CBC RADIO

I was recently interviewed as part of a series on concept art featured on the CBC Radio program On The Island. In the interview segments included in the program we discuss the role of the concept artist in production as well as my new book.

Check it out here.

Thanks to Sterling Eyford for including me in the program and for the beer!

PARKA BLOGS - EK BOOK REVIEW

Singapore based art book review site Parka Blogs has written a nice review of my book Born In Concrete: The EK Series. Along with the review are numerous interior photos and a video "flip-through" that gives a full overview of the book contents.

Check out the review here.

Thanks to Teoh Yi Chie for the kind words.

SPECTRUM 20

My piece "The Jellyfish (Garbage)" has been included in the 20th edition of fantastic art annual Spectrum, on a page alongside pieces by the amazing Thom Tenery and Richard Wright. As is the case every year, this book is filled with amazing art.

Spectrum 20 is out now and is worth picking up!

Spectrum cover art by Donato Giancola.

CTN ANIMATION EXPO

A couple pics of my book from the Design Studio Press booth at the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, California this past weekend.

Thanks to Design Studio Press and to everyone that picked up a copy!

CONCEPT ART WORLD - EK BOOK FEATURE

Production art/design site Concept Art World has posted a little feature about my book on their website and Facebook page. Check it out here.

Concept Art World a great site that features production art and illustration by artists from games, film, etc. They featured some of my work earlier this year and I'm happy to be featured on their sites again.

Thanks to Louis Iracheta.

EK SERIES ARTBOOK RELEASED

My first art book, Born In Concrete: The EK Series was released today. Published by Design Studio Press, this hardcover book is 96 pages and features all the materials created for the Entartete Kunst series, including some new work created specifically for this collection.

I recently received my advance copies and I was very pleased with the quality of the final product. Nice paper stock with great colour and contrast on the images and nice details like book end pages, and head/tail strips, etc.

Amazon is still offering it at killer deal, so if you are interested in picking one up, now is the time to do it. Now that it is officially released it should also be showing up art/design book stores for those that still like buying their books the old fashion way.

Thanks to everyone that already purchased pre-order copies and big thanks to Scott Robertson and Tinti Dey at Design Studio Press for making it happen!

CLOCKWERK

A while back I posted about updating my website with some of the concept art I did for the Captain America: Super Soldier game, and at that time I mentioned posting some more of my production art in the future. Well it has taken longer than I thought but I finally got around to updating my website with some concept art from a game design pitch done a few years back at Next Level Games called Clockwerk.

This was a fun little design pitch that featured two bitter old caretakers, called Hausmeisters, that worked in the World Clock that governed all time in the universe. On their last day on the job the World Clock is invaded by Gremlins, and they have to repair the clock to restart time so they can finally retire! I won't go into the game mechanics here other than that it was a kind of puzzle game that involved rolling, floating, and some combat elements.

Almost all of the work I did for this pitch was character design along with a few promotional pieces. There was some more environment and some gameplay concept pieces created for this project, but most of it was handled by art director extraordinaire Barret Chapman (who also did all the animation for the animatic.....what a guy!). 

This design pitch was picked up by a major publisher only to be dropped a few weeks later when it was discovered that another division working within that company had a project with almost the same game mechanics (and they were 2 years in!). That's the way it goes sometimes……

Go my website to see more.

I've also added a "Selected Media" section to my portfolio on my website to feature various appearances of my work across different forms of media (print, web, video etc.) for those interested in such things. Check it out here.

EK SERIES ARTBOOK

I'm happy to announce the publication of my first art book, Born In Concrete: The EK Series. This hardcover book collects all the work from my first personal project Entartete Kunst (EK). All the pieces that make up the series are featured, along with write-ups and detail images. The design materials for the Endeavor Snowboards and the Industria Mechanika collaborations are included, as well as images from several exhibitions that have featured work from the series. The book also contains a process section that outlines the creation of one of the pieces from start to finish, and to cap it off, the book also contains a bunch of EK material that hasn't seen the light of day.  

The book will be released on November 12th, 2013 and is being published by Design Studio Press. Based out of California, Design Studio Press is a publisher that focuses on releasing art and educational books by designers in the entertainment industry. They have an amazing catalogue featuring books by incredible artists including Syd Mead, Sparth, Stephan Martinere and Scott Robertson just to name a few. Their site, the their books, are definitely worth checking out. 

Born In Concrete: The EK Series is already available for pre-order at Amazon (for a killer deal at 30% off), and at various other online distributors (Book Depository, Waterstones, Booktopia, etc.) and will be available on, or after, November 12th, 2013 at most reasonably cool book/art/comic stores near you. 

  

Big thanks to Scott, Tinti and Ceci at Design Studio Press for making this book happen and for shepherding me through the process!

2D ARTIST MAGAZINE

I have a character design walkthrough in the latest edition of UK based 2D Artist Magazine. The article is part of the magazine's Evolution series, where artists design characters that have evolved or adapted to exist in a certain type of environment.

The environment I had to design for was the desert, and in the walkthrough I go through my design process, from research, reference gathering, exploring different design options and then creating a more polished design for presentation.

The issue also features great work by Ryan Lang, Rasmus Berggreen, and Vinod Rams to name a few.
Issue #93 of 2D Artist Magazine is out now and is worth checking out.

Thanks to Jess Serjent-Tipping and 2D Artist Magazine for the opportunity.

GEEK! #8

My illustration of George R.R. Martins cat-loving space traveller Haviland Tuff is featured in the latest issue of German science fiction magazine Geek!. Created for an article in Wired Magazine earlier this year, the image is again accompanying an article about the re-printing of Tuf Voyaging, Martin's 1986 novel/compilation of his Haviland Tuf stories.

Geek! #8 is out now. Thanks to Christian Endres at Geek!. 

AWESOME ROBO

Nice little write up on the EK Series over at art/entertainment site Awesome Robo!  Check it out here.

Thanks to RoboBrain and Robogal for the kind words.

ENTARTETE KUNST

After 4 years of picking away at this series in my free time this project has come to an end. This series was started as a way to get back to creating "my own art" after a long period of not doing so, and as a way to confront certain artistic biases I had picked up during 10 years as a commercial artist. By balancing my artistic output (personal vs. professional), and by adopting techniques I had once shunned (in a way creating what I might have once considered degenerate art/entartete kunst), this project has rejuvenated me creatively. The work itself was the most rewarding, but it has also been fun to see the series expand into areas I could never have imagined: exhibitions, prints, snowboard graphics, model kits, book and magazine covers (and my fav., an album cover for a Russian metal band). I'm now off to create some new work that I have wanted to get started on for some time.

That being said, it isn't really the end as there will be more EK related material released in the not too distant future. To cap off the series I'll be putting a book together that contains all the pieces from the series, the design materials from the collaborations, a process section and a bunch of EK material that has never seen the light of day. I'll post again when this book is further along, and when I have more info. I also have some more model kits based on figures from the EK Series in the works with Industria Mechanika, and a few other EK related items that will surface later.

It will be weird not painting large helmets and floating orbs anymore, but it is time to move on. When I look back at this project it will always put a smile on my face, as above all, it was always fun to work on. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

ZERO (Nothingness)

This piece was created to finish off and bookend the EK Series, sharing the same dimensions and side bar elements as the first piece created EK_01 Zydokomuna. But this piece is as much about beginnings as it is about the end. The shared design elements, the circular graphic elements and the title Zero, when viewed as a ring, are meant to loop back, to carry us back to the beginning of the series. The birth symbolism is clear, with the cosmonaut unfolding from the large orb, still attached with an umbilical-like hose. The title Zero, when viewed as a numerical digit, firmly places this piece at the beginning.

For me this last piece is about beginnings. As I close off this series I am now moving on to begin working on new ideas and projects.

High res. and details at my Flickr.

THE GREAT GEOMETER

This piece was inspired by an element of a diagram of the Creator's geometry conceived by English writer John Michell (1933-2009). In this diagram Michell uses simple geometry to create four images or steps, that he equates with the act of the creation of the physical universe. In Michell's view a Creator, who he calls the Great Geometer, carries out this act of creation.

I envisioned this Great Geometer as a massive geometric construct. The integrity of this creator was in question for me, as these forms represent the ideas of intolerance, judgment, and discrimination in this work. While one could ascribe these values to creator deities of certain faiths, I came to the conclusion that this creator must be a false god, like some sort of Gnostic demiurge.

Here a stream of cosmonauts, again the representation of freedom the openness, rise up towards the construct. They are armed with, and guided by, knowledge and wisdom symbolized here by the merkaba. They seek to break out of the lower world of the construct, to break out of the limiting ideas that it represents, into a higher plane of existence.

It has been a while since the last post. I've been cranking on a few things, and will have some more posts in the near future.

In other EK news, there are only two kits left in the Dystopic 2nd edition, so grab one if you want one as I don't know if there will be a third!

High res. and details at my Flickr.

DSYTOPIC 2ND EDITION

Industria Mechanika has released the 2nd edition of the Dystopic model kit. The first edition sold out several months back, so if you missed them the first time around here is your chance to pick one up. 

Apparently a portion of this second release is being picked up by a Japanese dealer, so if you want a kit, act fast before they are gone.

The kits should be all packed up and ready to ship in a few weeks.

More info here at the Industria Mechanika shop.

KUVVA

Some of my Entartete Kunst pieces are now available as wallpapers over at Kuvva. Kuvva is a curated Mac/iPhone gallery that streams art on to the desktop/home screen of your Apple devices. They have some great content in the gallery including work by Oliver Jeffers, Atelier Olschinsky and Alvaro Tapia-Hidalgo to name a few.

Check it out at their blog, and/or the Kuvva site.

THE NEXT WEB MAGAZINE

Some of my work is featured on the cover, and within the current issue of The Next Web Magazine. This online magazine is a monthly offering created by The Next Web, one of the world's largest online publications that gives an international perspective on news concerning Internet technology, business and culture. In addition to my work being featured, the hazy, cloud backgrounds from my work have been repurposed to create graphic elements, that give colour and flavour to the issue. 

The Next Web Magazine is a free publication that is available in iPhone and iPad versions from iTunes.

This is one of the better, well put together online publications I've had the pleasure of using, and is worth checking out. The current issue, titled Game, has several articles concerning gaming, gamification, and one that poses the question: Is the Gaming Console Dead?

Thanks to the guys at Kuvva and The Next Web for putting this together

FIRST CONTACT

I have several pieces in the upcoming First Contact exhibit at the Gallery Project gallery in Ann Arbor, Michigan. First Contact is a multimedia exhibit that explores our desires for encounters with alien life forms, our preparedness for them, the events themselves, and their possible consequences.

This is a large group show that features work from 29 artists across numerous different disiplines. Some amazing artists are participating in this exhibit, including H.R. Giger, Mayumi Haryoto, Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick to name a few.

The exhibit runs from February 14th thru March 24th, 2013.
Opening reception is on February 22nd, 6-9pm.

First Contact is curated by Seder Burns, Lecturer of New Media at the University of Toledo.

For more info. visit The Gallery Project.

ASCENSION (Merkaba)

Here are a few pics of latest EK piece. As one of the last images in the series, and as I wind down on this project, I find the images returning to the central theme of this work: to shed old, antiquated ideas and biases, to acquire a new outlook, and to rejuvenate oneself. 

Here our traveller emerges from the construct, shepherding his new experiences and attitudes (represented here as a merkaba), as he discards the protective confines of his helmet (his old self). His journey is far from over, but he moves on inspired, with new ideas and energy.

Higher res. and details at my Flickr.

OTHER WORLDS OPENING

Here are a few pictures of my work from the opening of the Other Worlds: The Art Of Illustration show from a few weeks back. The Dan and Gail Cannon Gallery was gracious enough to fly me down to Oregon to attend the opening. The show was great, with amazing work by the other artists involved: Stephan Martiniere, David Palumbo, Omar Ryan, Donato Giancola, Tran Nguyen, and David Meng. The opening reception was a lot of fun, and it was great to get the chance to exhibit with these artists.

Big thanks to show curator Brandon Cline-Jones (pictured with me in a few of these shots) and gallery coordinator Paula Booth for inviting me to be part of the show and for having me down for the opening. Also thanks to Kathyrn and Meagan for hanging my pieces and for all their work during the opening reception.

Other Worlds: The Art Of Illustration is on for a few more weeks, so if you find yourself in the Portland area, head over to the The Dan and Gail Cannon Gallery in Monmouth to take a look!

THIS-IS-COOL

Small feature on my work at UK based sci-fi/fantasy/horror website This-Is-Cool. The site has some nice features on a number of artists, including Faulk Haensel, Thom Tenery and Levi Hopkins to name a few. Anyways, check it out here. 

Thanks to Brian for the interest and his kind words.

WIRED - HAVILAND TUF

I have a spot illustration appearing in the tablet edition of Wired magazine this month. The illustration is a rendition of cult science fiction character Haviland Tuf. I had never heard of Haviland Tuf before doing this illustration, but it is my understanding that this character has quite a large following among science fiction fans. Haviland Tuf appeared in several short stories written in the mid 70's to the mid 80's by Game of Thones author George R. R. Martin. These short stories were then collected together into a single book called Tuf Voyaging in 1986. Due to the success of Game of Thones, and the increased interest in Martin's work, Tuf Voyaging is being republished (the first edition in 10 years).

This was a fun little gig, as I found the Haviland Tuf character pretty interesting and unconventional.  He also hasn't been visualized too many times before, so I felt free to give him my own interpretation.

Thanks to Gus Wezerek at Wired for the input and the opportunity.

CONCEPT ART WORLD

A selection of pieces from my Enartete Kunst series has been featured on Concept Art World. Go here to check out the feature.

Concept Art World is a great site that features production art and illustration by many talented artists from games, film and the art world in general. Pop over to their site and take a look if you haven't been there before.

Thanks to Louis Iracheta at Concept Art World for the interest and the opportunity.

OTHER WORLDS ART SHOW

Next week I'll be exhibiting some work at the Other Worlds: The Art of Illustration show at the Dan and Gail Cannon Gallery of Art on the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth, Oregon.

This group show will feature some amazing talent, including work by Stephan Martiniere, David Palumbo, Omar Ryan, Donato Giancola, and Tran Nguyen. This show will also feature the incredible sculptural works of David Meng.

The show will run from January 9th until February 8th, 2013, so if you happen to be in the area, go check it out.

Thanks to Paula Booth and Brandon Cline-Jones for inviting me to be part of the show!