two artists i love - i'll probably add to this post in the future.
guiseppe arcimboldo
ernesto caivano (be sure to click the images for enlargements)
more already...
amie dicke
ashley macomber
frank frazetta
matt leines
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Michael Jackson as proto-Mog
Of course you've probably seen this or something similar: The History of Michael Jackson's face.
Imagine a glam-rock character (more in the David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust vein) who is systematically mogging himself into something ever more bizarre--dozens of eyes, a thirty foot rubbery thorax, thirteen larynxes that he plays like a harp, a huge billowy flap of skin attached to his neck that he uses as a parachute...Michael Jackson is his idol...
At some point he decides the world isn't mog-friendly enough so he starts MogTV--all mog all the time. He declares a culture war on the puremanists the same week he marries a hermaphroditic anemone mog on live tv.
Imagine a glam-rock character (more in the David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust vein) who is systematically mogging himself into something ever more bizarre--dozens of eyes, a thirty foot rubbery thorax, thirteen larynxes that he plays like a harp, a huge billowy flap of skin attached to his neck that he uses as a parachute...Michael Jackson is his idol...
At some point he decides the world isn't mog-friendly enough so he starts MogTV--all mog all the time. He declares a culture war on the puremanists the same week he marries a hermaphroditic anemone mog on live tv.
Inventing terminology
Transmog (tr
ns-m
g)
noun. A "Transmog," or more commonly just "Mog" or "Moggie", is a person who has undergone genetic augmentation therapy to obtain non-human physical or psychological characteristics; "I didn't realize he was a mog until I saw the tentacle slip out of his shirt." From Transmogrify, "to change into a different shape or form, especially one that is fantastic or bizarre."
ns-mg)
noun. A "Transmog," or more commonly just "Mog" or "Moggie", is a person who has undergone genetic augmentation therapy to obtain non-human physical or psychological characteristics; "I didn't realize he was a mog until I saw the tentacle slip out of his shirt." From Transmogrify, "to change into a different shape or form, especially one that is fantastic or bizarre."
transmogrify
verb : change completely the nature or appearance of; "In Kafka's story, a person metamorphoses into a bug"; "The treatment and diet transfigured her into a beautiful young woman"; "Jesus was transfigured after his resurrection" [syn: metamorphose, transfigure]
visual thesaurus
the visual thesaurus has been one of my favorite sites for a long time - a great combination of aesthetics, function, and technology.
Monday, December 20, 2004
pose file
i used to have one of these but unfortunately it was borrowed, and returned to it's rightful owner. i'd like to order this version of it (the male/female nudes - there is also a sports version and what appears to be an upside-down version, among others) but i need to find someone who speaks japanese, as it appears to only be available on amazon.jp... it doesn't show any examples but the entire book is nothing but unadorned, background-free figures - i'd guess 10+ to a page. a great resource.
character creation
i've been thinking over ways i could create multiple versions of the same character in a collage format, as opposed to drawing - i'd like to be able to collage them, as i think it would fit the aesthetic of a collaged background, plus it's my favorite way to work. one thing i've used in the past is workout books - usually they have one person in endless poses and wearing the same outfit for entire chapters. if i could find a similar sort of repeat motif in other kinds of books (costume books or some such thing), i don't want the characters all in leotards and legwarmers with one leg behind their head. so i'll be researching on that.
also, it's inevitable that i will have to go digital for a few reasons; if we are going to have repeating background settings (meaning i can't work directly on it), and odds are also that i can't create an entire graphic novel by hand (that's a lot of panels!). so, repeating character faces won't be so hard, especially if a character has an elephant's trunk or cat's face, etc., to distinguish them.
a lot of this is much more complicated in my mind but difficult to explain - i will try to put together some sort of guide to my work methods so you have a better idea of what my abilities/limitations are.
also, it's inevitable that i will have to go digital for a few reasons; if we are going to have repeating background settings (meaning i can't work directly on it), and odds are also that i can't create an entire graphic novel by hand (that's a lot of panels!). so, repeating character faces won't be so hard, especially if a character has an elephant's trunk or cat's face, etc., to distinguish them.
a lot of this is much more complicated in my mind but difficult to explain - i will try to put together some sort of guide to my work methods so you have a better idea of what my abilities/limitations are.
Alba the Phosphorescent Bunny
in response to DNA Blender - i'm sure you heard about this at the time alba was created, but it's another great example of how DNA is being blended & manipulated, and the objections people are raising... here we have it for the purpose of art. much as people object to this kind of thing, people are pushovers for new forms of entertainment, so it's not hard to imagine something like a genetic pageant. especially since seeing "miss artificial beauty"...
genetically altered food is a hot topic, too.
i love the idea of genetic manipulations for purposes like safecracking - have you seen rififi?
Miss Artificial Beauty
I just happened to stumble on this this morning... fits right in with the genetic beauty pageant idea (which i love!)
Friday, December 17, 2004
roborats
your recent postings reminded me of when remote-controlled rats were created a few years back - you may have heard mention of them. i'll comment more on this tomorrow.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/0501_020501_roborats.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2237
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/0501_020501_roborats.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2237
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Beauty pageant of the genetic freaks
There's this unsettling show called The Swan, in which a bunch of homely women get full makeovers (plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, liposuction, psychotherapy, and charm school) and then compete at a final pageant. It's really an amazing cultural artifact, though it is really unbearable as entertainment. The saddest part is that all the contestants end up looking kind of the same. So...
What if there was a pageant where sad, lonely or otherwise uninspired people submitted themselves to genetic artists to be metamorphosed into something truly spectacular and unique (e.g. head of pussycat)? Then they face off in a pageant of freaks.
What if there was a pageant where sad, lonely or otherwise uninspired people submitted themselves to genetic artists to be metamorphosed into something truly spectacular and unique (e.g. head of pussycat)? Then they face off in a pageant of freaks.
Art of the double entendre
This just entered my inbox. Apparently this tv program, Rainbow, was quite a popular British children's show at one point. I have a friend who grew up watching it. This is a link to a clip and the script for this episode. Prepare to laugh your ass of. They take the double entendre to a whole new level.
Watch the Rainbow clip >
Watch the Rainbow clip >
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Creative Commons
Just in case you're not familiar with this, it's a major new effort to evolve the concept of copyright from one of "All Rights Reserved" to one of "Some Rights Reserved." Kind of an open source movement for content. See CreativeCommons.org.
DIY genomics
Discovery DNA Explorer Kit
for kids aged 10+
Have you ever wondered what would happen if genetic engineering was as easy as building a model airplane or playing with a Holly Hobby Oven? I mean, what if kids were actively playing with their own genes...or those of their baby brother or sister? Now that could get interesting real quick. It's back to genetic modification as fashion statement. Instead of piercings or whacky hair it's an elephant trunk or a snail's tail...
DNA Blender
Another thought--increasingly scientists are extracting beneficial genes from one species and inserting them into the germline of an unrelated species. The example of the jellyfish dna into a monkey comes to mind, but there are plenty of others.
Skeptics remind us that the biology is a complex system, in which small changes can have massive and unpredictable effects down the line. Perhaps the future explosion of truly hybrid human species is a gradual progression starting with simple steps--a little kitty cat DNA for night vision, a little beaver DNA to enhance skills for building construction (perhaps even criminals get in the game, inserting, say, bat DNA to get the ol' sonar hearing--perfect for safe cracking). Could lead to some interesting consequences down the line--some good, some just weird.
Skeptics remind us that the biology is a complex system, in which small changes can have massive and unpredictable effects down the line. Perhaps the future explosion of truly hybrid human species is a gradual progression starting with simple steps--a little kitty cat DNA for night vision, a little beaver DNA to enhance skills for building construction (perhaps even criminals get in the game, inserting, say, bat DNA to get the ol' sonar hearing--perfect for safe cracking). Could lead to some interesting consequences down the line--some good, some just weird.
Shackleton's call
Notice posted in the London Times, 1912:
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
5000 people responded to the call. Shackleton selected twenty-seven and began his journey.
New hybrid human species may be born with similarly frank calls for volunteers.
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
5000 people responded to the call. Shackleton selected twenty-seven and began his journey.
New hybrid human species may be born with similarly frank calls for volunteers.
The plasticity of the body
Has to be seen to be believed....
http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2001/08/10/12267.html
http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2001/08/10/12267.html
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Neal Stephenson on Baroque fashion
From page 178 of Quicksilver:
"Louis Anglesy, Earl of Upnor, was in London, freed from the monastic constraints of Cambridge, and a full twenty-two years of age, he was able to live, and dress as he pleased. Today, walking across Charing Cross, he was wearing a suit that appeared to've been constructed by (1) dressing him in a blouse with twenty-foot-long sleeves of the most expensive linen; (2) bunching the sleeves up in numerous overlapping gathers on his arms; (3) painting most of him in glue; (4) shaking and rolling him in a bin containing thousands of black silk doilies; and (5) (because King Charles II, who'd mandated, a few years earlier, that all courtiers wear black and white, was getting bored with it, but had not formally rescinded the order) adding dashes of color here and there, primarily in the form of clusters of elaborately gathered and knotted ribbons--enough ribbon, all told, to stretch all the way to whatever shop in Paris where the Earl had bought all of this stuff. The Earl also had a white silk scarf tied round his throat in such a way as to show off its lacy ends. Louis XIV's Croatian mercenaries, les Cravates, had made a practice of tying their giant, flapping lace collars down so that gusts of wind would not blow them up over their faces in the middle of a battle or duel, and this had become a fashion in Paris, and the Earl of Upnor, always pushing the envelope, was now doing the cravate thing with a scarf instead of an (as of ten minutes ago) outmoded collar. He had a wig that was actually wider than his shoulders, and a pair of boots that contained enough really good snow-white leather that, if pulled on straight, they would have reached all the way to his groin, at which point each one of them would have been larger in circumference than his waist; but he had of course folded the tops down and then (since they were so long) folded them back up again to keep them from dragging on the ground, so that around each knee was a complex of white leather folds about as wide as a bushel-basket, filled with a froth of lace. Gold spurs, beset with jewels, curved back from each heel to a distance of perhaps eight inches. The heels themselves were cherry-red, four inches high, and protected from the much of Charing Cross by loose slippers whose flat soles dragged on the ground and made clacking noises with each step. Because of the width of his boot-tops, the Earl had to swing his legs around each other with each step, toes pointed, rolling so violently from side to side that he could only maintain balance with a long, encrusted, beribboned walking stick."
"Louis Anglesy, Earl of Upnor, was in London, freed from the monastic constraints of Cambridge, and a full twenty-two years of age, he was able to live, and dress as he pleased. Today, walking across Charing Cross, he was wearing a suit that appeared to've been constructed by (1) dressing him in a blouse with twenty-foot-long sleeves of the most expensive linen; (2) bunching the sleeves up in numerous overlapping gathers on his arms; (3) painting most of him in glue; (4) shaking and rolling him in a bin containing thousands of black silk doilies; and (5) (because King Charles II, who'd mandated, a few years earlier, that all courtiers wear black and white, was getting bored with it, but had not formally rescinded the order) adding dashes of color here and there, primarily in the form of clusters of elaborately gathered and knotted ribbons--enough ribbon, all told, to stretch all the way to whatever shop in Paris where the Earl had bought all of this stuff. The Earl also had a white silk scarf tied round his throat in such a way as to show off its lacy ends. Louis XIV's Croatian mercenaries, les Cravates, had made a practice of tying their giant, flapping lace collars down so that gusts of wind would not blow them up over their faces in the middle of a battle or duel, and this had become a fashion in Paris, and the Earl of Upnor, always pushing the envelope, was now doing the cravate thing with a scarf instead of an (as of ten minutes ago) outmoded collar. He had a wig that was actually wider than his shoulders, and a pair of boots that contained enough really good snow-white leather that, if pulled on straight, they would have reached all the way to his groin, at which point each one of them would have been larger in circumference than his waist; but he had of course folded the tops down and then (since they were so long) folded them back up again to keep them from dragging on the ground, so that around each knee was a complex of white leather folds about as wide as a bushel-basket, filled with a froth of lace. Gold spurs, beset with jewels, curved back from each heel to a distance of perhaps eight inches. The heels themselves were cherry-red, four inches high, and protected from the much of Charing Cross by loose slippers whose flat soles dragged on the ground and made clacking noises with each step. Because of the width of his boot-tops, the Earl had to swing his legs around each other with each step, toes pointed, rolling so violently from side to side that he could only maintain balance with a long, encrusted, beribboned walking stick."
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is one those rare artists that few really dispute is a genius (Chris Ware is another one), even if they pick apart her work (it's probably true she hasn't made her masterpiece just yet). Have you seen Titus!? She also did Frida, of course, but she has done some mind-melting puppet-based stuff including the original production of the Lion King. She is the complete designer/director, bringing a singular vision to costumes, sets and storytelling.
More costume freaks
Theatrical and dance costume design is interesting because it is all about projecting character across the distance of a large theater. Graphic novels benefit from purely visual modes of expressing identity as well. Might be some good ideas to look at.
Here's a piece I found about the Ballet Russes and their design sensibility:
http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/070482.html
Be sure to go to the Harvard search utility and type in "htc" in the search box. A great collection of sketches in fairly high resolution.
Here's one firm that does costume work, though I don't like that much of it:
http://www.costumeworksinc.com
Here's a piece I found about the Ballet Russes and their design sensibility:
http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/070482.html
Be sure to go to the Harvard search utility and type in "htc" in the search box. A great collection of sketches in fairly high resolution.
Here's one firm that does costume work, though I don't like that much of it:
http://www.costumeworksinc.com
Eiko Ishioka - Costume Designer to the Gods
I saw a coffee table book on this legendary costume savant. She did the costumes for films like Bram Stoker's Dracula (the Coppola version with Gary Oldman) and The Cell, which I admit I never saw but the images looked striking. She also directed some of Bjork's videos. Here are some image galleries:
The Cell: http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2000/Cell/
Dracula: www.chez.com/dyulun/ Selene/Gallerie/drac92.html
Monday, December 13, 2004
body adornment and attire
the trepanation reminded me also of a form of body adornment, which entailed creating screwholes in the skull. various shapes specially made for this form of head decor could then be screwed into the holes. i've been googling but have had no luck coming up with articles describing this.
this, in turn, led me to think of other such forms of extreme bodily modification - skull shaping, piercings, lobe stretching, tattoos, branding and scarring, amongst others... which, in turn, makes me think of different modes of dress in regards to function, fashion, tradition, culture: the multitudinous ways in which people have dressed over time and around the world, as well as ideas about how people will dress in the future and the new fabrics that are always being created (such as this pine cone-inspired fabric). it could certainly be a fun aspect to play around with for characters in the novel. the whys, hows, and whats of attire.
attire always plays a role in setting a scene/mood/time period - like YT's skate uniform in "snow crash" (or hiro protagonist's swords), or sean young's square-to-there shoulders in "blade runner", etc.
(the longhair forum is relevant to this aspect, i think.)
this, in turn, led me to think of other such forms of extreme bodily modification - skull shaping, piercings, lobe stretching, tattoos, branding and scarring, amongst others... which, in turn, makes me think of different modes of dress in regards to function, fashion, tradition, culture: the multitudinous ways in which people have dressed over time and around the world, as well as ideas about how people will dress in the future and the new fabrics that are always being created (such as this pine cone-inspired fabric). it could certainly be a fun aspect to play around with for characters in the novel. the whys, hows, and whats of attire.
attire always plays a role in setting a scene/mood/time period - like YT's skate uniform in "snow crash" (or hiro protagonist's swords), or sean young's square-to-there shoulders in "blade runner", etc.
(the longhair forum is relevant to this aspect, i think.)
this is broken
this is broken : "A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it."
Often hilarious.
Often hilarious.
in response to "putting torture on the map..."
(it wouldn't let me image link in the comment space.)
possibly one of the worst ways i can imagine to die. ugh. somehow this reminds me of some evil-looking chastity belts i saw at the ripley's museum in LA a couple months ago, similar to this one:
possibly one of the worst ways i can imagine to die. ugh. somehow this reminds me of some evil-looking chastity belts i saw at the ripley's museum in LA a couple months ago, similar to this one:
Welcome to the Long Hair Community!
I'm not really sure why I'm posting this, but it's just enough "off" to make the blog--
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/
...where you'll find such inspiring posts as:
"I want to perm. I know I would be unhappy with it, though. Here's why I want to:
My hair is half wavy and half straight. If I fix it straight, or attempt to, it feels too wavy. If I attempt to fix it wavy-ish or curly, it feels too straight. Please stop me from perming.
"
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/
...where you'll find such inspiring posts as:
"I want to perm. I know I would be unhappy with it, though. Here's why I want to:
My hair is half wavy and half straight. If I fix it straight, or attempt to, it feels too wavy. If I attempt to fix it wavy-ish or curly, it feels too straight. Please stop me from perming.
"
Dead Ringers?
This emerging theme of medical weirdness can't help but remind of Dead Ringers, the Cronenberg film about twin brothers who are also both gynecologists who invent strange surgical instruments. I haven't seen it in ages but it still makes me shudder.
It's amazing what you can find...if you only look!
I love the Web.
(this page is part of malevole.com's advent calendar: http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/calendar/)
Have you heard of Trepanation?
http://www.trepanationguide.com/
(or for a more objective view, try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanation)
"Trepanation, also known as trephinning or trepanning, is a form of surgery where a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, leaving the membrane around the brain intact. It addresses health problems that relate to abnormal intracranial pressure.
However, there are advocates who suggest trepanation even for healthy people, claiming that after an operation capillaries in the brain should operate on a higher metabolism resulting in a higher state of consciousness. Some claim spiritual benefits."
Illustrated Maps
[section of large map of Jerusalem: http://maps-of-jerusalem.huji.ac.il/html/gallery39.html]
I do love maps. These maps on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem site are pretty riveting, especially at full size. Go here for the list: http://maps-of-jerusalem.huji.ac.il/html/gallery.html
putting torture on the map...
[http://maps-of-jerusalem.huji.ac.il/html/gallery3.html]
blowup of section of map of Jerusalem. Check out the upside down guy being sawed in half. Yikes..
Saturday, December 11, 2004
jail products
"The Wrap Restraint System allows an officer to safely restrain and immobilize a combative subject without facing the danger of positional asphyxiation."
"The Spit Net affixes under the arms for additional security while transporting threatening subjects. Ideal for prisoner transport, the Spit Net protects against spitting and biting."
among other useful items available @ http://www.pxdirect.com/main.htm
palm reading
you can give yourself a pretty in-depth free palm reading here. and they never send spam.
www.ofesite.com/spirit/palm/lines.htm
www.ofesite.com/spirit/palm/lines.htm
euvolution
at the time i was doing this research i was taking a class at tufts called "genetics, ethics and the law". one of the more interesting topics which came up was eugenics, truly a scary topic and definitely related to utopian ideas. i've got a bunch of interesting eugenics-related sites, some of which are pretty freaky.
here's one which is pretty intense:
http://www.euvolution.com/
here's one which is pretty intense:
http://www.euvolution.com/
conscientiology
"...the sciences of Projectiology and Conscientiology, which study consciousness beyond the brain, investigating psychic awareness and paranormal phenomena as tools to understand the multi-dimensional human nature."
www.iipc.org
all this stuff fascinates me, in the same vein of interest as when i commented regarding medical sciences - what people choose to treat and how they treat it: what people choose to study and what our various human needs are, the things people seek answers to, etc...
www.iipc.org
all this stuff fascinates me, in the same vein of interest as when i commented regarding medical sciences - what people choose to treat and how they treat it: what people choose to study and what our various human needs are, the things people seek answers to, etc...
plastination
i think this guy gunther van hagens who invented plastination is crazy. but it's way cool. they had a hard time getting this shown in the states - it's in LA until January 23rd.
www.bodyworlds.com
paranormal confessions
ghosts, unknowns, ufos, psychic, and ouija
and speaking of ouija, supposedly when my father was young he was "playing" a ouija board with his siblings (he's one of 6), and it told him he would marry a redhead named sue. which he did - my mother.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/6071/
and speaking of ouija, supposedly when my father was young he was "playing" a ouija board with his siblings (he's one of 6), and it told him he would marry a redhead named sue. which he did - my mother.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/6071/
belief-o-matic
Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic™ knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic™ will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to consider practicing.
Warning: Belief-O-Matic™ assumes no legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
Warning: Belief-O-Matic™ assumes no legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
your spiritual journey
a few years ago i helped brainstorm/research for this experimental website and still have lots of interesting material from that project. the concept was to have a site that people could go to in search of spiritual answers/discovery, or simply to explore various manifestations of spirituality. the site has no text or information on it, nothing about who created it or what the purpose of it is. i'm going to post up some of my more interesting finds from those days, but here's the site:
www.yourspiritualjourney.com
www.yourspiritualjourney.com
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Tango Argentino
The golden age of tango in south america was a lush, romantic period with an undercurrent of danger...Rudolph Valentino helped popularize the saucy dance once only known in the more colorful brothels...(I know this isn't a picture of tango, per se, but the period and locale are as much the point)
Prospero's Books
I love the story of Shakespeare's The Tempest, with its banished magician, the spirit Ariel, the monster Caliban, and the wondrous intersection of magic, dreams and starcrossed politics. I never saw this film by Peter Greenaway, but I like some of the images I've seen. Greenaway is one of the world's most pretentious directors, but he has astonishing visual gifts.
Electrotherapy for all!
The promise of the World's great Surgical Instruments... Here's an entire site devoted to electroTherapy: http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/
. There's one pamphlet which declares authoritatively: "Two things can't be in the same place at the same time. When the electricity goes in, the pain goes out!"
Ideas for a graphic novel
Shockheaded Peter
The cautionary Tales of Heinrich Hoffmann
http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/twpete.html
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