mixed with retro electro so we decided to go down the roots of using Japanese technology - robots. This links into my 8x8 work as I've already been looking at different types of analogue technology that could be used in conjunction to this. Below are a few images we collected as a starting point for inspiration of our illustrations. We're each going to design one robot (from different p.o.v's) and make them look as though they've having a massive 2D fight.
Monday, 18 April 2011
LOGUN'S RUN.
A few pics I've been looking at for futuristic building interior. Wanting a dated look to my image like how technology has been predicted here. Looks pretty good, might have to give Logan's Run a watch.
ANALOGUE TRIUMPHS.
With me doing a lot of work at the moment with analogue technology I think I shall retire outside in the sun with the wireless,sketchbook and a variety of drawing stuffs. Need to crack on with some more drafts for my short story and my modern day technology is proving to be a massive distraction.
DENNY KHURNIAWAN.
Denny Khurniawan is a student currently at the Art Center College of Design in sunny Californian. His work uses lighting and exciting angles to a dead professional standard to create tension and angst in his pieces. I love how he mixes 2d as well as 3d together make juxtaposed compositions. He's worked with Dart on the Yuki 7 : Femme Fetale book and captures emotion of the characters used so effortlessly.
Monday, 11 April 2011
RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP.
After speaking to Ian last week I've started to look at music by artists that worked with the BBC in the late 50's creating weird and wonderful analogue sounds. Some of the most famous works by the Radiophonic Workshop was the original Doctor Who them tune. The work by Raymond Scott was definitely ahead of its time and doesn't sound like it would stand out against some present music. Delia Derbyshire's work is much more experimental and seems to have less of a structure to it. When I've been thinking about the work I'm doing at the moment I think her music fits better with the imagery I'm hoping to achieve. I'm definitely going to give Scott another listen though, some of his pieces are dead good.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
KEVIN DART REPLIES.
A few weeks,perhaps even months ago I did a cheeky post on the work of Southern Californian Kevin Dart. As well as inspiring me massively with his amazing scenery and sometimes delicate character designs his animation pieces have had a huge impact in my thought process about where I want to go next with my work. Anyway to get to the point, he's emailed me back a few times over the last month chatting to me about his work and was even kind enough to check my site out. He came across as being a dead nice person and I can definitely relate to some some the answers he's given aking me feel (slightly) more normal ha.
Enjoy!
1. Starting from the beginning, how did you first get into illustration?
I’ve always been into art. My parents were super encouraging of it. When I was in elementary school I loved writing short stories and illustrating them. In middle school my best friend and I would doodle comics and video game ideas. In high school I got really into graphic design. I don’t think I realized ‘how’ I wanted to draw until I saw Samurai Jack for the first time. That was a big awakening moment for me. It made me realize that drawing was something I HAD to do. It wasn’t until several years later though that I finally felt it was something I could do for a living, and that was another big change. It’s a big thing when something goes from being your hobby to your profession.
2. Other then illustrating what stuff do you do like doing?
I really enjoy shooting and editing video. Since moving to California I’ve been doing a lot more traveling, and I really enjoy driving and learning about different places. I love museums.
3. When it comes to inspiration what kind of things do you look at? A lot of your work contains landscapes elaborate and exciting landscapes, do you use reference to real places or does it all come from the mind?
It’s a mix of everything. I love photo reference. I use tons of it. But I’m not sure I would be inspired to draw if I hadn’t seen a lot of cool things in real life. Often times what sparks the idea for a drawing is wanting to recreate a memory of some place that I’ve been. It’s usually just a feeling or a fuzzy image though, and that’s where photos come in handy for fleshing the image out.
4. Its evident that you have a clear, confident working method and technique when producing your work, did you develop this "style" or did it come naturally?
I definitely developed it. My method used to be just starting an image and then going into a rage if it didn’t turn out how I wanted. That got really tiresome and eventually I learned that I could increase my success rate if I followed certain steps. So now I always gather reference, do thumbnails, color studies, etc, before trying to paint an image. It’s made drawing a lot less stressful for me.
5. A lot of your work seems to include comic book/sci-fi esq imagery. These are all cool themes to be illustrating giving a lot for the imagination to play with. Is this what attracts you to them?
I think I’ve always been into science, and science fiction. My parents did a really good job of making learning fun when I was a kid. Besides art, I was also really into science, especially space and paleontology. I think it made my imagination really active and I still get excited about those things and like to incorporate them in my drawings.
6. Without giving too much away could you explain how you go about making your images?
My process basically goes as follows:
7. Some of my personal favorite pieces of yours are the work you did for Sym-Bionic Titan and the animation for the 08 Olympics. Do you see yourself getting involved in doing more work like this in the future?
Yes, I still plan to do background painting. I’ve been talking with Genndy about more projects he has which he wants me involved in. I also still work with Passion Pictures, who produced the Olympics spot. I enjoyed that project a lot.
8. Do you prefer to work on your own or in a studio/collaborating with other artist like with the Looks That Kill project? (which I'm dead excited about)
I definitely prefer collaborating. I get really bored with my own ideas and I need constant inspiration from other people.
9. Whats your opinion on the art industry at the moment? Is now a good time to be an illustrator?
I think this is the best time in history to be an artist. I can’t even imagine being an artist before the internet. It’s so easy now to find outlets for your work and other artists to get inspired by. Collaboration is so easy now. My friend Stephane, who does a lot of animation for me, lives in London. We’ve only met twice in person, but we’ve made 2 films together. Our music guy lives in France. My book printer is in China. But yet we’re all able to create things together. It’s really an amazing time.
10. Last but not least, what advice would you give to aspiring designers/illustrators?
Use the internet to your advantage. It’s great not only for self promotion and quick access to other artists, but also gobs of information and photos and stories which you can use in your art.
Enjoy!
1. Starting from the beginning, how did you first get into illustration?
I’ve always been into art. My parents were super encouraging of it. When I was in elementary school I loved writing short stories and illustrating them. In middle school my best friend and I would doodle comics and video game ideas. In high school I got really into graphic design. I don’t think I realized ‘how’ I wanted to draw until I saw Samurai Jack for the first time. That was a big awakening moment for me. It made me realize that drawing was something I HAD to do. It wasn’t until several years later though that I finally felt it was something I could do for a living, and that was another big change. It’s a big thing when something goes from being your hobby to your profession.
2. Other then illustrating what stuff do you do like doing?
I really enjoy shooting and editing video. Since moving to California I’ve been doing a lot more traveling, and I really enjoy driving and learning about different places. I love museums.
3. When it comes to inspiration what kind of things do you look at? A lot of your work contains landscapes elaborate and exciting landscapes, do you use reference to real places or does it all come from the mind?
It’s a mix of everything. I love photo reference. I use tons of it. But I’m not sure I would be inspired to draw if I hadn’t seen a lot of cool things in real life. Often times what sparks the idea for a drawing is wanting to recreate a memory of some place that I’ve been. It’s usually just a feeling or a fuzzy image though, and that’s where photos come in handy for fleshing the image out.
4. Its evident that you have a clear, confident working method and technique when producing your work, did you develop this "style" or did it come naturally?
I definitely developed it. My method used to be just starting an image and then going into a rage if it didn’t turn out how I wanted. That got really tiresome and eventually I learned that I could increase my success rate if I followed certain steps. So now I always gather reference, do thumbnails, color studies, etc, before trying to paint an image. It’s made drawing a lot less stressful for me.
5. A lot of your work seems to include comic book/sci-fi esq imagery. These are all cool themes to be illustrating giving a lot for the imagination to play with. Is this what attracts you to them?
I think I’ve always been into science, and science fiction. My parents did a really good job of making learning fun when I was a kid. Besides art, I was also really into science, especially space and paleontology. I think it made my imagination really active and I still get excited about those things and like to incorporate them in my drawings.
6. Without giving too much away could you explain how you go about making your images?
My process basically goes as follows:
- Research. Gather images of location, lighting, mood, and detail reference.
- Thumbnail. I do some quick scribbly thumbnails in my sketchbook of the ideas in my head.
- Layout. Get on the computer and do a more refined drawing of the image in Photoshop.
- Color ideas. On top of my layout I do some really sloppy color ideas to get an idea of what the image will look like. I also decide on the lighting here.
- Cleaned up layout. It’s always a good idea to do another pass on the layout and refine it. I also mirror the image to check for mistakes.
- Block in final shapes. I usually start my paintings with flat shapes. It’s important to work on the image evenly, in other words don’t just focus on one area. I try to work the entire painting all at once.
- Add texture. I like picking out certain shapes that would look really cool with lots of texture on them.
- Add details. Once everything is blocked in, it’s easy to just start adding all those fun details to finish the piece off.
7. Some of my personal favorite pieces of yours are the work you did for Sym-Bionic Titan and the animation for the 08 Olympics. Do you see yourself getting involved in doing more work like this in the future?
Yes, I still plan to do background painting. I’ve been talking with Genndy about more projects he has which he wants me involved in. I also still work with Passion Pictures, who produced the Olympics spot. I enjoyed that project a lot.
8. Do you prefer to work on your own or in a studio/collaborating with other artist like with the Looks That Kill project? (which I'm dead excited about)
I definitely prefer collaborating. I get really bored with my own ideas and I need constant inspiration from other people.
9. Whats your opinion on the art industry at the moment? Is now a good time to be an illustrator?
I think this is the best time in history to be an artist. I can’t even imagine being an artist before the internet. It’s so easy now to find outlets for your work and other artists to get inspired by. Collaboration is so easy now. My friend Stephane, who does a lot of animation for me, lives in London. We’ve only met twice in person, but we’ve made 2 films together. Our music guy lives in France. My book printer is in China. But yet we’re all able to create things together. It’s really an amazing time.
10. Last but not least, what advice would you give to aspiring designers/illustrators?
Use the internet to your advantage. It’s great not only for self promotion and quick access to other artists, but also gobs of information and photos and stories which you can use in your art.
I looked through your portfolio and you definitely have some cool composition and design ideas in there. It looks like you’re still trying to find your voice, as there are quite a few different styles. Which is totally ok, when you’re a student it’s good to try lots of different styles and working methods. The only way you will find your own voice is through lots and lots of practice and experimentation. It takes a really long time to figure out what you want to say with your artwork, and to realize your own unique perspective on the world. But just keep at it! I think getting in touch with other artists is a really good idea. Good luck with everything!
Kevin
Kevin
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
A KISS FROM TOKYO.
Pretty interesting interview with Kevin Dart about A Kiss From Tokyo.
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/07/13/a-kiss-from-tokyo/
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/07/13/a-kiss-from-tokyo/
FUTURE AMBITIONS.
Recently I've been getting pretty excited by a lot of animations and massively curious about how they've been made. After looking into process a bit more it seems that most of them have used AfterEffects and hand drawn elements. Ideally over summer I'd like to get stuck into making a short animation or ever a few depending on how smooth things go. Below are a few that have really tickled my pickle.
"A Kiss From Tokyo" Theatrical trailer from Stephane coedel on Vimeo.
A Kiss From Tokyo - Kevin Dart
I'm a massive fan of Dart's illustrations anyway so to see them moving is even better.
Between Bears from Eran Hilleli on Vimeo.
Between Bears - Eran Hilleli
Winner of best animation award at Vimeo's first film festival, amazing use of music and characters.
"A Kiss From Tokyo" Theatrical trailer from Stephane coedel on Vimeo.
A Kiss From Tokyo - Kevin Dart
I'm a massive fan of Dart's illustrations anyway so to see them moving is even better.
Between Bears from Eran Hilleli on Vimeo.
Between Bears - Eran Hilleli
Winner of best animation award at Vimeo's first film festival, amazing use of music and characters.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
ANALOGUE AGE.
Been doing some further research today into the types of machinery and technology I'm wanting to include in my piece and decided I want to go back to the 60's/70's. I've been focusing on recording studios and science labs particularly looking at the computers and software used. I'm wanting to play about with lighting and quite dull subtle colours a lot in this project especially lighting from screens and buttons. From this I'm hoping to create highlights in the characters facial features (which I'm yet to draw) and create a moody and serious atmosphere. With this my key point of the illustration you might not be able to see most of the detail of the equipment as it'll be looming in the shadows but I want it there.
After looking at these it fully reminded my of the hatch in Lost and that's got the run down/forgotten about feel to it I'm after. From this I saw the logos and symbols used and made me get excited about doing some sort of corporate logo for the company in the story and get a real feel for the organisation. I particularly like the patters and tessellating shapes used to construct both the structure of the building and the branding.
After looking at these it fully reminded my of the hatch in Lost and that's got the run down/forgotten about feel to it I'm after. From this I saw the logos and symbols used and made me get excited about doing some sort of corporate logo for the company in the story and get a real feel for the organisation. I particularly like the patters and tessellating shapes used to construct both the structure of the building and the branding.
Monday, 4 April 2011
RUSHMOORE.
So for our current brief we've been set against each other to compete to produce an illustration for a short story created my MMU students. Pretty brutal I hear you say. I'm actually quite looking forward to the motivation behind the competition. My story is set in the run down future (or so I think) where the human race has been affected by radiation poisoning and only the rich can evacuate elsewhere. From this I've started looking towards films like Brasil, Metropolis and 12 Monkeys for inspiration. I'm taking a different approach to this brief as at the moment I have no idea what I'm going to so I'm putting myself into the scenery before I try to work out clever,witty metaphors. Here are a few pics I've seen that I'm getting into.
Many more to follow
Many more to follow
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