Tag: art

Goodwill :: Eco Print

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So many of us sit at computers day after day- for work and for play and here and there we print various documents.  We’re told constantly about the amount of paper that we waste by printing and by using our various devices we can reduce the amount of paper used and read off our our phones, our tablets etc.  But what no one mentions is the ink part of the printing process.

We take for granted (or at least I did) that ink is just a part of the printing process and other than being and expensive office expense, we don’t really think about the other impacts that it makes. But thanks to designers like Dan, a more eco-friendly font could change the impact that we make with our printed pages.

grey london

I love the color contrast between the black and white in this video and it includes typography- something that I have a great fondness for.  Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone into graphic design instead of video production.  I also love the intricacy of the font and the thought that has gone into the development of this font, just so that we can save 33% more ink per page.  And what does it mean for the rest of us (other than saving us money)? It means that we can contribute towards reducing the amount of waste that we create.  How cool is it that we can help the environment AND use a beautiful new font?  Pretty cool.

Escapade :: Firecracker Artwork

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When it comes to certain projects, I could say that I tend to stay with more traditional methods and don’t always venture out to try more “adventurous” things.  I’m trying to expand my horizons but I wouldn’t say that it’s because I’m afraid to try new things, it’s because I haven’t thought of trying them in that context – obviously I need to think more outside the box.

For instance, using firecrackers to create artwork:

Cool Hunting

I tend to associate smaller explosives with fireworks at celebrations or demolition of larger buildings.  I would never have thought to use them in creating large pieces of fine art.  Who’d have thought?   I guess you can say that David Sena is one of the few (if not the only) as I have never seen art quite like this before.  I love it!

I don’t know if there is anything particularly spectacular about the filmmaking here, although it is well made.  I think it’s more the topic that really stands out to me.  I makes me want to try something like it myself, but for now I’ll stick with what I know as I don’t have a place to safely try out this method of artwork.  Perhaps someday…

Art Meditations :: Cover Art

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I draw to relax but that doesn’t happen very often.  I usually get sucked into watching TV or something just as mind-numbing.  Silly considering I stare at a screen all day at work and usually I’m sick of it by the end of the day.  But its so much easier to turn on a movie instead.

Would I still like drawing if I did it for a living?  I doubt I would have the patience to make that happen and who would want my stuff when there are artists like this out there:

Danny Cooke

Nothing I could ever draw would look this dynamic or detailed, which is one of the reasons why I admire this video so much.  The artist, David A. Smith blows me away with his attention to detail and I love the time-lapse used to show his creative process.

The funny thing is that as soon as I saw this video I thought of John Mayer‘s album cover for “Born and Raised” and after actually looking at the filmmaker’s page a little more closely, realized that the same artist did the cover artwork for both albums.

This video is a lot longer than the one made for The Kings of Leon and I’m not a huge fan of the style used but I think the creative process is fascinating.  It makes me very glad that there are people out there who still use century old methods of creating their work.

DANNY COOKE

 

Feeling daunted to draw something?  I bet you could come up with something pretty incredible yourself.

Art Meditations :: The Great War

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For those living in the US, the Great War is something that we generally skim over in history class- we generally focus on WWII.  For those living in Western Europe, it’s a very different story.  You study WWI for years at a time, at least you do in England, and if you’ve studied it in the last 15 years, you’ve probably gone on field trips to the battlefields.  You’ve stood in the trenches, in crater holes blasted out by bombs and seen the remnant shells stacked up along farmers’ fields- those shells that were never cleared away after the end of the war.  At least that’s my experience of studying the war.  You almost fell guilty for not doing your part even though it happened decades before you were born.

There are reminders of the sacrifices made during that time all over Europe, intertwined with the memories of WWII.  It’s a part of the land and something that you can’t ignore.  There really isn’t anything to compare it with in the US – even Civil War battle grounds aren’t the same.

I found this video a few months ago and in the end, bought the book for my dad as a Father’s Day gift:

ww Norton

 

Most of my studies have come from books, some from old newsreels etc. but this book gives the Battle of the Somme a whole new light.  It makes it into something visual and puts across the magnitude much better than any other source that I’ve seen.  It actually gives the numbers a human element and not just statistics on the page.  This beautiful book is art and fact all combined into one and I love it for that.

I don’t see this book as being about tragedy, although it does encompass that.  I see it as a chance to truly understand something that is beyond our reality and to take in something that is one of the largest world conflicts in history.

Pictures really are worth a thousand words.

Meditations on Paper

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As much as I’m loving this unusually warm summer for the Pacific Northwest, I have one complaint: The heat makes me lethargic.  It makes it kind of hard to get things done when I just want to lay on the beach somewhere or glide around on a paddle board. However, that isn’t something that I can do all the time right now.

The high temperatures also make my thoughts wonder- it probably has something to do with the fact that the sun is shining and it always grabs my attention when I’m near a window.  I find it kind of meditative, something that drawing also does for me.  I don’t do it all that often but it makes me relax – something I associate with summer and warm weather.  I would never say that I’m any good at drawing or that what I produce is even worth keeping but I like how it makes me forget whatever is going on in my life.

I’m always in awe of those who produce art for a living- I’ve only featured artists multiple times on this blog, but for this month I’m just talking about artists that draw for a living.  I’m always fascinated by their way of conveying their ideas and thoughts or even their

Art-meditations

Until next week though, I leave you with a short video that makes me relax and imagine that I’m somewhere else.  It makes me feel like its summer no matter what the weather outside. And as my summer travels are very limited this year, this gives me just a couple minutes of escape.  Enjoy!

Poppy de Villeneuve

 

Meet :: The Fashion Designer

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I’d like to introduce Leanne Marshall, the Fashion Designer:

etsy

I see several dresses here that I would love to try on.  For now though, I will look on admiringly as anything I sew inevitably looks no where near as nice as what you see here.

What do I love about this video?  I love the close ups where you can see the tiny details in the dress structure etc.  I don’t usually look at those kinds of things on my own clothes and it gives me a greater appreciation for the structure of the clothing.

Meet :: The Sound Designer

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Please meet this sound designer:

storm and shelter

I thought it only right to feature a sound designer today after working with so many different people in the industry over the last few months.  I don’t have as much use for an artist like this in documentary as we are supposed to be recording as we film and usually we are trying to take these kinds of noises out.  Therefore I find this story fascinating.

The best part about this film?  The editing.  Recording the sounds is one thing, but to edit it together to make these noises sound like music is a real gift.

Meet :: The Illustrator

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I’d like you to meet Victo Ngai. She is a very accomplished freelance artist and if you read the NY Times, the New Yorker or other similar publications, you’ve probably seen her work. How cool is that?! I bet most of us have seen her work at some point or other but never knew it.

like knows like

I’ve been working with all sorts of artists over the last few months and it’s amazing how many are out there, but most people never realize it.  This is one of the reasons why I like this film- it gives us a chance to know the artist behind the work in our newspapers.

And if you liked learning about Victo, then check out Like Knows Like, a project that shares the behind the scenes stories (just like this one) of those artists that inspire us, but for all intensive purposes are invisible.

Ohana :: The Bear and the Hare

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The John Lewis Christmas Ad is one of the most anticipated of ads in the UK every holiday season.  It’s kind of like the much awaited window displays in the larger department stores down Regent Street.  The best part is that you can now watch these ads anywhere in the world.

John Lewis

Admittedly, John Lewis is encouraging the public to buy the greatest gifts of the season but their message is always a good one- do something special for those you love this Christmas.  We could probably take a lesson from that other times of the year too.  I think my favorite part of this video is that it doesn’t seem to matter what species the characters are- they all come together to celebrate.  And of course don’t forget that they do what they can to include those who wouldn’t usually be able to be there.

I couldn’t help but post this as well- the making of The Bear and the Hare.  I am always in awe of animation production, but this takes it a whole new level.

Blink

So there you are, two videos in one post and hopefully they made you smile even during this stressful time of year.