BLOG SPOT #26: Joshua Budich

Welcome once more to Blog Spot, my monthly plug for other reviewers and website who produce quality work. Apologies that this month's instalment is late, but I had a job interview yesterday and had to focus all my energies on preparing for that.

 

This month I'm looking at another print artist, following on from my blog on Olly Moss last October. I can't recall exactly how or when I encounter Joshua Budich's work, but I've always been a fan of artists (whether amateur or professional) who can present culturally iconic material in a new light. Where Moss uses geometric shapes and Escher-style symmetry to create an image which epitomises the film, Budich takes the most recognisable character elements and gives them a fresh visual twist.

Budich's work has more of a comic book sensibility than Moss, but his designs are just as intricate and detailed. His poster work owes a certain amount to Drew Struzan, the recently-retired artist whose poster credits include Blade Runner, Back to the Future and the Indiana Jones series. The composition of characters is similar, but with a more cartoony and striking colour palette than Struzan's airbrush work. Many of his character designs look like they have been achieved through rotoscoping, and his drawings from The Big Lebowski look uncannily like art from the Grand Theft Auto series.

In addition to his film work, Budich has done many portraits of famous musicians, with his renderings of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan being especially good. Whichever aspect of his work you choose to explore, you're pretty much guaranteed to find something appealingly eye-catching with obvious levels of visual craft. My personal favourites are his takes on The Rocky Horror Picture Show (top) and Psycho (below), but his Quentin Tarantino and Star Wars series of prints are just as good.

You can view all of Budich's current work here. Many of the prints can still be purchased online via the same site, though many of his earliest efforts are now sold out. Join me next month for another edition of Blog Spot!

Daniel