More Newish Stuff

Here's some more new stuff. I'm pretty tired, so I'm not gonna write much. If I could I'd love to update this blog daily but I don't have the time or desire to loose anymore sleep. No brief for the above work. I seem to come up with my best stuff that way. I find trying to be creative and also pay the bills similar to an endless spoon and egg race with no finish line.

It's a piece that looks at WWI trench warfare and was inspired by a lot of the history I've read on the subject. It's all pretty sad, realising thousands of people like you and me threw themselves at each other and machine guns and artillery in areas that are now empty fields around Europe. Each person had a real life, ambitions, dreams and a family somewhere and all that came to mainly unrecorded ends miles away from where they actually lived. Sorry to end on such a sombre note, but I think it's actually worth stopping and thinking about that.

Big Wide Space & Itty Bitty Typography

It's a winner every time. Like pancakes on the weekend or a kebab on a late night, it never lets you down. Big, open spaces with very little going on and then there, in a corner somewhere, a little logo or some tiny writing. It always seems to look more sophisticated and stylish. I'm not sure why. It's easy to do, much easier than putting together some classified section in a trashy mag. It seems to say, "look at me, I'm so wealthy I'll take twenty pages to say what you would in one." But, it somehow works. Flick through a nice glossy magazine and then hold it up against your local TV guide and you'll find what I say is true. 

It's with this in mind that I 'll also add it's  always is the best page to design in any of my portfolio's. Above is  the last page of my latest mini-portfolio and some minimal purists out there might rave and rant at me for corrupting the design by adding my little planet halo. But, I think, looking at the design now, it's probably the best page in the folio. Which is good,  unless of  course I want people to like all of the pages in my portfolio. So, what's the solution? I've decided to put together a portfolio of all the last pages of  all my portfolio. Genius, pure genius. I'll let you know how it goes.

Holly

This piece was done a few years back when I first started getting interested in wooden textures, muted tones and ridiculous sized and layered photoshop documents. I took this photo from a young photographer named Caris Bridge and a spent a sleepless night reworking it for some band's promo. Whether or not they used it is still in some doubt, but I still think it stands the test of time a nudges into one of my favourite designs. I've since gotten rid of the bands name and slightly reworked it not so long ago. A link to some more of Caris's work is below.

http://miss-caris.deviantart.com/

My Little Sis

My brother, Christopher, took this. It made me a bit homesick so I've posted it up. Great tones, lens flare and dynamic action shot too. My family's great. I think this was taken in Moore River in Western Australia. Nice place in the middle of nowhere.  

Kings of Leon

If you listen closely to conversations in stylish bars all over the world, skinny jeaned, black shirted people everywhere seem to be saying the same thing, "Kings of Leon? Use to like their old stuff but now they've sold out". In a way it's true. Nowdays you're more likely to see them stuck to the front of a school girls folder than on a festival poster. And they have started making their music as catchy as an early winter cold, but I'm pretty sure we've all seen it coming.  This pic was done in 2007 and even then they weren't a breakthrough act.  
 

I figure most people, if offered the chance at being the worlds biggest band, would probably take it. Even if meant hanging out with their brothers all day. Give them a break indie kids, and let them be the inspiration to trailer trash that they deserve to be. I still think they're alright and maybe you should too.

This pic's been getting a fair few hits on my website too...

www.cameronkimjones.com

The New Formula for Cool

The Nu-Rave movement seem to be in it's final death throws as everybody seems to wearing the stuff. Once only a scene for trendies, ex-electro's and Klaxons, now everybody seems to be into it. When your 14 year old cousin starts wearing this stuff you know fashion's done it's full circle. Someone go tell Late of the Pier that they've only got 6 months left of their career as I'm sure fashion's new style is just around the corner. Not literally, I live in Walthamstow, but figuratively I think something new is coming. Perhaps loosely based on hotpants. 

It's also on Threadless if you care to vote...

VOTING OVER

Our Future

I know, I know. It's a little bit naff. Like I'm some kid who dreams of a better future for my children, having rights to hug whales and live in cities where people all hold hands together. But, it was for competition with that kind of vibe. Plus it was a couple of years ago when I cared about things like being nice and respecting people's rights. Now days I'm more likely to write, "Your Future Smells Funny" or something like that.

Bright Colours and the Constant Changing Forest of Fashion

I remember when bright colours were the new it thing again. Maybe they still are? I'm not too sure any more. Fashion seems to be a vicious cycle that repeats increasingly quickly. Changing more often than the numerous fashion and design blogs that are out there. I've learnt not to thrown anything out because no sooner than it's not cool, it's cool again. I got a flaired Safari suit sitting in a cupboard somewhere. So go ahead, laugh at these now, but just remember tomorrow they'll be cool...and then the day after they probably won't be again.

Another Self Promo Thing

Like the title gives away, this is another self promo thing. This one, like some others earlier in my blog, is to promote my website. Don't know if it actually worked, but I do like them a lot. I tried to make it so when you clicked on them it would go to my website, but instead it sent you somewhere completely different. Go figure. I'm glad I didn't choose a future in web design or I might have been the first person to break the internet.

Whoops

I did this a couple of years ago. A montage of images and illustrations I'd done. Spent a couple of hours arranging the elements and fine tuning the layers and constructing assymetric paterns and fine tuning the crimson colour scheme. Then, just as I was finished, someone come up and goes, "what's with the Nazi hankerchief ?" Sure enough, I slide my chair back and look at the screen, fold my arms and realise I'm staring at some kind of National Socialist propaganda. As a result, the one on my website looks quite different (link below), but this is the original and one I like the most.

www.cameronkimjones.com

Real Purty Flowers

Another of those pieces I'm dragging out from the archives as I get some new stuff together. This was me trying to be abstract with a lot seventies music playing in the background. Their meant to be Daisies on a Warm Spring Day. Looks like the sort of thing you buy on printed canvases in IKEA. I did quite a few of these and might return to them if offered to by a card company or something. Peace man.

Australia & New Zealand: No More Fighting!

It's not often you hear an Australian say something nice about a New Zealand. And if they do it's usually sarcastic. But this isn't. This is a proper tribute to New Zealand's Fourth Most Popular Folk Parody Duo to be posted on Threadless T-shirts. With another one in the works.

So, until they beat us again in the Rugby, I'm prepared to look a New Zealander in the eye again and work towards both peace and a brighter future. Peace brothers. Peace.

Gospelboy: 2007

An early moniker I did artwork under. Kinda a flop but mainly because I don't think I pushed it enough. Plus I got tired of throwing every single element, picture and logo into a lot of the artwork. I was convinced messy was the new 'cool thing'. If that were the case than I think my bedroom was way 'cooler' than my artwork. 

Burnt Stuff = Wicked Cool

I love bizarre scenery. It's like eating too much blue cheese and going straight to bed, but with way less crackers. This place, a recently burnt down market in Midland, Western Australia is one of the top ten bizare places I've been and I was lucky enough to have borrowed a camera that day. Smelly, old burnt food, melted toys, thousands of smashed eggs and a security guard chasing me round.

Threadless, Such a Hoot

Based on a mini jewelled statue, this little thing took me an entire night. I entered it into Threadless where public voting decided it would not become a T-shirt or a print. I think I have a love/hate relationship with Threadless. I love the fact lots of people get to see my work and that it could earn me some cash, but I hate the fact that it gives complete idiots the freedom to express their opinions about your artwork underneath. My mum used to say, "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say nothing at all." That could be why she doesn't talk to me much.