Archive for the ‘Read It’ Category
Boys Who Draw Blog Interview
Boys Who Draw appears to be a blog about, well, boys who draw. They recently ran an interview with Jon, and I’m due to catch up with a couple of his blogosphere appearances, so here you go:
A clip:
I don’t get recognised in the street but I have been recognised on a train once and at the airport recently. It was strange, flattering and bizarre. Often people I actually know don’t recognise me, or decide not to. hmm.
Read the rest here.
Doodled RipCurl Jacket, Pants and Catalog
I noticed that one of the more popular search engine queries that leads people to Doodlesplatter is “RipCurl.” This is all due to the great Green Goon gear by Jon. Burgerplex just added the 2008 orange RipCurl jacket and pants to its online store. I’ve always thought this all-over doodle aesthetic worked brilliantly on these garments (and I’m typically a detractor from the “all-over print” look). Sorry shorties and skinnies, but the gear is available in size Large only. Even though I’m a distinct Medium myself, I’d buy this in a heartbeat if not for the fact that 1) I haven’t seen snow in 10 years and 2) I’m looking out the window to sunshine, birds chirping and probably high 60s. I have no idea what a lot of the following means, although “goggle pocket” and “stink sack” sure do sound fun. If you’re genteel, like me, you may prefer the company of the 105-page Mountainwear Winter 2008-2009 catalog “smothered” in doodles by Jon instead. The catalog comes signed for £15. Tech specs on the winterwear are:
The jacket - £149.00
- Waterproof, breathable jacket with exclusive Burgerman artwork
- Polar fleece lined body
- Audio pocket, zip seal inner pocket, inner goggle pocket
- Removeable hood, detachable fake fur trim
- Waterproof inner seat, snow seal cuff, fultime drawcords
- Key hook inside pocket
The pants - £100.00
- Waterproof, breathable pant (trouser) with exclusive Burgerman artwork
- Baggy fit, 40grs insulation, brushed tricot lining, fully seam taped
- Mountain Riders detachable stink sack
- Glove gripper system
- Pant waist gaiter, adjustable waistband, alcatraz closure system
- Waistband D-Ring, mesh backed ventilation
- Jacket pant connector loops, leg gaiter with boot hook
- Kick patch, boot splits
The catalog - £15.00
Doodle Beat: The 500th Post
Hard to believe it, but here we are at our 500th post. That’s 500 items by Jon Burgerman individually artkived mostly over the past year. What better piece for the 500th post than this oldie-but-greatie discovered deep in the Doodlesplatter vaults? This clipping used to live on our About page, but it’s time to be properly filed. Lots more new stuff coming up in 2010, but we’re going to also roll out some remainders from the Decade of Doodles, so stay tuned! [P.S. Click the image for a larger picture that's easier on your tired old eyes.]
A Decade of Doodles
No, it’s not (yet) the title for a new book by Jon. Rather, it refers to this fantastic parcel we received in today’s mail. Even as Doodlesplatter approaches its 500th post, there are still gaps in the artkive. I’ll be warming up the scanner and adding in gems going all the way back to 2001 as time permits. There’s some awesome stuff here. I can now frame my Broadway beer coasters like Amir! The pièce de résistance, however, is the Autumn 2009 issue of Anxious Times. How is it that the UK has a magazine called “Anxious Times” and I am not its editor? (Call me!) Anyhow, stay tuned for Jon’s Top 21 Anxieties. Apologies for the blurry pic. I was excited. Thanks, Jon!
Heads Up: Alcohol Unbottled
Here’s an oldie, but greatie, that Jeps got as a little A5 bonus on a big Burger order he recently placed. Jon illustrated this small book of helpful tips for the NHS a couple years back. Although his name doesn’t appear in the publication, his distinctive and full color doodles enhance every other page. I don’t drink much, myself, but I left the book out for a while to be helpful to my houseguests, because, as you know, intoxicated houseguests sure do love PSAs… Thanks Jeps for sending these scans.
[UPDATE 3/2/10: Via a serendipitous tweet, I've found the firm co-responsible for these. They are Raw: "A tightly wound coil of creativity, working as a dynamic force in the rejuvenated heart of old, industrial Manchester." They received a brief that stated: "Offer young people a wealth of information on alcohol to help them make informed decisions when it comes to drinking." And the resounding result? "A huge thumbs-up from follow-up focus groups and positive engagement with the target audience." You can read more from Raw (as well as see the original location of the new pictures I have pilfered for this post) here.]
This is a great booklet. And Jeps, I still have your scans in the artkive! If anybody out there has anything, however big or small, for the Doodlesplatter, we’d love for you to send it in!
Computer Arts Issue 169: Promote Yourself
Jon snags another Computer Arts cover with issue 169. The issue features a psychedelic full color cover, an interview, a print and the “essential Jon Burgerman.” On newstands in the UK now. Coming to the US soon. Subscriptions with exciting gifts available here. Thanks to Amir for the hi-res scans. If you can’t find it in your country, and you don’t have a helpful Neon Hive to send you a copy, drop me an email, and I’ll forward you the digital version.
Made and Sold
Similar in concept to Stuffz: Design on Material, Made & Sold is another essential book for your library. This time, the works is divided by type (rather than artist), and emphasis is shown toward designer DIY. This format gives Jon an advantage over everyone else, as his work figures highly throughout. Witness toys, T-shirts, books, badges and much more in this great compendium. Stephan Bucher offered up a memorable soundbyte of wisdom: “He who writes the check, controls the type size.”
I wrote a longer review for Cool Hunting, but here are two quick snippets:
While there may be fewer rewarding commercial art contracts in the current economy, there is no shortage of artists with something to say. To get the message out, more designers are becoming entrepreneurs. Made & Sold, a new book from Laurence King Publishing collects the work of over 90 artists who are making and selling art products. Curated by Agathe Jacquillat and Tomi Vollauschek and of Fl@33, Made & Sold cleverly takes the form of an online store, dividing the content into shopping cart categories like: Clothing, Toys, Fonts and Zines.
…
As we’ve seen with recent books like Stuffz: Design on Material and One Day of Design, artists are increasingly turning to 3D platforms. Made & Sold catalogs a nice array of toys, including hand-cast resin figures by Jon Burgerman, hand-carved wooden figures by Tado, screen-printed inflatable toys by DGPH and whimsical hand-knit plushes by Kate Sutton. Many of the designers in this chapter also make limited and mass-market production toys, but as Sutton puts it, “Even if I had a range of manufactured products, I would continue to make small runs as I love all things handmade, and it’s just part of what I do.”
Made & Sold is 240 pages with 1000 illustrations. You can order it through Amazon and Chronicle.
STUFFZ: Design on Material
Stuffz: Design on Material is sort of like Donnie Darko in the sense that after seeing it, I loved and related to it so much, I wished I’d made it myself. This tremendous tome was published by locals, Gingko Press, and it features the expanded canvases of today’s most innovative designers. Jon has a nice five-page spread devoted to his work. Cool Hunting published my review of Stuffz here. A little excerpt:
Proving that everyday objects no longer need be banal, the book also looks at a new generation of designers comfortable with imparting emotion onto objects with a goal of inspiring ideas. The prolific work of eBoy (sneakers to sofas), tokidoki (makeup to watches) and Jon Burgerman, subject of a catalog of his abundant output called, Doodlesplatter, all represent an emerging crop of creators with an abundance of both emotion and ideas.
While perusing the many captivating designs makes Stuffz an education on its own, the book’s curator Sijuan includes a page of backstory on each artist. Predictably not everyone took a path from womb to art school. Some started out as lawyers, chemical engineers and even bricklayers.
A motivating read, Stuffz reminds creators of the possiblities on both practical and personal levels. Miami-based design team, Friends With You sum it up nicely: “We’ve worked with plush, metal sculptures, food, fiberglass, computer, video, etc. We never limit our creativity to anything. Like, if we want to build a ladder to heaven, it might be best to make it inflatable rather than from a piece of wood because we can reach higher with it now.”
I got my copy at the great indie shop, Builder’s Booksource. You can also order Stuffz from Amazon or Powell’s. Watch this space for another review of a similar, yet different, but still utterly awesome art book.
Soul Food and Music
This is a book called Soul Food and Music: Research and Innovation for Creative Business by Kim Errington, Neil Maycroft and Jim Shorthose. Burgerplex calls it “A must read for all those in the creative industries, both young businesses and individuals.” There are 115 pages to it, with illustrations by Jon throughout. I don’t know much more about it other than that its authors were part of the MA program at NTU, it came out in 2008, and you can get it at Burgerplex for $20 USD.
Litou Space Catalog
Most of the posse probably missed out on last time Jon was in Beijing for 2008’s exhibition at Litou Space. The good news is that the art has been faithfully reproduced in this 27-page booklet. Copies come signed and doodled by Jon.
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