UPDATE: It’s been accepted, please vote for me here. A friend of mine reminded me of this fact recently, so I decided to submit another design to threadless, that would be a girls skinny tee. Not overtly feminine, but I think they’re pretty cool. Based on the look of Jango and Boba Fett’s armour, but with a soccer jersey style number on the back. Not sure if it’s going to gets elected to be one that people vote for, but I like them anyway. Click here to have a butchers.
I love Bond films. I don’t know if it’s a British think, but pretty much every bank holiday at least one channel will be showing a Bond Movie. I think the villains and henchmen used to be better though. I’d love them to remake Live and Let Die with Daniel Craig – I don’t think that’s far away to be honest. I think they’ve pretty much exhausted Ian Fleming’s original stories, and enough time has passed for them to give it a go, after all Casino Royale was a remake of sorts. So, this is the second in an occasional series. It never got through as a t-shirt design, but it was never intended to be a t-shirt, so I shouldn’t complain.
A quick update. If anyone who comes here doesn’t know, I’ve got a T-Shirt up for scoring on threadless tees. It’s the picture I did of a Star Wars figure earlier down the page. It’d mean a lot to have it printed.
In an attempt to get some of my designs published I have submitted a t-shirt design to Threadless Tees.
It’s based on Oddjob from the Bond Films. If it gets accepted, click here and vote for it, if it gets published I’ll buy you a pint next time I see you!
Yesterday, as I was getting up, BBC 6 Music news reported that their were plans to shut down 6 Music, The Asian Network and some of the web pages. This is to invest hundreds of millions in to public service programming. According to the director general, these plans still need to be looked at.
In my opinion, the BBC is a bit of a strange beast. Their website is great, especially the iPlayer. The programming leaves a lot to be desired, as it continues the ratings battle with ITV regurgitating the same old shite. Another series of strictly come dancing, another hospital drama, buying another series of Heroes. What ever happened to the drama and comedy shows that you had to watch. Boys from the Black Stuff, Blackeyes, The Buddha of Suburbia, Our Friends in the North, The Fast Show, The Lakes, Catterick, Edge of Darkness, State of Play. The latter two recently becoming Hollywood blockbusters.
Then look at the music output of the past, John Peel, Annie Nightingale, Jools Holland, Bob Harris, Mark and Lard to name a few, which is an insult to the many I haven’t mentioned. The BBC, in my past, has brought new music, comedy and drama to me, inspiring and shaping peoples lives through television and music.
With the exception of Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes to ashes, the BBC has done very little of note in the past few years. The one Jewel in the Crown for me, as an adult, is 6 Music.
I started listening at work when the FM radio started playing up, the same time Mark and Lard buggered off. I used to love listening to Phil Jupitus, Gideon Coe, Vic Mcglynn and Andrew Collins. They turned me on to music old and new, in the same way John Peel did. Lift to Experience, The Deers, Local Natives, Linton Kwesi Johnson, the list goes on and on and on and on…
DJ’s changed, and with the exception of George Lamb (who I have nothing against, he just wasn’t right and it seemed his show was a vehicle for him rather than the station), carried on the ethic of John Peel, playing an eclectic mix of music. I’ve carried on listening and quite often make a note of something new I’ve discovered thanks the the station. I’ve won prizes, I’ve had shout outs, and even won the Duffer prize (badge still in post!). To lose Six Music would be losing one of the only decent things the BBC has left. I would seriously consider not paying the license fee any more. In 2007 they published a charter to “inform, educate and entertain”. As far as I’m concerned 6Music is the only BBC property which does all three, to pull the plug on the station would be foolish.
I was really excited by new James Bond back in 2006. Mum always loved James Bond movies. I remember watching them on Wednesday night when ITV decided to show one a week during one summer (though we were all annoyed by the 30 minute break for the news). Daniel Craig did not disapoint and I felt he was very much in the vain of Sean Connery, who in my opinion is the Bond benchmark. The opening credits were also great, some of the best I’ve seen. Anyway, had this idea a while ago and finally got round to doing it.
I think it’s my favourite illustration so far.
I won’t be updating for a while now. I’ve completed the illustrations that have been knocking about for a while. I do have plenty of ideas, but not enough time to produce them all.
Not much to say about this one really. It’s the car out of the book and film Christine. I was too young to really enjoy it when it came out, but I remember how much my Dad liked the George Thorogood tune in the movie. I like the way that this turned out and I think i’ll look at doing more cars.
Like most people my age, Star Wars formed my childhood. It’s a magical thing really, you always have something in common with people born around the late 60’s and early 70’s. My parents were never rich, but they always did the best that they could for us. As the youngest I was definitely a bit spoilt and remember one Christmas getting an AT-AT, a Millennium Falcon AND a BMX, I couldn’t believe my luck.
Anyway, since losing my Mum last year I’ve being doing a lot of reminiscing and thinking back to my childhood. Even now I’m a sucker for anything Star Wars and was particularly excited when my good friend, Sarah, got back in touch and told me of her visit to Skywalker ranch. I ended up longing for one figure I never had – the Luke X-Wing pilot. I had an X-Wing, but always had to put the wrong figure in! I recently got my hands on the figure and was amazed how little it looked like Luke, yet I desired it so much. Even thirty years on, the figure is still in great condition, but played with – which is what I like. I was inspired to do this, and think I’ll do a few more. This weekend I plan to dig out everything Star Wars my parents bought me and take another trip down memory lane.
First post of 2010, though I’ve not been being lazy. Very busy on several pieces, but working a full time job leaves very little time to do things like this, so it has taken a while, working a few hours over each weekend. It’s undergone quite a few changes since the film initially inspired me to do something. I decided to go much lighter with the design. Made up of three shades of grey and the bright yellow.
One thing I really love about Moon, apart from the acting and story that it, is the attention to detail. All of the graphic design in the movie is fantastic, from the uniform Sam wears to the user interface of the computer, the Lunar corporate logo really stood out to me. Hence the eventual backdrop for the design.
As a child my imagination was captured by the vision of the future that was sold to me in things like Aliens, Space 1999 and to a certain degree, Star Wars (though we are told that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) it was however the late 70’s and early 80’s. Moon has this stamped all over it too. I can only assume that being a similar age to me, Duncan Jones was inspired too.
I loved Moon, one of the best films I have seen for ages. Sam Rockwell delivers a compelling performance as Sam Bell, especially when he first meets his clone, who his three years his Junior. You really get a sense of how he’s changed over the three years up in the space station, and how he’s overcome his anger issues. Younger Sam seems very focused, if not a little highly strung.
I digress. Here’s my design anyway. I may fiddle with it, but I have so many other projects on the go, I really wanted to get this finished and to move on.
Well, the whole thing that started me off can be found here. An underground art “Alternate Reality Game”. Basically a tonne of clues leading to cool posters by people who do this kind of thing for a living. Mostly followed by extremist Lost fans and extremist art fans, with the odd person in it to make a profit. I snagged five. Two I will keep, and the others. Well they are in limbo for the moment.
So, first proper post. Don’t think I’ll be keeping it up.
The Flaming Lips take on Dark Side of the Moon was released this week on iTunes and I’ve been lucky enough to have a listen. Whilst the themes of the songs are pretty dark: greed, aging, and mental illness the album always leaves me feeling cleansed and happy. This isn’t the case here though. The album has a really dark feel. The distorted bass, rantings of Henry Rollins, the coughs and sneezes at the start of “Time” freaked me out somewhat.
It’s great hearing an album I love, being re-done by a band I really like, but I think it’s pretty bleak. The costumed fun characters that we’ve all seen on stage lie dead, mutilated and covered in blood. It’s a great interpretation, and Peaches does an amazing job on “The Great Gig in the Sky”, but I think I’ll be saving this album for a time where I’m feeling happier!
Hello! New to all this, but I hope that this’ll become an ok site. All I can say is that I hope to put my personal projects up here. At the moment I plan on doing stuff that’d be suitable for screen print, in limited colours. I see this as a bit of a challenge, so hope it works out!
I suppose I’m really recalling my childhood in the form of designy art type stuff, as I have been reminiscing a lot recently.