Back at Uni

Hello everyone. Sorry about the lack of updates recently, as I've been running round like a headless chicken, getting things packed for uni, actually moving to the new house, sorting out student finance... blaaarrgh.

To (partially) make up for the absence, I'll post two things I started before all this, and had finished today.

About 2 weeks ago, I had seen this quote on, I think, a separate blog (it's totally lost on me now), and what better way to visually represent such a quote as using Tetris pieces? I was going to go the whole hog and have a pixelated version of the Kremlin in the background, but ultimately opted out.


The next, not-so-professional piece was inspired by a random note I had scribbled whilst doing reportage a week or two ago, which in turn was inspired by a drunken tirade a few weeks before. It uses the panda characters I had developed for the animation project (which, by the way, I am trying to upload to this site. 'Try' being the key word there). This also proves that I should NEVER write with the graphics tablet again.

Much, MUCH better work on the way. I promise. I officially start again tomorrow, so I'll be kept very busy indeed. ^^

Until next time, farewell.

Illness

Ugh... I feel so sick right now. I think I might have some kind of cold, but not the conventional kind. I think it might be an allergic reaction to dust or dust mites, because it cropped up a few days ago whilst cleaning my room, looking for things to take to uni.

Because of this, I unfortunately haven't been able to do much work, although let me reassure you that I am working on stuff, just very slowly.

I may have mentioned a messageboard named b3ta a few posts back. Well this week, the challenge is 'tea'. Here's a little something I entered.

It's a bit rough round the edges, but gets the point across nicely, I find. While I'm here, I'd like to share some art by French artist and web designer Arian Noveir.

What Noveir has done in this series, simply entitled 'Super-Heros', is he seems to have used ink splats with the help of templates to create these very abstract and dynamic portraits of super heroes such as Batman (above). Noveir has clearly gone into this project, knowing exactly what he wants the outcome to look like, as despite the overall wild nature of the work, there is a varying degree of control, tones, etc.

I'll pop the link here so you can see the other pieces. As for me, I'm going to try and shake this cold/allergic reaction/whatever off, and get back to you, hopefully with some more work.
Until then, farewell.

http://houhouhaha.fr/arian-noveir

YOU LOVE HER COZ SHE'S DEAD - DEAD END

YOU LOVE HER COZ SHE'S DEAD are a Brighton-based electronic group, not too different from Crystal Castles, utilizing tasty 8-bit riffs and jagged bass lines.

The reason I'm posting this video (apart from the song being awesome) is the video; some of the prettiest effects I've seen in recent times. The video, produced by Elliot Dear of Winter Champion Pictures, features a visual cavalcade of urban landscapes, various computing devices and masses of electronic displays, which manifest the centre of the piece; a pixellated fox, leaping out from a computer screen, moving on to stalk the city, in some rather nice composite shots.

You can consider this a bit of a filler post until I can produce some more work to show you. Like I've been saying quite a lot recently, I've had the house upside-down, trying to look for everything I need for my return to university.

Until then, enjoy the music, and farewell.

Reportage in Manchester

The plan?

-Find a coffee shop filled with trendy student/businessmen types.

-Stick iPod on shuffle.

-Start drawing surrounding elements, pausing briefly to take notes of lyrics, stories, etc.

I have a few more things planned from that day, which I will get started as soon as possible, as well as trying to get stuff packed for uni... I don't leave for another week and few days, but I should probably get a start on it now, huh? It's gonna be great this year, for many reasons; one, I have it pretty much drilled into me as to how I should work in uni (I was being way too methodical about it; planning too much... or too little), two, I'm living with people I actually LIKE, and not a bunch of stoners like last year :S and three? I guess I'm more used to the whole experience now.

Oh, and I'm paying much less for digs this year. Halls cost a FORTUNE for what is pretty much a caravan inside a cold empty prison block. Like Wales and Strangeways combined.

Okay, I've rambled on for long enough, but stick around, I'll have some more work coming through in the next few days, including something I sketched up whilst in town... the above piece includes more than one clue.

Cheerio.