Historic Empire Hotel, Ross – ink and watercolour, 200 x 255 mm, 2013Historic Empire Hotel – Ross, 2013
Fresh off the drawing board, here is a little sketch of the hotel we stayed at in Ross last weekend. The town was established in 1865 during the West Coast gold rush and once had a population of more than 3,000 ― now it’s closer to 300. We had a wonderful time at a friend’s ‘When I’m 64’ birthday party and jam night : )
On the way there, I took a few photos of the mountains which are looking positively picturesque at the moment (Christchurch to Ross via Arthur’s Pass). I’ve posted my absolute favourite shots on my Facebook page.
The Prisoner (1968-1969): The prisoner is a former British spy who, having abruptly resigned from the secret service, has been abducted and imprisoned in a strange village…and he has no idea who his captors are. “I am not a number, I am a free man” was the catchphrase of the series. The stamp depicts the prisoner being apprehended by a large, white, mysterious bouncing bubble called ‘Rover’.
Those bouncing bubbles used to give me nightmares!
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.
Stamp design, artwork – mixed media – student project, 2011
The Jetsons (1962-1963): Hanna-Barbera’s animated sitcom about an American family living in the year 2062 featured flying cars, floating cities and a robot named Rosey. A second series was produced in the 1980s.
Which means that we only have to wait another 49 years for flying cars!
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.
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.
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.
Sky Tower – watercolour and acrylic, 295 x 210 mm, 2013Sky Tower – Auckland, 2007
Here is Auckland’s Sky Tower ― the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand ― surrounded by little fluffy clouds. The sketch was an exercise in simplicity and contrast. Left to my own devices, I would have added more details and shading, but that’s not really the point of this exercise. I used watercolour pencils and my new Molotow acrylic paint markers (oh what a wonderful world we live in!).
I’m a little jealous of American-born artist and designer Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954). He studied in Paris, illustrated several of T. S. Eliot’s books (apparently he was Eliot’s preferred illustrator) and designed posters for the London Underground. Not a bad career.
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.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 