Burlyman's GEORGE BARRIS 1966 BATMOBILE CAR Video Clip!

Remember that post we did recently of when our friend "Burlyman" went to see George Barris & his 1966 Batman TV Batmobile Car in Burbank, CA? ( Here's a link to check it out, click HERE! ) Well, he also shot some super-excellent video!! I always love seeing this Classic Custom Car, it's so cool! Plus, it's really great to see George Barris again. He looks like he's in very good health, that's nice. Thanks to Burlyman for sending this video clip, YOU ROCK, Sir!

Super-Rare BATMAN Memorabilia From The BATFAN Collection

Our buddy, THE BATFAN, sent us some cool photos the other day of a few rare bat-items from his personal collection. The 1st pic shows a funny BATMAN COOKING APRON that was made around the time of the 1989 Batman movie. I like that it's the "Comic Book" version with the blue/gray/yellow bat-suit. The funny thing about it is that they made a mask to go with it! I actually remember this thing when it was out. I now wish I would have bought one, it's pretty cool! The next group of items are really great too. They're a Set of Batman & Robin Drinking Glasses that were made around 1967!! What makes them extremely hard to find here in the US is that they're from the Netherlands. Yes, all the way from Holland!! I totally love the retro-style graphics, very beautiful! ( Please click on the photo for a larger, more detailed, picture ). Do you have any obscure super-rare Batman items in your collection? If so, then please shoot us a pic today. Our email is always on the top right-hand side of this page.

Funny BATMAN PARODY Comic Strips!

Here's a few random Batman-related Comic Strips that have been sent in by some awesome Bat-Blog Readers lately. They're all completely hilarious, ha ha ha! ( Thanks to everybody to send them in ).

Awesome BATMAN 1966 BATMOBILE TATTOO Art!

I think it's actually been awhile since we posted a Batman Tattoo but as soon as I saw this one I knew we had to feature it here. I contacted the owner & he was kind enough to allow us to post it. His name is Steve & this beautiful piece of art was done by a Tattoo Artist named Matthew Ward. It's a wacky-crazy graphic of Batman in his 1966 Batmobile "George Barris" Car with missiles shooting out of the back!! I say "wacky-crazy" because it's sort of done in the vintage 1960's "Rat-Fink Style". See how Batman is wayyyy bigger than the car & the gearshift knob is really huge? Plus, the tires are smokin' like crazy! This is really great &, as a tattoo, totally original... I love it! Thanks to both Steve & Matthew for allowing us to post it. You guys did an awesome job on it & I know many Batman Fans are going to completely love seeing it! One last thing, if any other Bat-Blog Readers have recently got some ink done then please shoot us a pic, our email button is always on the top right-hand side of this page.

BATMAN-INSPIRED ART - Arts and Crafts Project

I love when creative people become inspired by Batman & make a few items to decorate their house with, that's cool! Here's some photos sent in by a Bat-Blog Fan named Ben showing a few things that he & his Girlfriend have crafted. The 1st one shows a Batman Effigy Pot they made. Now, I think this thing is totally cool visually but I was wondering, "What is an Effigy Pot?". So, I did some quick research & found out that "Effigy Pots are Jars, Bowls, Bottles or Vessels made in the shape of humans or mythological figures. They have been made for 1000's of years & are thought to have healing powers". Cool! I guess some Bat-Blog Readers are gonna learn a little Art History today, I did, ha ha! The next item is something most of us are pretty familiar with. It's a large Stained Glass Window piece & this one has a beautiful Bat-Symbol Logo on it. To be specific, it's the one from the current Christopher Nolan movies ( Batman Begins & The Dark Knight ). This thing is awesome! I bet if this were hung somewhere that sunlight could shine through it it would be really striking. Actually, both items are really really great & I want to thank Ben for sending these pics into us. You guys made some very cool stuff!

VINTAGE BATMAN TOY PHOTO - 1966 Punching Bop Bag!

Here's a totally cool vintage 1970's family photo of our friend David when he was a little boy. He was completely into Batman back then & still is today. The toy shown here is the 1966 Batman Punching Bop Bag. Now I have to wonder why they didn't put the JOKER on here instead because who would want to punch Batman? ( ha ha ). Oh well, I still think the retro-style graphics are AWESOME! Many thanks to David for allowing us to post this wonderful piece of Bat-History. Speaking of that, be sure to check out this older post on the Bat-Blog where we show a few vintage toy catalog scans that feature this same exact toy, just click HERE!

Photos: GEORGE BARRIS & His Amazing Batman TV Show BATMOBILE Car!

OK, now how awesome is this?! Awhile back the Bat-Blog we reported that George Barris was going to be at a public event in Burbank, CA with his '66 TV Batmobile Car. It was to promote the new Chevrolet Camaro he designed. Which would have been so cool to see but the great thing is that we got some really nice pics from the event! Yes! A Loyal Bat-Blog Reader named Dave, who lives in New York & is a part of The Bat Squad ( a group of Cosplayers who are totally into Batman ), has a friend named "Burlyman" who lives in California. So, Dave asked his friend to get some photos while he was there, that's AWESOME! Now, the pics are really good & a few of them have been made into "1966 Batmobile Wallpaper Backgrounds" you can use to brighten your desktop ( the first 3 photos ). When I say "good" I mean he got some great shots from every angle! One of them even shows the interior, it's always cool to see the inside...it always makes me want to drive it, ha! Plus, there's some nice shots of the King of Kustom himself, George Barris. What a trill this must have been! I wanna thank both Dave & the "Burleyman" for sending these wonderful photos...you guys ROCK! Hey, wait a second, I just realized... there's NO pics of the Chevrolet Camaro! Ha Ha, I guess "Burleyman" was so excited about the Batmobile that he didn't care about the other car, that's funny! But I can't blame him, if you're a Batman Fan your brain sort of totally short-circuits when you get near this car. I know that personally I probably would have cried like a little girl.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BAT - Custom Batman Stormtrooper Toy

OK, ya gotta admit that even though this Custom "Batman Stormtrooper" Toy is very unusual, it's extremely well done! It's a work of ART. In fact, I think it's totally hilarious! This large figure was part of the recent "Sideshow Collectibles Art Trooper"custom project. It's a mash-up of the 1966 Batman TV Show & 1970's Star Wars Movie! It's like Adam West meets George Lucas, ha ha! I only have one picture here but a photographer named Tim Hanson did an amazing set of photos of this doll that you can see on Flickr, just click HERE!

Video: Rare 1988 ADAM WEST INTERVIEW on TV-am Show

Back in 1988 Adam West appeared on British television's TV-am. He was there to discuss a "possible Batman movie" that could be made. I think he sort of knew that the 1989 BATMAN film was in development & he really wanted the part. Of course we all know that Michael Keaton ended up getting the role. The interesting thing here is that Adam West thought the new movie should be "darker" or "more modern".

Batmobilly's VINTAGE BATMAN POSTER Collection

I woke-up this morning to some very cool Batman pictures in my email box, that's always awesome! They were sent in by a Good Bat-Blog Citizen named Batmobilly. He shot some pictures of a few posters he has had professionally framed & they look really GREAT! ( Be sure to click on them for larger examples, they're really cool close-up ). The 1st one is a poster from Eskimo Pie & Welch's Fruit Pops when they had a tie-in promotion with "The Adventures of Batman & Robin" TV cartoon back in 1996. If you remember, you could get some trading cards on the back of the box & there were 12 different ones to collect. This poster was a mail-away item. I totally love the graphics on here because that TV series was so wonderful. The next poster advertises a Hot Rod Car Show event they had in Boston called "The World of Wheels". It's from 1993 & features a bold picture of the Batman movie Batmobile car! That would have been pretty cool to go to. Now, here's a unique piece of Bat-History, this poster was once accidentally shown on the "Home Improvement" TV Show. It happened when Tim Allen's character, while on a road trip, stops at a convenience store to ask for directions. The episode was called "You're Driving Me Crazy, You're Driving Me Nuts". Now, check out the last poster here. It's a comic book-style image of the 1966 Batman TV Show when they're firing-up the Batmobile. You know the scene, "Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed. OK, ready to move out!". Wow! I wanna thank Batmobilly for taking the time to shoot these incredible photos. I gotta admit that I have never seen the last 2 posters here. But, sharing the love of collecting cool Batman stuff is really the main focus of the Bat-Blog!

Salomé - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

"I am a Student in Philosophy and photographer
Today, I have a figure-hugging classy look. I like to change every day ...
If I had € 1 000 I would buy CHANEL Shoes and a CHLOE Bag.
I love Books. I hate Hipocrisy".
My message to the world: "Stand back with retrospection"
I wear a camisole by H&M
Short by ZARA
T-Shirt by COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS
Shoes by R. GLERGERIE
Bag by PRADA
Perfume: "Dior J'adore" by DIOR

My Friend Meets Batman Voice Actor KEVIN CONROY in Chicago!

OK, I'm totally jealous here!! While on Facebook the other night I thought I would go over to my friend John's page to see what he's been up to lately & say, "Howdy". Well, when I got there he had just posted this really great pic! He recently went to that C2E2 Comic Book Convention in Chicago. I really really wanted to go to this thing but couldn't do it this year. Anyway, while he was there, he got to meet KEVIN CONROY!! Yes, the Voice Actor who created Batman's voice for the Batman: The Animated Series TV Cartoon, the Arkham Asylum Video Game, etc...Batman! Now, just to clarify, Kevin is on the left & John is the guy in the bat-suit, ha! Yes, John also has an extremely amazing 1966 Batman TV Costume, Adam West Style! He said that meeting Mr. Conroy was a total thrill & I believe it! I've heard that he's very gracious & overall a pretty nice guy, that's cool. Plus, in my own personal opinion, he's the greatest "Batman Voice" out there! Thanks to John for allowing me to publish this wonderful photo, I'm still jealous!

Kanike's HEATH LEDGER JOKER ART Pen & Ink Drawing

This drawing was sent in by a loyal Bat-Blog Reader named Kanike. She is totally obsessed with the Joker character! She loves all the different versions of the Joker from the comic books, animated cartoons, video games, movies, etc...In fact she has even started a blog about it called RANCID RAINBOW. Anyways, here's a drawing she recently did of the Joker from the Dark Knight Batman movie. Of course it's the Heath Ledger version & it looks just like him. Now, overall the picture is really excellent but the neat clever thing is that the lines are mostly made-up of small words. From far away it looks like a graphic but if you look at it very close-up you'll see that they're words like "Ha Ha Ha!". For example, look at Joker's eyes...they're made with the words "Anarchy & Chaos", very cool! Now, I did mention her blog, which is all about the Prince of Crime. Here's a link to check it out, just click HERE!

German - BATMAN KLASSIK Comic Books By Hethke Publishing

Lately I have been sort of obsessed with "Foreign Batman" comic books. They're really hard to find in the US. I like the ones that have a total foreign language on the cover. I can't read them at all, but they're cool to look at, ha ha! Here are a few examples of a title called BATMAN KLASSIK. They're published in Germany by the Hethke Publishing Company. This series reprinted all the classic "Neal Adams Batman" stories from the 1970's, mostly the ones featuring the characters that Neal Adams created, R'as Al Ghul & Man-Bat. I always loved those stories from my childhood so they're kinda great to see in another format. If there are any Bat-Blog Readers from other countries who could send some information or photos that would be great, thanks!

Karen - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Stylist in men accessories
"I compare Fashion with Art. It's the same freedom"
My look is very casual
If I had € 1 000, I would buy new glasses
I love the process of creation and its secrets
I hate dishonest people"
My message to the world: "Don't forget to be generous ..."
I wear a sweater jacket by YVES SAINT—LAURENT
Vintage Silk Under-Jacket
Vintage shirt
Shoes from China
Clutch bag unknown
Gloves made by me in collaboration with FABRE
Vintage Glasses
Perfume: "I did'nt found yet. Always testing ..."

Adrien - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Dancer
"Fashion is to express yourself
"My look is a transition between 80's & 90's"
"If I had € 1 000, I would buy an item of LACROIX or MC QUEEN
"I love Art, I hate discrimination"
My message:"Art and creation make your life better ..."
I wear a vintage jacket from my mother and father (unisex)
T-shirt "Fly Baby Fly" by H&M
Shoes vintage
Slim jeans by H&M
Watch by CASIO
Pefume "Farenheit" by Dior
and NARCISSO RODRIGUEZ

Fatiniza shoots her 1st Music Video "Out of Control" - Behind the Scenes

Colombian pop-rock bombshell Fatiniza, with whom I recently shot in Oman for her Debut Album, has just filmed her first music video for the single release "Out of Control" ... and I have been fortunate enough to have been her makeup artist.

Not only is Fati an amazing vocalist whose self composed lyrics touch your body, mind and soul, but moreover is she a true artist in everything she does from the moment she wakes up until she finally falls to bed late at night. As is typical for overwhelmingly creative persona with a mind that never sleeps, people surrounding them must be flexible and able to improvise. Hence, I pretty much packed everything I own as a Makeup & Hair Stylist to head for the filming.

Being that Fati has this incredibly creative mind, she challenges me as a makeup artist to come up with innovative concepts and accepts nothing but perfection (sometimes she seems only little Colombian and very German - no offense, I am German - I can say that).

Fatiniza has incredible attention to detail and working with her it can happen ... it regularly happens ;) ... that 3 pairs of exactly the same fake eyelashes are rejected because they are clearly unworthy of identical twin status ... "Sey are not se same, see se hair here" she mimics my German pronunciation ... and right she is, they are unworthy of going on stage.

So, last Friday after much anticipation and carefully selected sets of eyelashes it was finally time to shoot Fatiniza's music video for her debut single "Out of Control" at Dubai's creative hub "The Fridge". Her album including the single will go on sale at Virgin Megastores at the end of May 2010.

It was a looooong but amazingly memorable day in my life. I will post the video shortly ... here are some teaser images from the day.

Check out Fati singing "Out of Control" live in the recording studio. Now available at Virgin Megastores! Congrats Fati!

Photo credit: Nick Feraru

OK! Magazine Gucci Jewelry Beauty Shoot - "How to" Makeup for Beauty shoots

Last month I had the privilege of collaborating with OK! Magazine Middle East sporting Gucci's new collection of jewelry, shot by the amazing Candy Kennedy and modeled by the beautiful Militza from Bareface (who had just arrived from London - a fresh face to keep your eye on).


DESIGNING THE LOOK FOR THE SHOOT

The look and feel of the shoot was intended to be "traditionally elegant, simple yet beautiful and clean for a strong yet soft woman". I wanted to bring out the incredible jewelry with the makeup and support its statement of bold brave elegance by creating a symbioses between the makeup and the jewelry.
When designing looks for shoots I generally receive a brief from the Fashion / Beauty Editor of the Magazine, in this case the lovely Melanie Penny, Fashion & Beauty Director of OK! Middle East. She had sourced images of bronzed beauties which she showed me about a week before along with a short brief explaining that she and her client were seeking a golden look.

Whilst for Makeup Artists published beauty shoots are such an honor, it's really important to not get carried away trying to show off your talent. Always keep in mind that, unless you have been hired to sell makeup products, the look you have designed must support the product you are advertising, meaning every decision you make must add to the client selling the specified product.
So, yeah, it would have been great to go stronger on the blush or add a fantastic looking lip colour, but would it have helped sell the jewelry any better ... probably not, most likely it would have overpowered any other elements in the shot.


TIPS & TRICKS FOR BEAUTY SHOOT MAKEUP

Doing beauty shoots (i.e. close-ups of the face) demands great attention to detail from the Makeup Artist. There is no room for error, if your line is not straight - it's not straight, it's there for everyone to see "up-close" - your ugly crooked line with your name printed on the same page ;)
When I do makeup for beauty shoots, I always take 3-5 minutes at the end of the makeup session to double check all makeup elements. During this time I polish and perfect.


Here are a couple of things I check just before the model starts shooting:

- under eye coverage sufficient
- symmetry of all elements (lips, eyes, brows, blusher, lashes)
- straight eyeliner on top of eye
- coverage of waterline liner, making sure inside corner of eye is clean of any residue
- highlighting polish (bridge of nose, arch of brow, above brow, innner corner of the eye, cupid bow, top of cheekbones, around the mouth)

Now that you know some of the "beauty makeup" tricks - make this look your own!
Here is how:

FACE

(1) Prime your skin with "Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage" from Mac (you need this to help your foundation adhere to your face and increase its longevity).

(2) Use Chanel's "Vitaluminiere" foundation (in your skin color), which is a coverage building foundation and powder (to set the foundation) with Makeup Forever's translucent "HD Powder". Don't skip the powdering step, it is vital to prolong the life of your foundation on your skin.
For this photoshoot I used "RCMA" creme foundation on Militza, a highly pigmented full coverage foundation created for the sole use of photography makeup, which was designed by a group of Professional Makeup Artist in LA. Unfortunately it is not available in the UAE.

(3) Add colour to your face using Mac's blusher in "Peaches" on the apples of your cheeks blending up/backwards and "Coppertone" blusher to contour just below your cheekbone (no further inwards than the outer corner of your eye).

(4) Finish with my all-time favorite Dior Bronze Collagen Activ in "Amber" by applying only little where the sun would naturally tan your face (forehead, chin, cheekbones). I always use the "Bobbi Brown Face Bronzer" brush for this kind of bronzing to guarantee a natural finish. Do not sweep it over the nose unless you are going for a slightly clown-like appearance.

EYES

(1) Use Illamasqua's Liqid Metal in "Solstice" (available at Bloomingdale's Illamasqua counter in Dubai Mall) all over the lid and blend out and upwards. Apply the same underneath the eye - from the outer to the inner corner. You are doing this to create a base which will later intensify your eyeshadow colours and increase the longevity of your eye makeup.

(2) Then take a metallic warm golden eyeshadow (I used Inglot AMC shine 27) and apply all over the lid, take the same golden eyeshadow and apply underneath from your inner corner 1/2 down towards the outer corner. Now intensify the crease of your eye with a metallic brown (Inglot AMC shine 42 was my choice). Blend well in circular motions to make sure you have no harsh lines.

(3) Take the same metallic brown eyeshadow and apply underneath your eye from the outer corner 2/3 inwards towards your inner corner.

(4) Take Bobbi Brown's liquid gel liner in "jet black" and draw a beautifully shaped line just above your lashes.

(5) Using DUO eyelash adhesive (available at Mac) apply your stunning new lashes from Girls Aloud's Cheryl (available at Carrefour and Spinneys Al Wasl) to open up your eyes, making sure to avoid a droopy eye by placing the lashes close to the inner corner of your eye. If you feel they are giving your eye a sad expression, cut off a little from the inner corner of the fake lash until you feel that the lashes are giving your eye an upward movement at the outer corner.

(6) Line your eyes' waterline top and bottom with Mac's amazing kohl liner "Smolder".

LIPS

(1) In this case I only used a lipliner and a clear lipgloss to keep the focus on the eyes and allow the jewelry to take centre stage. Choose either Mac's "Subculture" or "Spice" as your nude lipliner and fill in the entire lip. For this shoot I used "Subculture" because it just about matched Militza's natural lip color.

Et Voila ... off you go sporting your new fabulous jewelry looking gorgeous! Easy!

Brand-New MICHAEL KEATON BATMAN STATUE ( 1989 Movie )

Oh yeah, if you're a serious Batman Fan then you're gonna totally love this new statue coming out! It's inspired by the 1989 Tim Burton BATMAN movie. I know I really loved that film, it's a Classic. DC Direct will be coming out with this special art statue as a part of their "DC Comics 75th Anniversary" event. It shows Michael Keaton, as the Caped Crusader, in a full-body pose. I say that because they're also releasing a small BUST figure too. That piece was featured here at the Bat-Blog awhile back, to see it just click HERE! Anyways, this newer statue is AWESOME!! It was sculpted by Joseph Menna & measures about 13 1/2" tall, a pretty good size! It comes with a special base that's in the shape of the Bat-Symbol. Basically it's hand-painted, cold-cast in porcelain, & will be a Limited Edition. I really love this thing. If you would like to pre-order it ( as a gift for me or yourself, ha ha ), & save 20% off, then I suggest the following link:

ART - Chris Mason's JOKER STEALING THE 1966 BATMOBILE Painting

OK, I know I'm on sort of a "Batman-inspired Art Kick" recently but we have been getting a ton of cool submissions from Bat-Blog Fans. Plus, I can't help it that my readers are smart, creative, talented people ( ha! ). Here's a great example of that creativity in action. This Pop Art Painting was done by our good friend Chris Mason. It shows "The Joker stealing the '66 Batmobile". You know the car, it's the George Barris Custom, otherwise known as the 1966 TV Show version, a total fan favorite! It's done in that famous Ed "Big Daddy" Roth style that was originated in the Hot Rod Culture of the 1960's. Just think about those old vintage "Weird-O's" toys & model kits. Then you'll know what I'm sayin'! But regardless, the artwork here is just totally great! Actually, I mean to say... completely beautiful! The pictures shown here sort of explain their selves but basically you have a close-up detail shot ( the 1st pic ), a nice picture showing the work in progress, then some photographic proof of Chris actually doing the painting ( in case you don't believe us, ha ha! ), & finally the completed work. Now the last graphic, showing the final artwork, it's BIG enough ( if you click on it ) to be made into a Wallpaper Background for your PC. Yes, that's a bonus! Not only do you get some beautiful eye-candy to look at but you also receive a souvenir of the special moment. Yeah, the Bat-Blog is pretty awesome, I know ( just kidding ). Actually if you'd like to see more of Chris' work you can visit his Facebook page by clicking HERE! The only problem is I think you have to be a member to sign-in to see it but it's all worth it. Plus, if you're a member ( or become a member ) you should join the Bat-Blog while you're there, our link is the button down below. Please join us!