Illustration

DUHHHHHHH. I have been set on doing illustration even before I started my first year at University. Yet, in the past two days, I have been drastically confused.

HAND MADE - I've had a huge history of fine art based creation, coming from Art at GCSE and Alevel, and producing 3-D work for product design. Also, a lot of my personal work was painting and sculpture based. I love make things. I love learning skills. I learnt how to knit, just because i think the process is fascinating, that a scarf that could be up to 2 meters long, is actually one continuous piece of wool

ILLUSTRATION - I love drawing. I have great passion for it. From drawing on things that aren't mine with a pen i found during the day, to carving things into tables with spoons because I can't find pen or paper, just so that i don't forget what i'm thinking about it, and so that my imagination and response to something is not overlooked.

When i do graduate, when i do choose a specific illustration within discipline i can see myself becoming a screen printer, but also i would be interested in illustration for children's books as i have two young nephews (and that i think some of the books they have are utter crap).

I obviously would love to have my own studio, but that would be further down the line. I would love to continue a bit more within film graphics, like that of my involvement with the Harry Potter graphics department.

More than anything i would love to go to Prague and work, purely based on recommendations made from family and friends.

OUTCOME

I have never had trouble deciding what I wanted to do. Not this much trouble anyway.

So it went to a coin toss, refereed by Sean Gee.

Heads = Illustration

Tails = Hand Made

Illustration win.

(normally I would go to a best of three - I didn't want to tempt fate any further)

Panda Addict

I inadvertently made a panda seem like it was a drug addict. Going through a bit of a phase with the panda drawings...Panda-moneum I call it.

Want to print these onto Canvas Tote bags (when they bloody arrive [i hate ebay])

will be £5 when finished. Suh-WEEEEET

Sophie Calle - Whitechapel Gallery

I went to Whitechapel Gallery in London over the weekend, to see the free Sophie Calle exhibition (always one for a bargian me) Sophie Calle was one of the photographers, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson and Annie Liebowitz. Greatly influential on my style, as well as my respect for the capabilities of photography, it was amazing to see Calle's work in place and arranged.

One piece in particular was of a camera Calle had set up at a cash point, simply taking photos of them as they assessed their financial state. Normally a very private experience, Calle was able to capture emotions not widely displayed. Obviously this was not a record of exactly how much money the people possessed, but it showed emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, rage, joy, elation and surprise. It was the intimacy of the portraits that shocked me. That Calle could be so close and observe each detail of the persons face, with poor quality security camera stills, and speak to fluently about the actions and emotions displayed. I have always thought that human emotion is the hardest thing to capture, because it is not something that is displayed over minutes or hours, but in split seconds, and to truly identify that in a single photograph is a skill that i desire very much. Truly an amazing exhibition and a wonderful photographer.

Astor College Balcony

Also, whilst in London, I happened upon a balcony that I wasn't meant to be on. Astor College is a Halls of Residence of UCL. A horrible day and a cloudy, smog filled sky gave a deep orange glow that seemed to frame the dully lit buildings very nicely. I experimented with a few different ISO's and Shutter speeds. This is what came out.

London St.Pancras International

Whilst in London this weekend, and killing time after my parents leaving me to digest the most enormous steak I've ever eaten (Angus Steak House - BIG RESPECT), I found myself sitting in one of the most architecturally beautiful train stations I've ever seen in the UK, with nothing more than free time and a camera. This is what happened.

SOLO

This is a little piece I put together at Uni on friday. Playing around with some illustrations i'd done and this was the result. I'm extremely glad my photoshop and illustrator skills are increasing rapidly (with the help of some clear psd/ai legends - Rhys and Josh). PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Beirut.

This band are really something special. Truly fantastic, with a simple elegance that lacks in a lot of modern day bands, their orchestral and quirky instrumental songs coupled with beautiful lyrics and a singer with a killer voice often provide me a perfect soundtrack to work to and even just to escape my own mind.

Watch "Elephant Gun". Directed by Alma Ha'rel.

Smuggler.

This is a sketch that I produced for a friends band, Smugglers Run. Obviously an interpretation of the band name itself. I especially like the smoking shotgun, very much mimicking their aggressive post punk music. This idea would easily be translated over to an inner sleeve or wrap around digi pack cover for an EP. Great band. Check them out here...

Animation (Music based Uni project)

This animation was for a music based project. Our brief was to create a short piece of animation based on a selected song, mine being "Music is Math" by Boards of Canada. Initially getting a very organic feel from the music, I began to draw trees and animals, simply because they were the images floating around in my mind. I wanted to do a stop motion because I love the process and especially the results when finished. I think, for my first attempt on after effects, my result was quite good. Naturally there are a whole host of things that I would change in hindsight, but as a whole, I am happy with my result. Also, can't listen to the song without wanting to pull my ears off. Shame, it's a good song.

SHARK MEAT

SHARK MEAT is a poster i have just designed after chatting with Rhys about a great white shark being killed by an Orca Whale. Which I thought was pretty epic. - apparently it's on bbc soon, narrated by God himself, David Attenborough.

This isn't what it's meant to look like but is actually quite cool.

I'll post the proper one when i figure out how to save things as a Gif.!

peace.x

Old Drawing

Found this on one of the macs at uni. Only then realizing it was actually my drawing that I scanned in. It's grass. Wonderfully organic, it actually came out in the way I drew it, after starting initially, the grass just seemed to flow onto the page.

BUY THIS.

http://www.swishswosh.com/design/love-games

this is a brilliant design from a brilliant sheffield based designer. check out Arcade on Division Street also for more designs to blow your minds!
peace.
x

Tape Project (1st project at University)

This was my first attempt at a Stop Motion film in response to a brief on pattern and texture using tape. This has inspired me to create more stop motion films and I am actively interested in all videos made such as Youtube legend "Tony vs. Paul"

and Music videos such as "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel

and "No Good" by Plan-B

I tried a stop motion over the "summer" with Alex Reeve, but unfortunately due to really shit weather and mostly poor lighting the film was uneditable. Shame, it would've been most excellent.

Yeti Music .co. Initial Ideas

These are some initial sketches turned into slightly cleaner designs using Adobe Photoshop.

They are the basis of my visual research, I didn't know what a Yeti should look like, so I just drew what I thought it might be like. I'm very satisfied with my first drawings and will try to produce a few other different styles.

YETI

YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI YETI

Currently getting into full swing with our group project, making a challenger brand to rival iTunes.

YETI MUSIC .Co.

will keep updating as and when we complete design work.

Hallam Foe

If you haven't...

You really should.
It is an excellent film, with a interesting, and quirky (albeit twisted) view on the life of a lost youth, struggling along a search for meaning and answers. I identify with this film to the extent that I too felt a little lost and unsettled when I moved away from home. Though, I really don't feel I have his level of strangeness. He has a skinned badger for a hat after all...

WATCH THIS FILM.

"Onwards" - James Jarvis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZHBSBG7RSs

Everybody really needs to check this video out. A brilliant animator by the name of James Jarvis has produced this really special advert for Nike. Superb.

Photography

Here is a selection of photographs I found whilst rummaging around. Had a bit of a Black and White phase, back on with some neutral and custom settings now mind. Hope you like them. I also do some gig photography, so if anyone is interested - I don't charge, no more than free entry anyway - just send me an email or whatever. + tomx_10@hotmail.com +



Above is a photo of Sheffield Train Station. This was taken as a part of our photography project (final post for TIME magazine below). This was just an exercise at the beginning, but turned out to be a nice photo. The building itself is beautiful, combing and old aesthetic with a new exuberance. It's a brilliant welcome to Sheffield and at the centre of a really exciting and ever growing city. I'm proud to be here to study, and think i'm pretty set on staying here for a while...



These are some photos that I took on my Dslr, whilst Snowboarding in Austria (thankfully my camera was not broken!). I was experimenting with some lighting and shutter speeds whilst catching some breaks on the slope. Austria is beautiful, definitely check it out if you can.



This is possibly one of my favourite photos i've ever taken. Cruised down a relatively easy slope, when Tom Davies (name and shame) took a massive bail (off picture right). We were basically in a cloud and there was an incredible light coming over the hill just illuminating the edges of trees. Truly unbelievable, I feel so lucky I got to see it. AND Tom's bail. haha.



Catching a break at a restaurants. That frankfurter was awful.



Johnny Flynn. I think I might be a little bit in love with this guy. I love his music, and went to see him play at Owl Parliament in Islington Chapel in February this year. (Clearly going through my Black and White phase here) Also, an example of my gig photography, should you be interested...



This here was a little Andy Goldsworthy inspired project I did with Lauren Shevills, whilst bored a bit a little while ago. We cleared and area around an interesting, half dying "giraffe like" tree stump and surrounded with a stacked wooden wall. Around another tree (above) we used some infected birch tree that was dyed blue by a fungus to create a circle. It looked real nice.



"Giraffe"

TIME Magazine Cover

This is some of my first year work. The rest of it is in sketchbooks that I will get to upload at some point. I have only just got the internet at my new house so cut me some slack ok! Two posts in about 30 minutes can do for now surely?!



This (above) was my response to a photography brief based on a number of themes. My chosen theme, Home Sweet Home, gave me ideas such as homelessness and returning from a journey, trip or holiday. Instead, I used the idea of domestic abuse, and the irony in having a horrible homestead to return to. I mocked up a bruised hand and experimented with some different lighting before I settled on a simple black and white, to emphasis the darkness behind the idea. I had to think carefully about the type in the piece. I had to incorporate the TIME heading, as well as the title I had chosen. The result, I feel, is striking and together with the type within the image, works very well.



This poster was the result of a large project on a piece of architecture in Sheffield. I chose and old derelict sheet mill, as it's decrepid and battered state was more beautiful to me than many of the other buildings surrounding it. I wanted to keep my poster simple, like that of the design of the building, and emphasize parts of it that I found interesting rather than the building as a whole. This poster, and a selection of others have been inserted into an art space at the Moors shopping district as a part of a local scheme. It was curated by myself and Sean Gee. Photos will be uploaded when I have them.

Some Posters

Whad up? Here's a few posters i've been playing with recently. They'll be Screen Printed when I get around to it.



This is an intended screen print for the advertising of a friends band, Smugglers Run. No doubt you've seen them advertised at some point throughout sheffield, and other places as a result of their UK mini tour. They've got some new tunes, things are looking good for them.



This is a mock up for an intended screen print for some friends of friends. Nice little Double act they have going. If you get a chance check them out. The Vox and Frank Mafia.