CD package design for East Van Digital artist Knautic's debut release.
I'd been working with the awesome people at Bron Studios for a while, and the feature animated film Henchmen was in full production. I was surrounded with talented artists who were performing the most incredible digital paintings for concepts, as well as the final production. I took the opportunity to explore that style and application for Knautic. There are some successes, and some areas where I would improve. I think the piece is a great first offering in terms of digital painting, and I learned a ton about techniques.
The theme of the album was based on the character "Maelcum" (from William Gibson's seminal novel "Neuromancer"), who was a Rastifarian spaceship captain, who helped the book's protagonist on his physical, and spiritual journey.
"She's inside," he said. "Molly's inside. In Straylight, it's called. If there's any Babylon, man, that's it. We leave on her, she ain't comin' out, Steppin' Razor or not." Maelcum nodded, the dreadbag bobbing behind him like a captive balloon of crocheted cotton. "She you woman, Case?" "I dunno. Nobody's woman, maybe." He shrugged. And found his anger again, real as a shard of hot rock beneath his ribs. "Fuck this," he said. "Fuck Armitage, fuck Wintermute, and fuck you. I'm stayin' right here." Maelcum's smile spread across his face like light breaking. "Maelcum a rude boy, Case. Garvey Maelcum boat." His gloved hand slapped a panel and the bass-heavy rocksteady of Zion dub came pulsing from the tug's speakers. "Maelcum not runnin', no. I talk wi' Aerol, he certain t' see it in similar light." Case stared. "I don't understand you guys at all," he said. "Don' 'stan' you, mon," the Zionite said, nodding to the beat, "but we mus' move by Jah love, each one." -Maelcum, "Neuromancer"
