Philip Jones Griffiths RIP

A welsh photographer who produced some stunning images of global conflict.
I've been getting into photography again and saw Jones work a while back. It did everything a photographer in that situation should produce – arresting images so arresting you can look at them for an age, yet so powerful you never forget just what hellish situation they are depicting. They make you think

Being there to capture that image. Take this one from the US invasion of Grenada



A kid and his football innocently playing while seemingly being stalked by a US tank. Innocent yet sinister. Obvious yet open to many interpretations

His most famous work was from Vietnam and you are urged to seek out his book Vietnam Inc. Pictures that are as gorgeous as they are horrifying. Badly wounded civilians given body tags. There are also pictures that just show the day to day life of a GI.

He also returned a few years back to produce Vietnam At Peace to document just how the country had changed
More info here

Angry footballer

This was for a piece about footballer's protests.
Interesting where this has got to. Goal celebrations with a message. It's one thing when Robbie Fowler lifted his jersey to reveal a tshirt branded with his support of Liverpool Dockers – possibly the most noble goal celebration ever, better than snorting the goal-line.
But Tim Cahll cuffs sign is all about his imprisoned brother.
Its not quite up there with Paulo DiCanio's fascist salute for sheer insanity, Not exactly politicised like thos players who wave Iraeli or Palestinian flags at international matches. Nor is it as innocently stupid as Gazza inciting the catholic Celtic supporters with his potentially incendiary Protestant pipe celebration in 98. Innocent because someone told him to do it, and not aware of the associations went and insulted not jus Celtic supporters, but the iRA too.

So Cahill's handcuffs. They were a sign for his older brother, currently serving 6 six years for violent assault, an assault that left the victim partially blinded in one eye. Cahill claims its just to show his brother he's thinking of him. Aw, bless. Dont why he just cant tell him later rather than upset the family and friends of the victim with a gesture that some how glorifies his brother.
Doesn't really help that part of the celebretion also included Cahill running to the corner flag and punching it several times. Do you see why people have gotten upset Tim?


In other news....Kinda liked the illustration. This is different to the published version what with the special black back. Special I tells ya.

Bad result

this photoillustration was created entirely from images of butterflys.
To go with a story about this artist who kills creatures and makes art pieces from them. What a nice woman. I'm sure she's making a highly valid statement.

EIther way, a quarter page illustration was reduced drastically in size.
Not pleased, so here is a clearer version


Copyright The New Paper/Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

GAINOMAX MONKEYS

Coming in three flavours

Hypno


Cute


and Scary

random

Yeah, thanks darling

This is how my girlfriend sees me

I hadn't shaved for a while when she drew this. Its quite accurate, really

TMPATW

nmo

More

So Late

Would have posted more since last time but still recovering from a dislocated elbow

More scribble

Random scribbling, more apes

Singapore zoo's iconic orang utan, Ah Meng died on Friday. I can understand the keepers getting upset. Spend any time with apes you can get attached to them. It seemed to affect way too many people. Weird.
Anyway took too doodling apes again. Facially, these guys follow the Frank Cho style. More skeletal than actial ape faces but more expressive, in a cartoon way.
Oh yeah. More apes as Superheroes too

Fabio Capello

Looks better than my atempt at Beckham (that bloke can be a bugger to draw). Capell though is an almost instant caricatature. Done for the sports backpage.
Since you ask, no, I don't agree with his appointment.

Another fruitful meeting

Oh well.

The Ten Doctors

I dont often feature other blogs but this fella is doing exactly the right thing. Creating a comic and putting it online.
Rich's ComixBlog is currently hosting the thoroughly unofficial but thoroughly entertaining Ten Doctors strip.
If you like Doctor Who, you have to check this out, Its the episode that cannot be made (half the cast has died or very, very old), and its got more DW callbacks and cameos than you can shake a stick at.

Its really well written, each Docs personality coming through, but also drawn in a very attractive way. Almost animation style, but keeping the rough pencils. It works so much better than the smoothed out colored versions. He's also managed to capture each Doctors face. Especially the Tom Baker. Anyway. Check it out. At 80-something pages so far it still only looks about halfwaythrough.

SeaStars and Starfish Stories

It's always nice to have your work thought of as good enough for someone else to use.
So it was pretty cool when Ivan Chew (one half of local duo Starfish Stories) asked me to do the cover for their album.

The background is an actual shot of the cosmos, the dolphin was painted directly in photoshop using various types of added brushes. (thats why I'd be usless at teaching this stuff. My process is still randomness over design)

Anyway, Check out their blog
http://starfishstories.wordpress.com/
where you can also download the album and give them your support

And here, as an added bonus is the dolphin, solo

Facebook Graffiti

I dont use it that often but the basic Graffiti package is pretty cool if quite the test of agility. Can't zoom in. Can't really erase. Its like a very, very basic version of photoshop. You have to play with the layering of colour and opacity. Good for a doodle anyway, and at the end you can click replay and watch how your work came to be.
Some of my fellow facebookers have it down to perfection and are well worth visiting the various groups on facebook to checkout.

But here in no particular order are some of mine

Baby Beethoven

Helped out with a Jay Chou poster. Much better artists involved but one of my contributions turned out well.Young Jay Chou as Beethoven

Keelo Keelo Fayter

Just been doings a series of art pieces for paid advertorials.
Difficult stuff considering the subject matter. Here are some clack and whites tat I thought turned out better than most.
The fat bloke became increasing camper over time...

Great unused sweet names

This is the flipside of a US Snickers bar (forever Marathon to UK kids of a certain age).
Not since that Starburst advert in the 90s missed the oppourtunity of using the name ChimpChompys has a better candy name been lost to time.
Change SNICKERS to PEANUTOPOLIS now.