Valhalla, I am Coming

Robert Plant became a Commander of the British Empire today. Hammer of the Gods.

High Resolution "Final Frontier"

Click on the above thumbnail for a high resolution image of my illustration "Final Frontier." Technical pen on paper 10 in. x 13.5 in.

Desert Chase

They want to talk with this guy real bad, but I don't think things will end well for them...

Crystal Skull

These are some inked on vellum sketches for a character that would be too bizarre for the story they were drawn for. The character is still odd, you just can't see his brains now.

Virgil Finlay Space Man

Me, a big Virgil Finlay fan, I don't remember ever seeing this illustration by my idol and biggest influence. It is perfect! Showing the 1950's version of the ideal fit for a space traveler. Love the books piled behind our intrepid astronaut.

Look Out!

Anybody remember Spinball Wars and Inferno from 1970's British Comics? They were Rollerball "homages" that had interesting art.
I remember them well and drawing my own motorcycle crashes now. Death, Gore, Fun!

Satan Said Draw and Devil's Scrapbook

As messed up as my art is, there is always something way more disturbing a click away.

Free Comic Book Day

Okay, there is just a few weeks left until Free Comic Book Day. I will be appearing at Sarge's Comics in New London, CT the first Saturday in May 2009. That is May 2, 2009. It is always fun and the best thing is...Free Comic Books! and an occasional toy action figure. I will sell prints and discuss my art with anyone who stops by. I also want to show something new I am working on (hint rollerball.)
See you at Sarge's Comics.

Steampunk Wedge Antilles

Courtesy of io9 post and the maker Sillof.com Please enjoy this thoroughly cool pic of SteamPunk Star Wars pilot Wedge Antilles.

Rollerball Anyone?

In my quest to bring you all things Rollerball, please check out the above. I don't speak the language but I am pretty sure this says "Rollerball." Love the flames! And the font is definitely an attempt at the font used on the US released movie posters. Very creative.

Facial Expression Generator

Check this out...

You Asked For It. More Planet of the Apes Piggy Banks!

One of the great things about Google Analytics is how you can research what key words people use to find your blog. Recently people have found "Fatal Error" by searching for Dr. Zaius piggy banks, along with searches for "world record skydive", Rollerball, science fiction art, randall ensley, and "character design sheets." The world record skydive search is great because it takes you to my posts about Colonel Joe Kittinger and his amazing skydive of 1960 from a high-altitude balloon to test escape strategies for military jet pilots. He jumped from approximately 102,000 feet and was the first person "high" enough to see the curvature of the earth. Not Jerry Garcia.

LINK to eBay auction on the above banks.

Lars Edwards Trailer for Art Spiegelman's "Be a Nose!"

Wow! My buddy Lars Edwards animated the book trailer for the new Art Spiegelman book "Be A Nose!" and it is up to 194,000 hits on YouTube! I am proud of my boy!

Link to trailer(watch in HD)

Watchmen

Yes, Yes, I am very excited about the release of the Watchmen movie. I purchased the graphic novel collection way back in the late 1980's in Denton, TX (the home of happiness.) I was an immediate fan and proceeded to tell anyone who I thought would be interested how great it was. And now, the supposedly unfilmable movie is just a week away.
Seriously, if you haven't read the book, it is great. The artwork of Dave Gibbons really impressed me (and still does.) Don't just see the movie, read the graphic novel. Just like Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, etc., there is just so much you can cram into two and a half hours. And a lot of nuance will be missing, but the movie should be viewed as a stand-alone effort. The trailers look terrific and seem to capture the mood and characters. Let's Go!

Amazing Video of "Sprites"

Okay, I see a lot of cool thing searching the web, but this was totally cool. It is high speed photography of sprites, which are associated with thunderstorms and form 30 to 60 miles above the surface of the earth. Watch the whole video as the really good stuff is halfway in. The entire video is only 37 seconds long and shows an event which happens at one-tenth the speed of light.
Link below:
Sprites

Dr. Zaius Piggy Bank

Yes, it is time for the ebay retro-homage to my childhood again. Nice bank, no coins included.
Planet of the Apes was my first real science fiction crush. I had just about every toy related to the movie.
Goodbye Zaius, Goodbye...

Ebay link to item

Greg Manchess Art Demonstration

Photo from Mikaya Press

As mentioned in the "Sad but Glad" post below, I was fortunate enough to meet artist Greg Manchess over the weekend at Boskone 46. He was very nice and offered many helpful hints about art and painting. I squeezed as much as I possibly could into 5 minutes with him as we stood in front of a panel displaying my art.
I want to link to both his website and a video demonstration presented by Massive Black on YouTube which shows some of his oil painting process in the painting "Above the Timberline." Even if you aren't an artist, this should prove entertaining and enlightening (and it is only about 6 minutes long.) More on this demo at ConceptArt.org

Links:
"Above the Timberline" Demonstration
Greg Manchess Website

Older Posts

Remember to check out the "older posts" section of the blog located at the bottom of the page. Also, feel free to comment on any post! I'd love to hear from you. Yes, you!

The Prisoner on AMC (Free!)

Full episodes of the original TV series, The Prisoner, are available on AMC for free. Highly recommended viewing. Judge for yourself. Link below:

The Prisoner on AMC

Sad but Glad

I sold E.V.A. 5.0 today at the Boskone 46 Science Fiction Convention in Boston, MA. Sad that I will no longer have the piece in my possession, but glad that someone enjoyed the piece enough to say "Mmmm, me want." Also sold 6 prints, so almost broke even. Sigh.
Boskone was more fun for me than last week's New York Comic Con and more inspirational. I got to meet Greg Manchess and we spent a quality 5 minutes together checking out my art on display and getting some important insight from a master.
Also picked up some pointers and/or new ways of thinking about digital art from Dave Seeley and Stephan Martiniere. As I always say, "the best is yet to come" and I still feel it!
Also, picked up "Saturn in G Minor" from the Hygienic Art Show today. It was great to lurk behind onlookers and hear their comments as they saw the piece during opening night a couple of weeks ago. I always get a kick out of being incognito and listening to people's reaction to my art. It does help keep the excitement level up for me.