Here is the beginning of a (virtual) collection of Star Wars
(and other pop culture) Kitties. They are illustrations for fun - only, and as such are not intended as a comment or discrimination of any company, person or organisation.
I hope you like them...
I think that, even with different (pointy) ears,
Hello Spock Kitty still looks like
a hello Kitty character. hope YOU like them.
..................................................................................
same Kitty... different categories,
with new Kittys being added as soon as they're ready.
What do I like?...
Movies, movies and movies. (with a side order of TV)
Chocolate , a good book and an even better coffee. SciFi TV and movies and animation.
A fine Single Malt, "Eclectic" artwork & computer gaming... You know... "Tomb Raider: Legend"... "oblivion"... stuff like that... now where's that coffee?
Finished Star Wars Original Trilogy LEGO. What a FANTASTIC game.
Now to find something new to look forward to.
Okay, here's the scenario: It's Winter and it's been raining all day long. You get home after work, Woody dog's not in the house. You hear a noise out the back ...
...?...
Mustn't get grumpy. It WAS pretty funny, and Woody seemed sorry about the METRE WIDE HOLE in the back yard...
Yes. He was THAT muddy. But, amazingly, just his head... Go figure.
But when he has had a bath, he is quite the handsome dude.
Music
A HUGE variety of styles & genres. Everything from Sting to Peeping Tom, Linkin Park to Sinatra. If I like it, I like it.
While tidying up I realised I've got hundreds and hundreds of cd's... Filter, Bowie, NIN, Michael Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, Andrea Bocelli, Marilyn Manson to Macy Gray.
Far too many artists to list. It's no wonder I'm over 40 days worth of continuous music play on my ipod, so far.
Also: check out our fantastic local radio on: www.95bfm.com (they stream world-wide and they finally added me as a 'friend', hooray).
Movies
There is no question what my favourite movie is...
funny to think I drew the two pictures below in the 80's...
Man, that makes me feel old.
What kind of movies do I like?...
Sci-Fi (harder to find good ones lately), Comedy, Action and Thriller. (all 3 combined are the perfect film, and there are a few out there). eg. "The Fifth element".
All time faves : Original Star Wars Trilogy (obviously), The next Star Wars Trilogy (for the fantastic effects and some of my favourite actors, Close Encounters, ET, THX1138, The Fifth Element, 2001, The Abyss, Blade Trilogy, Resident Evil, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, A very long engagement, Amelie... This list would go on for a very long time so I'll stop here.
Oh... and I'm addicted to Comic Book Adaptation movies...
The Spiderman series, The Hulk, Hellboy, Batman, Superman, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen... even Daredevil and Elektra (don't scoff).
Basically, a movie with action and effects will be very attractive to me.
But a GREAT fim has to have a great story...
A classic 'must see' film you owe it to yourself to watch is my Number Two, all-time-favourite:
"Harvey"
An old Jimmy Stewart film that I have loved ever since I was a kid.
FANTASTIC character acting. No fancy special effects. Just lovely people in a lovely film.
I just can't rate this film highly enough.
Only the cynical will not like this film, and they probably wouldn't like anything on principle. The characters are so likeable and there are moments that will make you smile when you think about them even years after you have seen this movie.
(I'm smiling right now).
I know that Americans have a soft spot for Jimmy Stewart in "It's a wonderful life" but I really think that 'Harvey' is a much better film*. It's funny, charming and has a sense of wonder that is now all but gone in modern films. I saw this film when I was about seven years old and have loved both it and Jimmy Stewart ever since. Jimmy Stewart's character, Elwood, has a sister caled Veta, played by Josephine Hull, that will make you laugh out loud.
Based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play, the plot goes like this...
Elwood P. Dowd, a middle aged drunk, has been driving his sister and niece wild by introducing everyone he meets to his pal Harvey. Harvey is a big white rabbit, six feet eight inches tall, which only Elwood (and occasionally his sister when she's feeling odd) can see. The sister, Veta Louise Simmons, tries to have Elwood committed to Chumleys Rest sanatorium, but they mistakenly let Elwood out and lock her up. After sorting out the mistake, Dr Chumley goes after Elwood himself.
*spoiler* : You don't actually get to 'see' a big giant rabbit. (or DO YOU?) But I knew a couple of kids at the time who had invisible rabbit 'friends' at school.
A true classic film that will last forever.
..................................................................................
Here is a "Tribute to George" montage I made which is the desktop on my Mac at the moment...
Television
Our current favourite TV show is "HEROES".
This show has everything I love in it. Great idea, story, action, characters (we love Hiro), writing and pace. RECOMMEND VERY HIGHLY INDEED.
Jo and I never miss an episode of "Ugly Betty". "24", "Killer Instinct", "CSI", "NCIS", "Bones" and "Numbers" are a few faves. Anything with 'Trauma' in the title, lots of the documentaries on Discovery Channel, "Pimp-my-Ride" and "Girls of the Playboy Mansion". "My name is Earl" & "Everybody hates Chris" are awesome. We are big fans of laughing 'til it hurts.
Books
Read Bill Brysons' "a short history of nearly everything" - fascinating.
Isaac Asimov (one of my all-time favourite authors), Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Clifford Simak, William Gibson, Matthew Reilly, Carl Sagan, Bob Shaw and the great Philip K. Dick.
I borrowed Jo's Sookie Stackhouse Series of books by Charlaine Harrris and the Dime Store Magic books by Kelley Armstrong. Witty, well paced and well written with a kind of Buffy-ish sense of dark humour to them. Easy to mentally picture, difficult to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed them
Guys: don't be put off by thinking these are books written for women. They're a great read and make a change from Kellerman's 'serial killer' novels (which I am also fond of).
Heroes
There have been a couple of contenders over the years, but I'm still looking.
Long term heroes?... George Lucas (I'm repeating myself), "all things Christie" - the Original Blog-to-check-out girl, the SPCA and all the unsung heroes who work for hospitals, the police & fire departments around the Earth. ALWAYS there for the you and me and NEVER paid nearly enough for doing what they do.
Oh, and what about that Bill Shatner?... one of the funniest guys on TV! (Perfect comedic timing, deadpan deliveries and the ability to poke fun at himself).
He SO reminds me of one of our company directors. (Mike!)
Here's a painting I did of Mike (in the style of that "Waking Life" film)...
About me: I'm getting a few friend requests from people who have their profiles set to private.
If you want to be my MySpace friend, but I can't check out your profile first, maybe
send a message or something so I don't automatically 'deny' you just in case I think
you're some kind of weirdo.
Bear in mind that I bear no grudges against 'actual' weirdoes, I like them, and will
normally hit 'accept'. I just don't want to 'accept' any spammers, people trying to
convert me to their religion or people who think it's clever to ask to be your 'friend'
when they're just links to naked women sites. Just real people please.
.......................................................................................................................................
Collecting: mainly Star Wars toys, but also Star Trek, X-Files, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Marvel, Alien Quadrilogy figures, Code 3, Master Replicas... blah blah blah.
"One day I'll set up a Cafe or Bed and Breakfast with a Toy Museum theme"... no... really.
I'm an illustrator, by trade. Much to the disappointment of some of my old flatmates who thought that commercial artists were the equivalent of hookers, prostituting their 'craft' for cash. But hey... I'm paying a mortgage, I'll take cash any day.
Serious Star Wars fan & collector of Science Fiction toys, including Star Wars and movie related, and just plain old robots, rockets & aliens.
When I was a kid, I used to draw spacehips all the time. Still do...
a new piece. in sympathy for all the victims of the floods, hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes and disasters that have struck this year. my thoughts go out to you all...
Some more work images...
Below is an example of the kind of thing I do for fun. This is a picture I did of my sister Michelle and her two children, Chelsea and Cade. The tree is an ancient giant, in the Auckland Domain, next to where I work and Michelle and the kids aren't actually magical forest creatures in real life, but they're very special to me...
To all the kitset enthusiasts and modders out there...
... Sorry. All the Kitties on this page are illustrations.
.......................................................................................................................................
A new piece...
Box front illustration for the New Zealand version of the Monopoly Board Game.
Was not so simple to squish the highlights of an entire country into an a3 picture.
But the result was pretty.
Mr. Lucas and 'the boys'...
Playing Card design - with my workmate (and Myspace friend, Kool,,) Kurt, as The King ...
Going for that 'Bling' look...
I love fishing.
... or maybe I just like fish.
Here's a logo I created for a good friend of mine...
I am an Adobe Illustrator and photoshop user, currently an Art Director and illustrator for an Auckland based advertising & promotions agency called Farrimond Limited.
Some examples of the stuff I do at work:
illustration (for Nestlé) of a Halloween Family, BEFORE:
and AFTER:
Collectors Tin for Sanitarium Weet-Bix...
Tins for both for the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team and the Australian Cricket team...
All these tins proved to be quite popular. (I think they were sold out quite quickly).
On-pack promotion graphic design...
old VW Beetle before...
and after it has been pimped...
Digital (3d) illustration of Auckland City that I did for our City Council's Agency
Milky Bar Kid promotion illustration work...
A giant (something like 3 and a half feet square) plastic Game Mat for kids to play on...
Digital illustration of Santa Claus & co. for Nestlé Christmas Products
Digital illustration of "pocket knife" for HSBC
Digital illustration of a "Jim Beam Girl" for their NZ Agency
What I do most days... Take a studio shot of a vehicle, drop it into a background image, add reflections etc. In this example, I have had to illustrate a hanglider as well. Mind you, it's really not all THAT difficult to make New Zealand look good. It does already.
here's another example:
I'm married to the lovely Jo, a Registered Nurse & Real Estate Agent and we live in BEAUTIFUL New Zealand. If you live overseas, you owe yourself at least ONE vist to NZ. The scenery is awesome and most of the people are really friendly.
more to follow, as time allows. In the meantime, here are a couple of pics of my "Fur Family"...
Please note: No, I am not a weirdo, trekkie, pet freak. (But I DO like to snuggle the top of my dogs heads, with my face). hmmm... maybe I AM weird?!!... No. No. Just because dogs have kissable heads does NOT make me a weirdo. (maybe).
oh... and I DO like Star Trek. But, if anybody asks me if I would wear a freak'n Star trek uniform the answer is NO !!! I am a COLLECTOR and a fan. NOT a FANATIC.
..
Who I'd like to meet: George Lucas. If only to shake the hand of the man who made my all-time favourite films. He's also responsible for my kick-arse toy collection.
Star Wars, Indiana Jones... The guy has a great eye for film making...
and so does his buddy, Steven Speilberg.
I would also like to meet anyone on my MYSPACE Friends List and those people I wish were, but who choose not to be MYSPACED at this time.
I have been using 'Old Friends.co.nz' lately and have been getting in touch with some of the people from my past, like classmates and old friends (obviously, judging by the site name). Discovered that I miss them all and would love to get reunited some day. Who knows? Maybe I WILL go to the next school reunion (?).
I DO NOT want to meet THIS...
JAWS is why I haven't been able to swim in the ocean since I was about 12. Thanks Mr. Speilberg.
Now I am aware of the facts. I am a huge fan of 'shark week' on the Discovery Channel:
Such as :
You have a far greater risk of:
Being killed on the road whilst driving to the beach
Drowning at the beach
Being killed by Elephants, Bees, Crocodiles or lightning than you do of being attacked, let alone killed, by a Shark.
And that during the past 150 years in New Zealand, there has been an average of just 2.6 Shark attacks per decade and only one fatal attack every 13 years!
Worldwide, less than 30 Shark attacks have been recorded annually for the past 50 years. Of those, just seven have been fatal.
But that means that seven people knew all this, and they still got eaten by a shark!.
Thanks, but I will take my chances with the bees and the elephants.
Now all I have to do is avoid the Killer Bee Elephants.
.......................................................................................................................................
Thought for the day :
What would happen if there were no hypothetical questions?
Do you do these Hello Kitty figurines for a living? My favourite one is the Maori inspired Hello Kitty along with the All Blacks and Ugly Betty Hello Kitty's (One of my favourite shows!!!) anyway just wondering where I can view these in person and if you offer these for purchase?
