SECRET 7"
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED ALBUM SLEEVE ART AND TO GET THE CHANCE TO DESIGN ONE FOR A MAJOR ARTIST AND GET IT PRINTED AND SOLD IN AN ART GALLERY IN LONDON WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE : EVEN IF I NEVER MADE IT DOWN TO ANY OF THE EVENTS IN PERSON : SOMEHOW I MANAGED TO GET MY ART ON ONE OF THE SLEEVES THREE TIMES : 2013 : 2015 : 2020 : I COMPLETED THE HAT TRICK FOR THE ORIGINAL SEVEN RUN BY THE FOUNDERS : TWO DIGITAL DESIGNS AND ONE HAND MADE SLEEVE : AS ONE OF THE (SORT-OF) RECURRING ARTISTS FEATURED IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A MIXED BAG OF IDEAS FROM ME AND SINCE MOST OR ALL THE OTHER RECURRING ARTISTS SEEM TO FEATURE THE SAME STYLE OF ART I CAN BUT ONLY SPECULATE AS TO WHETHER I MIGHT BE THE ONLY ARTIST TO FEATURE BOTH DIGITAL AND HAND MADE DESIGNS ? SEE MY ENTRIES HERE AND SCROLL DOWN FURTHER TO SEE SOME OF THE TURKEYS THAT HAVE BEEN REJECTED OVER THE YEARS WHILE I ATTEMPT TO PUT TOGETHER MY ENTRY FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT
Heading
: 2013 :
Laura Marling - The Beast
THIS WAS MY FIRST SLEEVE IN 2013 FOR THE SECOND EVENT FOR WHICH THE ORGANISERS INVITED CREATIVE SUBMISSIONS THROUGH TALENTHOUSE AND ONE OF MY DESIGNS FINALLY GOT ACCEPTED FOR SOMETHING : I COMPLETELY MISSED THE FIRST SECRET 7 ALTOGETHER
SADLY DUE TO THE FACT I WAS UNAWARE IT EXISTED AT THAT TIME :
THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED USING A DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SIDE OF A FROZEN PUDDLE ON A GOLF COURSE IN DUMFRIES IN 2009 : THE PATTERNS IN THE ICE CREATED AN INTERESING MISTY SKY EFFECT : THE CREATURE IS TAKEN FROM A PHOTOGRAPH OF A MONKEY ATOP A HILL BY A TEMPLE FOR THE GOD HANUMAN NEAR HAMPU IN KARNATAKA IN INDIA IN FEBRUARY 2002 : I ADDED PART OF A PHOTOGRAPH OF A SHEEP'S SKULL TO GIVE IT A MORE BEASTLY APPEARANCE
Soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil doming
THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE BEADS SPELLS THE TITLE OF THE TRACK IN BRAILLE : SINCE BLIND PEOPLE READ/WITNESS WITH THEIR FINGERS/DIGITS : ALBIET WITH PERHAPS GIANT SAUSAGE FINGERS IN THIS INSTANCE
: 2015 :
St Vincent - Digital Witness
Lucillius debitis
Nulla euismod condimentum felis vitae efficitur. Sed vel dictum quam, at blandit leo.
THIS WAS MY SECOND ENTRY TO SECRET 7" FEATURING A HAND MADE SLEEVE : ALSO THE FIRST OF TWO COMPLETELY SEPARATE DESIGNS WHICH BY PURE COINCIDENCE ENDED UP CONNECTED BY THE SAME THEME : BRAILLE : WEEKS OF TRAWLING CRAFT AND JUNK SHOPS FOR THE RIGHT SIZE OF BEAD : NOTHING I'D EVER DONE BEFORE SO IT THE ENTIRE PROJECT WAS WINGED FROM CONCEPTION TO COMPLETION : THREE ATTEMPTS AND HOURS OF CAREFUL PAINSTAKING PRECISION TO PRODUCE THIS
I PUT SOME BEADY EYES ON THE FRONT OF THE BOX TO APPEAL TO THE TEAM RUNNING THE GALLERY BECAUSE THEY MADE A POST ABOUT THEM SOMEWHERE ON THEIR SOCIALS : THESE WERE CONSIDERED AT ONE POINT FOR USE AS BRAILLE DOTS HOWEVER IN THE END I CHOSE PLASTIC DIAMOND BEADS INSTEAD AS THEY SEEMED TO WORK BEST : THEY WERE THE RIGHT SIZE BUT I BECAME OVER ZEALOUS WITH APPLYING THE SPRAY PAINT TO COVER UP THE JAGGED SHAPE OF THE DIAMOND BEADS THE FIRST TWO TIMES AND THAT IS WHY THERE ARE ACTUALLY THREE OF THESE SLEEVES IN EXISTENCE : I RETAIN THE FIRST TWO
I SUBMITTED ANOTHER DESIGN FOR THIS WHICH ALSO NEEDED A BIT MORE POLISH : OR ARTISTIC SKILLS OF THE ILLUSTRATORY VARIETY YOU MIGHT ALSO SAY : SEE HERE : THIS ONE WHICH WAS ACCEPTED I KNOCKED UP IN LESS THAN A DAY AFTER I SPENT WEEKS ON MY OTHER UNSUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION : THIS WAS AN IDEA I HAD AT THE START BUT ONLY DECIDED TO THROW UP A VERSION IN THE LAST DAY WHILE THE DEADLINE CLOCK WAS COUNTING DOWN
THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL DESIGN I SUBMITTED WHICH WAS ACCEPTED : BUT I FELT IT WAS TOO MINIMAL/EFFORTLESS AND I DIDN'T LIKE THE GREY BACKGROUND SO MUCH AND WANTED TO SUBMIT AN EDITED VERSION TO WHICH THE ORGANISERS AGREED : I'M NOT SURE THEY LIKED IT AS MUCH SO MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO THE ORIGINAL VERSION : TOTAL LAST MINUTE RUSH EFFORT FOR BOTH
::2015 ::
Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
MY THIRD SLEEVE DESIGN ALSO FEATURED BRAILLE AND READ OUT THE TITLE OF THE TRACK BUT THE BRAILLE IS HIDDEN WITHIN WHAT APPEARS TO BE SHEET MUSIC : THE BACKGROUND IS TAKEN FROM A SCAN OF THE FRONT OF A RECYCLED PAPER SKETCH BOOK MADE BY BUDDHIST MONKS THAT I BOUGHT IN INDIA IN 2001 TO GIVE IT AN "OLD" LOOK
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: 2013 :
Laura Marling - The Beast
THIS IS ACTUALLY THE VERSION OF THIS DESIGN FOR THIS TRACK THAT WAS SUBMITTED BACK IN 2013 WHEN I WAS PLAYING AROUND WITH GIMP AND TAKING SOME IMAGES WITH MY POINT AND SHOOT DIGITAL CAMERA I : MADE THIS AND THEN TALENTHOUSE HAD A CREATIVE INVITE FOR A RECORD SLEEVE CALLED "THE BEAST" AND AND I THOUGHT THIS > > > > > > >
BUT THEN I THOUGHT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT MORE "BEASTLY" I SHOULD MAKE IT DARKER : SO I PLAYED ABOUT WITH THE LEVELS AND ENTERED THE PRINTER UNFRIENDLY VERSION
I NEVER SAW THE ACUTAL SLEEVE IN THE GALLERY DURING THE 2013 SECRET 7" EXHIBITION : I ONLY SAW PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHICH ALL SEEMED TO MAKE THE SLEEVE LOOK QUITE DARK AND AND BADLY CONSTRASTED BUT IT WAS HARD TO TELL WITHOUT SEEING IT WITH MY OWN EYES
THEN WHEN I RECEIVED THE PRINT COPY AS A KEEPSAKE : WHICH WAS NICE BONUS : HOWEVER IT APPEARED TO NOT HAVE PRINTED AS WELL AS IT LOOKS ON A DIGITAL SCREEN WHICH MADE ME REGRET NOT SUBMITTING THE LIGHT BLUE PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION :
: AND SO THAT WAS MY FIRST LESSON IN HOW TO CORRECTLY TRASNLATE DIGITAL RGB PIPCTURES INTO CMYK FOR PRINT
Soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil doming
AND NOW FOR SOME TURKEYS...
KEEP SCROLLING TO SEE A SELECTION OF REJECTED SLEEVE DESIGNS FROM YEARS 2013 TO 2025 : A FEW OF WHICH I FELT DESERVED A PLACE WHILE OTHERS MAYBE NOT SO MUCH : I HAVE ENTERED DESIGNS FOR ALL SECRET 7" EVENTS APART FROM THE FIRST : AS IT STANDS I HAVE BEEN ABSENT FROM THE GALLERY FOR NO MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE SECRET 7" EVENTS : I HOPE NOT TO BREAK THAT RECORD THIS YEAR...
