Roadsworth

Cool public space art by Roadsworth (aka Peter Gibson), a street artist who began his career covertly painting bike lanes in Montreal as a gentle protest against the city's lack thereof. He continues to use his artwork as a form of social activism. It's interesting to read his story here. See more of his work here.

Snow White and the Huntsman Credits

I just saw Snow White and the Huntsman. The movie was good, especially some of the visuals and CGI work, but I was again struck by the closing credits. I've mentioned this about other movies before (like Rango) and I'm so glad that the folks who create cinematic magic are paying attention to this little detail. I don't suppose it's the kind of thing that brings in an extra million dollars in sales but it makes me happy so, hey, I vote that they keep up the good work.

The credits show a series of tight detail shots of things like bird wings, pieces of the costumes, armor, etc. It's almost abstract and really beautiful. The still shot (above) doesn't do it justice so you should 1) watch the sequence here and 2) while watching, click the  arrows on the lower right to make the video fill your screen (easier to see since the images are dark). Best would be to see it on the huge screen at the theater. Happy viewing!

Legend of the Guardians: Awesome Helmets

head gear from Legend of the Guardians, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

We went to see Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole this weekend… in IMAX. The animation was stunning. Between expansive backgrounds and painstakingly detailed owl animation it's difficult to wrap my head around the hours of research and labor it took the artists to put together a full-length movie.

One of my favorite details are the helmets for the battle owls. Above you see the lead good-guy/bad-guy owls and their respective head gear. I want this to be my job-to research battle dress for owl armies, designing little helmets and metal talons for them.

The plot of the movie was just OK-predictable in a big-box-office kind of way. But for me it was worth the time and money just to marvel at the craftsmanship involved in detailing out each feather and how it bends and sways in the wind, scenery reminiscent of Hudson River School paintings and, of course, the little owl props like the helmets. Thumbs up from me.

P.S. Apparently there's been some talk that Legend of the Guardians isn't for kids due to the violence. Of course you need to know your children and what disturbs them but I didn't think it was any more horrifying than what most kids see on TV... but I don't have kids, so you don't have to believe me. Just my two cents.

Top image from Online Movies Hut.
Bottom image from SMH.

Mad Men Barbies-no kidding!

Mad Men Barbie collection, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

Wow. So I really like the show Mad Men and I just discovered that they've made Barbies out of Betty, Joan, Don and Roger. I like the Joan doll best with her groovy updo and tailored suit. They can be yours for a cool $74.95 each. Read about it here. Buy it here.

Hanzo's Yakuza Tattoo from Predator

Hanzo from new Predator movie, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

I am often forced to watch war and alien movies on the night they debut. With the release of the new Predator movie, today was no exception. All in all it was a well done movie with creepy predators popping out of nowhere and plenty of blood and guts to go around. But my favorite part of the movie was the fight scene with Hanzo, the Japanese Yakuza warrior. [No worries, this is not a spoiler]. By far the coolest character in the movie, he also sports a fantastic tattoo covering his chest and back. The photo above is the best I could find on the internet (from Beyond Hollywood) but I'd love to see it up close.

The Yakuza are basically the Japanese mob and many wear full-body tattoos (irezumi). A lot of the tattoos seem to have that empty space down the middle like the one Hanzo wears. Apparently the Yakuza rarely show their tats in public, covering up with high neck and long sleeve shirts. If you want to learn more, there's some good info at Dreadloki and more photos at Body Adorned.

Avatar is Worthy

Avatar, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

I walked into the Avatar movie expecting it to be ho-hum sci-fi/video game entertainment, but I can happily report it was much more than that. The scenery and costuming are great eye-candy and the 3D effects are by far the best I've ever seen. I can't imagine how they transformed the movie to look so realistic, but they did a fantastic job. I wouldn't call the plot deep or intriguing but the visuals are by far strong enough to make it worthwhile.

Photo is from the film's website here.

Creative Living with Aluminum Foil

joy of foil, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

Yes, that is really the title of this book-published in 1968. Who knew you could do so many things with foil? There are countless wonderful ideas in this book, it was hard to choose what to show but in the end I couldn't resist the foil wig holder and decorative bunny/alien head. What gets me is that the book was actually for sale... people paid to learn how to use foil more creatively.

Here is a timely quote, "Foil crushes so nicely, clings so well, holds its shape so beautifully, it's the perfect solution to Christmas gift-wrapping problems. Foil looks festive used as wrapping for any size or shape of box... Suppose, for example, you're giving Dad a pair of snow tires. Turn them into gay wreaths by wrapping around and around with strips of aluminum foil. Sprinkle liberally with green glitter dust and add a big red bow." YES.

Mad Men Butterfly Blouse

Mad Men blouse, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

I like the show Mad Men and one big reason is the groovy retro fashion. I should just change my wardrobe to this era because it's way more flattering than most of what's out there today.

This photo shows Betty Draper (played by January Jones) in this gorgeous butterfly blouse (with serious 60's-style artwork) and brown pleated skirt. Very cool.

By the way, I was just at Banana Republic and they have a Mad Men casting call contest through August 11th if anyone's interested!

Star Trek Nero Tattoo

Star Trek Nero Tattoo, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

The coolest part of Star Trek was the character design for Nero and his bad-guy buddies. I totally dig the tattoos on their faces. It even made me consider getting one myself... for a minute. I will go so far, though, as to put together a print based on his tattoo. Above is my rough sketch.

Disclaimer: I'm making this print for my own entertainment. I don't own the tattoo design, nor do I intend to profit from it!

Star Trek Fashion

Star Trek Fashion 1, originally uploaded by nrillustration.

I'm going to geek out and talk about the new Star Trek movie (which is very good, in case you somehow haven't heard...). When asking how the female crew members did their jobs in such short skirts, my boyfriend reminded me that in the original Star Trek they had even shorter skirts. So this got me wondering... what did the costume designers do to update the look while still paying homage to the groovy 60's feel? Here are my observations:

Color: They keep the red, mustard and blue but deepen the colors to be much more complexion-flattering.

Fabric: Scary polyester becomes what appears to be hi-tech athletic wicking fiber-more comfortable when traveling at warp speed.

Shape: Cut is much more tailored. The suits were fitted before but hmm... not so flattering (note Cpt. Kirk in photo above). And as mentioned, skirts are now longer... this makes it much easier to run about modestly when being chased by aliens.

All in all, I give the costume designers high marks for sticking with the original theme but updating it in a way that is kind to modern eyes. (Photo from Star Trek movie site.)