Ben Heine interviewed

by PixelSteam (*)
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Where do you live?

In Brussels, Belgium.

How did you get started as an artist?

There is no specific date or event. This is just a way of living, hard work, motivation and a strong determination. I still don’t know who I am.

Who are your mentors?

The 2 main persons who always give me useful pieces of advice and who may have a direct influence on my artistic work are my father and my commercial agent.

How do you get inspired?

Everything around me is a source of inspiration.

What has been your favorite project or subject?

There are 2 favorites so far: My portraits of Michael Jackson and My « Pencil Vs Camera » series (ongoing).

Where do you want to be in 5 years as an artist? What dreams and goals do you have for the future?

I’d like to leave Belgium and go to the USA or to the South of France... still don’t know. I really want to create new forms of visual expression, and hopefully new artistic styles as well. I have a big dream for the future: I hope the world will be a better place when I’m dead.

Do you see any style that has intrinsically affected by where you live?

I've been deeply influenced by German Expressionism, Belgian Surrealism, American Pop Art and Social Realism.

How has the Internet changed your business and career?

In my opinion, the Internet is just a useful tool to get known everywhere on the planet. It can also be a dangerous place if you aren’t careful.

Who is your favorite artist, and why? Living and or Dead?

I like Andy Warhol because he was and still is an icon for so many other artists. His personal life was quite interesting and he changed the way we perceive art.

Did you go to an art school or trade school to learn your skills? and where?

I studied traditional painting and sculpture only one year in an Art School in Hastings, England when I was 18. I also have a degree in Journalism (which is rather useless in my creative activities but at least it helped me developing personal opinions about the world we live in)... So I’m mainly a self-taught artist. And I’ve been taking photos, drawing and painting since almost 10 years.

What tools do you use to make your artwork?

All kinds of traditional and digital tools. I’ve tried many…

Please tell us about your Pencil Vs Camera project? How did it start, and where is it going?

It started quite recently. This series is nothing but the result of several years of graphic exploration and a logic consequence of my artistic evolution. But the real idea came while I was watching television and writing a letter at the same time a few weeks ago. Reading my letter before putting it in the envelope, I saw in transparency the television behind the paper. I then realize it would be great to make something similar in a single image showing 2 different actions.

I went outside and Drew « Pencil Vs Camera 1 » which is very simple and shows 2 chairs with a small table. About ¼ of the scene is represented on the paper, the other ¾ happens on the photo. So this is roughly how the project started. In my other « Pencil Vs Camera » images, I tried to introduce weird elements on the paper (such as dinosaurs, ufo’s, double pair of eyes…) to contrast with the realism of the photo.

I intend to make 30 images for this series, and then I might develop new projects. I still must give it some thoughts… I don’t know where it’s going.

I really like the technique for the Lady Gaga and Bob Marley images... Can you tell us about the process?

This is what I call “Digital Circlism” and it is another personal invention.

I would describe it as a modern artistic expression, a mix between Pop Art and Pointillism. It is made with digital tools using big and small circles only.

In my opinion, the most important thing to focus on before starting that kind of project is to understand the dynamic movement of someone's face. I usually apply each circle individually on a black background with a sharp round brush in Photoshop CS4 (it could be any other graphics creation software).

It is also essential to pay attention on the aspect of each circle (changing slightly the size and color for every circle is always better). That's the difficult part, because there can be several thousands circles in a single portrait. It has to be done with harmony, according to the main lines and dynamism of the subject represented.

I usually make bigger circles in the lighter areas of the subject and smaller circles in the darker places. This gives more volume and a 3D illusion. There is no limit, it's a new technique and I think there is much more to do with it.

Do you do any custom commission pieces?

Yes, it happens. I’m always open to start serious projects. I receive several requests every week. It’s usually difficult to make a choice.

What are your work habits like... when do you start? finish?

I start working on my artistic projects as soon as I wake up and end when I’m really tired.

What do you do for fun?

I like to spend time with my fiancée and to rest and sleep from time to time

How old are you?

26 (27 in June)

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(*) PIXELSTEAM

Oh Shit, Another Email/Spam!

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© 2009 - Ben Heine
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One of my illustrations on paper (ink and watercolor)

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Email Spam Harmful
to Environment

By lifewise.canoe.ca

Spam emails are a nuisance, clogging up inboxes and cluttering accounts, but a new report says the unwanted messages can also be damaging to the environment.

The report by security technology company McAfee Inc. says researchers found the amount of energy used to transmit, process and filter spam emails totals 22 billion kilowatt hours annually.

“We are raising environmental awareness in different ways,” said David Marcus, the security research and communication director for McAfee Avert Labs.

He said the report shows the yearly environmental impact from spam emails adds up to a person driving around the world 1.6 million times. The emission associated with a single spam message is only a meagre 0.3 grams of carbon dioxide, but multiplied, Marcus said the impact is severe.

>>> Read the full report

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New Blog Associate,
Peter S. Quinn

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© 2008 - Ben Heine
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Just for your info, Peter S. Quinn is now
my new "associate" on the blogosphere.
I will use his poetry on a regular basis
to accompany my graphic work.

His poems are terrific and represent a
great source of inspiration for me.

Peter has been very prolific, - with more than
15 thousand music works/instrumental songs,
and over 10 thousand poems and lyrics.

You can find nearly 7 thousand music works
and more than 5 thousand poems and
lyrics by him on the internet.

Check out his blog and
his page on PoemHunter
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Publication in Rolling Stone
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My cartoon titled "Facebook Vs Myspace" was
published in the German version of Rolling Stone
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Many thanks to the editors!
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Facebook Vs MySpace
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© 2008 - Ben Heine

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Social Search Engine Face-off:
Facebook vs. MySpace
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By Erik Qualman (*)

Everywhere you turn, everyone's abuzz with Facebook, social search, and social networking. What's all the fuss about? As a marketer, are you missing the train? Or, if you move too quickly, are you jumping on the wrong train?

On the eve of search marketing's new year, does Facebook spiked with Live Search go down like the real deal? Or does guzzling Google-infused MySpace taste like you're drinking the latest Kool-Aid? (Another round of Second Life, anyone? Orkut on the rocks?)

There are many more social networks for myriad audiences: business (LinkedIn, Plaxo), older (Gather, Eons), travel (aSmallWorld, TripAdvisor), teens (eCrush), dating (Match, eHarmony), but we'll focus on the two giants for now: the Google and Yahoo of social search engines.

And when I say big, I mean big. The latest unofficial user figures have Facebook at 73.5 million and MySpace at 289 million -- numbers that have marketers across the globe collectively salivating.

Top 2 Questions: Facebook vs. MySpace

Question: What's the difference between MySpace and Facebook?

Answer: MySpace is starting to be stereotyped as a community for people who want to meet new people. Facebook is viewed as a community designed to keep you in touch with people you already know. Both points are debatable, so we won't go into depth here.

MySpace has also received some bad press lately as an enabler for pedophiles and other nefarious activity. Google faces similar problems in Brazil with their proprietary Orkut social search engine and online community. In your MySpace, as in life, there may be new people you don't necessarily want to meet.

Question: Why is Facebook getting more love than MySpace?

Answer: It seems a bit odd that Facebook is getting all the press these days when MySpace has more users and via strategic partnerships (e.g., Google) have shown they can generate substantial revenue (what I like to dub "socialommerce"). What gives?

Facebook is getting more hype as they're growing at a faster rate (admittedly easier to do with a smaller user base.) Plus, their technical platform is more robust, fostering future growth. Facebook has placed some risky bets that have paid off, adding to the excitement.

Roughly 16 months ago, Facebook opened up their platform to non-college students. Facebook originally was exclusively for those attending a recognized college or university. Facebook user demographics in areas like higher education and discretionary income are typically higher than those of MySpace.

Since opening the platform to non-college students, like-minded individuals have flocked to Facebook in droves. These individuals, while possessing similar psychographics of original Facebookers, have even better demographics for marketers: post-college education, high discretionary income, early adopters, etc.

According to a source within Facebook, the largest growing segment of Facebook is the lucrative 35- to 54-year-olds who enjoy the clean interface and higher privacy levels of Facebook.

Facebook also set the interactive world on its head when it opened up its application program interface (API) to allow any developers to write applications (widgets/modules) that reside within Facebook. Now everyone is following suit: ranging from iGoogle allowing widget development to iPhone opening up application development.

With Facebook, Wiki (pedia/search et. al.) open APIs, the world is truly moving the Web to open source ubiquity. These applications are growing quickly on Facebook. In the travel segment alone, there were at least 80 Facebook applications written as of two months ago. There are now 332 travel applications -- an astounding 400 percent increase.

The most popular travel app, TripAdvisor, enables Facebookers to place "flags" on an interactive map of all the cities they've visited (remember when a paper map on a wall and push pins sufficed?). TripAdvisor's application has roughly 85,000 active daily users.

TripAdvisor's mapping app wasn't even a new idea. TripAdvisor simply built a better mousetrap. Best of all, it's estimated that TripAdvisor only spent $15,000 to develop such an application by simply leveraging the Google Maps API.

From a brand equity standpoint, that's a resounding return on investment.

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(*) Erik Qualman is the Global Vice President of Online Marketing for EF Education, headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland. EF Education is the world's largest private educator (Student Tours, Language Schools, Smithsonian, Hult MBA School, Au Pair Exchange, Student Exchange, etc.). Qualman works out of the 850 person Cambridge, Massachusetts office.

Prior to joining EF Education, Qualman helped grow the marketing and eBusiness functions of Cadillac & Pontiac (1994-97), BellSouth (1998-2000), Yahoo (2000-03), EarthLink (2003-05) and Travelzoo (2005-08). Qualman holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Qualman is a frequently requested speaker within the Internet and marketing community. He's also an acclaimed fiction author -- more information is available at american-novel.com. A former basketball player at Michigan State University, Qualman still finds time to follow his beloved Spartans.

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--> This article appeared on searchenginewatch.com
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Free Speech
.(Ben Heine © Cartoons)
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Threats Increasing to Free Speech
on the Internet
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By Judy Aita
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United Nations -- The Internet is a key component of press freedom in the 21st century, yet Internet journalists and bloggers increasingly are coming under attack by repressive regimes trying to block the free flow of information and expression, say journalists and activists.

"Free thought, particularly expressed on the Internet is becoming more and more dangerous," says Bridget Johnson, Los Angeles Daily News columnist and blogger. "The Committee to Protect Journalists has been tracking the detention of Internet writers since 1997 and the 2006 figure is the highest the group has ever recorded. Now, one in three jailed journalists is a blogger, online editor, or Web-based reporter." According to CPJ, 134 journalists were jailed in 2006; of that number, 49 worked on the Internet.

U.S. efforts to promote the free flow of information range from monitoring Internet access in countries around the world and including the data in the annual State Department Country Reports on Human Rights to financing Internet projects in developing countries. Since 2004, the United States has given $250 million to projects that include assisting with Web site design, providing computers and training technicians to keep systems operating.

Johnson and other bloggers and activists discussed the growing challenges to free speech on the Internet at a World Press Freedom Day panel May 3 entitled "The Citizen Journalist: The Internet as a Tool for Freedom of Speech." The panel was hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and included bloggers from countries with press restrictions and representatives of nongovernmental organizations ( NGOs ). The press fosters debate, provides a forum for expressing different points of view and keeps governments accountable for the decisions they make, said Jeffrey Krilla, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. "The increasing challenges the press face around the world are challenges to democracy and freedom."

One of the great opportunities for spreading freedom of expression is the Internet, Krilla said. "The Internet holds enormous promise particularly for the developing world and efforts to blunt the Internet's transformational power need to be countered by governments, NGOs, and by citizens worldwide."

Tala Dowlatshahi, New York director of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, said that the ongoing debate among some media representatives and lawmakers over whether bloggers are journalists and to what freedoms bloggers are entitled "is a waste of time." "It is high time we set aside the blogger-versus-journalist polemic and acknowledge that they are there fighting side-by-side in many countries to defend freedom of expression," she said.

"In legal terms, a media professional is not entitled to better protection than a blogger," Dowlatshahi said. "Freedom of expression, at least in theory, is something everyone is entitled to regardless of their status. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underscores this basic principle."

INTERNET FREEDOM AND REPRESSIVE REGIMES

The Internet has caused major upheavals in countries that do not permit freedom of expression, Dowlatshahi said. Bloggers can be pivotal in repressive environments where the media live in constant fear of the political leadership. In Egypt, she pointed out, it was a blogger who revealed that torture was being carried out in detention centers.

China is the worst place for cyberdissidents, but other countries --including Vietnam, Syria, Tunisia, Libya and Iran -- are not far behind, Dowlatshahi said. Watson Meng, founder of Boxun News, and Drexel University marketing professor Frank Xie, a blogger on Boxun News, talked about the problems facing Chinese bloggers. In China, citizen journalists are important, said Meng. Official information is not reliable and people are looking for good Web sites with reliable information. Since Boxun was founded in 2000, it has been the Number 1 online Chinese news service.

Governments ( including that of China ), NGOs, journalists and ordinary citizens make up the audience for the Boxun Web site, which contains news and 1,400 blogs. But, Meng said, his big problem is "the great firewall" the Chinese government uses to block his site. Xie added that China uses the best technology for its firewall and is exporting it free to Cuba, North Korea and Sudan.

There are about 137 million Internet users in China ( 10.5 percent of the population ), according to Xie. One of the problems is the cost of Internet access, he said. Xie predicted that if the cost of access were reduced, the number of Internet users in China would surpass the 210 million people in the United States who now use the Internet.

Bloggers "need international support at this moment, on International Press Freedom Day," said Nora Younis, an Egyptian blogger and activist. "We need the international support of other bloggers, scholars, journalists, intellectuals and civil society."

With an estimated 8 million Internet users in Egypt, blogging has become an increasingly important means of expression for a country with a young population. Nevertheless, Younis said, new government restrictions are forcing young bloggers to censor their own writings -- which they never had to do before -- or quit altogether.

Echoing the sentiments of the other panelists, Younis said, "We as young people do not want to go to prison. We want to write, we want to engage."

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--> This article originally appeared on media-newswire.com
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