Saturday 20 February 2010

Smug

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

particularly like the hulk one framed in its environment!

Anonymous said...

The hulk walls intense! Looks good in that spot!
Would be good to see the rest of the boba fett wall.

Boab Chief said...

Content wise this sort of stuff is boring , yep it's the Hulk and Boba Fett and yes technically it's well painted (sort of ) just not that interesting beyond that.

I imagine to some this is the ultimate form of spraycan graffito for me NO. it's so obvious it may as well have been replaced by the words "i was going to paint a big picture of Boba Fett the bounty hunter from that film star wars on this wall but i thought actually who want's to see another supposed classic 80's toy action figure painted on a wall i thought nada nae way and anyway that Return of the jedi it's shite anyway basically everyone knows Boba was the best thing in the film , cloud city how gay was that place like a New York City discoteque POOFY AS like the Ewoks PURE Gayness ....etc etc"

I can't be bothered clicking on the images for the bigger pics just to see how well rendered the fades are the thumnails are mind numbingly boring enough, also has anyone noticed that if you look closely most of this Smug work has that certain out of proportion look to it No? Well look again it's does .
And why is that well it's because it's taken from a photo and copying from photos isn't good art nevermind good Graffito's the best graffitiest conjour the images from there imagination something this sort of work has very little of. I mean if this bloke painted this with brush and acrylic would the average Joe Shmo Graffer care ? I doubt it and i'm not taking anything away from the artist who do work in the street with brushes and paints creating original works . Good Graffiti is not defined by someone's ability to paint photo like images with aerosol , yeah your thinking we get your point but i know some people wet there pants thinking how amazing it is that someone could copy another persons artwork on a wall with sparaypaaaaint WHOOPY! OMG! FMSW! .

Smug about what? "i'm the bestest at painting other folks art from popular culture because i can't think of anything of my own maybe i'll paint a page 3 model have everyone get there wanking spanners out and tug a big three color fade jizz over it thats quite smug isn't .

And why is that well it's because it's taken from a photo and copying from photos isn't good art nevermind good Graffito's the best graffitiest conjour the images from there imagination something this sort of work has very little of. I mean if this bloke painted this with brush and acrylic would the average Joe Shmo Graffer care ? I doubt it and i'm not taking anything away from the artists who do work in the street with brushes and paints creating original works it's just i don't see the Grafffiti in this Help me out please . Good Graffiti is not defined by someone's ability to paint photo like images with aerosol , yeah your thinking we get your point but i know some people wet there pants thinking how amazing it is that someone could copy another persons artwork on a wall with sparaypaaaaint WHOOPY! OMG! FMSW! .

I hope this gets posted as i really felt the need to comment !

Anonymous said...

Boab Cheif, what a load of shite.

First you say you can't be arsed clicking to enlarge the images, then you say;
"if you look closely... Smug work has that certain out of proportion look to it"
You sitting there with a magnifying glass? 'Cause I can't understand how you're managing to look closey without enlarging the image...

Secondly, you critise him for copying photos, but it's not as if that's all he does. Take that Hulk painting; you'll notice that he place in which it is painted (a burnt out derelict building) is perfectly in-keeping with the background he gives his production, giving the impression that his painting is interacting with the real world. This is a very clever and well-executed piece of visual playfulness.

Also, he paints peices as well as anyone else in the country. Obviously style is subjective, but Smug clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to constructing letter forms.

Most graffiti writers don't even attempt to paint as technically as Smug, infact, the only other writer currently doing so in this country is Rogue. And while Rogue is very talented, Smug is superiour.

If Smug just stuck to pieces, he wouldn't have to listen to 'haters' like yourself trying to knock him down for having the audacity to raise his game above traditional graffiti.

What's he got to be Smug about? Only the fact that he'd burn practically every other writer in Scotland, and the numerous walls he's produced that surpass anything ever painted in this country.

Boab Chief said...

^Above^

Copying other artists images with super spraycan efficiency is hardly raising the game and as for being one of the best out there in the country your parochial mind state has hindered your ability to view Graffiti in a global sense and wouldn't realise there's spraycan artists such as Smug all over the globe there ten a penny all as boring as another.

It's hardly ground breaking people have been taking Graffito in this direction since the 80's Boba and the Hulk are very very played out as spraycanist imagery . In a nutshell there's nothing underground in painting them . Smug is a commercial artist and these walls are just something for the portfolio they neither entertain nor do anything to evolve Graffiti they simply reduce it to people who can copy things with spraycans really really good ie:can you paint my son's bedroom wall he likes the hulk , we've got a poxy idea which we could use your skills to entertain idiots with you paint some images from films like well known actors live in our bar (don't go telling Smug these ideas !) . Crowd reaction "ooh look at the wee man with the spraycans painting all photoey it's sooo realistic like the image he's copying it from the one on the front of the comic" the sort of thing the public find amazing and are dumbfounded by authentic stylish graffiti lettering .

I can imagine he's run through a list of lowest common denominator pop culture images Lara croft , bob marley , wee alien smoking a spliff , godzilla , 2 Pac the stuff wee guys think up when there stoned "aw man a mad hulk oan ma waw man mad man "

His letters ? Again to much emphasis on technique 10/10
Style = 0

Anonymous said...

"Secondly, you critise him for copying photos, but it's not as if that's all he does. Take that Hulk painting;"

exactly take the Hulk painting erm??? It's copied a blatant rip off.

Your point sir do you have one?

A

Anonymous said...

Haha, this is some of the funniest shit I've ever read. Little toys getting pissed because Smugs doing productions on walls instead of throwups on trains.
You know he's on the right track though when he's got you so involved with his paintings that you feel you need to rant on like that! And you've cut and pasted bits twice! Like you've pre-typed it! Haha!

Unknown said...

wouldnt mind seeing the full boba fett wall as a joiner.

speaking about style, i would rather see a solid new york style from an artist such as can2 or bates than most styles around these days.
i have stopped buying graphotism as my taste isnt for the new school off balance style that looks like muhammed ali painted it. Its all gone too abstract for me.

call me a style snob, but i like what i like. Not a fan of Smugs letters, but he has can control thats for sure.

Anonymous said...

oh my boab..oh my..

Anonymous said...

I have a lot of respect for Smug and the speed in which he seems to rattle out the pieces.His control with a can is ridiculously good, however, is he taking 'graffiti art' anywhere it hasn't been already.

With this amount of skill I think he should forget about the popular film characters and just sketch out something entirely from his head.Trying to say this guy isn't talented is in bitter taste.

So, I would like to see Smug looking beyond these productions and tapping into some influence from say Japan or South America.I wish the guy all the best because with the right criticism he could make a real impact on an international level.

Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

Smug doing the anti style thing on the hulk piece....

Anonymous said...

Anti style? Nah son, you need to do some homework...

YOs said...

Impressive, but not my cup of tea get me?

Anonymous said...

"Anti style? Nah son, you need to do some homework..."

Lighten up that was sarcasm anyway theres no such thing as anti style.

I ain't nobodys son girlfriend!

Anonymous said...

Smugs stuff isn't graffiti, its some sort of mutant creature form of graffiti obviously that some people accept and some people don't, i personally prefer giraffes