Mutant Yucky Colours

Client: Self-Directed/School Projects

A magazine layout illustrating an article which raged against modern American usage of lurid colours (primarily teal, hot pink, and tan) and their corresponding cultural associations. I think it might have been written in the 80's, when such colours were haute couture.

Full Spread

I found a perfect banged-up wooden frame alongside the street, and dragged it home from Halifax's North End, which elicited a lot of curious stares. The gas mask came from the Army Surplus store, and I'm never getting rid of it, since it's real vintage. The doll I got at the Salvation Army (since the article was so militant, I think I had a license to be so, too), and I dirtied her up my charcoal, then tarted her up with paint. Then I went to the Mainline Needle Exchange, who give free needles to anyone who promises to return them, and filled them with paint.

Left Side Closeup

I coiuldn't quite bring myself to return the needles.

Right Side Closeup

I built the illustration on my kitchen floor, building a back for the frame out of clementine boxes that I painted, sanded, and attacked with a hammer. At one point, my landlady came in and asked what on EARTH I was doing. It was a really oddysey, and when it was finally finished I lugged it outside and photographed it on a cloudy day. I couldn't fit the whole thing into my camera's field of view, so I spent a good hour gluing the two images together in Photoshop.