Nicki Minaj in colour

This is just an experiment for my sketchbook portrait, using Dr Martens liquid watercolours (because they're hyper bright) and oil based pitt pencil (because it's proper black). I think it worked.

I drew Nicki Minaj from a picture in an old issue of Wonderland. Once I start drawing, it often amazes me how crazy celebrities faces are and Nicki's is just about as nuts as she is. 

I often instagram things-in-progress, so follow if you're interested in seeing that kind of stuff I'm @abihey - FOLLOW!

10 days til Christmas!

We don't have a tree, but I wanted some festive decoration in our home for Christmas.  So I decided to decorate our living room window myself and have two trees!  I took a whole day to do plus some preparation and editing but was worth it.

I used Posca markers to draw on the glass because they're opaque and they will scrub off no trouble.

The music is from Sufjan Stevens' new Christmas album called Silver and Gold.  It's very festive and a bit weird, but brilliant. (And would make a great gift for a Sufjan fan!)

I have made a few attempts to produce a video, but this time I swore I would post it no matter how it turned out.  So here goes...

And Merry Christmas!




PS. I don't usually move around like a fully caffeinated ant.

If You Love Me by BenZel & Jessie Ware

I'm so pleased to have been involved in the making of this awesome video for "If You Love Me".  The track is a 90s gem by Brownstone, reworked by producers BenZel and featuring the beautiful vocal talents of Ms Jessie Ware.




The video was produced by Studio Moross, where I helped out creating and filming some of the visual effects used.  We turned the studio into a Laboratory and made a mess with all sorts of miscible and immiscible liquids.  Yeah, I still remember a few things from my school Science lessons.

Credits

Director - Kate Moross
DoP - Laurence Stephens
Assisted by Abi Heyneke & Guy Field 
Edit & Grade & Post Production - Kate Moross
Playback Op - Oliver Chapman
With thanks to James Moriarty & Will Samuel

Fitzpleasure

I love alt-J.  I'm not alone in this, because their album 'An Awesome Wave' is amazing.  I wanted to create an illustration in response to their music.

One song that stood out to me from the beginning was 'Fitzpleasure'.  It has this amazing off beat choral intro and then a super dirty bass drop.  I read the lyrics and while very poetic, they are also dirty.  And then I found out about the short story that inspired the track - Tralala from Last Exit To Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr - which is just beyond dirty into abject and brutal.  Still, if you have the stomach for it it's a thought provoking read.  This image is influenced by the track, rather than the story.  

I'm at a little bit of a loss when it comes to explaining my choices (I created the image quite quickly) but I'll try...  

The main part of the picture is a yonic hand gesture, representing the obvious and a more spiritual and serene attitude.  There are several references to hands in the lyrics.  

"Steepled fingers, ring la-la-la-la-leaders, queue jumpers, rock fist paper scissors..."

The triangle in the background is delta, ∆ (the shortcut is alt+j on a mac), in clear and direct reference to the band.

The patterning around the wrists is in inspired by pylons.  They are strong but usually situated in a bleak landscape.

"Tall woman, pull the pylons down, and wrap them around the necks of all the feckless men who queue to be the next."

The cables also continue on from that sentiment.  They represent the visceral without being too graphic, and also show connection, turmoil, confusion and restriction.

The stain shape in the background is more directly from the ending of the Selby Jr story, but in general it's representative of the wake of destruction and dissipation and entropy: the dissolution of all things.

Sorry if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense and it sounds like I'm pussy-footing around the issue (it's because I am).  It should make more sense if you have dug into the 'Fitzpleasure' lyrics or have read the story.  I've done remarkably well to get to the end of this post without mentioning gang rape once.

Grab yourself a high quality limited edition print of this image.

String Section

Here's an image I did last week.  The brief was quite open; just a drawing of a violin really.  

Whenever a drawing requires some inky parts I go a bit crazy, 'just in case'.  I will definitely use some of these other ones for something or other...

And just for good measure here's a video of Owen Pallett doing some unexpected things with a violin.

Bizness

I have not made a blog post in 2 months.  This, I know, makes me a bad human being.  I've been terribly busy on a number of projects that I can't share with you just yet.  

One thing I can share is this poster I designed and executed for a show long gone.  This was one of the best gigs I've ever been to, for the talent, energy, and sheer happy-making-ness going on there.  

I guess this is a bit more colourful than a lot of the stuff I do, but I think it's appropriate.

This is Tune-Yards playing 'Bizness' on Studio 360 Live...



If you dig it check out the album W H O K I L L and buy tickets to the next available show.

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain

Today, the 20th February 2012, is Kurt Cobain's Birthday.  Were he still alive he would have turned 45 today.  It's difficult to imagine.  To the world Kurt Cobain will always be young and beautiful, dissatisfied and awkward in his own skin.

I honour I have drawn this tribute of the whole band.  I must admit I don't listen to Nirvana a lot these days, but I have had their whole discography on repeat for the past week.  It seems like I forgot what good music it is.  

Nirvana x 4

I made a gif of the drawing in progress.
Expect everything to be animated from here on in!

I also made the image into wallpapers for you to adorn you computer or cellular telephone with!  Enjoy...

Desktop Wallpaper 
click on the image above and save it

Phone Wallpaper
click on the image above and save that sucka

From A to B: Born To Die

Lana Del Rey's album is out today, and I created this illustration in anticipation.  

Probably quite appropriate because of the scrutiny she has been facing regarding her
fake-ness/authenticity.  I don't really care about that.  I'm enjoying listening to the Deluxe Version of Born To Die.

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

The Details

I have done a short outline of the process that went into the making of this.  It was a little involved so I hope it makes sense.

Drawing the face...

1...

...2...

...3

Scanned and tidied

I scanned and adjusted the components in Photoshop, making sure it all works together.

I decided to get rid of the jewellery.

With the portrait layer mode set to 'Multiply' I added the inky back layer and messed with the hue to get it looking a little ethereal.  I didn't want to go for the obvious corporeal red.

The skull was drawn in pencil on tracing paper over the portrait to make sure it fits the picture.  Once I scanned it I inverted, so the black lines on paper look like white on black, and inserted it under the face layer with the layer mode on 'Screen'.

Ta Daaa!

Over Being Under

This came to me watching letlive. on stage.  Their live show has converted many a non-believer and frontman Jason Aalon Butler was recently named Kerrang's Greatest Rockstar in the World Today.  Do you need another reason to give their album Fake History a listen?  I think not.  

(but just in case: note the Care Bear tattoo)

Limited Edition

I have officially issued two new prints!  They will be on show at Salon91 in Cape Town from Saturday 3rd December until 14th January as part of a wonderful group exhibition called 'If You Let Yourself Love a Wild Thing'.  If you live in Cape Town, or just happen to be there over this period, head up to 91 Kloof Street and have a look.  The grand opening is on from 11:30 this Saturday.  Check the details on FaceBook.

I have re-worked 'The Hazards of Love', so that the fawn has a lush habitat to reside in, and have also created a brand new print called 'I Dreamt There Was a Songbird Singing at my Window'.  Both are available through my Etsy Shop right now.  

The Hazards of Love

As 'The Hazards...' was inspired by a Decemberists song (/album) I thought I would give a donation for each print bought to Breast Cancer Care as a celebration of Jenny Conlee's remission.

'The Hazards of Love' can be bought as an A3 Limited Edition of 20.  Click here for Etsy listing.

...and also as an A2 Limited Edition of 20.  Click here for Etsy listing.

  

I Dreamt There Was A Songbird Singing At My Window

'I Dreamt There Was a Songbird...' is an A4 Limited Edition of 20.  Click here for Etsy listing.

My Brightest Diamond

Maybe a poster is totally redundant once the gig has passed, but I was way too busy before the show to even start on this.  I went to see My Brightest Diamond last Thursday and wanted to memorialise the show in poster format.  

Shara Worden gave such an excellent performance along with her full suite of musicians and a little help from Stateless frontman Chris James.  They performed the new album 'All Things Will Unwind' top to tale in a marvellously grand church.  The pews were a little hard on the behind, but acoustics and the view were good.

All Things Will Unwind album cover

Shara sang her unbelievable version of Feeling Good during the encore.  A video doesn't quite do it justice, but this one's pretty good and you will get the idea.

Bones

I blogged this record before when it came out, but I hadn't seen the actual item then.  Now I have it in my possession and have gotten round to taking some photos of my most recent record-decorating efforts, which you can enjoy below.  

Image Hoard: Oil Slick

Here's another rag-tag bunch of pics that have been saving up and loved for some reason or other.

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Frances Bean Cobain

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Grunge's favourite daughter looking appropriately hot and bedraggled.  

Photographed by Hedi Slimane.

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Sleepovers

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Illustration by Esra Roise to accompany a poem of the same name in Popshot Magazine.

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Unearthen

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I found this amazing jewellery by Unearthen.  

Below is a vial containing crude oil and a very cool watch.

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Soap & Skin

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Incredibly intense and intimidatingly talented, Anja Plaschg is not a singer, not even a singer/songwriter; she's an Artist.  She creates under the name Soap & Skin and has charted in a number of European countries.
If this is Austrian pop music it puts Lady Gaga to shame a little.  Still, I'd rather not bump into Anja in a dark alley.

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Marion B

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I discovered New Yorker Marion Bolognesi's work via her illustration on the poster advertising "For Coloured Girls".  I haven't seen the movie, but I give the poster a thumbs up.  Here are a couple of her watercolour paintings.