My blog
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Sugar
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 3:56AM / Standard Entry / Members only
So i haven't blogged in a while. I thought I'd talk about my experience when I was hired to redesign the walls in the club 'Sugar' in Lan Kwai Fong.
Early this year in January, Sugar decided to go through a minor facelift, and in doing so, I was hired by Blac Designs's Zachary Fu to redesign the walls with some ART.
Basically the design brief and proposal stage went through several stages, from combining 'sexy' with 'buddhism', to 'graffiti turntables', to 'hiphop' + 'naked girls', until finally coming to a point where they wanted a 'purely decorative aesthetic'. If you're a designer or an artist, you're usually a bit skeptical when a client says they want a 'purely decorative aesthetic'. It usually mean's they want something 'pretty' but with no purpose. -_-
So me and my project director who was responsible for the entire Sugar facelift decided to combine everything we've done in the initial proposal stages into this 'purely decorative aesthetic'. The concept was to create these abstract shapes that would align the walls. But to make things more interesting, I would hide imagery within these shapes. :)
The downside was, for the 3 days that Sugar went through renovation, I had a 24 hour time-frame to paint the whole thing.
The two wall's combined add up to about 60 x 10 feet. Not including the entrance tunnels.
First things first. Used chalk lines to draw everything out in charcoal proportionate to the design. I was fortunate to have a bunch of friends help me out given the tight timeframe to paint the walls.
The back wall.
My friends helping out...
I outlined in black paint.
...while my monkeys filled in the blanks.
What sucked was that the dust from the renovation earlier in the day would stick to the first layer we painted. We ended up having to paint over everything 2-3 times on top of the first layer in order to get that 'black' black.. Stressful indeed.
A finished wall. (the back one)
Here are some before and after shots:
The design outlined in chalk.
Painted!
Before. Outlined in chalk.
Monkey filling.
Painted!
This is the entrance before (The glass panel was a new addition to the facelift)
Painted!
Before.
Painted!!
Can you see the girl?
It was interesting how we got a lot of different interpretations after this. Apparently only half of the people are able to see the girl, when we were on location.
In porn, we refer to this as the money shot.
The night it re-opened. Literally 14 hrs after we finished the finishing touches. You can't tell, but everyone's leaning up against the wall with their feet. Awesome -_-
2 of the 5 friends who helped me that night I have returned the favor. I am currently in the process of repaying the third one back. You might see me shamelessly handing out flyers this Friday in LKF. If you do, please be nice.
Regardless of the stress with the tight deadlines and the unexpected during those 24 hrs, it was a very exciting gig. It's one thing to see your work on your computer, another to see it print. But to see it physically on the walls of a venue, hand-painted, is quite a satisfying experience. Until of course you actually go to club Sugar. But I did meet a nice girl that night :)
On another note, I have recently been accepted into the Senses Group community. It's a design group that mostly outsources its projects to a selected group of designers within their own community, on an invite basis only. Woot!
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Sukiyaki Western Django
Monday, Oct 20, 2008 1:29AM / Standard Entry / Members only
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MIA
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008 8:02PM / Standard Entry / Members only
I'm starting to notice that my Blog Subject Header names are always apologizing for being away so long. Apologies for that.Small Interior Illos for last few issues of Time Out HK Magazine. Angie Wong's 'Under The Table' article.
Screenshot of latest issue (haven't had a chance to pick it up a copy yet). It should be a regular gig for the next batch of issues. I find Time Out to be a really good read. They actually have access to a lot more than other HK entertainment guides if you think about it, as they have Time Out's in many major cities. I mean, they were even able to bring Yoshitaka Amano to HK a few weeks back!
Snapshot of another piece.Been kind of ill recently. Should've caught up on work today but got distracted and instead reorganized my whole book shelf. By category, genre, and alphabeticized according to each category and genre.
No, I'm kidding.Also, if you are a designer or artist in HK then get in touch with Disruptive Gallery. They are in the process of setting up an extensive promotional package online in which to promote HK designers, artists, etc. The dilio: they act as an intermediary 'agent' for any potential jobs that you would get contacted for if found on their site. The pay off for their extensive promotional efforts is they take a cut off your gig (if you get one), but to be on their site is free and you get your own dedicated artist page. Also, if you have products for sale, they handle all your shipping and handling (and take a cut off each sale). For those of you who find that your hands are often full with the business aspect of being a freelancer, I would recommend something like this as it allows you to concentrate on your own work.
Oh, and get on the Design Directory HK. It's just a directory for Design firms and companies. Interface isn't great, but it's set up by the non-profit organization Hong Kong Design Centre.
Yes yes. Do it do it. Now.
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Lo Siento Me Tarde
Thursday, Sep 11, 2008 2:00AM / Standard Entry / Members only
Lots going on. Been busy with a bunch of stuff. But I am unfortunately unable to post everything here.
Snapshot of a piece for an upcoming publication:
Couple of doodles:
And a couple of freehand ballpoint pen drawings:
This is inspired by an exhibit I saw a while ago where a bunch of artists were given ballpoint pens to draw with on a single sheet of paper. Its an awesome idea for an exhibit.
Check out the Yoshitaka Amano exhibit at Art Statements Gallery in Soho, he painted with car paints on aluminum, so the paintings have this awesome smooth finish and glisten, that photo reproductions don't do justice. And also, Murakami is coming to exhibit at Fabrik Gallery in HK. I unfortunately missed this at the Brooklyn Museum of Art right before I left NY, but I have big earlobes, which in Chinese culture means good luck. So how lucky I am for his work to come to HK! Can't wait!I am also doing a regular stint on an interior, quarter page illustration for Time Out HK magazine. It's for Angie Wong's Under the Table article.
And I am working on a few things for Audiotraffic, probably one of the best rock bands that exist in HK. Seriously.
I was recently asked to be photographed and interviewed for my work in an upcoming publication project related to the KDU. But as this project was about New York's creative scene, it hurts me to say I cannot be a part of it as I am now based in Hong Kong.
If you don't know the KDU, you probably should. The KeyStone Design Union is a community that I like to think is at the cutting edge of the design scene. They are responsible for the awesome magazine that is known as The Royal Magazine. If you have ever taken a class in the history of graphic design, you should realize that all the key elements you study are were what considered to be "cutting edge" in it's time, and therefore 'not of the norm'. Take high-end fashion, in which most the things we see are not considered by the general public to be 'acceptable'. However, within time these things we see will filter down to tastes that most people will come to accept.
That's how I like to think of the KDU. Exclusive to elite tastes only.
Anyways, it sucks that I can't be a part of something that awesome right now, and I really wish I could have. But regardless I have to say there is something exciting about being in HK that I can't describe.
I can't put my finger on it.
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Step into my office...
Thursday, Aug 21, 2008 4:56PM / Standard Entry / Members only
My work studio is pretty much up and running now. I'm very particular about my workspace. Still missing a drawing table and lots of lamps. At night I prefer turning on a bunch of floor and desk lamps, I really dislike office lighting. Or any kind of ceiling lighting actually. it sets my mood for working, and it seems to make the music sound better.
Sofa bed + mattress = a place to nap for working into the night. I also like books. Or the smell of them, anyways. If you notice on the ledge above the sofa, a skateboard I painted a while ago.
I would love to get back to doing some painting at some point. Sometime's drawing on something other than paper or canvas is satisfying as hell. 'Tactility' is the word of the day.
The nighttime security guard in this building speaks a bit funny, and my spoken Cantonese really sucks, but he noticed that I had not yet changed the business plaque downstairs to my name. So I came downstairs one night and realized he drew on my plaque for me.I thought that was pretty funny. I think I'll leave it up for a while.
Anyways, I'm located smack in the middle of the very busy Dundas Street between Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok. Ladies market is next door, and the area that sells all those deadly BB guns. I'm right upstairs on the 8th floor from the Stinky Tofu. You are welcome to drop by and say hello, so long as you bring some peace offerings (except stinky tofu). I'll accept food, drink, watches, dvds, shoes, and cute girls.
Stats
- I'm an illustrator who recently moved back to Hong Kong. I currently make pictures for a living. Some of my clients have included Marvel Comics, Asia-City Publishing, Emi's Gold Label Records, ElleGir...
- Occupation: Illustrator
- Age: 23
- Gender: Male
- Total visits: 13,700
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