posted September 3, 2014 #
I don't agree with that link bait title but I do like these facts about The Asylum - despite the trite they make. Solid read via @plainhuman
posted September 3, 2014 #
This past weekend I spent a great deal of time at
Dragon*con 2014 and I can't express enough how much every single person I know should attend in the future. It isn't really about sci-fi or fantasy - it's about fandom. People gathering to express their enthusiasm over the love of a particular movie, tv show, graphic novel or piece of art. The commercial aspect of it, as opposed to San Diego Comic-Con, is slight - it really is a fairly pure expression of the love of a topic.
There are some
decent galleries of the proceedings but I recommend just diving into the
Instagram Tag and losing yourself for a few hours. I've got a few over on my
my feed but it's almost impossible to encapsulate the whole thing via media. Just take my word for it, you gotta go.
posted September 3, 2014 #
Loving this collection of
1950's Hong Kong street photography from Fan Ho. To even mention his use of contrast and composition is a waste of time - it's off the charts. Hard pressed to find the right words to describe my enjoyment.
via
Jez
posted September 3, 2014 #
After reading this
WIRED article on the street photography of
Daniel Arnold I was intrigued and immediately started following him on
Instagram. Some of the photos are the result of
perfect timing, some are
ballsy and some are just
beyond explanation.
Based on the interview he seems like a rather down to the Earth guy that's just completely unafraid to point his camera (in this case, an iPhone) in the proper direction. I'm certainly jealous of that kind of confidence and the results are worth a follow.
posted September 2, 2014 #
I recently
mentioned the great work that
Kris Johnsen does. One additional noteworthy fact is that he's responsible for the full vinyl etching that appears on the b-side of
Mount Sharp's latest release,
Weird Fears. I caught up with Kris to find out more about his history, his process and how he made that beautiful piece that appears on the record.
Can you provide some background info on where you're from, how you got started, what got you going in the first place? You know, you're origin story.
I'm from a small town called Barrington in New Hampshire. I moved to Maine in 2005 to go to school at Maine College of Art. I graduated in graphic design and just never left Portland. I eventually got my own small studio to work out of and started interning at a local music and arts venue called SPACE Gallery after school. While working there I started booking smaller shows and making flyers and screen printed posters for events and eventually started liking making art and promotion for the shows rather then being in charge of booking them. I also worked as event staff and got to meet lots of touring bands along the way.
Your work involves a great deal of texture and hand drawn elements - what are your primary tools? What's the optimal toolset for any particular job?
I've always loved doing everything by hand and only using a small amount of the computer to create imagery. To make posters and album art I generally draw everything by hand and use to computer to put it together before building it to be a screen print. I always enjoyed printing my own items rather then deal with print shops. Also living in a smaller city I found it quite hard to get exactly what you want it print form so I just taught myself different ways.
Do you prefer to be doing gig posters or more album art and alternate client work?
I've done a lot of gig posters the past few years and I would say I enjoy doing them the most but have broadened out to album art and other jobs. I also like creating imagery that is not for a certain client and just for myself. That is most of the work I have done the last year.
How do you know the folks in Mount Sharp?
When I started working at SPACE Gallery
Bryan Bruchman, the guitarist in Mount Sharp had also started there maybe a year before and we eventually started to learn that we had the same interests in events, music and art and worked really hard to make the events that happened at the venue the best we could! We've remained friends ever since. Through him I've met the rest of the band and seem them play live when they are in Maine.
What was the inspiration behind the etching used on the b-side of Weird Fears?
The inspiration for the etching was through talking with Bryan and Sarah Wood. Sarah had the idea of a certain machine where the repeating pattern and dots came from and also used elements of personal projects I was working on at the same time. I draw the whole thing as one piece on a wood panel and scanned it in without editing it very much. So what you see is what was initially drawn. I made the piece have a circular shape to see on a record player and see if any interesting shapes or designs would come out when it was spinning.
Where can we find you on the Internet?
You can find me a few places. I have a personal website called
www.KrisJohnsen.com. a
process blog here. and use my
Instagram feed for mostly art related things, and pictures of my pets.
Continue Reading...
posted September 2, 2014 #
Over the weekend I caught this
Lucky Peach cover and immediately fell in love. The work, courtesy of
Jordan Speer, is an odd mixture of strong simple color palette, claymation and a child's playset vibe to the elements. It has a detail and a nuance while feeling like you're peeking into a kids
crazy brain. I love it and think the
humor of it is exactly the kind of feel I imagined certain things when I was a younger one myself.
There's plenty more to see beyond the portfolio
here and
here.
posted September 2, 2014 #
Have you tried out
Emojli yet? It's an iOS app that only allows you to speak to others using the Emoji set of characters - all the way down to the usernames being Emoji only. Hit up
Taber - he's nice. I'm on there too but my site is a bit too archaic to display the characters. It's an oddly compelling way to tell stories to another person with a limited language set. It's both challenging
and entertaining - something we all probably need a bit more of.
posted September 2, 2014 #
Really enjoying this
Signature series of portraits from
Tamara Reynolds - particularly the children. I love the personalities that shine through without it being too over the top or schmaltzy. The families and individual photos are solid as well but she is really able to capture something special with the kids.
via
Becky.
posted September 1, 2014 #
alright! DistroKid finally got Weird Fears up on Spotify.
posted September 1, 2014 #
Sept. 10th is campaign day. Seems wise to participate.
posted September 1, 2014 #
well, I'm convinced. Going to give CityMapper a try in NYC
posted August 29, 2014 #
Sorry for the slow posting schedule this week. I'm actually back in TN for a few days hanging with family and friends - thus, much less Interneting. Regardless, I found a few gems for you. Enjoy!
- Worst Music Video Ever - they say Rock n Roll is a young man's game. Here's why.
- Mega64 ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE!! - I actually have relatively positive feelings about the ALS social sweep that's been happening but I have very positive feelings about the sheer insanity and absurdity here. These guys are probably a nightmare to hang with in real life but it's a solid, weird, video.
- Tammy and the T-Rex Trailer - Jurassic Park had a number of influences but this one is beyond words. Watch for al teast a full minute.
- Now THIS is a Pool Pawty! - Sorry but I can't get enough of dogs in pools. That's some serious Feel Good.
- 99 Beer Can Pack - 24 cans seems like chump change after you see this 99 can pack.
Happy Labor Day! Have a great one (even if you live outside the US).
posted August 28, 2014 #
Jon Stewart directorial debut
posted August 27, 2014 #
I swoon for Dropbox so hard
posted August 27, 2014 #
posted August 26, 2014 #
Thank you Hipster culture
posted August 26, 2014 #
After last weeks
Brooklyn Vegan debut and the previous unveiling of the
Icarus video - the official release of
Mount Sharp's EP
Weird Fears has been a long time coming. Fortunately, the wait is over!
The EP is six "eerie pop songs" about relationships, science, crazed lovers and space. The vinyl sounds great and there's an unbelievable etching on the b-side. No music, just art. It's hard to capture but you can stare into the void
here.
You can
get Weird Fears now - digital and vinyl are ready to go!
posted August 26, 2014 #
I've known
Bryan Bruchman since approximately the year 1999, 2000. Over those fourteen years, he's continuously been both a huge champion of local music - whether it be
Portland, ME or Gowanus, BK - and an avid, talented, non-stop
photographer. He's also a relentless
blogger and a helluva
guitarist.
Long story short, I'm singing this guys praises. I'm incredibly happy to work with him for the first time via his band,
Mount Sharp and their
yk records release,
Weird Fears. He's good people - follow him
every where.
posted August 26, 2014 #
Lately, I've really been digging through the portfolio of Portland, Maine's
Kris Johnsen. His primary work seems to be
Show Posters with an incredibly amount of fine
line work. There's also a solid amount of hand drawn type, fine textures and a handful of
ambiguously awesome t-shirts.