28 December 2006

Spooky



Say hi to Karsten Volle, Germany.

26 December 2006

Photoshop fun

Just found this tutorial on how to make stuff look like miniatures in Photoshop.

Here's a pic of the hall in my dollhouse office.

Review number four

Norwegian comix site serienett.no just posted a review on the book. Well, boo hoo deary me...

Karstein Volle has delivered one of the most readable comic books of 2006. This is a book that is hard to put down. Volle's humor is of a high pedigree and Facts from the World tickles the funnybone time and time again. May we ask for a book number 3?


The rest can be read here, as a pretty excellent norwegian lesson

I bow my head and remove my imaginary hat in salute to the support granted this humble cartoonist.

22 December 2006

Xmas


Woah, suddenly back home in Tranby, Norway. Just want to wish you all a GREAT CHRISTMAS AND A FABULOUS 2007.

19 December 2006


What I did at 17

Just found an old sketch from around 91-92. This was just as Black metal had hit the tabloids and these frustrated, pompous little blackhaired kids were everywhere...
A quiet suburban neighbourhood...



I had just woken saturday morning hung over after the Nazca christmas party the night before.
I was having my morning coffee when I heard a loud metallic BAM coming from what I thought was the yard. I assumed a car had backed into another car at the parking lot. It was only when I heard the sirens that I really woke up.
I went to the guest room and saw that the apartment across the road was smoking. The window had blown straight out. There was a thin stream of soot coming from it.

There were two firetrucks and a policecar. More were coming. The apartment started burning more intensely. One man was taken out on a gurney.

It was most probably a gas explosion. The tenant, a middle aged man, died of burns at the hospital.

What scares me now is how nobody seems to have done anything to remember that person. No flowers or candles outside. We are all strangers in this neighbourhood.

15 December 2006

Meanwhile in Iran...



American conservatives are talking about nuking Teheran. 1 2 3 How about taking a look at who would become collateral damage if such a travesty would ever happen?

Iranian students protest Ahmadinejad

Now that everything is going so well in Iraq and Aghanistan, I mean...

14 December 2006

Noxagt and the Zone



Just a little note saying that Noxagt might be the best working music ever. Just put on 'Turning it down since 2001' and blammo, you are in the zone.

'The Zone' is well, the place I want to be. It's the place when I can work and create without being selfconscious or overtly selfcritical. I think authors call it 'flow', musicians call it 'the zone'. What do painters call it?

The opposite place is, well, hell. When NOTHING is good enough. You write one word or draw one line and decide it's complete shite. You realize you are completely talentless, the last seven years of work has just been some incredible stroke of luck and people are finally onto you and will call your bluff.

Anyway, NOXAGT is the shit. Buy 'Turning it down since 2001' for xmas to all your friends and yourself.

13 December 2006

3rd review



Spirit mag has reviewed the Fakta book. To be honest, I will not cry myself to sleep over quotes like this:

Facts from the World is smart, absurd and above all hysterically funny. Let's hope the world will continue to go off it's kilter so Volle can keep mocking it.

If your norwegian is up for it, you can find the review here.

Spirit, I thank you gracefully for your support. Here's to a mad laugh in the eye of impending doom.

11 December 2006

Isometric



Part of an illustration for teaching software


Must have been at at least five years since last time I did any isometric work. Forgot how fun it is.
Humor for the ones fluent in Norwegian

Food recipes

North Norwegian Joke generator

Consolation price for non-norwegian entities
Medienschmerz

My pal Mika M. has redesigned his site. Go look.

10 December 2006

Webcomics

Been experimenting with online publishing this week and discovered this nice blurb on talkaboutcomics.com.

"Even though it’s not a clip-art comic, Facts from the World by Karstein Volle reminds me of some of the best in that genre, like Partiallyclips or Red Meat. I’m not sure why."

For the record: I love Red Meat.

09 December 2006

The wisdom of Jack Chick

Sadism in the workplace was common in the 70's.

08 December 2006

Dr.David Thorpe nails it.

Click to read the lovely gentleman's thoughts on heavy metal music
American activist sets himself on fire




American activist and musician Malachi Ritscher burnt himself to death last month to protest the Iraq war.

Go here to read his farewell letter

Obituary

04 December 2006

My girlfriend thinks I'm a Porsche



Sinua varjelee Porsche-traktorin henki. Tämä traktori suojelee niitä, jotka ovat luonteeltaan iloisia ja elämänmyönteisiä. Vakavia hetkiä ei ole liikaa ja elämästä otetaan kaikki irti. Nämä henkilöt myös yleensä ovat mielellään ehkä hiukan erilaisia. Tärkeitä elämänarvoja ovat rakkaus, ystävät ja hauskanpito.

03 December 2006

Nazca studio session

Been recording all weekend. It sounds pretty good this far. If everything goes well, we 'll finish the recording bit this month. Then it's just a humongous mixing job ahead. Stay tuned.

01 December 2006

Seinfeld dub

This one is strangely alluring.

Six Feet Under



Due to me not having had a tv since 2002, I saw this series for the first time yesterday. Jeez, addictive stuff! It's like a soap opera, only GOOD! The first three episodes, at least.
Illustration work



Here's one I just did for Libero magazine, about how to inform people in a good way about the greenhouse effect.

Talking about global warming. It's the first day of December and it's plus-degrees here in Helsinki. My office mate Safar from Iran told me it is currently snowing in Teheran.

My obvious conclusion is that there's no such thing as global warming. There's no scientific concensus, there's at least TWO scientists who don't believe in it either, that means it's just a theory, just like evolution.
Civilian Comics/Satrapi



Did another column, this time about the comics scene in Norway and reviewed Marjane Satrapi's newest "Chicken with plums". Spoiler: It's bloody brilliant!