Monday, June 29, 2009

A Fallen Demon?

Apparently, when you think things just can't get any worse, they can.

Here is another fan piece for Diablo III, a portrait of a Fallen One. These guys were one exalted demons (if there really is such a thing), performing the deeds of their leader, Azmodan. As a result of a botched plan to usurp the power from a higher demon (Diablo -yes, there is a hierarchy of demons), "they were twisted into small, ridiculous imps, in contrast to their previously powerful forms."
“The infuriated Azmodan held them responsible for the Prime Evils' continued reign, and so he left the fallen in their new bodies, where their degradation would serve to amuse him for all eternity.”

Tragic? Maybe. Fun to paint? Absolutely!



I had to paint one of these guys when I saw him. I love the buckteeth and the squished up face, the large gremlin-like ears, and the bone necklace. -and nothing says 'tude' more than the little goatee on his non-existent chin.


Monday, June 22, 2009

Uncut Diamonds



This last month, I had the opportunity to do a book cover for a local publishing company:

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Zombies: Is there a passive solution?



It's funny how classic bad guys (ie. zombies, skeletons, mummies, etc . . .) continue to crop up in popular entertainment.

They seem to be the staple monsters to fall back on, no matter how old the story is.
However, there's just no reasoning with them. They don't stop. They don't think. Usually they're just puppets driven by some diabolical mastermind. So they always get it in the end -usually violently. Poor guys. . .

Here's another fan piece I did in anticipation of Blizzard's Diablo III game. Wizards are one of the new character classes with which to put evil back in it's place.

There are also a few development 'teaser' images posted over in diii.net's forum.


Monday, June 8, 2009

" . . .pheh, . . . Did you just say . . . Magic Missile?"





-At least this is how I imagine Gandalf would react to someone using the term.

I had this image in my mind for the last week and finally had to just sit down and paint him.

Fantasy never really captured my imagine when I was younger. It seemed too silly. Thankfully, The Lord of the Rings movies came along and presented fantasy in a way I found irresistible.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

I saw a boring movie last week . . .

. . .Then I got bored and decided to paint a picture of one of the boring characters.





Seriously though, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was great! Go see it!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Tales from the Crib . . .

Well, okay, I was a little bit older . . .

-Here’s a couple of masterpieces painted up by yours truly when he was about 4 or 5 years old.

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If you can make out the words in the bubble, it says, “I will see a man and I will eat a man.”

Without a doubt, this demonstrates my understanding of monsters and their repulsive mindsets at a very early age. Monsters were raw green, teeth and horns were always venomous yellow, appendages ended in razor sharp claws, -and who can contest with that sinister orange face?
(. . .shudder -it’s like a train wreck, I can’t look away!)


My imagination and ambition plainly were not confined to the borders of the paper as demonstrated by the taped edge on the left. The tender, warped mind I had as a child clearly suffered no boundaries –especially when it came to scribbling the horrific, but immeasurably important, beastie’s dialogue.
Note too, the order of page elements, which follow traditional western sequential art storytelling. The viewer first gets sucked in while trying to decipher the dialogue on the left, and then is horror-struck at the awful vision of imminent doom on the right.
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This second specimen is proof enough of my early aspirations to become a Concept Artist later in life. Long before Pixar’s "Cars", my tanks already had faces and personalities (and apparently enjoyed their jobs, too). I bet this guy’s happy because his long snoot allows him to ‘rain thunder’ from a most secure distance away.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Central Park? What's that? . . .

Two years ago, I worked for Waterford Research Institute, an educational software company.

We were involved in a wide variety of multimedia programs, games, activities, animations, videos -you name it, -which centered around teaching young kids reading, math and science skills.
The latest project we were working on, I never got to see to completion. It followed the adventures of a young squirrel and his friends in Central Park. A little over a month ago, I got wind that it had entered into it's Beta stage.

Kudos to everyone who had a hand in the development, and current production, of this project. Thanks for your friendship, creativity, and the fun years together.



More info and videos can be found here.

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Waterford Research Institute is developing Central Park, a new online preschool product for the youngest learners, and we're inviting you to help us make it even better.
Together, you and your 2-year-old can explore letters, numbers, nursery rhymes, shapes, colors, and more. Then tell us about your child's experience and receive access to the software for an additional six months for free.

To learn more and to sign up, visit: https://beta.waterford.org
Last day to sign up is April 30th!

To learn more about Waterford and our mission, visit: http://www.waterford.org
Country:
United States

Website: https://beta.waterford.org/

How would you define an artist? What is your definition of art?

Drew Struzan as interviewed on TheRaider.net, August 15, 2002

Definition? Hum……….That’s like trying to translate music into written notation. It’s never really the same thing is it? To try to define in words what is a visual experience does an injustice to the power of the medium.

There was a time in history when the artist could easily define art for themselves, for the artistic community and for others. This all went haywire at the onslaught of WWI when so many of the values of mankind were destroyed. Art took a left turn away from wanting to improve people’s lives and instead wanted to shock them, disturb them and generally put us off. Would you be friends with someone who acted like that?
So Modern Art lost their historical audience. Only those “educated” to appreciate this thinking collects art now; only critics can tell what is good and valuable. With all the rhetoric needed to explain the art, who can define it? Who would listen if we used the historic definitions, the old fashioned and outdated and goals of the artist today? We, I, would sound pretty stupid and old fashioned to preach it today, but I do. Beauty, peace, truth and love. . . . This is why I make my paintings: to improve the quality of people’s lives. To reflect the creation, as Michelangelo said, is the best we can do. This is a real gift to humanity. This is something of real quality and value to others. Not difficult to understand because it is natural to our souls. Everyone appreciates the value of love, peace, truth and beauty but our society seems to devalue the whole reason for human existence by demeaning these values. This is my goal, my values and my definition of art.