The Phil's of 2017

The Phil's 2017

 

It's that time of year where you get those annual look backs, whether they be at music, filums or world events. I'm not really one for nostalgia - you could say it's not what it used to be, but I've given it a go and so as below I've rounded up my favourite filums of the year (along with a few of my scribbles)

and scored them using my name by way of a rating system - the more Phils given the more I liked the filum. 

In no particular order then....

 

Thor: Ragnarok

 

Buckle your seat belts we're in for a bumpy ride, as Thor off of all of the Avengers filums (just by chance) meets The Hulk also off of all of the Avengers filums in the gladiatorial arena on a distant planet.

But wait there's more, Marvel cameos, Hollywood cameos and the now obligatory Stan Lee cameo, PLUS Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum and more family tension and strife than you can shake a big Mjonir shaped stick at.

It all moves on at quite a pace and probably requires multiple viewings, in a nutshell a superhero movie for those who don't like superhero movies, just think sci-fi comedy 

 

4.5 Phils out of 5

Blade Runner 2049

The most unanticipated Harrison Ford movie since Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls doesn't share the same fate as the woeful Indiana Jones sequel thankfully, but we all collectively held our breath and hoped for the best nevertheless when it was first announced that Blade Runner would get a follow on filum some thirty odd years after the original.

A grizzled and creaking Harrison Ford is the last thing I wanted to see after his tragic turn in the Star Wars rehash but unlike that his age is part of the story, with the bloke off of La La Land as a new Blade Runner on a mission to find him in the very orangery wastes of west coast America.
To say much more would spoil the story, but it's a different movie from the first with torrential rain giving way to dust and crowded cityscapes being replaced with loneliness and isolation. And while it lacks the characters and vision of the first, this sequel shows less successful franchise attempts how it should be done.

4.5 Phils out of 5

 

 

Dunkirk

 

Ever wanted to experience the evacuation of the beaches at Dunkirk first hand? Yes, well you're in luck, and there's no need with those new fangled VR Headsets as Christopher Nolan puts us slap bang in the middle of the action. But while there's not much in the way of fighting going on on the beaches there's plenty of getting the hell out of dodge and in a couple of cases getting to the beach to get others out.

The star studded cast; Thomas Shelby off of Peaky Blinders, Alfie Solomons off of Peaky Blinders, Thomas Cromwell off of Wolf Hall, Gilderoy Lockhart out of Harry Potter and erm...Harry Styles are mere dressing and characters take second place to filum technique but it's very well made and you'll be asking for some money back on your seat price after only sitting on the edge of it the whole way through.

 

3.5 Phils out of 5

 

  

Logan

 

The future and Wolverine off of all the X-Men filums is in hiding, along with Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek and the other bloke who wrote The Office that isn't Ricky Gervais.
Things have moved on since we last saw these Mutants though, for one they're the only ones left and all superhero shenanigans has gone for a burton, Professor X is on his last legs and old mutton chops is working as a chauffeur.
With grey hair, creaking joints and an authentic stick on beard it's clear that time has caught up with Logan and when a new arrival appears it leads to a chase cross country that inevitably can only end one way.

Finally a decent Wolverine stand alone movie.

4 Phils out of 5

 

 Bubbling under

I could have added more to the above list, but time, motivation and a bad memory got the better of me, still the below are other filums I enjoyed during 2017

 

The Handmaiden, Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, The Big Sick, La La Land, Logan Logan, Spider-Man Homecoming, The Death of Stalin, War For The Planet of The Apes, Free Fire, The Lego Batman Movie, Get Out, Manchester By The Sea, A Ghost Story, Colossal, Jim and Andy:The Great Beyond, Prevenge, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2, Mother! Trainspotting 2, Mindhorn, Brigsby Bear

 

Slipped through the net

There were some filums I just didn't get round to seeing but will hopefully catch in some shape or form

Raw, Loving Vincent, Paddington 2, IT, Split, Battle of the Sexes, Wind River, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lady Macbeth, The Florida Project, It Comes At Night, The Lost City of Z 

To watch in 2018 

And with January a few days away there's a whole new batch of stuff good I'm looking forward to seeing in the New Year, amongst them; 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Downsizing, The Darkest Hour, Ready Player One, Black Panther, Isle of Dogs, The Shape of Water, Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Early Man, The Post 

 

 

Deadpool - The Merc with the Smirk

Deadpool - The Merc With a Mouth

So Deadpool then? The most eagerly superhero movie since........well? The last superhero movie I guess?

There has been a few of late to be fair and with each one introducing a new and sometime lesser known character in the superhero it's understandable that people can on occasion be left scratching their heads.
As for Deadpool, I'd stopped reading the comics by the time he had come along, although I had unashamedly caught some of the latest instalments from Marvel more recently.
So in a nutshell, he started out as a supporting character in the X-Men themed comics before moving on and getting his own comic. He is virtually indestructible thanks to his mutant self healing powers - a bit like Wolverine (you'll have heard of him), but as far as retractable claws or any other abilities go that's his lot, he's a mercenary (Merc) who tends to be armed to the teeth with guns, knives and swords but also uses humour (with a Mouth) as part of his make up. He's more of Anti-Hero than straight up hero and his comic tends to send up and skew the comic book traditions, he speaks directly to the reader (breaking the fourth wall) and is even aware that he is a comic book character.
As he has gone on, he has become one of Marvel's cult heroes and just his appearance on a comic cover can ensure it's a sell out.

Buy my stuff!

As for the filum? For non fans if you've seen Kick-Ass then you will be fully prepared. Not that it copies that filum, Deadpool came first comic book-wise but it's that kind of style - over the top violence, language and laughs.
Fans themselves will say it's as faithful to the comic as it can be, the forth wall is broken and the send up of the whole comic book movie is in place, there are many many in jokes to keep even the casual nerd happy. But while it sends up the likes of X-Men and The Avengers it also goes along in pretty much the same template, there's an origin story, a villain, a damsel in distress, a big fight at the end and a post credits scene. It zips along at quite a pace though right from the opening titles then you have flashbacks, flashbacks within flashbacks, plenty of highly choreographed action pieces, buckets of humour and wise cracking galore.
It may grate with some, as it can be pretty relentless if you're not prepared for it and it's pretty crude in places, plus the violence can be gory and in bad taste. But for others a second viewing could be called for to catch all of the jokes and references.
Even before seeing the thing you'll have heard that there are plans for a sequel (and superhero filums have to have a sequel), but as to whether you'll tire of more of the same? Maybe a shift in tone and/or location is needed.


But I'd give it  a MASSIVE 10 Phils out of 10


Oh and..............buy my stuff!

And now it's time to look at some of your work..... in the gallery (Post It Note Edition)

The Gallery - Post It Notes

Did you grow up in the 70s/80s? If you did and lived to survive the tale, you'll be able to recall one of your first introductions to the world of Art.

Long before Neil Buchanan (I had to Google him that's how rubbish he was) jumped on the band wagon with Art Attack Tony Hart was the Don of the Children's TV art scene, bridging the gap between potato printing on Playschool and Rolf's Cartoon Time (the less about him the better!).
He made art cool - before we knew (or cared) what that word meant, along with Johnny Ball he was a staple for any kid growing up in a time that the BBC educated us outside of school and made it fun.

From Vision On, via Take Hart to Hart Beat we met Wilf Lunn the Eccentric Inventor, Mr Bennett the Caretaker and of course that lovable piece of plasticine Morph. Another part of all three shows was the Gallery, a place where artwork submitted by the young viewers was displayed on screen accompaniment of music. Each piece would have the name and age of the artist and occasionally Tony would comment on a piece saying what he liked about it, but my main memory of this segment would be me, my brother and sister all sat far too close to the telly saying as each picture came up 'I could do that' 'I could do that' 'I couldn't do that'.......anyone?

And it's with that in mind that I've compiled this blog for your viewing pleasure (and for those without Instagram), just press play on the below clip as now it's time to look at some of my work in the gallery......

 

RIP

TV and Filums

Happy Birthday

Merry Christmas

Making a SPECTRE-cle of himself

James Bond : SPECTRE

A couple of weeks back I went to see Spectre the 24th James Bond film in the series, and as a series spanning 50 years or more it's gone through a few peaks and troughs of popularity.

It's been largely due to the most recent actors portrayal and what's commonly known as a 'reboot' that the last three have been released which much anticipation.

On a personal note (and I'm probably not the only one) James Bond films were with me from my childhood, before Sky or Netflix Christmas would be a time for the latest installment to be aired exclusively on 'normal' telly. As well as that there would be repeated (and welcome) showings on a Sunday afternoon (or at least it seemed like it was always on a Sunday) or during any other holiday season.

So they were ingrained into you, and vague memories would merge as to whether it was on the TV or at the cinema as to where you'd watched a certain one. My Dad was a big Bond fan so he always comes to mind with the latest release and though the early films would have definitely been watched at home, by the time Roger Moore was Bond it would have meant a trip to the cinema and I can vividly remember the pre-credits sequence of the Spy Who Loved Me as Bond skied off the cliff to his apparent doom before a Union Jack parachute unfurled to save his certain fate.


The last trip to the cinema for a Bond film with Dad would have been A View To a Kill, but even after the no smoking in cinemas policy came in (which ended our joint trips to watch films there) he still kept up with them and the latest Bond film out on video would be a safe bet for him for any Birthday or Christmas present. So this way he'd have seen first Timothy Dalton and then Peirce Brosnon's take on the part.

My Dad passed away in 2006 and among the many many many many many things I miss about him would be his love of action films and there were times not long after he gone that I'd still look along the DVD shelves in HMV picking out ones I know he'd enjoy watching even though he was no longer around to see them. So the latest Bond films would definitely have been among those with him in mind, and I think he would have liked these new installments with their new Bond.


With Daniel Craig Bond has become a more human Bond, a man who happens to be an international spy but with failings, shortcomings and vulnerability, not superhuman but wiling to put himself and his body on the line for the sake of his job. In all of his outings he's been battered and bruised both physically and emotionally, it's a realistic portrayal that's arguably been missing from all of the other incarnations.

It's difficult to review the film without giving too much away to those who haven't seen it, but for me it completes the story arc first started in Casino Royale. It starts with Bond discovering a cryptic message from Judi Dench's M which sends him on a mission that uncovers a secret organisation that has held power over him throughout the last three films. Needless to say, there are car chases, fist fights, exotic locations, gadgets and beautiful women. And with the name of the film itself it's no big surprise as to what's it called or who the main protagonist is.
As far as Daniel Craig's Bond films go, for me it's on par with Casino Royale as his second best outing.


4 Phil's out of 5



How I got shit done : Spider-Lennon

                                     

Spider-Lennon - How I got shit done

I'm writing this on what would have been John Lennon's 75th birthday and coincidentally I had started to put together a John Lennon inspired piece.

                                      

I'm a big fan of a Brazilian artist/illustrator named Butcher Billy, he creates images which mash up music personalities with comic book heroes - you can check out his work here , he's done various work incorporating Amy Winehouse with Wonder Woman, Ian Curtis (from Joy Division) as Batman and Morrisey as Superman to name but a few.

So with that in mind and after the Tommy Cooper picture I'd previously done I thought I'd give it a go. An instantly recognisable person and iconic shot would be needed and after much thought I came up with this.

Quite an iconic photo of John Lennon taken by Bob Gruen during his time in New York.

With the way my head works New York made me think of the City's resident web-slinger Spider-Man, I know Lennon wasn't American but for me it was link and it's my idea so there!

 I figured that I could photoshop a peak of Spidey's costume under Lennon's jacket where his New York t-shirt would have been. So after some Photoshop and Illustrator jiggery pokery* we end up with this....

The above gives me more of an idea of the layers and various stencils I'll need and again the window and daylight came in handy with the tracing of the shapes.

With them cut it was then a case of spraying them individually onto the canvas I'd pre-painted with a grey-ish background as you can see.

 

When it came to the jacket detail I'd stayed with the blue as it was in the original photo just so everything wasn't too grey. But I thought I'd try and get a bit of texture in there with some layers of tape which I'd then spray over - don't ask me why I just felt like it

After some more spraying and a touch up here and there with some acrylic paint the overall outcome was not too bad. Not a patch on Butcher Billy and maybe not his exact style but something else altogether.

But is it finished? Well it needs a coat of varnish, I'm not entirely happy with the left hand and maybe I could have done the jacket in grey after all?

Anyway it's an attempt and another picture more or less done, I can move on now to the next project....

As always with this blog it's just an excuse for me to link to the stuff I have for sale, so check out the links on the right yeah? 

*jiggery pokery is an easy technique used in Illustrator which my good friend, design whizz and overall Mod Legend Adam Clark taught me and I may get round to teaching you one day

*Alan Partridge voice*.....JURASSIC PARK!!!

So, I went to see Jurassic World on Sunday and for those of you put off by the trailer - don't be.

Yes we have Chris Pratt as a dinosaur whispering Velociraptor wrangler and a hybrid super dinosaur in the Indominus Rex but if you're looking for a realistic film - one which has the basic premise of recreating dinosaurs from the DNA taken from mosquitoes frozen in amber this is not a good place to start. You could maybe ask how they keep getting liability insurance to open these disaster prone theme parks....

Leave any grasp of reality at the door and just enjoy it, it's a popcorn movie but one of higher quality than some with more action than the original, genuine suspense, levels of threat and hardcore dinosaur on dinosaur battle scenes. I would give it 4.5 Phils* out of 5

As always this blog is just an excuse you promote my drawings, so........buy my stuff!



*as opposed to stars/thumbs up, etc I use my name as a rating system, the more Phils the better the film.

How I got shit done - a step by step guide

Banksy - A Step by Step Guide

Long time since I last blogged and it's sheer laziness on my part, not that I've been resting on my laurels (and hardys) - I've been getting shit done, and this will show you how.

It started with the below picture of England goal keeper Gordon Banks (for the uneducated)

Which at some point in the depths of my picture making history became the below Banksy inspired graphic (which you can buy as a phone cover here)

Well, after a trip to a London art fair and feeling suitably inspired I decided to come up with a cut out piece using some old shoot magazines I'd somehow ended up with.

The idea was to use a silhouette and different coloured card/paper to create extra depth to the pictures.
I'd like to point out that there were probably much easier ways of doing this but as it was my first attempt I was just making it up as I went along really.....
I used the previous Banksy inspired picture and traced the outline onto a blank laminated pocket which I then cut out.
Using that I then traced in pencil on a page from a magazine which I'd reinforced by gluing a few pages together to make it thicker.

Then with my newly acquired craft knife and cutting board I cut out the shape, the coloured paper is going to be inserted behind this like so.........

I was originally just going to do a black filler for the cut out but decided another shade needed to break it up a bit, so a few more swipes of the blade and a piece of thick white paper later and we have some detail around the hands and face (above)

But before I could put this over the black card I padded out the layers by gluing some folded up pages to the top and bottom of the piece - this would hopefully give a gap and create an extra dimension to the final work (below)

Finally with the black card firmly attached to the top and bottom folded pages the end result was put in a frame and signed

 

I hope you like, it's a one off at the moment but I am working on a new one (featuring another legendary footballer) which I hope to have up soon.

You had me at meat tornado...........

Hello!
Long time no blog!
Had a bit of whatever the drawing version of writer's block is called. Came back from Edinburgh with all these ideas of things to do and couldn't settle on one certain thing, I've basically been starting a lot of stuff then getting side tracked by something else and not finishing anything.....
So I've decided to finish one work in progress off just to ease the blockage...........hopefully!

I'm sure that a lot of people won't know who the person above is supposed to be, but if you're a fan of Parks & Recreation I'm hoping you will.
Maybe not the most well known programme on TV, but if you like your American comedies you may have heard about it and even hunted it down on BBC Four or 'borrowed' it off the Internet.
It's a fly on the wall 'mockumentery' style comedy which yes may have been overdone since The Office hit big, but it is funny and although the lead character Leslie Knope could be seen as a female David Brent/Michael Scott - come the second season she's more developed, in this series set in local government.

But the main draw for me is Ron Swanson; part Ron Burgandy part caveman, director of the Parks and Recreation department, who despises the general public and holds high hopes for the department to be as ineffective as possible.Hunter, fisherman, woodwork enthusiast, woman of the year and clandestine lead of jazz ensemble the Duke Silver Trio, avoiding meetings and social interaction in general he is one of the best character's out there in sitcom land at the moment.

The above 'swansonism' is from an episode where amongst other things happening Ron has suffered a hernia but refuses to let on to his fellow workers - a sign of weakness no doubt included in some way on the Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness

A few  more 'swansonisms' for you below..........

Well hopefully this has acted as a spoonful of castor oil to help the flow of more frequent upcoming blogs, see you in a few months!

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash......

When it comes to music, you can be influenced a lot by your parents. So growing up - as my Dad was a fan Johnny Cash became a staple in the Potter home. It's not a question of old or new music it's good music and now that my Dad is no longer with us Johnny Cash will always bring back memories of him - particulary for me A Thing Called Love - one of my favourite songs.

So as a fan of Cash myself and through his Facebook page I entered the above image into a competition  to create some Cash inspired art. Leaving myself just a day to do it and looking at the other entries personally I don't think I stand much chance, but the way I see things with drawing now is that it's all good practice and you have to practice to get better!

We'll see how I get on, but I'll be counting on your vote should I make it through to the next round.

As a footnote Redbubble the site I use to try and sell my stuff on took my Johnny Cash T-Shirt down! Saying I had 'infringed copyright' - bit odd considering I drew it