Lost in Space

October 18, 2013November 14, 2013 | Anna Cull

Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

I used to love this series. It had the best robot EVER. And the theme music was fabulous too! It was written by John Williams — yes, the same John Williams who wrote the music for Star Wars. Click on the link below to hear the original Lost in Space theme music* (note: it takes about 40 seconds before it really gets started)…

Lost in Space theme music

Lost In Space (1965-1968): The year is 1997. The crew of the Jupiter 2 leaves an overpopulated Earth in the hope of finding a suitable world to colonise but an act of sabotage causes them to crash on an unknown planet. The stamp features images from the opening credits as well as the talking robot made famous by the series.

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

*I’ve just discovered a cool site with free TV theme tunes — so I’ve added a couple of groovy audio links to my The Prisoner and Star Trek stamp posts : )

Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm) Stars and planets (background collage) courtesy of the Internet Student project, 2011 — Science Fiction stamp poster – student project, 2011

Amazing you!

October 16, 2013June 24, 2020 | Anna Cull

Sally’s logo and business card were a joy to design. The brief was to incorporate a blossoming flower (a lotus or a dahlia) and a dark-to-light-blue gradient (symbolising transformation) to give a sense of the personality and coaching style of the client ― who has a very positive, playful kind of energy. Several sketches, watercolour paintings and brainstorming sessions later, we had the Amazing You blue lotus logo ― and an entire blue lotus forest!

In the style of… Maurice Sendak

October 14, 2013June 24, 2020 | Anna Cull

St Germain and the tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013 — St Germain and the Tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013

If this looks a little familiar, that’s probably because the reference photograph was taken right next to the one I used for last week’s sketch. This time I used watercolour pencils and my trusty Staedtler pigment liners and took inspiration from one of my favourite illustrators, Maurice Sendak. You can see the early stages of my sketch below. (St Germain is the name of the restaurant in the photo.)

Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch Work in progress #2 – after adding water — Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch
Work in progress #2 – after adding water

Maurice Sendak

Everyone has heard of American illustrator and author Maurice Sendak (1928–2012), haven’t they? And even if you don’t know his name, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his wonderful book Where the Wild Things Are.

In the style of… appears occasionally instead of my regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts. Using my own photographs as a starting point, I’m drawing inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently.

Land of the Giants

October 11, 2013November 14, 2013 | Anna Cull

Has anyone noticed that all the stamp illustrations are shaped like old TV sets?

The Land of the Giants (1968-1970): Set in the future (1983), the crew and passengers of a sub-orbital commercial flight from New York to London encounter a strange space storm and crash-land on a mysterious Earth-like planet where everything is 12 x normal size.

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.

In the style of… Fougasse

October 7, 2013March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Tram – ink and digital, 297 x 210 mm, 2013

Tram (edited and unedited photos) – Christchurch, 2010 — Tram (edited and original photos) – Christchurch, 2010

Simple lines and a few splashes of colour. I really enjoyed this one — does it show?

Fougasse

Posters from 1944 Images from www.pickmix.co.uk — Posters from 1944
Images from www.pickmix.co.uk

Fougasse was the nom de plume of London-born cartoonist Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887–1965). I’m a big fan of the posters he designed for the London Underground. I love the simplicity of these illustrations — and the humour.

The Time Tunnel

October 4, 2013November 14, 2013 | Anna Cull

Time travel at its grooviest. If you don’t believe me, track down the pilot episode.

The Time Tunnel (1966-1967): This series follows the adventures of two scientists who become trapped in a top-secret U.S. government time machine, the Time Tunnel. The machine malfunctions, sending the time travellers to a new location in time and space every week.

The stamp design, poster and text are from one of my favourite student projects. Each stamp depicts an iconic science fiction TV series from the 1960s. For a recap on the project, click here.