Macabre, Weird & Wonderful Childrens’ Book Illustrations By Gōjin Ishihara.

Reddit is a wonderful place. I only recently discovered Reddit and even more recently than that I realised that you can search out specific words and phrases on it. I typed the word ‘macabre’ into Reddit’s search box and discovered the bizarre and frightening childrens’ book artwork of post WWII Tokyo based artist, Gōjin Ishihara!

From The Illustrated Book Of Japanese Monsters (1972):

The next two illustrations are from The Illustrated Book Of Hell (1975):

From The Complete Book Of Demons (1974):

Gorgon. The Illustrated Book Of World Monsters (1973):

Aliens In Ancient Japan. From the book, Mysteries Of The World (1970):

From Sonosheet Book (1972):

Prehistoric Man (1970):

Spy Wars…

The World’s biggest glutton from The World’s Greatest Wonders (1971):

Precognition of plane crash. Mysteries Of The Body (1973):

Nostradamus. Psychics Of The World (1974):

Frozen planet. Year X: End Of The World (1975):

Dark star gravity. Year X: End Of The World (1975):

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Glasgow’s George Square Is OUR Rectangle!

The six new shortlisted designs for the revamp of Glasgow’s George Square have been unveiled and I’m almost speechless at how terrible and charmless they all are. ALL of them.

Luckily, I’m not completely speechless and I’d just like to take this opportunity to say this:

George Square Is OUR Rectangle! Leave those Victorian statues EXACTLY where they are!

The moving of Glasgow’s many Victorian statues like gigantic chess pieces is nothing new and it’s not that I or the many other people who live close to the square are against change. As a matter of fact, everybody I’ve personally spoken to is all for a revitalisation of George Square but, and listen carefully, as a PUBLIC and VERY GREEN space!

The statues that surround George Square have been discreetly moved over the years more than once but c’mon! They look so settled where they stand today. And everybody knows it except for the people in charge who very shortly are about to completely ruin George Square as we have come to know it.

Let’s take a look at the six new shortlisted designs for the Square and as always, click on the images to enlarge them.

Design One:

Design Two:

Design Three:

Design Four:

Design Five:

Design Six:

Design Six is apparently the current “most popular” design with Glaswegians. The best of a bad bunch I’d say.

I’m not very good expressing myself when I’m angry without using extreme profanities so here are some photos of how George Square has looked in the past…

1878:

1880:

1929:

1975:

Fireworks Night 2012:

…and here are two panoramic shots of how George Square currently looks today…

Don’t tell me what you think.
Write to Glasgow City Council and/or a decent Glasgow Newspaper you trust.
So not The Daily Record.

Keep right up to date with everything by visiting: Restore George Square.

You May Also Be Interested In…
* Future Glasgow
* The Glasgow Alphabet By Rosemary Cunningham
* Al Cook’s “Necropolis”

Blood Test: Behind Al Cook’s “Necropolis”.

Whenever I get an illustration commission I occasionally get asked to provide ‘idea sketches’ to show what the finished piece will look like. This type of request usually results in me turning down a lot of artwork job offers because I almost never ever produce any ‘idea’ sketches and if I do, they never really resemble the eventual illustration and I tear them up just as soon as I’m finished with them. Besides, I think that sample and ‘idea’ sketches could subliminally put someone off of your work.
Is that crazy and paranoid?

If it’s not crazy and paranoid it’s probably arrogant of me but I’d rather turn down an illustration job than waste my time churning out sample sketches just to please someone who doesn’t have the faith in me to just let me get on with things.

That said, sometimes I do produce ‘working’ sketches for my horror comic-strip to help me place where characters and objects will be in the panels and today I’m going to break my own rule and show them to you.

All of these working sketches come from the “Please Give Blood” installment from my comic-strip, Al Cook’s “Necropolis” and as you will see, these were never meant to be seen…

* Working Sketch:

* Eventual Illustration Panel:

* Working Sketch:

* Eventual Illustration Panel:

* Working Sketch:

* Eventual Illustration Panel:

* Working Sketch:

* Eventual Illustraion Panel:

* Working Sketch #1:

* Working Sketch #2:

* Working Sketch #3:

* Working SKetch #4:

* Eventual Illustration Panel:

I decided to upload these scribbles because aside from my own, I like to see work in progress. Be it a building being built or a half finished song, I’m interested and so I hope those sketches were of some interest to you.
You can view “Please Give Blood” in full HERE.

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* Al Cook’s “Necropolis”
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* Sketches For Nobody #6

Rejected Album Artwork: David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World”.

This is how we all know and recognise David Bowie’s album “The Man Who Sold The World”:

Ah, but things could’ve been very different…

The original 1970 US release of “The Man Who Sold The World” employed a cartoon-like cover drawing by Bowie’s friend Michael J. Weller, featuring a cowboy in front of the Cane Hill mental asylum.

The first UK cover, on which Bowie is seen reclining in a Mr Fish “man’s dress”, was an early indication of his interest in exploiting his androgynous appearance. The dress was designed by British fashion designer Michael Fish, and Bowie also used it in February 1971 on his first promotional tour to the United States, where he wore it during interviews despite the fact that the Americans had no knowledge of the as yet unreleased UK cover.

It has been said that his “bleached blond locks, falling below shoulder level”, were inspired by a Pre-Raphaelite painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The 1971 German release presented a winged hybrid creature with Bowie’s head and a hand for a body, preparing to flick the Earth away.

The 1972 worldwide reissue by RCA Records used a black-and-white picture of Ziggy Stardust on the sleeve which remained until 1990 when the Rykodisc reissue reinstated the original UK “dress” cover. It also appeared on the 1999 EMI remaster.

“Oh By Jingo!” indeed.

Lennon’s Poster.

Here’s a very interesting (and very short) film about the recreation of the now famous Victorian circus poster which inspired John Lennon to write one of my favourite Beatles tracks, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite:

The full text of the original Pablo Fanque‘s Circus Royal poster is:

PABLO FANQUE’S CIRCUS ROYAL

TOWN-MEADOWS, ROCHDALE

Grandest Night of the Season!

AND POSITIVELY THE

LAST NIGHT BUT THREE!

BEING FOR THE

BENEFIT OF MR. KITE,

(LATE OF WELLS’S CIRCUS) AND

MR. J. HENDERSON,

THE CELEBRATED SOMERSET THROWER!

WIRE DANCER, VAULTER, RIDER, etc.

On TUESDAY Evening, February 14, 1843.

Mssrs. KITE and HENDERSON, in announcing the following Entertainments ensure the Public that this Night’s Production will be one of the most splendid ever produced in this Town, having been some days in preparation.

Mr. Kite will, for this night only,

introduce the

CELEBRATED

HORSE, ZANTHUS!

Well known to be one of the

best Broke Horses

IN THE WORLD!!!

Mr. HENDERSON will undertake the arduous Task of

THROWING TWENTY-ONE SOMERSETS,

ON THE SOLID GROUND.

Mr. KITE will appear, for the

first time this season,

On The Tight Rope,

When Two Gentlemen Amateurs

of this Town will

perform with him. Mr. HENDERSON will, for the first time

in Rochdale,

introduce his extraordinary

TRAMPOLINE LEAPS

AND

SOMERSETS!

Over Men & Horses, through Hoops,

over Garters and lastly through a

Hogshead of REAL FIRE!

In this branch of the profession Mr. H challenges THE WORLD!

For particulars see Bills of the day.

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