3D Illustration

Posted by hil

rednose

Chris Sickels at Red Nose Studio makes real figures and scenarios that are then photographed to produce cool 3D illustrations for papers, magazines and books.  The 3D illustration above is his cover for Cory Doctorow’s  story The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away. Before seeing this I had thought of 3D illustration as more a virtual rendering process.  In this real form it is closely, and interestingly, allied to my work making puppets and props. I recently had a picture of my 3D fail whale published as an illustration in the Japanese computer magazine WEB+DB PRESS. I suppose that is fairly close – the only difference is in your intention when you start making an object?

(via @LolaLulu)

Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb

Posted by hil

I’ve been nurturing the single leaf that my rhubarb plant (that I previously thought had died) put up a couple of weeks ago. This morning, after a couple of great storms and heavy downpours, look at the beautifully scrunched up second leaf emerging!

Erth: The Nargun and the Stars

Posted by hil

I wanted to see Erth‘s lastest production, The Nargun and the Stars, at the Sydney Festival last week, but somehow didn’t make it. I have fond memories of the book, written by Patricia Wrightson, and the puppets, designed by Bryony Anderson, look great. The show is now heading for a 2-week season at the Perth International Arts Festival 2009, starting in mid February; so I hope some time it will come to Canberra.

Some review links:

ArtsHub
SMH preview
Daily Telegraph

Spoonflower

Posted by hil

I’ve been aware of Spoonflower for quite a while; it’s such a good idea to extend printing on demand to fabric as well as books and paper.

Where the Wild Things Are!

Posted by hil

Here are some first glimpses of the Wild Things from Spike Jonze’s film adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are. They feature on a limited series of skateboards made by the company that Jonze co-founded, Girl Skateboards Company.  In a previous post there is a link to an article about the making of the creatures, and their filming on the Mornington Peninsular in Victoria.

(via Puppets in Melbourne, PuppetVision and /film)

Poster’s remorse

Posted by hil

I’ve just pulled my last post, the one about a mask I made in 1974, called the Essential President. It was spooking me, and completely at odds with how I am feeling, as the world looks hopefully to the promise of Barack Obama. Instead I recommend this hit of optimism.

Obamafication

Posted by hil

ObamifiedObamified

I’ve watched the story of Shepard Fairey’s Obama poster unfold right from the beginning, about a year ago. The design is so good, and it’s wonderfully appropriate in the circumstances that a street art design has become iconic and so appreciated that it has become mainstream. Now you can obamify yourself at Obamicon.Me.  It’d be fun if everyone adopted one of these as their avatar at Twitter and other places on inauguration day to celebrate.

Obama banner

Popular Penguins

Posted by hil

I’m not sure if this is just an Australian venture, but Penguin Books here currently are selling about 50 of their most popular titles with the old classic orange, cream and black covers that I love. And they only cost AU$9.95. I bought Pride and Prejudice. Since the release has been so popular I hope they bring out some of the other-colour classic covers too: I’d like a Woolf title in purple or green.

Boxing Day morning

Posted by hil

The big old Morton Bay fig tree on Beaumont Common, on a quiet Boxing Day morning. The tree is filled with Rainbow Lorikeets. I don’t remember Rainbow Lorikeets being in Adelaide when I was growing up here, nor Indian Mynahs, or Black Cockatoos. Many other bird calls, and I can hear a background him of bees, too.