Feeling Minnesota

Found out that a cover I illustrated last year for the Minneapolis Saint Paul visitor's guide picked up a silver award in the Best Single Cover category (general interest over 60,000 circulation of course) at the Minnesota Publishing Awards. Neat.

Get Your Ass To Mars

While we're on the sci-fi tip, here's a recent US editorial job illustrating a short story concerning a Martian cable car. Really enjoyed indulging my inner geek on this one...and in no way was I inspired by the nutty eye-pop climax of Total Recall.

Moon Cat

Finally got to see the British sc-fi flick Moon this week followed by an entertaining and inspiring Q+A with director Duncan James and producer Stuart Fenegan thrown in for good measure. The film is a fantastic psychological portrait of a lone blue-collar lunar base operator and features a really solid and moving central performance by Sam Rockwell who, for me, has never been better. There are echoes of classic sci-fi films such as Outland, Silent Running and Alien in the script, visual effects and production design and the film, made on a paltry budget, is a real achievement for the first time director. The soundtrack by Clint Mansell is also outstanding. It was exciting to see a really enthusiastic director/producer team making good on the kind of influences that used to fire me up as a 'yoof'.

Spaghetti Graphica

The good people at Bunker in Milan alerted me to this upcoming exhibition at the Trienalle Design Museum showcasing the cream of Italian Graphics. The Carraro Annual Report 2007 I illustrated will be amongst the work featured. Mille Grazie!

On Guard,....Sir!

Recently found myself watching Ridley Scott's first film The Duellists on a particularly lazy Sunday morning and was really taken by it. The film charts the increasingly absurd duels fought by two Napoleonic generals over the decades, as played by the honour-fanatic Harvey Keitel and the more reasonable Keith Carradine (a classic underrated actor). Every frame is beautifully lit and composed, with some amazing use of 'magic-hour' sunlight, and the direction is unusually subtle compared to late Scott fare. The final lingering money shot above is a real corker, etches itself on the mind.

More Freaks

Another rogue for the gallery...bit of a meat-head this one

Peace Out

Here's a blissed out, big hair design for Anna Goodson Management's annual coaster promotion. Coming to the bottom of a cup near you.

It's Design Week

Just finished the cover and a spread illo for the current issue of Design Week on the stands today. Check it.

I, Computer Arts

Little heads up in the latest issue of Computer Arts featuring the recent New Scientist cover illo I, Phone. Have been too busy to blog recently and that's no good, must do better. New work coming dis way.