BOY LOST IN RAINBOW.

We're now well into our final major project and if I'm honest it's taken me quite a while to find my footing with it, but this past week I've been working so much. I don't want to go into too much detail as to what the project is about, because I'd rather leave it until the end so everything is coherent and I can explain it better. But I've been working on several illustrations based around old television testcards, incorporating my own imagery into the patterns. This is the first one. I'll post a few more over the next couple of days.

OUI!
I fucking love Patrick Demarchelier. I was rummaging through all my old magazines the other day and came across this French Vogue editorial from April 2006 he shot called 'Oui!'. You could argue that a lot of the reasons the images from this spread are so effective is the styling which IS ridiculously amazing. But the composition of the shots themselves, the expressions and the lighting are so inspiring. He manages to convey the macabre in a way that isn't cheesy at all. It's fucking beautiful and decadent and there's so much black.

A complete archive of his work is available on his website and the site itself is also really easy to navigate. GO GO GO.

http://www.demarchelier.net/home.html

K-K-K-ATE
I said I'd try and upload my sketchpad from the project I produced based around Kate Moss.  I'm still trying to get everything scanned in and stuff.  But for now I'll upload a couple of the pieces I have saved on this computer and talk a little bit about them.

This was an illustration I came up with really early on in the project. I wanted to try and show how drug use within the fashion industry often leads to the corruption of models. The boots and the dress represent this idea, they are physically taking over Kate. The limbs are elongated and purposely very thin, there isn't really any 'hidden meaning' behind this. I just like skinny bitches.

There came a point during the project where I kind of got sick of the work I was producing and wanted to do something different, so I started to look at figures throughout history who were as controversial at the time as Kate is today. Marie Antoinette sprang to mind immediately, so I created this image of Kate as her inspired by the colours used in Sophia Copolla's film about her life.

 

THE TASTE OF INK IS GETTING OLD.

Last night I found out that an old friend and an incredible artist ended his life just over a week ago. Chris Jones is undoubtedly one of the kindest, most genuine people I've ever met. He's the sort of person who would do just about anything to help just about anyone and he spent his life working incredibly hard, not just to produce great artwork, but to encourage and support the work of others. I haven't seen Chris in what feels like forever, but I always found great comfort in knowing that there were people like him in the world.

The news is still very fresh and I haven't quite figured out how to process it yet, but my heart goes out to his family.  I know not a lot of people read this and I know I struggle to keep it updated, but if you do stumble across this post somehow then please take a minute to check out Chris' blog Headspace..... It has always served me well in providing inspiration and I hope it remains in cyberspace as a testament to the wonderful person he was.

Chris, you are beautiful and you've touched so many people's lives. I'm so thankful I got to meet you and have you in my life, even for a short time. I hope one day we get to have that drink and catch up.

THROW SOME GLITTER. MAKE IT RAIN
I feel sick. Physically sick when I look at work like this. Minjae Lee is a 22 year old painter from South Korea and his work is so fucking amazing that it makes me want to sit in a dark room and cry because I'll never be this good. For real though? 22? That's only a year older than I am and there's no way in hell I could pull this kind of amazingness out of my arse.

So if you want to feel like crap, click the image for more sickeningly awesome work. If I don't post again for a while, it's because I'm kinda pondering suicide.