SKAGGS

Fubiz tuned me on to these beguiling images by Parisian illustrator Jules Julien [note–not work safe]. Does this work imply that within a consumerist culture, we are soon defined by the products we consume? Or that globalization leads to the loss of cultural identity?

It’s interesting to consider just how many brand services and products each of us consume every single day. This point is well made by annonymous blogger Dear Jane, whose timeline of every logo she sees on an average day rings true for most of us. Take a moment to think about it: what would yours look like? No doubt there’ll be a Facebook/Twitter application out there soon.

Way back in the summer of 2001, I visited my good friends Ping, Li and Mengye in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan Province. In July of that year I was in Beijing, where there was widespread excitement about the Olympic bid. When it was announced that Beijing had been chosen, the city erupted into parties, celebrations on the street and a palpable feeling that Beijing’s moment had arrived on the international stage.

Seven years later, there’s no doubt that the city has exceeded all expectations as Olympic host. Beijing has a new airport, an astounding Olympic stadium, and international focus has turned to emerging Chinese artists and the Chinese role in global media. The world is gearing up for the opening ceremony this Friday, with billions expected to tune in.

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This is TV advertising at its best.

The artist and animator Blu proves that with enough patience, time and skill, you can make moving art anywhere.

Here’s one of those real-life mysteries I had in mind during my last post — this one’s been at the back of my mind ever since I stumbled upon it a few months ago. On the case is contemporary graphic artist Ward Jenkins (of Ward-o-Matic) who’s collected a slim body of evidence about the “unknown” illustrator Lou Peters.

Here’s what we know so far: He (or she?) was active in 1958, and illustrated three cookbooks for Good Housekeeping and The New England Cookbook. Other than that, we’ve got nothing on the artist’s background or body of work. So in the interest of offering clues which might help solve the mystery, take a look and see if you recognize the artwork. Maybe someday we’ll find out about who this person is — or maybe we’ll never know…

One of the best things I’ve noticed recently about drawing and cartooning blogs is the growing phenomenon of “discovering” artists and illustrators who might otherwise have slipped into anonymity.

Mystery stories! All of us have an old children’s annual, record sleeve or illustrated cookbook tucked away at the back of the shelf. Did you ever wonder who the illustrator was, and where you might find more work by them? There are some dedicated sleuths out there, and plenty of real-life mysteries waiting to be solved…
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It’s time for a fresh lick of paint at SKAGGS HQ. Our current eye-catching creation has turned trendy TriBeCa heads and had passers-by snapping photos like Karl Lagerfeld around a Volvo.

Isn’t it fun to watch the developments on our neighborhood wall on Canal street? Bear that in mind, and keep an eye on the corner of Church and Walker over the next month…

If you have a good hour to spare, you could do worse than click through Kariann Burleson’s collection of superb business card designs on Flickr. Of course, none of them are a patch on ours…

I see the business card, calling card, and name card as tiny works of art, or even poems, as they express a brief visual narrative of something so much more. They are an introduction - an affectionate piece of evidence, a receipt of a connection, a meeting, a moment. It’s this nature of the business card or calling card that enchants.

It’s not often that nonsense emails make it past my mighty spam filter, but when they do, I’m reminded of this wonderful series of animations by the Brothers McLeod. They take the semi-sensical text found in the filter-busting portion of spam emails and then create a semi-sensical visual to go with it.

This one’s a monster spam dramatised for your non-sensical pleasure…

For me, every week is Scotland week.

If you’re wondering about the photo above, it’s a Scottish Highland cow, a beautiful little creature no bigger than Stevie. Their milk yield is notoriously small, which is why Scottish people avoid cereal and make porridge for breakfast. Like wild haggis, the cow’s left legs are of a different length than its right legs, allowing it to run quickly around the steep mountains and hillsides which make up its natural habitat (but only in one direction).

This week they’ll be one of Manhattan’s chicest accessories, so look out for them peeping out of handbags and purses downtown.