Piano Stairs from The Fun Theory

Thinking ‘Big‘.

Advertising Fail – Say NO to Canary Islands

No matter what where you fall on climate change issues, it’s an undeniable truth that polar bears are not surviving the loss of their sea ice habitat. A fact I’m reminded of each time I see this ill-conceived image – so far, one billboard plus these London Underground platform posters.

To the creative/s who came up with this marketing campaign – great job. These are the best global warming propaganda posters I’ve seen yet.

Secret Garden Magazine Cover Shot

A shot inside the walled garden at Fulham Palace, (London SW6) has just been published on the cover of a glossy local lifestyle magazine. In the past I’ve been at work in daylight hours when it’s snowed, so photography hasn’t been a possibility. But this was a proper ’snow day’ off work. In a lecture at Camberwell, illustrator Russell Cobb advised on being selective when teaching oneself to observe, i.e. take photos of cafe’s in Paloma, rather than just taking photos of Paloma. So this is my local Bishop’s Park. I concentrated my efforts there rather than roaming further afield. There are more here in my London Flickr photo set.

Thank you to SW6 Editor, Lorraine Crighton-Smith. I really like the green and gold.

Private View at Artspace, Mayfair

Tonight I caught up with Joe Beale (below centre) and Paul Giles who are exhibiting at Artspace, just along from the Apple store and Nero’s on Regent St., Oxford Circus. I snapped them with Elli Chortara in front of some of Paul’s work. Artspace has a bright, contemporary feel and it provided welcome respite from pushy commuters and Oxford Street’s busy late night shoppers, (I’ll be back for decent pics of the lights another evening). On the way there, I ran into Nikki Gamble and we got talking about IBBY – next week I attend my first meeting regarding the 2012 Congress to be held in London, so right now I’m busy familiarising myself with some of the writers and illustrators from around the globe who are past IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners.

Where Books Come to Life

Having tried a teeny bit of paper cutting, I’m in awe of this beautiful stop motion animation from Andersen M Studio for the NZ Book Council. My friend Sarah McIntyre posted this vid the other day, as tweeted by Neil Gaiman, so it’s already garnered a lot of comment about the place.

The voice over is in the evocative spirit of Gee’s writing, and it made me think about my own association with some of the locations mentioned… living in the inner city suburb of Kingsland, taking a shortcut each day across those tracks to work on Mountain Road, opposite the castle-like prison, (Mt. Eden), just downhill from Auckland Grammar where the boys enjoy a lofty view of the prison yard….

The selected text is so rich visually. Yeah, I love all the NZ scenery, but it’s somewhat refreshing not to see a mountain/river/lake in this advertisement.  I’d only been to Auckland once as a kid, and apart from the harbour bridge, my main visual cue was the prison. Which to a kid is more like a castle, turrets and all. It’s an unusual NZ landmark, and it makes a superb paper sculpture.

Oh, and as for the delicious voice over, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that’s Alan Dale, (aka Jim from Neighbours, also in Lost, West Wing, Ugly Betty etc) reading the script in his native Kiwi accent.

(OK, I could get shot down….)

Pixar and IMAX look great together

I haven’t seen A Christmas Carol yet, however I did see  Pixar’s Up at the recently refurbished BFI IMAX. Visually intense, the story at the heart of the 3D illusion is of course where Pixar really delivers. There’s always a sense that it takes years, (which it does) to develop a movie like this, with nothing rushed or left to chance. I’m working my way through a book on Pixar, and I look forward to reading more about the story editing process as a script goes into development, how much visual design is done in tandem with writing, if at all, etc. Up was preceded by a stunning 3D trailer for Alice in Wonderland and the enchanting Pixar short film, Partly Cloudy - here’s the best quality full version (for as long as it lasts up on RuTube!). Enjoy.

Photo: BFI IMAX, situated on a roundabout outside Waterloo Station on the South Bank.

Crit Session Survival

It’s been ages. Briefly, I fritzed two laptops in unrelated incidents which freakily coincided with the week my main research paper was due, making for a tricky start to the academic year in September. Our first group crit session of the new academic year was with the brilliant, straight-talking Anne Howeson, (RCA). Group tutorials are a definite strength of C’well’s MA Illustration programme – at least that’s my experience with last year’s full-time students and the strong group of part-timers I’m amongst. I also had a tutorial with Janet Woolley, my professor, so along with my regular SCBWI crit group meeting, it seems like I’ve received, (and given) a lot of criticism over the past weeks. Today we had a briefing for a mid-point assessment which is around the corner, and afterwards a couple of us chatted about the post-critique haze we sometimes find ourselves in.

It’s a lot different than receiving advice in a classroom setting. An immediate difference is the often physical break before getting back to that piece or series. I live a couple of hours a way from college, so for a start there’s a lengthy period of reflection. Absorption isn’t always immediate, and so, as a starter, working with what I ‘get’ from the session is the way I’ve edged forward. At this stage, however, it’s become apparent that I need to shift gears and make some gigantic leaps in places! The year is running out and by Easter 2010, it’s all over, meaning, there is precious little time for developing anything new before the grad show.

Right now I”m re-reading notes from all my critique sessions in an effort to push my drawing towards illustration. And making another coffee.

away

 

away (1), originally uploaded by Boy Obsolete.

Boy Obselete’s cup art is worth a look – he’s been hard at it, making improvements to all that nasty white ’styrene.

Oxford and Children’s Stories

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Oxford is a city rich in history, so it’s unsurprising to see something new with each visit. I was at OUP for a Write Away Reviewers’ Event, (read author Anita Loughrey’s account here) after which we were treated to a guided tour – Oxford and Children’s Stories.

The guide I was with normally takes kids around so our tour revolved around scenes from the Harry Potter movies, and spotting the fact we weren’t aged 10, she generously tailored the tour and slipped us snippets about about Oxford’s literary alumni, from Amis to Waugh. We stopped at sites which provided inspiration for some of the best known children’s literature, most famously, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe‘. In her enthusiasm, our guide accidentally led smack into the centre of a location film set,  and we were politely asked to move off the cobblestoned street… I think it’s safe to say we will have been cut from ‘Lewis’ – an Inspector Morse TV spin-off!

It was clear that our knowlegeable guide was none too appreciative of the post ‘Potter’ entrance fee charged to enter Christ Church College. Instead, we wandered into the charming courtyard of Lincoln College and visited its medieval dining hall, which as our guide accurately pointed out, has bench seating, not the high-backed chairs you’ll find in the the Great Hall at Christ Church.

Lack of true Hogwart style seating notwithstanding, I personally think the entrance fee to Christ Church College entirely worth it – I went some time ago out of my teenage acquired interest in ‘Brideshead Revisited’, as the desperately self-destructive Sebastian Flyte and his teddy bear, Aloysius resided there. Add a little ‘Alice’ history and magical scenes from Hogwart’s into the mix and it’s an interesting place, if not for the sheer grandeur of the architecture, stained glass, and grounds alone.

Check out loads of photos here on Flickr’s Christ College, Oxford search, and visit Write Away for informed reviews, book guides and more.

Cupcake – Pimp It!

Pinkit is a group of 5 Chilean visual artists who have begun their ‘Pimp It’ revolution – pimp in the transitive verb sense – with a Cupcake – Pimp It! Gallery. As I’m working on some Hansel and Gretel colour experiments right now, pimping a cupcake seemed like a fun idea… Click Here for Pinkit’s ‘Pimp It’ Wall. Visit Pinkit’s homepage today and pick up a ‘cupcake’ to embellish!