Sci-Fi Book Cover Cards
Self-produced greetings cards
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On the back of my Sci-Fi Colouring Book idea (see below), I went on to design a series of sci-fi book cover greeting cards. I had contacted some of the illustrators to seek permission to use their original paintings and was given hi-res images to work with. In the end I settled on three designs from favourite artists; Chris Foss, Colin Hay and Tony Roberts. The fourth one (Goodwill to all humans) I created myself.
The background was painted in Photoshop and the robot created in 3D and blended into the artwork.
Scuffed edges and creases were painted onto the cards to give them that vintage well-thumbed book cover look.
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On the inner spreads I traced outline drawings of the cover image, so that customers could colour in their own versions.
The original book covers
70's Spacecraft Colouring Book
Colouring book concept
This is a Kickstarter project I devised a couple of years ago. As with the greeting cards above, I had contacted several favourite artists to licence their work for a colouring book. In this first of two series I used 7 images each from Colin Hay, Peter Elson and Tony Roberts.
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Each image was hand traced to produce outline drawings, printed on one side only so that finished coloured drawings could be removed and framed if wished.
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The project reached 76% funding before it closed, but in the end print costs for a limited run, and postal charges to the US - the biggest market - made it unviable.
All is not lost however, as print-on-demand services may now resurrect the idea. Either as an A4 format book this time, or a small square hard cover collectable edition. Save your colour pencils and watch this space!
Bryce 3D illustrations
Futuristic images from a now vintage 3D package
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Bryce was a niche and very inexpensive 3D software package, essentially a terrain designer for producing quick and easy landscapes. I used it for many years until they stopped development in 2010 and since then haven't been able to get it to run properly on my modern Macs. But in it's heyday it was possible to eke out some pretty effective results.
Neanderthal Engine
All produced in-program apart from the added clouds and flames
Heath Robinson meets 2001: A Space Odyssey. My concept of the invention of the wheel sees a mechanically-minded caveman building a machine to carve his for him. This in turn leads directly to the invention of the coffee break.
Reversing the previous idea, I now have a hi-tech robot repairing old vintage TV sets in his shed. He's using Popular Mechanics magazine for reference, but looking back, I have no idea why he needs the mug of tea and biscuits!
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This time absolutely everything in the image has been created in Bryce with no post retouching.
With a nod to Star Wars Naboo ships, this was a simple experiment in reflections and cloud formations that Bryce did with a minimum of fuss and a couple of button clicks. Bryce had added boolean objects by this stage (where two objects can be merged smoothly into each other like liquid metal). Thus I was able to create complex curves for the yellow fighters and their engines.
MOO TV
Bespoke television sets
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In the mid-90's I was playing around with furniture ideas and one I ran with and produced was the MOO TV range. I bought BEKO 14" TV sets and covered them in foam and fake fur. Horns and hooves were moulded in fibreglass. Of course nowadays Health & Safety would have a fit if I tried to do them again, but they did rather well and garnered a load of press attention. I had a phone call from Los Angeles asking if I could fill an order for 100 units! Sadly not doable in my one bedroom flat at the time. But a Cow and Tiger model were bought by the BBC props department and both made television appearances themselves.
The leather and pink latex S&M TV set was designed for Joe Corre when he was first setting up his Agent Provocateur store in central London.
Articles and mentions from The Observer magazine, Design Week, The Face, Home Entertainment, Focus, Just Seventeen, Sunday Times magazine, Premiere Magazine and, as they say, many more.
Runner Up in Home Entertainment Magazine's 'Product of the Year' awards. Going hoof-to-toe against the likes of Casio, Marantz and Philips!
Freaky Furniture
Genesis of the MOO TV
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The little Cow footstool/coffee table was a precursor to the MOO TV, and part of a range of silly ideas I played with at the time.
Torso Speakers
The matching speaker would be a male torso
MoonSpeaker
Submarine Fish Tank
The Harmchair
All works and concepts ©1995 Grant Louden
