james wright - designs and ramblings

chimp sketches

2011-11-15T11:16:00.002+09:00

My Mug

2011-11-10T12:25:00.002+09:00

My big ugly mug for all to laugh at.

Job Crystals

2011-11-10T12:23:00.001+09:00

More job crystals. They didn't use this design, but I think it's sharp looking!

「木」ボード

2011-11-10T12:22:00.000+09:00

SEXTANT. COOLNESS

2011-11-10T12:21:00.000+09:00

its a replica, but its still fly! (or sail...?)

Just looking out the window...

2011-11-10T12:20:00.002+09:00

JOY!

2011-11-10T12:20:00.001+09:00

my neighbor's wonderful dog, Joy.

Cloudy Day In The City

2011-11-10T12:19:00.000+09:00

Average Age, Around About

2011-11-10T12:18:00.000+09:00

COSMIC CUBES!

2011-11-10T12:17:00.003+09:00

Something to let the folks around you know what it is you're in charge of! (Anicom's jobs get passed around with these.)

Our Kitchen Fire

2010-06-18T11:49:00.002+09:00

So... yes, I lit the kitchen on fire. To the left you will see a photo that Aiko took of me during the incident.

I was practicing for a magic show (fire effects are always a crowd-pleaser) and voila, fire everywhere.
Good news: it was "cold fire" ie, a chemical that doesn't burn hot enough to even damage skin, but it burned all the hair off my right hand which was quite funny and a little smelly. The floor caught on fire, the counter and everywhere the chemical spilled. Blue flames look so cool; sadly I wasn't in a "oh, that looks cool" kinda mood.

Note to owner of apt: not to worry, its all peachy now. And like a forest fire, everything can start over a fresh...

Unbelievably cool

2009-12-17T10:07:00.000+09:00

SWEET!

2009-11-12T14:40:00.001+09:00

Chris Piascik from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.

Mus'kles

2009-09-08T21:32:00.003+09:00

Obviously this is just a test from the reckless white thrown on here, but I'm working on style tests for a shoe client who wants to show the effects of muscle wear. Need to work on my anatomy a bit.

my hammy

2009-08-26T11:30:00.001+09:00

Betteo's

2009-07-24T09:21:00.002+09:00

My friend, Patricio, has a 365 day art blog going that will knock your socks off. This dude rocks. Unbelievably good control over mediums and line work. Fantastico!

Brilliance by Malcom Sutherland

2009-07-09T09:19:00.000+09:00

The Astronomer's Dream (2009) from Animalcolm on Vimeo.

Halo 3

2009-06-11T10:02:00.004+09:00

So, I'm doing research for a new illustration (think iron monger/evangeleon/gundam) and ran across this fella selling his homemade Halo suit. Sweet. I'm all for Halloween dress up... on Halloween. But this guy should either be in the movie or costume business. Looks a bit uncomfy and heavy though. Not sure it will stop alien laser weapons either, so I think I'll save my money.

Paul, Da Man.

2009-06-08T13:49:00.004+09:00

One of my absolutely oldest and best friends, Paul Linsley has a post up here showing a progression of his work. I honestly think he should do a video and sell it.

Ad-ing Christ to our lives

2009-05-15T11:38:00.004+09:00

Exploring ways to share the Gospel over multiple mediums in various cultures and to different crowds, other than direct contact (which is, of course, ideal and necessary in the Christian life!)

I'm pretty sure I saw this on a T-shirt when I was young, but I couldn't remember where, so I remade it.

I do not know who took these photos, so if it was you, please forgive (then contact me, as I'd like a big version to actually print - these are just presentations, hopefully we can talk?)

So, I thought these would make great train ads here in Tokyo to introduce and share Christ to the metropopulace.

what i look like to those of you interested (Mom)

2009-05-13T16:29:00.001+09:00

TBC Men's Ministry... or cleverly, "MENISTRY"

2009-05-13T16:13:00.002+09:00

working on a logo for our men's ministry website at TBC.
looks very sexist, but its not. there is a women's ministry too, but "Womenistry" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
work in progress.

Yet more dogs and cats...

2009-05-13T14:47:00.000+09:00

POST

2009-05-13T14:30:00.004+09:00

Post box logo for the Japanese postal system.
The funky T is the mail mark, 〒、which comes from:
逓信省 which reads "Teishinshou" or "Ministry of Communications and Transportation" (dissolved in the late 1940's).
The Japanese symbol for "Te," the first sound in the word, is テ, which becomes the modern mark, 〒. (what is now called "Yuubin")

Hello Baby!

2009-05-13T14:29:00.000+09:00

This is a proper product logo, the Japanese and English versions.

Ani-rece

2009-05-13T14:27:00.003+09:00

They chose the top one here to go with the existing bottom logos.
Now, this isn't a company branch, nor is it a product, so I wouldn't
have necessarily done that, but that's okay.

Software and Furry

2009-05-13T14:13:00.003+09:00

Here are some working logos for the aforementioned software.
I like the top right and bottom right ones, but none of these were chosen.

More System Icons

2009-05-13T14:04:00.004+09:00

So, here is the first draft of icon work for an
internal software at Anicom, the pet insurance company.

We thought this might be a little too detailed
(even though the button was for "details")
and so went for a simpler plan:

though my original fun with "Export" was outright denied
(Party poopers. ahem)

("Inu" is Japanese for dog)

Wall Art

2009-05-13T13:33:00.008+09:00

wall art for a client's office in Nagoya

same client, Sapporo (not the beer, the city) office

and this wall art is for Anicom Holdings, my biggest client currently (though not for wall art)

"Pi" will done on glass

like these two meeting room signs (hah! i just typed "meeting room sighs" ... boy, that was telling!) anyway, they say "feel" and "LUPIN." thanks to the Monolith agency in Osaka

more meeting room signage. vinyl on glass

Quiet Design

2009-05-08T10:04:00.001+09:00

Excellent article by Andy Rutledge on Quiet Design in grid patterns and web planning/layout. Highly recommended!

hello.

2009-04-25T00:11:00.001+09:00

doggy line art

2009-04-25T00:07:00.001+09:00

I'll paint this later and post it again. Nothing but sketches lately. Sorry about that.

animal farm

2009-04-25T00:02:00.001+09:00

a few working sketches for my pet-insurance client

wedding welcome board/card

2009-04-24T23:59:00.001+09:00

this is obviously old...

again with the practice

2009-04-24T23:49:00.002+09:00

boardline caricature
straight portrait sketch

Group Portrait

2009-04-23T10:04:00.002+09:00

Working on a group portrait... unfortunately I only got one photo of each guy and have only one of them. I'll consolidate the styles after I work out how to really 'get' each guy from the photo given and work them into the crowd. I would really like to do a piece where each caricature is actually a different style reflecting the personality of the person, not just in one aspect but several. But like I said, I have one (usually dark) photo of each guy. My friend says they are camera shy! Good fun working on line technique though! - inked in Flash (yeah, really.)

Short Trip Home

2009-04-22T15:46:00.002+09:00

A buddy of mine had a photo on his blog that was
almost the same thing... anyway....

Here is a picture from my flight home. Imagine it reversed and you get the trip back. It was reaaaally short.

Sketchin Again

2009-03-17T13:34:00.002+09:00

It's been a long while since I have drawn anything and since any artist knows you have to keep up your art, it comes as no surprise that this stinks. Its a 5 min caricature sketch from a goofy photo that I found - most people know this guy from Comedy Central I think. I've seen him before, but he ain't on TV in Japan, so I forget his name. Don't look much like him anywho.

I've decided to put aside an hour and a half each morning to do these little things and hopefully I can get back in the swing of things before someone orders something...

I doubt I'll post many of them here (as they will all suck) but I'll put up a few. Besides, I have only one reader and she never complains.
Thanks, Mom!

Rules

2009-03-13T11:01:00.002+09:00

Rules
Originally uploaded by Laser Bread
Another Laser Bread cracker. This guy ain't on drugs, but I want whatever he is on! Brilliant!

Bulb

2009-03-13T11:00:00.003+09:00

Bulb
Originally uploaded by Laser Bread
LaserBread over on Flicker is so full of brilliant ideas, I think he dropped one.

Software Illustrations

2009-02-05T10:18:00.003+09:00

Here are some samples of recent illustrations for a software. They wanted something that recalled the old Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations by E.H. Shepard. Granted, I'm no Shepard, but I thought I would try to give these a touch that wasn't too far off. Besides, I had to try to figure out how to match Shepard's particular carefree style to a software (which do not seem to really go together) as well as the company's own corporate image.

Practice

2009-01-21T07:22:00.003+09:00

See? I was just saying I need practice. Here lies hard evidence. Oh well, practice makes perfect...

After James Jean

2009-01-21T07:20:00.001+09:00

Some sketch practice, after the master of illustration, James Jean. I really need more practice.

Typesetting

2009-01-19T09:50:00.001+09:00

I've taken up a new interest. Well, it's old really, but I've decided to renew my interest in my old interest...
I like type. I adore type, I need to get much much better at type. For a guy self taught, I need to take some real classes in type - I love Modernism, but understand just enough of the rules of it to make a mess.
Anyway, for starters, I bought Helvetica. It brings out what often appears right before our very eyes - that ubiquitous type face of the same name.
I also have become convinced that I should add a few new links here for type lovers.

Classes

2008-12-17T19:00:00.000+09:00

I wanna take classes from these guys....
LINK

Caf-Fiend!

2008-12-12T11:45:00.000+09:00

vs
THE SLUMBERING GIANT

Big Bad Bruce!

2008-10-30T22:27:00.001+09:00

Various portfolio spots and two Chinglish posters that crack me up

2008-10-24T13:03:00.000+09:00

Company logo

poster series for anicom

Logo for a law firm in Tokyo

Dunlop tv spot

another law firm

logo

few website layouts

joke postcard

really bad Chinglish

website menu layout

iPhone HitchHiker's desktop image

Cartoon Brew!

2008-09-19T12:40:00.000+09:00

Brilliant!

2008-08-18T11:19:00.001+09:00

Big Buck Bunny from Blender Foundation on Vimeo.

Zhao Conglong

2008-08-18T11:10:00.001+09:00

Photos are copyrighted to Zhao Conglong, longbow0508 on deviantart.com. Now note, this is his school assignment! Man, when I was in school, you know what kinda junk I came out with? I know this may be regular fare nowadays, but its still fly! Hats off Zhao!

owl facts

2008-08-01T18:00:00.001+09:00

Up up and Away!

2008-07-28T11:00:00.000+09:00

These are sweet!

In the style of Winsor McCay's Little Nemo! Fly!

Love it.

2008-07-04T11:02:00.000+09:00

Fasten your seat belts and stow those tray tables and take a look at Trolly Dollies. This animated short was produced in both Flash and Maya by Michaeljohn Day, Kei Phillips and Ash Collins, who took part in 12 weeks of training at the Cyfle Digital Animation Lab in Wales.

Cult of Sincerity

2008-06-03T10:09:00.000+09:00

Now, this is a loooong movie. Its a full length one. So instead of watching here, go ver to amiestreet like the boys say. Its a good thing. And if you sign up, it goes to charity too. Which is even better.
I love indie films. Esp. good ones.

So long Mr. Korman

2008-05-30T12:07:00.000+09:00

Harvey Korman passed away yesterday.
So long Mr. Korman. You were a great inspiration to us.
A comedian of great timing, presence and wit, Mr. Korman caught my attention at a very young age on The Carol Burnett Show. The man sometimes couldn't even keep a straight face watching Tim Conway perform. I guess he was most famous for Blazing Saddles. Dorf as well, but that too little watched.
Classic (to us old folks anyway) comedy will be sorely missed.

Aviary's new tool... ahem.

2008-05-28T11:58:00.000+09:00

Now, come on. This is funny.

Aviary

2008-05-28T11:37:00.000+09:00

Aviary, though not exactly new, is still in the testing stages.
Its an online graphics tool set. Photo manipulations, vector graphics, you name it. Seriously good stuff. A few examples on the site show nice quality, with a clean outcome. Though not exactly open to the public, you can sign up to use it during this test period.

Stuffing humans

2008-05-27T10:07:00.000+09:00

This is a regular affair for these folks. Every morning... yikes.
Welcome to my world...

Art Director's Mantra

2008-05-23T14:48:00.000+09:00

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
Bill Cosby

Good advertising?

2008-05-20T11:01:00.000+09:00

Well, at least its true. You either love it or hate it.

Business Card design

2008-05-20T10:44:00.000+09:00

I have here before me some creative designs for business cards. Real creative. CreativeBits has posted up two great collections of cards, 1 and 2.
If these don't get the ideas a'flowin, well, then you're just up the creek.

Some of these ideas are so neat, I'm tempted to commit plagiarism. No, not really, but they are dandy. Unfortunately, I have never had the honor of having a client that would actually allow me to make something like this for them. You will notice most of these are designer's cards - meaning their clients didn't let them either. They gotta do it themselves.

The closest I have gotten (and a photo would mean zilch on the web) is a metallic mirrored card on flimsy stock paper making kinda of a funhouse mirror card. On the other side, my name, number and "caricature artist" printed.

1970's Kotter-kolor-blotter

2008-05-13T16:06:00.000+09:00

This was a sketch I did on a smoke break (since I don't smoke, but all of Japan does) for Gum or Mints, a cool blog (you can find the link to the right). The subject was 1970's and, I know this isn't creative in the least, I'm just starting to really think about it, but every time I think of the 1970's I think of either Welcome Back Kotter, M*A*S*H or Fractured Fairtales. So here is the first in that line of thinking. The brown corduroy suit was classic. Later I'll do something that requires thought (even though most of what was done in the 70's didn't.)

MUTO

2008-05-13T11:00:00.000+09:00

MUTO rules. that is all i have to say.
well, that and he is an artist from Buenos Aires.
check out his latest animation experiment.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Too cute. Too cute.

2008-04-30T18:17:00.000+09:00

Time eeks by when you are waiting...

2008-04-25T09:27:00.000+09:00

Just waiting on The Dark Knight.

.....still waiting....

Inventions

2008-04-22T10:33:00.000+09:00

So I'm at my clients's office at the printer/copier/stapler this morning printing out some photos that we took in the studio a few weeks back for one of their ads... and the photo that is coming out is of one of the elderly gentlemen at the client's office. He is around 70 and very sweet and so nice. His whole demeanor is very endearing.
As we are waiting for the photos to come out, we started commenting on the fantastic technology that is involved in making a stapler apparatus that folds, compiles and staples, basically an entire book right before your eyes. Something that in his youth, as well as mine even, we had nothing of the sort. (ahem, sorry.) It had to be done by hand.
And so he says to me, yes, it amazing. We Japanese are very smart, eh?

.....

Ah, I'm not sure, but I thought the copier was invented by Chester Carlson and the stapler by Samuel Slocum and the attachment apparatus to a copy-machine was by Chester D Holden ( i think). Anyone know otherwise? No idea myself. I just found this online (and we all know thats reliable...)

Awesome PopUp ABC3D Book!!

2008-03-24T10:23:00.000+09:00

This is really one of the coolest things I have seen. And if you like PopUp books, its a winner.

I AM IRON MAN!

2008-03-13T11:40:00.001+09:00

The Incredible Hulk! RRRRRRRRRR!!!

2008-03-13T11:28:00.000+09:00

Coraline

2008-03-03T18:24:00.000+09:00

A new Henry Selick movie is coming out next year. And its a real beaut. I can't wait to see this one.

WOW!!

2008-03-01T14:29:00.001+09:00

ME WANT.

Indy!

2008-02-16T19:10:00.000+09:00

Yeah baby!! Yeah!!!

BIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!

2008-01-21T15:30:00.000+09:00

It cracks me up to see these monsters. Not, mind you at close range would it do so... but anyway, its like Godzilla or something is walking around somewhere. Jurassic sized reptiles here!
Inspires me to go draw something big. Rampaging a cityscape.... yeah.
Seriously that croc's tail could kill 3 or 4 cows in one whollop. That is where dragon legends come from I bet.
Though I have some other theories on that, really. I won't go into it now. But wow. Big lizards. KEWL.

the world isnt black and white. but zebras are.

2008-01-15T16:06:00.000+09:00

I haven't blogged since well before Christmas. Did nothing over the holidays except worship and sleep. Well, eat too, we ate a lot.
Anywho, its over and back to work. So, being at work, I'm surfing the web. Look what kewl stuff I've found!

Also, just to keep up on what I'm doing myself... I drew zebras. For an ad in a newspaper. Obviously selling zebras. What else?

The first is a blue line with a graphite outline just working out where I wanted the shadows and such. They look like horses here, but well, that can't be helped. To be quite honest, I am not so happy with them, but I only had a few pictures to use as reference material.
Then there is the pencil sketch. I got this far and the client wanted to use this alone. No other touch wanted. Don't know why. Couldn't figure it out.

They are also floating. Floating zebras. Very cool concept. What will they think of next?

Baby Jesus!

2007-12-14T13:24:00.001+09:00

So at TBC (Tokyo Baptist Church) this year, my wee daughter of 4 months played baby Jesus. Cute as a button and didn't cry in the least (until she got home). Look at those fat little legs and cheeks. Aiko was Mary and I was Joseph. Nate and Hikaru are in the background by the singing Christmas tree. Miho takes great pictures, thanks!
Good grief my wife is pretty even wearing curtains. Thank you, Lord for all the wonder you have shown me. Enable me to return it, I pray, to your glory!
Merry Christmas everyone!

Gum or Mints

2007-12-04T19:24:00.000+09:00

So, I know its been a long time since I've posted anything, but since I'm the only who reads it (oddly, I think I am the only one who listens when I talk too...) no one will mind.
Boy, reading this blog makes me think I might a dark person... just to add to that theory, here is this:

I found a new blog the other day and even though I am not a member, it inspired me to do a sketch of my own. This is a 5 minute thing with a 10 minute color job("really?" you say, "you spent that long?") anyway, the blog is called Gum or Mints. I'm too lazy for a tag to it, so go google it.
But they have some cool stuff up there. This was for "The Little Match Girl" and its more illustrative than character design, I think.
Aside from that, I got a new Mac in my office, a new iMac to be exact. It's fly.

Nutin goin on.

2007-09-26T15:48:00.001+09:00

I had to give the little girl and her dog a doctor. So the story goes, apparently the dog gets sick a lot or something. Or maybe he helps her when she gets sick. However it goes, they wanted a doctor. Kinda reminds me of Laurel and Hardy.
Anywho. Nothing else to blog on. Just drawing... mostly flies, but drawin none-the-less. Wheeeeee!

Losing ones' marbles...

2007-09-19T13:36:00.001+09:00

Just for the sake of posting. A fake board game box cover I made. I got an idea for this game and I really wanna make it. Its kinda like CalvinBall in board game form.
Not that there are any readers, but should one venture across this blog by mere fortuity, lemme know if you want to play. I already lost my marbles though, so I won't be able to join you.

Conducive....

2007-09-19T13:20:00.000+09:00

Here are a few flash card illustrations, kinda in the same vein as the previous little girl that I had done for some school someplace about 4 or 5 years back. Not too good, admittedly - this one is "Wash your hands!" But its the frog in the next one that particularly impresses me as a work of real thought. "Listen to the Teacher!" (Don't ask why teacher is capitalized, I don't know) and the frog says I don't have ears... (Yes they do. How dumb is it to think they don't have ears...?) What was I on? And watch those tangents there! Whatever I was on, it wasn't conducive to art. Or thinking.

Child's play

2007-09-19T12:58:00.000+09:00

So, yeah, I think I will stick to illustrative work for this client. They wanted a character for their corporate image, but won't stick to one story, so they really don't have a basis for a character spokesman per say. I figure this kid will fulfill their illustration needs, but it won't do too well for a CI. Not definitive enough.
Anyway, Japanese companies LOVE characters, whether they are needed or advised or not, so no matter what I suggest, I will probably end up requesting a copyright license for the kid anyway.
Payday.
Nothing else happening except sleepless nights due to a colicky kid of my own. Woe is me, babies sure can scream. I think my poor wife is about at the end of her rope.

Sully? Yes, a bit.

2007-09-12T10:11:00.000+09:00

Here are a few more renders of the Domovoi character, which I think I'm gonna abandon like a red-headed step child - which I think I'll adopt, like a big hairy dog. Both of which I drew here.
Albeit my perspective is sooo far off that one would think the girl is floating next to the dog, and the lead I stole from Escher himself, the sketch was well received by the client. Don't ask why. Never ask why. Leave why for 4 year children. Which is the attitude I plan on giving the kid here.
Ugly Sully and not so cute Boo. I'm so original. Now I'm sully.

Sept 11

2007-09-12T09:28:00.000+09:00

Time is a mean thing. It steals your loved ones and then it steals your memories of them, so all that is left are faint impressions, like an afterimage on the retina of your eye.
My grandmother's internment is coming up. She passed away in March, and as my wife was pregnant, we couldn't go back and be with her in the final days. So, when we venture forth to put my baby and wife and I in a pressurized metal tube and hurtle ourselves through the great wide blue back home in October, my mom has postponed the memorial till then. Then, my daughter, Margaret, named after my grandmother, will be dedicated at church the day after my her namesake's memorial.
Today always seems to make me a bit morbid, and slightly verbose (though I don't know a single person who would argue that I am ever not so). There seems to me to be a great sadness that lingers in in the hearts of Americans, and those who look to America for guidance, but it is covered in complacency. And those that aren't complacent are angry at the rest of us for being so. Everyone has an opinion. Not all are voiced, and some voiced too much. Those worth hearing we don't listen to, but ridicule.
I think sometimes I can hear the voices of the dead, victims and soldiers, ancient and new, cry out for us, do not be complacent, do not be accepting. Do not give in. Do not give up.
Thomas Jefferson once said,
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
I know, that might seem non sequitor or at worst, arrogant and preachy to some. But if you get it, there need little more be said. If you don't, no amount of words can explain.
I don't have any sort of readership. I don't need one. I just look for a way to vent. This seems the modern version. Prayer is best, but I fear for me as perhaps for most, it isnt all that much different from writing. We speak, we share, we plead, we protest. We rarely listen.
Its time to listen. Just be careful to which voice you choose to listen to.

Wow, man, am I dumb

2007-09-11T22:46:00.000+09:00

I am sorry, I am that dumb.
I just wrote, I think this is my first blog ever... right above my first blog. So it was my second. And this is my third.
and counting.
So today is upset day... because of dumb clients (more so than me. yes, its true)
and because the prefecture tax was doubled... and I can't pay. Though why I would, I dont know. I cant vote, why pay? Anyway, its HUGE. More than any one person can pay, and I have to pay tax on my kid, honestly, as though she were working... at 5 weeks old. Unbe-feckin-lievable.
anywho, here is one of the sketches I did a long long time back that kinda sums up the way situations like this make me feel when I am so positive I have a good overlook of my life and i obviously do not....

Update?

2007-09-11T19:51:00.000+09:00

Uh... update.. not sure if this is an update, as I think it might be my first post. ever. anywhere.
I had a kid. Figured that was life changing enough to blog about.
go see the splash I made in the gene pool... splash... and if you have complaints about me being in the pool, take it up with the proper committee and get in line.

and so aside from that... I'm just woikin' on a character for a company that - no kidding (and this isnt a small company) - wants a new character in two weeks. decided and posted.
humph.
i think a domovoi might work well (except he looks like a vinyl toy "sully" from monsters inc.) still woikin on it. kinda weird right now.

gyaaaa

2007-01-12T17:54:00.000+09:00

No idea why I'm doing this. No one I know reads blogs, wants to read mine, or for that matter reads English in this country (Japan). I don't have time to write one anyway...
Busy like everyone else in this country.
Well, my wife is preggers and that is about as big news as you can get. At least where I'm from. Though I figure that is true for anyone form earth...

I am too olazy to do the owrk I have to do, too busy to make up the difference when it comes to crunch time and too stupid to fix it...
Gyaaaa