Boilerplate-A Mechanical and Graphic Marvel

While I don’t dress up as the nefarious Dr. Von….anything with Victorian techno goggles and chrono-whosis.  I do identify  to being ..steampunk curious.  Okay, I built a cool ray gun in my garage… busted ( I’ll take pictures and post) .   I do wear a pocket watch in my vest, but it’s a regular pocket watch it doesn’t distort any temporal ..anything  just tells me I’m taking too long a lunch. Now, that bit of therapy is over… I came a cross a very cool book recently, ( “cool” as an adjective should be used in relation to steampunk stuff whether it’s great writing or not)

that not only embraces the Victorian fascination with ingenious pin striped mechanical devices, and adventure stories but is meticulously illustrated and written.  “Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel“  by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett (168 pp. Hardcover, Published by Abrams Image) is a wonderfully fun (and serious) documentation of the worlds first robot soldier.  The book traces the “birth” of Boilerplate by inventor Archie Campion in 1893 and then goes on to place our iron hero at the cross roads of history in a  Zelig-esque fashion.  Boilerplate is unveiled at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Boilerplate explores the Antarctic, Boilerplate accompanies Teddy Roosevelt as he charges up San Juan Hill, Boiler plate during WWI.

(above) Theatrical poster depicting Boilerplate with Kitchener’s forces during the Sudan Campaign of 1897.

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(Above) After five months, the pack ice shifted enough for Boilerplate to effectively carve out a channel that the Euterpe could escape through. The expedition arrived at Cape Evans in the spring of 1895.

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Paul Guinan (artist and writer), and Anina Bennett (writer and editor) have a wonderful grasp of historical ephemera.   The book crafts a visual narrative on the phenomena of clebrity that this mechanical marvel enjoys. As time passes sometimes the ephemera is all that’s left of a person place or thing that at one point captured the attention of millions. Examples of period buttons, tickets dime novels, wind-up toys all featuring Boilerplate have been created and mocked up to attest to his celebrity.  THere is even evidence of boilerplate’s story being “revived” as some 70’s era cartoon. They (the authors) are so successful at it that even knowing it’s a charade you at some point begin to ask yourself if this is real.  I consider myself a fair hand with Photoshop and I’m impressed at the level of craft in the art.  Guinan and Bennett include their inspirations as well which adds to their scholarly approach.  A really great fictionalized history that I loved and would recommend picking up. There is a description of how to make a Boilerplate figure at www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/index.html as well as appearances, Guinan and Bennett were at Steamcon .this past Oct.

Pinocchio Display-Cross post with Parsons

This is a cross post with my concepts class blog.  I put together a small collection of Pinocchio related items in a showcase in the illustration department at Parsons. Below is an explanation and a key to the exhibit.

Pinocchio

The Illustration Department’s 2009 Summer Reading Project

Each year, a book is selected that all illustration students read over the course of the summer break. When students return in the fall they have a common cultural experience that can be shared and discussed and that assignments are based on in class. This year’s book is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
Collodi, whose real name was Carlo Lorenzini, was a politically active writer of novels, pieces in political newspapers and satire as well as children’s literature in 19th century Italy. At 23 he founded Il Lampione (The Lamp), a satirical magazine that published for a year before being shut down by the government (it resumed publishing in 1860), From this social and political environment Pinocchio’s adventures (or misadventures) were born in 1881 as weekly installments in Il Giornale per i Bambini (an Italian children’s newspaper).
Collodi didn’t think much of his offspring. Originally he had ended the story with Pinocchio’s lynching. He eventually was  persuaded to write further chapters.
Despite a ambivalent father, Pinocchio went on to great success (unfortunately after Collodi’s death in 1890). Pinocchio’s adventures are; fantastic, absurd, moralistic, entertaining, allegorical, satiric, in short all the things that make up a good story, and inspire great art.
By 1937 Pinocchio’s adventures were being published in 80 different editions including translations into Swahili, Gaelic and Esperanto. Pinocchio was a popular character before the 1940 premiere of Disney’s full length animated feature. Disney’s use of the story coincides with Collodi’s copyright expiring.  As frightening as some of the scenes in the Disney movie can seem, catch Lampwick’s transformation into a donkey, the original story by Collodi is grimmer. Feet are burned off, Pinocchio is hung, chained up, there are funeral processions, huge sharks…a lot to scare a child into good behavior.
Disney’s version of Pinocchio certainly seems to dominate the visual landscape, but not everywhere. Travel to Italy or other continents than America and Pinocchio’s look can be quite unfamiliar…until we see the iconic long nose.
One hundred and twenty six years after his debut Pinocchio is very much a cultural icon.  He is a metaphor for lying and bad behavior in politicians as well as a symbol of a character’s quest for humanity. Frankenstein, Astro Boy, David from Stanley Kuberick/Stephen Spielberg’s A.I., Edward Scissorhands, are all cousins of Pinocchio.

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Key

1. Hanging Pinocchio 1944 –by Italian illustrator Giovanni Manca.
2. Fables, 2002 (comic book) covers by illustrator James Jean. Geppetto and Pinocchio figure prominently in the story line of the characters from well known Fables in exile.
3. Pinocchio shadow puppet
4. Woodpeckers whittle down Pinocchio’s nose, from Italian children’s book illustrator Attilio Cassinelli’s 1981 Pinocchio  book re-entititled “Once I was a piece of wood”.
5. Fold out cover of the August 1972, (No. 29) National Lampoon. Nixon as Pinocchio with Henry Kissinger as Jiminy Cricket. Illustration by Robert Grossman.
6. The Chicago Tribune offered a fold-up version of Illinois state Senator Roland Burris as Pinocchio. Burris was accused of offering a bribe in exchange for Obama’s Senate seat.
7. “Pinocchio is caught by the gendarmes” by Attilio Mussino 1911.
8. Pinocchio by Winshluss 2009
9. Assorted Disney Pinocchio books , a bank . Pinocchio was Disney’s 2nd feature length animated film debuting in 1940.
10. Pop-up Adventures of Pinocchio- J. Pavlin – G. Seda, (Czech, English version 1974)
11. Cover of an Egyptian edition of Pinocchio.
12. Zombie Pinocchio Tattoo (courtesy of BMEzine.com) and Jiminy cricket tattoo by Mark of High Voltage Tattoos.
13. Astro Boy – a Japanese manga character by Osamu Tezuka , centering around a robot boy.
14. By Italian illustrator  and humorist Benito Jacovitti (1977?/ reissue 2001).
15. Pinocchio float for the 1930 Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
16. Pinocchio by Keith Haring
17. A background from Disney’s Pinocchio 1940. Painted by Claude Coats
18. Pinocchio by Attilio Mussino English 1911 edition.  18a. Character sketches for the 1940 Disney movie
19. Pinocchio red wine  by Dievole.
20. A Polish poster for Disney’s Pinocchio.
21. The Adventures of Pinocchio 1988 by Roberto Innocenti
22. George Bush Coin
23. The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italy) 1935 illustrated by Peiro Bernardini
24. The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Dell Comic book 1963
25. Pinocchio, the Boy, illustrated by Lane Smith 2002
26. Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924.
27. Pinocchio info to come
28. Cut out nose from PinocchioPolititics.com (Behind 28) “Pinocchio is visited by the doctors” by Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924
29. Pinocchio by Gianbattista Galizzi 1957

Insider Art/Accidental Graphic Design

My daughter was recently writing/drawing with chalk on the driveway and I was struck by it’s organic quality. Like some kind of magical incantation she just kept writing within an arm’s reach…all around her, until she was enclosed within a circle of words.

I wish I had done this on a book jacket. (fyi, after she wrote this she disappeared in a puff of smoke…)

Fear

Previously I posted about Mammal Magazine and my Hemingway contribution to last year’s “Macho Issue”.   The next issue of Mammal is devoted to the topic of Fear.  As bad a pun as it is I can’t help but feel a little apprehensive and yes…fearful about tackling such a  loaded topic. Sort of the artist’s block that occurs from the pressure you feel when  great things or at least something very clever seems expected… you don’t want to fail. Hmmm…maybe I should have done fear of not living up to expectations? In any case below are my preliminary fear sketches from my trusty moleskin.  I latched on to the idea of  a fear of cubicles (cubicle-phobia?).   The fear of cubicle claustrophobia…of being trapped,  dying a slow death in your cubicle. The conditioned rat in a box…    It’s all there.  the one possible hitch is I designed it as a large mural.  With a little bit of luck I can wrangle some type of fold out page  in the next book, if not , my contribuition will be broken up into 2 single pages and two spreads, which would read well too.

Above is entire piece. The I’m still trying  different type treatments for the title at this point but there’s something about the mouse speaking the title that I like.

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Pinoke Squared

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi is  the 2009 selection for the Parson’s Illustration Department’s Summer Reading Project. Some of you might remember my older posts on Frankenstein, which was the 2008 selection.  Below is a Pinoke piece I did just for for fun.  I’ve written a few Pinocchio posts at my concept class blog just Fyi.

On It’s Own Merit

This past weekend I attended my nephew’s Eagle Scout court of honor (congrats Brendan). This is the 3rd Eagle Scout ceremony I’ve been to in the last year, all very moving affairs. For those civilians, (and I am one, having been a cub scout for all of 2 months), It’s the highest advancement rank in Scouting.
To achieve this, a scout must pass through lower ranks and tests along with fulfilling requirements in skills which are represented by merit badges.
“Merit badges signify the mastery of certain Scoutcraft skills…” , There are 120 merit badges available in scouting, we’ve all probably seen a scout proudly wearing the patches on their sash: first Aid, swimming, archery, etc.
I googled merit badges to find out more and came across wonderful examples of non-scout merit badges. Some spoofed scouting life in an animal house –esque way but others I feel (as obviously do others) actually do bestow merit for achievements most of us non-scouts go through that deserve recognition.

Female merit badges (all images below are © Mary Yeager) from http://www.maryyaeger.com/posterdescr.html

(Above) Mary Yeager has a fantastic exhibit posted of merit badges stitched by her that mark significant events in the lives of a woman. Above is a small sample. Someone had posted a comment on Yeager’s site about a merit badge for enduring sexual harrasment as a female rite of passage…how sad but true, that would be an appropriate badge.

(Above) Pod Post’s one in a series of mail art crafting merit badges. Check out their site’s gallery for pix of their line of merit badges being worn on a sash by Pod Post scouts. © Pod Post

(Above) Spoof merit badges from Boy Scout Store (not affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) © Boy Scout Store

(Above) Nerd Merit badges and available laptop sash from Nerd Merit Badges

(Above) NaNoWriMo Merit Badges.  Word-Count Padding, Procrastination, Caffeine Abuse, Secret Noveling  to name a few.  © The Office of Letters and Light

Accidental Type

Just some interesting accidents while working on a series…

Unheeded, The Last Image You’d Admire

Every time I’ve noticed this caution on a truck I’ve thought to myself, this is just a perfect marriage of image and type. Red for danger, clear graphic image conveying  a truck’s blind spot, nice type hierarchy.

I wish I had drawn that.

I know there is a flickr album of truck wide turn signs on the web, but this is the baby for me.

Guns Don’t kill People… Pencil Boxes Do.

Conceptual art work? Marketing faux pas? Irresponsibility in the world of stationary? I’m sure it’s all of the above with this item.

In a dollar store in midtown Manhattan, I happen upon a bin of 9mm, semiautomatic, M9 …pencil boxes. actual size, replicas of the pistol adopted as the primary handgun of the U.S. military. And IT”S A KIDS PENCIL BOX! The manufacturer took  time to come up with a fairly detailed copy. Even down to the identifying nomenclature on the top of the barrel. Compare the pencil box to the actual firearm in a Wikipedia entry. Of course it isn’t indistinguishable from the real pistol, this is bright pink (to attract the ladies?) and plays music too.

Unfortunately I have no idea what tune it plays. The battery has long since died, but one can imagine it’s some music box version of the theme to a Dirty Harry movie. oops, my bad, that would be for the .44 magnum shaped sippy cup. I would love to hear what the “wonder melody” tune is. Perhaps the music feature might be a playing capability? The grip seems to have buttons, maybe musical notes for the shooter…er student to compose his or her own tune as they fire away at their school assignments? The music component can be popped out  a little like a clip but I think that might be me fooling with it more than a planned design element.

To be fair to the manufacturer there is a disclaimer printed on the back stating it’s unsuitability for children under 36 months. Of course, how stupid of me, field stripping a baby like this involves a lot of small parts (recoil spring, guide rod, crayons…) and small ones might choke on something. Well in any case this should be exactly what the back to school consumer is looking for in our post 9-11 world and in the wake of all the hyper sensitivity (justified) about firearms in school. And to think these babies didn’t sell and ended up in a dollar store. Who could have possibly anticipated this marketing error in judgment?

On a corollary to this, a gun shop in Wisconsin offers the option of customizing your gun in shocking pink with a Hello Kitty logo on the stock.  A disturbing prospect to say the least.

(above) a still from the  CNN.com video broadcast February 19, 2008

Lock and load Sally, Dick and Jane, lock and load.

Cold, Hard Notgeld: “Es dreht sich alles um die Benjamins”

In these trying economic times, when money is harder to come by, a lot of us wish we could simply print our own. I was reminded that I’m not the first to come up with this not too long ago. Walking through a flea market I came across some German paper notes that struck me as not exactly legal tender but more official looking than any “play money” I’ve seen. The vendor selling it didn’t seem to have an idea what they were. They appeared to be from the 1920’s or 30’s. I bought 12 (always a  surreal transaction to buy money with…money) of them.  Eventually I  showed them to Nora Krug, a colleague at Parsons (a talented illustrator) and my connection to all things German. Nora identified it as Notgeld, German inflation money. And passed on some links.

(Above) Some of the Notgeld I came across at a flea market.

Notgeld was German paper currency issued in small denominations to replace coins due to a metal shortage during and after WWI. It was produced from 1914 -1923. This “Emergency money” was not issued by the federal government , but by local towns, cities or even large private businesses, and was usually only accepted in that particular town. The notes were done in a variety of artistic styles and depicted numerous subject matter. Local legends, anti-semitism, famous people, cartoons about money (collecting taxes) or being poor…

(Below) The Golem, a subject close to my heart has appeared on Notgeld

I’ll leave the comprehensive lists of genres and subject matter up to the expert sites. Notgeld became collectible almost immediately, thereby furthering their value. At some point the notes were produced based on their collectibility alone and were not intended to be circulated. There are a number of sites with notgeld galleries (www.notgeld.com for one), and they show up for sale on ebay every so often.

(Above) My first attempt at creating a Notgeld note. I can’t really say who the gentleman is on the front. An eastern potentate? An earlier version of this note was palmed off on Nora for her birthday.

In the spirit of inflationary 20’s Germany, I propose we institute the following emergency notes (see above), the five and ten denomination Ponzi. Charles Ponzi , is of course, the patriarch of modern day financial swindlers (patron saint?). His name is  synonymous with financial pyramid schemes, and I believe he deserves recognition for his continued involvement in our economy. I personally will be purchasing loaves of bread with my ponzis (Pz) as fast as I can print ‘em up. Have no fear though, our engraving dept. is hard at work on larger denominations (the Madoff) too for those bigger ticket luxury items . Please rest assured that when you pay for goods or services with a ponzi, that the note is backed by the full weight of our fiduciary institution and is kept stable through worldwide, state of the art electronic monetary/payments, and can be exchanged for a lesser or equal amount of ponzis which are normally freely convertible into pre-set, fixed quantities.