Taped From MTV

Photo: @theholymountain

The concept for Taped From MTV happened after I discovered Chromeo via PopTron, and discovered their retro 80's videos were very similar to what I was doing with comics but musically. 

David Macklovitch in Take On Me!

Storyboarding for Taped From MTV

The Funk Lord and The Funk Lady

I later discovered that Chromeo started as a joke, so snap! And I actively resisted doing this for ages, but the idea wouldn't go away! 
I didn't want to do it unless it was commissioned, so I doodled some rough sketches in the hope that that might be the end of it!

The comic is basically what would happen if Chromeo were trapped in the Take On Me comic book world. Whilst The Unreal God is more existential, I made this version follow the original capers, only with some obvious changes.

Anyway, then Dave said he wanted a copy... 

So that meant I had to get a copy finished and printed. And as I had forgotten completely to apply for this years' Thought Bubble, I had a limited edition print run made for Lincoln Zine Fest, October 2018.

Taped From MTV finished comic

My good friend Andy bought a copy 

As Chromeo announced tickets for their UK leg of the Head Over Heels tour, I lucked out on winning VIP tickets, and I could've just bought some standard ones, but decided to invest in a VIP ticket as an early birthday treat, because I didn't want to leave it to chance meeting Dave (and Pee) to give them the comic knowing that he wanted one!

The gig was quite aptly at The Printworks, London, and so I met Chromeo, and they were obviously very pleased to get their hands on the comics - Dave immediately spotted some details whilst leafing through it, and was kind enough to share his own video on Chromeo's Instagram feed later that night after what was a very awesome gig!
Below are some pics of Chromeo performing Head Over Heels at The Printworks, London.

Taped From MTV is available to purchase here

Chromeo live at The Printworks, London

Take On Me!! 

Up Close

 

Bedroom Calling

Funk Forever!

The Take On Me cafe!

A-ha performed the first of the last leg of the Cast In Steel tour in their home city of Oslo on Saturday 30th April 2016.

On the way to Oslo from Lincoln, a trip to London involved parking not too far from the very cafe from the Take On Me video, so it was a nice idea to go and serendipitously visit with The Unreal God And Aspects Of His Non-Existent Universe for the lols!

The A-ha Take On Me cafe in Wandsworth Road, London

If you want to visit, search for Savoy Cafe, London, on Google maps
390 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, London. SW8 4TN for the satnav!

The Unreal God And Aspects Of His Non-Existent Universe

Here's The Unreal God And Aspects Of His Non-Existent Universe - always take a comic with you, preferably one you've bought from an indie comics creator ;-)

The original net curtains aren't there, but you can sit and watch the world go by outside!

No hand appeared from out of the comic, it was either still in Luxembourg, or flying home to Oslo!! Fortunately Harry Hill didn't steal my sausages either!
The cafe menu is still very 80s.... It hasn't been gentrified...

It ideally should have a pile of The Unreal God And Aspects Of His Non-Existent Universe available for customers to buy / read while enjoying their lunch.

The artist at the A-ha cafe!

Later......

For more comics and Oslo adventures, see this blog!

Signed comic

Copy of the comic signed by the lovely Karl Oluf Wennerberg (A-ha / Morten's drummer)

Lately I've been thinking of taking the comic to the A-ha cafe in London, to find out if the hand appears...

November 2010, Sheffield, England.
Morten runs to come and meet me!! he he!

He is bestowed with a copy of the comic as an A-ha Retirement present :-)

There is a frozen pen incident!

Illustration fodder!! ;-)

Exhibition/publication/sale

http://drawgasmic.com/artistpage.php?a=2018

An existential illustration has been submitted for exhibition in St. Louis, also available to purchase as a print, this will even be published!!
And the exhibition is just before my birthday, so I'm hoping someone likes my work enough to buy it!!

The Unreal God And Aspects Of His Non-existent Universe - the comic

The Unreal God And Aspects Of his Non-Existent Universe was a fine art illustration installation for the University of Lincoln Fine Art Degree Show This Is It 2008.
This comic re-appropriates imagery from the original Take On Me video, exhibited within recreated space from the video, drawing visitors into an A-ha fan's world and the world of A-ha's iconic 1986 Take On Me comic book world.

http://www.a-n.co.uk/arts_organisers/knowledge_bank/article/435959/362344

All images copyright Helen Dearnley 2010.
No images are permitted to be downloaded, copied or reproduced from this site without express permission of the artist.

In June 2011 I was given the opportunity to exhibit work at Alley Cafe in Nottingham. For this exhibition, I printed updated copies of the comic following more recent encounters with A-ha and experiences during their final tour in 2010.
The exhibition at Alley Cafe was entitled "How To Make A Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later (Flow My Tears, A-ha)" and ran from 2nd June to 4th July 2011.
The cafe location was site specific to the work, following on from the girl reading the comic in a cafe in the original video.

Limited edition copies of this comic are available to buy @ £3 each plus p&p - contact me if you're interested!!