February 2008

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One Last Slow Drop (RG&B)

February 28, 2008 in Art - Recent Work, Japan, ` | 9 comments

One Last Slow Drift, Green cut-paper art
One Last Slow Drift, Red cut-paper art
One Last Slow Drift, Blue cut-paper artClick the images for less is more.

My astonishing wife is a die-hard minimalist. I, as you might have noticed, am not. Oh, sure, I try to keep things relatively simple and direct, but I do love my little decorative flourishes. It’s those flourishes, spirals and squiggles that always leave my wife shaking her head. I’ve been thinking about doing a multiple color series for a while now. Mixing it with my wife’s very-japanese minimal aesthetic seemed like an interesting experiment. Read the rest of this entry »

The Neglected Feast of the Aka-name

February 26, 2008 in Art - Recent Work, Japan, ` | 6 comments

The Neglected Feast of the Aka-name cut-paper artClick here or the image for larger-than-life tub-tonguing.

Little Aka-name here is a warrior. I thought I would have this piece done by the end of last week, but she fought me tooth and nail…despite all evidence indicating that the filth-licker has no teeth, and precious few nails. Read the rest of this entry »

Of Bathtub Hygiene and the Supernatural – Akaname WIP

February 21, 2008 in Exhibitions & Events, Japan, W.I.P.s | 2 comments

Akaname sketch by Patrick GannonThe Japanese have created some of the funkiest, quirkiest, and simply weirdest ghosts and beasties this world has ever seen. Wooden sandals called geta sprout eyes, arms and legs and run around. Cats which eat from the same place for too long turn evil and gain supernatural powers, which can be observed by their split tail. Infernal infants lick at lamp oil.

But the winner of the lottery for weirdness, grossness, and just plain wrongness has to be poor little Aka-name. Literally translated as “filth-licker”, Aka-name adores the flavor of the uncared-for bath, along with whatever mold, fungi, and general ick grows in the tub. Read the rest of this entry »

Nani?* Birds?

February 21, 2008 in Art - Recent Work, Children's, Japan, ` | 1 comment

*nani = “WHaaaaaaaat???”

SkyBird cut paper toy by Patrick GannonRemember way back when I posted about this paper-toy-doodad-bird-thingy I made? Remember it was based on Josh McKible’s original “Paperbird” design? Well, Those tricky Paperbirds have morphed into NaniBirds, and a whole new batch has hatched over on the new www.nanibird.com website.

Hop on over to that nest to download (yes, for FREE) the template for Skybird, or more than a dozen other extremely nifty birdies by a whole flock of talented people. Since the last post, Skybird has grown a pair of itty-bitty birdy feet and, now that he’s found his voice, is sure to ruffle a few feathers. He’s certainly spread his wings, so to speak. Read the rest of this entry »

When Stars Come Out (A Constellation Album)

February 8, 2008 in Children's, Japan, News | 12 comments

A Constellation Album, illustrations by Patrick GannonThere is no better feeling in the world than when a project comes to fruition. This is especially true when the project is a total pleasure to work on, and it surpasses my already high expectations.

After nearly a year of anticipation (on my part, anyway), A Constellation Album: Stars and Mythology of the Night Sky by renowned astrophotographer P.K. Chen and chock-full of cut-paper illustrations by me is now available from Sky Publishing! Yee-Haw!

When art director extraordinaire Sandra Salamony first laid out the idea of the book, I knew that it would be unlike anything I had worked on before, and entirely special. Here’s a brief breakdown of the awesomeness that is this book:

  • First off, I get to illustrate the constellations. About fifty-five (55!) of them. I mean, how cool is that?
  • P.K.’s photos of the night sky are gorgeous.
  • The book delves into the mythology and stories, my favorite part.
  • The illustrations are a fusion of Greek and Asian design elements, with a healthy dash of my quirks thrown in. Extra points to anyone who can find a little Cthulu in there.
  • Coolest of all, the artwork is printed on a transparency that lies on top of the photo. You can lift it up to enjoy the night stars, then put it back down to try and figure out how the ancients managed to see anything at all in those lights (my theory includes plenty of free time and a lot of wine).

Read the rest of this entry »