четверг, 20 сентября 2012 г.

Dinotopia: Art, Science and Imagination at Lyman Allyn Art Museum in CT

Dinotopia: Art, Science and Imagination at Lyman Allyn Art Museum in CT:
James Gurney, Dinotopia: Art, Science and Imagination

Long time readers of Lines and Colors will not be surprised that I am an admirer the work of illustrator/writer/painter James Gurney. (Let’s see.. beautifully painted illustration with influences from great 19th century artists and Golden Age illustrators, fantastical adventure stories with lushly imaginative settings, Hudson River valley landscape painting and plein air painting, and of course.. terrific dinosaurs — what’s not to like?)
I was pleased back in 2010 to have the opportunity to see an exhibition titled Dinotopia: The Art of James Gurney at the Delaware Art Museum at which I got to see many examples of his original artwork.
In addition to surprises in scale, his work reveals characteristics up close that are not always evident in reproduction, much of it, for example, is surprisingly painterly. Another aspect that comes through in person even more than in reproduction is the degree to which Gurney’s experience as a plein air landscape painter informs and enlivens his fantasy art.
Gurney also works from life in the form of models for his compositions, and a new exhibition that opens at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in new London, Connecticut this Saturday, September 22nd, Dinotopia: Art, Science and Imagination, showcases not only Gurney’s original art for the well known series of illustrated adventure stories, but delves into the creation of the works and the science behind them, with sketches, preliminary versions, maquettes, photos used for reference and plein air studies.
This show is more extensive than the already large show I saw in 2012. This one features 135 works, most of which are not the same as in the previous exhibitions and much of which has not been on public display before.
Unfortunately, the museum’s website, as is usually the case with museum websites, it tragically clueless about generating any visual excitement about the show.
Fortunately, as is also often the case, artist and blogger Matthew D. Innis steps in and does a superb job of just that, with and extensive post on his blog Underpaintings that includes links to much larger versions of many of the images I’ve shown above.
You can also see more of Gurney’s work on the Dinotopia website, as well as Gurney’s own website and his blog, Gurney Journey.
The latter has developed over the years into one of the best go-to destinations for art instruction on the web, much of which has been condensed into two superb art instruction volumes (so far), Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (links are to my reviews, the books can be purchased directly from Gurney’s shop).
Two volumes of Gurney’s classic Dinotopia adventure stories have been rereleased in deluxe, expanded 20th Anniversary editions by Dover Publications’ Calla Editions imprint. I reviewed the Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time 20th Anniversary Edition in 2011.
The new Dinotopia: The World Beneath 20th Anniversary Edition has just been released this month and I was delighted to receive a review copy from Dover.
James Gurney, Dinotopia: Art, Science and Imagination

In themselves, these Dinotopia editions have reframed my impression of Dover books, which used to be “terrific because they were inexpensive art books with fairly decent reproductions”. Now they are making inexpensive art books with very good reproductions.
The new version of The World Beneath, in fact, is better looking than my copy of the original edition — the colors richer and more vibrant, and, according to Gurney, truer to the original artwork.
If you’re not familiar with these books, they are wonderful adventure stories, profusely illustrated (I love that phrase) with Gurney’s lush and imaginative portrayals of a fantastical city atop a waterfall (which served as an uncredited inspiration for the the city in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace), adventure heroes, engaging steampunkery and, of course, a cornucopia of dinosaurs.
The new edition, in some ways analogous to the current exhibit a the Lyman Allyen, features and additional 25+ pages of behind the scenes drawings, painted sketches, photo reference, maquettes, and other goodies. It also features an introduction by noted paleontologist Dr. Michael Brett-Surman.
I will take some consolation in this edition for the fact that I don’t know if my schedule this season will let me get up to the exhibition, though it runs to February 2, 2013. For those who can make it, you’re in for a treat.

hello-ai:strawberry-soymilk:defiancy:emilyyquachh:francis...

hello-ai:

strawberry-soymilk:

defiancy:

emilyyquachh:

francis...
:









hello-ai:
strawberry-soymilk:
defiancy:
emilyyquachh:
francisboba:
devoureth:
Okay, so I allow myself to buy one moderately priced item every 4 months as a “good behavior reward.” And since I was such a bamf this summer, I got myself a mochi machine. A MOCHI MACHINE, Y’ALL. But then I realized no one except my Asian friends had any idea what I was raving about, so, this gifset was born. [x]
oh. fuck….
I WANT ONE. 
JESUS
omg
my mothers friend has one of these.

понедельник, 17 сентября 2012 г.

Aaron Horkey

Aaron Horkey:
Aaron Horkey

Aaron Horkey is an artist and designer from Minnesota whose intricate, richly detailed images can be both beautiful and disconcerting simultaneously.
Horkey has designed and illustrated posters, album covers, skateboard graphics, magazine covers and clothing designs as well as creating graphics for reproduction as limited edition prints.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have a dedicated web presence, and his publishing company, Dead Arts Publishing, ceased production in the time since I put him on my list for a post and finally getting to writing one.
He is represented by Jacky Winter Group, and there is a gallery of his work on their site, but the images are frustratingly small, particularly given the sometimes astonishing level of detail in Horkey’s images.
One of the best sources I’ve found for his work is a series of posts on the Shrieking Tree blog, including a two part interview (and here). These include large (sometimes quite large) images of Horkey’s intricate drawings, often in their preliminary form before color is applied, that give you a much better idea of the nature of his work.
You can also find some of Horkeys posters reproduced reasonably large on OMG Posters, and a selection on Ufunk.
Horkey’s designs often include highly stylized lettering and design elements, on which as much attention is lavished as the imagery, sometimes more. The words are intricate in a way that reminds me of 1960′s psychedelic poster art, with a similar aesthetic of “if you can’t read it, you don’t get it”.

вторник, 11 сентября 2012 г.

Smaug

Smaug:
by Arnie Fenner


This Christmas Peter Jackson will release the first of a trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. (Yes, yes, it's a short book so how there are going to be three movies...we'll all have to wait and see.) Even though there are trolls and Gollum and shapeshifters and dwarves and elves, the central antagonist in the story is Smaug the Golden, Smaug the Magnificent... Smaug the Dragon.



Almost certainly inspired by the unnamed dragon—"old night-scather—who kills Beowulf, Smaug is similarly reptilian, winged, breathes fire, and jealously guards his horde of stolen treasure inside the Lonely Mountain. And just as Smaug had his roots in the Beowulf poem and other beasts from classic mythology, he in turn certainly inspired the legion of dragon villains that followed in innumerable D&D adventures and films like Disney's Dragonslayer (which itself has become the template for most contemporary filmic mosnsters).



Smaug has been the subject of numerous paintings over the years, including some outstanding examples by some of my fellow Muddies. A few examples follow.







Above: Tolkien's own painting of Smaug's coversation with an invisible Bilbo.







Above: Tim Kirk was the first artist to illustrate a Tolkien calendar; originally painted as his Masters Thesis, all of the art was purchased by Ian and Betty Ballantine for both the calendar (which sold over 250,000 copies) and for their private collection. 







Above: Greg and Tim Hildbrandt brought a realist's style to Tolkien's world with their multople calendars. This painting of Smaug was one of their best.







Above: "The Secret Thief" was one in a series of Tolkien-inspired posters Stephen Hickman painted for Christopher Enterprises in the 1970s. 







Above: Smaug was depicted a bit more mammalian with fur and a wolfish head in the Rankin-Bass animated adaptation of The Hobbit.







Above: Alan Lee's cover the illustrated edition of the novel is stunning—which is hardly a surprise.







Above: Likewise, Donato Giancola's is simply luminous—though I'd very much like to see him take his drawing of Samug, viewed from below, flying over Esgaroth to finish as an oil. I'm sure the results would be equally amazing.







Above: Similarly, John Howe's Samug sleeps atop a mound of gold that positively glows, but the coiled neck and framing wings give the painting an appropriate hint of the dragon's evil and menace. Weta turned this into an equally lovely statue.







Above: Ah, Justin Gerard. He mixes watercolors with digital refinements seamlessly to create truly astonishing works. Bilbo's tiny figure drives home the danger the hobbit is facing.







Above: Finally, an experimental graphic treatment by Shane, who describes himself as "the only Award Winning Illustrator you've never heard of." True or not, I really like this.

Как однако не просто. ХУДОЖНИК - РИСУЙ ИЗ ГОЛОВЫ!

The Dragon Empress:
-By Dan dos Santos




This past week I was extremely honored to be the Artist Guest of Honor at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA.



The AGoH has several responsibilities, including putting up a large retrospective of work, giving lectures, and most importantly, creating an original work of art for the cover of the Program Booklet. This piece of art is also used to make a limited run Lithograph, commemorating that year's convention.



The Artist can paint anything they want for the poster, provided it is 'dragon themed'.



Sadly, when deciding what to paint, one of my largest concerns was time. The commission is unpaid, so as tempting as it may be, it's financially unfeasible to spend a month painting a really elaborate picture. Instead, I needed to think of something I could paint quickly. I decided a portrait was my fastest option. I'm fairly facile at painting faces, and I knew I could do a good job in just a few day's time.



A dragon themed portrait immediately conjured up images of 'Dragon Royalty' and elaborate headdresses. I actually went so far as to shoot and compile reference for an alternate sketch, before deciding I didn't like it.





Above: My initial sketch, and my reference comp. The reference is composed of a mannequin head, a kneaded eraser, and my Wife's torso.



I kept a lot of the initial concept, but ultimately I decided to go with a more organic take on the portrait. I decided to make the woman herself a more obvious blend of human and dragon, rather than just a woman wearing a dragon themed headdress.



Like I mentioned, time was a concern, so I actually did the majority of work as a demo at this year's Illustration Master Class. Not only did I sketch out the concepts there, but I also photographed one of the attending students as my model. A great big "Thank You!" to the beautiful, and amazingly talented, Reiko Murakami, who took time away from her own work to pose for me.



After revising my sketch (thanks to some fantastic input from Iain McCaig, and the rest of the IMC faculty), I transferred it to the board, and jumped right into the painting.





Above: A progress shot taken during the Illustration Master Class. Note the reference comp to my left. It is assembled from photos of models, sketches, and sculptures.



I fell short of finishing the painting at the IMC by a day's work, so I put the finishing touches on it once I got back to my home studio.



Once completed, I photographed the piece and emailed the final scan to the Art Director of Dragon*Con. Their team of professionals did a wonderful job designing the Program Booklet, and Lithograph around my image. They unveiled these the night before the con, and I am happy to say the image received fantastic reviews from the attendees.





I will be offering these posters for sale next week on my website's store page. Until then, anyone who purchases one of my 'White Trash Zombie' prints will receive a 'Dragon Empress' print absolutely FREE (while supplies last).

An abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

An abandoned Japanese karaoke bar:
The very noticeable silence is a key ingredient of the whole haikyo/urban exploration experience — even more so when it’s a building more usually associated with music and laughter. A factor that makes noiseless and perfectly preserved schools especially atmospheric, and the same goes for bars with their unfinished drinks and hazy memories.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

Tucked away in the corner of a long-closed and sprawling spa (photos of which I’ll post in the future), this tiny bar had more than enough silence to make up for its meagre size. And remnants of possibly the last drink to be poured there almost 22 years ago to the day, hint at what the atmosphere may have been like.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

Then there are the empty request forms for karaoke, the bar’s bread and butter.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

This enka track by Kanmuri Jiro being one of the choices.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

A cover version of which can be heard here, which gives a fair idea of the sounds the place once reverberated to, as well as the kind of customers that used to congregate there.


In fact the names of a few them are still knowable due to the system of ‘bottle keep’. The varying degree of alcohol left in each bottle perhaps suggesting how regular a visitor they once were.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

Although it’s clear that some had more taste, or at least money, than others.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

But that was many moons ago, and where they all sat and sang is silent. Ironically now a perfect compliment to enka, with its themes of love, loss and loneliness.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

For the staff, however, it wasn’t just friendships to say goodbye to, but also a job, and this notebook behind the bar with its doodled おわり (the end) seems especially poignant.

abandoned Japanese karaoke bar

воскресенье, 9 сентября 2012 г.

Unblacking the Blackest Man

Unblacking the Blackest Man:
I assume everyone knows who Lucky Diamond Rich is, but if not, let me pop up a picture from one of his very first appearances on ModBlog, back in 2006, when he was already widely recognized as the world’s most tattooed man — and easily history’s most tattooed man as well.
Not only is Rick tattooed black-head-to-toe, but he’s been fully tattooed something like seven or eight times over. The white lines in the picture above are not untattooed areas. They are white ink tattoos done over top of the field of black. As these would fade slightly over time and Rick set his sights on new a body, changes would be made, sometimes with piercing or scarification, but usually with tattoos. I have made some recent posts about tattooing white ink over black and even tattooing full color over solid blackwork, and I think the time has come to update Rick’s latest stage of evolution.
Tattooist Brad Bako has been covering up Rich’s many layers of blackwork (and more) with a new field of biomech, starting with his arm. The progress has been quite remarkable, to such an extent that many people would think it wasn’t even possible. I really want to emphasize that this is not just being done over black, but over a mottled skin filled with many layers of black, some colour, some white, and probably some residual scarring as well. What Brad Bako has achieved is quite remarkable.
luckyrich-1
luckyrich-2
In addition to the bright sleeve work, they are also working on his head, transforming his full-black zen demon sort of appearance into a more traditional biomechanical tattoo icon.
luckyrich-3
So when people ask you the question, “what will you do when you run out of skin”, now you know that you’ll never run out of skin because you can recycle your tattoos. On a side note, I have to admit that it’s rather amazing that 10,000+ years into tattooing that we’re still figuring new stuff out every year.

[Noticias animación] Ya disponibles las primeras imágenes de lo próximo de Dreamworks Animation: 'The Croods'

[Noticias animación] Ya disponibles las primeras imágenes de lo próximo de Dreamworks Animation: 'The Croods':

Pues lo dicho, ya podemos ver un poquito más del próximo proyecto de Dreamworks que nos llegará tras 'El origen de los guardianes'.

La historia gira en torno a
Grug, quien guiará a su mujer, hijos e intratable suegra a través de un entorno espectacular, lleno de criaturas asombrosas, con el fin de encontrar una nueva cueva y hacerla su hogar. Por el camino se encontrarán a Guy, un recién llegado muy creativo e ingenioso que toma todo tipo de riesgos...


Por el momento, el estreno está fijado para el 22 de marzo de 2013, tanto en España como en EEUU.