The Fine Art of Masturbating

One tumblr user has set out to append a Hitachi Magic Wand vibrator to some classical art. I'm not sure if the user is doing it to celebrate female masturbation or just make something hilarious. But both reasons work for me.

http://magicwandarthistory.tumblr.com/

Now we know why the Mona Lisa is giving that wry smile!

"High Tide" short animation film by Kristen Kemper

I found this adorable little short film with a hand drawn quality to it. I've always had a fascination with mermaids and I'm even more happy when the subject matter becomes mermen.

The artist also has a tumblr filled with amazing artwork!

http://kristinkemper.tumblr.com/

Please enjoy the film and the art!

High Tide from Kristin Kemper on Vimeo.

ACM203 Photographic Practice - Final Folio - Cosplay Photoshoot with BW Film

My assignment from Photographic Practice allowed us to choose any theme we wanted. I decided to explore cosplay portraits. Usually cosplay is photographed in colour because the costumes are so vibrant, so I wondered how the costumes and characters could be expressed when the colour is taken away.

These photos were shot on a medium format camera and processed by myself in the dark room. After a few years of sitting my big pile of art stuff, I've scanned the images.

I think the results prove cosplay quite stunning even in Black & White. 

I also got a HD mark for this assignment.

The digital colour photos from this shoot and these BW scans can be viewed at my smugmug account ~ http://unikorn.smugmug.com/Cosplay/Cosplay-Photoshoot-With-Film

Cosplay Prop Guide - How to make Gaara's gourd with paper mache!

Wayyyy back when I made my gourd for cosplaying Gaara. I photographed and video'd a little of the process. I have since dug them up and compiled the photos / video for anyone looking for some ideas on making their own!

The video probably needs some annotations to explain more of the process to make it a proper guide. But the process is fairly simple once you figure out your base shape to put the paper mache over. I found some cheap bouncy balls in a toy section of a homewares/gift store at my local shopping centre. They are still inside the gourd prop to this day, as they are light weight.

Materials Used

STEP 1 - Structure

Electrical Tape

Bouncy balls (1 large, 1 small)

STEP 2 - Paper Mache 

Bucket

PVA Glue + Water

Newspaper strips

Cork (cut in half)

STEP 3 - Painting

Paint Brushes

Acrylic paints

Stencil for symbols

Bucket

Instax Printer - Fujifilm Share SP-1 - Print Polaroids from your phone!

This is the coolest thing I've seen all day! It's a mini wifi printer, that will print any photo from your smart phone on to instax mini film. Turn everything into an adorable polaroid? Yes please!

This Instax Share Smartphone Printer SP-1 is available in Australian stores for around $300. Importing from overseas looks to be around $200.

Here's a review of the product by Digi Direct ~

ACG203 Graphic & Digital Imaging - Planet Air Project

One of my larger projects at Deakin Universtiy was a series of assignments based around a fictional airline. We had to choose a name, create a logo, business cards, food packaging, letterheads, plane decals, annual reports and a website. Here's some of my on screen and sketchbook work. I look back on it and see a few things I could improve but overall I was fairly pleased with how this series went at the time. (2nd year of my Bachelors degree in 2010).

Picasso's hidden painting

A picture inside a picture! Looks like Picasso reused a canvas to create something new. Did he not like his original painting or just not have enough money for new materials? Infared scanning revealed the old image underneath The Blue Room painting.

Image by AP/Wikiart.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20142006-25709.html

Advertising and Internet Pop Culture

I guess this isn't the first time advertisers have been inspired by internet culture. Take a look at this video "Sad Cat Diary" and then the "Dear Kitten" advert for Friskies.

While the feeling of the ad is a little more upbeat, it reminded me a lot of Sad Cat Diary, in fact I instantly thought of it when the voice over started.

I think it's fun when ads remind me of these amusing creations by people on the internet but at the same time I realise that the ads are cashing in on someone elses idea. Nothing in this world is truly original but how far is too far? Large corporations certainly wouldn't hold back when it comes to suing someone for using their ideas. So is it fair that advertisers ride the free waves of internet pop culture in order to make a buck?

Square Enix Artnia Store - Materia Fountain

One day I must go back here with a better camera. This fountain was so pretty and my iphone does not do it justice!

Essay/Review on short film Jasper Morello

Written by Jodie Becker

ACM132 – Introduction to Animation

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello – The First Voyage

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005) is an Australian film directed and co-written by Anthony Lucas. It is has a long list of awards and was nominated for an academy award.

This movie is classified in a genre that became popular in the 90’s known as Steampunk - A fiction genre set in Englands Victorian era, where steam power is the prominent technology in the 19th century. However this particular film is set in the year 1276 and gives a look at an alternate world for the human race. As it is a fantasy genre there are also many fictional technologies that are not based on history, the past and present become mixed together to create all new machines. There are floating islands, iron airships and strange creatures that make up the curious world of this film.

The story follows the character Jasper Morello, a disgraced navigator who is haunted by a fatal mistake he made on his last expedition. He nervously sets out on a new voyage but vows it will be his last before he and his wife can settle down and start a family. Their home city, Gothia is currently being ravaged by a Plague and in their travels they are accompanied by a scientist searching for a cure. Jasper worries about his wife back home when he notices she is sick over a video-phone conversation. When the ship is thrown off course, they discover an abandoned ship they are forced to use when their own becomes damaged. Flying in uncharted air, the crew discovers a monster that holds a cure for the disease. Jasper is torn between the need to bring the cure to his wife and sacrificing the lives of his ship-mates.

All of the characters in this film are silhouettes. This animation style has its origins from wayang, the Indonesian shadow puppets which have been around for 300 years. The film is overall very dark and gothic due to the monochrome scheme that is also common in other silhouette films. Color has been used sparingly and only highlights the more dramatic details such as the illness that kills people that appears as a bright orange lava substance.

Traditionally silhouette animation was made using stop motion techniques, the first full length film made with this method was The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) by Lotte Reiniger. However traditional cel animation is easily able to imitate the style. The anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) shows example of this modern version of the technique frequently. It is most likely that The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello has been made using cel or computers for the 2D animated characters.

The backgrounds in the film are made from a combination of found objects and CGI rendering. Many objects are also silhouettes but there is enough of a balance between detailed objects and the black silhouettes that they all work together harmoniously.

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello was enjoyable to watch for both its uncommon use of animation styles and curious plot line. It’s actually rather creepy and is definitely not a story for small children as it deals with darker sides of humanity, violence and death. The plot keeps you wondering how this story is going to end. When it did come to an end I was a little disappointed because the story was left open and I personally like things to be wrapped up. But I discovered that this film is part of a series containing 4 episodes (voyages). I was left wanting more, so I will seek out the other episodes and continue to follow the adventures of Jasper Morello.

Bibliography

Wikipedia, Silhouette Animation, Wikipedia, retrieved 5th August 2009, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette_animation>

 Sandall, S, Anthony Lucas on The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Amazon, retrieved 4th August 2009, <http://readersvoice.com/interviews/2006/January/230/>

Madman Entertainment, Gothia Gazette, Madman Entertainment, retrieved 21st July 2009, <http://www.jaspermorello.com>

Wikipedia, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Wikipedia, retrieved 1st August 2009, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Geographic_Explorations_of_Jasper_Morello>

Foster, M,  Animated Shorts - The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper , Google, retrieved 6th August 2009, <http://www.fosteronfilm.com/shorts/jaspermorello.htm>