Jessica Woodhouse

Thoughts of Sin(bad)

2011-06-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

Cheeky few images from an unpcoming project for Unity Theater, Liverpool. There's gonna be big waves, maaaan! Grab your eastern style slippers and run for your life.

Action Satisfaction

2011-03-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Newbies (kinda) arrived at my online shop over on Folksy. Have a looksie loo here if thee wants!

Hello Cleveland!

2010-09-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Wowzers, don't the months roll by!

This attractive looking brochure came through my letterbox yesterday. It contains a drawing that I did! (and it made the cover - it's inside the 'C'! Oooooh) Plus some extra lovely images created by FIVE of my fellow graduates.

The Creative Council booklet was commissioned by Uniform and is all about supporting and promoting creative practitioners in the city of Liverpool (my spiritual home).

Disclaimer: these photo's are pretty dire, marginally better ones to follow on my website, PROMISE

Chilling in the name of

2010-06-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I was recently part of the This Way Up Exhibiton at Liverpool Art and Design Academy. It featured work from all of my fellow classmates, and was pretty darn cool.

These go to eleven.

2010-06-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

This album artwork was done for Rachael Wright's new EP - out soon. Rachael also has some awesome new tracks on her My Space - get yer tab 'oles round that guitary goodness.

The Stitched Send Off

2010-05-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

This rather attractive ruffian was made as a farewell gift on the departure of my very good friend and housemate, Mr Charles. He was named Nathaniel and is a bit of a bad ass.

Schwing. Scha-wing.

2010-05-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it, I recently got to go to Dr Sketchy's Drawing Class in Liverpool. It combines sexy ladies with drawing and lazy afternoon drinking. Wins all round really! Above you can observe a few Sailor Jerry's fueled doodles. Nipple tassels a-plenty.

Snap-snap-snaperoo

2010-04-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

With the vital help of my good friend Emma, I managed to get a few new shots of the Dunk clan. The weather was on my side. Scorchio!

I Heart The Arrow

2010-04-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

The mighty Arrow Radio was the soundtrack to this forlorn doodle. Rockin' to Led (again) in the glorious (!) Liverpoodlian sunshine. Rad.

"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing."

2010-04-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Super Awesome Hedgegog.
He did have machine guns and a rocket launcher in ball mode, but they had to be confiscated as he's ninja kick ass enough unarmed. Watch OUT! The guys at Mando Group sure like their business metaphors. We are the hedgehog. We ARE!

Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true...

2010-04-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Lets start blogging! WHILST rockin to the Led. WHILST doodling.
Ta da!

I realise alot of the stuff before this post is mostly lame uni work, BUT there's some rad artists in there so I left them up for allll to see.

Exploring Storytelling

2008-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have been recently looking at artists and directors who use narrative elements in their work.

Looking at Edward Hoppers work, there is definitely a sense of personal emotion, even the setting being an ordinary, everyday world. At the time Hopper produced his work, it was modern, familiar America, however to the modern day now I think it still holds a peculiar melancholy. I think this is the key to Hoppers strong narrative, it involves the viewer, but in a lonely, outsider, kind of way. You get the sense of looking in on someone, as in for example Nighthawks, you, the viewer, are the spectator looking in from the street through a window into peoples lives and their setting. A life detached and silent, yet crystal clear. The use of the lit room framed by darkness also enforces the feeling of this being a solitary walk in the night, coming across the fluorescently lit Drug Store or late night diner. However, there doesn’t have to be a figure in the picture to pick up on the desolate sparseness of happiness.

As well as the dramatic lighting occurring frequently in Hoppers work, many of his pieces seem to be ‘snapshots’ just before or just after something has happened, an event that involves the setting and its occupants. You have to wonder to yourself - “Who are these people? What is their relationship with one another? What is happening/happened/going to happen?” There is no right answer of course, Hopper leaves it entirely up to the individual to compile the narrative to his story their selves. This is a very effective way of the narrative unfolding in the viewers mind, at first its just a picture, but when you decode the ‘clues’ Hopper has carefully chosen to include in the painting, a whole world expands and involves.
The Todd Haynes film Far From Heaven relates heavily to Hoppers style of scene setting and overall feel. Stills of the film could easily be mistook for a Hopper painting. Obviously it is set in the similar 50’s timeframe, and the characters could easily be Hoppers figurative creations. The visual and emotional isolation of all three main characters reflects the uncanny, unreal nature of American suburban life all resonates strongly with Hopper.

Also, the sense of solitude you get from Cathy Whitaker, the main character (played by Julianne Moore) who suffers heart breaking emotional hardships during the course of the film is similar to the solitude you pick up from Hoppers work, including the work I have already mentioned and many others, for example New York Movie. Also, Cathy’s husband, Frank, has a constant withdrawn sense of despair and forlorn, as he is constantly trying to be something he is not, playing to fit in into this perfect world. I think Hoppers piece Excursion into Philosophy encompasses Frank and how he feels, his expression shows pain and deep thought.

The colours used in Far From Heaven are breathtaking. There is a scene where Cathy is with her friends, huddled together in her frond yard that is full of huge autumnal trees. The yellows, coppers and reds of the women’s beautiful 50’s dresses together with their billowing hair is a serene explosion of colour against the foliage behind them. The colours used in the film create a narrative, at the start of the film everything is colour, the dresses, the backgrounds, the settings. As the story unfolds, the colours mute and the season changes, and Cathy still tries to keep her perfect smile even though her world is crumbling around her. At the end of the film, the palette is a range of subtle greys and blues, all the colours are gone. Her world has changed, and it could also say something about how she now views Raymond Deagan, just as a friend and fellow sufferer, no colours of skin or anything else complicates that.

The Man Who Wasn’t There directed by the Coen Brothers is a dark tale of a man who works in a barbershop, but doesn’t see himself as a barber. It is shown in black and white, a complete contrast to Far From Heaven. The film noir style provides a frame around the story, which weaves questions of secrets, identity, guilt and solitude, similar of course to Edward Hoppers themes. There is a continuous running commentary from the main character, Ed Crane (played by Billy Bob Thornton). His thoughts and feelings that narrates the story of a guy who doesn’t say much at all. He is a very closed character, apart to from us of course, as we can hear his thoughts. Even to his wife he doesn’t confide in and says he knows as much about her now as he did when he married her, which was just two weeks after they first met. So, basically, he doesn’t know a lot about her. Similar to Far From Heaven, the films appearance is beautifully typical 50’s fashion, with Ed Cranes trilby hat and constant cigarette. The story’s pace is slow, but it’s a tense build up to the climax that is so dazzling, in blinding white light. Ed has hardly any dialogue, but dominates with his deep, cynical, thoughtful voice over, he is indeed there, but not there.

Good Vs Bad

2008-02-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

To the right is an illustration by a winner of "la Fraise" competition. The left is a advert found in a magazine about a band's tour.

These artifacts are similar as they were both found in a magazine, they are both effectively advertising. They both use characters. They both use text - hard to read, out of shape text at that. The artifact i prefer is the right one. I think it works much better, the colour scheme is very effective. Whereas on the one on the left is quite a brash and brazen set of colours, which i think clash and is a bit 'headache-y' The figures in the left illustration are classic, elegant, demure looking. The two headed tiger on the left just doesn't look very well drawn, and is easily dismissed. The cross bones don't really do much for me either. Also to the one on the right, I like the psychedelic text mixed with the art deco style women. The shapes made with the text and composition of the figures is really interesting and eye catching. The text coming out of the tigers eye on the left reads "on tour now" but is back to front, in really shaky lettering and ascending in size, so it took me a while to interpret it. It doesn't deliver the message very well.

Overall, I much prefer the image on the right as it is very demure and pleasing to the eye, due to the use of colour, composition and characters.

When Broken Is Easily Fixed

2008-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Martin Wittfooth is the illustrator who did this CD cover for a Canadian band called Silverstein. I like the style of drawing, the shading and colours are beautiful. I looked on his website and his work is very realistically drawn, yet very abstract and fantasy like. I also like the background to the robot - its patchy and in other areas there are ink spots and splatters that create a charismatic and likeable aspect to the piece.

Random Leaflet

2008-02-24T05:43:00.001-08:00

I like the handwritten text on this flyer - it adds charm and quirkiness to the innocent drawing. I also think the colour scheme works well - keeping it neutral is interesting and understated.

Stay C.A.L.M.

2008-02-24T05:20:00.000-08:00

I found these characters on a poster/leaflet . Its to promote a campaign for an advice and information service for young men. Each character depicts a aspect of life that the service deals with. I just really like the style of the figures, and how they are all just red gives a very strong presence. The logo and tag line are also eye catching, and gives a good idea of what the service is about.

Dave Johnson

2008-02-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

The front covers of 100 Bullets is done by another artist called Dave Johnson.
These pages are also enthralling - the characters are so bold and he just seems to capture them and their personality perfectly. I particularly like the composition of this cover - the seperated blue background tiles against the white looks really effective, and the main character of this story really stands out against it.

First Shot, Last Call

2008-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

100 Bullets Issue #1 (left) - I am a fan of this comic series and find the drawings extremely absorbing. The characters are very attractive and easy to recognise. You can tell who it is from a simple outline or shadow. The artist is Eduardo Risso, and his collaboration with writer Brian Azzarello has won awards and has become a well established and popular comic series.

The website for 100 Bullets is very interesting - it has original sketches for the layouts of different issues and character profiles http://www.100bullets.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/100bullets.htm

Alan Aldridge - CD artwork

2008-02-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

This is from an Incubus CD inlay - illustrations by Alan Aldridge. I think its a really well thought out inlay, each song has its own drawing depicting elements of the lyrics, or overall feel of the song. The same absorbing curious characters are used throughout. These characters were also used on some t-shirts made for Incubus's last tour, and can also be seen on their website.

Brett Helquist

2008-02-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is a illustration by Brett Helquist is from a series of books entitled "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snickett. Helquist is an excellent drawer and captures the story brilliantly, therefore engaging the reader even more so. The characters have a 19th century feel to them, and there's something really delicate and charming about them. There were many splendid drawings to choose from, this one just caught my eye.

Chalkface

2008-02-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

Here is another example of Hashim Akibs work. The character intrigues me, I think this is a good front cover as the overall look combined with the text gives a comic book feel.

Hashim Akib

2008-02-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

I found some work of an illustrator I really liked. Hashim Akib is mainly a childrens illustrator. I really admire the use of media and the style of drawing. The tonal use makes it very lifelike and adds depth.

Interaction Research Blog

2008-02-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

The first thing I have thought of that has relevence to this project is a character called Emily the Strange. She was designed by Nathan Carrico and Rob Reger, originally for a small skateboard company called Comic Debris. She is now an extremeley popular and recognisable icon, found on a wide range of clothing, stationery, stickers, guitars, accessories and recently her own comic books. Comic Debris is now a multi-million pound firm. I think this character shows how a concept that started off small, just made for skateboard stickers, was applied to many different situations and media to create a reputable and appealing brand name.

My Animation

2007-10-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the animations of Lotte Reiniger, I have in fact produced a (very) short stop-motion piece of my very own! I’ve titled it “The Screwdriver Genie” as, of course, my object was a screwdriver. As Lotte often used classic story tales as a base for her films, I thought I would try to incorporate that into my own movie. It was somewhat difficult to involve a mundane object like a screwdriver into an enchanted tale, but I think it works!

Basically, it’s a guy who finds a genie in a (yep you guessed it) magic screwdriver, and gets wishes as a result. It could do with cleaning up a bit on Photoshop; I would like to change the background colours when something dramatic happens (e.g. the genie appears). However as a whole I’m pleased with it to say it’s my first ever attempt at animating. I have also tried to imitate the way she made her figures, just cutting them out of black paper and using a thin wire for the joints.

Lotte Reiniger

2007-10-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Lotte Reiniger created the first feature length animated film in 1926, ten years before Disney's Snow White. It is called "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" and is based on "The Thousand and One Nights" Arabian Tales.

She is praised for the gentleness and precious fragility of her work.The characters move so gracefully and fluid, it's hard to believe it was made 80 years ago. The backgrounds and scenery are also beautiful, however a lot of the detail has been lost over the years, as many modern prints are actually copies of copies.

She was really passionate about the technique she used, which was cutting out silhouetted figures, using just scissors and black paper. Her figures were made from 25-30 separate pieces and joined with fine lead wire. I'm going to try and achieve something with this way of working. The elegance may not be at the same level, but I'm sure I'll get somewhere!

Artist and Object

2007-10-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Artist - Lotte Reiniger
Object - Screwdriver
My Idea
As Lotte Reiniger was a pioneer of animation, it seems only right that I should give it a go! I will attempt to do a short animation using silhouetted figures, similar to those of Reinigers. The character will use a screwdriver in some way, fixing something maybe. I think this is how Reiniger would have approached the subject, using cut out figures to depict a story.

Essay

2007-10-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

My David Shrigley Essay