We have moved to espvisuals.co.uk

Hi everyone,

Its time we did a massive overhaul to our website as it's been going for seven years now! We have now moved everything over to www.espvisuals.co.uk where everything has resumed as normal. Please update your bookmarks!

Thanks for your continued support and reading...

ESPVisuals team

ZIAH Limbo Music Video

ZIAH - Limbo [official video] from HARUKA IRIE

Myself & Irieman were commissioned to produce a music video for up & coming producer, ZIAH. We managed to shoot the video in a 17-hour straight session!! Major props to Irieman for his brilliant edit...

DJ Krush Gig Competition

ESPVisuals have teamed up with Soundcrash once again, for a competition to give away 2 FREE TICKETS to go see DJ KRUSH & Many More Artists on the 28th January @ HMV Forum.

All you have to do is email us with an answer to the simple question; 

"How long will DJ Krush's set be?"

 Please mail your answer to selphespcrew [at] g mail . com The deadline is January 25th so have a long hard think about the achingly obvious answer!....

 The undisputed Godfather of the electronic beats scene, DJ Krush, celebrates 20 years since his first ever live gig with a very special 3 hour set sure to delight his legion of fans!

DJ Krush’s importance as a music producer cannot be underestimated and without him some of the biggest artists Soundcrash puts on would simply not exist, at least in their present form. But despite his enormous influence, DJ Krush has always been a live performer at heart, honing his skills to perfection throughout the years and now capable of building layer after layer after layer of drum samples to the point where his audience have no choice but to completely lose it and immerse themselves fully in the wonderful, dark, and downright genius world of DJ Krush.

Main support on the night comes from a legend in his own right making a very rare appearance to pay respect to the sensei. Pioneers in the art of remixing, founding fathers of Ninja Tune Records, as well as the creative force behind what is regarded by many as the best mix ever recorded in “Journeys By DJ”, Coldcut’s list of accolades goes well beyond what most artists in the filed today can only dream of. Now dj’ing only when the occasion merits it (Jon More’s last London appearance was at the Ninja XX bash at Ewer Street Car Park) tonight he will play a very special set commemorating 20 years of Dj Krush.

Line-up: DJ Krush (3 hour 20th anniversary set – live)
Coldcut’s Jon More (dj set)
Anchorsong (live)
Kidkanevil (live)
plus more tbc

One Million Pageviews!!

We just hit 1,000,000 pageviews!! A huge thanks to all our readers everywhere!! Thanks for the support and we hope to keep you entertained for another million!!

Eyefeelsick of Doodling

 

I've been compiling some sketches over the last few months and put this together. Print one out and give it to your younger brother to colour in for Christmas!

ESPVisuals now have a FB Page

Some shameless self promotion here, but we have actually maxed out our personal Facebook account and cannot accept any more friendships. Therefore, we have had to create a FB Page to keep up with all the friend requests. If you want to show us some love, then go HERE....

My Recent Toy Additions

Yes, I'm addicted. Yes, I have a problem........

Glow In The Dark 3.5-inch Buddha Statue

Gizmo with pull-back action

Glow In Dark Munny DIY

Flying Cat by Nathan Jurevicius

Glow In the Dark Puppet Master from 1989

Sham Da Clown by MADL (ltd. to 300)

Mephist Festa Boxset by Touma (ltd to 400)

Tygun Banded Blaze (Gold ed. ltd to 50)

AND.....

I forgot to post about this from Xmas time. But I managed to meet my fave Hong Kong toy legend, Michael Lau in Causeway Bay, where he had a toy exhibition going on. I joined the raffle and managed to win this ultra-rare TooBigFoot toy (ltd. to only 29!!!)

ESPVisuals Goes For E4 Sting Competition

If you have a spare 10 seconds, please would you do me a big favour and check out JJ's (ESP crew) entry into this years E4 Sting competition. If you like his Sting, called "drip-e", please vote by clicking YAY! Thanks alot!!! Altogether, it takes 12 secs of your life...



If you like it, then please please click on this LINK and YAY! the video as it'll help him get better ratings!!! ( you don't need to register to vote)
JJ is extremely grateful to everyone who has already YAY!ed it and to anyone who will!

ESPVisuals iPhone App

It's here!!!!!
ESPVisuals now has its very own RSS reader so you can enjoy all your favourite art, graff, toys and videos whilst on the move, all laid out neatly.
A HUGE thank you to Implode for spending who knows how much time on this.
You fucking rock!!

Check out some screenshots below and then get it HERE

ESPVisuals Interview with Nathan Ota

Proud to bring you an interview with Nathan Ota

Tell us a little about yourself and for how long have you been an artist?

I was born and raised in Los Angeles. My mother was an artist so I'm guessing I got that mostly from her. I don't think I would be doing what I'm doing right now if it wasn't for the full support of my parents. I have always drawn ever since I can remember, thats all I wanted to do. I started with copying everything I could get my hands on from my brother's comic books to old punk rock flyers. In Junior High School, I was exposed to Graffiti Art and that was it, I was hooked. I don't think my passion for the traditional arts came quickly, it wasn't until I got to college that I really started to get inspired by the masters.

Your work is extremely colorful and vibrant, what inspires you to produce this kind of work and what techniques, mediums etc. do you use to achieve this?

I think as far as my paintings, it's all color theory, and design. I sincerely feel that without the knowledge of color theory, light logic and composition, painting can be really difficult. It's hard to pinpoint what inspires me to paint. I think it is everything from my daily experiences to my teaching experiences and my students. If that all fails, I love to look at art, that one never fails! I paint with Acrylics on wood panels, I prefer Acrylics for its fast drying tendencies and I really don't use any mediums with my paints, just water to thin them out. As far as my paints, I like to work from dark to light and from background to foreground. I like to keep things very simple with my palette, about 6 colors plus black.

What are your most memorable and exciting experiences during your life as an artist?

I have a few, my first art gig was sort of being a set designer doing graffiti art for Michael Jackson's Video, "The Way You Make Me Feel". I remember feeling real important that my name was on the list to go see them shoot the video. I also got to do some CD covers for Henry Rollins of Black Flag when I was in college. It was so exciting to see my work in the record stores. Once I got out of school and in the real world, I got my first Illustration job for a Magazine called Movieline. I couldn't wait till the issue came out and see my Illustration on the magazine racks! All 2x3 inches of it! I was so proud of myself! After 10 years of doing Commercial Illustration, I started teaching at Santa Monica College and Otis College of Art and Design and pretty much cut my freelance work in half and put more emphasis on teaching. It was a hard transition but a choice I made but after seeing my students grow to much bigger and better things, they all inspired me to get back and really continue what I left behind. This time I made a full commitment and went all in and the galleries and jobs started calling. The rest is history. I have no regrets, everything leads to something and it all happens for a reason. For me, I consider it a great journey and I can't wait to see what's around the corner.

Which artists do you relate to the most and what type of art do you enjoy the most?

Way too hard of a question to answer, I have way too many to mention. I have always gravitated toward popular culture so my early influences came from Punk Rock flyers and street artists. It really wasn't till I got to college where I really got exposed to more art from traditional, abstract to contemporary.

How have you seen your talent and style transform over time and what were the influences?

When I got into the Art Center College of Design, I really wanted to get away from the "Graffiti Culture", it always had a negative connotation about it. I felt that if I wanted to be taken as a serious artist, I needed to grow up and experience new ways and ideas in the arts. It worked out fine for me but I wasn't completely happy with my work. I got work and was able to pay my bills but something was always missing, I never felt that it was me. I guess all artist struggle with similar problems and in a way, it was a blessing in disguise. It kept me working on different approaches, making mistakes and really liking them! It all lead me to what I'm doing today. After years of teaching and not painting as much, I got a call from a Gallery in Chicago to be in a 4 person show. As it turns out, it was owned by a person that used to be an Art Director from way back that remembered my work. It was the best thing to happen to me and my career as an artist! I worked on a body of work for that show and it just felt right. For once, I was painting for myself and started to see the graffiti influence come back mixed with my new knowledge in painting. It was a good mix for me and the right time to bring it into my work.

What is the message you try to deliver through you art, or how is your art perceived by others?

Most of my paintings are narrative, I usually have something very simple to say and I hope that it is successfully executed and communicated well. My paintings are usually about my everyday day life, some good and some bad. I guess I could say that there is a little about me in all my work. I also like to play with words and see how they could be translated in a humorous way. The most common question I get is how do you get your paintings to look like they are glowing?

Where do you think your artistic style is heading and where would you like it to lead?

I really don't know what category or style you would want to put me in. There is so much separation with the Arts and I just want to paint, have fun, and keep striving to do something different.

What are you currently working on and what future plans can we expect to see?

Right now, I'm working on a solo show for September at La Luz De Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. It has been almost 2 years since my last show in Los Angeles so I'm a bit nervous. I'm also working on some group shows coming earlier this year. I try not to do too many group shows, but this year, there are some benefit art shows for some good causes that I couldn't refuse. I have a few things that are also coming out but I can't really say what they are right now. It would ruin it all! It comes out the same month as my show. You would have to keep up with my blog to find out what's new.

Don't really know what is next, your guess is as good as mine!

Visit Nathan's official website.

Some amazing prints available here.

Be sure to follow Nathan's Blog

ESPVisuals Interview With Skinner

As one of my favorite artists I am proud to present an interview with Skinner
as well as his latest dark mastery.

What inspired you to become an artist?

Oh man i don't know what inspired me to become an artist as much as i was just a creative kid...things seemed so much bigger and more fantastic...dinosaurs and Hulk hogan, are you kidding me? what kid didn't just automatically know that those were the best things in life? American kid anyways...which i suppose points to our penchant for violence...You learn early...young American training...study aggressive behavior and dominate that ass...for me though I suppose I knew I wanted art to be a job when I couldn't tolerate my boss's weird trips....plus i get to smoke pot and listen to Black Sabbath....

Did you always have this style or what were your influences?

I have always had a certain feel or vibe to what i do but My style and skills have definitely branched out away from where I was...I have really tried to open myself to committing and being very present within what I am doing at any time...Much like when I was a kid...I'm trying to get back to that raw focus...uninterrupted and solid....

Which 3 words would you use to describe your art?

Harrowing, engaging, and undeterred

Did you attend an art school or how did you develop your skills?

I guess I would have gone to an art school...too broke..white trash witches aint got no money...we learn the old ways and pass em/ down to the youngin's...make sure they know how to get by with perseverence and will power...don't need no schoolin' to understand the darkness of the universe..you just gotta open them eyes...it's all around you.

Which artists do you find interesting?

Rosaleen Norton, Rory Hayes, every artist in the extreme canvas book ( hand painted movie posters from Ghana), Mars-1, Richard Corben, Alex Pardee, Mike Mignola, Barry McGee, Matt Fox, Irving Norman...Bosch...There's alot more but those are some of the ones I really like...Frazetta, Wrightson...etc.

What are you currently working on?

I have a solo show at white walls in august...a bunch of littler shows until then...a lurker toy comin out next month...some prints in a week..hopefully a book this year...writing new music i love...goin to Japan in November i think...but the show in August is definitely what I am focused on...hopefully i will have a new cartoon done for the show...some sculptures and halloween mask replicas in my own style...also a t shirt line in the next couple months...snowboards for capita...just finished the designs for the new season of decks and everything for blood wizard...trying to practice my shredsmanship on my guitar...junk like that

More of Skinner's art can be seen on www.theartofskinner.com

Exclusive Skinner iPhone wallpapers soon available on ESPVisuals.

Word To Mother X ESPVisuals

Many thanks to Word To Mother for his lovely 'ESP' header that has run for the past 6 months. Get ready for a new slick-looking banner from another close friend in the next few days....

ESP Video For IDN 15th Anniversary

ESP were asked to make a very short video segment for design mag, IDN's 15th Anniversary Book. With the brief asking us to explore what design would be like, 15 years from now, we decided to create a fictitious computer game that 'immersed' its players into a virtual environment...it was made on no budget, except to buy beer and green.....

A perspective on films 15 years from now
Tailor made for IdN 15th Anniversary
Directed/Produced/Animated/Edited/Scored: Jonathan Shine
Camera and Assistant Director: Selph
Production Assistant: Irie
3D Animation: Tai Hollingsbee
Motion Graphics and Titles: Dkoda
Voices By: Ashley Schaefer

ESPVisuals in IdN's 15th Anniversary hard-cover Book

In 2007 ESPVisuals were invited by IdN to submit some content for their 15th Anniversary special edition hard-cover coffee table book and accompanying DVD. Featuring around 450 artists the book is a phenomenal insight into the creativity of many of the World's top designers and we were ecstatic being asked to be involved!

IdN's only request for the submitted work was that it forecast a particular area of design 15 years from now.

Our contribution comes in the form of a short trailer for a fictional video-game called "Anonymous", where your identity isn't what it appears, and you strive to find out who you really are.



We wanted to show what we thought the future of gaming might hold; a blend between films and video-games where the user not only controls the plot of the film, but is a character within it. In creating a new user experience we thought up the idea of a gaming pod in which a panoramic screen and built in surround sound would enhance gameplay and immerse you deep within the plot.

The book is a real collectors piece and we recommend you take a look for yourselves!

Check out a preview of the book here.

Buy the book here.

ESPVisuals Twitter & Blip

ESPVisuals are all hooked up and connected community-stylee now with our Twitter account and a Blip.fm account.
Join us and get up to date posts & some lovely music from:
www.twitter.com/espvisuals
www.blip.fm/espvisuals

Sea Shepherd Cover Art

ESPV recently had the opportunity to work with Ocean Conservationists Sea Shepherd, Australia. PHilfy put together a CD design which will be used on the compilation CD featuring Auzzie rock bands, to be sold across Australia to raise money for Sea Shepherd's new ship.

For more info on the organization's projects check out seashepherd.org. 

ESPVisuals 1000th Post

To all those who have been reading from the start, we wanna thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 1000 posts and still going strong, with more readers regularly joining us every day.




Illustrations by Zoe Lacchei
Images [VIA]

Adapta Gallery Launch Show Pics

Our Hong Kong trip was amazing! So much happened in the week that we were all there. I will therefore be doing a couple posts for our trip, starting with the "Attention Spam" show itself.
To be able to hang with the artists and show them round my hometown was such a pleasure. Eating weird food, painting on the street, drinking & smoking hard...we did it all and literally got the t-shirt! (I will definitely dedicate a post just for the tees!)

Cyclops

D*Face

Vesna Parchet

David Bray

The Adapta Gallery was really spacious...

Vesna Parchet's Prints

D*Face's Prints

Word To Mother's wall

This was the view from our gracious host, Nicole Schoeni's apartment!! The 44th floor on the side of a mountain offers you the most panoramic view of HKG ever...(click image to enlarge)

The next post will show the artists work for "Attention Spam" in detail...