Friday 31 July 2009

Captain Jack

I have been working on this picture for a few days; I couldn't quite get the tones correct and the eyes were difficult. This is a vector drawn from scratch, based upon promo pics from the movie. Should I find time, I'll eventually put one together that has improved colour intensity and a greater scope of detail.

Wednesday 29 July 2009

Tears from Iniquity

This was a piece fashioned a long time ago. It was borne out of the notion of evil being finite and not at all immeasurable. In this picture, evil took the form of a demon woman. It also negotiated and wrestled with a philosophical question that has rambled around my mind for decades; does pure evil have a soul and if so, what experience could bring that soul to the fore? And should she (evil) realise she had a soul, understood its meaning but for a moment, would she grieve and lament her preceding actions? If she did, should that happen, what would she look like within such a moment of recognition and consciousness?

The Impression That I Get...

These guys have on occasion, rocked my tiny planet. I found myself listening to some old recordings when I rediscovered this song. Taken from the album, 'let's face it', the song was featured in several films including Step Brothers, Chasing Amy and Digimon: The Movie. It made appearances on David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan's late show. As always, Grooveshark have linkage: http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Impression_That_I_Get/3433102

Monday 27 July 2009

Sometime In The Past

I don’t recall when this painting came to fruition, but it was without doubt painted a good while ago. I came across this old picture whilst I was sorting through my scans a little while back. I was never sure exactly where I was going with this image, and in essence, I don't think that really mattered. The fundamental nature of the illustration was served; and whilst it is perhaps a somewhat old fashioned affair with overtones of a curtailed depiction, I don't think the finished version was that bad.

Friday 24 July 2009

Mogwai

I had some spare time today, which happens infrequently. I decided to use it to try and start a project I had been thinking about for a while. This is the first draft, a very rough vector that may lead to something more detailed and better in the near future. My originating idea comprised and embraced something of considerable size and detail, and would carry itself across several pictures or animations. At any rate, I’m unsure if I will follow up on this as I would like to do something with Captain Jack.

The Gaslight Anthem

I remember hearing a friend mention 'The Gaslight Anthem' during a conversation a while back. It came from a conversation I wasn’t really a party to as I was inattentive and lost in thought at the time. Nevertheless, a few weeks later the name drifted through the minutiae of my mind, surfacing only to leave me wondering just why it was I hadn't forgotten them entirely. As they were essentially anonymous to me, I looked them up on grooveshark. With a visceral buzz emanating from the heart of their music, and vigour akin to that of Ash or The Killers, the resulting body of work is nothing but unashamedly great rock tracks. Just why a band that managed to capture such energy and create such brooding undercurrents had managed to pass me by is anyone’s guess, but I’m glad my memory served me right, even if it took a while. You can hear The Gaslight Anthem here: http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Great_Expectations/11290603

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Craig Shields

I was captivated when my eyes first met with this picture. Strangely, I find it wonderfully pleasing, its uniquely brilliant. Amazingly complex and fascinatingly baroque, with a structure as bold as it is defined. The artist is Craig Shields; a member of depth core, and an artist with a large and ever growing fan base, Craig has without doubt, created a body of work that is as stunning as it is courageous. Take a trip over to his site to have a look at what he has to offer, if only for a moment, and prepare to cast your eyes on a feast of beauty. Http://www.surpy.co.uk/oldportfolio/

Sunday 19 July 2009

Donnie Darko

With an overtly detached plot, a complex and enigmatic climax and a storyline infused with emotional components and psychological individuality normally reserved for David Lynch productions, the Donnie Darko franchise has finally returned in the form of his sister. Despite receiving pallid reviews and a reception that was something other than temperate, S.Darko has finally been released and though I have yet to see the movie, I have realised how much of an impact the first film made on me. It was, at the time, passed over by many, but I was perhaps one of the few that felt it was an influential cinematic offering. It has gained pace over the years with most people having now heard of the movie, and DVD sales bringing it from obscurity into cult status. I drew this vector a while back, when I heard a sequel may be in the offing. I’m glad I did, its minimalism has warmed to me. As always, click to enlarge.

Saturday 18 July 2009

Unused

I have been working on several projects over the past few months. I don't have much time to devote to sideline work, so I have been grabbing five minutes here and there where I can. In any event, one of the projects won't now come to fruition. As such, I am posting an original draft from one of the pics that were initially drawn up to to form part of the framework. At some point, the realisation struck me that I would be working on this particular project for about two years before it would be finished, which seems like an awful waste of time for such little gain. I have always believed that any project is a temporary endeavor to produce a set of deliverable's. Within that, there should be a deliverable scope. Unfortunately, with this project I kept suffering from scope creep. Scope creep is where the scope of the project starts to shift and spread in varying directions, and the original project starts to become something more than it was, or a pale and amusing derivative of its former self, all with marginal gain. In itself, scope creep is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think an overall project evaluation is needed when it starts to ingress. In this instance, the scope creep force the realisation upon me that the project was ultimately not time worthy.

Friday 17 July 2009

Office Space

I had forgotten how much I loved this movie, until I noticed it had a cartoon counterpart. Unable to tolerate another monotonous day at Initech Corporation, cubicle slave Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) suddenly experiences an air of ease and change of attitude, and decides to get fired. Armed with a leisurely new attitude and a new girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston), he soon masters the art of neglecting his work, which quickly propels him into the ranks of upper management. Now the stage is set for Peter to carry out a high-tech embezzling scheme that's sure to mean the end of his job and a one-way ticket to easy street. Can he pull it off before all corporate hell breaks loose? Perhaps the best office based movie to have been released, Office Space is sharply satirical and supremely funny. For those who have not seen the movie, I'll suggest a visit to Blockbuster. For those who have seen the movie, you'll be pleased to learn the film has been given the bunny treatment by the folks over at Angry Alien. With a raised eyebrow, slender semblances of humour, the bunnies have gained mainstream attention, featuring on CNN, BBC online, the Sci-Fi Channel, and variety magazine. http://www.angryalien.com/aa/officespbuns.asp