Andrea Innocent is an Australian born illustrator, designer and fashion designer. Her latest work explores Japanese pop culture. Themes investigate traditional Japanese folk tales and Japanese textiles and their meanings. I absolutely love the mix of western and eastern styles.

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$32,500 not quite in your price range then? Me neither…

Boris Vallejo 1978 Tarzan Calendar
5500 USD (maybe at the end of the month.)

Frank Frazetta Devil Rider Painting Original Art (circa 1970)
19 000 USD

Hal Foster Prince Valiant Sunday Comic Strip
11 000 USD

Illustrator unknown. Great little animation even though it is quite violent. Enjoy!

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
‘The Rabbits’ Christmas Party’
About 1890
Watercolour

At Sotheby’s London, Beatrix Potter’s original watercolour illustration of the final scene from “The Rabbit’ Christmas Party” was sold for the remarkable amount of £289,250 – nearly five times its presale  estimate (est. £40,000-60,000). This has set a new record for book illustration sold at an auction.

The watercolour was one of 20 original illustrations, books, unpublished Christmas cards and letters by Beatrix Potter. They came from her brother, Bertram Potter, which were offered for sale in today’s auction of English Literature and History. The whole collection, which represents the most extensive group of Beatrix Potter artwork to have appeared on the market went for a total of £748,200.

Bertram Potter must be a very happy man.

“Olympia is an oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet in the Realism style. Painted in 1863, it measures 130.5 by 190 centimetres (51 x 74.8 in). The nation of France acquired the painting in 1890 with a public subscription organised by Claude Monet. It is now in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.”

and

“What shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor even the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze and a number of details identifying her as a demi-mondaine or courtesan. These include the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. Whereas Titian’s Venus delicately covers her sex, Olympia’s hand firmly protects hers, as if to emphasize her independence and sexual dominance over men. Manet replaced the little dog (symbol of fidelity) in Titian’s painting with a black cat, which symbolized prostitution. Olympia disdainfully ignores the flowers presented to her by her servant, probably a gift from a client. Some have suggested that she is looking in the direction of the door, as her client barges in unannounced.” Read More…

Olympia by Édouard Manet

This post was partly made as reference for: Mark Ryden

Computer games often produce some amazing illustrations. Blizzard games have just released Diablo 3. I remember when they brought out Diablo 1 - I was glued for hours as I explored the labyrinths looking for new weapons and spells. You have to find and kill Diablo.  Here are some illustrations from the game. Check Out The Website - pretty impressive.

Click on them:

Collection of artworks form Mark Ryden and Lori Earley. Sound can play such an important role when setting a mood. Danny Elfman is the man behind the music of this clip. He is american and has composing scores and songs for Tim Burton’s films and won a Emmy Award for the Desperate Housewives theme. Also involved in the music for Big Fish, Beetlejuice, Batman and Edward Scissorhands…  Definatly worth reading up on Danny.

Pretty cool  add by Häagen-Dazs. Well done although it lost direction of its main message somehow. The flower did look might delicious.

Fawn Fruits (AKA) Daniel Hyun Lim is a New York based artist.

Gallery 2008

Website

This post marks the beginning of a new category - Comics. In truth I have never really been an avid comic reader. I did once collect Ghost Rider, about 10 comic books in total. However there is defiantly something to be said for the artistic skill that goes into these comics. Here are a couple images from varies comics and publishers.

Above: This illustration is a snip it from the Marvel Superhero Team “Thunderbolts“.

For those of you not familiar with the world of comics, me being one, there is a whole universe that has been created around these superhuman characters. With political faction and superheroes joining each other to form teams and rally against other heroes. Much like Tolkien and his imaginary world of Orks, Hobbits and speaking trees.

Above: Achebe from Marvel Comics: “Reverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-Hajj Achebe’s true identity remains unknown. Stories persist that he was originally a Ghudazian farmer until Ujankan guerillas took refuge in his home, repaying his hospitality by stabbing him repeatedly, burning his farm, and stealing his unfaithful wife. Refusing to die, the farmer sold his soul to the devil for revenge, hunting down and slaying everyone associated with his wife, from close family to casual acquaintances.” Read More…

Above: “A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is an organization of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all government by technological means.” Read More…

The stories are rather elaborate. If you go to the site there is a publishers rating for thing like power and intelligence. There is also a user rating. Then you have a full profile breakdown. What color hair, occupation (E.G.: Revolutionary, minister; former farmer, co-regent of Wakanda), Education (E.G: Ph.D. in Law (Yale)), Relatives (E.G: Unidentified alleged wife (deceased)) etc…

There you have it.