Film #82: The Wrong Man

Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 drama The Wrong Man remains an anomaly among the director's works. Eschewing his vividly colored, 50s-era studio slickness in favor of a street-level B&W, quasi-documentary form, Hitch held back nothing in telling the true story of Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda, in possibly his most harrowing performance, next to his role as The President in Sidney Lumet's Fail-Safe).

Border design

I made a sorta border sketch today. Feel free to print it out and use it as a memo or something.. but don't sell it!

Film #81: Mulholland Dr.

NOTE: This is an article primarily for those who’ve already seen this movie, so SPOILERS abound. Still, see the movie if you haven’t--it's a must-watch--and then read this.Just recently, I perused an article on Daniel Johnson’s Film Babble Blog titled 7 Years Later, Does Mulholland Drive Make Any More Sense? In it, Johnson vividly recounts a recent experience of watching David Lynch’s 2001 film

4 Chinese Beauties design

Well, here are the designs for this image if it's a real book cover. We liked the third one best, and there's a few more changes to be done on the image and the design before it is finalized. Phew!

My next project will be steampunk. I know I know.. done to death.. but I love the designs of it, and it was so fun going around looking at all the steampunk blogs and personalities. Some of these people take their interest really seriously though.. going to great lengths to modify an item, but the computer on the left is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen, ever.

4 Chinese Beauties

Almost done..! I really like how the fourth one turned out, though now it seems like she's not fitting in with the others.

Sometimes I wish I was in graphic design.. I love so much of what they do, but I can never pull it off without making cheesy designs.

Adam Hughes interview

1. When did you first become interested in illustration?

I first became interested as a small child; I think almost all children like to draw and create. I think the difference is, while 90% of all children grow out of this phase, a few of us don't and we end up being creative our entire lives.

2. Where did you get your training or schooling?

Unfortunately, I am self-taught. I was to dumb to be able to win a scholarship, and too white/middle class to qualify for government aid. So, I went about learning it myself. The first thing any school should teach its students is the skill of self-instruction. Being able to figure things out for one's self is the best thing in the world.

3. How did you get started in the business of illustration?

When I was 19, I started taking my samples to conventions to get professional critiques on my work, and try to improve. At my 3rd show, someone critiqued my art and then offered me a job. Other than a 90-minute window in between MAZE AGENCY and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA, I haven't been without illustration work in 22 years. I guess that's saying something.

4. How do you go about self promotion (websites, mailing, source books etc)?

I use MySpace, DeviantArt, and my website. But my work kinda does all the self-promotion; I draw stuff, and people seem to end up seeing it.

5. What advice would you give a student entering the field of illustration?

1. Never stop drawing; there's no ceiling on your skills in art. You can always get better the more art you create. And 2. When your hobby becomes your job, it's time to find a new hobby.

6. Would you have any general tips or ways to improve oneself in illustration?

Personal dissatisfaction and self-loathing do WONDERS for me. I'm never quite content with the work I produce, so I never get comfortable. I always strive to do better the next time. The best tip is: know your weakness. A man's got to know his limitations. If you know what aspects of your art that you excel at and what you are weak in, you can focus your time trying to improve your weak spots.

Good luck,

-AH!-

He sounds so humble and nice! I was melting by the time I finished reading this.

The End: 150 Great Climactic Movie Moments

NOTE: Naturally, in a story like this, there's going to be SPOILERS. So consider yourself warned, but still, don't be scared away... I got to thinking about movie endings the other day. I was watching George Roy Hill's A Little Romance again and noticing how my heart beats faster as it barrels towards its conclusion, even though I've seen it a hundred times. There's that race against time,