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.

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!

MA Summer Show Private View

The Camberwell College of Art MA Summer Shows went off really well last week, though it’s sad to see a lot of great people leaving from Illustration and leaving a few of us part-timers kicking around the place! The work from Illustration was exciting, and as predicted, very diverse with editorial illos, children’s books, graphic novels, animation and more – something I really appreciate in this course. Group crit sessions and regular meetings meant that we all had an inkling of who was doing what, but most went an extra mile towards the end and a few suprises lay in store.

500 people came through the door in the first 15 minutes, and around 2600 through the evening. See some of my photos here and get more on ’09 MA Illustration grads here (thanks Tom). The crowds made it a bit tricky to get photos so above are a few Illustrators except for the guy with the toast – a printmaker – who gave out an edition of ‘toast prints’ at the door.

Camberwell MA Illustration Show 2009

I’ve got the best week coming up – the last week of school (day job) before we’re out for summer, but firstly, two-thirds of my Camberwell contemporaries (those on the full-time programme) will graduate. Check out the Grad Show details here, and see who’s exhibiting from MA Illustration.

Paint a Tower Block

It’s been ages – work is full on (exams and marking) and so is the illustrating. My full-time and second yr part-time contemporaries at Camberwell are nearly at the finish line as the July grad show looms ahead.

Meanwhile, I came across these fab photos of painted tower blocks, Russian style, here on Sturman’s blog. Worth a look for the McD sign alone. Anyway, some say these look gaudy. Maybe.

Better than grey tower blocks stacked against a bleak, wintery sky?

Infinitely.

Inside NY Academy of Art studios

Here’s a little glimpse inside the studios during the Tribeca Ball…

Understanding Comics

It’s a sad week for Brit comics as DFC - an intelligent comic for kids with high production values – becomes the latest victim of the current recession. Reading the comics our grandmother gave us provided an instant source of entertainment, and no doubt helped my siblings and me read more. I really enjoyed this video on Understanding Comics by author Scott McCloud, recorded a while back and recently posted on TED.

Fantasy Houses

Alamo Square, 2004

I came across these brilliant photo galleries when looking at unusual dwellings. Check out this sumptuous San Francisco in Jell-O by Liz Hickok… a jelly cityscape which eventually decays - Jell-O Shots gallery, (First Post).  I also love David Trautrimas’ collection of fantasy houses, All Mod Cons, (First Post).

Stand Mixer Mews, 2008