Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-BATMAN!

I was sitting around the other day in a meeting doodling when I knocked up this pretty nice George Barris Batmobile with a piece of A-4 and a black biro.

It’s not totally accurate of course: it was done entierly from memory of the 60’s TV show, the ubiquitous 1960’s-70’s 1/43rd-scale Corgi toy (every boy had one), and the subsequent design in the comic book DC artists modeled after the TV one. And a few cartoon versions in there too.

Not bad I'd say, considering. As I'm always saying about these things; it make's me want to do a whole serise of Batmobiles and Bat-gadgets.

The 1968 DC comics version

It reminded me how much I loved the car, probably one of the main reasons I and thousands of other bat-fans chose Batman as their favorite Superhero growing up.

An early Illustrator image of mine of you-know-who

I loved the TV show; it was long off the air in the city in Australia in the 70’s, but visiting my Grandparents in Rural NSW, the first thing my sister and I would do after arriving in the afternoon was rush into their lounge room to watch Adam West and Burt Ward on local TV station 6,8 & 9 (longest channel name ever) as they duked it out with henchmen and a cavalcade of cheesy performances from guest villains.

Interestingly, any camp subtext was totally lost on us. We thought it was serious business!

Yet Another! I must be Bats-Man!

The Barris Batmobile has an interesting story all of it’s own.

In 1955, the Lincoln division of The Ford Motor Company designed and built a futuristic concept car called the Lincoln Futura. It was built entirely by hand in Turin, Italy at a cost of $250,000 and like many concept cars, was never put in to production. In the mid 1960's, George Barris of Barris Kustom City acquired the car for $1 directly from Ford.

Fast forward to August 1965, the all new and exciting Batman TV show producers approached Barris to have him build a new Batmobile for their upcoming program. The only catch was the car had to be ready for action in a mere three weeks. Seeing the bat-like qualities his Futura already had, he felt it was the perfect answer to the dilemma 20th Century Fox had created for him.

Overviews of the Lincoln Futura

Three weeks later, in October of 1965, the Batmobile was born and television history was made...

Many versions have been built; originals and replicas. But perhaps that's a story for another post...

Same Bat-Tiiiiime; Saaaame Bat-Channel...

Vroom Vroom VROOOOOOOM

1976 (-78) Ford Falcon Cobra

The XA Falcon Hardtop in terms of design was the bastard son of the US 1970-71 Ford Torino, and the 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Much of the mechanics were the same as the earlier series of Falcons, such as the drive-trains which carried over from the XY series. Mechanically they were a very different proposition though, with Australian Government restrictions limiting the power that the 'full-house' GTHO engines had produced.

What resulted though was arguably Australia’s best looking muscle car and definitely it’s most iconic, after the art director for a small film company found a customized version sitting in the front yard of a suburban home and cast it as a non-human character in Mad Max, and the sequel Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.

This illustration is the XC Ford Falcon Cobra


The Cobra was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop (following on from the XA, and XB respectively). Originally it was a scheme to use up the 400 remaining completed Coupe body-shells which were filling up the Broadmeadows Victoria plant in 1978, before the radically redesigned XD Falcons were introduced. Several marketing ideas were considered, including a licensed Playboy style graphic. As a family company the idea was scrapped; and Edsel Ford II who was touring Australia at the time suggested the bright blue racing stripes and "Cobra" emblems, a throwback to Carroll Shelby's Mustangs of the 1960s (and today) that made the car easily identifiable as a Ford muscle car.

Each of the cars was given its own individual serial number and fitted with a sequentially-numbered plaque (from 1 to 400) in the dash. The first 200 produced were given the 5.8L 351 Cleveland V8, while the other 200 received the 4.9L 302 Cleveland. The first 30 cars were named the Option 97, fitted with optional parts to allow homologation for racing. This included twin thermostatically controlled fans, an engine oil cooler and racing seats. Easily identified from the other 370 Option 96 Cobras by a large rear-opening bulge in the bonnet.

Many pundits complain the car wasn't as toey as it's predecessors owing to a heavier build. However Falcon Cobras are still highly revered by car collectors across Australia. A mint example can be worth upwards of AUD$70,000.

1971 Ford Mustang fastback.

1971; ah, a good year.

The Ford Mustang is in industrial design terms as iconic and internationally recognizable as the Coke bottle or the AK-47. Even the uninitiated recognizes the car without any prompting.
Revolutionizing the muscle car industry and creating the Sub Genre known as the “Pony-Car”, it featured in its various incantations in such films as Bullitt and Gone in 60 Seconds. As the characters in Death Proof muse; “Not the Bullshit Angelina Jolie Version”.

Indeed, although the Nicolas “King of Crap Movies” Cage starring shocker is worth watching for a good look at the ‘Super-Snake’ Shelby Cobra driven in the film, dubbed Eleanor, another car-character within a movie.

This car has had such an impact on the automotive industry and design, that Japanese car companies built virtual poor-mans’ rip-offs (Mazda RX-3, RX-4, Toyota Celica A20/35 Series [1970-1977]). And you can’t tell me the 67’-68’ Chevrolet Camaro wasn’t heavily inspired by the Mustang also, as was the Ford stable-mate the first generation Mercury Cougar (67-70).



Both of these illustrations work well, but were done very early during a period I virtually taught myself how to use Adobe Illustrator. Having developed my skills a lot further they make me want to sit down and churn out some better quality images of classic cars.

Modesty...please!

These were some images I created for an application for a contract with an ice cream company. The rude bastards didn’t even respond to me. I thought they were pretty good. If anyone out there sees any of these images pop up in advertising please let me know; it means they’ve stolen them off me. Don’t laugh; I guess it could happen, like a story ripped from the pages of Modesty Blaise herself. I remember her well from my childhood syndicated in Australia in daily tabloid Newspapers. She seemed sexy, smart and mysterious.


Modesty Blaise was a comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell (writer) and Jim Holdaway (art) in 1963, the ‘golden age’ of espionage fiction. The Cold War era strip follows the adventures of Ms. Blaise, an exceptional young woman from parts unknown (suggested as the Middle East) with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin. Another staple of the era; the platonic professional male-female friendship based on respect, like John Steed and Emma Peel in The Avengers.



But let’s face it; they were built on the same sexual tension which had the punters tuning in to The X-Files thirty years later. Modesty Blaise was adapted into films made in 1966, 1982, and 2003 and a series of thirteen novels and short story collections beginning in 1965.

Many critics see the early years of the strip as a classic of adventure comic strips. The novels are regarded by some as being among the classics of adventure fiction. The hitman character Vincent Vega from Quentin Tarrantino’s Pulp Fiction can be seen reading a Modesty Blaise novel (on the toilet) throughout scenes in the film.

I enjoyed doing this work, but it felt a little pervy. I think grown men who draw their sexual fantasy women are bordering on being very sad. Not to say I didn’t like her, I’m just a far cry from Robert Crumb I suppose. And every straight man IS attracted to a woman with more curves that Olive Oyl.


And I likes the lady so much I threws her into my current header/letterhead (see top of page). Ugh ugh ugh.

Aircraft Illustrations

I spent the first few years of my life an Air Force Brat whilst my father was a Royal Australian Air Force Officer. My earliest memories are Navy Skyhawks flying over my house like it was normal; to us it was absolutely no big deal.

World War II holds a huge fascination for me, as both of my Grandfathers participated in it as Infantrymen and the very fact that it had such a profound effect on an entire generation. That we will never understand the suffering and sacrifice these people endured on so many levels, is our debt to them.

This has led me to produce a few images on the subject; and the fact that flying machines are the most magnificent ones ever built by man.

RAAF Mk V Spitfire
From the Australian Defence Force Serials Website:

(RAAF Serial#) A58-758 (Construction #) HF.VIII MV239 LS 2820 (Delivered) 19/06/45 Crashed on test flight 6MU 20/03/45 UK. Shipped to Australia 23/04/45 on Landing Ship LS2820 arriving 19/06/45 in Australia. Delivered 04/45.1949 Sydney Tech College.1961 Sid Marshall, Bankstown AUS, 1983. Sold & restored for ground runs only. 29.12.85 Airworthy as VH-HET with Col Pay, Australia Flying as VH-HET, previously painted as A58-758 but now painted as A58-602 and now located and flown by Temora Aviation Museum NSW. May 2000 Acquired by David Lowy and in the Temora Aviation Museum, New South Wales, Australia, on extended loan.


What this means is I have actually seen this aeroplane fly, on August 1st 2007, at Temora NSW.

A thrill for a nerd like me...
A photo of the aircraft before it was repainted into another aircraft's markings.











Col Paye, RIP

Mentioned above in some of the stats for this Spitfire, the man who restored it and operated it for many years, Col Paye, was tragically killed whilst experimenting with using crop dusting aircraft as fire-bombers on December 7th 2007.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/icon-crashes-into-lake/2007/12/07/1196812973226.html

A great tragedy for not only the Australian Aeronautical industry at large but for Warbirds community in particular.

RAAF Hudson Bomber

Another Temora flying museum piece, the Hudson was the first Australian Aircraft to engage the Japanese during the war.

From the Australian Defence Force Serials Website:

(RAAF Serial#) A16-112 (Construction #) 6041 41-23182 (Delivered) 05/12/41 Served with 14, 32 and 6 Sqn's (last two in PNG). Then as VH-EWA to East West Airlines in 1945. Adastra Aerial Services as VH-AGS. Now VH-KOY and previously registered to and owned by Malcolm Long. First Post Restoration Flight 10/04/93. On Display at Avalon 2001. Now on Display at Temora Aviation Museum. Registered VH-KOY to Temora Aviation Museum 07/07/04.

Again, I saw this Aeroplane fly on the 1/8/’07, but had no idea it was the same one I had previous done this illustration of. A total co-incidence.




If only I could use these 'powers' for predicting next weeks numbers in the Lottery...

Portraiture

These are a couple of examples of portrait style digital work. They’re developed from flat planes of colour in Adobe Illustrator and ‘painted’ up in Adobe Photoshop.

Design Process

This is typically how the image is produced...

Step 1. Flat planes of colour; shape defined


Step 2. Further colour, background

Step 3. Modeling on the girls face begins; the dimensions begin to develop, starting with her eyes.

Step 4. More Modeling, light direction and "truer" colours are rendered (eg the 'blonde' hair becomes a genuine blonde colour), the blouse/shirt takes on volume, the background is begun. The girls face is modeled further, individual features are embellished and given volume...

Step 5. The trees are rendered, with blurred photographic-depth-of-field reference, the grass in the medow is modelled, her hair is modelled, the rough 'straw' effect suggests random clumps of individual strands. The hand is added and modeled, light shining on the trees, and and little drops of blue suggest the sky behind the trees.

Step 6. The image is flipped to run from left-to-right, and purples and blues are introduced to the background to create subtle shadows and the illusion of vollume within the shade. The images is cropped to 'tighten' it, losing a little of the modelling on the twig in the hand, and the sky.

Other minor tidy-ups are performed...

The illustration is finished