♥R.I.P. Bettie Page♥

"I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society". An idol. Sweet sexy burlesque video here.

C⚇raline.

Henry Selick directed Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach and now he brings us a fantastic new movie called Coraline. This movie has everything I love: handmade things, miniatures, a vintage look and lovely characters. I am completely obsess with Coraline!! Please visit Coraline.com for a fantastic experience. Can't wait for next year to see the movie!! By the way HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Merry Christmas or should I say Bloody Christmas!!

Taedium Vitae - Farewell Notes of Japanese Literary Suicides by Gilbert Alter-Gilbert

I have followed A Journey Around My Skull blog for a while now, and I find fascinating almost everything that is posted on it, this time they have published a very interesting article about the culture of literary suicide in Japan.

"In Japan, longstanding tradition has perpetuated several honorable categories of seppuku, or ritual suicide; a fact reflected by the Japanese language, which contains many terms for specific forms of shi, or death. Shinju is the word for suicide which fulfills a pact between lovers. Roshigokuraku-ojo is the death (of a woman) through prolonged sexual intercourse."

For the article click here and a few weeks back I posted Yukio Mishima's "Yûkoku or Rite of Love and Death" that connects with this article very well so maybe you will want to see it if you haven't or see it again if you have here.

Drawings, etchings, animation, installations and wallpaintings by the amazing italian artist Ericailcane. He has a great variety of work, that shows us that it doesn't matter the media you choose what matters are the ideas.

Rotoscopia

I have mix feelings about this music video, I don't really like the song but the video is fantastic. It was drawn frame by frame on top of the video and you can see the work that required. We declare ourselves fans of this beautifully home made animation. I will love to do some myself!!!

❈INSENSATE❈

"Conjuring a macabre phantasmagoria that unfurls before your eyes like a sinister but beautiful bloom, Insensate showcases the brutal geometry and raw creative fire of Gareth Pugh's A/W 2008 collection to truly bewitching effect." If you want to know more about this video click here

TOP CLASS

Illustrator Beata Szcecinska shares our love for the black and white. She works under the name Cityabiss, this name is very appropriate for her highly urban, deconstrusted and a bit decadent illustrations. Cityabiss mixes traditional drawings with digital compositions to create work for top class clients like Varoom and Computer Arts Magazine. She was showcased in Illusive 2 a book that shows the best of the contemporary illustration and she totally deserves it. See her portfolio here.

3 for the price of 1

I am sorry for the the delay on my blogging but it was a busy week, so in order to make up for the time lost I got three links that blew my mind away (Thank you ideaFixa!) and they are all completely different, the first is a book, the second a recording and the third is a collection of images. It is real you can find everything on the internet these days.

The book is in Spanish so I apologize to the non spanish speakers. Susan Sontag's Sobre la fotografía and is available for download here.

The second one is an interview to Stanley Kubrick also available for download here.


The third one is a partnership between Google and the LIFE photo archive. Millions of pictures of all times and of historic moments. A great source of inspiration and information, you can see it here

Is there anything unusual about the character?

❄tricot machine❄

Animation made with hundreds of machine knitted frames, the video and the song are adorable.
Watch it here.

Via Drawn!

not just two people...

I don't know why it took me so long to post something about photography, after all the blog is about things Black & White and photography is a main part. So here it is, this website Photography Now gives a tour of the work of master photographers as well as some contemporary ones. I have chosen a few to link them directly but if you have time go through all of them in the website's index. The first one is Diane Arbus for her portraits of Bizarre reality, Walker Evans an old time classic, Manuel Alvarez Bravo's pictures of México and the visual Journey of Peter Gasser. ENJOY!!

Matthew Green

Matthew Green presents wood carving texture with a twist. Very good kind of loony. Here is his blog, and we are looking forward to the updated website he announces.

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

Yûkoku or Rite of Love & Death

A jewel of Cinema by Yukio Mishima. You can see it here: Ubuweb

Thanks to {feuilleton}

Matt Duffin

We are donkey-people in a lonely lonely world. Artist website

The Tale of Anabelle Lee

I am just in love with this animation made by Studio Fashion Buddha in collaboration with Evan B. Harris. Lovely colours (not too far from the Black and White) and the animation style complements beautifully the work of the artist.
Definitely the collaboration is a success.

Via Drawn!

BLACK ink

Sam Weber's portfolio shows great ability in the use of ink, incredible portraits (including this one of Björk) and a subtle influence of surrealism. He is able to approach very well the editorial work he has worked for the New York Time and other important clients. His work is mystifying. Check his website here

Villes Avimma

Dear bloggers, between not finding anything to put and the lack of time I haven't published anything in a while but today I have found an Illustrator website that from top to bottom is really good. The Illustrations are quite intriguing, I really like the way you can see the progress of the style through out the page. You can see it here

Lena Horne✩

Beautiful Lena Horne, Jazz singer and actress.

Satie.

Via http://www.ericmarth.com/pictures/index.php?

Graphics♡Film

As always http://wellmedicated.com/ give us amazing series of graphics, after "50 amazing gig posters sure to inspire" here is an ode to the Criterion film collection boxes. With love for my film geek friends out there.

Marc Craste and Studio AKA

Marc Craste is an amazing animation director, he has a very personal darkness and style. Watch the love story of "Jojo in the stars" and the "pica tower series" . He is responsible for the "LLoyds for the Journey advert" as well, and if you have a chance to assist the screening Varminsts, don't miss it.

Tribute to Frida Kahlo

I iniciated a series of portraits of women that I admire, the first one was of Billie Holiday posted a few days ago. Now is the turn of Frida.

wonderful awkwardness

From Jim Jarmusch's movie "Coffee and Cigarrettes".

♬

I was finding very disturbing the music without warning when the page opened, so the music player doesn't start automatically anymore. New music was added though so if you want to hear just press play yourself.

PERSONAL WORK

"Thinking is drawing in your head" Alan Fletcher
I have been unable to update my website so if you want to see my most recent work see this blog or flick through my flickr. This is a detail of an illustration from my book Cosmography. More pictures of the book will come soon.
♡

Book archeology

Brian Dettmer carves page by page and exposes the images hidden inside the books creating fantastic 3D compositions. Check all the images here

Biomorphology by John Casey

In his interview for "My love for you is a stampede of horses" John Casey says:
"my theory is if one could distort one's body based on one's emotion or psychological state, what would that look like?" Interesting question right? what would you look like?

Answering that question he offers us his work, a detailed series of odd, striking alteregos. Check his website here.

To kill a Mocking Bird

Opening titles have been neglected for such a long time and now they are being observed as the pieces of art and design that they are. Subtle, suggestive and eye catching the title sequences have to reveal and hide in the exact amount.The art of the title website brings to us a lot of title sequences and specially To kill a Mocking Bird titles that we think are absolutely fabulous.

Via Computerlove

Young Illustrators Award

Part of Illustrative 08 in Zurich the YIA showcases a lot of great quality illustrators, here are my black and white favourites and check the award website to see the other great illustrators.
The first one is Alina Günter, Illustrator based is Zurich, she has an amazing array of things but check specially "I was a swiss banker" great illustration in Motion and lettering.



The second one is German illustrator Heiko Windisch his work in Black and white has the subtle creepiness that we like so much.And the last but not least Marco Romegialli aka Workingclasshero also from Zürich.




Well it seems that Zürich is a great place for illustration, chocolate and other things ;-).

Homo Homini Lupus

Santiago Rivas shows a very complex and layered installation of elements in his project thesis. I still don't have all the layered theoretical text that backs it up but here are the striking beautiful images. The title of the project is HOMO HOMINI LUPUS is a latin proverb that means "man is a wolf to man". It is possible that he is discussing human innate violence and all the elements that makes us no more than animals but interpret it yourself and for the curious I will try to get some more insights about it later.

big scale talent

Frank Magnotta says in his interview by Ryan Christian "Honestly, I've never really thought or been interested in color. I swear I dream in black and white, so, to me, this lack of color represents a more internal process. In a way the neutrality gives the work a coolness as well as a distance from the very colorful and dynamic media that it's culled from."(so like me)
Big scale (1,30mx1,50m)and intricate his drawings are in here and the interview here.

MRZYK & MORICEAU

Everything is so black & white about these artists, amazing how they work the monotone, great instalations and simple intelligent representation. Access there website here

❣

Ladies and Gentlemen one of our favorites Serge Seidlitz!

Stefan Glerum

He says modestly that he is just glad to be a part of the show, but I really will like to see more of his work taking the spotlight. He doesn't have a lot of work available besides his blog. His drawings are very well crafted, they are kind of dark and the use of type as part of the image is really interesting.

l'illustration étrange

French illustrator Ghislain Garlin lives in a world full of strange creatures.
via Original Linkage

Gas Attack Rehearsal in USSR

Near Leningrad 1937, photographer - Victor Bulla....click on the picture to see it bigger.
Via Livejournal

1938 underwater photography by Bruce Mozertom

This sequence of images is so amazing, but I can't put them all so if you want to see more click and go to http://community.livejournal.com/vintagephoto/3215898.html

Sad Song & Lady Day

❤
New drawings. © Alejandra Céspedes 2008

DAVID FOLDVARI

David Foldvari is for sure one of our favourites with his intelligent and critical approaches he shows that Ilustration is mostly about ideas. Visit his blog for his most recent work and his website for the best selection of past work.

High Quality Movie scans

Find some inspiration in this great archive of portraits, posters and some other things. Download them, print them or whatever.

René Brantonne drawings

Oh yes we love the future in black and white, and french Illustrator René Brantonne makes it look good. Via deadlicious

Laurie Lipton

La señorita muerta sale en las noches a visitar a sus jóvenes amantes dormidos. Chasquea los dientes como castañuelas en sus oídos para recordarles que ella no se ha ido.
Really creepy good art by Lauri Lipton at www.laurielipton.com