Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing, Quotation Labels: Freelancing, NationalPost, Quotation Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing, Heroes, NationalPost, Quotation
"If you take drawing seriously, you never quite feel you've arrived. Your ambition is always for something a little better than anything you've yet done."—Edward Sorel, from Unauthorized Portraits, a good book. ¶ Last week was informally pitch week which means I sent out a few dozen e-mail and postal pitches to art directors near and far. It's an absolutely thrilling part of the business, but along for the ride are fear and vulnerability. But hey, that's the gig. ¶ We went to see Disturbia (2007) last week and while I can't reasonably recommend this film, it did get me thinking about Rear Window (1954) (obviously) and from there my thoughts moved to Alfred Hitchcock. One of my favourite films of Hitchcock's is Frenzy (1972) which I think shows how clearly how Brian De Palma was influenced as he began making films. The blood is thick and deep (De Palma favors fire-engine red), clothing stinks of cigarette smoke, hair is matted and messy, and the violence absolutely brutal. It's the kind of movie I would have feared as a boy. Right from the outset, it's a harsh London depicted. It's a London that's the urban cousin of Peckinpah's rural England in Straw Dogs (1971). What I like most about it is the art direction feels like equal parts controlled and organic. It's like a play on the streets. It is, for many reasons, genius art direction. Moreover, the plot and pacing are above average: there's a tie-strangler on the loose and our man Dick Blaney is suspect number one! ¶ This week I illustrate Alfred Hitchcock. I find myself drawn even more to artists like Hitchcock. There's a certain holism to his films which I not only find comforting, but fascinating. I'll keep you posted on my informal study of his work.
Monday, January 22, 2007
"I'm not afraid... Do you think you're going somewhere after here? Or is this it? And... nobody knows. And what gets ya a little upset is that every religion will yell ya, where you're goin. And, they don't know. No one knows. So in effect, since they don't know, and I don't know, I take it as it comes."—Art Buchwald.
Friday, January 05, 2007
I've got a colour Jack Bauer in Monday's National Post (no ELM, you can't see a "sneak peek"). AL1. It's a little different than what many might be accustomed to. ¶ A huge thanks goes out to everyone that writes to me with kind words and support. I'm lucky to be able to cobble together a living drawing, and I know it. The feedback I get from my fellows is crucial to the mix. And to my fellow freelancers out there (you know who you are), you're doing it right now. ¶ “If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose”—Charles Bukowski.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
"Glenda. You don't offer a man like Jack a drink in those piddling little glasses. Give him the bloody bottle."—John Osbourne playing Cyrill Kinnear ¶ From the moment that Michael Caine boards the Newcastle train from London you know you're in for a film treat on the scale of a The Conversation or perhaps even GoodFellas. Get Carter (1971) isn't just good British gangster film, this is classic cinema that transcends genre. You don't even have to be an Anglophile to enjoy this picture. If you've ever spent any time in any working class town (Canadian substitutes include: Sudbury, Hamilton, Sydney) you'll appreciate this location-heavy film. Real extras (watch for the six-fingered man early on), real locations, and documentary filmmaking techniques make Carter extremely enjoyable to watch. Add to that a taught script and possibly Caine's best performance, and you've got a film worth owning. To boot: it doesn't feel dated. And when you consider the dramatic pretense, it could have—and easily so. ¶ My drawing of Jack Carter here. ¶ More on Wikipedia.
Monday, December 18, 2006
"Sometimes you have to be the boss of dancing." —Michael Scott, as portrayed by Steve Carell, in The Office. ¶ I don't think either of us were expecting to have one of the best vacations we've ever had during our recent visit to Toronto but it was up there. We got to catch up with most folks we've been missing and get that sweet sweet taste of Toronto that keeps the creative juices flowing and enlivens the senses. I even had a chance to get a little work done at the Linnux Cafe (on Harbord at Grace) which has the market cornered on that ever-elusive pleasant atmosphere. ¶ Pauline and I found ourselves near Dowling Ave. yesterday and took in a pint at Mitzi's for old-time's sake. Then we walked up Sorauren, over the bridge, caught the College streetcar and sailed to where we were staying. Magic hour in Toronto never looked so good. It was the end, roughly speaking, we desired.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I updated the Seth illustration above by adding some subtle animation. I'd like to do more animation, but so far I haven't found the best way, from a time management perspective, to accomplish this. I think it comes down to illustrating every new Siteway portrait all week every week instead of one day a week, every week. ¶ National Post portrait in the Wednesday, October 11, 2006 issue, of George Strombo, AL2. ¶ This past spring, when I was working part-time with Mouth Media, I designed some in-store graphics and the logo for GoodHealth Pharmacy. Currently their only store is in Ottawa, on Preston Street. ¶ Popphoto.com (digital arm of American Photo and Popular Photography) has a very good piece on portrait photographer Platon. Here are two excerpts that I particularly enjoyed: "Al Hirschfeld, the legendary cartoonist, had his picture taken by Platon a few weeks before he died, at the age of 99. 'If you had one wish?' Platon asked. 'Ah, to be 90 again,' he replied." and "On Christopher Walken, in the understatement of the night: 'Now this guy is weird.' Walken showed up for a shoot at Platon's house an hour early (unprecedented), alone (un-heard-of), and wearing black elastic pants pulled up to his armpits (what do you expect). He walked through the studio, straight into Platon's kitchen and started going through the cabinets. Platon, a little confused, asked him if he was hungry, and could he get him something to eat? 'No,' Walken replied, and kept opening cabinet doors. His advice on life? 'It helps if you drink.' The only way he would let Platon shoot his portrait? 'You're going to say 'Chris' and I'm going to look at you and then I'm going to look away.' 'We did that for two hours,' Platon says."
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Antony Hare is a freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in publications including Esquire UK, Maisonneuve, Forbes, Annabelle Mann, The Improper Bostonian, Bon Appétit, the Globe and Mail, and National Post (for which he won a Silver Medal from the Society of News Design). His work is at the meeting point between portraiture and caricature. Antony is a member of the Society of Illustrators and works from his office in downtown Toronto. ¶ Learn more about Antony.
Siteway was launched in 1996. It is Antony Hare's personal web site and is affiliated only with him. It contains his gallery of illustrations and blog since 2000. His illustrations are available for sale and for licensing in film and advertising. Siteway World is Siteway, Phelts, Tonicville, and Coastalmatic. Siteway is updated every week, usually Tuesday, with a new feature illustration.
