Tuesday 31 July 2012

Play

Photobucket

Photobucket

I played a little bit with my photos from Brighton, hmm...

Monday 30 July 2012

Gorilla!


I love silly, ugly drawings that make me laugh and today I needed a good laugh so I thought that it was about time that the Animal Kingdom bear got a friend, a gorilla;

Animal Kingdom Gorilla by Asa Wikman
Photobucket

Here's some crazy stories about human beings and their relationships with animals, the crocodile Pocho in Costa Rica, Mark Duma and the polar bear Agee  and the famous Lion man Kevin Richardsson and Anita and the wolves at the Polar Zoo.

Now I will eat nutella and stalk Art Directors.

PS. Thanks for all the comments, it's nice to know that someone reads the blog, thanks for the feedback!

I Like: Laurent Chehere's Flying Houses





I thought that it could be nice to post projects that I find really inspiring now and then and to start this new inspiration section I wanted to introduce the French photographer Laurent Chehere (and as I am a nice person I do not steal images from people's websites and blog them, I have asked him for his permission to do so and he was very nice and said yes, thanks Laurent!)

I do like stories of people who suddenly decide to change their lives and live their dreams and Laurent is one of them. He used to work within advertising but left his job one day and decided to go travelling around the world with his camera, when he returned to France he knew what he wanted to do with his life, he would live his two passions; travelling and photography, and he has done so ever since.

Laurent draws inspiration from exploring cities, suburbs, countries and architecture and one of my favourite projects is his "Flying Houses" that I am showing above.

To see more of Laurent's work click here

Friday 20 July 2012

Beach Out fragments

Photobucket

Work in progress, brainstorming and playing. There's something that I really like about this.

If I don't pick up, I am at the Beach


Wishful thinking. The holiday is over and I am back to work, but there are some fun projects around the corner so I am actually quite excited. In one of the new projects I am thinking abut using my photography and found these from a very cold day in Brighton early last year. It was freezing but still so many surfers were out there and the clouds made an graphic line across the skyline that night and I remember thinking that if I do not manage to get an amazing picture out of this magical evening, I should never touch a camera again. It was very dark so I should have had an tripod but I think these pictures came out alright, but they have been lightened a lot, in reality it was super dark.

I want to go Brighton again soon, it's a very nice coastal town and also, they have a hamburger restaurant that knows how to make vegetarian burgers and makes the best one's in the world, the burgers only are worth a train ticket.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

PS Thanks for all the comments, it's nice to get some feedback now and then :)

Monday 16 July 2012

Sweden fever


It happens now and then, mostly in summer time, I get hit by Sweden fever. Suddenly I do not like crowds and the fact that I can get international food around my corner for hardly no money at all is no longer as interesting or fabulous as Swedish summers and running naked and jumping into a lake in a vast woodland.

I drift into my imagination, log onto Hemnet and look for my Swedish dream, my own torp. It should have a garden and no neighbours but the forest, be very close to a lake and of-course it is red and has white corners and a lot of character. I my mind I buy it, get two old fat cats, plant a apple tree, sit down by a type writer with a scoth and all of a sudden start writing bestsellers.

Of-course the fact that I cannot drive a car or have a drivers license and therefor would not even be able to get myself food is a petitesse, or the fact that I stopped writing 15 years ago. But it is nice to day dream, and look what you can get for the ridiculous amount of 225 000 Swedish Krona! And it is absolutely corrupt-London-landlord-free and you would pay as much for this place monthly as for a room in central London.

Oh, Sweden...








PS. Don't buy it though...it's mine.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Man Size Moustaches Packaging Design

I thought I 'd share a project that I worked on recently. I love creating characters so I was very happy when I was asked to create some characters as well as different noses, eyes, eyebrows and hair styles for the super talented people over at Studio Two Create and their Man Size Moustaches packaging designs.

When I started the characters were not supposed to have hair, but I wondered if it might not be possible to add hair as it adds so much personality to a character and also could give the packaging a fun shape. They were up for it and decided that it could be fun to die cut the packaging and hair was added. Here is a earlier version of the black moustache guy;

Photobucket
Below are the final selection that is now out in stores and are available at npwVery fun project to be involved with, thank you Studio Two Create!

Photobucket
Photobucket

Back in London

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Yes, back to life, back to reality. Here's some pics from a rainy London. Apparently the rain will continue to fall until September so I am going to update my library with some good books and get some more sketchbooks and pretend I don't notice the absence of summer this year. Any must-read-book suggestions?

Friday 6 July 2012

Stockholm Summer 2012


Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
I was wondering why there was red pieces of fabric hanging out of so many windows on Södermalm, apparently there are plans to take down one of the very old areas and build some new modern stuff. I totally agree, fuck of and leave the old buildings alone!
Photobucket
Photobucket

Photobucket
The superb bookshop Hansson & Bruce on Götgatan 37
Photobucket
Second hand shop in Gamla stan
Photobucket

Liquorice and salty sweets...
Photobucket
Photobucket

Here are some pics from my short visit to Stockholm, my old home town. Stockholm has an archipelago with hundreds if not even thousands of islands that you can visit and is surrounded by lot's of lakes and forests, no need for asthma spray in this town but if you want to enjoy a few pints I have to warn you, alcohol is very expensive in Sweden and instead of socialising by meeting up in Pub's like we do here in London, people go for a "fika", which means something like a short coffee break, and there are lot's and lot's of coffee places in Stockholm. It is a great summer town surrounded by water, when I lived there and took the underground to work I could sit on the train and watch people diving from the cliffs into the ocean. Winters are a bit different...

 I unfortunately have to say that I always get annoyed with the people though, they are unbelievably rude and elbow and push you in the underground, does not let you get off the train before they try to squeeze on, point you in the wrong direction if you ask for it and if you hold the door for an elderly man with a large shopping trolley, a kid and a dog he looks at you as if you are an idiot and says "Here in the big town we have buttons that opens doors". Fuckers. If you speak loud American or English, they will be very nice though as they love to get the chance to speak some English and feel continental but if you look like a "svenne" like me - you get elbowed and sometimes even walked straight into. But the town is beautiful never less. If you plan to go to Stockholm during the Christmas sales though, riot gear is recommended.

These pictures are from the Old Town, Södermalm and Koppla sjön. I have to confess that it does not feel that great to be back in a grey and rainy London, I start to realise that in this city there is just constant autumn - but at least people are very nice ;)

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Smultron
Photobucket


Photobucket
Photobucket
Kantareller..mmm...
Photobucket
Beautiful old houses
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
PS. Is this the world's smallest house?
Photobucket
...and this is me looking awfully smug in an elevator, I hate being photographed so I always pull weird faces, the passport police often laugh at my passport as I have never, ever in my entire life managed to feel comfortable in front of a camera - I prefer to stay behind.

I had a great holiday but now it's time to get back to work. I have a pile here waiting to be dealt with so I should get started. Hope you all are having a great summer (if anyone's even reading this?).

PS. While I was gone a short interview with me was posted on the blog Almost Real.