New Manga Art Range

We are proud to present a brand new Manga Art Range that we have launched, all canvas art & prints are exclusive to WHoArtNow.

Manga, in case you didn't know, are hugely iconic cartoons & comics (They are known as komikku コミック), in Japanese and conforming to the defining & unique style that developed in Japan at the end of the 20th century. If you look back far enough, you can find Manga that date from just after World War II, but have a long & complex history in earlier Japanese Art.

Manga, literally translated, means "whimsical pictures". The word came into usage in the late 18th century with the publication of works like the Santō Kyōden's picturebook "Shiji no yukikai" (1798) & the hugely celebrated Hokusai manga. There a a various different theories about the origination of Manga comics, one of which is that when the US occupied Japan (1945–1952), Manga Art was influenced by U.S. cultural aspect, including U.S. comics brought to Japan by the US Army and by images & themes taken from U.S. television, cartoons & culture, like Disney for example.

The other other school of thought is that Manga is a direct continuity of Japanese cultural & traditions, which has been developing for thousands of years.

Which ever way of thinking is right, and who knows, it might be both, we at WHoArtNow don't really mind. It is great art and we love it - we love all things Japanese and Kitsch in fact. Manga is huge in Japan, enjoyed by people of all ages. It has a certain iconic status in the West too, the USA in particular. Manga are typically printed in black-and-white, although some full-color Manga exist. Our take on Manga Art has a bit of a twist on Modern Art, where we have re-drawn and re-created some sections of our favourite comic strips. Colours are bold, vibrant, and even garish in places. It's that whole Japanese, Full-on colour palette. Think Fluorescent Japanese washing power boxes on acid, and you're about half way there. There's no messing about with subtle colours or black and whites, it's Fluorescent Yellows, cerise pinks, on Black backgrounds like the Cerise design, and if you like it even brighter, check the Fluro Hentai design.

Having said that, there is a more subtly coloured piece of art we slipped in, and it's one of my favourites too. Komikkutu mixes two deep green tones to form the background with a chocolate brown / latte foreground. This wouldn't look out of place in most walls, it's subtly is the key here to a half way commercial piece of art.

As you may have noticed, a few of the designs are a little rude.! This is a certain type of Manga, aimed at adults, & called seijin ("adult," 成人) manga. These designs were able to come into fruition with a relaxation of censorship in Japan after the 90s, where a wide variety of explicitly drawn sexual themes appeared in manga, intended for male readership. And we at WHoArtNow decided to take advantage of this lack of censorship and design some ourselvess! jū hachi kin is just one of these designs. In Japan, sexually explicit material is often called "jū hachi kin" (18禁; prohibited for sale to persons under 18). So please do not try to make a purchase if you are under 18!

So that it for now, more bits of Manga art will be added as and when. As usual what this space by subscribing to this News blog if you want to keep informed on what Art we are putting out, and don't forget to check the new Manga Art range!

New Urban Canvas Art

WHoArtNow

New Art updates [June 2008]

We have some more brand new Urban art for all you lovely people! As we've already produced very successfully, a lot of digital Urban designs, we have decided to expand the whole urban range, and complement the existing designs with some subtle, striking photography.

This time, we've gone for a plenty of black and white "Monochromes" which are right on trend for 08. So expect to see a load of cityscape's and skylines, a fair few elongated canvases too. The highlights are the "Long Dark Tunnel" print, an abstract, almost radial blur of a Tunnel, in black and white. "A long Highway Exposure" Canvas print see a move on to the successful motion blurs of city roads, like the massively popular "Denver Haze"

There are a few delicate and subtle sunsets too. "San Fran Sunset" is a view from 52nd floor, a greyscale photo with a minimal sunset at the top. The "Old Clipper" ship photo is very interesting. Almost inverted in colour, it's striking black and white abstract imagery would look stunning on most walls.

Then we've got some classic British black and white imagery. The old West Pier on Brighton beach, which was lost to a massive fire in 2003. We've got a couple of canvas prints - The first is a classic black and white photograph of Brighton in a rough storm. The other Brighton Pier print has a more tranquil feel, and depicts a view over the beach with a peachy sunset in the background.

Some of the other imagery of note is the
"City Fog" Black & White Canvas, a definitive New York residential scene with the hot air rising. The "Stair Street-Provence" has a less urban feel, more of a French rural setting. The "Cafe Tables" vibe with an abstract look with a similar, cosmopolitan feel. These prints are black and white too, and looking to be classed in brand new section, which focuses on " Monochrome", or black and white imagery. Coming soon to WHoArtNow!!

So, that's it for the Urban artwork updates for now. For the full range of prints, please feel free to visit the Urban pages,
where you will find all these beautiful new designs! Watch this space, loads more art on the way. Expect to find more prints and artwork in the Organic Section, Some NY Graffiti art macro photos, and a few cheeky textured floral prints.