My minions rock...

I have to admit that I really do love my minions. I get sent all kinds of stuff, mostly photos or emails letting me know that the Army is in good hands and our cause is spreading.

Recently additions to the minion regiment are BofstaOne and HoflerOne, yes they are code names to protect their diabolical innocence. We've been having a bit of a time together as I infiltrated their suburb, house and even their school... I kid you not. I think that teachers reading the HiiRagi manifesto as part of their curriculum should be enforced. It sounds kind of creepy because it is, however all's well, that ends well and two of our Occupational Forces have been enlisted in a rad household where our cause reign supreme. Here is the photographic evidence:

Battling the fearsome beast a.k.a Wasabi the miniature dachshund.

The beast (a.k.a Wasabi) subdued.

Ah, it makes me happy...

New tee designs in store now.

We have two new HiiRagi Tee designs in store now. First up, the tee version of the 'Sunday Outing' Art Print...

Imagine this. You’re staggering through the desert, you’ve used up the last of the water, eaten enough scorpions for protein to last a lifetime and contemplated drinking your own urine. You can barely take another step when you see it. It’s not a mirage, it’s not a cardboard cut-out, it’s a group of rescuers looking for you. They gather around exclaiming how you should not be alive but you know. You’re alive because you are a HiiRagi minion and you know your stuff. Now, what are you wearing? Your HiiRagi ‘Sunday Outing’ Tee because HiiRagi tees survive the distance with you, especially when they’re in a tank.

Available in both Mens and Womens. We have completely sold out of the Men's Small but they should be back in stock in two weeks.

And secondly.... Recon Unit: Parachute:

Do you remember those army man parachute lollies? I’m not quite sure what the army had to do with the lolly to be perfectly honest but I loved dropping my army man from great heights whilst filling my belly with enough sugar to fuel a small country. It rarely worked properly, and his descent was much too fast for him to survive but it amused me none the less (which may have been an indicator to my current profession…)

However, you need never worry about plummeting to your death with the Recon Unit: Parachute tee. Made of sturdy 100% cotton, which has been double stitched for reinforcement, it will survive even the most arduous of plunges. Just make sure you do the safety check before launching yourself out the plane, no one need take unnecessary chances… And should you be caught behind enemy lines (it happens), we will totally infiltrate their camp and rescue you. HiiRagi leaves no one behind, especially you.

Throwing myself off the deep end... Melbourne Comic Con 2014

I've become the thing I despise lately. THe one who talks about stuff but doesn't seem to want to or be able to do anything about it. Well, stuff that for a joke. THis comic book thing has gone far enough. I mean to be completely honest, I've been talking about it for about 2 years, yep that long... Pathetic isn't it?! No more, I say. So to put the fear in me, I went and signed up for Melbourne Comic COn in July 2014. Yep, the Army will be off to Melbourne, with one completed comic book in tow, and it will be completed. Nothing like a deadline to motivate you...

In the meantime here's a cute (and diabolical, always diabolical...) image of Recon UNit. That's them hiding from my rage at being such a talker and not a doer.

SHould be an interesting couple of months ahead, with a lot more hiding behind rocks I suspect.... And I haven't even mentioned Singapore Comic Con yet....

Why we think our work is never good enough....and starting out.

I always think I can do better. I can work harder, draw more, make more, be more. This is generally a good thing. I like challenges, I like to strive to be better, I think it keeps me honest. Usually I am right. I can do better, but it only comes well after the moment when I have developed and learnt new stuff (ah, the power of hind sight).

I'm always asked how did I get started. To be honest I was in a place where I had no choice but to start otherwise I was going to be trapped in a dead end job, with a life I really didn't want, and that is all you have to do - START. Below is one of the first images of the HiiRagi Army I put together. There is even a character that I haven't been able to do anything with, I found it impossible to make him look good as a 3D toy. The robots look different too, I had no idea really what I was doing. It's pretty funny to look back at them and what they have developed into today.

Being creative comes with challenges. It requires you to put yourself out there. Expose yourself a little bit. The key is to not care about others opinions. We are all entitled to them, but we don't have to take notice of them. I'm lucky that I have a megalomaniac personality type which thinks that the whole world is wrong and stupid, and it is up to the world to prove me wrong (I'm still waiting...). Where am I going with this? I had an email from a friend who has just landed a dream job and her fight to get there reminded me of a great quote from Ira Glass about creative people and our struggle to create something worthwhile. I can tell you that sometimes it's a real shit fight but if you're starting out this quote is a good reference:

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

HiiRagi invades Happy Valley (fear not, no elves were harmed, well, not many...)

Did you know that there is a town called Happy Valley in every state? Useless but true information. Well, now it's Melbourne's turn to have a Happy Valley...

Happy Valley is a new store in Smith Street, Collingwood that specialises in art, design and books. 'Chris', who actually made up a board game and released it upon the world called World Domination ( I kid you not), is the genius mastermind behind it all and a favoured minion of HiiRagi. He also has some of the rampant army in the store keeping the peace and making sure everything is hunky dorey. You should totally check it out if you are in Melbourne. Or like elves...actually there are no elves there, I just made that up. BUt don't you think if elves did live anywhere (beside the North Pole) it would be in Happy Valley?

D Young V x Eddie Colla Momento Mori

It's no secret how much I love Eddie Colla's stuff. Ever since I laid eyes on his 'If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission' print, I was a goner. THis video is from an exhibition he put on with D Young V, another favourite of mine I discovered through Eddie (I like to refer to him in the first name basis and pretend that we're friends, creepy but true).

THe blurb goes:

Memento Mori, a Latin term for ‘remember death’, is an artistic symbol for remembering the inevitability of death, and is a continuing theme throughout Eddie Colla’s and D Young V’s work. The artists’ installations depict the end of the world juxtaposed to the rising up of a new world from ashes, and a future reduced to the tasks of survival and memory. (source)

d young v x eddie colla - memento mori from Eddie Colla on Vimeo.

IT's warlike, apocalyptic, industrial... all the things I like. It makes me want to make my art more, to do more and be more. That's what an awesome artist should do. When I finally take over the world, he's totally going to be my official War Artist.

The video below explains a lot of what you are seeing in the exhibition and the linkages between the objects. IT's a pretty cool little film too...

Epilogue from Eddie Colla on Vimeo.

Fucken wicked.

Return of the Brooch

Yes, it's true. Just as surely as the Jedi return in Star Wars so too do the HiiRagi brooches. And this time they are armed for both survival and attack.

First up, the Occupational Force: Pilot and Jungle, flanking the Berserker: Jungle (what else do you do with a giant purple monster thingy in the jungle than cover his head with camo?).

And Recon Unit. Jungle, utility belt and explosives. What more could you ask for?

All the brooches are 5cm in height and will be in the online store soon but for now you can get them from Salamanca or Spacebar Gallery.

B B B Berserker!!!!!

Ask me what I have been doing and lately the answer is consistently "Making Toys". And this week means Berserkers, the last line of attack in the HiiRagi Army hierarchy...

And the name says it all. An experiment that went a little bit wrong but in a good way. Berserkers do not reason, they do not care, they do not stop, you will be eaten or drown in their drool. If you see one, then it’s all over red rover, either that or unfortunately one has escaped...hey, it happens to the best of us. Even in cages they seem to manage to frighten the Recon Units to distraction.

I love them. A friend once told me that he always knew when I was drawing Berserkers because I would snigger to myself regularly and wear a weird smirk (what does that even mean?). I probably drooled as well, which would be the dead give away.

Comic Book Inspiration

Anyone who has been talking to me for say...the past...year? Two years? Would know that I am planning to write a comic book. Well, I have avoided it, ignored it and finally now, I am starting on it. But like every good idea, it needs a bit of inspiration to enter the "the vortex". I grew up reading Archie, Asterix, and Tintin which was followed up with Tank Girl and Deadline magazine (RIP).

These days I have expanded my tastes and comic books/graphic novels have changed a fair bit but two have recently stood out. The first was read by an ex-partner of mine and despite their insistence that I read it, at heart I am a brat and refused to do as I was told. Now, many years on I have finally read it and I should have listened. What am I talking about? Bone of course!

The tale of the three Bones is awesome. It's funny, exciting and adventurous, with all the best aspects of a stranger comes to town and a quest (the best story ideas). You can buy it now in big volumes so you can just read it all at once. The story is epic. I really should have listened, sorry r%$#*t (name has been deleted to protect their poor innocent soul, they didn't know what they were getting into).

Second up is Nathan Jurevicius' Scary Girl. This is super cute. It also has no real dialogue so the image has to tell the whole story. It's bright, colourful and just a tad weird. The story is set under the water and I love the creatures that live in this world.

Neither is like the story I am writing at the moment, nor are they of my style but I prefer to find inspiration in things that do not reflect my style, the temptation to copy (even sub consciously) is lessened. Plus it expands your idea of what is possible.

SO what is happening in my comic book?! Well, there will be two. One, is my epic story of the Army going into North Korea, and secondly, I will be writing a continuous story for the newsletter which a HEAP of you have subscribed for! Thanks! All I can say is stay tuned....

So...where have you been? A confession

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, it's more a statement. I have a real dislike for social media, especially Facebook. I don't want to know your details, or how you just got up, or that you really want a cup of tea, OR see only the greatest bit's of your life. I like my friends to be real, to be crap on days they feel crap or happy on the days they feel happy. For a great blog post on social media read this. The Middle Finger project is awesome. I also like Eddie Colla's post.

Now, what is the point of all of this? Ah, back to the 'confession'... I joined Instagram. That's it, that's all. Nothing for some, huge for me but there you go. It's kinda fun to be honest, especially when you follow artists. I also like the fact that it's images, none of the crap of the others medias. You can see us here at HiiRagiHQ, or not. But that's where I've been. I've always had trouble balancing things....

Land of the Stupid, Home of the Brave

I've always really liked Diesel's advertising campaigns (and clothing to be honest). The humour and pisstaking is pretty hilarious, however I was reading an old magazine yesterday waiting for something and saw this advert:

This concept is awesome, even for someone so hell bent on ridding the world of stupidity. It actually makes stupidity kind of appealing (did I just say that?!).
There are a couple of small adverts that go with it as well:





I love it. I want to do it.

Hoodies - the victim of the Peruvian Incident

The Resistance is Futile hoodie, infamous now for the Peruvian thievery incident, is now online in our shop - Hurrah! More are coming soon.

A HiiRagi customers warning....

Here's an amusing story from a HiiRagi customer. Before Christmas she came to the stall to buy a present (in the form of a hoodie) for her son who was in Peru. Present bought, she put together a couple of other items including a book, some sweets, the usual present fillers and happily posted it all off to South America where her grateful son would receive this bounty. The appropriate time passed for the arrival of present and the son dutifully called to say thank you, the book and bits and bobs were great but he couldn't understand why she had put a crumpled woman's shirt in the parcel for him. Crumpled woman's shirt? WTF?! It turned out that somewhere between Australia and Peru (we guessed it was probably Peru) the parcel was opened for whatever purposed postal services open parcels and when confronted by the sheer beauty and usefulness of a HiiRagi 'Resistance is Futile' hoodie, the postal worker just had to have it. And so now, somewhere in Peru is a postal worker wearing our hoodie... it's kind of cool, in a weird way....

I wonder where he got the shirt from....

Some weekend inspiration...

Here is a bit of inspiration for the weekend.  Supakitch and Koralie in Mexico doing a mural and playing tourist.  I love seeing these two work together.

SUPAKITCH et KORALIE from Filmaciones de la Ciudad on Vimeo.

Have a good weekend. Be creative! That's an order!

Occupational Force: Ninja

Secret, stealthy and deadly.  The Occupational Force could very well be the perfect Ninja with their amazing hand to hand combat skills and scurrying four legs.  Our ninjas enjoy skulking in dark corners, running and leaping across roof tops on silent feet or undertaking training on some remote snow covered mountain temple, and that’s before we mention the twin katanas he comes equipped with.  Play your cards right and he might even let you remove his hood, or he might cut off your hands before you manage to reach for him, we can’t say.  Purchase at your own risk.

Stupid.

The HiiRagi cause is based around the idea of destroying stupidity in all of its forms.  Now, I realise this is subjective but I am a dictator and so it is my opinion that counts.  However last night there was such rampant stupidity that I feel a need to make an example of it.  So if you're wondering what I find stupid, you're about to find out....

Now politics is not my favourite thing in the world.  I find that it is sensationalised, self serving and ego driven with little to no thought for the greater good of anyone and this is fueled by the lack of quality and balls in the media.  They would rather spend half an hour talking about Julia Gillard knitting in a photo shoot than anything that may be helpful to us.  So I watched the SBS news last night and up came the story about the Musilm Parliamentary secretary and the 'outrage' of people because he swore in on the Koran.  WTF?! This really annoyed me.  I have a few points..sorry...rants... to make on this:

Rant 1 -   Apparently (according to some professor) the Australian 'community' is a Christian 'community' and to not be Christian is to be un-Australian.  This is one of the stupidest things I have heard.  If this is the case, and despite my passport saying I'm Australian, I am not an Australian and neither is anyone I know.  And don't get me started on the Queen and Country bullshit.

Rant 2 - A vox pop afterwards had people saying ridiculous things such as we're at war with Muslims and they shouldn't be here.  Again WTF?!  Where do these people get their ideas from?  Oh, that's right Today Tonight and A Current Affair say he's a Muslim so he must be a terrorist.  Again, this is one of the stupidest things I have heard.  It is fanaticism and extremism that is the problem here regardless of what religion you are.  I've seen a few born again Christian's with an insane glint in their eye over my time...

Rant 3 - When did these people get a voice?  Social media (most of the time) is ridiculous, it gives those who stand by casting judgement and abuse because they are too scared to get out and do something a voice.  Read Roosevelts Citizenship speech to get what I mean.  Who are we to judge anyone else?

OK... I feel better now.  I'm probably just adding to the bullshit by responding but I was pretty pissed about the whole thing to be honest.  People should be able to just be who they are without fear or judgement.

No wonder why I'm building a Robot Army...

Onwards to Victory!

Authorised by the HiiRagi Home Office and Ministry of Defense, we are proud to announce the launch of our first Propaganda Poster.

That's right, little minions!!! You can adorn your walls with images of the HiiRagi Army rolling down the road to World Domination in A3 size.  What more could you ask for?  You can check it out or even buy it here.

I'll show you mine, if you show me yours...

My doppelganger Holly Webber and Shannon Robertson a.k.a. the chicks from the Market have joined forces with the Festival of Voices to create a winter pop up shop/exhibition Show and Tell at the Masonic Hall (cnr Sandy Bay Rd and Davey St).  And yes, HiiRagi has invaded the space with our new 'Sunday Outing' Tee.  

The ladies have put together a 'lookbook' with all the designers and makers in it too.  You can access it here.

The pop up shop/exhibition is on Friday 12th July from 5pm to 9pm.  If you look closely enough you may even see me skulking in a dark corner trying to tunnel my way into the secret Masonic treasure I know is there.... somewhere....

Do you want to be a good minion?

Do you?  Well, just so you are a well informed minion I have put together a free e-book for you!  Everything you need to know about the Army to get you started on your World Domination destiny.

You receive this book straight to your inbox when you register with the HiiRagi Army.  You can enlist here.

Recon Unit: Explosives Specialist

As all HiiRagi minions know, being diabolical can lead you into a variety of different specialities such as explosives.  And here is our Recon Unit Explosives expert in all his glory.

The utility belt is packed with dangerous, unstable elements such as dynamite and /or small bomb fixtures, wire that can be run from explosives to the detonation box and a pocket to hold the all important plans for our next sabotage.

Now, we also know at HiiRagi HQ that in these dangerous times it’s ‘Safety First’ so each explosives expert has goggles to protect their eyes for when the action gets too close for comfort.  Just how they like it.