Babe, it must be art

And you don't know where you've been

2012-02-06T08:12:00.000+02:00

The final part of Desert Rose's adventure. I had a different ending planned but changed it as I rooted with the desert and thought the rose would too! Soundtrack: U2 - "Hawkmoon 269" live in Sydney "Lovetown tour" 1989

Cover Me Good

2012-02-04T08:29:00.000+02:00

I did these takes on more or less classic comic book covers from the past and present just for fun a while ago. I have held back publishing them here though in case of any misunderstandings. You see, these are not rip-offs but should be taken as more like homages of the original work - or "covers" of the original covers, geddit ?-) And pictures shouldn't be taken seriously either, with their exaggarated body parts and whatnot!

The Ghosts of Us anniversary

2012-02-02T11:17:00.000+02:00

It's been a year since I published a graphic novel The Ghosts of Us in its own blog. The story takes place in a forgotten rural Japan and follows Yukiko (above), a troubled young woman on a journey to find answers to questions she doesn't even know herself. She meets up with a mysterious girl clad in black (below) who seems to know Yukiko and more so, the answer to what troubles her. She claims she can redeem Yukiko. But is the girl just mad? Can Yukiko trust her? Go and find out yourself!

Imaginary Movie #15: Evening

2012-01-30T09:10:00.000+02:00

And let's move to the beat, like we know that it's over
If you slip going under, slip over my shoulder

Sliding Down on the Surface of Things

2012-01-23T08:31:00.001+02:00

It's been two months since I promised the fifth part of Desert Rose's (see the tag below) wanderings. In the end, I had so many drawings for it I had to divide what was planned as the final entry into two chapters. So the sixth and tentatively the final part of the series is finished and waiting in the pipeline... Soundtrack: U2 - "Even Better than the Real Thing" live in Denver 2011

Taking It to the Streets

2012-01-16T08:38:00.000+02:00

The first picture story done this year. There will be lots of drawings from the last year in the future updates though as there's so much stuff still unpublished. Soundtrack: Tokyo Jihen - 電波通信 (live from Ultra C)

The Bridge

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000+02:00

Soundtrack: The Cure - Why Can't I Be You (Live 2008)

Welcome back, Zheng Jie!

2012-01-09T08:25:00.001+02:00

Congratulations, Chinese tennis pro Zheng Jie, for winning Auckland Classics 2012! It was her first singles title since Stockholm Open back in 2006, and must have come as a relief after last two injury-ridden seasons! Hoping for the best for her in Australian Open where she reached semi-finals two years ago.

Future World III - The 2012 Calendar

2012-01-01T00:19:00.002+02:00

January: The Observer

February: Tiger Mistress

March: Sarge

April: The Dark Queen

May: "87"

June: The Observer's deck

July: Tiger Mistress

August: Sarge

September: The Dark Queen

October: "87"

November: The Observer

December: Tiger Mistress

Happy New Year 2012! Leave all the bad moments, feelings and habits to the last year and make room for happiness in this year!

Disclaimer: You may download or print the calendar pictures for personal use only. All other distribution or making profit in any way is strictly prohibited.

Happy Holidays, Miss Lawrence

2011-12-23T11:33:00.003+02:00

I have been building up a follow-up to Shanghai Express. It has grown so big though I decided to cut it into parts and thist first one is both a prelude for what eventully will be known as Shanghai Express 3 (working title) and my holiday greetings to all the people visiting my blog! Merry Chistmas and Happy New Year!

Some like it hot

2011-12-19T08:52:00.000+02:00

No, I wouldn't want to be naked in a hot desert, oh no. For some reason though, these girls in my drawings end up in desert and this one is also naked. Maybe it's subconscious. It's cold and dark here so here you are, some hot and sunny views for you!

In the freeze frame

2011-12-12T08:18:00.000+02:00

Imaginary band "From the Mist" emerges again, this time in "stills from their first music video". No, they haven't changed the drummer, she went blonde for the shoot ;)

Imaginary Movie: Nightmares & Dreamscapes

2011-12-09T08:47:00.000+02:00

and all the faces that I make
and all the shapes that I throw

There can be no regrets

2011-12-05T08:38:00.000+02:00

A little story inspired by Wong Kar-Wai's style. Again. One of my best movie-going experiences was when I went to see Wong Kar-Wai's Fallen Angels (Duo luo tian shi, 1995) with my brother. It was a small cinema with few theaters. The one airing Fallen Angels was biggest in the said cinema, which wasn't much. It was like a living room with few rows of benches and a small screen. I think modern flat screen tellies are bigger than the screen was! But hey, that's how foreign films were treated, in little specialized cinemas but even that was better than nowadays, only big multiplexes with box-office crap. Sigh. Watching Fallen Angels in that little space was an intense, unforgettable experience.

All I need, thunder on the mountain

2011-11-22T14:38:00.000+02:00

It's funny when picture stories start to write themselves. When I did the picture story "Like a siren she calls to me" I had no idea it will get more sequels than perhaps one. So here we are, in the fourth part following our mysterious desert dweller. Oh, why she's suddenly so happy in the end? That, my friends, you shall see in the fifth part which already is in the works! Soundtrack: U2 - "Unforgettable Fire" live in Paris 1987

Dear Daul

2011-11-19T08:39:00.001+02:00

It's been two years since you decided to leave this earth for another place. And I hope you found that place; a place where you can feel like belonging to, a place where you can be happy and a place where you can be just you and nobody else. We - your fans - miss you and will never forget you. And we love you. Soundtrack: U2 - "No Line on the Horizon" live in Dublin

A still passage

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000+02:00

Chinese movies and TV-series are always a source of inspiration. Here's a collection of drawings inspired by a forthcoming historical TV drama.

The Gig

2011-11-07T08:45:00.000+02:00

More scenes from gigs by imaginary rock band "From the Mist" (thanks for the name, O.N.P.W!). I imagine at this point of their career, they're known in the music circles, yet worldwide success is still a dream. The next time we shall see them, it will be "stills" from their "music video"!

In the army

2011-11-03T15:01:00.000+02:00

Character sketches and concept art for a forthcoming comic project set in an alternate Soviet, a bit like how Fallout 3 and New Vegas are set in an alternate United States. I'd rather say not too much about the comic in advance but I wanted to give some preview anyway. Sketches in mix of pencils, brush pen and various felt tips.

The yet-unnamed protagonist, a soldier in the red army.

Caged. Perhaps a beginning for the story?

A scene in a desolate forest. Expect plenty of sombre scenes with subdued colors and decadence.

A shot without trademark fur cap.

It's a long way to go...

...but is it worth it?

But who we have here? Dare I say hello...? You look like you could kill someone. Without remorse.

The other millennium girl

2011-10-31T09:14:00.001+02:00

When I first heard about Hollywood-remake of Swedish Millennium trilogy based on Stieg Larsson's illustrious books, I was shocked. No way in hell it can work! Well, Daniel Craig could do... but who could replace Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander? She was amazing in the challenging role in the original trilogy. I'm happy no one of the big name actresses who were throwing themselves to the arms of director David Fincher made it. Too much ego in the play. And how much ego you can throw in to play an introvert, tattooed, bi-sexual goth computer genius. Yea, you could throw in so much ego it would be only embarrassing for everyone. So the role went to a relatively unknown Rooney Mara. Seeing the preview shots, she ain't looking too shabby in Lisbeth's get-and-go. I even put my pens on paper and re-created the previews in my style. Hoping for the best, now my doubts linger in Hollywood school of making a thriller...

She stands with a naked flame

2011-10-17T08:45:00.000+03:00

Funny how things work out. Being a part of "Desert Rose" series which started with a picture story "Like a siren she calls to me" and continued in "Dream beneath a desert sky" (see the tag "Desert Rose" below), storywise this latest iteration would actually preceed previous takes, making it oh so trendy prequel! You see, here we get a hint of this mysterious desert dweller's origins. I had fun drawing this story and to avoid it tasting like yesterday's meal, I took a more graphic approach. Even pure landscapes I usually shun turned out naturally to rhythm the pictures. Soundtrack: U2 - "All Because of You" live

Babe for B-day

2011-10-15T15:57:00.001+03:00

A scan of a birthday card I drew to a manly man. Though 72 years old now, he still has an eye for fine feminine forms... Happy b-day, big E! A pencil sketch colored with Neopiko felt tips.

HK '11 up at Graphic Voices

2011-10-15T15:53:00.000+03:00

Bang bang!

A new short story up at Graphic Voices. HK '11 is a sequel to HK '97 and includes scenes of explicit violence and strong language so if you generally shy away from that kind of stuff, you are warned...

Imaginary Movie: Morning

2011-10-10T08:47:00.000+03:00

And all the smiles that I wear and all the games that I play

Dream beneath a desert sky

2011-10-03T08:18:00.001+03:00

A surprise sequel to the "Like a siren she calls to me", all done just in two days after a spark of sudden inspiration. This time I stuck with Neopiko felt tips all the way through even though they dried out in hands, so to speak! Soundtrack: U2 - "Trip Through Your Wires" live in Paris 1987.

From Archives: Unfinished Electric Dreams story, part 2

2011-09-26T08:44:00.001+03:00

The second part of the unfinished Electric Dreams project. Same rules apply as in the previous part. I did one new drawing though, the second to last, mimicing my old style, to create at least some sort of an ending to the story. The original idea was that these replicas were perfect copies of humans with only one intentionally built-in flaw exposing them; they cry blood. In the new drawing the hunter has tried to get the hunted to cry, but eventually she cries herself, revealing she's a replica too. In the end, they're very much like twin sisters now, thinking about their future. I'd like you to treat these drawings as production stills of an unfinished movie!

From Archives: Unfinished Electric Dreams story, part 1

2011-09-19T08:44:00.001+03:00

These drawings, dating back to late 2009 and early 2010, were my first take to pay homage to Blade Runner and place my own tale in the same universe. You can see my style was a bit different back then. The story would follow a hunter (in the first picture) who gets a job to retire her replica (the second picture), only distinguishable from a missing mole on a cheek and a different haircut. The story was also to feature a male co-star but I never got around to draw him. Eventually he became Adam in Electric Dreams - Beginning, the story which was the reason why this tale was eventually discontinued. The hunter became Xianghua and the hunted Child, as seen in Beginning and who both alongside Adam will be featured in the forthcoming sequel. I thought these drawings were too good to be buried for forever in a desk drawer though, so for the next two weeks I present this unfinished story while finishing a few new projects for my blogs. As far as continuation goes, it's not entirely there because so many planned scenes and characters are missing. I hope you enjoy it altogether! The second part in next week.

Like a siren she calls to me

2011-09-12T08:39:00.002+03:00

A little picture story for which I got an inspiration from a recent fashion editorial in a magazine. Such an excellent pictorial it was, starring Chinese beauty Shu Pei, I simply had to do my "portrait version" of it; framing pictures differently, shifting clothing and backdrops, and adding some landscape views to create a frame for this desert rose. Also I did most of the coloring with Neopiko felt tips instead of my usual choice Promarkers, as Neopikos had a perfect color range for these pictures.

Soundtrack: U2 - "In God's Country" live in Paris 1987

Aimo 90 years!

2011-09-12T08:30:00.002+03:00

Our oldest uncle turned 90 years on last Friday (9th September). Aimo Purhonen is one of those few still living persons Finland should thank for being an independent country, as he's a veteran of Finnish War in World War II. I based this portrait on a photo from the late 1940's and the drawing was a part of our family's birthday present to him.

Imaginary Movie: After Dark

2011-09-08T08:39:00.000+03:00

And the hands on all my shoulders don't have names
and they won't go away
so here I go
here I go again...

Taipei '11 up at Graphic Voices

2011-09-08T08:37:00.000+03:00

A sequel to the middle part of an unofficial assassination trilogy, Taipei '02, taking place a few years later, up at Graphic Voices.

Escape

2011-09-05T08:39:00.001+03:00

It's only rock 'n roll but I like it!

2011-08-29T08:29:00.002+03:00

A sequel to "I Love Rock'n Roll!". Even though my imaginary band's members' appearances are based on real-life persons, they are entirely their own persons (if that made any sense...?) so I even came up with names for them. The lead singer/guitarist/songwriter is called Chen Wai Wai, the drummer/backing vocalist Kinko Karuwari and the bassist "Andy" Lin Jing. All I'm missing is a name for the band. Any suggestions? And here's one of their (imaginary) songs:

Reflection

I bend over a pond
I'm alone but instead of me I see you
I smile and my eyes lighten up
I tell you the sweetest words
and I blow you a kiss
But you don't notice me at all

A wind blows and wipes away your reflection
All I see is my sad face
I turn around and I see you
I smile and my eyes lighten up
But you don't notice me at all
(lyrics by P. Piira)

General Kualo

2011-08-22T08:59:00.000+03:00

Evil general Kualo (Chen Jia Jia in her debut role) from Tsui Hark's movie Seven Swords is a kind of character I wish I had created! The movie practically kills itself when Kualo "leaves" it at about one hour mark, such an impressive figure she is among hero stereotypes. And yes, I have mentioned all this before and here are more "movie still" sketches!

With or Without You

2011-08-15T08:48:00.000+03:00

The 6th part of the "Nights" series. For the previous entries see the tag 'Nights' below. Soundtrack: U2 - "With or Without You" live at The Rose Bowl.

The Cage up at Graphic Voices

2011-08-15T08:44:00.000+03:00

A short story The Cage up at Graphic Voices.

I Love Rock'n Roll!

2011-08-08T08:41:00.002+03:00

I wish this imaginary band would be for real!

Pearl, Take Two

2011-08-04T14:24:00.000+03:00

Last November I did an entry about actress Chen Jia Jia's role in an episode of Chinese fantasy TV-series "Legend of Crazy Monk 2". Based on the news at the time I believed she plays Bai Suzhen, the White Snake demon who wants to become immortal by doing good deeds. Now that the episode has been aired in China (of course, I haven't seen it in this side of the world), I now know she plays Spider Jing called Pearl. Apparently her tale borrows elements from the legend of the White Snake. Anyway, Legend of Crazy Monk chronicles the (mis)adventures of traveling monk Ji Gong (played by Benny Chan). Through his journeys the audience is acquainted with different Chinese myths. When I saw a trailer for the series, I got an urge to do some more cartoon takes on Spider Jing. (Her spider limbs aren't so hairy and scary in the series but I guess my artistic freedom reached for Tarantula and his sad demise in the Spider-Man comics I enjoyed as kid ;)

Imaginary Movie: Reflection

2011-08-01T08:48:00.000+03:00

The Imaginary movie featuring late Daul Kim goes on and on... Reflection upon reflection, fragments of life we get to see from the heroine's journey through the night.

The Streets

2011-07-25T08:39:00.000+03:00

Soundtrack: U2 - "Where the Streets Have No Name" live at The Rose Bowl

About a Girl

2011-07-18T08:26:00.000+03:00

Soundtrack: U2 - "Original of the Species" live in Chicago 2005

Onechanbara: Harvest

2011-07-11T09:02:00.000+03:00

A new dose of video game fan art for the longest time, this time for a bloody fun Onechanbara series, which were turned into two movies as well (Chanbara Beauty and Onechanbara Vortex, respectively), both worth watching in the hot summer evenings. Here you go, a straw hat wearing zombie hunter Aya entering undead-infested fields with her little sister Saki.

Soccer & Noodles anniversary

2011-07-11T08:51:00.001+03:00

It's been a year since the release of Soccer & Noodles, a graphic novella about friendship and football in the hot summer 2010 during the World Cup. In case you're new to the blog and my work, I shamelessly plug for it again in its anniversary. Go and read it now and feel a whole lot better after :) Feedback is always appreciated, thank you!

The Dark Queen

2011-07-06T16:18:00.000+03:00

There may be Korean model Hyoni Kang beneath there but artistic freedom gave her blue eyes, freckles and metallic teeth for the role of this spider queen! Soundtrack: The Cure - "Lullaby" live at MSG 2008.

So Winona

2011-07-02T09:42:00.001+03:00

Soundtrack: U2 - "Trying to Throw Your Arms around the World" live in Washington 1992

All Along the Watchtower, Take 2

2011-06-27T08:59:00.001+03:00

When I heard this manic live version of "All Along the Watchtower" from U2's 1989 Lovetown Tour, I had to return to the song I had pictured already in January 2010 and extend it to a four pictures spanning illustrated song. Obvious soundtrack: U2 - "All Along the Watchtower" live in Sydney 1989 Lovetown Tour.

Beautiful Day

2011-06-20T08:20:00.000+03:00

Soundtrack: U2 - "Beautiful Day" live in London at BBC rooftop

New York, New York

2011-06-13T08:41:00.000+03:00

Soundtrack: U2 - Magnificent live in London at BBC rooftop

269:7 up at Graphic Voices

2011-06-13T08:37:00.000+03:00

Caught in a man-trap...

After a long "season break", 269 is back on track with the episode seven at Graphic Voices.

Just an evening in the life

2011-06-09T08:01:00.000+03:00

Imaginary Movie: Noir

2011-06-06T08:39:00.000+03:00

After a long time, a stint to my ongoing tribute to late Daul Kim, disguised as something Wong Kar-Wai could come up with in his films which was the original premise for the series and still is. I don't know if "Imaginary Movie" will ever have an end as such, it just... goes on. As for the dark backgrounds, I wanted to draw this entry to the same brand of Canford art paper I started the series on, but I didn't have blank papers from that era anymore, just a bunch of failed doodles, so I had to cover those into backgrounds.

Li Na, French Open Champion 2011

2011-06-06T08:29:00.001+03:00

As I said back in January in the entry about Li Na's run in Australian Open, "the next time... m-kay?". And indeed it happened so! Congratulations, Li Na, for becoming the first Asian singles champion in Grand Slams by winning the French Open title - and what an impressive display of tennis supremacy it was too! Oh, and congrats to Rafa too for winning the men's title for the sixth time!

The Play III: Rehearsal

2011-05-30T07:54:00.001+03:00

Wheels on their feet

2011-05-23T09:08:00.000+03:00

Summer is here! Soundtrack: Dire Straits - "Skateaway" live at Fridays Live TV Studios, 1980

Deltawaves (Future World II)

2011-05-16T09:33:00.001+03:00

Champion enjoys the applauses

The contest is about to begin

Another victory... where's the challenge?

Android and her reflection

Reflecting...

Holocube player ready for the game

Watch out for those laser beams!

New high score and a victory dance

Entertainment android RF-170 lost in the city

She's a little runaway

Intergalactic traveller shifts into destination

Arrival

Waiting for the companion

Deltawave by Obscuresounds

Destiny

2011-05-14T08:47:00.002+03:00

"You're in the crowd but you don't see anyone. You're already on a path to darkness".

"I was Musashi Clara. Walk in life and death, love and hate."

"You can't avoid the destiny, you're doomed like a cherry tree to blossom and in withering you're the most blooming."

"The goal is to kill you, but this is not what I want. But sometimes you must make a choice you can't escape."

"You don't mind that feeling, far beyond the face and the body that endure the pain."

Soundtrack: The Cure - "It's Over (Baby Rag Dog Book)" live at MSG 2008

Shanghai Rose

2011-05-02T08:53:00.002+03:00

A sequel to Shangai Express. Once again I experimented with doing pictures in different styles. And once again I did this with no storyboard, just drawing pictures on a feeling. Only after that I arranged them into a story. Thanks to my mother for coming up with "the final cut"! Running 22 drawings, Shanghai Rose is pretty much a graphic novel without words.

Soundtrack: U2 - "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" live at The Rose Bowl

I Will Stay

2011-04-25T08:44:00.000+03:00

The fifth part of the "Nights" series. For the previous entries see the tag 'Nights' below. Soundtrack: Hurriganes - "I will Stay" live at club Tavastia, Helsinki 1974

Wanted: Musashi Clara

2011-04-21T09:40:00.000+03:00

Nickname: Flower of the Empire. Specializes in: firearms, daggers, darts. Extremely dangerous, approach with caution, shouldn't be involved with.

"You had such a gentle smile, like a pool of pure water."

"Now your eyes are cold, like ice-cold streams. You live to die, you love to hate."

"Remember that day when we made a future promise; one day we would walk the same path again, holding each other by hand, smiling."

Soundtrack: U2 - "Until the End of the World" live at the Rose Bowl

On the Road

2011-04-18T09:33:00.000+03:00

I suppose I should go into technicalities more often but there's a reason why I don't; it's the same reason I don't like to listen to the commentary tracks in DVDs and Blu-rays - it takes away the magic. But now I make a small exception. This series was colored with Neopiko felt tips instead of my usual tools of trade, Promarkers, as I still try to get a feel to these new, "hawt" pens. Colors were selected from "Manga Set 2" and "Skin Set". I like how Neopikos' color pigment is bright but the pens run out so fast on art papers I use as Neopikos are designed to be used with super-slick "manga paper". And I don't like that kind of paper as it has no texture to it.

The Girl and the Hat

2011-04-11T08:43:00.000+03:00

Soundtrack: Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (Live at the Across From Midnight Tour)

Rain Dance

2011-04-10T09:05:00.000+03:00

Hey Boy, Take a Look at Me...

2011-04-08T08:50:00.000+03:00

...let me dirty up your mind.

At the Edge of the World

2011-04-06T08:58:00.000+03:00

Actress Chen Jia Jia is busy shooting a new movie, here we see her mysterious and complex character having a serious moment.

United We Stand

2011-04-04T09:52:00.000+03:00

This week we have a series of one-picture updates, four vertical portraits. Moving from apartment to another last week took so much time and energy so I couldn't prepare any new picture stories or anything like that. Luckily I had done these beforehand. Lets open the mini-series with one of the best views from recent fall/winter 11/12 fashion collections, Tao Okamoto donning a United Bamboo piece. If I were a girl and could afford high fashion, I'd love to have something like this in my wardrobe!

Legend of Zhen Shu - episode 1

2011-03-24T08:27:00.002+02:00

What do you get when you combine one martial arts movie and one cool fall/winter 2011/12 fashion show which undoubtedly borrowed ideas both for the clothes and the show itself from the same movie? Well, this, "Legend of Zhen Shu"! Planned to be released in an episodic manner, the picture story chronicles the antics of a self-proclaimed crime-fighter kind of character. Here we are introduced to the black-clad heroine, fashioned after one of the stars of the said fashion show, and to a mysterious character, fashioned after one of the stars of the said movie.

For those wondering the blocky "subtitles"; it's entirely intentional as I really wanted to get the heartily dodgy feel of a VHS copy of some Hong Kong action flick. For same artistic reasons I omitted the usual "mustbeart.blogspot.com" tag from the black borders so If you feel a need to distribute these pictures somewhere for whatever reason, please do mention the source of their origin. Thank you.

...and one more thing; I love to draw rain, the flow of it, and how it blurs and interacts with contours and surfaces!

[edit]Replaced the poster with a version with hand-written names and the title.

Candid Daul

2011-03-21T09:33:00.000+02:00

Remembering Daul Kim as a happy person with these two drawings. Oh, and about rather bizarre backgrounds... I had run out of paper but wanted to draw these anyway so I took two papers with failed doodles and covered them up with... something! For the first picture we have a wall painting with retro video game references and for the second a floor painting with... retro video game references! Kudos for those people who identify the game character which can be seen only partially in the latter!

This. Here and Now. With You

2011-03-14T09:18:00.002+02:00

The fourth part of the "Night" series (for the previous parts, see "As Night Goes By", "Nights of Being Wild" and "A Night Like This"). Soundtrack for the story: "This. Here and Now. With You" by The Cure, live at MTV 2008 (the sound recording quality is a bit dodgy, you can hardly hear the bass but the only live take I could find).

Do Androids Dream of Electric Jellyfish?

2011-03-10T09:53:00.001+02:00

A talented young artist who goes by the screen name Jellyfish Opera was kind enough to make a tribute painting to me in his blog. I pay the favor and the drawing above is my tribute to him and his work. He is well versed in what makes art, and artists behind it tick and you can see it in his blog: The Art of Oliver NePaul Wilson. And as has been a custom this year in these pages, here's a soundtrack to go with the drawing:

Infernal Machine by Obscuresounds

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea

2011-03-07T09:05:00.001+02:00

The Cure year continues. Everytime I hear "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea", it reminds me of late Daul Kim so she was a natural choice for a character for this illustrated song. So that we wouldn't forget her... Here's the song: "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" by the Cure, live at Madison Square Garden 2008.

Disintegration

2011-02-28T09:13:00.001+02:00

Soundtrack: "Disintegration" by The Cure, live in Rome 2008

Kyoto Song

2011-02-23T08:41:00.000+02:00

Man vs. Nature

2011-02-21T09:18:00.000+02:00

A drawing I made for my mother as a Christmas gift, and published here with her permission!

Bangkok '10 up at Graphic Voices

2011-02-21T09:16:00.000+02:00

Cheers!

Bangkok '10 finishes the unofficial assasination trilogy at Graphic Voices. And when I talk about trilogy, I must confess I forgot to advertise the middle part Taipei '02 here.... Anyway, both of them are up there to read!

How beauty can be so kind to an ordinary guy

2011-02-14T08:47:00.000+02:00

Smell the Flowers

2011-02-11T09:00:00.000+02:00

"I think it's dark and it looks like rain", you said
"And the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world", you said
"And it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
And then you smiled for a second

Extract from "Plainsong" by The Cure, lyrics by Robert Smith

Presenting graphic novel 'The Ghosts of Us'

2011-02-07T00:09:00.000+02:00

Three sample panels of the graphic novel, without the speech bubbles. Why don't you go and read all the 136 panels of The Ghosts of Us?

In the making since the last August, the graphic novel under a working title 'The Haunting' was finished the last week and is now published in its own blog under a new name: The Ghosts of Us.

The project was done pretty much the same way as 'Soccer & Noodles' in the last summer. We had a rough idea of the story, and I drew scenes from here and there within that idea. When about 50% of the panels were done, we printed thumbnails of them, and started arranging them with three rules in mind; 1) try to make sense to the whole story, that is, it would make sense to you, dear readers, and not only to creators themselves, 2) make basis for each scene based on the finished drawings and 3) at the same time overcome continuity errors (hair loose/tied, dark sky/clear sky and such). After that we wrote the script, including all the panels/scenes not yet drawn. At this point the process shifted from feel-to-do-basis to need-to-do-basis. I'm sure some comic know-it-alls would gasp in horror at this 'wrong way approach', but hey, there's no written canon how comics should be done. Each to his own! Fun(?!) fact: the first panel drawn for the comic was page 4 panel 2, and the last panel was (re-drawn) panel 3 on page 10.

So, point your browser to The Ghosts of Us to read the story of two girls, both lost in their own way, and how they try to overcome their misfortune.

Friday Frolic

2011-02-04T09:19:00.001+02:00

Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throwing out your frown
And just smiling at the sound
As sleek as a shriek
Spinning round and round
Always take a big bite
It's such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
You can never get enough
Enough of this stuff
It's Friday, I'm in love

Extract from "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure, lyrics by Robert Smith

Rag dolls

2011-01-31T09:18:00.000+02:00

Tao Okamoto, top fashion model

Qin Shu Pei, top fashion model

Pei Bei, top fashion model

Ming Xi, top fashion model

Namie Amuro, queen of hip pop

Bai Xin Hui, glamour model & actress

Mu Qi Mi Ya, glamour model & yoga instructor

Inspired by 'stitched and studded' look of M.A.C make-up 'Jeansius' campaign featuring model Tao Okamoto, here I present my take on 'rag doll girls'!

Almost there, girl!

2011-01-31T09:11:00.000+02:00

Congratulations, Li Na, for a great run in this year's Australian Open! Sadly no win in the final, and thus still no Chinese Grand Slam singles winner, but the next time... m-kay? Last year Zheng Jie (who didn't participate this year due to recovering from a wrist operation) and Li Na played both to semi-finals, and this year Li Na reached the final, so the next logical step will be a Grand Slam win! I'm counting on it!

HK '97 up at Graphic Voices

2011-01-31T09:08:00.000+02:00

A new short story up at Graphic Voices. Warning! 'HK '97' features a scene of explicit violence, so that you know in case you're not too keen to see such.

A Night Like This

2011-01-24T09:30:00.001+02:00

The third part of the 'Night' series (see 'As Night Goes By' and 'Nights of Being Wild'). Soundtrack for this picture story: 'A Night Like This' by The Cure, live at Madison Square Garden 2008.

Shanghai Express

2011-01-16T23:17:00.001+02:00

A spiritual follow-up to the 'Merry Christmas, Miss Lawrence' from the Christmas week, starring the same heroine. Same inspirations behind the story, like so many times before, but I'm not apologizing for that! Not even for the last picture which is a direct homage to... yeah yeah, you know ;) Google '2046', if you don't! I drew this picture story in a different style than usually, and styles within that style. You know, you could listen to David Bowie's 'China Girl' when viewing this...

269:6 up at Graphic Voices

2011-01-16T23:09:00.001+02:00

(Insert some elevator muzak in here)

269:6 up at Graphic Voices!

"I'm wearing my 'come hither' hood"...

2011-01-13T08:49:00.002+02:00

To coincide with the release of Mass Effect 2 on PS3, here's some more Kasumi Goto love.

Strange Day

2011-01-10T09:17:00.000+02:00

As long as I first heard The Cure's song 'Strange Day', I have wanted to draw it. I always had this vision of a higway with a 'sky impossible' hanging above it. It took 16 years to finally get it on paper, stripped down to bare mininum, and it didn't take more than a day. Strange day indeed. I don't want to print the lyrics here, I want you to hear the song.

The Joshua Tree Illustrated

2011-01-03T08:58:00.001+02:00

1. Where the Streets Have No Name

2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for

3. With or Without You

4. Bullet the Blue Sky

5. Running to Stand Still

6. Red Hill Mining Town

7. In God's Country

8. Trip through Your Wires

9. One Tree Hill

10. Exit

11. Mothers of the Disappeared

I kick off the new year of the art blog with yet another illustrated U2 album, 'The Joshua Tree' from 1987. I did the whole pictorial in a space of just two days in a mad creative rush! Such an effect U2's music has on me. It's always fun to restrict the color palette you work with, and though it might sound odd, it can give you more creative freedom. For the illustration of 'Bullet the Blue Sky' I recycled a drawing I used in 'Rattle & Hum illustrated' back in June last year. I had several ideas for a new take on it, but in the end decided I didn't want to diminish my original intepretation of it.

Highway Angels: The 2011 Calendar

2010-12-27T09:25:00.000+02:00

Miss January - Gaia

Miss February - Maya

Miss March - The Princess

Miss April - Zoom

Miss May - The Mekhanik

Miss June - Viper

Miss July - Blaze

Misses August - Gaia & Maya

Miss September - Zoom

Misses October - Blaze & Viper

Miss November - The Mekhanik

Miss December - The Princess

To fund their enterprise, Highway Angels posed for a calendar of their own. A bit more risque stuff than what you usually see here, but hey, aren't 'garage door' calendars just like that ?-) For the previous parts of Highway Angels, see the entries 'Highway Angels' and 'Highway Angels - episode 2'.

Disclaimer #1 Some parts of certain persons were exaggerated for the sake of the calendar pictures ;-)
Disclaimer #2 You may download or print out the calendar pictures for the personal use (and pleasure) only. All other distribution or making profit in any way is strictly prohibited.

Merry Christmas, Miss Lawrence

2010-12-20T08:46:00.001+02:00

I originally intended to call this picture story 'Shanghai Express' as a homage to Wong Kar-Wai's movie 'Chunking Express', but as this is a Christmas week, I chose another title. I turned parts of recent Shu Pei editorials into a 'photoshoot' of my own, and when I put my pen on the paper, I really couldn't help it but yet again draw inspiraton from the aforementioned iconic movie director and his collaboration with English-born cinematographer Christopher Doyle. The trick to tap into their fevered style is to draw fast and without thinking too much ahead, creating the same sense of improvisation as in their works. But enough of that, with 'Miss Lawrence' I want to wish you all Merry Christmas! May your presents contain everything you wished for! And of course, may there be a peace on earth... a peace on earth.

Imaginary Movie: The Wanderer Light/Dark

2010-12-13T09:00:00.000+02:00

For the longest time a new episode to my Imaginary Movie featuring late Daul Kim. It started in December last year so returning to it now I felt I needed to reach out for the artist I was a year ago, and use simpler lines and shading. I was glad it came back naturally for the sake of this installment.

The Play II: The Musical

2010-12-06T08:54:00.004+02:00

A sequel to The Play. Oh, silly me! Just realized this blog had a one year anniversary a few days ago. Hooray, eh? Gifts and bribes accepted :P

High

2010-12-03T09:07:00.000+02:00

When I see you sticky as lips, as licky as trips

And when I see you happy as a girl, that swims in a world of magic show

And when I see you kitten as a cat, yeah as smitten as that

269:5 up at Graphic Voices

2010-12-03T09:03:00.000+02:00

You can't be serious...

269:5 up at Graphic Voices!

Nights of Being Wild

2010-11-26T09:09:00.002+02:00

A follow-up to As Night Goes By. Same inspiration, same feeling, this time done not because of regular colors running out, but to deliberately play with colors, lights and moods, a flow of quick and inspired drawings carrying the characters through the night.

November Mist (for Daul)

2010-11-19T08:54:00.003+02:00

We always remember how the weather was on the 19th November last year. It was already dark and we went out for a walk. Suddenly, a mist descended. It was so thick you couldn't see further than your stretched out arm. It was foreboding. As if heaven was crying and the cold weather turned the tears into the mist. When we returned home, we read the news about Daul Kim's death.

Maybe you never was meant for this earth. Maybe you was put here by accident, and you left for a place far beyond human comprehension.

You will never be forgotten.

Charlotte Sometimes

All the faces
All the voices blur
Change to one face
Change to one voice
Prepare yourself for bed
The light seems bright
And glares on white walls
All the sounds of Charlotte sometimes
Into the night
With Charlotte sometimes

Night after night she lay alone in bed
Her eyes so open to the dark
The streets all looked so strange
They seemed so far away
But Charlotte still did not cry
The people seemed so close
Playing expressionless games
The people seemed so close
So many
Other names

Sometimes I'm dreaming
Where all the other people dance
Sometimes I'm dreaming
Charlotte Sometimes
Sometimes I'm dreaming
Expressionless the trance
Sometimes I'm dreaming
So many different names
Sometimes I'm dreaming
The sounds all stay the same
Sometimes I'm dreaming
She hopes to open shadowed eyes
On a different world
Come to me
Scared princess
Charlotte sometimes

On that bleak track
See the sun is gone again
The tears were pouring down her face
She was crying and crying for a girl
Who died so many years before...

Sometimes I dream
Where all the other people dance
Sometimes I dream
Charlotte sometimes
Sometimes I dream
The sounds all stay the same
Sometimes I'm dreaming
So many different names
Sometimes I dream
Sometimes I dream...

Charlotte sometimes crying for herself
Charlotte sometimes dreams a wall around herself
But it's always with love
With so much love it looks like
Everything else
Of Charlotte sometimes
So far away
Glass-sealed and pretty
Charlotte sometimes

lyrics: Robert Smith

Work in Progress

2010-11-15T15:52:00.000+02:00

Most of graphic novels at my Graphic Voices blog have been rather improvised, with not much of advance plans to speak of; I have made them up as I go. Having one big graphic novel project still under works, me and my brother came up with another possible story. It seems I can't concentrate just on one thing at a time, as I have several picture stories for this blog in the making as well!

For this new graphic novel project though, I thought a different kind of approach, which means lots of sketches, character studies, and quite possibly even a script of some sort! I drew this set of sketches of the main characters of the story over the weekend. The freckle-faced girl goes by the name Mai at the moment, while the black-haired girl is called Sakura. The latter is also a bit of a troublemaker, hence the missing tooth. The genre is supposed to be a take on a Japanese horror, but I see my sketches have lots of smiling faces! Hmmm...

Pearl

2010-11-08T08:55:00.001+02:00

Chinese actress Chen Jia Jia has been busy filming a new TV series in the premises of Hengdian World Studios in China. She plays a kind and righteous spirit Pearl. The role is also referred to Bai Suzhen take on Zhizhu Jing. The latter is an example of a Wu Dan role in the traditional Chinese opera, Wu Dan representing a fighting woman, while Bai Suzhen is a tale of its own, about a white snake demon who dreams of turning into a goddess by doing good deeds. What's the final spin for Pearl in this mix of myths is left to be seen, but as soon as I saw fresh pictures of Jia Jia in the role, looking handsome with her elaborate dresses, hair and make-up, I wanted to turn them into drawings. Given the 'screen format' I chose, the pictures turned out somewhat cartoony so think about this as a few panels of 'an unofficial comic book adaptation' of things to come ;-)

Video the 80's - 3rd Strike

2010-11-01T08:38:00.000+02:00

Up-beat girl rock: "Weird Dreams"

Up-beat girl rock: "Weird Dreams" - the singer with a stop-motion gargoyle

Hard rock: "Mean Streak"

Hard rock: "Mean Streak" - the obligatory guitar solo

Soul ballad: "Spellbound"

Soul ballad: "Spellbound" - singing high and loud

Melancholic proge rock: "Dream Yourself Awake"

Melancholic proge rock: "Dream Yourself Awake" - the video heroine sees her past self

Another dose of '80's music videos'. I could probably come up endlessly with these, as there were lots of inspiring stuff in the era!

Away Team

2010-10-28T11:07:00.002+03:00

Vow

As Heaven Is Wide

You Look So Fine

Only Happy When It Rains

Supervixen

More Mass Effect 2 fan art, this time showing my loyal away team; Kasumi and Jack led by my very own commander Shepard.

Bleached, not stirred

2010-10-25T11:14:00.000+03:00

Shu Pei

Tao

Ming Xi