Brian is an absolute fan of charlie and the chocolate factory and wanted something special from me, a very unique picture of Willy wonka. Not the last version of tim burton but from the first picture of 1971 whith Gene Wilder.

As he wanted to frame it, we decided the size of the final picture and Brian also helped me with all the little things he wanted to see inside the picture, including the following :

(his mom, and the 4 grandparents who all just lay in one bed together), how each of the kids (other than Charlie of course) gets removed (Augustus in the chocolate river, Veruka by falling down the trash chute after being in the room with the giant geese that lay giant chocolate golden eggs, Mike TeeVee gets shrunk by the Wonka version of TV, Violet eats the Wonka gum and gets filled to become a giant blueberry) as well as the Wonka contract they all have to sign, the Wonka wallpaper that you lick and tastes like the fruits in the pictures, the Wonka boat, the evil Sluggworth, the Wonkamobile, the fizzy lifting drink room where Charlie and Grandpa Joe fly around (and eventually get in trouble), the everlasting gobstopper, and the Wonka elevator (at the end) as they fly over the city

And here is the result, after watching some parts of the movie with the help of youtube !

Brian is a happy man by now with his picture hanging on the wall of his office in Beverly Hills !

Related posts:

1. Wall of fame
2. Steven spielberg commission
3. Reading a portrait. -Sting-

When you learn a new language, he radio programs are one of the most diccicult to understand until you reach a level you can grab some words, stories, etc… and that’s what happens next week when listening to Sants 3 radio, a local radio in catalan in Barcelona.

Between two music, i heard an anouncement about an art competition for the “Festa major” of the local area. (Festa major is a 7-10 days neighboorhood party during the hottest days of the summer, with lot of activities, concert, shows, street closed for party, castellers (human tower), correfoc (you had to do one in your life if you like fireworks), etc…

So i took my ink and start to design something about the festa major of the neighboorhood. As it’s a party picture, i have been looking for some ways to transform a black and white picture into fun and party mood.

I’ve been through some design and i finally found something that fit the subject, using big bold colored letters, fun typography (cheesberger its called) and tried to not make mistakes in the writings as it’s writen in catalan. The ultimate requirement was to print the lot and glue it to cardboard, into make it easy to manipulate by the jury.

So, i’ve jump on the occaion to try out my new printing machine, with color, and superB paper compliant.(the one i’m using to provide my big prints). for thoses who are curious to see what’s in the background of the picture , i’ve put a larger picture below.

i’ve submited my artwork this week and the result will be around middle june. I’ll keep you in touch then…

Related posts:

1. Exhibition at the Gallery “Paspartu”
2. RAP-LUAS art competition
3. Wall of fame

As it is a commission for a big huge fan of spielberg (like many) and a film director as well (picture is to celebrate his recent picture “how sweet it is”).

So i’ve been through the entire filmography of the master and brought the best scenes of spielberg movies and bring the magic of theses, including the “Dolly zoom”, famous scene in Jaws with filming chief brody on the beach. Elliot and E.T flying in the moonlight, etc….

Here is the picture, also available in print (11″ x 17″ / 30cm x 42cm).

Related posts:

1. Reading a portrait. -Sting-
2. For a charlie and the chocolate factory fan !
3. Captain Haddock !

It was a very tremendeous journey, including the listing of the insults, reading the definition of the insults and sort theses which could be drawn and thoses impossible to picture !

The list was based on the original insults in the french version, here it is :

(Amphitryon, Analphabète, Anthropophage, Apache, Arlequin, Astronaute d’eau douce, Autocrates, Aztèques, Bachi-Bouzouks, Bande de Ku-Klux-Klans, Bande de rats, Bandit, Barbares, Boit-sans-soif, Brigand, Brontosaures, Bulldozer à réaction, Cachalot, Cannibale, Casse-pieds, Cataclysme, Cataplasme, Catastrophe, Cloportes, Coléoptères, Coloquintes, Cornemuses, Cornichon, Corsaire, Crétin des Alpes, Cyclone, Cyrano à 4 pattes, Diablesse, Diplodocus, Doryphores, Dynamiteur, Ectoplasmes, Esclavagiste, Gangsters, Gardes-côtes à la mie de pain, Gibier de potence, Grenouilles, Gros pleins-de-soupe, Gyroscope, Hérétique, Hydrocarbure, Invertébré, Ivrogne, Judas, Lépidoptères, Macaques, Macrocéphale, Mamelouk , Maraud, Marchands de tapis, Marins d’eau douce, Mégacycle, Mercenaires, Mille millions de mille sabords, Mitrailleur à bavette, Moujiks, Moules à gaufres, Mufles, Naufrageur, Négriers, Noix de coco, Ornithorynque, Oryctérope, Pantoufles, Patate, Perroquet bavard, Pirate, Poussières, Pyromane, Rats, Saltimbanques, Scolopendre, Scorpion, Serpent, Technocrate, Terroristes, Têtes de lard, Tonnerre de Brest, Topinambours, Traine-potence, Trompe-la-mort, Va-nu-pieds, Vampire, Vandale, Végétariens, Vermicelles, Vers de terre, Vipère, Zèbre, Zouave, Zoulous).

Abecedarians, Aborigine, Alcoholic, Anachronisms, Antediluvian, bulldozer, Anthropophagus, Autocrats, Aztecs.
Baboons, Bagpipers, Bandits, Bashi-bazouks, Bath-tub Admiral, Big-head, Black beetles ,Black ,Marketers, Brigands
Cannibals, Carpetsellers, Caterpillars, Centipede, Coconut, Colocynths, Corsair, Cro-Magnon,
Diplodocus, Doryphore, Dynamiter
Ectoplasms
Freshwater pirate
Gangsters, Gyroscope
Harlequin, Heretic, Hydrocarbon
Idiots, mitation Incas,
Logarithim
Macrocephalic baboon, Megacycle, Mameluke, Miserable, Miserable earth worms,guided missles, Moujiks,
Orangoutang
Pirates, Pyromaniac
Rats,
Savages, Scorpion, Slavertrader, Sparrows
Technocrat, typhoons
Vegetarian, Vermicellis, Viper,
Wildcat
Young monkey

i will let you follow the inside parts of the portraits to find all theses ! and here are few of theses f you can’t find any of them :

Prints of the portrait are available in 12″ x 12″ (30cm X 30cm), hand signed and numbered.

Get a print now !

Related posts:

1. Steven spielberg commission
2. Reading a portrait – The Boss
3. Reading a portrait.

Here we go :

Few songs we can find in the portrait :

* an englishman in New york, skycrapers / cup of Tea

* The shape of my Heart (drawing the boundaries of a heart)

*Fields of Gold (gold bar + fields of barley)

* the soul cage (capturing a ghost with a butterfly net)

* Russians (the hammer and sickle).

The Musician :

* On stage with the police

* his fender bass guitar

* Inviting somebody in the crowd to replace him on stage (something he udually do during tours)

* the “police” band on stage, and a police van beside.

The man :

* A britishman (the union jack flag)

* Member of the rainforest foundation, (helping preserve the amazonian forest).

* Supporting the Raoni Chief in Amazonia

* His Look in 2013, with a huge Beard

* A shooting scene of the Dune movie (including a sandworm)

* He is a great nature keeper. ( Gardening at home and planting trees)

* Keeping up his health balance with Running 8 miles a day. (running)

* With a troley, as he got 6 childrens.

Related posts:

1. Reading a portrait – The Boss
2. Nelson Mandela – Reading a Portrait -
3. Reading a portrait.

I’ve choosen the 30 x 30 cm format then because the frames and pictures matt are so easy to find and relatively cheap compare to a custom frame.

How simple is it to frame by yourself ?

Well, once you are in your ikea shop (any other shops are ok too), you try to go to the frame section and get the frame wich is 50 x 50cm, with a picture matt (29 x 29cm window cut out). There may be different colors and for white walls, i’ve decided to get the natural wood color ( black, yellow and brown available as well).

Once back to the studio, i’ve opened the frame, and put the picture on the matt, centered it and fix the two together using masking tape. (this is a tape wich is easyly removable without ripping off the paper).

I’ve put all the layers together and well, actually it’s working well, very well indeed.

Conclusion : It’s simple to frame, no extra cuts, no bad surprises. Just one thing : only 3 portraits available in this section, so don’t hesitate to ask me for a special portrait and i will populate it !

Related posts:

1. about the Prints
2. Reading a portrait – The Boss
3. Enter the studio

After doing it first in a 20 x 20 cm format, i’ve noticed than this guy was more than a singer, but the new icon of USA state of mind, proud of the good sides and admiting the bad sides as well.

I’ve choosen a picture of the 80′s, the one which symbolise springsteen at the top of his musical engagment, the one from the born in USA.

So this portrait is all about the US blue collars, the working men and women, american cars, proud to be american and of course the boss and his E-street band !

and now is the picture with subtitles.

The fans will understand most of the sign hidden in the pictures particularily theses :

• the vietnam G.I turning back to his home country (the main story of the born to U.S.A song)
• The long branch Dock is a place on the south of New york city where the boss grew up.
• Clarence clemmons is the tall black guy playing saxophone in the Est Band (dead now)
• Patti his the woman of the E.st band and the spouse of the boss as well.
• Bruce was inspired by elvis when a young boy, so you will find some “elvis” in the portrait.

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1. Reading a portrait. -Sting-
2. Nelson Mandela – Reading a Portrait -
3. Reading a portrait.

 Here is a new version of John Lennon, part of the new products avaialble this year : the 30 x 30cm prints easy to frame.

The size is bigger than the usual pictures and it allow me to expand some portraits and built in great stories. For this portrait, i’ve been using the movie “imagine”, biopic of john lennon wich include large amount of anecdotes and stories i could put in the portrait.

I’ve pick up few elements of the portrait and i’ll explain it to you :

John met yoko in an Art gallery during an exhibition.

extract from this article by Richard Buskin

After being introduced to “the millionaire Beatle,” the woman handed him a little card that said simply, “Breathe.” John, although puzzled, responded politely with a quick pant. Next, his eyes settled on a ladder leading up to a canvas suspended from the ceiling, with a spyglass hanging from it on the end of a chain. Climbing to the top of the ladder, he looked through the spyglass to read a word printed in tiny letters.

“You’re on this ladder — you feel like a fool, you could fall any minute — and you look through it and it just says ‘YES,’ ” he told David Sheff in 1980. “Well, all the so-called avant-garde art at the time, and everything that was supposedly interesting, was all negative; this smash-the-piano-with-a-hammer, break-the-sculpture, boring, negative crap. It was all anti-, anti-, anti-. Anti-art, anti-establishment. And just that ‘YES’ made me stay in a gallery full of apples and nails, instead of just walking out saying, ‘I’m not gonna buy any of this crap.’”

Many others elements :

I’ve sum up the other elements with locating it directly on the picture, so for the fan, enjoy !!

Related posts:

1. Reading a portrait.
2. Nelson Mandela – Reading a Portrait -
3. Reading a portrait. -Sting-

The studio is open by now and plenty of new things for ths year :

New portraits, including full band sets (Queen is coming soon ), One of a kind objects, including a clock, music instruments, etc…  Special unique portraits from rare photography, new complimentary cards et oil paintings if i have enough time !

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The studio is closed for the winter holidays. I will be able to proceed to all your request after the 8th of January, until then i wish you all the best for this holidays season.

And recentarticles about the continuous line drawings on the Dailymail.co.uk and the Repubblica.it and afnews.info.

With lots of comments saying that the drawings are not purely made from one single continuous line, well this is correct for the eyebrown and eyes, but sometimes, you have to concentrate more on the art than on the technique….

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I recently sell a picture of the icon to a belgian fan and it appears to be that she offers it to Claude francois’ son “Coco”.

Here is the mail of the cloclo fan :

“Bonjour, juste pour vous dire que j’ai offert le dessin de Claude François à son fils hier lors d’une séance de dédicaces…il a apprécié…..il a dit que c’était très original et très bien fait. Merci de m’avoir donné cette occasion de faire plaisir…. Cordialement
Claudine”

“Hi, just to say that iv’ve offered the drawing to Claude Francois’son yesterday during a signing session, he really appreciate it and said it was original and well done. Thanks you for giving me this change to please somebody…regards,

claudine”

Well, i rather like the Claude francois belgian’s fans indeed !

Related posts:

1. Furiously French
2. 350 Art collectors so far !
3. Reading a Portrait – John Lennon-

So José from Aragon (spain), wrote me this little mail after receiving his pack of  the 4 kiss guys. (if someone could translate me the content, as i’m not spanish fluent !).

here is the mail i received…

No related posts.