Supreme Commander 2 Papercraft Robots

The real-time strategy video game Supreme Commander 2 was released by Square Enix in 2010. Part of the marketing for the game was the release of paper models of several of the armored command unit robots seen in the game. In addition to the three robots shown above, there is also a less 3D paper model of a "cybranosaurus" for papercraft beginners. The templates for all four models may be downloaded here.

Rat Chef Origami

Here is a delightful origami piece by Nguyen Hung Cuong which he calls "Rat Chef" (an homage to Disney Pixar's Ratatouille perhaps? ^^). The rat, the chef hat and the spoon were each folded from separate piece of paper. The folding pattern for the rat (spoon and hat not included) may be downloaded from Cuong's page here.

Concept spaceship art by Dmitry Vishnevsky

Dmitry's art portfolio at CGHub.










Keywords: concept spaceship illustration art design flying vehicle sci-fi science fiction by from idimoni dmitry vishnevsky spacecraft renders digital st petersburg russia video game concept artist sketches

Abbey & Hunter New Pet Portraits

"Abbey" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins /artpaw.com

"Hunter" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins /artpaw.com

Yesterday I proofed Abbey & Hunter. Today Lola is in and we will be printing and shipping out all approved projects.

KU EcoHawk VW Beetle Papercraft

At the University of Kansas (my alma mater!), the School of Engineering has an ongoing design project to create sustainable approaches to automobiles. One of the first successes of the project involved converting a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle into a plug-in series hybrid that can be recharged using either a generator running on used cooking oil biodiesel or a solar energy filling station. A paper model template of the VW (dubbed the "EcoHawk I") may be downloaded at the KU website.

Mosaic Monday/ Arm Milagro

"Untitled"
© rebecca collins

This is a 5x7x2 Mosaic I finished recently for my upcoming show in September. The artwork underneath the glass is a drawing of the doll arm that is on top and also an x-ray of a broken arm supplied by my assistant's Lola's Mom. I am not sure yet what I will title the piece.

There is a lot of stuff happening early this fall for me in my Mosaic world. In early September I have an article coming out about my mixed media mosaic technique in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. You can subscribe to this cool magazine on-line or order back issues. http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/content/Subscriptions.aspx.  After my gallery show at the end of the month I will be heading to Italy to study mosaics in Venice at Orsoni.  Dan and Lola will be holding down the fort for me here at Art Paw while I study mosaics in a foreign country, sometimes I just can not believe I have such an amazing life. I am very lucky to be able to pursue what I love and create art every single day.  If you had told me in college that I would end up marrying that shy boy with the long hair and we would create a life that is full of art and animals I could never have imagined what that might look like.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Papercraft: Pit

I don't have much information on this papercraft of the character Pit from Nintendo's Kid Icarus series of video games. What I do know is that the template for the paper model was created by former DeviantART member Sora243 in 2008. The model may have been based on a 3D model from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game, although I can't say for sure. Pit is an angel from the mythical world of "Angel Land". Papercraft templates in PDF and PDO format may be downloaded here.

Concept spaceships by Liviu Tudoran

See more of Liviu Tudoran's design work. A robot.





Keywords: concept spaceship art from liviu tudoran id industrial design artist interior design product design transportation sketches

China Kitty Art

"China: ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins/ artpaw.com

This sweet kitty was proofed this last week. She is part of a 2 pet project that includes artwork of Mia the Shitzu. We are in the process of revising these works so we can finalize and print.

I had originally proofed Mia in a vertical format however this kitty was really looking best horizontal so it was a pretty easy fix to make them both horizontal.

Concept ships by Tim Murray

Our friend Tim's art blog.









Keywords: concept spaceship art from tim murray artist from pei canada

KH2 Papercraft: Land of Dragons (Mulan) Treasure Chest

This month's offering in my ongoing Kingdom Hearts 2 treasure chest series is from the Land of Dragons area of the video game. Land of Dragons is based on the 1998 Disney movie, Mulan which tells the tale of a girl in ancient China who disguises herself as a boy in order to join the military. The template for this treasure chest paper model is available here.

Hobbes

"Hobbes" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

This sweet lab's artwork will ship out tomorrow. I am loving this background and it is getting chosen a lot lately. I think maybe the cool blues and greens are more pleasing this time of year than my typical hot oranges and reds.  It prints up lovely so I am very happy when people choose it.

I have been working on a new commission terms sheet that gets e-mailed along with all new pet portrait orders. The first page is a brief explanation of the proofing process and then the 2nd page has a lot of small print legal stuff. I find that it can easily be adapted for commercial projects as well. Speaking of commercial projects, I am very excited that I may be designing artwork for a veterinary clinic's van this month. It is going to be huge and cool, makes me want to get a van of my own so I can get it wrapped in my own artwork. Of course I hardly ever leave my studio so I am not sure how effective it would be as advertising in my case.

I'm friggin 40!

I turn 40 today. Whoa! I got a pretty nice present last night.

July 20th is a pretty significant date in space exploration history. Apollo 11 touched down on the moon on this date.





The Viking 1 Orbiter was inserted into Mars orbit on June 19, 1976. Landing on Mars was planned for July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial, but imaging of the primary landing site showed it was too rough for a safe landing. The landing was delayed until a safer site was found. The lander separated from the orbiter on July 20 08:51 UT and landed at 11:53:06 UT.

Viking 1 might have been delayed intentionally to land on Mars on July 20th for sentimental reasons but...



Even the engineers at NASA couldn't reschedule the following July 20th event. From July 16 through July 22, 1994, pieces of an object designated as Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. This is the first collision of two solar system bodies ever to be observed, and the effects of the comet impacts on Jupiter's atmosphere have been simply spectacular and beyond expectations. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 consisted of at least 21 discernable fragments with diameters estimated at up to 2 kilometers. There was an actual collision on July 20th! Mind boggling.



Ever since I was a kid, I've had a huge fascination with the moon & space in general and have felt a great connection to it all in some way. Very interesting.

Back with some more great art soon. Thanks for supporting conceptships!

Keywords: july 20 significant historical date for space exploration igor tkac birthday 40 forty years old appolo 11 mars lander viking 1 and 2 comet shoemaker levy hits jupiter

Digimon Papercraft: Jyarimon

POdragon (aka Jyxxie) has a new Digimon papercraft site up and running! The first release for the "Papermon" website is a Jyarimon paper model. Jyarimon is a newly hatched digimon who eventually evolves in to Guilmon. The template for this papercraft may be downloaded here.

Concept ship art by Michel Rousseau

Some new work from Michel Rousseau.














Keywords: concept ships by michel rousseau graphic design photography illustration senior graphic designer for the last 15 years studied at laval university in quebec canada works with poser illustrator and photoshop

Mosaic Monday / My Current Mosaic Work

Above are some finished mosaic pieces and works in progress for an upcoming gallery show in September. I have around 7 pieces done or almost done and around 7 projects still to create.  I am showing with Katrina Doran and Apryl Begay in a show centered around the theme of Milgros. We have a goal of 14 pieces each. We are all on track for reaching that goal.


About the work above:
Top left: " Strength to Strength" A Leg Milgaro for my husband Dan
Next to it to the right: Toy Airplane, it will be covered in millefiori and will call it the Peace Plane
Next row: a finished arm 5x7x2, finished leg 3 x 5, hand mosaic 11 x11, leg mosaic 12x 9x2, arm not started yet 5x 7
Bottom row: small cardinal about my mom, lung milagro, and prepped board for piece called Safe Passage.

We have a group blog created as a communication tool over at Wordpress. If you ever become involved in a group art project or joint show I highly recommend setting up a blog that all the event participants have access to. It is a great way to share works in progress and to keep abreast of what other people on your project or event are up to. I find that seeing what the gals are doing and having the ability to post about what I am doing makes it seem as though we are all working side by side, and we really are. You can learn more about our upcoming show and see the things Apryl and Katrina are working on at http://tresmilagros.wordpress.com/.

Star Wars Papercraft: Radiant VII Starship

Here is another Star Wars papercraft from Goozi. This paper model is the Radiant VII, a Consular-class cruiser that appears at the beginning of Star Wars Episode I. According to the Star Wars wiki, Consulars in diplomatic service are painted red to declare their diplomatic immunity. Shortly into Episode I, the Radiant VII is destroyed while it is docked inside a Trade Federation ship. The PDO format template for the ship may be downloaded here.

The Month of July

Mahbubur Rahman, Time Warp

The Month of July

Written by Basel Al-Aswad, the father of Escape into Life founder, Chris Al-Aswad

Thirty-two years ago on July 16th, 1979, I received a most special gift, a son. Little did I know this gift would not last the rest of my lifetime. On July 27th, 2010, mother earth took back her precious gift leaving me stunned and devastated. Both occasions, his arrival and departure were profound and life changing events, seared indelibly in my memory.The years in between were filled with all aspects of a full life. There were joys and sorrows, successes and failures, accomplishments and disappointments, but most of all, there was that everlasting deep bond of infinite love and maturing friendship that exists between a father and son.

In spite of the immense loss and sadness that permeates me today on July 16th, 2011, I am most grateful to have had the privilege of caring and nurturing this extraordinary gift along with his deceased mother, Roz.

As I acknowledge the anniversary of his birth and his “escape” in this most solemn month, his spirit continues to occupy a central part of my life.

His sister Mandy and I are dedicated to continuing his legacy in Escape into Life. His light shines brightly guiding us to a most sacred task, that of bringing beauty and radiance through art and literature to a world desperately in need of it. By building on the foundation he laid down for us, we hope to be worthy of this endeavor.

Finally, we’d like to acknowledge the Escape into Life writers and contributors who have volunteered their time, effort, and support this past year. It has been truly inspiring to witness individuals from across the world, coming together to carry on something they believe in. Thank you all.

Calvin and Hobbes Papercraft Diorama

Even though the comic strip ended in 1995, Calvin and Hobbes still holds a fond place in the hearts of many (including myself ^^). This simple papercraft diorama by Dave Delisle depicts the boy Calvin (right) encountering his tiger friend Hobbes (left) after Calvin has been transformed into a tiger by the cardboard box "transmogrifier" in the background. The template for the diorama is available as a .PNG image file and may be downloaded here.

More Pet Portraits

"Derek" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

This pretty little kitty is Derek and he was commissioned by one of my mosaic classmates. I love it when my mosaic world and my pet art world collide. I really love the background colors that Amy and her friend chose for this project. The orange coat really pops against the olive green ground.

"Mia" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

This pretty pup reminds me of a Shitzu I had growing up named Leechi. I am currently working on a portrait that will hang with Mia of a stunning kitty named China.

"Pete" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Pete was such a happy looking boy in this photo. I just proofed this project today. I love huskies with their pretty and intense eyes.

July 2011 Build Photos

I have been receiving some great build photos lately! On the left is a photo of John George who built my Death Eater Mask #3 to wear to the opening of the final Harry Potter movie (kinda reminds me of Doctor Doom ^^). On the right is a build of my Sam's Identity Disc (Tron: Legacy) by my DA friend Wylf who enhanced the papercraft with some clear plastic and el-wire. Keep up the good work guys!

SDF-1 Macross art on Conceptships

One of my favorite paintings of all time. Pretty sure this is the work of Tenjin Hidetaka or Yoshiyuki Takani:)



Keywords: japanese macross traditional medium media illustration sdf-1 super dimensional fortress with transformed valkyrie robot plane in foreground acrylic oil tenjin hidetaka promotional image robotech the macross saga

Papercraft Gnome

This cute gnome papercraft was created by two young brothers, Kai and Dakota, who are only 11 and 12 years old! The word "gnome" is thought to be derived from the Greek word for "earth dweller" and the term first appeared in the writings of the Renaissance alchemist Paracelsus. Kai and Dakota's six piece template for the gnome may be downloaded here.

What the heck is Color?

What is color? Can it even be contained in words? I think visual people tend to use emotional words to describe color and that is often the reason people do not agree on color. Often we like to use food words to describe color like kiwi, cranberry, lime, lemon, cherry red, tomato red and so on. Today I have been e-mailing with an important commercial client that is looking for a certain shade of mustard. I have proofed her a couple of times and I am not at the perfect happy place just yet for the color she has in mind.   I will get there, it just may take a bit more proofing. I decided it might be time to ask for a swatch.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words:
This is never more true than when it comes to color. Too often designers and artists will spend way too much time messing around with language when all they need is to insist on a color swatch. One of my favorite places to reference people for an easy on-line way to share color is colourlovers.com. They have a great search tool and when I tried it for the word "cranberry" I got 670 results. That tells me that a lot of people have very different ideas about that color. Nobody is wrong, color is just very subjective at times.
Another way to work is of course to ask clients to go to their local hardware store to look at paint swatches. This takes a bit more work on their part however if they are really wanting a very specific shade this is the best way to go about it. They can even take the swatch and place it into the room where the art will live and see how that color reacts to the lighting in that room.


Merriam Webster defines Color:

a : a phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects b (1) : the aspect of the appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources color of the sky>; also : a specific combination of hue, saturation, and lightness or brightness colors> (2) : a color other than and as contrasted with black, white, or gray

Ok, and now a video embed for fellow artists and designers. Please note: This is not my client or any client I have ever had, just an over the top stereotype that humorously explains the problem with using language to try and define color.

Ava & Bently

"Ava & Bently" ( see all proofs)
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

These lovely pups were a lot of fun to work on. I just adore that one straight up ear on Ava. This project was proofed last week and the client is still trying to decide on their favorite proof. It has been a strange summer here at Art Paw. Several clients have been a little slow to sign off on their projects and I can only guess that it may have something to do with the slower pace of summer. I am also working with many clients that are ordering for themselves and so the typical gift giving deadlines that can drive me bonkers have not been in place. Overall there is an odd lack of urgency around here and it makes me uneasy. I guess I should enjoy the slower pace and continue to have fun with each project as they come. I will get back to more frequent posting this week here on the blog.

Concept spaceship art by Alfonso De La Torre

2tonmantis blog.



















Keywords: concept spaceship drawings design by alfonso de la torre 2 ton mantis concept art blog anime cowboy bebop redesign mechanical technical ship walker digital tablet rendering