Dang, I wish i could do that. Ever since i was a kid I've wanted to swing from the trees. When I was a kid, I used to repel down from the high branches. It smarted something fierce when the branches broke (and the cradle did fall).
This guy has taken the art of climbing to a new level. He's bested the monkeys at their own games, like Tarzan or Kintarou.(Check out 0:30-0:40. WTF? Who taught him that trick??) Dang, I wish that Rousseau was right, that man is a noble savage. There's something magical about those Lost Boy stories. They always draw me in.
In an attempt to have more fun with my illustration, and do something other than t shirt designs all day, I thought, "You know, Stephe, you should start doing some of these online call for entries. Live a little."
So, here's the first attempt. It's for Illustration Friday. They pick a word every week, and everyone has to illustrate the word before the next Friday comes. This weeks word was:EARLY.
Since Kimbo Slice ended his UFC career, the MMA world is left with a giant Kimbo sized hole in its heart. Though Tapout has neither confirmed nor denied that they are looking to replace Mr. Slice, many new contenders are vying for the position. This promising contender is whispered to be on the short list:
Yep, that's right, MMA is getting pretty fierce.
Ok, so now you might be wondering, "Hey Stephe, WTF? You watch MMA? You don't seem like that kind of person." You're right. I'm not. But I've started working on some MMA inspired graphics.
So, in order to get the style right, I started reading about the players and watching the Youtube clips. I think the main thing that I learned is that MMA fighters are really tough. And their graphics for their shirts need to be really tough.... and sincere. Sincerely tough. This was one of the first ones I did, but certainly not the last. I think i did this about a year ago. I didn't quite get the "sincerely tough" thing down, but it's a good first attempt. It took forever to ink everything. And then it took just as long to clean it all up to print. Can't complain though. It was a lot of fun to do some this ornate. I got to zone out and listen to books on tape.
Inspiration comes from all sorts of places. For this design, it comes from the Brooklyn Legend: Biggie Smalls. God bless a man who can sound tough while talking about welches Grape Juice. Thanks also to Jeff Shoop for further inspiration.
Notorious B.I.G. - Big-Poppa - Verse Two Straight up honey really I'm askin Most of these niggaz think they be mackin but they be actin Who they attractin with that line, "What's your name, what's your sign"? Soon as he buy that wine I just creep up from behind And ask what your interests are, "who you be with"? Things to make you smile, what numbers to dial You gon' be here for a while, I'm gon' go call my crew You go call your crew We can rendezvou at the bar around two Plans to leave, throw the keys to Lil Cease Pull the truck up, front, and roll up the next blunt So we can steam on the way to the telly go fill my belly A t-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape Conversate for a few, cause in a few, we gon' do What we came to do, ain't that right boo (truuuueee) Forget the telly we just go to the crib and watch a movie in the jacuzzi smoke l's while you do me
So people have been asking me, "Stephe, Whatcha been up to lately?". And I say, "Well, it takes about a year for my designs to be public. But here, this is something that I did a year ago."
This one just hit the floor, A good old fashioned Skull shirt. They just don't go out of style if you work with skateboarding companies. This one is a reinterpretation of the classic Powell graphic, The Ripper. Often imitated, never outdone.
Here's some more info about The Ripper and its imitations: http://boingboing.net/2009/02/05/the-ripper-skateboar.html
OMG. When I was a kid I loved He-Man...... what the hell was wrong with me. Through all those years, i never knew he had such a good singing voice. Skeletor aint bad neither.
Withing these pages, you will find the rambling interests of a Brooklyn based Illustrator who spends way too much time surfing the web, and not enough time skateboarding.
1-14-8, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.
