JORDAN HENRY / PORTFOLIO [email protected] CONTENTS

BIO p 3 - 4.

ILLUSTRATION

TRADITIONAL p 5 - 18.

DIGITAL p 19 - 24.

PROJECTS

LOVETHYCREPS p 25 - 31.

CIRCUS p 32 - 35.

NIKE X COMPLEX: LONDON ON AIR p 36 - 41. BIO

HELLO, MY NAME IS JORDAN, HOWEVER MY CREATIVE ALIAS IS ‘SUEDE’.

THE MAIN STRING TO MY BOW IS ILLUSTRATION, ALTHOUGH AM ALSO WELL EQUIPPED WITH SKILLS IN GRAPHIC DESIGN, WHICH I STUDIED AT DEGREE LEVEL, AND I HAVE AN EYE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY TOO.

MUCH OF THE ART I MAKE IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED FROM POPULAR CULTURE DATING FROM THE EARLY 90S TO PRESENT DAY. MOST NOTOBLY FROM ANIMATION & MANGA ILLUSTRATION, MUSIC (PARTICULARY GRIME & HIP HOP) AND STREET CULTURE.

I’M VERY FOND OF USING AN EXPRESSIVE APPROACH IN MY MARK MAKING AND LINE WORK, WHICH IN MY OPINON, GIVES A BETTER FEEL OF LIFE AND LIFE AND HELPS TO EMBODY THE NATURE OF MY INTERESTS. I HAVE A PARTICULAR STYLE OF CHARACTERS THAT HAVE MANIFESTED THEMSELVES OVER YEARS IN MY SKETCHBOOKS, CANVASES, AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING A MARK CAN BE LEFT ON. KEEP YOUR EYE’S PEELED FOR THESE MISCHEIVIOUS LITTLE SPRITES, IN THEIR QUEST FOR WORLD DOMINATION! ILLUSTRATION / TRADITIONAL

I LIKE TO EXERCISE MY OBSERVATIONAL DRAWING ABILITY, USUALLY DRAWING FROM AND STREETWEAR DIRECTED PHOTOGRAPHS.

I TEND TO USE MOSTLY BLACK INKS WITH MY ILLUSTRATIONS. I USE PARRALEL CALLIGRAPHY PEN TO REALLY BRING OUT THE HARSH SHARP FEATURES, SUCH AS FOLDS IN CLOTHING. I USE BRUSHPENS IN ORDER TO CREATE MORE TEXTURED LOOKS AND SOMETIMES I COMBINE THE TWO.

I ALSO LIKE TO APPLY WHITE HIGHLIGHTS USING PAINTMARKERS TO ADD EXTRA DEPTH AND CHARACTER TO THE IMAGES.

IN THE OCCASIONS THAT I DO ADD COLOUR TO THE IMAGES, I USE COLOURS A LITTLE SCARCELY WITH A LIMITED PALLETE.

ANTIDOTE CLOTHING.

ANTIDOTE CLOTHING IS A STREETWEAR BRAND BASED IN LIEGE, BELGIUM.

THEY WANTED ME TO PROVIDE THEM WITH AN ILLUSTRATION THAT DREW FOCUS TO THEIR FACE MASK PRODUCT.

THEY WAS HAPPY FOR ME TO DELIVER WITH MY EXPRESSIVE, LOOSELY COLOURED STYLE, PUTTING EMPHASIS ON THE HARSH BLACKS TO SHAPE THE STYLE OF CLOTHING AND THEN USIING WHITE/BLUE HIGHLIGHTS TO REALLY ADD CHARACTER TO THE HAIR AND SKIN.

THE BLUE IN THE JACKET WAS APPLIED BY WATER COLOUR WHICH NATURALLY DEVELOPS ITS OWN TEXTURE, AND MULTIPLE LAYERING ALLOWS TO ADD DEPTH. DJ MISSING LINK.

DJ MISSING LINK CONTACTED ME TO PROVIDE HIM WITH SOME ARTWORK FOR HIS WEBSITE WHICH WOULD REFLECT THE UNDER- GROUND NATURE OF THE MUSIC HE PLAYS, AND THE RAW FLAVOUR OF MY STREET STYLE ILLUSTRATIONS SUITED THE LOOK HE WAS AFTER.

HE REALLY LIKED THE CHARACTERS THAT I USE WITHIN MY OWN WORK AND THROUGH CONSULTATION, WE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF SOME- HOW INTERGRATING THOSE CHARACTERS INTO A TYPE- FACE THAT SPELLS ‘MISSING LINK’ AS A BANNER.

ON THE LEFT IS MY CHARCTERISED TAKE ON DJ MISSING LINK, I MADE SURE HE WAS WEARING HIS SIGNATURE CAP!

I AM A BONA FIDE SNEAKER LOVER, AND I HAVE GREAT ADMIRATION FOR THE DESIGN ASPECTS OF PARTICULARLY WITH RUNNERS (TRAINERS DESIGNED FOR RUNNING).

MY FAVOURITE SILHOUETTE TO WEAR AND DRAW, WOULD HAVE TO BE THE AIR MAX 1 (PICTURED LEFT) DESIGNED BY TINKER HATFIELD.

A TIMELESS SHAPE, WITH FAIRLY LARGE PANELS THAT BUILD THE UPPERS, WHICH HAS PROVIDED SOME OF THE MOST BOLD AND CREATIVE COLOURWAYS TO EMERGE, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.

BUYING SNEAKERS CAN BE AN EXSPENSIVE HABIT, AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OWN EVERY PAIR I WANT. SO I LIKE TO ILLUSTRATE THE PAIRS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO OWN, OR JUST DESIGNS I FIND INTERESTING.

MY OWN LITTLE WAY OF OWNING THE PAIRS I CAN’T QUITE GET MY FOOT IN.

MY HOBBY HAS ALLOWED ME TO SELL SNEAKER ART AT SNEAKER CONVENTIONS.

THE HAPPY HOOD.

THE HAPPY HOOD IS A LOCAL ZINE, WHICH SHEDS LIGHT ON ALL THE POSITIVE THINGS HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AREA.

I WAS ASKED TO MAKE THE COVER FOR ISSUE 3, AND FOR THIS I PROVIDED SOMETHING FROM NORTHAMPTON THAT FIND POSITIVE. NATURALLY, I DECIDED TO DRAW A SHOE (BEING THAT NORTHAMPTON IS RENOWNED FOR IT’S SHOEMAKERS). I CHOSE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ‘BELGRAVE’ TOWN SHOE FROM TRICKERS, WHICH IS ENGLAND’S OLDEST SHOE MAKERS.

I INITIALLY DREW THE OUTLINES OF THE SHOE, AND THEN USING A LIGHTBOX I TRACED AND CREATED AN OUTLINE OF THE SHOW. I SCANNED THEM BOTH IN, PUTTING THE SILHOUETTE OF THE SHOE UNDERNEATH THE LINE WORK, WHICH I MADE WHITE, I THEN POLISHED OFF THE DIGITAL, WITH HIGHLIGHT TO SHOW CREASES AND GIVE THE SHOE SHAPE.

I WANTED A VERY BRIGHT BACKGROUND TO PUT AGAINST THE SHOE TO REALLY MAKE THE IMAGE POP., WHICH I DID USING SPRAY PAINT ON PAPER, AND THEN SCANNED IT IN. I ADDED A LAYER OF SWIRLS WITH ONE OF MY CHARACTERS SUBTLY MIXED AMONGST THEM.

ILLUSTRATION / DIGITAL

WHEN IT COMES TO DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION I LIKE TO REALLY SIMPLIFY THE COLOUR PALLETTE AND USE MAYBE 2 - 4 SHADES OF THE SAME COLOUR TO SEPERATE THE CERTAIN FEATURES OF THE IMAGE.

I SOMETIMES LIKE TO USE NEGATIVE SPACE IN THE IMAGERY WHERE POSSIBLE, WHICH I THINK ADDS A SENSE OF BREATHABILITY TO THE IMAGES AND ADDS A FURTHER LEVEL OF SIMPLIFICATION, A LESS IS MORE APPROACH.

I DO SOMETIMES TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER WITH THE USE OF OUTLINES, WHICH I USE TO MAKE THE IMAGE SLIGHTLY MORE TOON LIKE

DRAGONBALL Z SNEAKER CONEPTS.

IN THIS PERSONAL PROJECT, I WANTED TO CHALLENGE MYSELF WITH COMBINING THE CHARACTER DESIGN OF ARGUABLY THE MOST PROLIFIC CHARACTERS FROM DRAGONBALL Z, WITH SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR SNEAKER SILHOUETTES OF TODAY.

I MADE SOME DECISIONS BASED ON PAIRING THE NAME OF THE CHARACTER TO THE SHOE, FOR EXAMPLE BUU X ULTRABOOST CAN BE ‘ULTRABUUST’. OTHER CHOICES RELIED MORE HEAVILY ON APPLYING THE CHARACTER’S ATTIRE TO THE SHOE, I.E THE HEEL STRAP AND TOE BOX MAKES A GREAT SUBSTITUTE FOR VEGETAS ARMOUR PLATES AND VEST STRAPS.

KID BUU X ADIDAS ULTRABOOST. FRIEZA X PUMA DISC BLAZE.

PICCOLO X NIKE AIR MAX 95. CELL X ASICS GEL LYTE 3. VEGETA X AIR MAX 90 (CURRENT HUARACHE).

SON GOKU X AIR MAX 1

LOVE THY CREPS.

I CHALLENGED MYSELF TO CREATE A VISUAL EXPERIENCE SHOWING THE CONNOTATIONS BETWEEN RELIGIOUS WORSHIP AND CONSUMERISM WITHIN THE MODERN SNEAKER SCENE AND STREET CULTURE. I ACHIEVED THIS IN THE FORMS OF;

• BRANDING, LOGO AND TYPEFACE. • EDITORIAL, IN A PRINTED ZINE FORMAT. • PHOTOGRAPHY, TRIPTYCHS BOTH DIGITAL AND FUNCTIONAL. • VIDEO, A VISUAL ITERATION OF A SNEAKER AND HIS GRAIL. • 3D PROPS, FRAME FOR FUNCTIONAL TRIPTYCH AND WOODEN SHRINE IN VIDEO. CUSTOM DESIGNED ADIDAS FLUX IN VIDEO. HERE ARE A FEW OF THE ] PANELS THAT I HAD USED IN THE ZINE.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ZINE WAS TO ESTABLISH LOVETHY- CREPS AS A PLATFORM AND TO DOCUMENT THE RELEASE OF THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ‘AIR MAX ZERO’.

I WENT TO A FEW SNEAKER RETAILERS IN LONDON TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT OF THE DAY.

WHEN I WAS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS DURING THIS PROJECT, I ALWAYS HAD IN MIND TO PRODUCE FINAL RESULTS IN SETS OF THREE. WHEN THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE DISPLAYED TOGTEHR, THIS IS CALLED A TRIPTYCH.

TRIPTYCHS CAN BE OFTEN FOUND VISUALLY REPRESENTED IN CATHOLICISM, IN THE FORM OF PAINTINGS.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN INTERESTIING IDEA TO CARRY THIS IDEA INTO MY PHOTOGRAPHY.

AN IDEA THAT I CONTINUED TO USE WHEN VISITING SNEAKER CONVENTIONS.

TAKING PICTURES THIS WAY ALSO HUGELY INSPIRED BY A PHOTOGRAPHER I’D RESEARCHED CALLED ADDE ADESOKAN. IN THE FLOW OF TAKING THESE TOWERED TRIPTYCHS, IT WAS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO BEAR IN MIND THAT THE FINAL RESULT WOULD SHAPE A SORT OF SQUASHED VERSION OF A FULL BODY PORTRAIT.

I USUALLY TRIED TO CAPTURE FACE DEAD CENTRAL, WHILE THE MID PORTION I TRIED TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THAT PARTICULAR PERSON. FOR EXAMPLE IN THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT, THE SUBJECT IS DRAWING ATTENTION TO HIS CLOTHING BRAND ‘MY REAL COVER’ OR MRC FOR SHORT.

FINALLY I WOULD SHOOT THE SNEAERS THAT THEY HAD ON, AND WHEN ALL THE PIECES WERE PUT TOGETHER, YOU REALLY GET A SENSE OF THE CHARACTER IN THE IMAGE.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE DIGITAL EDITING OF THE PHOTOS, I ENJOY PUTTING A SLIGHT HUE OF BLACK OF THE IMAGE, WHICH JUST NEAUTRALISES THE COLOUR A BIT, AND I APPLY A SHARP MASK TO REALLY BRING OUT THE GRITTINESS IN THE PHOTOS.

THE VIDEO I MADE FOR THIS PROJECT I TITLED ‘GRAIL’.

THE POINT OF THIS VIDEO WAS TO TAKE THE TERM GRAIL, WHICH IS COMMONLY USED AMONGST THE COMMUNITY FOR A SNEAKERHEADS PRIZED (OR MOST SACRED POSSESSION) AND TO SHOW THE OBVIOUS CONNOTATIONS THE WORD GRAIL HAS WITH RELIGION.

IN THIS VIDEO I TOOK THE CHURCH TO THE STREETS. I HAD USED AN ABANDONED BUS AS THE MAIN SETTING FOR THE SCENE. THE BUS SEATS AND RAILS MIMICS THE PEWS AND PILLARS. THE SURROUNDING AREA IS DIGBETH IN BIRMINGHAM, WHICH IS KNOWN FOR EMBRACING THE CREATIVE FORMS OF GRAFFITI, AND FOR HOSTING SNEAKER AND STREET FOOD FESTIVALS.

I HAD MY FRIEND IN THE VIDEO DRESS UP AS A SORT OF MONK, THAT WOULD SAY A PRAYER AND MOVE DOWN THE AISLE TOWARDS THE SHRINE, THAT I HAD HAND BUILT, WITH THE GRAIL PERCHED ON IT.

THE LIGHTING IS VERY LOW AND THE SMALL AMOUNT OF LIGHTING PROVIDED BY THE CANDLES REALLY DRAW ATTENTION TO THE SHRINE AND THE SHOE INSIDE OF IT.

THE FULL VIDEO CAN BE SEEN BY CLICKING ANY OF THE SCREENSHOTS ON THE LEFT. CIRCUS. / INDEPENDENT DESIGNER STORE

INDEPENDENT DESIGNER AND STREETWEAR SHOP CIRCUS, COMMISSIONED ME TO CREATE 4 ART BOARDS TO BE DISPLAYED IN THEIR SHOP WINDOWS.

THEY WANTED PIECES THAT REFLECT THE AUTUMN SEASON IN TERMS OF WEATHER AND FASHION. THIS LED TO ME USING A SEQUOIA - SAFARI BROWN GRADIENT FOR THE BACKGROUND COLOUR, WITH EXPRESSIVE STYLE TREES AND SUBJECTS IN STREET- WEAR PARTIALLY HIDDEN BETWEEN THE TREES.

MADE WITH MTN 94, POSCA AND EDDING PAINT MARKERS, ON 4 MDF BOARDS (1.2M X 2.4M).

NIKE X COMPLEX UK: LONDON ON AIR

WORKING WITHIN A TEAM OF 10 YOUNG CREATIVES UNDER COMPLEXUK, IN ORDER TO CREATE A ZINE TO COMMEMORATE 30 YEARS OF AIR MAX TECHNOLOGY FOR NIKE.

ONLY 1500 COPIES OF THE ZINE WERE MADE, AND THEY WERE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS LONDON NIKE STORES ON AIR MAX DAY (3.26).

MY MAIN ROLE IN THE PROJECT WAS ILLUSTRATION, ALTHOUGH I HELPED WITH PHOTO MANIPULATION AND BACKGROUND CREATION.

IN TERMS OF ILLUSTRATION, I DECIDED AS A STARTING POINT, TO DRAW THE AIR MAX 1, WHICH IS THE SHOE THAT KICKED OFF THE HYPE FOR AIR MAX TECHNOLOGY.

I THEN PROCEEDED TO SKETCH OUT THE NEW VAPORMAX SILHOUETTE, FROM DIFFERENT PERSCPECTIVES. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THIS NEW SHOE WAS IT’S COMPLETELY CLEAR SOLE, WHICH IS THE FIRST EVER IN FOOTWEAR. ‘WALKING ON AIR’ SO TO SPEAK. I THEN CAME UP WITH A CANDID WAY TO INTERPRET A NEED FOR THIS NEW AIR MAX TECHNOLOGY BY APPLYING THE SNEAKER TO AN ASTRONAUT, BEING THAT IN SPACE THEY NEED AIR.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT AIR MAX, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE ASTRONAUTS SPACE SUIT, YOU WILL SEE IT IS MADE UP OF ICONIC PARTS OF SOME OF THE VAPORMAX’S PREDECESSORS. IN THE FOLLOWING 2 SPREADS MY SKETCHES ARE USED AS PART OF THE BACKGROUNDS.

IN THIS SPREAD, I WAS GIVEN THE PHOTOGRAPH TO EDIT, WHICH I DID BY DARKENING THE HUES, AND ADDING A SHARP MASK OVER THE IMAGE TO REALLY BRING ATTENION TO THE WEAVES AND THREADS IN THE FLYNIT MATERIAL.

USING ILLUSTRATOR I THEN DECIDED TO ADD SOME AIR STREAMS USING WHITE STROKES TO CREATE A SENSE OF MOVEMENT. IN THE FOLLOWING 3 SPREADS, TO CREATE THE BACKGROUNDS, I’D HELPED WITH PRINTING OUT PHOTOCOPIES OF THE VAPORMAX, THEN DESTROYING AND PUTTING BACK TOGETHER THE COPIES.

WE USED THIS ‘DESTROY TO CREATE’ APPROACH TO BRING A SENSE OF YOUTHFUL, REBELLIOUS ENERGY, WHILE GIVING SUBLTE HINTS ON THE DETAILS OF THE NEW SHOE. WE TORE, SCRATCHED, TAPED AND DREW TO ACHEIVE THIS. WELL WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?

I HOPE YOU HAD FUN STICKING YOUR NOSE THROUGH MY PORTFOLIO.

AND I SUPPOSE I’LL BE HEARING FROM YA REAL SOON!

ALRIGHT, OUTTA THE WAY, I GOT ART TO MAKE !!!