Graffiti Power Vol. I & Vol. II

For the past few years illustration has offered me another way to write – visually!

I have to confess both ways have their allure and offer one’s mind a challenging merriment once a piece is finished. The process is never 100 percent fun.

Words interconnect to form a sentence, a paragraph and a story the same way a drawn line becomes part of another line, before they formulate a manifestation of an image floating in one’s head.

The following are two posters, Graffiti Power Vol. I & Vol. II. They are a reflection of my affection for graffiti art. I am not a graffiti artist but I have been doing some wall illustrations using spray paint with my friend and mentor Wize One Wesam Shadid.

The themes in both posters are rather simple and the message clear: Graffiti, which is now being hailed as an art form – it always was but not in the eyes of those who own the wall – gives power to those who use it.

It grants those who are holding a spray can wings and allows them to push through thorns.

I hope you like them :-})

The above is Vol. I. and  here is Vol. II.

Good day all …

Thank you for following my blog :-})

 

My Sardine Society6 Store

 

So I finally got around to launching my Society6 store a few days ago. Hurray!

Recently I launched my 12th t-shirt with Mlabbas, the Tah Smiley tee, that you can see on the lower right of the above snapshot from Society6, so I realized it was time to go online; and hopefully beyond Amman, Jordan.

No, I am not swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck ;-})

With each new line I draw I learn more about myself as an illustrator. The illustrations that I’ve uploaded are the pieces that I think are good in terms of themes and execution.

Society6 allows anyone to purchase my posters/prints/tshirts with the push of a botton – okay, now I am bordering on shameless self-promotion, which is in a way the objective of this blog.

I will soon get back to fighting crime; I promise ;-})

Until then … to visit my Society6 store just click on this blue … I mean red … magical link: http://www.society6.com/SardineArt

Good day all …

Sardine a.k.a Mike V. Derderian a.k.a A Brick in The Head 

2014

 

Post Battle Graffbot

 

Post Battle Graffbot by Sardine

Hey all!

Hope you are well: Sane, safe and sound in this crazy world.

A while ago I reworked an old sketch into a poster that was deemed a little too foreign for Amman’s local art scene. Here it is.

It is inspired by my foray into graffiti thanks to my friend and mentor Wize One Wesam Shadid, as a couple of months ago I was sent to the UK part of a seven day art exchange program with Wesam.

You can read chapter one of our adventure on this blog that I’ve created for the British Council, Amman, who have sent us there.

http://sprayrocketape.wordpress.com/

Since I have returned I’ve been drawing more, and doing some street art with Wesam around Amman.

Now back to the above poster! Bottom line: You don’t always get the job but that does not mean I am going to stop trying!  I really enjoyed producing this poster :-})

I love how it only sets the mood without any direct statements.

One’s thoughts are focused into what happened to her and what she is planning to do next.

Lately I’ve been illustrating a lot.

My career as a journalist is on a self-imposed hiatus along with some other factors, however, the writer within continues to write, whether on my Thoughts from Within a Sardine Can Facebook page or here on my blog.

The above poster will soon be available for purchase on my Society 6 store:

http://society6.com/mikevderderian

As for my other illustrations you can find those on my www.facebook.com/SardineArt page

Good day all and thank you for taking the time to read my words and see my work :-})

Mike V. Derderian,

4, 9, 2014

Opeth’s The Devil’s Orchard Poster by Sardine

If I have never stopped playing guitar in 2003 I would have most probably ended up adopting the style of music that inspired this evening’s poster.

Opeth’s The Devil’s Orchard has a classical timeless feel to it, especially when it comes to the guitar play. This is a song that you will continue to listen to for years to come.

The guitar echoes of despair, a human emotion that a lot of us experience every now and then; some more than others.

It reminded me of Chris Rea’s Nothing to Fear!

 

This is one reason why we often find solace in the despair of others – it makes us realize and without a doubt that we are all the same in the end.

This poster is a reflection of the official video. It comes part of my Cinerama, minimal series that I started producing a couple of years ago. Here is the link to the entire collection on Behance, Vol. I http://bit.ly/1ojcafX

By the way if you find my work interesting you can examine my artwork and updates on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SardineArt

 

From within the darkest corners of despair man found his gods and demons.

Hope you find yours!

I am finding mine with every line I write; and every line I draw.

If you know anyone who wants something different pass on my e-mail to them: mikevderderian@yahoo.com ;-})

This journalist, writer and illustrator is done fulfilling the dreams of ass wipes. Alas, this year I wasted two months on one major ass wipe. Never again! It is time for me to Catch The Rainbow as the song goes; my own rainbow.

A good day to all those who are following my lines, written and drawn. Thank you for your “Likes” and “Comments!” It means a lot to me.

Sardine, a.k.a. Mike V. Derderian, 2014

P.S: I am usually hush hush when it comes to business dealings and work experiences, especially bad ones, but this ass wipe deserved an honorable mention ;-})

Rock Arabica Vol. I by Sardine Studio

“It never rains but it pours!”

So they say …

But I know … better!

Life in the past few months threw some rather interesting challenges in my face.

I am not going to talk about these challenges as this is not a rant blog. However, I am going to talk about my latest project Rock Arabical, part of my work as an illustrator.

My background in radio, love of music and my work as a Disc Jockey, I’ve been working at Radio Jordan 96.3 FM since 2003, were the main reasons that I started this design series.

I am not a type designer but I am a t-shirt designer. I now have over 20 t-shirt designs and merchandise with Mlabbas, a t-shirt company based in Amman, Jordan.

Rock Arabica is a typography and logo design series through which I turned renowned rock band logos into Arabic ones.

The best part about producing these rock band logos was the challenge I faced in maintaining the spirit of the original design by using the geometry and angles of the original logos. 

My project on Behance:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/Rock-Arabica-Vol-I-by-Sardine/14251713

The designs that you are about to see were all created using Adobe Illustrator CS5 (the construct of the type) and finished with Adobe Photoshop CS5 (the distress layer).

Remember: Never go full distress on a design as it is an overkill!

Hope you love them enough to buy the t-shirt ;-})

Mike V. Derderian,
Writer, Illustrator & Designer,
Sardine