TRONDHEIM: Friday is the premiere of Trøndelag Teater scenes production of the musical “Hair.” Over 70 performances are set up on the theater’s main stage in Trondheim. One of those calendar fully booked up to 23 June Skjalg Raaen from Bangsund.

- I am looking forward to this season. The production has set design exciting, a great band, good singers, actors and dancers. The public will have an experience they will long remember, he said.

Entrance to the Connection
Raaen is the guitarist in the house band, playing songs from “Hair” – which is one of the truly great musical successes of recent times.

- The musical has a lot of great pop songs. We did a production of “Hair” while I was studying music in high school in Namsos, and has also seen the film several times. So the material I was familiar with from before, he said.

Raaen is best known as the guitarist of Aage Alexander’s Connection, which has spillefri until the summer. Then pass it by with a vårjobb the theater. However, this is not the first time Trøndelag Theatre hires guitarist from Bangsund.

In 2004 he was with the success of “Purple and Gold” – that explores precisely Aagesen songs.

- It was Andreas Aase, Aagesen old guitarist and my former guitar teacher from the university, who received me at the time. When he left the Connection, I was asked to take over. The regret I do not, to put it mildly, smiling Skjalg.

Inspired by the hippie era
“Hair” is a rock musical with action from the hippie scene in New York in the late sixties. When “Hair” premiered in 1967, was forestillinga enormous attention – largely because of controversial topics such as drugs, nudity and ridicule of the American flag.

Although Raaen has always had an image in many ways fit into this era.

- I am known to go in flared trousers and had long hair since the sixth class. I would not say that I live in the hippie era, but there is something about music, style and expression that appeals to me. When the chapel master says we can change about the samples, I’m already in my civilian clothes, he grins.

Raaen also have specially designed a guitar for the job – a Fender Stratocater with carefully selected components and design created by British artist Alan Pirie.

- I have picked out the parts yourself and have been helped to assemble it together. I’m very happy, this is not exactly many of the world, says Skjalg Raaen.

Original article here: http://www.namdalsavisa.no/kultur/article5979918.ece  (in norwegian)

It is done in a “vectorized” style so the logo itself can be vectorized for larger print applications. By request, the colours were specified… and if possible add sound related artwork. I think i came up with quite a nice and original look. In my head, i wanted it to look good, not just as a standard logo, but as print on a t-shirt/banner as well.

For more info on DJ CHIZZY: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-CHIZZY/73399729074

Original size: A4 @ 300 d.p.i.
Stock images used

I decided to put it here as i was very happy with the quality of my digital artwork. This was done entirely from scratch (with referance material of course) on the Wacom Intuos 4 Graphic tablet in Photoshop.

Original size 12.5″ x 12.5″ @300d.p.i (RGB)
Adobe Photoshop CS5

- Actually, I have been Jimi Hendrix fan all my life. Now I finally had a good reason to get  a guitar that fits better than the ones I use elsewhere, says Raaen.

Make love, not war
And the reason is Trøndelag Theatre’s production of the musical Hair. The piece in its own way portrays the hippie culture in the United States in the late sixties and a bit into the 70′s. The revolt against the established order, characterized by rock and will probably add many, substance abuse, sex and freedom.

The musical premiered in 1967 and it was trouble. It went far beyond most limits of what was decent and modest.

The music is compelling and well known to many and the play is set up countless times. Now for the first time in Trøndelag Teater.

Skjalg Raaen has been in this musical track for long. Although he first came into the world in 1980, he is in a way related to any of the musical culture that sprang out of. For rebellion, peace and love and seductive rhythms.

- Finally, we play from this era I fit into, and many more in the orchestra, he said.

The orchestra are those under the musical direction of Asmund surface, to get the 60′s back on stage from 23 March 2012.

And it is a demanding job for everyone involved in the production. According to choreographer Patrick King who himself grew up in New York at this time, the goal is to let the play’s spirit came in under the skin of the actors and audience.

What is good hair without the love and peace at all levels. Raaen discussed the idea of ​​a well-adjusted guitar with others, got a tip about a suitable artist and exchanged ideas.

The artist was given free rein in good Hair tradition and eventually the guitar was ready to paint and smooth operation.

- It is hand painted with a brush and is so fine that I want the artist’s signature on it. Thus signed, Alan Pirie.

In that sense there is only one of this in the whole world ..

- And it was far better than I had dreamed about. It will be played on other ways too, says Raaen and admits that the toy factor is there. But what does that matter. It fits like a glove in time to be played out on the Trøndelag Theatre this spring.

- Finally I get to be hippie, says Raaen satisfied.

Original post here: http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/1.8037414 (in Norwegian)

I thought the splatter effect and traditional Samurai drawing was unusual and gave this a try… and i really like the way it turned out.

The headstock was done in the same style for continuity, as well as the back and the sides matt black also. I left the “ivory” edge around the top edge as i thought it was a natural border

Thanks to Ørjan for giving me a free concept to work with =)

This was fun, first the natural wood body was dyed with a vivid red so the grain could still show, then the design was hand painted.
I initially tried to mask and airbrush but the edges were too clean. The hand-painted look, i thougth, gave it a slightly looser look and more “authentic 70´s”, rather than a screen-printed or transfer look.

Thanks to Skjalg for the chance to work on this fun project, catch him in the HAIR musical or on the road with Åge Aleksandersen!

I also added the transfers on to the headstock which Skjalg also wanted in reverse, you´ll need to ask him on that point!

This was an A4 piece i have done for my own portfolio taken from an iPhone photo. Turned out quite nice i think… plus the added bonus is no grey hair!!!

I agreed on the condition that it wasn´t a standard red, yellow and green poster!

So, i got a stock photo of a lion, plus found a photo of the speaker set up. It was a reasonably quick and straight forward project, but nonetheless it turned out nice. I also like using the 3D effects in Photoshop for logos and text in general.

Original Size: A3

And via my good friend Guillermo Lopez at Restaurant Frida, i was approached by the organizers to provide this years promotional Material. With the usual photographs supplied by the booking agents/bands, i tried to do a modern yet classy feeling design that reflected the music but was still relevant to current design trends.

To make the photographs a feel similar, although very differently photographed, i added a new layer and painted digitally with the WACOM Intuos4 Graphic tablet, the artists. It gives a similar look and ties them together more, as opposed to random photos stuk together. Also i added some modern scrolling and intertwined it with the artist photos to make it a little more eye-catching.

Original size A3 @ 300d.p.i. CMYK

Done on the WACOM Intuos4 tablet in Photoshop, i´m pretty happy with the result. This was done primarily to figure out my own style as oppsed to copying an existing piece of art.