sci-fi

In the style of… Aubrey Hammond

| Anna Cull
The Press – ink, watercolour pencil and digital, 190 x 140 mm, 2014
The Press – ink, watercolour pencil and digital, 190 x 140 mm, 2014
The Press, Christchurch, 2010
The Press, Christchurch, 2010

Getting inspired by the 1920s…

Aubrey Hammond

Book cover (1927) and London Underground poster (1923) Images from www.sf-foundation.org and www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk
Aubrey Hammond – book cover (1927) and London Underground poster (1923)
Images from www.sf-foundation.org and www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk

British artist Aubrey Hammond (1894–1940) is responsible some of my favourite1920s London Underground posters. He also illustrated several books and taught commercial and theatrical design. I think his cover for Metropolis, Thea von Harbou’s novel designed to complement the movie (co-written with husband Fritz Lang), is simply stunning.

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.

Happy anniversary, Doctor Who!

| Anna Cull
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

Doctor Who theme music

Doctor Who (1963-1989): The BBC originally promoted the classic series as an educational programme for children. It follows the adventures of a time-travelling alien known as the Doctor. The stamp depicts the opening titles, the Doctor’s TARDIS (a spaceship which looks like a British police box but has the ability to travel through space and time), and the first appearance of the alien race known as the Daleks (the episode aired 21/12/1963). Doctor Who went into production again in 2005 and has become the longest-running science fiction TV show in history.

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. I’ve been posting the stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Happy anniversary, Doctor!

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

Thunderbirds

| Anna Cull
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

Five…  four…  three…  two…  one…  Thunderbirds are go!!! (Click here to listen to the theme music.)

Thunderbirds (1965-1966): A marionette puppet series (dubbed ‘supermarionation’ by the show’s creator, Gerry Anderson) set in the then-future of the 21st Century. It follows the adventures of the secret organisation International Rescue. The stamp is inspired by the countdown in the opening title sequence.

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.

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

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

| Anna Cull
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

The future seems like only yesterday…

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968): Set in the future of the 1970s/1980s, the series centres on the atomic submarine Seaview and its crew whose secret mission is to defend the Earth. It was based on the 1961 film of the same name.

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.

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

Lost in Space

| Anna Cull
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
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

Land of the Giants

| Anna Cull
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

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.

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