Circa 2003, I was working for a London illustration agency ( I was a terrible commercial artist - I never did what they asked me ), and well into doing digital illustration. By that, I mean everything was still hand-drawn on paper, but it was then scanned into Photoshop. The result was a nicely organic form of computer illustration, smooth from a distance, but rough around the edges.
I was probably going through a 'Stylish Manga' phase, partly as a hangover from a stint as 'Contributing Designer' for Maxim Magazine ( inspired by the fashion shoots ), and partly because I was preparing for a trip to Japan to exhibit some paintings, in 2004.
This first selection of pictures here are from that earlier phase. Believe it or not, I never liked Manga that much. If your first introduction into the genre is Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA ( both the comic and the movie ), everything else seems painfully dull in comparison. ( With the exception of Studio Ghibli's My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service ).
This second collection of pictures are more recent. In fact, they were bad printouts from an experimental series that I'm currently working on. I photographed the creased pages on my studio floor, and blew them up to bring the print dots into focus. I love the natural abstraction of torn posters and shredded paper.
The smoothness of my old style is quite impressive, and has an eerie feeling of suspense. Whereas this later, scuffed-up, random work, recalls Bollywood posters and cheap comics, reminiscent of the authentic manga format itself, which is often to be found discarded like old phone directories, in the litter bins of Japan. Compare and contrast!
