Out of all the pieces of canvas we found this was the most complete with a somewhat creepy face that the other half of id-iom just did not like. After a few minutes of discussion on what we were going to do we decided we were going to go abstract although we had no concrete plans on how we were going to go about achieving this.
We find the easiest way to proceed when you have no plan is to just start and see where it takes you. This can lead to some unfortunate circumstances however…
On the journey to abstraction we had to start somewhere so our first idea was to turn the piece into a half man, half pineapple kind of thing. Luckily this idea didn’t hang around too long before the other half of id-iom decided to become a bit of a can killer and pierce any almost-empty cans we had hanging around the studio.
Whilst, it was fun we had clearly gone too far by this point. So we gave into the inevitable and went back to rescuing some of the face. With a little finesse and a whole lot of luck we set about trying to pull this canvas back from the brink. A square stencil here or there, pulling the face forward and pushing the abstracted area into the background I give you ‘I see faces. Even when trying not to’.
There I was having a few drinks late on Friday when inspiration struck. In front of me were a few empty beer cans, a pencil case and a few other bits and bobs needed to make quick work of the empty bit of paper.
Using the shadows from the beer cans I’ve created this minimalist piece which is a step away from what we normally do. Invariably we would stick some text or maybe a face across the middle of it and call it finished. This time though a modicum of restraint was used and I stopped before I could carry on. Everyday is a school day…
With today’s hectic lifestyle it’s no wonder we sometimes feel like we need to crawl into a nice dark cave for a couple of months just to escape a constant barrage of Facebook updates. For times like that I’ve come up with an advertisement for a (currently) fictional drink. I’m now just waiting for Red Bull to knock on my door to buy the rights.
I would imagine the drink to be something along the lines of an alcoholic power drink (do they even exist?) to be consumed when life conspires against you. A little something that would definitely separate the men from the boys. The online and TV advertising would feature an accompanying soundtrack of a dubstep version of Billy Ocean’s 1985 hit ‘When the going gets tough’ followed by the tagline of ‘Feeling tired and emotional? Try a can of Man The Fuck Up!’ read by James Earl Jones. And that would be that. I just wonder what a can of Man Up would actually tastes like although I’m not sure it would really matter.
It’s laser cut on wood and then hand painted and even has a little crystal resin on the can to make it look like condensation as if the can is nicely chilled. Drop us a line if interested.
I know it’s only Tuesday but surely you’ve already asked yourself this at least once. Here, as I’m sure you can tell I’ve gone for an artfully composed shot and stuck my little magnet on my preferred substance to abuse once the weekend is here. In my continuing quest to find fun things to do with a laser cutter I’m expanding from keyrings into little magnet thingamajigs. I’m working my way up to bigger bits but it’s enjoyable starting with little bits to try and familiarise myself with the laser cutter. This bad lad is already on it’s way to its new home in Portsmouth. Good luck to you lad!
In my experience it’s good to start them young. Hopefully this young whippersnapper will grow up to have some amazing can control if he’s starting out this young. The image is based on a photo I found on my phone of a friend’s kid looking longingly at the can of paint that I’d put on the table just within his grasp. The next shot I’ve got shows him playing with it (and don’t worry it didn’t actually have a cap on. I have added that for dramatic effect which I’m allowed to do as it’s my picture) but this is the one I like when he’s got that look of concentration like he’s working out what to do next…
After being dispatched to our local corner shop to procure some Le Puy lentils for that evening’s curry I had reason to examine the dizzying array of canned food on offer in our local corner shop. Along with all the usual products they also have some particular goods that cater to the local Caribbean, Polish and Portuguese communities. It’s sometimes tricky to tell what some of the more exotic looking cans even contain. And that gave me an idea.
The 1973 film ‘Soylent Green’ starring Charlton Heston is set in a dystopian future where the earth is hugely overpopulated and there just isn’t enough food to go round. To try and solve this problem the Soylent corporation comes up with a new foodstuff called ‘Soylent Green’ which is ostensibly made from high energy plankton harvested from the world’s oceans. But that is not so, as we discover through Heston’s diligent detective work following a murder. He stumbles upon a bizarre state secret – that Soylent Green is made of people!
So, to celebrate both the incomprehensible range of cans on offer in our local shop and the 1973 film I came up with some Soylent Green cans for our local shop – complete with ingredients, nutrition information and cooking instructions. An internet search revealed that Polynesian cannibals used to call human flesh ‘longpig’ so I definitely had to include that (23% of the contents don’t you know!)
I’ve had a slightly enigmatic little project on the go for a little while now (as I’m really not sure what to do with it) and needed some fake advertising for the reverse side. Hmmm… What to do, what to do? Then in a small flash of inspiration it came to me. I would create a drink advertisement for a nice frosty can of ‘Man the fuck up!’ Once I had that much locked in the rest of the design pretty much took care of itself.
I would imagine the drink to be something along the lines of an alcoholic power drink (do they even exist?) to be consumed when life conspires against you. A little something that would definitely separate the men from the boys. The online and TV advertising would feature an accompanying soundtrack of a dubstep version of Billy Ocean’s 1985 hit ‘When the going gets tough’ followed by the tagline of ‘Feeling tired and emotional? Try a can of Man the fuck up!’ read by James Earl Jones. And that would be that. I just wonder what a can of Man Up would actually tastes like…
Christmas is getting ever closer and the id-iom Yuletide Fundom Demolition sale is in full swing with another round of pieces starting at the austerity busting price of just 99p.
It’s all just vandalism
This picture proclaims that ‘It’s all just vandalism’ and that’s pretty much correct as far as i’m concerned. It’s a single layer screen print on A3 paper with unique hand finishing including acrylic and spraypaint. Signed on reverse. Here’s the Ebay link.
I’m F@#king Bored of You
Sometimes relationships get a little too much. The reasons can be many and varied but this picture shows a woman sitting on a concrete block, drink standing nearby whilst staring straight ahead. Her reasons for being so are clear…It’s A3 in size and is a single layer screen print with unique hand finishing including acrylic, watercolour, ink, chalk and spraypaint. Here’s the Ebay link.
I’m Particular
‘I’m particular’ the picture states and i’m sure she is, just one look at those piercing eyes and you know it to be true. That, and the jaunty angle of her hat. It’s A3 in size and is a screen print with unique hand finishing including acrylic, watercolour and spraypaint. Here’s the Ebay link.
Since Shergar was kidnapped in February 1983 there has been much speculation as to his eventual fate. Shergar was an acclaimed Irish racehorse originally bred and raised by the Aga Khan who sold shares in Shergar at the peak of his prowess so at the time of his theft he was owned by a syndicate of 34 owners (including the Aga Khan). Following his kidnap there was a somewhat comical police investigation and some negotiations with the thieves which finally came to nothing. The final fate of this majestic beast was known only by those directly involved. Only now after years of painstaking research and gruelling interviews with witnesses can we reveal what became of the revered stallion.
Sometimes you really don’t know what the muse is going to get you to do next. This started out as a simple case of whitewashing the wall (with blue paint!) but then somehow managed to morph into a piece about Shergar. And that’s really all there is to it…
Hmmmm. How to explain Stormbird. I’m not really sure if any explanation I can give can adequately describe our thought processes when creating this stop-motion epic. The ‘storyline’ just kind of suggested itself. It’s probably easier to explain it’s conception than how we developed such a monster. It came about when we had id-iom’s good friend Dave over from LA for a while. He’s known for doing a bit of video production/editing so after consumption of a few beers down at the studio we (stupidly) decided that a short stop-motion video might be a good idea. It wasn’t. After over 2600 shots over the best part of a week in the freezing cold basement making just one tiny adjustment after another we were close to death by exposure but were finally able to call it a wrap.
There is plenty of footage which ended up on the cutting room floor that will hopefully never see the light of day as it’s more than a little weird and would probably emotionally scar any viewer for life. And all that took long hours of standing around in the cold that i’ll never get back. I bet the Aardman animation studios are all cosy and warm. If i’m ever to attempt anything like this again I’ll be making sure it’s warm outside or we have such mod cons as central heating…
Anyway, once principal photography was finished we realised we needed some musical accompaniment befitting of such a creation so we put out the call and came up with 3 very different soundtracks. The first version will probably not play in certain countries on youtube as The Man probably has certain copyright issues as it features tracks that are already out there but that’s where our other versions come in as both feature an original score which should play internationally no problem. The other video’s will follow this in short order and we’d really love some feedback on which one people prefer (so watch this space)…
What else can we say about the video apart from the fact that it features anthropomorphic spray cans, the Graffiti Removal Squad (first featured here), sharks (one of which is gay but we had a hard time portraying that!), Tom Selleck (although I like to think he’s in his Thomas Magnum persona), a fireball (from Streetfigher 2 obviously) and, of course, the plucky little robin a.k.a the storm bird in Norse mythology.
Finally, whilst I like to think our video has a certain naive rustic charm there are those who treat the subject with a little more professionalism. So for those who haven’t seen it here’s a little link to a much more polished creation featuring light stencils by our good man Pahnl.
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