Adolie Day
http://adolieday.blogspot.com/
Nicoletta Ceccoli
http://www.nicolettaceccoli.com/
February 21, 2009
February 19, 2009
Maura Fogarty
MAURA FOGARTY
Anchor, CNBC Asia Pacific
Maura Fogarty is a seasoned international journalist who has worked in Asia, the U.S. and the Middle East.
February 13, 2009
February 12, 2009
Rennie Ellis
saw Rennie Ellis exhibition at NGV
http://www.rennieellis.com.au/
Melbourne cinematheque kicks off with these two great Hollywood classics
http://www.melbournecinematheque.org/index.html
February 9, 2009
February 8, 2009
The Diabolik sisters
Angela and Luciana Giussani
Who would have thought that behind the smiling faces of these two women were hiding the authors of Diabolik, the comic that scandalised Italy in the 1960’s? To give you an idea of their story and the importance of the comic strip genre in Italy’s literary history, the History Channel is dedicating a documentary to sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani.
These two extraordinary sisters have done just about everything in life: photo models, aviators, protagonists of the jet set and editors, they made some courageous choices in 1960’s Milan when female emancipation was a concept still a long way off.
History Channel documentary on Italian comic strip Diabolik
February 2, 2009
February 1, 2009
January 21, 2009
Andrew Wyeth & Tony Hart R.I.P
Tony Hart
15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009
http://www.tonyhart.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hart
Andrew Wyeth
12 July 1917 – 16 January 2009
http://www.andrewwyeth.com/
wikipedia link
January 19, 2009
January 16, 2009
Roman Coppola's CQ
With CQ, Roman Coppola offers a charming ode to 60's sci-fi films and a light satire of a European cinema in transition.
Amazon link
January 15, 2009
Panasonic DMC LX3
The LX3 is an example of a species so endangered that the we were beginning to worry it had become extinct - a compact camera that photographers can get excited about. Panasonic has included a large degree of direct control, classy styling and, more importantly, a specification that goes beyond the unthinking 'larger screen and more megapixels' trend.
RRP: $829
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3/
more LX3 blogs
http://www.lx3-photography.com/
LX3 reviews
http://www.1001noisycameras.com/panasonic-lx3-reviews.html
LX3 diary
http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2008/11/panasonic-lx3-diary.html
where to buy LX3 for $AUD645
http://www.techrific.com.au/default.php
January 14, 2009
Ai Iijima & Ogata Ken R.I.P
Ai Iijima
October 31, 1972 – December 24, 2008
Former porn star-TV personality Ai Iijima, 36, was found dead in her apartment in Tokyo on Dec 24. The sudden news on Christmas Eve surprised people nationwide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Iijima
Ogata Ken
20 July 1937-5 October 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Ogata
January 11, 2009
iron sky
iron sky
www.ironsky.net/
Towards the end of World War II the staff of SS officer Hans Kammler made a significant breakthrough in anti-gravity.
From a secret base built in the Antarctic, the first Nazi spaceships were launched in late ‘45 to found the military base Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun) on the dark side of the Moon. This base was to build a powerful invasion fleet and return to take over the Earth once the time was right.
Now it’s 2018, the Nazi invasion is on its way and the world is goose-stepping towards its doom.
books on painting
Richard Schmid
Alla Prima: Everything I Know about Painting
Further links at lines and colours
Stephen Quiller
Painter's Guide to Color
January 7, 2009
January 2, 2009
illustration agencies - UK and USA
UK
The Central Illustration Agency
http://www.centralillustration.com/
29 Heddon Street
1st. Floor
London W1B 4BL
E-mail: info@centralillustration.com
Agency Rush
http://www.agencyrush.com
11-12 Vine Street
Brighton
BN1 4AG
United Kingdom
Email: info@agencyrush.com
http://www.debutart.com/
http://www.artcollection.co.uk/justforlaffs/home.asp
http://www.lemonadeillustration.com/
http://www.theartbook.com/
AOI
http://www.theaoi.com/
http://www.aoiportfolios.com
http://www.aoiportfolios.com/news/
agent links at AOI
businesslink.gov.uk
-------------------------------------------------------
USA
shannonassociates
http://www.shannonassociates.com/index.cfm
http://www.rappart.com/
The Central Illustration Agency
http://www.centralillustration.com/
29 Heddon Street
1st. Floor
London W1B 4BL
E-mail: info@centralillustration.com
Agency Rush
http://www.agencyrush.com
11-12 Vine Street
Brighton
BN1 4AG
United Kingdom
Email: info@agencyrush.com
http://www.debutart.com/
http://www.artcollection.co.uk/justforlaffs/home.asp
http://www.lemonadeillustration.com/
http://www.theartbook.com/
AOI
http://www.theaoi.com/
http://www.aoiportfolios.com
http://www.aoiportfolios.com/news/
agent links at AOI
businesslink.gov.uk
-------------------------------------------------------
USA
shannonassociates
http://www.shannonassociates.com/index.cfm
http://www.rappart.com/
Three Actresses
Mylène Demongeot
IMDB entry
Elizabeth Berridge
wikipedia entry
Elizabeth Berridge website
Elizabeth starred in Tobe Hooper's Funhouse before landing the role of Constanze in Amadeus.
Barbara Harris
wikipedia entry
Barbara played Jodie Fosters mum in the original Freak Friday. She also appears in Grosse Point Blank.
December 29, 2008
Ralph Bakski's Fire and Ice (1983)
I just watched Ralph Bakski's Fire and Ice. I haven't seen this since the mid-eighties. Interesting to note that the two background artists listed in the credits are Thomas Kinkade (painter of bucolic and idyllic scenes) and James Gurney (Dinotopia).
imdb listing
dvdtalk review
http://www.ralphbakshi.com/
December 28, 2008
December 27, 2008
December 19, 2008
December 18, 2008
Idea Generation by Jillian Tamaki
WHAT ARE CONCEPTS AND HOW DO I GET ‘EM?
Concepts are Ideas. Some ideas are good. Some are bad. Some are offensive or insensitive. Some of them are tried-and-true (but possibly boring). Some are clever and make you laugh. Some rely on intangible things like “atmosphere” and “emotion” for their power. Some live and die on the execution (finish) of the piece.
In order for a piece to be successful, you must communicate your idea to the viewer. The viewer should be charmed, intrigued, empathetic, repulsed, provoked. SOMETHING.
They should be touched enough to want to cut the illustration out of the magazine.
How you choose to connect with viewers is up to you. There is no right or wrong, just successful and unsuccessful. There is space in illustration for personal vision and passions (in fact, illustration usually sucks when they’re absent), but we can’t forget about “the viewer” and our role as communicator.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“COMING UP WITH IDEAS”
Plunking yourself down in front of a pad of paper and scraping the inside of your brain is probably not the most effective way of generating ideas. If we only draw upon the images that already exist within our heads, or our own memories and experiences, we are actually quite limited.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1. BE INTERESTED.
- Consume media. Participate in culture. Read books, go to movies, the news, fashion magazines, stupid blogs, etc. Browse the bookstore just for the hell of it. All of this contributes to our personal visual fabric. Soon you will be CONTRIBUTING to this world.
– Find inspiration in museums and the visual arts. Discover the connections between what is going on now and what has already come before. You might be surprised to learn that your favourite artist is really a knockoff of someone from 100 years ago.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2. COLLECT THAT MEDIA.
- See an amazing photo/illustration/design? Save it. I keep a folder entitled “Reference” on my desktop where I keep anything I find interesting. Sub-folders include: Bodies/Gesture, Chinese Posters, Colours, Faces, Vintage Objects, Maps, Nature. A quick jog through these images can really help you out when you’re stuck for a colour scheme or composition. Or they can form the BASIS of an idea.
- As a professional, one can write-off much of the media you purchase. Books, movies, museum tickets, etc. all become professional expenses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3: TAKE THE SOURCE CONTENT SERIOUSLY.
- Read content (the book, the play, the article) carefully and thoughtfully. Several times. If possible leave a day between reading and starting work on it. Sometimes leaving it to sit in your brain for a while is very helpful, I find.
- WHILE reading content, highlight vivid imagery, key phrases, descriptive passages, notable quotes, and anything else the jumps out at you. Take quick notes or do a quick doodle in the margin if something comes to mind.
– Go find supplementary material, if necessary, to help you parse the content. If you’re doing a cover illustration for War and Peace, it may be helpful to read online discussions, dissertations, reviews, and such. The internet makes this VERY EASY.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4. START WITH WORDS.
- Starting with words is quicker and more fluid because the concepts do not exist as solid representations or images yet. They make the concepts easier to manipulate.
- Use the words you isolated in Step 3 as a foundation. From here, really open your mind and think of it as a game of word association. Metaphors, symbols, verbs, colours, random thoughts and connections… they’re all important, so jot them down. Do not think in specific solutions (but if one pops in your head, make a note of it).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5: ADD IMAGES.
- We think of ourselves as creative people, but the reality is that Nature is way more bizarre and interesting than anything we can come up with. Does your picture involve fish? Research variations. Does the story take place in the Texan desert? Gather some photos. You may see something in one of them that triggers a great idea (who knew cacti could look like that?).
– Try Google Image Search, GettyImages, Corbis, and Flickr. Books too (although I realize time is often short). Remember! You are drawing elements from these sources. Not transcribing or copying.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 6: MIX.
- By this point, you probably have some good leads as what looks interesting/what you’d like to explore. Your head is fully in the content. You’ve isolated what is important to communicate. Here are a few things to help you flesh out some usable ideas:
Combine words from the word list, even if the combinations seem strange. Unexpectedness is good.
Do character sketches. Many of them. Look at the word list and perhaps use some of the adjectives/concepts to guide your characterizations.
Sometimes thinking of COMPOSITION or DESIGN first can be helpful. Draw a thumbnail of the pleasing composition or gesture. Assign details to shapes.
Is colour very important? Build a composition to highlight it.
Look back into your Reference folder for inspiration. Sometimes you can fit your material to an existing design, colour scheme, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 7. BUILD UP THUMBNAILS TO FINISHED SKETCHES.
- The Art Director is infinitely thankful for your research and process steps. They are going to provide her with a unique and interesting final product. But she does NOT want see them (however, I will sometimes include a reference photo to say, “this is the colour scheme I’m thinking of.”) EDIT your ideas, distill them into legible sketches, in the format.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN CONCLUSION
This is my process. Everyone works differently, and maybe there are some fabulous steps out there I have yet to discover. But it’s a very standard way of generating ideas (which is just a fancy of way of “getting the juices flowing”). Try some of these techniques and think of it as an experimenting with concepts as you would experiment with paint. Everyone’s personal style and interests will dictate the exact process (a little less words, a little more character development, for example). One could argue that Step 1 is actually the most important.
Fin!
Concepts are Ideas. Some ideas are good. Some are bad. Some are offensive or insensitive. Some of them are tried-and-true (but possibly boring). Some are clever and make you laugh. Some rely on intangible things like “atmosphere” and “emotion” for their power. Some live and die on the execution (finish) of the piece.
In order for a piece to be successful, you must communicate your idea to the viewer. The viewer should be charmed, intrigued, empathetic, repulsed, provoked. SOMETHING.
They should be touched enough to want to cut the illustration out of the magazine.
How you choose to connect with viewers is up to you. There is no right or wrong, just successful and unsuccessful. There is space in illustration for personal vision and passions (in fact, illustration usually sucks when they’re absent), but we can’t forget about “the viewer” and our role as communicator.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“COMING UP WITH IDEAS”
Plunking yourself down in front of a pad of paper and scraping the inside of your brain is probably not the most effective way of generating ideas. If we only draw upon the images that already exist within our heads, or our own memories and experiences, we are actually quite limited.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1. BE INTERESTED.
- Consume media. Participate in culture. Read books, go to movies, the news, fashion magazines, stupid blogs, etc. Browse the bookstore just for the hell of it. All of this contributes to our personal visual fabric. Soon you will be CONTRIBUTING to this world.
– Find inspiration in museums and the visual arts. Discover the connections between what is going on now and what has already come before. You might be surprised to learn that your favourite artist is really a knockoff of someone from 100 years ago.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2. COLLECT THAT MEDIA.
- See an amazing photo/illustration/design? Save it. I keep a folder entitled “Reference” on my desktop where I keep anything I find interesting. Sub-folders include: Bodies/Gesture, Chinese Posters, Colours, Faces, Vintage Objects, Maps, Nature. A quick jog through these images can really help you out when you’re stuck for a colour scheme or composition. Or they can form the BASIS of an idea.
- As a professional, one can write-off much of the media you purchase. Books, movies, museum tickets, etc. all become professional expenses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3: TAKE THE SOURCE CONTENT SERIOUSLY.
- Read content (the book, the play, the article) carefully and thoughtfully. Several times. If possible leave a day between reading and starting work on it. Sometimes leaving it to sit in your brain for a while is very helpful, I find.
- WHILE reading content, highlight vivid imagery, key phrases, descriptive passages, notable quotes, and anything else the jumps out at you. Take quick notes or do a quick doodle in the margin if something comes to mind.
– Go find supplementary material, if necessary, to help you parse the content. If you’re doing a cover illustration for War and Peace, it may be helpful to read online discussions, dissertations, reviews, and such. The internet makes this VERY EASY.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4. START WITH WORDS.
- Starting with words is quicker and more fluid because the concepts do not exist as solid representations or images yet. They make the concepts easier to manipulate.
- Use the words you isolated in Step 3 as a foundation. From here, really open your mind and think of it as a game of word association. Metaphors, symbols, verbs, colours, random thoughts and connections… they’re all important, so jot them down. Do not think in specific solutions (but if one pops in your head, make a note of it).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5: ADD IMAGES.
- We think of ourselves as creative people, but the reality is that Nature is way more bizarre and interesting than anything we can come up with. Does your picture involve fish? Research variations. Does the story take place in the Texan desert? Gather some photos. You may see something in one of them that triggers a great idea (who knew cacti could look like that?).
– Try Google Image Search, GettyImages, Corbis, and Flickr. Books too (although I realize time is often short). Remember! You are drawing elements from these sources. Not transcribing or copying.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 6: MIX.
- By this point, you probably have some good leads as what looks interesting/what you’d like to explore. Your head is fully in the content. You’ve isolated what is important to communicate. Here are a few things to help you flesh out some usable ideas:
Combine words from the word list, even if the combinations seem strange. Unexpectedness is good.
Do character sketches. Many of them. Look at the word list and perhaps use some of the adjectives/concepts to guide your characterizations.
Sometimes thinking of COMPOSITION or DESIGN first can be helpful. Draw a thumbnail of the pleasing composition or gesture. Assign details to shapes.
Is colour very important? Build a composition to highlight it.
Look back into your Reference folder for inspiration. Sometimes you can fit your material to an existing design, colour scheme, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 7. BUILD UP THUMBNAILS TO FINISHED SKETCHES.
- The Art Director is infinitely thankful for your research and process steps. They are going to provide her with a unique and interesting final product. But she does NOT want see them (however, I will sometimes include a reference photo to say, “this is the colour scheme I’m thinking of.”) EDIT your ideas, distill them into legible sketches, in the format.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN CONCLUSION
This is my process. Everyone works differently, and maybe there are some fabulous steps out there I have yet to discover. But it’s a very standard way of generating ideas (which is just a fancy of way of “getting the juices flowing”). Try some of these techniques and think of it as an experimenting with concepts as you would experiment with paint. Everyone’s personal style and interests will dictate the exact process (a little less words, a little more character development, for example). One could argue that Step 1 is actually the most important.
Fin!
Getting Work as an Illustrator
From Frank Stockon's site
http://www.frankstockton.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I received the following email a while back from a friend I went to school with. It's a question I get asked semi-frequently, so I thought it would be better just to post it here.
My response to the email is specific to this artist's work, but I hope any of you who are interested in the topic to put yourself in the shoes of the person who sent the original email.
I've removed the illustrator's name for their privacy.
Hey Frank,
Got a question for ya. I gots me a new round of promo postcards burning holes in my pockets/desk/floor-where-t
hey're-strewn. I've sent a few out with some of the info I've gathered, but I thought I'd see if you could list off a few places/art directors that you recommend I hit up, especially while I'm still out here on the east. Whatcha thank? I'd much appreciate your recommendations as I'm sure you also know who's more receptive to newer people, my style, etc... Anything helps! Hit me up when you get a chance.
Hope all's well in NYC even if they did turn the waterfalls off, sad... I might be in town again at the end of the month. I'll give ya a call if so.
Thanks, C
Hey C!
I am sorry for not getting back to you sooner, the question you posed in that email was kind of a big one that isn't so easy to answer.
I checked out your site and the first thing I'd say about getting work is that you need to commit your portfolio site to one style of art. Your website reads more like a gallery painter's website than an illustrator's website because of the style and content of the work. I don't know where it could be used professionally.
As for narrowing it down to one style, I'd say just pick a handful of images you really enjoyed doing that represent what the work you're currently making or planning on making looks like. Simplicity is key for getting an art director's attention. They don't have time to wonder how they should use you and they don't like to think about what "style" they should ask for.
You'll get more bites if you're specific about what you do and if when you leave them they have a visual impression of what your work is like.
As for getting work, that's all promotion. I recommend buying a list (such as Adbase), or if you can't afford it, make a list of magazines you think are appropriate for your work. It's going to take some research on your part, but you have all the time in the world when you don't have any assignments (I know, I've been there!).
Once you have a list, the way to go about it is to regularly and methodically send promos--either email or postcards, every 45-60 days. Art directors want to be sure they're dealing with professionals, and that you're not a flash in the pan.
Another way of thinking about promotion is that you're a dude hitting on a hot babe (the magazine is the babe). When you make a pass at the her (by sending a postcard) and she likes it, the hot babe (magazine) thinks "hmmm... this is interesting..." but is not necessarily ready to jump right in the sack with you (i.e. hire you for a job).
So you have to be persistent. :)
By the way, don't expect any feedback as in "I like your postcard," because you're unlikely to get it. They'll just call you for a job in 6 - 12 months if they like your work and you've been doing what you need to be doing.
Lastly, the easiest jobs I've come across happen when you do email promos. They tend to be free jobs or very low paying, but they help you build your portfolio. You should be adding a minimum of one new piece to your site every month so there is a reason for the art directors to look at your site when you send an email or a postcard. It also keeps you fresh so that when you get the call you're not feeling rusty (unless you are Rusty).
I wish I could just give you names of people would hire you off the bat, but I don't really know anyone who's likely to do that. Sorry.
Anyway, best of luck to you and kick some ass!
http://www.frankstockton.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I received the following email a while back from a friend I went to school with. It's a question I get asked semi-frequently, so I thought it would be better just to post it here.
My response to the email is specific to this artist's work, but I hope any of you who are interested in the topic to put yourself in the shoes of the person who sent the original email.
I've removed the illustrator's name for their privacy.
Hey Frank,
Got a question for ya. I gots me a new round of promo postcards burning holes in my pockets/desk/floor-where-t
hey're-strewn. I've sent a few out with some of the info I've gathered, but I thought I'd see if you could list off a few places/art directors that you recommend I hit up, especially while I'm still out here on the east. Whatcha thank? I'd much appreciate your recommendations as I'm sure you also know who's more receptive to newer people, my style, etc... Anything helps! Hit me up when you get a chance.
Hope all's well in NYC even if they did turn the waterfalls off, sad... I might be in town again at the end of the month. I'll give ya a call if so.
Thanks, C
Hey C!
I am sorry for not getting back to you sooner, the question you posed in that email was kind of a big one that isn't so easy to answer.
I checked out your site and the first thing I'd say about getting work is that you need to commit your portfolio site to one style of art. Your website reads more like a gallery painter's website than an illustrator's website because of the style and content of the work. I don't know where it could be used professionally.
As for narrowing it down to one style, I'd say just pick a handful of images you really enjoyed doing that represent what the work you're currently making or planning on making looks like. Simplicity is key for getting an art director's attention. They don't have time to wonder how they should use you and they don't like to think about what "style" they should ask for.
You'll get more bites if you're specific about what you do and if when you leave them they have a visual impression of what your work is like.
As for getting work, that's all promotion. I recommend buying a list (such as Adbase), or if you can't afford it, make a list of magazines you think are appropriate for your work. It's going to take some research on your part, but you have all the time in the world when you don't have any assignments (I know, I've been there!).
Once you have a list, the way to go about it is to regularly and methodically send promos--either email or postcards, every 45-60 days. Art directors want to be sure they're dealing with professionals, and that you're not a flash in the pan.
Another way of thinking about promotion is that you're a dude hitting on a hot babe (the magazine is the babe). When you make a pass at the her (by sending a postcard) and she likes it, the hot babe (magazine) thinks "hmmm... this is interesting..." but is not necessarily ready to jump right in the sack with you (i.e. hire you for a job).
So you have to be persistent. :)
By the way, don't expect any feedback as in "I like your postcard," because you're unlikely to get it. They'll just call you for a job in 6 - 12 months if they like your work and you've been doing what you need to be doing.
Lastly, the easiest jobs I've come across happen when you do email promos. They tend to be free jobs or very low paying, but they help you build your portfolio. You should be adding a minimum of one new piece to your site every month so there is a reason for the art directors to look at your site when you send an email or a postcard. It also keeps you fresh so that when you get the call you're not feeling rusty (unless you are Rusty).
I wish I could just give you names of people would hire you off the bat, but I don't really know anyone who's likely to do that. Sorry.
Anyway, best of luck to you and kick some ass!
December 16, 2008
Christian Schellewald
LA/SF: A Sketchbook from California
Dreamworks SKG art director Christian Schellewald's personal sketchbook with drawings of Los Angeles and San Franciso.
December 15, 2008
December 14, 2008
Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders
From 1970, the cult classic Czech movie Valerie a týden divu aka Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders. Directed by Jaromil Jires and starring Jaroslava Schallerová as "Valerie".
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