Good Waves

2011-02-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

2011-02-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

4AD record sleeves designed by VAUGHAN OLIVER

2011-02-05T23:39:00.001-08:00

"There is in all things a pattern that is part of our universe. It has symmetry, elegance, and grace—those qualities you find always in that which the true artist captures. You can find it in the turning of the seasons, and the way sand trails along a ridge, in the branch clusters of the creosote bush, or the pattern of its leaves. We try to copy these patterns in our lives and our society, seeking the rhythms, the dances, the forms that comfort. Yet, it is possible to see peril in the finding of ultimate perfection. It is clear that the ultimate pattern contains its own fixity. In such perfection, all things move toward death."

Frank Herbert, Dune

2011-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Posters by YUSAKU KAMEKURA (1915–1997)

Images via PINK TENTACLE

2011-02-03T08:45:00.001-08:00

Furniture by RO/LU

2011-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

This was the view outside my window this morning. Chicago blizzard 2k11 going hard.

2011-02-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Typography by TRAVIS STEARNS

2011-01-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

Inscape paintings by Roberto Matta (1911–2002)

2011-01-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Got a package containing the VALLEY MAKER LP that I ILLUSTRATED a couple of months ago. Looks great and sounds amazing. There were only 100 pressed.

Thanks, Austin.

2011-01-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Drawings of Mars by PERCIVAL LOWELL (1855–1916) and co.

"He theorized that an advanced but desperate culture had built the canals to tap Mars' polar ice caps, the last source of water on an inexorably drying planet."

SOURCE

2011-01-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

Illustrations by GAKU NAKAGAWA.

Just when I think I've reached a degree of discipline on my own stuff, I come across a man who studied "Buddhist Art" in Japan. Nakagawa began work as an illustrator at age 30 in 1996.

2011-01-26T15:42:00.001-08:00

Playing around with some sketches from a recent trip to the ART INSTITUTE. Turned it upside down and it looked like a spaceship.

2011-01-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

Received a copy of NOBROW's A Graphic Cosmogony last month. MATTHEW LYONS' Push It Backwards was a favorite, as expected. He's recently posted five of the seven pages on his site.

His project descriptions are always interesting; Lyons had this to say upon its completion:

"I’m the generation of the wire untangler. Untangling controllers and then wires at the back of computers, I am faster than you. Elders are supposed to teach me how to lay paving, mend the broken fence and pass on the knowledge of the man. However I show them how to use the computer. Barbara and Philip have no keen eye, but they are very chuffed having managed to dial in a design for the lovely tea rooms in the town centre. It is over."

2011-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

THE FOX IS BLACK is hosting a competition to see who can best redesign the cover of The Great Gatsby. I figured I'd give it a shot.

Is anyone else entering?

2011-01-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Illustrations for André Maurois' A Voyage to the Island of Articoles (1927) by ALEXANDRE ALEXEIEFF

Whenever I ask myself "what do I really want to see right now?" the answer can usually be found in A JOURNEY ROUND MY SKULL's archives.

2010-12-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

The last of my TRAIPSE series / onto new things

2010-12-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Spreads from Life Magazine's FINAL ISSUE as a weekly (1972).

Found this in my parents' house in Virginia while visiting for the holidays. I've really loved those HOWARD HUGHES illustrations ever since I saw F for Fake. I finally found out they were done by one David Walsh; unfortunately, the internet has little to say about the guy.

Also, I got a PORTFOLIO site up and running. Please take a look.

2010-12-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, y'all.

2010-12-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Based on a vacation taken during the winter of 2008.

Again, view it larger on FLICKR.

2010-12-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Drawings by Alejandro Sirio (1890–1953).

I first came across Sirio's work in the spring of 2009 in El Museo de Arte Español Enrique Larreta in Buenos Aires. He received a great deal of praise in Argentina during his lifetime, but most of his pieces have been scattered through different collections. In 2007, Ediciones de la Antorcha published Alejandro Sirio: El Ilustrador Olvidado, but tracking down a copy has proven to be pretty difficult.

Most online reproductions of his illustrations simply don't do them justice, but today I came across this incredible FLICKR SET with 25 large scans. Thank you, AVILAS.ES!

2010-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I spent my winter break backpacking through Colombia, South America. I wasn't sure what I should do with my sketches, photographs, and notes from that trip until a few weeks back when I saw some fantastic map illustrations by SATOSHI HASHIMOTO and VESA SAMMALISTO in a couple of back-issues of MONOCLE. Better late than never, right?

You can take a closer look on my FLICKR page.

2010-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Stills from Les Maitres Du Temps (1982).

Has anyone seen this? Pure, psychedelic, French sci-fi weirdness. The plot devolves rather rapidly, but the visuals are mesmerizing and the soundtrack is awesome. Something tells me THESE GUYS saw it more than a few times during their youth. The whole thing is up on YOUTUBE.

2010-11-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last month I was asked by my good friend Austin Crane to illustrate and design the sleeve for his first release under the name VALLEY MAKER. The album has been purchasable in CD and MP3 format for quite some time now, but, come mid-January, will be available on 12" vinyl courtesy of the Charleston/Atlanta based IRRELEVANT RECORDINGS.

Pictured above are my attempts at illustrating a higher power's projected influence, that influence's creativity, and its more than occasional destruction. After some deliberation, we decided to use the image at top.

2010-11-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

I just received some lovely, homemade pastels from my friend JOSH. Now all I need to do is learn to draw with pastels.

They're thoughtfully packaged and able to be purchased through his website. Anyone in search of the perfect holiday gift for that special art-school someone should get in touch with him.

2010-11-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

SCIENTIST record sleeves.

His love for video game sounds and comic imagery come through in his album covers as well as they do in his music.

2010-11-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished the production on my new illustration series, Crossed Diagonals. The book is a survey of what I saw during my family's last visit to my grandparents' empty beach house on the coast of New Jersey.

The books are hand-bound, made in a limited edition of 40, and can be purchased by following the Pay Pal link in the right hand column of my blog ($10.00 plus $1.76 for shipping). If you live in the Chicago area, you can purchase by contacting me via email. A few copies are also on sale at QUIMBY'S.

Special thanks to the folks at ROHNER LETTERPRESS for helping me with the cutting.

2010-11-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Photographs taken by various people on my mother's side of the family. My parents had the slides scanned and gave me a disc full of faded, scratched, and washed out images.

2010-10-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

My buddy LAUREN recently moved to New York and was kind enough to give me this really great painting of her boyfriend, Johnny, before she left. Do you see?

Also, I printed the pages for my new book, Crossed Diagonals, a few days ago.

The binding process is moving along pretty slowly.

2010-10-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

More furniture drawings. I've been really interested in this marble texture from the facade of Chicago's planetarium.

2010-10-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

SAM is the best.

Thanks, buddy. I can't believe you drew that whole thing in one day.

2010-10-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

Stairs 2 beach

2010-10-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Some furniture studies

2010-10-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

Photographs from the Art Directors Club of New York's 46th Annual of Advertising & Editorial Art & Design (1967).

The book was kindly given to me by my buddy JORDAN.

2010-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the science-fiction section of MYOPIC BOOKS yesterday and came across an edition of Robert Heinlein's Beyond This Horizon that features an illustration signed by "BORIS 87." A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I remembered this as the Boris Vallejo who, along with his wife Julie Bell, illustrated my favorite (bustiest) X-Men cards in the mid-90s. I can remember sketching from their work as a kid; imagine being an eight year old and fawning over that picture of Storm! Unreal.

I resolved to revisit the couple's portfolio, and was dumbstruck when I returned home to find them featured on IT'S NICE THAT that same morning. My renewed interest has now been reduced to an ephemeral, blog-driven curiosity. The internet wins again, but that doesn't detract from the significance of BORIS' AND JULIE'S WORK.

2010-09-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sculptures by Olle Bærtling. When I first saw these I thought they were photographs over which someone had drawn some black lines. Wow!

found via MONDOBLOGO

2010-09-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

2010-09-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

VINTAGE CASSETTE J-CARDS

found via WANKEN

2010-09-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Images from SONAR CHICAGO

2010-09-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Lounge 2, Parlour, Kitchen

2010-09-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Old photogram portraits

2010-09-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

Stills from Al Reinert's For All Mankind. I love everything about this film.

2010-09-01T07:05:00.001-07:00

BRANDON and I completed a new cassette full of afro soundz.

2010-08-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Science fiction illustrations by Jack Gaughan. I like to consider the numbers and type integral parts of the image, not routine additions.

2010-08-25T22:59:00.001-07:00

GIFTS

2010-07-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine in South Carolina found some old stationery and envelopes from her grandfather's photo finishing company that just happened to be located in my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia circa 1955.

MOVING AWAY

2010-07-25T06:38:00.001-07:00

BRANDON and I just finished another tape full of Jamaican music that will function as our love letter to Columbia before we move house at the end of July. A few copies will be available at this Thursday's Mo' Betta Soul at Immaculate Consumption; we'll also be DJing Afro and Caribbean soundz at the event.

I've officially sold out of copies of IT IS U. Great thanks to everyone who purchased one.

HIRE ME

2010-07-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

The need for a cohesive portfolio has been hanging over my head for quite some time now; I figured I would make it my last big project for the summer. I printed enough to make two separate copies. Both have very different cover concepts.

I used the first set of pages as an opportunity to make a hardcover book, something I've never previously done. When finished, I realized I went about the process ass-backwards, but I still think it looks nice. Now I know why hardcover books are so expensive.

The second copy is a paperback with a die-cut cover. The two triangles are meant to resemble a "W" that has been taken apart.

PICK

2010-07-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just finished this poster for El Burrito's country rock/bluegrass series.

COASTING

2010-07-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting WILL HOFFMAN whilst in New York.

Watch full screen with headphones plz.

GADGIT

2010-07-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

I don't think it's any secret that my brother BRANDON and I hold an interest in music and culture from the continent of Africa. Imagine my excitement when I came across AFRIGADGET a few months ago.

AfriGadget is a blog that documents myriad demonstrations of "African Ingenuity" from all over the continent. The lack of resources/financial aid forces them to create everything from toys to waste management systems in amazingly inventive ways. Look at that radio!

BREAK

2010-07-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my trip to the northeast. Here's a view from the Jersey shore.

My apologies to anyone who has had trouble purchasing IT IS U. I've fixed the PayPal link in the right-hand column so payment should now run smoothly.

WITH YOU

2010-07-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

BRANDON and I made a disco tape for our buddy in upstate New York.

Also, I've set up a PayPal button in the right hand column for anyone who lives outside of Columbia, SC and is interested in purchasing a copy of IT IS U. I'd say I'm 40% percent sure that it works. Please contact me if you encounter any problems.

I'll be headed to Atlantic City(!) and New York tomorrow so posts will be scarce for a bit. See you soon.

IT IS U

2010-06-28T21:47:00.001-07:00

Here it is, folks! IT IS U has been two months in the making and contains old and new drawings inspired by my summer(s). The book is 10 pages long and is 7.5" × 5." Each one is perfect-bound by hand and part of an edition of 27.

If you live in or around the Columbia, SC area, get in touch with me somehow to purchase a copy for only $5.00. I'm still working on out of state orders.

The process was lengthy and educational. I think that seeing all of the copies finished and placed into piles was reward enough for all of the work.

SOON

2010-06-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the printer's last night. I'm still working out the kinks, but book assembly should begin shortly.

6/20

2010-06-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

Father's Day is right around the corner! I made mine a card.

MADS

2010-06-14T15:43:00.001-07:00

I really admire illustrators who can use textures in efficient and interesting ways. I recently came across the work of MADS BERG and, in hopes of learning more about the process of breaking down a composition into basic, geometric shapes and applying gritty surfaces, copied one his pieces.

My copy is simplified and a bit darker. My gradients are borderline cheesy. With a limited understanding of Berg's process in mind, I turned to an older drawing and attempted to flesh it out in a similar (identical?) way.

This is the result. I used a SKETCH from a camping trip and applied a bit of grain to the finished drawing. My Illustrator chops aren't as impressive as a graphic design graduate's should be, but I'm rather happy with it. I've read from others that working in a particular artist's style or method of operation can be helpful within one's own work. Thoughts?

MAN EATERS

2010-06-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

MAN EATERS is our latest tape. BRANDON and I made it for our some FRIENDS we're going to see in Atlanta on Wednesday. It features songs by artists from all over Africa.

Special thanks to AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA for three of the tracks and to ED RUSCHA for the type concept.

WADE

2010-06-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here's another outtake from my book of illustrations.

Really into water right now.

KITSCH

2010-06-04T06:51:00.001-07:00

Last summer my parents found some old film reels from my father's time spent growing up in Margate, New Jersey. They had the reels converted to digital files and gave me a DVD filled with hours and hours of grainy, overexposed home movies. I painted this from one of my favorite clips.

The little girl is my aunt Pam.

VIBES 4 FREE

2010-06-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

We finished this tape last night for our buddy in Cleveland. My brother BRANDON described it as, uh, our "summer chill-vibes" collection, a guideline that's a bit more flexible than a specific continent or country.

More to come soon.

BACK

2010-06-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

I returned yesterday from a camping trip on the Chattooga River. I drew this picture of my buddy JASON while I was there.

He didn't catch anything.

PICTURES

2010-05-29T05:06:00.001-07:00

I'm going camping for a couple of days and wanted to get one more post in before I split. I visited my parents in Virginia a couple of weeks ago and swiped a few photographs from their old albums. The little girl (above) is my mother and the man (below) is my grandfather.

SOCIAL, RIVER

2010-05-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

SOCIAL. is the latest addition to the tape series that my brother BRANDON and I are doing. The track list includes, but is not limited to, tropicalia, cumbia, and chicha music by artists from all over South America.

and

My friend AMANDA invited me to stay this past weekend at her friend's house on the Edisto River in Adam's Run, SC. This is a sketch from that trip.

TURN

2010-05-21T10:53:00.001-07:00

BASK

2010-05-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

LAY

2010-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEK: All nude sunbathers!

INTIMIDATED

2010-05-18T07:24:00.001-07:00

Are you?

HOMBRE

2010-05-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

OLDIES

2010-05-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

I was going through an old zip drive and found a few drawings that never really made it anywhere. The above image is a double portrait of Paul Gauguin.

TRAVEL SAFELY

2010-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another tape that my brother BRANDON and I made for a friend. This one is entirely rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall.

The cover design is a reference to Ser Social y Tercero Mundo by Norberto Wilner (no relation).

PAINTS PEOPLE

2010-05-11T07:38:00.001-07:00

I came across a photographer (painter?) called Boo Ritson who literally paints people. It's an ingenius idea and the result is sooo creepy.

OUTWARD

2010-05-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of those drawings that required hours of commitment before I realized that it doesn't really work. I would, however, like to keep trying some variations on the idea.

I graduated yesterday. Whoa!

THE BEST AMBIENCE

2010-05-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

My brother BRANDON and I have started making tapes for friends living in other states. This is one we finished a few days ago for our buddy in Richmond, Virginia.

It's a collection of music from all over Africa containing some soukous, highlife, afrobeat, and more. The title comes from a song called "The Best Ambience" by Bibi Den's Tshibaya.

The project also serves as an opportunity for me to experiment with photos, something I don't do very often.

DRIVER'S SEAT

2010-05-05T08:46:00.001-07:00

I recently started to work on a series of illustrations that I'll hopefully turn into a book this summer. The above image is a sketch/outtake from those drawings. The book is tentatively titled It Is U.

and

I traded a print for this photo that was taken by my buddy KEVIN. It's a little darker on the screen than in person (I made the curves a bit too extreme, whoops), but it still works for my blog's purposes. I think it's totally whimsical.

KNOTS

2010-05-03T19:26:00.001-07:00

This is how I've been feeling lately.

The new Flying Lotus LP, Cosmogramma, drops tomorrow. I can't stop listening to it and I can't stop staring at the illustration on the cover. It's so simple, but for some reason looks totally futuristic to me. I haven't been able to find any illustrator credits.

I plan on buying the record just so I can hold the 12" up to my face while I listen to it.

INK

2010-04-18T23:06:00.001-07:00

This is another one of my illustrated words. I started running out of ideas and borrowed a detail from my header. Does it count if you steal from yourself?

ERUPT

2010-04-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

I read today that an Icelandic volcano's eruption back in March has produced ash that's halted flights all over Europe.

This is what the cloud looked like.

FADE

2010-04-11T22:02:00.001-07:00

Here's word number two, which I chose because it's one of my brother BRANDON's favorites. He's recently reentered the blogosphere. Click the link for his infinite wisdom on pop culture.

WORDS

2010-04-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

For my last design project of the school year, I'm illustrating a series of four letter words that I like (words containing four letters, not "four letter words"). This is the first of those illustrations.

Can you read it?

CONSTELLATION

2010-04-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

I've been working on creating a quasi-typeface from the text I drew for the cover of my science journal. It's taken me a long time, but I finally finished it. I call it Constellation (or, Univers, har har). Click to enlarge.

Here's a portrait I drew of my buddy CHAZ using the same technique. He's a star.

GHOST

2010-04-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

I took a brief hiatus from blogging to stay afloat in my vast ocean of schoolwork.

Here's another one of my friend Dylan.

NO WAY

2010-03-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mercy Mercy Me will no longer be playing alongside No Way Jose! on Easter. This means the poster project had to be abandoned, but the finished piece would have looked something like this.

SUPPORT

2010-03-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

My professor/ friend TOBY passed away about a month ago. CITY ART is having a sale to benefit his family and I'm submitting a screen printed version of the above image. I feel awful having not done anything sooner. Sheesh.

MERCY

2010-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

THE HALF AND HALF are helping my friends MERCY MERCY ME and NO WAY JOSE! do design and promotion for their vinyl release shows in Columbia and Charleston in early April. The bands asked them to do a poster for the show and I volunteered to do the illustration and design.

Apparently, one of the band members asked for an image of a cartoon monster terrorizing a medieval village (or something along those lines). The original was 6.65" × 10", but it will be blown up to 20" × 30." We'll be adding a color or two and printing it at the end of the week. I'll post the finished product soon.

BLOWN

2010-03-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

So I set out to draw my friend Amanda, but accidentally made a picture of RICHARD HELL wearing a bikini.

STATE, BROOM

2010-03-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

I made a woodcut of the state of Alaska for a poster contest. I'll post the complete once it's finished.

In other woodcutting news (news?), I've spent a couple of mornings of the past week in the rare books section of the USC library. They have some of the very first issues of BROOM MAGAZINE, a publication made by American ex-patriots in Italy in the early 1920s, in their catalogue.

Broom featured works by established artists and writers, but helped kick-start the careers of many young, unconventional bohemians from Europe and America. The more I think about it, the more privileged I feel to have complete access to such legendary media. The covers alone are incredible and went straight from the artists' hand to the front page!

SPARK

2010-03-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

May a moody baby doom a yam.

This marks the end of my week of palindromic posts. I'll try to switch it up a bit. Thank you to anyone who sat through all of that.

TICKET

2010-03-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wonton? Not now!

ORDER

2010-03-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Sit on a potato pan, Otis!

STAND

2010-03-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

No Lemons? No Melon?

PALINDROME

2010-03-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

Not a banana! Baton!

It's spring break and I don't have immediate access to a scanner so I'll be posting some drawings that are a few months old.

I illustrated some palindromes for a paper sample book I made last year. My coworkers on the project wanted the pictures to recall vintage cartoons. I channeled Norman Thelwell.

DIAGONAL

2010-03-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

I was saving this for THE HALF AND HALF, but they've been backed up and unable to get any Creative Tuesdays going for the past couple of weeks.

The reception for the USC student show is this evening. Congratulations to my friends KATIE, LIZZIE, and JOSH!

SHORE

2010-03-02T06:57:00.001-08:00

DAVID LEVINE, anyone?

Sorry for butchering your feet, Lindsey.

ESCAPE

2010-02-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

SPACE

2010-02-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

This is one of the illustrations I did for the science journal project I mentioned earlier.

I basically chose this topic because I really wanted to create images for it.

LOW CONTRAST

2010-02-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

USC's printmaking department is having a sale to raise money for the school's print labs. I'll be selling both of these (as well as submitting the top one to the student show).

They're too big to scan (11" x 14" and 14" x 11") and the low contrast doesn't work very well with my camera so you'll have to come to the sale and see them in person.

ROUTINE

2010-02-20T10:28:00.001-08:00

On my way to school everyday, I pass a dumpster that has a very particular music taste.

I recently bought a copy of There's No Other Place Like This Place Anywhere Near This Place, So This Must Be The Place from Pau Wau Publications. The book is a collection of photographs of the U.S. taken by an English photographer named Thomas Giddings. Beautiful stuff.