things keep happening

things keep happening...Hey dudes and dudettes.. Yes, it has been a long time since my last post. This summer was pretty crazy busy, and fall got busier. Since my last post, I moved to Los Angeles in early October. I’m here possibly temporarily, hopefully long term. It just depends on how my job hunt turns out. I’ve also been applying for things up in the Bay Area, so I could end up back there. Or I could end up back in Michigan again if I don’t get something stable set up here by the time I run out of money. Maybe I shouldn’t be so forthcoming about that stuff on my art blog – perhaps it makes me look unprofessional – but hey, just being honest. It’s a rough economy out there for everyone, and a time when there are a lot less opportunities for us creative professionals. Let’s just say that for every graphic design or photography job I’ve applied to, I’ve applied to two retail jobs. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m just hoping to get something stable enough out here to stay, and keep working towards… THE PRIZE.

 

Anyway, despite not getting much real art done this last four months, I have been making some stuff. The problem is that a lot of it is freelance graphic design for secret projects, or for internal corporate documents & presentations. Not as exciting as making big colorful illustrated-photo pieces, or comics, or fashion photography, but it does pay the bills when those fun things are hard to rely on in an economic pinch. Anyway, I should be able to show some of that work sooner or later…

 

I did actually make quite a bit of changes to the site, both in flow and mechanics. A lot of it you won’t really see, but trust me, it helps. I guess you could say it’s evanhaydenart.com, ver 2.1. Since coding is not second nature to me, I had some big bugs that had been waiting to be squashed since the site overhaul. The last bit of them involved problems with the CSS involved in my links. So if you saw visited links showing up as white on white (not very user friendly), that’s why. Usually it’s as simple as changing a style property, but this was a unusually complex problem, under the surface. I wanted to extend my gratitude to my buddy Vivian Hui – an amazing graphic designer and web designer – for helping me fix this problem!

 

Other changes around the site include:

  • New background on all pages but the intro page. I love the way the colorful pink & purple splash background looks on the intro page, but on the regular gallery pages, I thought things were looking a bit too busy, and that the background distracted from the content. The new background is darker, which should help the content stand out more, and still has that eye-trickery that I like… If you stare at it too long, it starts to get a bit of a moiré pattern to it…  I apologize for any headaches it may induce!
  • Shuffled around some of the Illustrated-Photography and People Photography pieces. Deleted some of the old stuff, and took some of the old or less-potent stuff and moved it into archive pages. Basically these archive pages have work that I’m still fond of in a way, and want you to be able to see if you so desire, but don’t have the same punch as the newer and/or better work that I wish to showcase. If you want to see the archives, they are linked on the bottom of their respective galleries.
  • Simplified code throughout the site. Many of the pages should load faster and cleaner now. There was a lot of redundant/junk code that Vivian pointed out, and I tried to strip away a bunch of it. Also, since the new background is about 10% the file size of the old one, that should load faster as well.
  • Rearranged the links page a bit for better visual parsing.
  • Took the links to all my different automotive Flickr sets out of the Automotive Photography page. You can still access them, but I realized that I didn’t need them all listed there. Took up a lot of space, and was too much to maintain every time I made a new Flickr set (which I do often). So now just click to check out the collection, and go from there…

 

As for things still on my checklist, I realize it’s been two years since the new site launched, and I still don’t have a proper shop set up for prints. I’ll get to that soon, hopefully, if my life stabilizes anytime in the near future. What originally held me back was when my hard drive died in ‘08, and I lost the originals of a lot of my work. I had to redraw a lot of them to sell any prints, and I now feel that those redrawn ones, in addition to my new work since, has given me a good base to work from, when I do get the store set up. In the meantime, just email me (skeletron  AT  gmail  DOT com) if you wanna buy some thangz. Also, I know that the music page is pretty barren. I’m still on a music hiatus. I want to get back into it soon, but again, life has been too hectic, busy, and unstable this last couple years.

 

In other, more exciting news, see that pretty face up there? The one with a few outlines, but still none of the nose? That is a very tiny segment of my next illustrated-photo piece. It’s going to be a very epic one. I’m about 4 hours into it, and I estimate it’ll take another 40 to finish. It will contain a lot of different themes that I enjoy, all jammed into one big piece. As for those themes, I’ll keep them secret for now… I will just say that it’s my first illustrated-photo to contain an explosion! Also, the theme could be referred to as “a love letter to my 13-year-old self”. I’ll keep that vague for now. It’ll all make sense when it’s done. Anyway, adieu for now. Hopefully less than four months will have elapsed by the next time I write.

Prison for Bitches – on sale now!!

Prison for Bitches

Hey kids. “Prison for Bitches” – the new zine by my best buddy Ryan Sands – is now available to buy online and at select stores! If you like Lady Gaga, indie comix, illustration, meaty articles, photography, or any of the above, I bet you’ll dig it. This is the zine that I created the “Lady Galaxy” piece for, and features so many goddamned talented people that I don’t even know where to start! For example: Michael Kupperman, Johnny Ryan, Hellen Jo, Derek Yu, Lisa Hanawalt, etc etc etc! So yeah, get yet credit cards / cash / buffalo hides / space bucks and go to the website and buy it! Trust me, there’s a lot of good stuff in those pages.

“Lady Galaxy”

Okay, it’s definitely been a while since last post, but here’s something brand new and very shiny…

 

Lady Galaxy

It’s called “Lady Galaxy”, and is my piece for the upcoming Lady Gaga fanzine “Prison for Bitches”, being published by my buddy Ryan Sands.  This was a lot of fun to create, and since I’m really into Lady Gaga, it’s exciting to be in on the zine. I guess you could say that it’s the second in my series of musician-inspired pieces, following “Lionheart“, my Kate Bush inspired piece from 2006.  Special thanks to the lovely Raven Le Faye for modeling for it.  We shot five different shoots that day, so look for more work with her in it over the next couple months.  Here are some details from the work:

 

So in other news, believe it or not, I’m moving back to Michigan again for a few months.  Times have been tough, money-wise, and I have to help my parents get their house ready to sell (lots of painting and varnishing), so I’d rather just do it now when the weather there is really nice, and while I have no career commitments in San Francisco (other than occasional freelance work that I can do remotely).  Of course, it’s very hard to leave my friends, my girlfriend, and this beautiful part of the country, but I don’t have much choice about it really. The plan is to help out as much as possible, make as much art as possible, and come back to California in the fall – more than likely to LA this time. We’ll see though… I’m trying not to think too far ahead this time, since life is anything but predictable.

 

Anyway, I’ll be on the road starting this Saturday, and will be busy at first, but look for a lot more art soon, as I will be much less stressed-out this summer hopefully (stress does not equal good art for me).  Ciao for now cats and kittens!

“RESET.”

RESET.

Here is my latest illustrated-photography piece, entitled RESET.  It’s more personal in theme than my usual work.  The last few years I’ve been having some problems with depression, and the way it tends to hold back my ambitions in life.  I’m hoping this year to change a lot of things about my life for the better, and sort of hit the “reset button”.  I am almost 30 years old, and want to start off the next decade of my life feeling good, like I did the first half of my 20’s. Anyway, the model is yours-truly, and I am accompanied by a toy space gun and about 30-40 different flowers that I shot pictures of around California, Michigan, and Ohio. Here are some details of RESET…

 

RESET. details

come to APE!!

Hey kiddos, it’s that time again! Alternative Press Expo is almost upon us, and you should come and visit my table! I will be there with my buddies Ryan Sands, Hellen Jo, Derek Yu, Calvin Wong, Anthony Wu, and Ryan Germick, and we will be selling all kinds of comics, zines, prints, and other goodies. Keep reading for info…

 

APE 2009

INFO…
Saturday October 17th, 11am-7pm  &  Sunday October 18th, 11am-6pm
at The Concourse (620 7th Street, San Francisco CAView Map

 

Here’s a map of where we’re gonna be in the building (we’re called “Bang Gang”, and are at table #418)

 

APE MAP 2009

 

This will be the debut of issue 2 of “Electric Ant” – the comics & literary anthology zine that I do with Ryan Sands. Several of the contributors in the book will be at the show, so be sure to come. Come on by, say hi, and buy some shit!!!

 

EDIT (from the fuuuuuture!): Click this photo of my buddies and I to see a ton of photos from APE 2009!

APE 2009

“Off the Wall” post mortem

Off the Wall - my art space
my setup

 

Getting to posting this a little late, but I was in LA for a week. Anyway, I wanted to share some pics from the “Off the Wall” art show. It went well. I met some really awesome people and got a much bigger display area at this show (4×8ft). I spray-painted a neon pink, yellow, green & silver background of “asa no ha” pattern (my favorite pattern!), over which resided eight large prints.

 

I wanted to share some pics of the show with you, as well as some photos of the process of painting the background. Hope you find these fun!

 

(click the pics to go to their respective Flickr pages with bigger views)

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Wall - setting up my art space
wall in progress
Off the Wall - Ryan & me
My good buddy Ryan & me. (protip: don’t wear a rubber jacket to an art opening. So sweaty!)
Off the Wall - buddies!
L to R: Christina, Melania, Max, Kaoru, Andy
Off the Wall - Patricia & Oliver
Patricia & Oliver
Off the Wall - Sarah and Jay222
Sarah and Jay222

 

 

Off the Wall - fun folks!
fun folks!

 

It was cool to run into Piper Robbins & Alisha Fumiko Harada former students at the art school I used to work at. You’ll see them in that last pic! In other news, while at the show, I met Charlie Jane Anders from io9.com while at the show, and she featured my work on the site the following week. That was pretty rad! (I was also in the week recap)

 

Let’s see what else is new… I’m tabling for my fourth year in a row at APE this coming week, but more on that in my next post…

 

 

“Hunter”

HunterHowdy kids! The “Off the Wall” art show went well. I met a lot of rad people and there was a great turnout. I had a pretty deluxe setup for my art at this show. I’ll post pics soon. In the meantime, here’s that new mystery artwork I did a couple days ago:

 

It’s the second in my new, second Robot Army series. The model is my good buddy Raphye. She was a good friend of mine back in high school, and I hadn’t seen her for ten years, until we reconnected on my recent three week trip back to Michigan. I think she makes a good model. I did another shoot with her, which I’ll post soon.

 

I also posted a ton of non-illustrated photos and a video from the robot shoot, which you can see here!

 

 


Beyond Recognition post-mortem

The Beyond Recognition show went well for me. I showed eight pieces, and sold half of them. Yayy! It’s looking like I will be a part of the follow-up show, happening in September. I’ll keep you posted…  It was a fun show. My 15 year old nephew was visiting me for a few days, from Michigan, so it was cool to expose him to some good artists. In addition to 2D pieces, there was some sculptural work, as well as fashion, and some bands played. Lots of people showed up – maybe about 200-300. Here are a few shots from the evening (click the pics to go to their respective Flickr pages with bigger views):

 

Beyond Recognition - my art space
My bit of wall space
Beyond Recognition - happy customers!
Happy customers!

These fine folks from Jubilee Hair Studio bought four of my pieces!

 

Beyond Recognition
Missy Feigum

I loved this girl’s art. Check out more.

 

Beyond Recognition
Left: Kelli posing with her art. Nice girl who makes good art. Right: Dunno whose art this is, but I dug it.

Beyond Recognition
Probably about 200-300 people showed up over the course of the evening. Nice turnout.

“Zipperface” + an art show “Beyond Recognition”

Beyond Recognition art showGlaaargh, hellishly busy still, and in addition to the usual business, I’m preparing to move to a different apartment in a week, and also for my nephew’s visit to SF over this next week. BUT: some news…

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13th at Space Gallery  (1141 Polk St, San Francisco CA)

 

I have several pieces in the “Beyond Recognition” show, and the opening is this coming Friday. I will also more than likely be selling prints while there. Come check it out and say hi!

 

 

 

Zipperface
Click the image for a larger view.

Also, I made a new illustrated-photography piece, “Zipperface”, featuring my favorite muse again (Dawon). This is a disturbing scene that came to me in a dream back in 2000, in which a girl approaches me, pulls a zipper from her forehead, and starts to expose her skull, before I am jarred awake. Yikers. This is a first in a series of illustrated-photography based on dreams – hopefully to accompany a graphic novel of dreams (if my schedule ever permits it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More soon hopefully. My next creative projects after settling into my new place (old place technically, as I’m moving back into the apartment I spent my first 4 years in SF in), will be focusing on Electric Ant issue 2 design and illustration, and adapting Maruo’s Panorama Island into English. (yayyyy!!!)  You’ll have to wait a while for that second one to come out, but it’ll be worth it. Ryan and I are salivating over working on it, and are treating it with the care and respect it deserves!