You don't need a face to be noticed?

I found this really interesting designer over the summer - Robert Bartholot. He's a berlin based freelance artist/designer/photographer who has a particular emphasis on Art Direction. His work was right up my street and I was instantly attracted to his images. As I was having some pretty graphic nightmares over the summer, a few of which I've actually posted on one of my blogs, his work appeared so fantasy and dream-like, it really reached out to me.

It seems his images capture the deepest parts of the subconscious mind. It's almost as if he's preyed on some sleeping human being and grabbed their dream with his bare hands. A kind of stolen innocence maybe? I love the air of mystery that comes with these particular pictures. The majority of his work that I've seen online shows faceless models. I love the fact that this is his signature style, which makes his work easy to point out in a crowd.

I'm just so intrigued...

Why are your characters faceless?

Again, these two pictures caught my eye. I really love the abstract characters and the bold, geometric blocks of colour. These images are so simple in design, yet they say so much. A pool of blood? what happened?! If something makes you question yourself, then it's all the more interesting and gives a sense of purpose, an untold story waiting to be spoken.

When looking at the first image, you can see the purple and green triangles suspended in mid air, then in the following image, the shapes are in the back of his head and he's laying in his own blood...

What does this say to you?

BACKSTABBERS ANYONE?

These are two Fashion based images that I thought were pretty good.

It's like they're being suffocated by fashion.

There's so much more of his work I'd like to post on here, because it's fantastic. But I'll leave you check it out yourselves.
http://bartholot.net/

mind if I post another illustration?

I'm just posting some of my illustrations to see what you guys think really? I'm inspired by photo's of people I find interesting and enjoy translating their expression into a particualr syle of illustration (I might have mentioned this in my previous post though so excuse me if I'm like a stuck record.)I love the wild but slightly tamed mane of hair  on the model and his icy expression so I thought hmm.. wouldn't mind drawing a bit of that! I added my own statement jacket design in a cool royal blue. He also has a black eye which was actually inspired by my nephew having a kick in the eye in football over the summer... I looked at him and thought how cool would that look in make up on a model to portray a kind of asymmetric design? weird or..?

I'm just having fun with experimenting in different areas of Fashion, whether it be illustration, design or construction. I'm learing new techniques in each core area so I can gain the skills to express myself, hopefully more in 3D, the millions of ideas that I have in my head waiting to pounce into the world.

illustration

The above is one of my first illustrations for menswear fashion, inspired by the photo of Carl Blake (above) that I found in a 2008 edition hair magazine.I like to look at photograph's of people I find interesting and then convert that initial inspiration into a particular style of illustration whether it be loose and fluid, animated or intricate sketching.

 Here, I've taken the styling of the hair in the photo and the mysteriousness of the model's facial expression and interpreted it into my own style of drawing. There's a definite element of cartoon in the illustration together with an essence of rock and roll. I added the leather jacket just because I think it represents his persona.

Not another face in the crowd.

Some people were just born cool.

But that doesn't mean you'll be accepted. Right?

Art is my passion in life and illustrating is just an everyday thing for me. I would seriously have a breakdown if someone took my pens off me - so don't. Please! 

After spending a lot of time drawing a ton of "pretty people" I thought right, that's boring. So I sat down, watched a load of Tim Burton films and thought YES! So, these are some characters I've made up with a little bit of  imagination and a prominent influence of Burton. Sometimes I like to imagine their past and what they've been through and what they would believe in if they came to life. Weird? Yeah I know. I just think their faces can tell much more of an interesting story.

 The question is, would you listen?

IF I ASKED YOU FOR HELP WOULD YOU  RUN AND SAVE ME? 

OR JUST STOP AND STARE?

I've been playing around with unconventional beauty a lot recently. Of course it's nice to see a pretty face sometimes and although it's a pleasure to see aesthetically pleasing creatures, these creatures often have a head full of junk. 

The people you overlook usually have the greatest stories to tell.

Take pictures of randoms.

I took the top photo of a smartly dressed man while waiting for the tube in London. He caught my eye with his flash suit and I love the juxtaposition between the hot, grungy underground and the classic grey business suit.

The colourful character in the photo underneath was taken by Fae Violet the blogger of "Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed" (but I was there when she took the photo!) I think we mighr have been in Victoria Coach Station? Well anyway he's very cool with his patchwork shirt and purple trousers. His red bag with the little handle is so hard to pull off for a guy on the street because it might give off the wrong impression... Either that or you might look like Roy Cropper from Coronation Street. This guy though, is just cool.

Go out with your camera because you never know who you might bump into.

LOUISE BOURGEOIS.

A friend of mine who is studying fine art, told me about this artist Louise Bourgeois. Apparantely she's quite well known in Britain, having made a giant spider sculpture based outside the Tate Modern, London, a few years ago. And, being an art lover myself, I'm really suprised not to have heard of her before.

I researched her work online and you know when you can just relate to something? I love the concepts behind her work and her thought processes. She included a lot of her past experiences into her work, expressed past relationships and negative thoughts into her fine art installations.

The pieces I looked at were very emotion based and expressed feelings of confinement, fear, isolation and lonliness. As I was concentrating on gaining inspiration from my nightmares over the summer, I just felt a link with her way of thinking.

This is a page I scanned from my sketch book which contains an image of one of her art installations - "the cells - glass spheres and hands."

Bourgeois explains that the 'cells' represent different types of pain - "the emotional, the physical, the pyscological, the mental and intellectual. When does the emotional become the physical? When does the physical become the emotional? It's a circle going round and round. Pain can begin at any point and move in any direction."

This ideology is represented very literally through the 3D spheres. It't not an obvious theory from glancing at the sculptures first off and I suppose the spheres can be interpreted very differently from each person who views them. I can feel what she's trying to portray through the shapes, the feeling of confinement, frustration and emptiness, but they could represent anything you imagine them to be.

These are more pages from my sketchbook. The top right is her most recognised piece - the giant spider.

What was she trying to say with this? Why would she want to recreate the monster that terrifies so many people, a thousand times it's normal size and place it in the middle of London?

Maybe we must face our fears in order to move on with our lives?

BLIND ADAM.

You know how you'll be looking for new curtains on the internet, but somehow that leads you onto something completely different? Then one thing leads onto another and you end up finding something awesome that has nothing at all to do with what you were looking for in the first place? Well basically that's me.

BLIND ADAM is an art project, debuted in 2007, by Thanos Kyriakides. The photo's are primarily in black and white and capture a real sense of dark emotion within each model. There's a sense of sorrow, vulnerability, longing and confinement within the pictures and maybe a few religious references too. The garments are not exactly wearable but who cares? It's the truth behind them that's counts.

check out the website where you'll find all the pictures, collaborations, collections and exhibition details:

http://www.blindadam.com/index.php#blindadam

all images from:

http://www.blindadam.com/index.php#categories/collaborations/91

pOP aRT -richard hamilton.

Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?

Interior || 1964, oil paint and collage on panel

I loaned a book from the library over the summer called "Art revolutions, Pop Art taking the world by storm" by Linda Bolton. I've always been into popular culture and although I'm not a huge lover of bright colours, pop art is my only exception! You probably recognise the above images by Richard hamilton as they are one of the most famous as pop art goes. 

I totally get the randomness of the different objects in the first image above, it just fit's my personality! and there's a strong element of humour which I think is great. The main reason I chose these images is quite shallow to be honest. I just like the collage technique he's used with the basic black and white "out of place" characters stuck onto more realistic coloured surroundings. The technique is fab. I haven't used it much at all, as I am a serial drawer! But yeah, I usually ramble on to people about looking deeper into works of art to read subliminal messages and artistic expressions but this time, I'm just loving the aesthetic quality of Hamilton's work. I actually hate that reason! I always have a reason behind everything I draw/create/design and think it's annoying when people just choose things they like for how they look without realising the underlaying story and inspiration behind closed doors! But oops, looks like I just turned into one of those people!

images from http://holidayclubrecordings.co.uk/blog/?p=2459

Express the inner via the outer.

Being a Tim Burton lover, I've noticed my work becoming a lot looser, more bizarre and weirder each day! Here, I've drawn a man wearing a rough candy cane pattern shirt and a wacky yellow dickie bow. Now... the Fashion world is full of beautiful models. Admittedly I love the chiselled cheekbone look on a man, it's beautiful, but the guy I've created above maybe isn't what you'd visually call perfect? Is he entitled to wear such a funky, cool outfit when he doesn't fit the image of the person you think he should resemble? The world is cruel, you decide.

You'd probably choose the centre face. Why? You don't know what's inside his core. The unconventional character raises a lot of issues - what is real beauty? What does your face say about your clothes? 

Everyone likes to look at a pretty face. Well, for about five minutes.. until it get's boring. I think the fashion world needs to be more aware of unconventional beauty, whether outer or inner. Beautiful clothes don't always reflect the inside of a person. Pretty dress + ugly personality = epic fail.

Clothes need to express what you don't always have the guts to say out loud.

Your face says a thousand words. Wear it bravely.

Expect the unexpected. 

What do you see in your dreams?

Salvador Dali is a massive inspiration to me. I adore everything he has done in the world of art, with intellect, integrity and imagination. Almost everything creative I undertake, I imagine what he would have done or what he maybe has already done. I just think he just had a phenomenal mind.

The above image is a scan from my sketch book depicting a still shot from a short surrealist film called Un Chien Andalou by Dali and spanish director Luis Bunuel that uses 'dream logic' as the theme. I read that dali dreamt of his hand being covered by a swarm of ants and from this, he recreated this imagery and put it in his film.

Why... did a black whole appear in the middle of my palm, filled with a swarming anthill that I try to scoop out with a spoon?

-Salvador Dali

This, initially inspired me to analyse my own dreams. What do they mean, if anything? they must mean something deep down, surely? Is it just the way our brain ticks when it's asleep? But how can we see, smell, taste and hear things so clearly in our minds that maybe we haven't even seen before in reality? Should we take them seriously? Is it true that the person you dream of is missing you in reality? 

Sometimes, I dream of weird shapes and I wake up in the middle of the night (I always keep a pen and paper by my bed) and have to draw what I see because it inspires a design I'm creating. Dreams really are whatever you make of them. Good or bad. 

Ignore them and you might loose an awful lot of creativity.

Here's the link to the short film Un Chien Andalou:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRjgOirNNSc

cRAZY PeopLE.

You know I can do it better.

I am a doodler. Full stop dot com. I doodle all the time. When I was in school I remember having my report and the the teachers in the more academic subjects would write "Jordan's work is excellent but she does have a tendency to daydream and doodle." But that's what I've always been like. If I have a pen in my hand I probably won't be writing a speech, or a novel, I'll be drawing my perfect outfit for next weekend, or sketching the lady opposite me and repacing her clothes with my own designs. I'll be drawing silly, ugly faces, beautiful eyes, last night's dream and flowing gowns. Just me and my own little world. I'm the kind of person who is not the best at explaining vocally and would rather just draw what I mean on paper and hand it to someone! If I couldn't design and re-design new things, I wouldn't have a clue what I would do. There is not a single thing in the world that I enjoy more (apart from sleeping). I'll turn down a probably fabulous night out and instead lay out all my paints and pens on the floor and draw for hours! Now I can't figure out whether that's dedication or just plain sad?!

I like to vandalise images in magazine's of models and exaggerate their features, add speech bubbles or add new dynamics to the face or clothes. Just have fun with it and doodle really.

When I went to New York in February, me and my friend Rachel bought the american Vogue in Wall st with Lady Gaga gracing the cover. I must have read it a thousand times since I've come home because I know it's something I can never get another one of. It's really sentimental to me. Anyway, I photocopied some advertisements from inside over the summer and just drew all over them

The models are originally female but being a lover of androgyny,
I've given them a whole new gender makeover. I wanted to blur the gender barrier and create something interesting.  I'ver made the hair messier and the attitude fierce. It's all hand drawn with ink but when I have a spare minute I'll probably retouch them on photoshop. But right now I've just shown you a rough draft of an idea in the very early stages.

But why would you want to ruin a pretty face?

Each model has the same styling, it's that dark, grunge, edgy, rough, battered rock lifestyle!

Dolce & Gabbana anyone?

Over the summer, I visited the Dolce & Gabbana store in Bond Street, London to check out the menswear for autumn/winter 2011. I'd already looked at the new collection on www.style.com and just thought it'd be nice to visit the actual store seeing as I've never seen it, or Bond Street before. Wow, it was so nice! I felt like a celebrity (haha) The whole row of designer shops on Bond St are brilliant. There's Alexander McQueen right next door too so I popped into there to have a quick browse. (I was praying I wouldn't see anything I wanted because I didn't fancy being bankrupt so close to Christmas!)

I picked up the lookbook they had near the counter in Dolce & Gabanna and have to say the pictures in it are beautiful. So crisp, with a classic compilation of black and white photographs gracing the cover. I could just rip out a page and frame it! So I scanned some images into my computer and thought I'd upload them on here.

 Typically for Autumn/Winter they show no bright colours, just neutral shades of black, grey, tan and white mainly. There are a few leather pieces in there, like casual jackets, bags, belts and shoes which are gorgeous, but I noticed the majority of the garments are made from heavy suiting material. Well Dolce &

Gabbana are a classically styled brand

aren't they? They're not famous for bonkers designs or anything and their signature style is sophisticated and well groomed, so there's no suprise they've created a vast collection of clean cut single breasted blazers for men in grey, pinstripe and black. There's one in particular that I love and its like a charcoal grey with black piping detail around the jacket lapel (picture below). It's gorgeous for a glam ocassion. If I was a guy, I would definitely be buying it. They sell the matching trousers, which really would be a package for an important ocassion, but I love the juxtaposition of formal wear and casual wear such as teaming the formal blazer with bleached jeans. Sexy. A lot of men are wearing that look now though aren't they? Same with the geek chic, everyone's doing it. I still like it though, I think it's a really cool look. And as usual, I'm always drawing, so to the left is just a charcoal sketch of one of the formal blazers featured in the look book. And guess what? I accidentally tipped a pint of coke over it as soon as I'd finished hence the brown tinge! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, I was like oh my god that took me two hours... But then realised it had actually given it an old, authentic feel! phew. Some accidents are actually meant to be. Who would have thought.

Looking at the casual section in the D&G lookbook, there was a variety of leather jackets, checked shirts and fleece's, scarfs and zip up bomber jackets, all in dark, wintery shades. I think the burnt crimson colour leather is really classy. The guy on the far left is wearing a nice cream and black checked jacket, perfect for a shopping trip or a day out in Decemeber.

McQueen till I die.

I absolutely adore Alexander McQueen. It's so hard to comprehend that we won't ever see his work again. It's nice to know that the label will carry on though by his former assistant Sarah Burton.  She worked so closely with McQueen over the years so if anyone can recreate the essence of McQueen, it's her. I don't think we'll ever really fully accept the change of designer because he really was a one off. One things for sure, he will never be replaced.

These are just a few of my favourite outfits from the menswear fall 2011 collection. There's lots of blocked colours used on the garments, with a consistent black and white theme with accents of bright reds and yellows. McQueen was notable for his 'unwearable' pieces, the statement garments which were just created for aesthetic reason rather than logic. This collection features more functional garments, but with the exceptionally high, almost dracula-like collars, there's still that distinct element of McQueen that we all love.