Dance Yourself Dizzy

A small in-between project carried out last year. Just wanted to get the name out there: https://www.facebook.com/Danceyourselfdizzyinsalford/

After all, the blurb on the facebook ^ page tells me to share:

"A group of women got together to dance, dance, dance! Supported with some funding from Ambition for Ageing! Join us. Share it."

So, below in descending order: The final image, the unused image and the sketch.

Go there if you fancy that and can get to Liverpool Street. Salford, UK.

Christmas Commissions Part 2: Anthony and Hector

There's a house just down the road from us which goes Christmas nuts every year. From mid-November it's like Blackpool Illuminations in miniature; a bright, garish, animated, tacky, vomit-inducing contrast to the predictable lack of snow (this year, the heavens didn't get the memo again, unless rain is the new snow and we're just not with it). Bless 'em, I hope they never change.

By contrast I am usually Mr. Humbug incarnate until sometime mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve. This year however, I was dragged kicking and screaming into at least thinking about Christmas early by a client wanting a bespoke Christmas card.

I enjoyed this thoroughly; a nice, simple interpretation of his own idea. Wonderful! Get your orders in early, because this was a very enjoyable mini-project.

By the way, Anthony is a professional music composer which 

should explain the joke, and Hector is the dog.

BBC Heaven!

Vizii? Mixital? ...Internet? ...What do these words even mean? Well, the BBC have a thing online called Mixital, which has in turn a sub-thing called Vizii.

"Mixital's a BBC site that turns players and viewers into creators.
We've designed easy-to-use tools for young people over 13 years old to make and share things like visuals and stories."

"Vizii is a new tool aimed at kids and teens, allowing them to 'visualise' music and the spoken word and available on the mixital platform"

So Mixital is the platform and Vizii is the tool. It has taken me a while to get my head around this. Basically kids can make music videos by dragging a load of pre-set elements into a video maker to accompany a music track. I created some of those elements.

The tracks include such artists and bands as The Staycations, Asylums, Blooms, Monogram, Rukhsana Merrise, Rawschac, Alex Vargas, Jayelldee and Lorelai (presumably not to be confused with the Alan Tam song from Armour Of God starring Jackie Chan). If none of this makes sense, just go to the bloody site: BBC MIXITAL and VIZII

I created images of people playing guitars, banging drums, jumping around, texting (as kids are want to do). I put some of those elements together for my own sites like thus:

 That is "sick."

 Gnarly! ...That's still a word right? She bangs the drum
whilst wearing a dinosaur onesie. A DINOSAUR ONESIE.

 Wicked! (That means the opposite of wicked.) The Texting Astronaut.

Long Division with Remainders Part 2

And the rest... Here's a link to part 1

From the official site:

"Collision/Detection is the second experimental audio project from Long Division with Remainders (LDWR) which sees invited artists submit audio clips into a central pot, which is then distributed around the group for them to do with as they see fit, resulting in a series of digital EPs released across 2012 and 2013.
These EPs are now collected together for this 2 CD box set, presented in a bespoke package, letter pressed by Red Plate Press (www.redplatepress.tumblr.com) with artwork from Paul Loudon (www.paulloudon.com).

The limited first edition also includes a bonus digital album containing new tracks by Collision/Detection contributors and the original sound clips which started the series (if you order from our shop, we will email a download code to you)."

 BLK TAG

 Kemper Norton

 The Doomed Bird of Providence

 Isnaj Dui

Sone Institute

The album is available on pre-order now. LINK

From the website: "We are delighted to announce the release of the Collision/Detection box set – collecting together 9 EPs from a whole host of incredible artists, creating exclusively for the Collision/Detection project. The box set will be in shops on Monday 10th June, but you can pre-order it below."

Long Division with Remainders Part 1

Back at the end of 2011, I started creating images for a unique husband and wife music experiment called Long Division With Remainders. More specifically I provided nine illustrations for their current production; Collision Detection.

In a nutshell, the project asks various musicians to make use of a limited "pot" of sound effects in their own respective and creative ways and to come up with a couple of tracks. These monthly downloadable releases are to cumulate in a final collaborative 2-disk album, due for release soon (link below).

Here for your viewing pleasure are the first four of those images and the artists whose tracks they represent.

Psychological Strategy Board

West Norwood Cassette Library

 The Lord

Hong Kong in the 60s

 

The project really allowed me to get my creative juices flowing during a time when other commissions seemed incredibly specific and creatively constricting - literally all ideas are mine this time. Despite an entirely surreal first image, a narrative seems to develop in which a small boy builds a robot. I won't say more than that, interpret it however you like... whilst of course ideally getting lost in this fine album. Big shout out to Justin Watson for getting me involved in this.


Order away you lucky people...

Long Division with Remainders: Collision/Detection Box Set - PRE-ORDER NOW: We are delighted to announce the release of the Collision/Detection box set – collecting together 9 EPs from a whole host of incred...

Come Where?

Just a quick post today as I am due to go running in about 20 mins (go Chorlton Runners!).

...Anyway, mid-last year I was called upon to create a music single cover for a guy called Roy Fisher. Though whether it has been printed out and distributed, or remains as an itunes exclusive, I am not sure (nor do I care that much if I'm honest). The band is "One Dark Horse."

Pretty standard process; series of sketches to make sure I was on the right track. He wanted a woman in front of a ship. Hopefully I will post the youtube video below, so you will see why.

Often, as was the case here, it's worth doing a colour sample. I personally like the triangle cleavage cut-out which mirrors the triangular belt buckle. Blue hair is always very sci-fi. Possibly a combination of the above made this gal the winner.

Roy was adamant that she needed to be beckoning towards the viewer. This was a challenge and a nightmare of foreshortening. I'm still not sure that it's 100% right. I was also uncharacteristically reserved on the text. Final lines were drawn with a brush pen. Added a few textures and voilà. ...Enjoy...