CLIENT: The Undercover Hippy

http://www.undercoverhippy.com/

(official site)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpvs55G2lD4

(awesome clip of Billy doing his thing)

“Billy Salisbury, a.k.a. The Undercover Hippy, is definitely not your average singer songwriter. His music brings together folk guitar, soulful vocals, infectious reggae rhythms, and the lyrical wordplay of a hip-hop mc. Political without preaching, his songs deliver a positive message that is hard to ignore”

“The Undercover Hippy only started performing professionally in 2007, moving back to the UK from Barcelona to take the UK festival circuit by storm. In those three years he has gone from being a virtual unknown to being one of the most passionately championed acts of the festival scene. After starting out playing solo, Billy now has a four piece band consisting of James Pagella on drums, Alex Crane on bass, Andreas Millns on keys and Jona Ballard on percussion. Together they have performed at some of the UK’s best festivals, including Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Beach Break Live, The Secret Garden Party and Ireland’s Electric Picnic. They have played alongside bands like The Bays, The Dub Pistols, Pama International and The Portico Quartet”

“The overall response to The Undercover Hippy, both live and recorded, has been phenomenal. Recently featured as a potential candidate for next years Ivors Awards in M Magazine, he has received praise from all corners of the globe. Expect big things from this man!”

-Excerpts taken from Billy’s biography at www.undercoverhippy.com

Consider this a broad, and somewhat personal introduction to the project:

Several years ago, I thankfully stumbled across Billy’s music, purely by accident. At the time, I was busy preparing for my AS-Level exams at sixth form, hoping I would pass.

I didn’t.

I scored two U’s (that means absolute fail) and one A. Odd combo, I know. The failures were in technical subjects, physics, maths – an academic preparation for the job of a Royal Air Force officer. My success? Art & design. I had always been a natural creative.

My immediate and obvious option was to retake the first year, like many other students in my position. Go back, work harder, get my three A’s this time and leave for a life in the forces.

Prior to my results, I was very enthusiastic about a career in the RAF – just knowing where I was bound to go upon leaving school. I had even learnt to pilot a plane solo when I turned seventeen.

But Billy stopped me. Not personally, of course. I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me. But by the end of the year (the time to make those big, life-changing decisions about the next step in life), I knew his music back to front, inside out – I knew his values, what he stands for, his morals – quite simply, what he sings for. I shared his tunes with my friends, we played his singles at parties, and the more of his music (in particular, his lyrics) I listened to, the more I began to associate his beliefs with the great times I was having.

The exams I had recently failed were at the back of my mind. I felt bad to admit it to myself, but quite frankly, I just didn’t care. My head was alive with the ideas of a better lifestyle. Fuck slaving away for the rest of my life. Materialistic wealth is NOT worth sweating and crying over. I wasn’t ready (and I never will be ready) to take the “safe path” in life – the desk job, the consistent salary and secure employment. I recognise that money is important to a fine degree. But a fine degree is NOT a six-figure salary in exchange for a high blood pressure. It’s getting by on what is needed to survive.

So that was it, my mind was made up. I used my one AS-Level (Art & design) to get me into college. I fast-tracked the course and narrowed it down to one year. For this single year in further education, I continued to fill my head with Billy’s positive vibes, always wondering where I would have been if I hadn’t found his music. I think in a broader sense, the word is “serendipity” – a happy accident.

A further year later, I headed across the UK to Cardiff to take up a BA (Hons) Illustration course at CSAD (Cardiff School of Art & Design). I guess I don’t need to add anything further to that, if you’re reading this, you’ve visited my blog, you’re familiar with my work!

I recently got in contact with Billy to thank him, and from there, I was offered the chance to do some work for him. By the early months of next year (2010) I plan to design and produce a series of EP covers (why a series? More than one is always a good idea. It gives the client an element of choice, in addition to their input throughout the duration of the project) for the Undercover Hippy to use. Billy has kindly given me permission to blog and record my efforts on this amazing brief.

So watch this space, it will be updated regularly!

19/12/09 – Initial concepts for an EP cover have been scribbled down. When generating ideas, I tend to write a hell of a lot. Plenty of notes go down on paper. Thumbnailing comes a little later, although I have produced one or two visuals.

The general theme that I’m working with is broad – I’ve been given a starting point – an idea – which I’m exploring, developing, and more importantly, creating variations of. Billy described the scene of a crowded street of commuters – businessmen – sharply dressed, briefcase-wielding city slickers. Possibly bankers, with no care in the world other than to make it to the office on time and make a few more million to add to the pile. The idea of Billy being the “Undercover” Hippy slyly fits into this situation. Somewhere among the crowd of sheep is Billy the protagonist, subtly blending in with his surroundings, with perhaps the odd detail or two in difference. Perhaps Billy carries a guitar case rather than a briefcase?

This verbal sketch was enough for me. It provided me with a clear insight into the flavour of the concept, the starting point which every illustrator values.

I’ve been exploring this idea of Billy being undercover among capitalists, and I’ve scribbled down several variations of the same theme. Taking the dimensions and scale of a CD sleeve into account, I’ve also made a start on considering layout, perspective and composition.

I’m particularly keen on a slightly elevated viewpoint looking down on a busy street, crowded with commuters. In the middle of the scene, Billy stands his ground as businessmen try to push past towards their objective (work). with a serious expression on his face, Billy looks up at the camera (the viewer) as if to ask, “do you see what is happening here?”

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3zNa7LwGVg (particularly the last ten seconds of the clip [2:55-3:08])

The short video is an excerpt taken from the fantastic film Garden State. Having watched the film years ago, that particular scene sprung back into my mind whilst scribbling ideas down for this project. The last ten seconds of the clip show Zach Braff caught up in a bustling situation. As he sits and slowly takes in his surroundings, the whole world around him appears to speed up. The focus of the shot is obviously on him and his emotional response.

Street Scene

The London Underground is one of my variations on the street scene. It is a prime example of crowds of commuters – sharply dressed and carrying briefcases – all fixed on one goal: Making it to the desk on time. The London Underground was recently in the news over a not-so-surprising (to the point where I wondered, ‘why is this in the news?’) story on overcrowding on the tube. Endless commuters use the network every day.

Underground Scene

Like the street scene, the underground scene has many potential (technical) variations. Perspective, composition, use of media/colour in general are all options which will be considered. This immediate sketch shows a crowded platform (perhaps with a station in reference to London’s financial district). Neatly pressed trousers, polished shoes and flash briefcases line the scene. Somewhere in the flock of sheep stands Billy, wearing the same, but carrying a guitar/guitar case instead of a briefcase.

There any many possible outcomes for this sleeve – particularly with the option of an unfolding sleeve – panoramic work?

I need to head to London. In the early new year, I’ll spend a day or two in London’s financial district, taking notes, making sketches, and (assuming I don’t get arrested on grounds of terrorism) taking photos.

13/01/10 – Photography of commuters in London has been captured. I plan to capture more in Cardiff and possibly use stock photography as well. From what I’ve gathered, I’ve figured the best approach is to create an unfolding CD sleeve which (when unfolded) shows a panorama of commuters. The front “square” (the actual cover) will show a section of this panorama, including Billy with his guitar case (as opposed to a briefcase). Here’s a rough layout:

19/02/10 – After an extensive but straightforward photoshoot with the Undercover Hippy, the concept of using Billy as himself (but undercover of course) on the album cover is moving forward. In the past week I have started to produce several character drafts of Billy, experimenting with the scale and media – these sketches are currently out of context, but once complete, they will be lifted digitally and placed among the chosen backgrounds. The compositions that work well will be shortlisted and developed. I aim to do this by the end of next week (Fri 26th Feb)

Sample sketch/draft of Billy

06/03/10 – Although progress seems slow, further roughs have been produced. I can now consider the composition as a whole and start to narrow down which photographs will be great to work from. I have also developed the context further, making several studies of Billy’s “fellow commuters”

(bear in mind that the images below are drafts and therefore mostly incomplete)