My Favorite Martian

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

My Favorite Martian (1963-1966): An American sitcom about a professor of anthropology from Mars who crash-lands on Earth somewhere near Los Angeles. He is befriended by Tim, a newspaper reporter, who passes off the stranded Martian as his Uncle Martin. 

By the way, the newspaper reporter was played by Bill Bixby who went on to star as David Banner in The Incredible Hulk TV series (1977-1982): “Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

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

The Twilight Zone

Stamp design, original artwork – ink, watercolour and digital – student project, 2011
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011

Cue the theme music…

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964): An American anthology series of stand-alone stories with unexpected plot twists. The Twilight Zone became famous for its opening title sequences. “You are travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone.” Two other series were produced from 1985–1989 and 2002–2003. 

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 decided to post the artwork for the individual stamps ― one every week (or thereabouts) ― to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who (later this year). And because sci-fi stamps are cool.

*For a recap on this 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

Dear diary, part nine

Science Fiction stamp design – sketches Visual diary, two-page spread  (student project, 2011)
Science Fiction stamp design – sketches
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)
Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm) Background stars and planets courtesy of the Internet Student project, 2011
Science Fiction stamp poster (594 x 420 mm)
Stars and planets (background collage) courtesy of the Internet
Student project, 2011

Another one of my favourite designs at college was this stamp poster (and all of the stamps). Below is the text I wrote as part of the project:

Commemorating 50 years of science fiction on television in New Zealand, this collection features illustrations of some of the 1960s most iconic science fiction programmes.

Television arrived in New Zealand homes at a time when great advances were being made in space exploration. The 1960s was a decade obsessed with the “space race” as the Soviet Union and the United States competed to put a man on the moon. These 12 stamps depict television shows that tapped into our fascination with space and space travel. There were tales of friendly aliens living among us and of hostile alien invasions; journeys into our possible future and into the questionable past; galaxies filled with spaceships, robots and strange new worlds.

This post is the last of my Dear diary series… but I think I’ll start blogging about the artwork for these stamps — because stamps are cool : )

The diary pages are from a journal I designed for my Design & Arts College exhibition in 2012. Two years of research, ideas, word maps and sketches had to be reduced to a mere 72 pages. It was no easy task but I now have a beautiful, professionally bound diary that I’ll always treasure.

Amy

Amy – ink and watercolour on paper, 255 x 205 mm, 2013.
Amy – ink and watercolour on paper, 255 x 205 mm, 2013.

My friend Amy may have lost her fob watch. It’s not easy being a Time Lord if you can’t remember who you are. (Happy birthday, Amy.)