The Curiosity Group is a cool ad/marketing firm that specializes in creating these little paper sculptures with cute cartoony graphics. Check out the calendar of the month and build some for yourself!
Since I am of French ancestry I like to throw a Bastille Day party — it's a different spin than the 4th and you can play up the Frenchiness a bit and act posh. Last time was a bit of a chore feeding people and being a good host, so this year I thought an after dinner cupcake party might be a bit fun, perhaps trying to pair the cupcakes with different wines.
I was inspired a Gucci script logo for the headline, but my original idea was a bit more similar to the Hostess cupcake coily pattern in the type. I created custom type design for Bastille Day, inspired by the blades of the Guillotine. And the information at bottom uses an ornate blade style box housing some classic Didot typography.
German illustrator Christoph Nieman was on National Public Radio's Fresh Air yesterday. It's so cool to hear a illustrator and designer interviewed. I love his work — it's very imaginative!
I saw this video on TV last night. I love the blurry light burns and quick editing. This looks real, like the band takes a Super 8 camera with them on the road. I hope I'm not duped.
My In-Laws were married on the Oregon coast in 2009. I finally got around to developing the film, transferring it, editing it, etc,.
I like how Super 8 captures these rough, almost painterly impressions that leave a lot to the imagination — it's not so sharp that you relive the moment within the video — the film inspires your own memories.
Last night my wife and I watch Wernor Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" last night. I was blown away. You have to ask yourself why do express ourselves? Visually? Or with music? Sometimes we take these things for granted. It's not until we come in contact with absolute brilliance, or with another culture do we really analyze why we do these things and what are the messages.
Herzog's film inspired me with his pacing, thoughtful editing of content and creating something with very limited resources. Also his interviewing style is very sincere and informal, you get the feeling that you want to be this man's friend. He helps some of the scientists express themselves in more artistic terms, and also his questions are very right-brained — the thought process of a brilliant artist.
The works of art are really incredible. One panel seems to have been created by one individual — a Picasso who existed many millenia ago. The level of detail, overlapping shapes, the story that unfolds is much more advanced than anything I expected. This guys draws way better than me!
But I walked away really inspired. I wanted to go work on a massive panel or mural for myself. I was reminded of the work by my friend Tommy, who creates large graffiti-inspired murals. I have to put this on my to do list for the year!
I took a couple photos I shot from our vacation and over-layed them in a style that captures the crazy, tropical, kind-of-retro adventurous energy of New Orleans.
I'm not sure if I like where this series is going... It's looking a little "Middle School Art Class." I'm trying to free myself up a little bit and break away from the tightness and artificial-ness of the computer. The top image is a completion of a painting I started on the beach of Cozumel in December of 2008. The image below is is a series that was inspired a bit by Keith Haring where a fun, loose sketch quickly captures a scene like a hand-done polaroid...
I might try to find some fashion examples where loose, gestural lines are combined with splashes of color.
I recycled film boxes from into hand-drawn packaging! Compared to the sleek, super-marketed packages you come in contact with everyday these have a bizarre crafted feel. Like a granola version of Warhol...
Analog Analog Series #2 View from Eden Park: Coloring Book Version
Last year I had a great time making a coloring book for my nieces and nephews. When I was thinking about making a drawing of my film photographs, this funny idea of a coloring book came to mind. The only downfall is that I am going to have to find imagery that kids will enjoy, while my Holgas are typically void of humans and animals — typically focusing on nature and architecture.
This image is one of my favorite views on my bike commutes to and from work. Sometimes I ride through Cincinnati's Eden Park and you can look out over a bend in the Ohio River. I stop for a sip of coffee and a quick stretch before heading into work.
I became obsessed with making a system of icons while working on a probono project at work. This may be part of a identity system for a public works project. So often I work so diligently on something that doesn't see the light of day, and all my passion went into something I can't share with anyone due to confidentiality.
That's why I created this project (52 in 2011) for myself. So at the end of the year I can say "look at all this art/design/photo/film I created."
I love artists who are obsessed, and like Mies van der Rohe I also believe "God is in the Details." Sometimes, creatively, obsessions with styles can be costly if you miss the mark. Fortunately everyone likes this so far. Hopefully the client will too.
I've been obsessed with cuckoo clocks, chandeliers, trophy heads, etc.
I want to break out of my 2D tendencies for some future projects. One is creating my own cuckoo clock (probably not with working cuckoo *darnit*) , redesigning the aesthetic in a contemporary fashion.
I was riding my bike in the country and a light bulb turned on above my head. What about a cuckoo bird house?! I thought I was a genius until I google searched it. Darn. But maybe once I make the clocks I will create an alt version of a bird house.
Other ideas for bird houses I've wanted to make: miniature version of my house and mini-skyscrapers/skyline.
Unfortunately last year my dog died. So we tried to get out of the house a lot to take our minds off of it. We went to a boutique where I saw these wooden silhouettes of animals called "Kingdom Animalia" by a Brooklyn studio called Enormous Champion. Perhaps once I have the jigsaw out I will make a silhouette of my pet dog as a remembrance.
A while ago I worked on a logo for a bird rescue. Some days I feel so witty, like a freakin' genius. I noticed the serif of a B looks like a bird beak, and a R looks like a wing. So I created this fun bird icon, the top part is bird, the bottom says rescue. I thought this was clear, simple, elegant, witty. Then I got to the internal review and was blasted out of the water by constructive criticism. Wankers.
