I was born in Wales, in the UK. I trained as an animator, and I now do illustration, production design and storyboards.
I enjoy any arty projects. I always have a few projects going. I'm writing a science fiction novel over at my livejournal - http://klaraboo.livejournal.com/.
I love character design (currently working as a character designer for a film project). I love fashion, hair and other things, and I'm told that often comes across in my artwork. I also love architecture and interior design. Good interior design and buildings makes me want to draw them, but it's not my strong suit. Instead, I collect images and just enjoy them.
I love horses, and used to own some. I also love sociallising with friends and dancing in gay bars.
I have yearly obsessions with different TV shows. My favourites being Doctor Who, Due South, Life on Mars and Torchwood.
I love reading non fiction, sketching in my favourite cafe with friends, musing story and plot ideas, writing, dancing, singing (badly), I love anything gay- queer theory, gender studies, the whole culture and people.
I aspire one day to be an omnisexual superhero like Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood.
This week’s illustration is inspired by the Irish community out here in LA. I spent some of this weekend with a wonderful stag party of guys originally from Dublin. I used to live in Dublin myself, so it was great. Dublin and my home city are pretty similar- they’re both party cities, stag do’s every night of the week.
Northern English people are quite like the Irish in a lot of ways. We have a reputation for being quite chilled out and are often, haha, heavy drinkers. The guys heard my northern accent and were “You’re a geordie!” Many of them have been to my home city, as it’s so cheap to fly between.
I’ve been missing Dublin this weekend, so being around so many Dublin accents was a godsend and made for a very happy Klara. So in honour of the sheer amount of Dubliners I’ve been around this weekend- here’s a portrait of one of the most famous Dubliners here in LA, Colin Farrell.
Tags: LA Backdrop · Local LA · art
LA is a diverse city, and here lies the headquarters of a very memorable company; Suicidegirls. The Suicidegirls are a group of alternative pin-up girls who model on the website; www.suicidegirls.com. The site has expanded by leaps and bounds over the past few years. You’ll often catch glimpses of the girls at tattoo conventions, and some girls have starred in a Marilyn Manson music video and in TV shows.
The ethos of the website is a group of unconventionally gorgeous pin-up girls devoted to changing people’s ideas of what makes a woman beautiful. Women are all sizes, from worryingly thin to plus-size, and everything in-between. Most of the women are emo, goth, skaters, indie kids… The site is an appealing visual fest of alternative lifestyles.
The system the girls have to go through to model as full Suicidegirls - to ‘go pink’ as they call it, is very difficult. The majority of girls are responsible for finding their own photographers and setting up the shoots themselves. The ’sets’ as they’re called, are little pieces of art in themselves. The girls often explore elaborate fashion and make up set into a theme or a storyline. There are several thousands sets and models on the site, and you can waste a whole day on there. The site is very inspiring for photographers, artists and the fashion-savvy.
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Tags: Editorials · Lifestyle
Ever get stuck in the middle of the street for ages while some random sequel gets filmed? Me too.
Tags: Image Gallery · Local LA
As a character designer I have to draw all types of people and creatures, but all of us have a particular type of person we like to draw off the clock. Mine is curvy women. This week I’ve been drawing more than my usual amount of them.
There’s been so much debate over the size zero issue, but apart from the odd overboard celebrity, I’ve rarely seen women that size walking around here. What’s nice about LA is the variety of women here. The publicized women do tend to be of intimidatingly slim proportions, but we also have many Latino women who always have wonderful curves. I’ve heard such mixed reactions; some women say it’s hard to be curvy here due to Hollywood’s influence, but others embrace the fact that LA is such a diverse city.
I’ve been particularly influenced this week by Beth Ditto from punk band ‘The Gossip’, who is a plus sized girl, who often strips down to her underwear during shows. I liked her because she’s fierce - she doesn’t buy into the stereotype of ‘big girl = big jolly personality’. Ditto is sexy and unapologetic, she even appeared on the front of music magazine NME naked.
I think you just have to be happy with yourself. Size zero and obesity are obviously two sides of the scale, but as long as you’re healthy and comfortable with yourself, what does it matter.
Tags: Arts and Lit · Health · Image Gallery · Visual Arts
For all Brits, and lovers of Brits and our culture, there’s a facebook community, ‘Brits in LA LA’. Membership is 256 people strong and growing. As cliche as it is for ex-pats to stick together, this group is incredibly fun. Last month saw the screening of the ‘Toscars’. Members were asked to film a parody of an Oscar’s film, and the films were screened and the winner was voted for.
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Tags: Local Happenings
If you go down to the beach on the weekend, you may get to see several ‘mods’ and their scooters that meet for their regular scooter rallys. It’s a sight to be seen- vintage, souped-up and modern scooters, often with various flags flying from their masts. The rides run through Marina, Venice canals and Santa Monica, weather permitting.
If you don’t have your own wheels, see if you can hitch a ride as a ’scoooter betty’. The next big ride is BEACH INVASION III, on July 18-20th, 2008.
For more information, you can join the facebook group Westside Scooter Club or email info@westsidescootclub.com.
Tags: Upcoming events · art
There seems to be a trend for a new breed of womanizer - with fashion sense somewhat reminiscent of the 70’s pimp. The worst thing about this is that these men are paying so-called ‘professionals’, who claim to have found the secret to womanizing.
I’ve met real pimps before in Amsterdam. These men were charming and polite (also well dressed) -me and my friend assured these men that our University degrees were going well at present, and yes, we’d call them if we ever fancied a career change. These men roaming in LA however, aren’t as charming and somewhat badly dressed.
I’d like to say that ‘give me your tongue’, is not a good chat-up line, unless you want your chosen lady to collapse in a fit of laughter. Please, men out there, have self confidence, be yourself and spend the money on a nice tasteful shirt instead.
Illustration by Klara
Tags: Image Gallery · LA Backdrop
I used to live in the San Fernando valley, and as I’ve said previously, I walk everywhere. For some reason, seeing a girl walking around offended my Mexican neighbors. I was forever being offered lifts by complete strangers, but because of personal safety, I could never accept them. This week’s drawing is an ode to the men who tirelessly offered me lifts week in, week out, regardlessly!
Tags: Arts and Lit · Image Gallery · Visual Arts
Inspired this week by the people I keep meeting downtown near the fashion district with great alternative fashion sense. I’m really interested in alternative clothes and people with their own styles. Tokyo is the one place to see such people, but LA has it’s fair share too!
Illustration and Photography by Klara Piechocki
Tags: Arts and Lit · Fashion · Image Gallery · LA Backdrop · Living · News · Visual Arts
Why go through the cliched restaurant and ring method of proposing to your significant other? Hollywood is Calling is a website where you can pay for often obscure actors to call up and propose on your behalf. Worryingly, this is their recent marketing ploy, celebrity marriage proposals. Picture it, your loved one is sat at home, and there’s a phone call. She answers it to her favorite actor, who pops the question on her partner’s behalf in a breathless 30 second call before it terminates. Surprise?
The surprised woman then calls her boyfriend:
“Guess who called me? I can’t believe I just spoke to him! He was so sweet on the phone…what? Oh, sorry, yes…. anyway, I love his films…”
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Tags: Celebrity News · Editorials
Illustration by Klara Piechocki
Tags: Arts and Lit · Image Gallery · LA Backdrop · News
Torchwood is the British show about alien hunters in the middle of Wales that is enjoying success in the USA recently. BBCAmerica is now showing the second season here in the US, the first episode aired on January 26th, just 10 days after being shown in the UK. The show has become the highest rated show of all time on BBCAmerica. It’s been dubbed as “brilliantly conceived” by the Hollywood Reporter.
Torchwood is a spin- off of the cult show “Doctor Who“, and was created following the popularity of the character Captain Jack, not to be confused with the pirate of a similar name. Captain Jack Harkness is openly bisexual, and famously gave “Doctor Who’s” ninth incarnation his first gay kiss. The dashing Harkness is played by American actor John Barrowman, who is openly gay himself.
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Tags: Entertainment · TV
