Wilde Life webcomic review

It's been a while since I discovered a new webcomic that really took my interest, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard about Wilde Life through my friend's Tumblr.

The comic, written and illustrated by Pascalle Lepas, follows the story of protagonist, Oscar (yes, surnamed Wilde) as he moves from Chicago to Podunk, a quaint and sleepy little town in Oklahoma.

What comes next is a series of weird - sometimes good, sometimes terrifying, encounters with the unknown and supernatural - including wolves, ghosts and monsters - which are depicted in a fresh and engaging way.

What I really like about this comic is the seamless mix of warmth and familiarity, present in the characters' expressions and depictions of common everyday interactions, and the fantasy elements. Throw in a bit of humour and suspense, well fleshed-out characters and a great semi-realistic art style, and you've got yourself a story that leaves you eager to read more.

Interview with illustrator and digital artist, Viet-My Bui

Viet-My Bui, formerly known by her psuedonym Ravenskar on digital art platform DeviantArt, is a talented digital artist and illustrator residing in Melbourne. Her work has gained a lot of exposure through DA and her blog, vm-bui.com. Recently she has been involved in Fly the Colour Fantastica, an exciting new comic anthology funded through Kickstarter.

1. If you had to identify your number one artistic inspiration, what would you say it is?
 That is a difficult-ass question. Probably... being around people who are passionate about something and are striving towards it.

 2. Name your top three artistic achievements so far. 
Finally pursuing my dreams and starting art/design school is definitely the top artistic achievement thus far. As for the other two achievements... hmm, probably trying to paint for the first time last year. And also just drawing at all. Is that lame? That's an achievement for me, since I've had great difficulty with that for the past few years.

3. What is the best cure for art block?
Not letting it define you. It's okay if you don't have any ideas, or you don't feel like drawing. Take it easy on yourself and be encouraging. For some, continuing to produce artwork regardless is something that will eventually cure them of the art block. But I also think pouring energy into other positive parts of your life (family, friends, other hobbies, your own wellbeing, etc) will eventually lead you back to your own creativity.

 4. What projects are you currently working on and what future aspirations do you have for your art?
Right now, I'm just focused on getting through my first semester of uni. I want to do well because this means so much to me. Once I settle in, I plan to start posting on my blog again. I hope to get into freelancing again (properly, this time). But also, I am really looking forward to finally finding the time to start drawing personal pieces again. I feel a significant amount of personal and artistic growth will come from those personal projects.

 5. Is there a subject matter that you' would like to explore more that you haven't yet?. More personal and conceptual themes. I would like to learn how to unlock my thoughts and articulate them through art. Also! I want to learn how to paint! With real paint! I'm quite excited about that. Thanks for askin'!

Currently digging

Lord of the Fries hotdogs. These faux-meat doggies come on a crispy Vietnamese baguette style bun with pickles and very flavoursome tomato and mustard sauces. Om nom nom.
The meal deal is a bit pricey though, but I guess the chips are made from scratch/real potatoes and not frozen (or so they say).

I am working on an exhibition with the illustrious Julianne, whose work can be seen here: http://neveresque.deviantart.com

Stay tuned and peace out.

creating

I should exercise my creative energies more; did some doodles/sketches the other night. They were slightly inspired by a graphic novel called Koko be Good by Jen Wang, a fun yet introspective look at growing up vs. holding onto youth and looking after the needs of others vs. your own, it's pretty relevant to most of us in the quarter-life crisis :P. I really love the characters' expressions and poses especially that of the title character Koko, a kind of sponger/vagabond who decides to change and be 'good' while jumping, skipping and sliding everywhere and making faces.

Here's a panel:



Gotta love that perspective.

This winter looks to be nice, cosy, and relaxed, I hope yours is too.
Meanwhile, here's some music to go along with it:





I should really get Jimmy Eat World's older albums, and Third Eye Blind too.

deviantart round-up

So here are some more artists on deviantart that I enjoy:

http://klar.deviantart.com << One of the first artists I started watching when I joined the site back in '04; I think I prefer her older more simple stuff like these:





She does anthro art, but classily.

http://fresh4u.deviantart.com << Love her black and white splashy inky ethereal Ben Templesmith meets shounen manga style.



http://ya-na.deviantart.com << Russian artist, hella talented. Surreal and inspired by Japanese monsters and myths.

iumazark on deviantart

I really should be doing homework, but am blogging instead, lol. I recently discovered this awesome artist on DA, iumazark, whose gallery can be found here: http://iumazark.deviantart.com/ . Above are some of his images.

His art has a sometimes rough around the edges, but delicate and ethereal quality to it. Kinda fey, a little cartoony, a little scratchy here and there. The image at the top reminds me of the Klaxons video for 'Its Not Over Yet' which features similar black geometric shapes.

In unrelated news, I want to go to this place.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1471974/restaurant/Melbourne/The-Alchemist-Bar-and-Cafe-Fitzroy

Also been trying unsuccessfully to lucid dream lately. But then again, sometimes it's fun just going for the ride.

camilla d'errico.

I can't believe I haven't posted about her already, but I will now...

For the past couple of years, Canadian-Italian artist Camilla d'Errico has been an inspiration of mine, with her innocent looking girl characters pictured with cute animals, soft yet vibrant colours, and mingling of cyberpunk and nature. She has the cute-with-an edge aesthetic that's so popular in the modern art and illustration scene (pop-surrealism?) but infuses it with her own painterly style. There's a warmth in many of her paintings, with their sunny colour palette and dappled lighting, but considerable angst in other works.

She was also involved in pop singer Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes, a comic published by Tokyopop and a sort-of-promotional project for the singer's album. It's more than just advertising, though, and is darker than what one might expect for such a venture, the plot involving a pact made between a small devil and the main character.


More of her work can be found here: http://www.camilladerrico.com/

She also has a shop full of lush and shiny goods including her comics and apparel (which I might buy from in the near future) here: http://camilla.bigcartel.com/

tales of terror from the black ship

Recently I was browsing the shelves of Box Hill Library, looking for possible manga to read when I came across this book:



I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories and flicked through it eagerly, each story keeping me on the edge of my seat, the scratchy illustrations by David Roberts suiting the morbid atmosphere perfectly. Even though it's marketed as a kids' book, the book is fine for adults to read too; in fact it's probably too creepy and the writing too sophisticated for kids under 12, and the storytelling is definitely compelling enough to draw in those of all ages. I particularly enjoyed the stories 'Irezumi' and 'The Boy in the Boat'. So if you're after something dark and haunting but really fascinating and quick to read, then I recommend this book. Apparently the author Chris Priestley has 2 other 'Tales of Terror' books as well...I should get around to reading those. The website for these books is pretty entertaining: http://talesofterror.co.uk

don't know what this illustration style is called, but:

I love it. Some examples:

by http://iamlocksin.blogspot.com



by http://mazakii.deviantart.com/



by http://jupiex7.deviantart.com/

It never fails to amaze.

Ponyo

Recently I had the chance to see a free screening of the new Hayao Miyazaki film, Ponyo, at Cinema Nova in Carlton.


What can I say, it was fantastic. A sweet and simple story, but filled with rich, detailed and surreal imagery. Think of 'The Little Mermaid', but with a child protagonist and beautifully rendered backgrounds similar to childrens book illustration, happy colours, and just all-round cuteness, sweetness and light. The plot is dream-like and not totally linear, but it gels enough to work, and I really recommend this film.

Minus webcomic and mnem

MINUS http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus.html is a webcomic written and drawn by artist Ryan Armand, aka Rezo.

It's a beautifully illustrated series of vignettes involving a special little girl and her ability to make anything happen, limited only by her imagination. She doesn't shy away from being cheeky and even a little naughty at times, but the pretty watercolour pictures keep it light, providing a whimsical and day-dreamy atmosphere, reminiscent of breezy yet sunny childhood days.

In related territory, while going on a slight Harry Potter binge after seeing the recent film, I came across mnem's art while browsing a HP wiki. Her art can be found here: http://community.livejournal.com/mnem_art/

Although it's fanart, it strays away from the more typical anime-esque or stylised cartoon styles commonly drawn in this fandom, and instead provides warm and enchanting homages to the books, delicately rendered, like Minus, in watercolour, and has a similarly escapist quality to it. Like the comic, it takes you to a different place; this time the fantasy world of Hogwarts. The endearing little illustrations look like they could be used for future editions of the book; in fact at first I even wondered whether her illustrations had been used for foreign editions of the book. But no, just a humble fan doing it for free. Her blog is totally sweet as well.

karincoma

One of the first artists that caught my eye when I was new to Deviantart was karincoma, aka Polish artist Karolina Szafran, who does striking images in mostly black and white, with a splash of colour. Although she's moved on to more cyberpunk, dark/futuristic themed work, it's her earlier, more fashion-related images I like the most:


outfit 2004-24-09 by `karincoma on deviantART

Her characters are always drawn with a sense of elegance and grace, and her images evoke a certain feeling of lightness and airiness, with slick, clean lines and simple beauty.

welcome

So, I made this account as a place to post pieces about stuff I find aesthetically pleasing, I hope some people out there will enjoy it too.