Mmmm... Uma

(click on pic to see larger)

Here's a Kill Bill illustration I did earlier today. I created the outlines and colours in Illustrator and added shading and textures in Photoshop. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it yet - I'll probably play around with the colors and textures some more later. I should also probably fiddle around with the hair textures a bit more.

I guess I've always had a thing for Uma. I remember first seeing her in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in the theatre nearly (good God) 20 years ago with my friend Colin. She left quite an impression on both of us. I still can't quite forgive her for crap like Be Cool and My Super Ex-Girlfriend though.

Here's the original source image:



Plus the outlines I created in Illustrator:

Strange days are over

Amid the hustle and bustle of Starbucks yesterday morning, I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It's a weird feeling when you spend nearly a couple of months with an entire fictitious world and then suddenly have to say goodbye. For Christmas, I received The Ladies of Grace Adieu, a collection of short stories set in the same magical world. At least I'll be able to dip into that now and again when I need a quick fix.

In all, I found the book to be an amazing fairy tale. Clarke's almost Jane Austen-like writing style served the story perfectly; it made the light passages more innocent and the dark passages more eerie and menacing. I loved how all of the various stories threaded together so beautifully at the end.

Now I'm ready to start another Christmas-gift novel by a favorite of mine; jPod by Douglas Coupland. I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it already. Here's the opening passage:

"Oh God. I feel like a refugee from a Douglas Coupland novel."

"That asshole."

"Who does he think he is?"

Watch for paper cuts

And on the other end of the spectrum, Jen Stark makes amazing paper sculptures using layers upon layers of precisely cut colored paper. More at her website, www.jenstark.com.

Found on allmaple.

Sharpened senses

Jennifer Maestre makes very cool sculptures out of everyday objects such as pencils, beads and nails. The pencils are my favorites though - I love the textures created by the different colors and the combination of sharpened ends and cross sections. See more at her website, www.jennifermaestre.com

Found on newstoday.

What's the deal...

...with old men and construction sites? Every time I pass a construction site, there's always an elderly man standing there watching. Just wondering...

Oooh... the colors, the colors

The perfect antidote to a rainy Monday. Time lapse footage of 106 balloons taking off in the 2006 Reno Balloon Race.

Found on newstoday.

Year of the pig farmer

It's difficult to ignore the media attention surrounding the Robert Pickton trial at the moment, especially working on the news shift at channel m. It's hard to believe that it's been five years since Pickton was arrested at his Coquitlam farm. I was asked if I was interested to do the courtroom sketches for the first day of the trial, but didn't feel that my sketching abilities were fast enough or good enough. In any case, somebody else from graphics was able to help out, and did an incredible job. By all accounts, the first day ran the gamut from tedious to gruesome. He is on trial for the deaths of 26 women, but has confessed to killing 49.
At any rate, I'm sure a lot of stories are going to unfold during this trial. It's going to be interesting to find out how something like this could go on for so long (nearly 20 years) without the RCMP finding out about it.

Older, but not old

Having your birthday on New Years Day definitely gives you pause for reflection (and not just asking yourself questions like 'How did I get home last night?' or 'Where did those stains come from?'). A couple of weeks later, I'm allowing myself a moment of self-indulgence; hey, it's my blog, it's supposed to be self-indulgent. Here's a partial list of observations that I have made about rounding the final lap of my dirty thirties.

Grey chest hairs? What the hell?

Some recent purchases: Orthopedic insoles, skin moisturizer, and, just last week, a nose and ear hair trimmer.

I sometimes find myself waking up at 4:00 in the morning for no apparent reason.

I have coworkers who were born in the early 80s. I remember the early 80s.

When I went to high school, text messaging was writing a note on a piece of paper and passing it along several rows of desks.

I often find myself smiling wistfully for no apparent reason.

I've started wearing pajama bottoms.

Sometimes I do crosswords before I go to bed.

I am now one of those guys who stands towards the back at concerts and pretends to mouth the words.

Sometimes I put my back out just by sleeping funny or sneezing.

I used to use Columbia House to order LPs.

I distinctly remember my parents when they were ten years younger than I am now.

If I rent a movie longer than, say, 90 minutes, I have to ask myself 'Shall I take a nap first?'

But all in all, it's not so bad really. After all that soul-searching and identity crisis that comes with your twenties and thirties, I'm definitely more comfortable with the way I am than I used to be. I guess that I've finally grown accustomed to myself and my strange ways.

I'm feeling more creative and satisfied than I have in years and I'm still constantly inspired and recharged by my environment and the people around me. Not a week goes by that I don't watch a movie, hear a new song, or see a piece of art that stops me in my tracks and makes me think 'Wow'. When I was a boy, I loved drawing, writing, reading, taking photos - years later, I'm still doing exactly the same thing. Creativity is a huge part of who I am and, hopefully, it will be for many years to come.

OK, I'm starting to sound a little too 'Dr. Phil' now, so I should probably sign off.

Should've gone for a mullet

(Jack contemplates a hairy situation)

Couldn't let the day pass without mentioning a very special milestone. Jack's first haircut.

Nice to have you back Jack

(Jack contemplates a hairy situation)

Watched the 2-hour premiere of 24 Season 6 last night. Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see Jack Bauer back doing what he does best; talking on cellphones with his eyes darting around nervously; sneaking around the outsides of buildings holding a gun with two hands; interrogating terrorists with his face two inches from theirs. Already I've chewed the hell out of a couple of my fingernails. And, I think, I've developed a small crush on Chloe.

But now, a few observations:

Did he really shave off that beard in 'real time'?

For a guy kept in a Chinese prison for two years, Jack sure looked like he still had the opportunity to eat well and workout regularly

When will the bad guys learn that if you're going to torture and kill the good guy, what's the point in telling him about your secret plans beforehand? Don't these guys watch James Bond movies?

Did I really just see Jack Bauer bite a man to death? Or is Kiefer just having a Lost Boys flash-back?

Next time I want to get away with riding the Skytrain without a ticket, I'll just tell the attendant that I'm a federal agent.

What's the hell's a nice girl like Chloe doing with a creep like THAT?

A cut above the rest

Danish artist Peter Callesen creates amazing works of art using some incredible papercutting skills. The skeleton above was done with a single sheet of A4 paper.

While some of his pieces are small and delicate, others are far more grandiose. Here's a castle created with a single sheet of 7.20 x 7.15 metre paper:



You can see some more of his work at his website www.oncotton.co.uk

Found via Marcus Fairs at dezeen.com.

Face value

Photographer Simon Hoegsberg walked the streets of New York for one month, seven hours a day looking for faces that attracted his attention. He chose ten, took their portraits, and asked them all the same question "What do you think about your face?" You can see the results here.
He also has some other interesting projects at his website www.simonhoegsberg.com.
As for me, I'm not really sure what I think about my face. I don't think it's a bad face really. It can be quite expressive when I need it to be, but I'm pretty good at hiding my emotions too. I've been told that I have nice eyes, although people often ask me why I look so tired. I get my eyes and mouth, I think, from my mother, my nose (complete with nose hairs) and facial expressions from my dad. I've heard that I look like everyone from Thom Yorke to Mr. Bean to Robert Downey Jr. to Jude Law (but that person was pretty drunk). As far as I'm concerned, I think they all look a little like Simon Clarke.
...Oh yeah, and I've also been told that I look like a Russian pianist. Not really sure what she meant by that.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Another snowy day in Vancouver yesterday. Took some more photos in Stanley Park and added them to my photo blog.

iWannit

Apple introduces the new iPhone. It's an iPod, it's an internet device, and, oh yeah, it's a phone.
Ooooohhhh. Aaaahhhh.

Jack and Freddy

A print that I made as a Christmas present to my sister Melanie and nephew Jack, using elements from a Christmas animation I made for channel m.
By the way, I should also say a belated Happy Birthday to my sister who celebrated her birthday three days ago. I can't really say Happy Birthday to David Bowie and forget my own sister's now can I?
"Happy 29th Birthday Mel!"

Many Ziggy Returns

Can you believe it? Quite possibly the second coolest guy on the entire planet has just turned sixty ... and just when I was feeling depressed about turning 39. I suppose that there's hope for us all. Now I just need a supermodel wife.
Happy Birthday David!
Oh and by the way, he's very disappointed that you forgot.

This just made me laugh

...and now for something completely pointless

A pointless but entertaining blog filled with nothing but pictures of a man running away from his camera. In his words, "The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can." Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?
The blog is called, oddly enough, Running from Camera.

A Shutter Darkly

Having lots of fun with my new digital camera, so thought I would start a new blog with some of the pictures I've been taking. It's called A Shutter Darkly (I know, I know... sometimes I'm just too clever for my own good) and you can see it here.

Happy New Year!

Well, another year has passed and another birthday has come and gone. Woke up on my couch this morning, fully clothed, contact lenses welded to my eyeballs, with a bowl of popcorn spilt all over me. I may be getting older, but I show no sign of maturing anytime soon.
Had (I'm pretty sure) a good New Years Eve last night. A group of us went to The Red Room after drinking heavily at a friends apartment from 8:00 to 10:00. Think I polished off nearly a full bottle of Cheeky Monkey Merlot plus whiskey plus a couple of beers plus a couple of gin and tonics. Surprisingly, I'm feeling pretty good today. I'm getting to the age where I really can't predict my hangovers anymore.
Made my way down to the Polar Bear Swim at English Bay today where my friends Mia and Paul were joining hundreds of other brave souls / mad fools for a quick dip in the ocean. As luck would have it, today was reeeeally cold with some nice icy rain to top it off. I was much happier being a spectator than a participant. Said my final goodbyes to Mia before she heads back to Denmark tomorrow and then made my way back home. Stopped by McDonalds for a couple of greasy cheeseburgers (or is that cheesy greaseburgers?) and then fell asleep on the couch for a couple of hours. Happy Birthday to me!
Anyway, have a happy and peaceful New Year everyone. I've got a feeling that 2007 is going to make 2006 look like 2005.