Archive for May, 2009
Tessar Lo Gocco prints
Ninja May 28th, 2009
Tessar Lo has two new Gocco prints out!
Haunts Gocco prints
Limited edition, hand-printed, numbered and signed by Tessar Lo
Measure approximately 5.5 x 5.5″
Price: $20 USD each
He Said She Said Gocco prints
Limited edition, hand-printed, numbered and signed by Tessar Lo
Measure approximately 4.25 x 5.5″
Price: $15 USD each
Purchasing link
+ Get Tessar Lo Gocco prints here
Illustrator: Max Marin
Ninja May 28th, 2009
Recent Ringling College of Art and Design graduate, Max Marin, shared his thoughts and work with us.
Ninja vs Penguin: Hi Max! Please tell us how you developed an interest in art and when did you started painting?
Max Marin: I was born and raised in Miami, Florida and come from a well brought Colombian family. Since I was very small, my parents have encouraged me to draw. My father was also an artist, and he always said that I had the talent and interest to be more.
I was never much of an outdoor kid when I was younger nor did I have any video games of any sort, so I was inside most of the time. That’s where it started. I would draw along with my younger brother at the kitchen table for what seemed to be hours. Those were good memories. From there on, my parents gave me options to push this “hobby” of mine even more. So at twelve, I took my first oil painting classes at Miami-Dade Community college.
NvP: Do you have a specific process for creating your work?
MM: Well, I might spend days trying to figure out a good idea for the piece and ask some close friends for advice. Once it’s picked out, I start sketching it out on either panel or canvas, most of the time it’s never bigger then 18×24. Once it’s all in there, I second guess myself and revise anything that can be better. And for color, I try to figure it all in my head or sometimes I got to put it in paper, but the third option is always just winging it.
NvP: Your senior thesis (two of six pieces pictured above) showcases vibrant oil paintings featuring dramatic narratives where characters seem torn between the realms of paradise and torment. Could you tell us about the themes and inspiration behind this series?
MM: Ahhh… my “Senior Thesis” that was a special time; it took so much determination and focus to go all the way through. But in the end it was fantastic; the theme was something I have been doing since high school. I’m not a very religious person, but it’s something that has always intrigued me. Dwelling on controversial subjects is who I am. In high school, I loved doing paintings of that sort and it was always encouraged. But then getting into college they strip that from you, and your work becomes a commercial use. My inspiration was to go back as a fine artist and not the commercial illustrator I have become and just explore my interpretation of what happened before man arrived in the picture.
NvP: Who are your favorite working artists/illustrators?
MM: I love Rembrandt, but he is no longer working so I would say without a doubt Ashley Wood and Phil Hale. I love their looseness, style, color, compositions, and I hope to be able to paint like them one day and even meet them.
NvP: Is there anyone you would really like to collaborate and work with?
MM: Definitely some of my old friends from college would be pretty cool like John Suarez or even Charles Chassion. But if not them, Ashley Wood would be my number one choice. I even emailed him if I could be his apprentice, but I guess he was too busy… lol.
NvP: Apart from illustration, what are your other interests?
MM: I always said, if I could be a famous illustrator or famous soccer player… soccer would win. It’s a passion that never dies; I love watching it and love playing it!
NvP: And lastly, do you have any advice you’d like to share with our readers?
MM: Art is very competitive and it’s something that you should never quit on, take advantage while you are still young and just having fun. Enjoy the simple things and don’t make money an issue until you grow up. Art is fun. If you are willing to commit, sacrifice, and enjoy being alone in your studio for hours at a time, you can go very far in this industry.
Thanks for sharing Max!
Related links
+ Visit Max Marin’s blog
+ Contact/hire Max Marin
Borderline cover by The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Ninja May 27th, 2009
Stefan shared this wonderful Borderline cover
2009 Borderline from George Salisbury.
Artists: The Flaming Lips featuring Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Video: Borderline
Director: George Salisbury
Camera: Red One
Musicians: Taxi Taxi
Ninja May 26th, 2009
I awoke this morning to the enchanting indie/folk/pop tune, More Childish Than In A Long Time, from Swedish teenage twins, Miriam and Johanna Eriksson Berhan. Under the name Taxi Taxi, the pair collaborated with producer Björn Yttling from Peter, Björn and John for their self-titled debut EP on Efterklang’s Rumraket label. Between the two of them, they play the guitar, piano, accordion, and glockenspiel. While juggling their school work, they’ve played at the Roskilde and Hultsfred festivals.
You can hear Taxi Taxi’s music at their myspace page or purchase MP3s here.
Related postsDeath Cab for Cutie’s Little Bribes by Ross Ching
Ninja May 26th, 2009
San Diego State University graduate, Ross Ching, created a time lapse, stop motion/live action music video for Death Cab for Cutie’s Little Bribes (aka Casino Blues). Ching set out to visually represent the 211 different words sung. It took him two weeks to make and was shot in LA and his parent’s house in San Jose. Enjoy!
Related postsGraphic designer: Jacqueline Thaw
Ninja May 22nd, 2009
My friend, Jacqueline Thaw, just launched her new website! Jacqueline has worked as a staff designer for Pentagram, Kirshenbaum Bond and Partners, Parham Santana, and I.D. Magazine. Her work has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, AIGA, and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. She is a member of Class Action and teaches design and typography at the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Jersey.
With Class Action
A pamphlet distributed at the AIGA national conference critiquing the design industry’s recognition of work for formal qualities rather than its mission or ethical stance
With Pentagram
Annual report for Alexandria
With Anke Stohlmann
Brochure for an organization dedicated to enriching public-school learning through poetry and performance
Capabilities book for Cuadro Interiors
With Pentagram
Recruitment materials for Davis Polk & Wardwell
Logo for Digital Age Learning
With Class Action
A stamp proposal to the USPS featuring the Domestic Violence hotline number
Peter Hall lecture poster
Program, save-the-date and invitation for an international printmaking conference
Creative direction for Tote Le Monde
Curated Trigger, an exhibition about the wide range of projects graphic designers undertaken when working without clients
Designer/illustrator: Takashi Okada
If we mated
Ninja May 21st, 2009
Yesterday, Penguin and I stepped into the Gene Machine photo booth which took our pictures, analyzed our facial structures, and then morphed them into what our future offspring would look like. We’re not that impressed—she looks nothing like us! Even more disturbing was that my siblings got a hold of this print out and showed my mum. She freaked out because she thought we secretly adopted a child from China. @_______@
Related postsSeymour Chwast at SVA
Ninja May 21st, 2009
Years ago, I met two lovely designers-turned-winemakers, Ben and Phyllis Feder. They had excellent taste which was reflected in all parts of their lives. I remember seeing a signed Seymour Chwast hanging over the toilet in their bathroom, and I instantly liked them. Experiencing Mr. Chwast’s work and wit in such an intimate setting was a real treat!
Designer/illustrator/painter/co-founder of Push Pin Studios, Seymour Chwast, will be launching his new book, Seymour: The Obsessive Images of Seymour Chwast
Where
SVA Theatre
333 West 23rd St.
New York, NY 10011
When
June 16, 2009
6:30-7:00PM Check-in
7:00-8:00PM Conversation
8:00-8:30PM Signing and reception
Cost
$30 AIGA members
$20 AIGA student members
$40 General public
Purchasing links
+ Register here
+ Seymour: The Obsessive Images of Seymour Chwast
