Graham Kahler ([info]grahamtastic) wrote,
@ 2007-06-21 20:24:00
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Current music:Hauschka-La Dilettante

Hoo boy...
An experiment

Not much to say about this one. I've been really inspired by poster designs, screen prints, and flat t-shirt graphics lately, and I wanted see if I could infuse the B&W stuff I've been doing with that sort of aesthetic. This is all just noodling on my part, and I can't say I'm wholly satisfied with the result just yet. But I think it's a step in the right direction.

I think I've fallen in love with Sammy Harkham's Poor Sailor. I bought it on Friday, and have read it four times since it fell into my hot little hands. It amazes me that something so simple could be so effective (and affecting).

Also (with glee!):
Múm-Dancing Behind My Eyelids

I was initially disappointed that Kristín Valtysdottir wasn't in the band anymore, but damn if I'm not really enjoying the direction they're headed in.

So much to do and to read and to hear and to see. What's everyone else inspired by these days?


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[info]thesimplicity
2007-06-22 01:12 am UTC (link)
That's pretty sweet. Three and four color illustrations can be a pain to execute properly, but that's solid. I love the dark orange as the sky and the wolf's eye. That would actually make a great three color gocco print.

I myself have recently been inspired by old farm manuals. They're very matter-of-fact about everything... like, "This is what an isometric view of a calf's skull should look like. Make sure your prized calf looks like this." I've been sampling a lot of it while trying to come up with imagery for various bands I'm working with.

I've also been hugely inspired by the photocopy machine where I work. I'm constantly grabbing trashed prints and xeroxing them at 800% in black and white, looking for interesting forms that can be transferred onto fabric. I need to gets me a summer wardrobe!

Also, you should check out the Clone Wars trade paperbacks. Some of them are horrible, but there are a few gems that are a hundred times better than all the prequels put together.

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[info]ultrakurtzwelle
2007-06-22 03:52 am UTC (link)
I used to xerox my bad drawings at 800%, sometimes it made them look better. It is a good machine to come up with new shapes and see things in a fresh way.

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:08 am UTC (link)
Thanks much, sir. I've wanted a Gocco for a while now. I just don't know if I'm willing to drop that kind of cash on what is basically a defunct product.

If you're super into farm manuals (a kid from PA into farm-related imagery, there's a shocker), you might dig Craphound, which just puts out theme issues of recycled flat graphics. And I've been thinking about ways to abuse the copiers at work for awhile now, so I might just have to try some of that.

I keep glancing at the Clone Wars stuff whenever I go to the comic store. I'll rifle through them next time and see if anything grabs me.

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[info]thesimplicity
2007-06-23 02:18 am UTC (link)
Craphound. Holy shit, awesome, thanks. I know where my next paycheck is going.

Believe it or not, the Gocco is far from extinct. I actually got Lauren a brand new model (the PG-5) for her birthday. It was a bit pricey, yes, but it's something that's currently being manufactured and supported all over the world. I don't know if it's currently being offered iun our grand old US-of-A, but I got it for a decent price off a friend of a friend of a friend living in Japan. And Paper Source is serving up imports for relatively cheap (but don't let the price on the PG-6 fool you, that's the super high end, wide format model, when they get the basic model in it'll be 1/4th that price). So, in a nutshell, it's not a cheap investment but it looks like it'll be around for a while and you can't beat the functionality. And it costs a hell of a lot less than a home screenprinting studio (trust me, I've toyed with the idea many times).

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[info]ultrakurtzwelle
2007-06-22 03:57 am UTC (link)
a few things:

-Your illustration is beautiful. i love your colors and the gesture of the wolf.
- Poor sailor is fantastic. It's making me look at my comics and see all the superfluous things i've been doing.
- sorry for spamming your journal!

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:10 am UTC (link)
Yeah, I'd turn to some of the pages in Poor Sailor and just smack my forehead in frustration. I feel like a have everything backwards now. My illustrations need more stuff, and my comics need less. It would certainly take me less time to finish them.

And thank you!! This is a far cry from spam. All comments and queries welcome!

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[info]portrhombus
2007-06-22 05:39 am UTC (link)
i like the color on this a lot.

have you heard the album Kristín Valtysdottir did with avey tare from animal collective? i guess they got married after she left mum.. i think she was still with the band when they made the new album though.

i've been really into this dvd lately: experiments in terror

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:18 am UTC (link)
Thanks. Getting the colors nuanced to where I liked them was the trickiest part, so I'm glad its paying off.

I actually own Pullhair Rubeye, since you mention it. I haven't listened to the whole thing yet. I bought it on the strength of their names alone, so I didn't discover until later that the whole thing is backwards! It makes for an interesting listen, but definitely something I have to be in a specific mood for. I wish it didn't feel so gimmicky.

Experiments in Terror looks awesome. I'll try and hunt that down. I don't know how much of a Woody Allen fan you are (or how tolerant of his work you may be), but I'd recommend Zelig if you're up for something new. It's really really brilliant (and incredibly hilarious), and I don't know why more people aren't aware of it.

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[info]portrhombus
2007-06-23 05:56 am UTC (link)
yeah, when i was downloading that album, i noticed some copies were labeled "reversed". so i thought that maybe it was some trick played by whoever leaked the mp3's (it happens a lot.. back when i was trying to find an early leak of kid a, i got all kinds of weird stuff, like a copy of 'mr. roboto' labeled as 'idioteque'). i was thinking of reversing the tracks in cacophony or something to see what they actually sounded like. and on the topic of animal collective side projects, i recommend the new panda bear album if you haven't heard it already.

'zelig' looks really cool, i'll have to netflix it. the only woody allen movie i've ever really seen was 'what's up tiger lily?' which was awesome, though i would imagine pretty different from most of his work..

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-25 07:10 am UTC (link)
Already heard and snapped up. And yes, it is quite good.

As for Woody Allen, What's Up Tigerlily? isn't as different as it might seem. Yeah, he didn't really direct it (just "translated" it), but all his early stuff is written in that surreal, vaudeville sort of style. His later stuff is more naturalistic, and more carefully structured, while still maintaining plenty of strangeness and witty dialogue. Zelig falls somewhere between the two. It's a great experiment. I could go on at length, but I doubt this is the forum for it.

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[info]birdpopcicle
2007-06-22 07:28 am UTC (link)
aw i love it :D but i am worried for both of them.. who do i root for?

people laugh at me for this, but: i am inspired by SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. it's the only competition show i'll watch (but i don't vote).. and though i cannot dance to save my life or the lives of others, i love watching these kids who can and love it and want it so bad and are thrown into unfamiliar territory AND YET SUCCEED AND EXCEL. passion! passion for their craft. i should only be so passionate for something.

ok i've decided. i'm rooting for the wolf.

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:22 am UTC (link)
Dance as a lifesaving exercise...hmm. I'm not much for the competition shows myself, but whatever gets the synapses firing is okay in my book. We should all be so passionate.

The wolf is probably a good choice. There's a considerable size discrepancy between the two of them, and I think its in his favor. I like that my drawings give you someone to root for. Thanks!

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[info]thesimplicity
2007-06-23 02:19 am UTC (link)
Oh, America!

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[info]birdpopcicle
2007-06-23 04:30 am UTC (link)
oh, i know :(

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[info]darkwaterfrey
2007-06-22 03:37 pm UTC (link)
Great imagery!! Lovely colors!

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:23 am UTC (link)
Heartfelt thanks!! Blushing with pride!

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[info]exitwounds
2007-06-22 04:50 pm UTC (link)
i think this is particularly lovely. it reminds me of something i did a print of like years ago-- not exactly or nothing i mean, looking back it was pretty crappy (this is far nicer, creepier, and enjoyable!) but the wolves in the dark of the trees sort of thing. kudos!

i'm not really inspired by anything lately. i've been thinking about moving, but that's about it, and that inspires in its own little way.

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-23 01:28 am UTC (link)
Why thank you! I'm not sure where it came from, but it seems to be going somewhere.

And speaking of going somewhere, I think moving to a new place to explore and acclimate yourself can be incredibly inspiring. I liked your post on that divine Chicago apartment. Too bad about the neighborhood. Keep looking, and keep us posted!

And more work, please! Can't get enough.

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[info]padumavati
2007-06-23 03:39 am UTC (link)
Thank you for the wonderful birthday comic. I laughed, I cried, I chugged a beer and dueled a homeless man with a plastic lightsaber.

Lately I've been inspired by Miranda July's Nobody Belongs Here More Than You, which makes me want to start writing again and has also made think of things in a narrative sense. That or I picked up a telepathic narrator for a PBS special on urban living.

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-25 07:13 am UTC (link)
You are very, very welcome. I was happy for the opportunity to do it. I hope you lopped off the homeless man's hand and made him question his ancestry.

I really want to read Miranda July's book, but I refuse to buy a yellow copy, and those are the only ones I can find around here. I reasoned that I've never owned a pink book before, so that's the one I want to get.

A telepathic narrator would be a nice surprise too.

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I fucking hate that man..
[info]iluvbuhffinds
2007-06-23 06:59 pm UTC (link)
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HME21EFVL._SS500_.jpg

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I fucking hate that man too...
[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-25 07:16 am UTC (link)
Yeah, I actually saw that last weekend, when we took my dad to this colossal book/music/café place for Father's Day.

My Mother: "Isn't he one of the guys who taught you at MECA?"
Yours truly: "Well, he was there. I wouldn't say he taught me..."
My Mother: "His paintings are really bad."
Me: "I know. I know..."

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[info]dark_brilliance
2007-06-25 06:30 am UTC (link)
Graham! Ohhh... it's lovely. So clean and solid, yet suggestive of so much. I can feel the cold air on my face and in my lungs. Wow.

Change has been the constant, here this year. I regularly feel like I am doing nowhere near enough art. But there is some. An ongoing series, going very slowly.
just a taste

Inspiration is everywhere. Old black and white films like Strange Illusion, and lots of books, especially including Dan Simmons' Summer of Night. Being a librarian now and all, this seems natural. :)

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[info]grahamtastic
2007-06-25 07:35 am UTC (link)
Hello dear! Glad you like the new piece.

I understand the "not enough art" feeling to a T, but it looks like you've been quite prolific. Is the owl a self-portrait? It looks roguish and mysterious enough to be based on you.

Wow! A librarian...that's like going from using to dealing. Congrats on that, and on the consumption of a sizable chunk of literature. Might I humbly suggest The Third Policeman to add to your stack?

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[info]dark_brilliance
2007-06-25 12:00 pm UTC (link)
Why yes you may! And thank you. :)

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