Sunday, October 31, 2010

Detroit




I recently took a trip to Detroit and Pittsburgh for a weekend with my best friend. A lot of people asked me what the point was. Without trying to sound overly sappy I've told people we were looking for some signs of hope in Detroit, and I'm a Steelers fan from birth, so Pittsburgh was sort of a pilgrimage.

But back to Detroit. Yes there were crumbling buildings, and yes there were some areas that felt dangerous, but to be honest I've felt more threatened in parts of the Bay Area. Mostly the city seems empty. At least during the day...at night the place comes alive with friendly folks, party people, and great eats. The city has an old school charm that I've never seen before.

We met lots of different types, but the most memorable was a designer for Ford. We met him in a cigar bar downtown and struck up a conversation since we spent most of the day touring the Ford factory and Henry Ford museum. The designer was very optimistic, yet realistic. His most memorable quote was, "When the country has a cold, Detroit has pneumonia." The man was born and raised there and determined to make it better. We left inspired.

We also left on a mission. Everyone at the bar insisted that we have a "coney" at either Lafayette or American Coneys. They were the most popular hot dog joints in town and they literally shared a wall. Naturally the only fair thing to do was try one from each.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Sym-Bionic Titan



I love the work of Genndy Tartakovsky. I have watched his shows since Dexter's Lab. Samurai Jack was the first show since Batman the Animated Series that I watched religiously. Needless to say, I was super excited to hear that Tartakovsky has a new show called Sym-Bionic Titan. I found the initial episodes to be fun, but not as masterful as Samurai Jack and was mildly disappointed. BUT! I stuck with the show and found every episode improved. The episode "Phantom Ninja" really set the bar high. The latest episode, "Shaman of Fear" brought the awesome I was hoping for. Check it out on Cartoon Network or download it on iTunes! I hope the show does well. I don't want it to get cancelled since it's starting to really kick ass.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Rift: Planes of Telara Lunch with the Art Director



My Art Director for Rift responded to questions posed by the community in the rift forums. There were a few pictures to go along with his answers. One of them was a grey zbrush model of a creepy monster I designed. I never saw the hi-res model until now. The people responsible for the model did a pretty good job staying faithful to the concept. It looks pretty spot on even if it's a bit stiff in that t-pose. Monsters are tons of fun to design!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Twins



I was driving down El Camino Real on the way to the store the other day and I saw a man walking on the side of the road. I said to my wife, "hey, look at that guy! He looks straight out of 1992!" And he did. I had visions of Point Break and Vanilla Ice. My mind started to wander and I thought about a future world with a 90's flair. These two guys are color studies for two characters I'm working on who are assassin brothers. One is a surfer who had to rebuild his arm after an accident and the other drives a very fast car. Both of them do hits for powerful tech companies looking to silence whistleblowers. More on this later...on to the Martian Chronicles piece lingering in my sketchbook.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Ylla Thumbnail



The second story in The Martian Chronicles is "Ylla." The story is a mix of optimistic dreaming, loneliness, and heartbroken sadness. This is a little thumbnail sketch where I jotted down the idea for an illustration that could show Ylla's longing and at the same time hint at the darkness that is her husband.

The last illustration took way too long...I have many more to go, so I'm searching for a speedier result. Perhaps I'll set a strict time limit and let the chips fall where they may. I still have to properly design the look of the Martians...busy busy busy :)