Danton Diphthong: Episode 1 from alex varanese on Vimeo.
Another great gift to the world from Alex Varanese. When I saw he'd put together a 20 minute animation I was very interested. So far I've seen amazing work from him in illustration, typography, short 2D animations, (heard) music and 3D modelling. How effectively could he tie all of these elements together plus do his own voice acting and writing to make a solid 20 minute animation? The answer of course is outstandingly. There's nothing much else to say except, just watch it (and perhaps if you're not familiar with his work, get familiar with his work).
ATELIER OLSCHINSKY: PLANTS
This piece by Atelier Olschinsky is a part of a series titled Plants that was recently featured on behance – and deservingly so. The series features several complex illustrations using isometric perspective. Each of them have a strong industrial appearance with some elements being used repetitively as a motif. Their industrial, and sometimes mechanical appearance gives the series a very masculine tone, while complexity and chaos of each piece (ie nothing seems to quite make sense, which is an interesting contrast to the actual streamlined conditions of a modern industrial plant) is quite surreal. Check the whole series here and Arelier's website here.
FRANCOISE NIELLY
While I was recently in Paris I spotted a painting by French artist Francoise Nielly. I was walking across the road from a gallery that was closed with the inside lights off, yet the expressive bold colour and texture was enough to catch my attention and fascinate me. There is something very fresh and energetic about her work. The unique colour palettes have been carefully chosen and when executed with her painting style are at their loudest.
I strongly recommend checking out Francoise's website, there is an enormous amount of inspiring work. It was a privilege to see just one of her pieces in person (despite being outside the gallery looking through a window) I hope to one day see an exhibition.
Website here, behance here.
ALEXANDER KADOW: FRIEDRICHSHAIN, BERLIN
I love this shot by Alexander Kadow. The textures in the concrete wall and the unusual, abstract markings/art give this photo a surreal feel. I feel like there is more to this photo than what you see. I think black and white was a great choice in execution. Check out more of Alexander's work now.
LAURA KEUNG: WINTER SOLSTICE
My admiration of bridge photography continues. This time a piece by Laura Keung caught my attention. The dark shadows, warm hues and red lights drew me in. This piece is part of an icy set on Laura's behance page, check it.
TRADITIONAL ARTS: YONAZ KRISTY
POMESONE: CANVAS ART
I found this piece by Pomesone on Behance. I really like it because it reminds me a lot of work by Nawer, which I love, actually utilises a 3rd dimension as well as artificial 3D graphics on a 2D surface. On his profile Pomesone explains "I often try to open the frame of the object to go into space".
I hope to be getting back into my garage soon to play around with my paints on similar styled artwork (I'll probably just stick to a 2D canvas for now though).
Check out more of Pomesone's work on behance.
I'm back.
After living in Hamburg, Germany for 5 months, travelling around Western Europe and the UK I am now finally back in Australia. I was hoping to keep my blog up to date while I was away but it just didn't work out. I hope to play a bit of catch up now and sincerely apologise for the long delay!
MAN-TSUN: ILLUSTRATION 4
I usually try to avoid posting overly-popular work from behance on here. I usually try to post work I find that I think other people may have over looked. This piece by Man Tsun is an exception though. I love it. Colour, form, composition – all great. And it tells a story. I Love it. See more of Man-Tsun's outstanding work here and website here.
THOMAS KURIATKO: ILLUSTRATIONS
Thomas Kuriatko has posted a series of epic illustrations on his behance profile which I would file in the "I wish I had those sorts of skills" category. The piece above was my personal favourite. Although each illustration within the piece is awesome in its own right I'm glad that he's used them as a montage/narrative piece – as with most montages it gives the illustrations much more context and depth. I particularly like Thomas's style and colour palette, which to me seems like a nod to the grind house genre. Very tasty.
Check the whole series here.
LMD WORK: BAUHAUS MUSEUM BERLIN
I've just come back from a weekend in Berlin. I pretty much needed monday to recover and get me back on track. Berlin is a crazy town that seems to speed up (not slow down) as late night becomes early morning. The day I took this shot was a sight seeing day, I was in a semi-state of delirium after not much sleep from the night before. We saw some historical delights before making our way to the Bauhaus museum. When we arrived, we were presented with what can only be described as an oasis of deck chairs strategically position in the sun (is it normal to have outdoor deck chairs in the sun at museums in Germany?). After seating myself in the warm sun and sipping a beer I took this photo then fell into a wonderful sleep (or nap). Afterwards the Bauhaus museum, although short was definitely worth a look.
BRENDAN FITZPATRICK: SHANGHAI AT NIGHT
I find the urban landscape quite fascinating and great to photograph. It's sometimes difficult to reproduce via photography and I find I can be quite fussy to find the ideal shot. Something I'm missing while I'm living in Germany is my tripod, which would allow me to take shots at night (I haven't given up on the idea though...). I think the city has much more depth at night. As the sun goes down it metamorphoses into a different world. Colour disappears into shadow, objects become silhouettes, and lights bring new colour, light and life into lively areas. Brendan Fitzpatrick has photographed some amazing urban landscapes at night and executed them perfectly. Despite capturing mostly large concrete slabs and there being a minimal, if not absent human presence the essence and life of the city is clearly felt.
See the whole series here and Brendan's website here.
LMD WORK: MORE HAMBURG PHOTOGRAPHY
Here's a few more shots from my Hamburg exploration. one of things I'm enjoying most over here is just exploring. The urban landscape has so much depth. It's full of life in the darkest places. The city feels a lot more accepting of street art.
Now that I'm finally settling into a routine I'm going to start regular explorations starting in my neighbourhood, and radiating out. Spring is well and truly here, the days are getting longer the temperature more tolerable. The urban adventurer in me is hungry. As the trees begin to fill with leaves I've also been thinking a little more about diverting my photographic attention from city to nature. Perhaps in this city part of me is missing the greenery of Tasmania.
I hope you like these shots. When I have a decent enough collection I'll post a "best of" on my behance profile, and in the meantime I'll keep posting more finds here.
Luke out.
LMD WORK: HAMBURG PHOTOGRAPHY
Here are a few snaps I've taken during my current stay in Hamburg. These were all taken on the same day during a walk from the Schanze to the city. It was a quick walk so I hope to go back again and take loads more pics.
ELINA VG: NO TITLE
A week or so ago I saw these sweet pieces of vector art on Elina's Behance profile. Her use of line work and white space is really nice, and she makes great use of colour too. Her website reveals even more work that is worth a look.
HAMBURG
So here I am, finally settled in Hamburg. Apologies for the lack of posts, I've had many distractions – but have felt my blog calling. This is my first time in Europe, and it has already been an amazing experience. The sense of design here is quite unique, it feels more direct, more efficient. Graphic design that I have observed here is more refined. There seems to be a stronger appreciation for modernist design principles, where back home I think designers are too hasty to "dress" their design up – whether it be through gradients, drop shadows, over developed artwork or whatever. I think being here will have a very positive effect on the way I perceive and approach design. I feel as though it has changed me already (and I've only been here for 3 weeks!).
The street art here is mind blowing. I will post some photos today (if not soon). I feel like I've only scratched the surface and look forward to much more urban exploration. While I'm here I'll try and post a mix of artwork I find from around the world (as usual), treasures I discover here and (hopefully) some of my own work.
If anyone reading this is from Germany or Hamburg, or if you have had some experience in Hamburg get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.
Luke out.
The street art here is mind blowing. I will post some photos today (if not soon). I feel like I've only scratched the surface and look forward to much more urban exploration. While I'm here I'll try and post a mix of artwork I find from around the world (as usual), treasures I discover here and (hopefully) some of my own work.
If anyone reading this is from Germany or Hamburg, or if you have had some experience in Hamburg get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.
Luke out.
NIKOLAI NOWOLODSKI: (SKULL) TYPOGRAPHY
Nikolai Nowolodski has made a creepy-looking skull from lots of words. I think that's really cool. The execution is nice and creepy and he's made good use of some texture.
BAM: I've just realised that there is actually a narrative running through the words/entire piece. This adds even more depth to the piece. Top job Nikolai!
Nikolai's behance profile is here, check it out.
JOHN EARLE: M•A•C WONDER WOMAN
M•A•C Wonder Woman from John Earle on Vimeo.
I had a good long browse on behance this morning. It was one of those rare occasions where I flicked over a hundred pages and nothing really caught my eye, except for this absolute gem. A glimmering oasis in an otherwise slow day on behance (no offense to all those artists that have posted work, I am overtly fussy and particular). Anyway John Earle has created an amazing advertisement that thought would be worth posting. I never thought I'd post an advertisement on here. Despite sort of working in the advertising industry it's something that I despise, possibly because 99.99% of all advertising is completely fucked up, ugly, annoying, distasteful and poorly executed. Here I present the 0.01%. The cream.
I have always liked the combination of 2D and 3D artwork, particularly in motion/video work. I have at times even experimented with it myself. I think it works perfectly here. I have watched it a couple of times through now and feel inspired! (although I'm not about to go out and buy some lipstick). This is one of those ideas that in hindsight seems so obvious, yet I had never thought of it myself, which I think is what sometimes defines a truly great idea.
John had this to say about the piece:
I'm really lucky to get to work with the nice people at MAC on occasion. They really allow a lot of creative flexibility, especially on this piece. My first proposal to them was to create a fully animated recreation of the artwork they had illustrated by Mike Allred. Something like an 80s saturday morning cartoon. Budgetary and legal constraints quickly ended that idea. Often is the case though, that constraints fuel new ideas. Knowing that I couldn't modify the artwork too much was where the final piece came from. I needed to add some extra style to the retro influenced illustrations and taking them into 2.5D just wasn't enough to carry the piece. The 3D comic elements became that extra bit of interest to propel the animation. I feel it also brings it into a more contemporary realm, something viewers of all ages can relate to. I'm currently finishing up some companion pieces which are all 3D that will act as video wall paper for their Times Square and Bleeker Street stores in NYC.
John's behance page is here and his vimeo site is here and his website is here.
LMD house keeping
Well after a few intense weeks of work I thought it was about time to jump back onto the blog. I'm anticipating a couple of upcoming slow blog weeks as I move from Australia to Germany and settle in. Hopefully I'll have lots more time once settled there and can even post some more of my own art work – which was half of the point of this blog and something I really haven't done enough of!
MARCO MISHEFF: VERTICAL LANDSCAPE
I found this image by Marco Misheff to be quite haunting and a little surreal – not sure why, although the texture and lighting help to create a unique atmosphere. It almost feels like an apocalyptic setting, or even post apocalyptic given the overall darkness with the exception of the vibrant red streaks glowing from the darkness. Dull shapes sometimes becoming silhouettes of the crane and building look lifeless, uninhabited and eerie – like something from 28 days later. On a final point I love how the image is partially blurred and partially sharp, the blurriness possibly censoring or hiding something vital from the viewer. Overall a fantastically moody piece. See Marco's folio here and website here.
MAYERAS PIERRE: THE HARD LUCK MAN
I thought I'd post this piece by Materas Pierre because I love the style of drawing the style of narrative and the content. Each frame itself is potentially it's own art piece, but together they assemble to create an interesting context. Mayeras is an excellent artist and knows his media well (much like Joe Dion in my last post). There's not much else to be said here, except kick-ass piece of art! See his folio here.
JOE DION: DEAD STUFF
I grabbed this image from a series of epic zombie illustrations by Joe Dion. To me this one was among the strongest. The bold colour, heavy contrast combined with the concept of a sexy zombie meant I had to post! In a world where pop culture seems to be flooded with zombie references it's nice to come across some quality occasionally (along with The Walking Dead, Dead Nation on PS3, whispers of 28 months later + World War Z). Check out the whole series here and Joe's website here.
ALVARO POSADAS: RISE
Rise from Alvaro Posadas on Vimeo.
I found this amazing piece of surreal video art by Alvaro Posadas. I think what makes this work so much is the contrast between the beach – which is typically a warm, relaxing, comforting and nostalgic place – and the abstract light patterns – which are a little aggressive, unnatural, uncomfortable and foreign. Together they create a unique environment and atmosphere. Great stuff! See many more great examples of Alvaro's work here.
RUBEN IRELAND: FAMILY TREE
GREG HAYNES: TRIANGLE HEAD
When I first this set on Greg Hayne's behance profile I was very impressed, the ever-present 12 year old in me went berserk. My first impression was that this was a digital 3D model, however after closer inspection I believe this is infact an actual model constructed and photographed by Greg! Again with the berserk! By referring to my inner 12 year old I do not want to imply that this is in anyway childish. Instead for me I get a sense of nostalgia from amazing cartoons I had seen as a kid (Astro, G-force, Voltron etc) intertwined with my current obsession/amazement at science fiction and modern technology. I think I will always get a little excited when technology and art collide. It is an area my imagination likes to wonder in and something that's always awesome when executed correctly (like this piece). The tag on the shoulder is a great touch too. Greg has a wonderfully diverse folio that I recommend checking, otherwise the whole series of pics for this piece can be found here and website here.
EDRIC UREEL: GEOGRAPHIX VOL.2
An awesome abstract piece by Edric Ureel. Part of a series of equally awesome abstract pieces that use 2 dimensional objects to create sense of depth. His sense of composition use of blending is excellent and gives the piece a nice feel. He has essentially taken simple polygonal objects and layered/blended them to create complex shapes and patterns. Edric's use of colour in highlights and shadows also emphasises the depth and gives the pieces life. Check out the whole series here and flickr page here.
ADAM CHROBAK: ILUUSTRATIONS 2010
Visit Adam Chrobak's behance folio and you will find an amazing selection of illustrations that depict a slightly darker and more aggressive world than what we're used to. His work is strikingly original and overtly raw. I think rawness is the essence of his work, in both form and content. These 2 are for me, stand out pieces but most of his work is ahead of the majority of the pretty, overly polished and filtered work floating around the internet today. Check out his folio here and there's loads of great work on his site here.
KATHLEEN HIRAI: ON MY WAY
A couple of beautiful pics here by Kathleen Hirai. These are digital photos of cardboard cutouts, but look like something from a fairy tale, dream or memory. The colour range and soft tones giving the piece its dreamy feel. I'd love to see some more images in the same style and I think a moving piece would work well too – although technically it could be tricky. Nice work Kathleen! Check out her behance profile here.
JASCHA HOSTE: URBAN EXPLORATION
I stumbled across Jascha Hoste's stock exchange profile the other day and was completely blown away! His work features some of the most amazing urban ruins/old forgotten buildings/unusual eastern euro factories you will find on the net. And it's all (if not mostly) in delicious – not over the top – HDR. I was fortunate enough to explore an abandoned mental asylum about a year ago. It's an incredible feeling walk through a forgotten building. At the time I couldn't help but think that at some point in the past it was much different, I even found myself trying to imagine what it was like. It was an amazing experience – which leaves me feeling a little jealous of Jascha, who has obviously had many more urban adventures than I. Check out his site here.
ALEXANDER MIKHAYLOV: LAST PICS
Alexander Mikhaylov has put together a series of impressive concept drawings on behance. This one in particular caught my attention as a possible salute to Star Wars and due to it's overall dark robotic goodness. The whole series is worth checking out, especially the pieces that have subtle animation. Check the series here and Alexander's website here (loads of great content).
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