Halo Wars concept ships from Ensemble studios

Concept art from Halo Wars by Ensemble Studios via KOTAKU.

















Keywords: concept ship vehicle illustration art from halo wars by ensemble studios exclusive xbox 360 title the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console microsoft

The Movie Bolt

Last night we watched the kid's movie "Bolt". It was a fun little animated romp. They took the classic story of animals banding together on a long journey home and somehow managed to make it fresh and contemporary. If you like dogs and you like animation this is a must see. Oh, and there is a very fun hamster character in it, along with a kitten named Mittens.

Virtual Life and Art on the Web

Here are some stunning highlights from the New York Times Magazine article, "Portrait of an Artist as an Avatar" by Sara Corbett:

His use of voluptuous colors, unbalanced composition and busy, layered images suggests both the bursting, overcapitalized nature of information technology today as well as the artist's deeper faith in the authenticity of the human relationships behind it.

People who spend a lot of time in virtual worlds will tell you that, despite the veneer of escape and anonymity provided by an avatar, virtual experiences nonetheless provoke emotions that are deeply felt, which may explain my mortification at losing my virtual hair . . .

Filthy operates as a kind of marketing magnet, a cult personality with a product behind it, and in this case, the product--Jeffery Lipsky's art--acts as a real-world bridge between a humdrum everyday existence and a more fantastical virtual life.

As the Internet continues to speed up and become more personalized, as our screen experiences become more immersive, some experts predict that the whole idea of having an avatar may soon seem less weird and more in keeping with all the other ways we already represent ourselves digitally, through our email addresses and blogs, our Facebook, Flickr and Twitter accounts.

"Art is moving toward the participatory," the sculpture's creator, a San Francisco artist named DC Spensley (who in Second Life goes by Dan-Coyote) told me when I called him later, saying that he creates only virtual art, despite the fact it is impossible to make a living at it.

Is it possible that by simulating an edgy, superconfident art star that you, too, could become one?

Scientists at Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab have found that avatars, with their artificial beauty and fantastical lifestyles, may represent more than wishful thinking on the part of the real people who create them; they may actually help bring those wishes to bear. People trying to lose weight are more apt to accomplish their goals when they spend time using a thin avatar. Someone looking to become more self-confident improves more quickly in real life after adopting an avatar that is good looking. Whatever their shortcomings, virtual worlds are insistently, even defiantly, aspirational places.



My Thoughts: Thank you Sara Corbett. I love that last line. This is a fantastic, beautifully written article and I invite everyone to visit the link that I will include at the bottom of this page.

But first I would like to share some of my thoughts on the emergence of avatars and virtual worlds on the Internet.

As a writer, I've always felt at home with the notion of an alter ego. And what is an avatar but an alter-ego taken to the level of virtual reality?

My life in many ways reflects the blurring of lines between fantasy, illusion and the real world. As a former drug addict, I deliberately played out some dangerous and hallucinogenic experiments with my reality. (See my blog novel that takes place in Vegas or the graphic novel rendition of it.)

But now that I am sober, I still cannot escape the lust I have for imaginary worlds. I read compulsively and often find that the solace of books and reading in general allows one to exist in the half-light of dreams. Also, for about three years, I have been cultivating an avatar of sorts named Lethe Bashar. I mention Lethe frequently in my posts because he is the main character of my novel and my Facebook page says "Lethe Bashar" instead of my real name.

And what is the purpose of all this?

Perhaps the blurring of lines between our conventional identities and our fictional (or virtual ones) is not so foreign to our experience of being human after all. Why not? Our identities are not fixed although we sometimes pretend they are. We have this desire as humans to experiment with our identities. The very notion of possibility, of becoming something more than what you are now, is the basis for this drive.

Sara Corbett, with her precise and creative language, probes the latest manifestations of virtual life and art on the Web. Perhaps the new social technologies are allowing us to exhibit our true selves, which, I might suggest, is the adoption of a "false self".

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN NY TIMES MAGAZINE HERE

ARTWORK BY MARGUERITE SAUVAGE

Peter Saga concept ship

Peter Saga's Defender.



Keywords: concept art interpretation of lee crystal's defender from the pirates of sol trilogy by peter saga concept ship design

Lighting Candles For Sweet Boys & Girls

"Our Atticus"

Sunday marked our 4rth year without our boy Atticus. He was Dan's soul-dog and we still grieve for him. We lit a few candles this weekend for him and for the many other pets we saw pass this last month. Bunky, Kylie & Skippy are all romping around with our boy at the rainbow bridge. I have also worked on several memorials this month. Rudee & Fritz, my last 2 kitty projects were both memorials.

Our heart also goes out to Mark & Lori. This weekend they wrote me a sweet and sad letter about Pino. Their little poodle-boy passed on March 8th, just 19 days shy of his 14rth Birthday. We had created artwork for them awhile back, I think it was early 08. I am so glad we had the opportunity to work with them while their pretty boy was here with them. Mark's letter brought tears to my eyes. I never know what to say to people when they loose a fur-kid and in reality there is no perfect thing to say.

"Sweet Pino"

Dealing With Pet Grief:
There are a gazillion ways to handle pet grief and everyone will have a different coping method that will work for them. I can share what worked for us when Atticus passed. When our boy left us it was a lovely spring month and we spent every single weekend we had out in the backyard working together on flower beds and new gardens. Even though we still had our girl Nessie the house seemed strange and quite. Being outside with our hands in the dirt seemed like the best way to cope with the loss of our little earth dog. The sunshine was good for us and I know it was good for Nessie. Neither of us said hey let's work outside today we will feel better, but it turned out to be the best medicine we could find.
Creating new routines:
The times in our lives where we miss them the most are really the common moments, the small daily routines and tiny rituals that our pets were a part of. I think when a loss is new and your heart is so very raw it is important to create some new routines that will move you forward a bit. You should be going to new parks, planting, reading, writing, whatever you need to do to find yourself out in the world living life. We often found ourselves thinking "Atticus would love this place". The goal is not to forget, but to keep living and keep loving.
Respecting everyone's loss:
The other thing I would suggest is that it is very important to respect and try to understand a partner's grieving process. No two people will process the stages of grief on the same time table. People can try to help each other and yet ultimately our grief is our own. Don't forget to be sensitive and aware of how your other pets are handling loss. Our little Scottie girl Nessie was so heartbroken that she did not even get excited about biscuit treats, and she was a real chow hound. We adopted Ajax before we were emotionally ready because we knew that our little Nessie was ready, and she adored her one year old puppy boy. He brought her out of a deep depression.

Today I am wishing peace and comfort to everyone that is coping with loss. I welcome any comments that may offer additional perspectives and approaches. Few of us are experts on grief, however I know that many of you have been down that road so please share if you can.

National Treasure Papercraft - Masonic Medallion

This is my papercraft rendition of a Masonic medallion that appears in the 2004 Disney movie, National Treasure. In the movie, American treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates follows a series of cryptic clues to find an ancient treasure whose history is intertwined with the history of both Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. In the movie trailer, the medallion can be glimpsed briefly first in the hand of Christopher Columbus and then later in the hand of one of the Knights Templar:

Having only two pieces, this 1:1 scale papercraft is embarrassingly simple, but it is sure to be appreciated by fans of the movie like myself. Special thanks once again to Indy Magnoli for his help with this model. Here is the full template information:

Scale: 1:1

Finished Size: 3.5" (8.9 cm) diameter

Number of sheets: 1

Number of parts: 2

Difficulty: 1/5

Download: Here

Rudee The Calico Kitty

"Rudee" ( See All Proofs)
11 x 14 canvas

This sweet kitty was a joy to work on. I loved that wonderful draping arm, a posture that was present on many of the photos that my client showed me. They went with the top sample, and I have seen that ground printed up and it always looks so lovely. Sometimes background patterns can seem distracting however in this case I think the composition really is served well by having something pretty and soft going on at the left. Rudee's eyes are large and they draw you in, so there is no way that you are not going to be able to connect with this pretty kitty. The blue and orange play off of each other well I think.

From Rudee's Mom:

" I simply LOVE it! I have to tell you, just looking at it has brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful picture of my Rudee, it is something I was always cherish and hold very dear to my heart".

Mr. Bean's Mini Papercraft

Mr. Bean was a British Comedy television series popular in the early 90's. The show was characterized by oddball, slapstick humor which sometimes involved Mr. Bean's car, a 1977 Mark IV Mini. The Mark IV Mini should not be confused with the larger "New Mini" which is currently being produced by BMW who now owns the brand. This single piece papercraft (along with nine other Mini paper models) is offered by the Vancouver Mini Club of British Columbia, Canada at their website here. To be honest, I had some difficulties getting the model to fit together well, so if you decide make one for yourself be aware that some "nipping and tucking" of the template may be required for a good looking end result.

New Kitty Art

"Fritz" ( see all proofs)
18 x 24 canvas

This is Mr. Fritz. He is one of 2 kitty cat projects that I have in-house this month. Tomorrow I will post Rudee the Calico. I have a few tamer color options on Fritz however I really enjoyed bumping his orange to an almost electric level.

I love cats and miss having kitties. I had 2 black cats for over half my adult life, their names were Deimos and Phobos. My boy was Deimos and Phobos actually became Phoebe so she could better learn her name. I named them after the moons of Mars.

I will probably be off most of the weekend although we might be meeting with one client for a project pick-up. You guys have a great weekend and get outside with your dogs! Or stay inside with your cats ...but relax and have fun!

Concept ship by Andrey Gusev

Lots of nice car design artwork on the carcreator blog.



Keywords: concept plane ship design by andrey gusev working in the automotive car vehicle design industry in nagoya aichi prefecture japan

Pug Tail

"Pug Tail ... Emmitt is a very good boy"
18 x 11 on stretched canvas

This digital collage if of Mr. Emmitt. He has the curliest tail on the planet. He is part of my Catch you on the Flip Side Project. He has been listed in my Etsy shop, but his Mom Melissa has 1st dibs. A smaller and less expensive 9 x 5.5 paper print is also available by request.

I am really enjoying these fun experiments. Even the size formats are different and unknown to me when I start. Melissa sent me just the tail ( shown below) and I knew I wanted to do something that would include a full body silhouette, but I was not sure how it would come together until I started playing. Next week I have 2 Jack Russells to work on and soon I hope to get to a very cute row of little puppy butts.

Guillaume Menuel concept ships

gmgallery.blogspot






Keywords: portfolio de guillaume menuel french concept artist character design illustration wrecked ship in city next to bridge scale

From Sketch To Vector Art

Vector Art Blog is always watching. And we never miss the chance to spread the word about online publications that we love."Locus Of Control" Blog just posted a great digital illustration tutorial that explains the process of creating sharp vector artwork from a sketch using a scanner and the Live Trace feature in Illustrator...

"When you scan a sketch into your computer, the lines are often light and have fuzzy edges. Resizing the scan blurs or pixelates the image. You can use Photoshop to darken the lines, but they’re still not going to be as clean and sharp as if you vectored the sketch.Vectoring your scanned sketches is great for comics or other artwork, and is especially handy in the process of logo design." Full Tutorial

Damask Flower Pattern for Adobe Illustrator

A free seampless pattern in Damask style from Grunii. The pattern is fully customiable with Adobe Illustrator.

You can find great damask color schemes using the search engine under the palettes section at Colourlovers.com...

To use, first you have to expand the ZIP archive. Download

Meet Rita

"Rita"

This pretty little King Charles Spaniel belongs to Dr. Shawn Messonier. I was thrilled when Dr. Messonier contacted us about a possible radio interview this spring. You have to check out the Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats by Dr. Messonier. I have a copy myself and I can't say enough about what a good reference guide it is. So many of us want to try a more natural approach to caring for our fur-kids and this book gives you the information you need in order to make the choices that will work for you and your lifestyle. You need this book!

Jenny Holzer - The Meaning of Everything

There once was a man who wanted to discover the meaning of everything.
He wandered across the world, searching for someone wise enough to explain to him what all this was about, what was the meaning of everything.
After many years, in a distant land, he was told there is one Sage who knows the secret, the meaning of everything.
So he traveled to the huge house where the old Sage lived. He knocked at the door, but there was no answer. He tried opening the large wooden door. It was not locked. The traveler entered the house, to find himself in an enormous hall with walls covered in shelves with books. He walked further in and entered a large room also filled with books. He moved to the adjacent room - and discovered that there, too, shelves were everywhere, and on them - only books. He approached one of the shelves and picked up a random volume. He opened it, and inside it, he saw the letter N, filling the pages. The pages of the book were all but rows of NNNNNN...
He picked up another book, opened it - the book was filled with TTTTTTT.... He tried another one, and another, and each of them was filled with but one letter.
Flabbergasted, the traveler wanted to sit down, when the Sage came in. He was an old, grey-bearded man, just as the fairy-tales have it.
"Sir, said the traveler, I don't understand, there is... I don't understand!"
The Sage smiled, and replied, "Now all you need to do is connect the letters."






Although text is at the heart of her work, Jenny Holzer is not really a writer. She is rather a reader. Her work is not so much about text, as it is about giving body to text. But, as the authorship becomes blundered (Holzer signs the work, but none of the texts that compose it), writing is always re-writing, and thus, it is fundamentally about the embodyment reading.



Somewhat following the path suggested by the likes of Barthes, Baudrillard or Foucault, Holzer is a semiotic DJ, reconfiguring and re-shaping the meaning that seems to have been there long ago. If her own words appear in the works, they seem to remain transparent, undistinguishable from external sources. (Remember the famous line, "Protect Me From What I Want"? Can you say if it was Holzer's own sentence, or an appropriation of someone else's?).

In one of her recent projects included in the Protect Protect exhibition (read an insightful review here), Holzer takes on Iraq and the question of torture. In a work showcased at the TimeOut NY site, she reproduces original, recently declassified documents of the US Army. What is the artist's role? How different is it from strictly political work?



Yes, this is Warholesque. And yes, it is somewhat controversial to have an artist of Holzer's renown decide that this was the right approach and means for this specific subject.
One excellent and cruel review puts it bluntly: if it is about raising our awareness, Warhol's works were good proof that in terms of political awareness this can hardly be a success.
But we can see it from another angle: contrary to Warhol, Holzer gained her reputation on working on questions of morality, and contrary to what she herself claims, values have always been a crucial issue in her work. Thus, as her work can already be seen from this engaged perspective, can't we interpret the careful selection of documents as a sort of curatorial answer precisely to warholian esthetic relativism?

Yet the question remains: do we really need this reader? Do we not see the same documents elsewhere? Our performativity-sensitive eyes are accustomed to seeing the terrific game of language that, say, the map of the Iraq invasion represents. What does purple paint and canvas change in this reading, for us, today?
(image on top from here)

House of Chtulhu Papertoy

The last instruction on the template for this "House of Cthulhu" papertoy reads "Open the door a crack and stand back!" Designed by Jeffery Dixon to appear as if the mighty Cthulhu has squeezed himself into a tiny shack, building this toy was good creepy fun. The best part was it only about took ten minutes to put together. This papertoy was created in 2008 and is available for download here.

Vector Cameras

A collection of 3 cartoonic camera illustrations from Chapolito.com. The set is in EPS file format, editable with most major vector editors (Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Inkscape, etc.)...

Free for personal and commercial use. Download

*The pack contains a bonus illustration ;)

Love and Friendship in the Age of Facebook

I’ve been on Facebook for a little over five years. I joined when you had to be part of a college network, although at the time I was out of college. I joined the nearest college network to my town, Illinois State University, using a friend’s email address. My friend happened to be a professor and graduate student at ISU.

For a couple days, I seemed to enjoy the privilege of having access to thousands of coed profiles. I was single, living in a college town, and the technology of Facebook lured me into the fantasy that if I could chat with these college girls then maybe they would want to go out with me. After all, I wasn’t that old—just four years out of college.

But this misuse of social technology was bound to catch up with me. In less than two weeks, some of the students in my friend’s class were asking him why he was “poking” them, a feature on Facebook that invites the multiple connotations of flirting, getting someone’s attention, and an overt sexual act.

More than once, my friend blushed in front of his freshman classes. “You’re on Facebook,” his students announced. “What? No, I’m not,” he replied.

Suffice it to say I’d been conducting my nefarious social mingling under his real name. That night he gave me direct instructions to take his name off the profile. He said he could lose his job if the English faculty thought he was flirting with undergraduates.

After a couple pointless dates with college coeds, I gave up the pathetic and futile quest to find love (or something like it) over Facebook’s channels. I went on a Facebook hiatus and lived in the real world, oblivious to the improvements and expansions in social technology. Meanwhile Facebook was opening up its doors to companies, organizations, the United States as a whole, and finally, most of Europe and Asia.

I’m still part of the Illinois State University network, even though I’ve never gone to school there. My connection to ISU is thus purely coincidental. I’ve changed the email address and put my name on the account. I’ve chosen a pseudonym for my profile (because I’m a writer and I like pen names), but people can search for me under my real name. I’ve also dutifully filled in the blanks about myself, adding my favorite bands, movies and television shows.

On the surface, Facebook is a narcissistic distraction from daily life. It provides a cross between the mindless absorption of the TV set and the obsessive self-involvement of the bathroom mirror. It also provides a voyeur with enough material to last a lifetime. The minutia of status updates, pictures, videos, top ten lists, interest groups, invitations, and games, this is the white noise of Facebook constantly buzzing; a social hive for restless young (and mid-life) Americans to retreat to; a place where, at least momentarily, we feel less alone and more connected.

Over the years, the lost figures of my past, lovers, classmates, fraternity brothers, even downright enemies, have slowly accumulated onto my friend list. From kindergarten on, these lost figures were coming out of the cyber woodwork to greet me. My typical Facebook reunion is one of unanticipated glee or terror, depending on the memories and the length of the conversation.

High school acquaintances, girls I befriended at summer camps, old teachers, some of my parents’ friends and a couple odd relatives have found their way to my profile; the friend list grows over time, forming an interesting social mosaic.


Of course, these people are my friends only according to the loose Facebook taxonomy. Some of them I haven’t even met before. Some are in fact strangers. Others I’ve met and known for vast chunks of time, but honestly, I never really cared for them. And finally, a large group of my Facebook friends seem to fit the term, but only partially. Yes, we were once friends. But for last ten or fifteen years we haven’t said a word to each other much less knew the other person still existed.

What about my real-life friends? Ironically, most of them are not on Facebook! They refuse the technology like children refusing treatment in a dentist’s office.

So I’m keeping up with a handful of people whom I call my “friends” and who fit the bill better than anyone else on the list. We’re communicating to each other every five or six months on the weakest possible thread—doing a sort of call and response to the most general of questions, “How’s life?” or “What are you up to?”

I ask myself: Could I live without these exchanges? Could I live without the photo updates? Do I really need to know what my ex-girlfriend’s husband looks like?

This is not the past. Nor is it the present. It is the past interpenetrating the present. The people I once knew in high school or college have only a faint resemblance to their former selves. They may look the same, but there is something different about them. Marked by the passage of time, they are different people.

I could never really know these people, could I? A sporadic conversation through a private message board can only yield so much information. Nonetheless, I’m drawn to this virtual carnival of friendship as I indolently peruse the photo albums of old classmates and acquaintances. Their personal pages tell me so very little and yet that seems to be part of the fascination, the little colored fragments here and there which allow me to construct a fable of their separate lives.

There is activity everywhere. The buzzing of status updates, comments, and wall posts gives the impression of life behind the profiles. Located on my homepage, front and center, is the “friend feed”, a social ticker tape that informs me of everyone’s doings. New friendships are announced, as are modifications to profiles and new photos or videos.

Facebook didn’t really make a difference to me until I actually met one of these lost figures from my past. That is, I could have easily existed without the technology. It was an odd curiosity to glimpse through the photo albums of my old classmates, but not a necessity for social well-being.

After I broke up with my girlfriend, I found myself—once again—indolently browsing the pages of my “friend’s” profiles. One picture in particular caught my attention—my childhood best friend, Brad Dolin, and another childhood friend, Emily Crement, are standing together on a gymnasium floor, smiling for the camera.


In fact, I had seen the picture before. It was a classic in the annals of Butler Junior High memorabilia. I had grown apart from Emily, who now had a son. I wanted to reconnect with her and so I commented on the photo.

Within seconds of posting my comment, I received a message on my wall—not from Emily but from someone else. The note said, “CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!! ALASWAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In another couple seconds, this mystery person friended me and soon I was looking through her pictures trying to recall who on earth she was. Her main profile pic was striking, a ravishing young woman in an oriental green and turquoise dress. Half of her face is covered in shadows, she holds her arms behind her back, and stares down at the camera.

“These are the pictures of a model,” I thought as I continued my detective work.

“Do u pronounce ur name like leyth??? answer me that” showed up on my wall; and “THAT IS MY FAVORITE NAME IN THE WORLD. IT MEANS LION OR HEART OF BRAVERY IN ARABIC”

The name on my Facebook profile is not my real name. I think I've already said this. If you Google "Lethe Bashar" you will find a plethora of links related to this adolescent misfit. I’m a fiction writer and choosing a pseudonym for my Facebook profile seemed appropriate. Lethe Bashar lives out the drama of my rebellious past life in distant places like Madrid and Las Vegas. The novel encompasses three websites and is collectively titled, Lethe Bashar’s Novel of Life.

The mystery woman knew me from somewhere because now what appeared on my wall was, “omg how is mandy?? how is ur dad ?? i am soo sorry to hear about your mother”.

How did she know my father and sister? How did she know that my mother passed away?

Looking through her photo albums only increased my bewilderment. Either she was in the mafia or some kind of celebrity. A number of pictures had magazine logos on them. She was definitely a model. There were pictures from photo shoots and many glamorous poses with handsome men. In almost all of the pictures, she gazed inscrutably at the camera without the slightest smile on her lips. Her eyes were arresting and I wanted to know more.

“I don’t like talking back and forth on the wall,” she said. “Let’s use chat.”

And so we began our excursion to Yahoo Messenger, another bit of technology that has since become a favorite of mine. At last this woman’s identity was revealed to me. It took me far too long to guess who she was but this was a girl from my childhood.

She rode on the school bus with me over twenty years ago. Her mother dressed her in a white Christian Dior coat. She giggled at me when I jumped on the bus and ran down the aisles. Sometimes I infuriated her with my clowning around.

Perhaps my greatest surprise that night over Yahoo Messenger was our mutual, spontaneous interest in each other. I had reunited with friends on Facebook before, but this experience was totally different. . .

There is a whole story to tell about what happens next. But, for the moment, I’m going to protect my friend’s identity and choose to not give away any more details. All I will say is that we did indeed meet. And we are now happily engrossed in a romance of sorts.

ARTWORK BY MERJIN HOS

Dave Chambers concept ships

davechambers.org









Keywords: technical concept art by former deputy sheriff in british columbia dave chambers vtol vertical take off and land vehicle insect

"LSD backgrounds"

Some colorful backgrounds.
Author unknown.
1 AI : 800 KB

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"Tattoo set 3"

And another set of vector Tattoos. Enjoy.
Authors unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 2,2 MB

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"Traffic signs and symbols Part 2"

Second part of vectorized traffic signs.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 1,4 MB

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"Disco ball"

Incredible vector disco ball.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 1,9 MB

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"Russian ornaments"

Some beautiful old russian ornaments.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 4 MB

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