March 28, 2012

Come visit us at ECCC!

My entry for the 2012 Monsters and Dames Charity book
This weekend is the Emerald City Comic Con!
Emily posted our table location on her blog:

So come by, say "hi," and buy stuff! Or just awkwardly thumb through our art and quietly slink away. It’s perfectly acceptable to do that. I’ve done it at many a con. I’ll have my sketchbook there to sell, "Linework Vol.2." I’ll also have prints of some of my older D&D work, and last years Monsters and Dames piece.
My 2011 Monsters and Dames Illo
I can’t sell prints of this year's illustration but you can always bring the book by for me to sign. Emily will have her book, "The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures" for sale, as well as prints of her art. Last but not least we'll have a bunch of our original D&D paintings for sale, they’re oldies but goodies! 

Pictures of awkward Batmen and tired artists to come! 

March 27, 2012

McQuarrie - Moebius R.I.P.

A sketch tribute for two great artists.

This month saw the passing of two amazing artists: Ralph McQuarrie and Jean "Moebius" Giraud. Both of them had and will continue to have a big impact on my work. I'll provide links to information about both artists below but I thought I'd talk about their work and how much they've inspired me.

The first "art of" book I ever bought was "The Art of Star Wars." I can't recall exactly when I got the book, but I think it was during high school. I was a full-on Star Wars nerd back then and those books opened a whole new world for me. It was only then that I made the realization that someone could be a concept artist. Before then, I never really thought about the process of design when it came to movies or animation. (I was mostly into comics.) Ralph McQuarrie had a beautiful sense of design. His work has an elegant simplicity that still holds up today. I can't think of many other concept artists that have had a bigger impact on film and visual design. Emily and I were fortunate to meet him back in 1997 and he was a gentle, humble man and my condolences go out to his family and friends.

Probably my favorite of McQuarrie's Star Wars production paintings. I love the
posing of the characters and the amazing composition.
Moebius, on the other hand, I discovered a bit later. I knew about his work for years, but I never really had one of his comics or art books until I picked one up at the San Diego Comic Con about ten years ago. I was instantly hooked. It makes sense that I was drawn to his work because the artists that he inspired or worked with were some of my favorites as well. Artists like Otomo, Miyazaki, Amano, and Terada. When I look at the worlds he created, I think to myself, "I want to live there." When an artist can do that, I feel they have truly achieved something special. Moebius had such a wide range of styles and subject matter that I think I'll be finding "new" work by him for a very long time! Again, my condolences go out to his family and friends. 

Moebius's design work on the much maligned
(but I still love it) fantasy movie "Willow" are
some of my favorite pieces of character design.


Another favorite of mine. Little Nemo in Slumberland.
Both of these artists were visionaries and their influence has made a huge mark in the art world.

R.I.P

Links:
Emily's post about McQuarrie:
http://fabledearth.blogspot.com/2012/03/ralph-mcquarrie-1929-2012.html
Ralph McQuarrie's website:
http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/
Nice post on Lines and Colors about McQuarrie's passing:
http://www.linesandcolors.com/2012/03/04/ralph-mcquarrie-1929%E2%80%932012/
Moebius's site:
http://www.moebius.fr/
Quenched Concsiousness, an amazing tumblr for all things Moebius:
http://theairtightgarage.tumblr.com/
Some other tributes from comic artists:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/16/jean-giraud-moebius-tributes-artwork-essays/

March 22, 2012

SOTW 271

The debut of Emo Man! He fights against the forces of
joy and happiness with his sword of melancholy and
haircut of bad depth perception!
Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 21, 2012

SOTW 270

Another idea for the aforementioned side project for some
friends. This creature is a sort of "forest spirit" with both
animal and plant characteristics.

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 19, 2012

SOTW 269

Development for a side project for some friends, hopefully
we'll see more of this soon!

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 18, 2012

SOTW 268

A skinny hipster, and some studies of girls with goggles.
Two things you'll probably see a lot of in my SOTW posts.
Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

SOTW 267

No witty comment this time, just the usual cast of
weirdos.

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 17, 2012

SOTW 266

Just another day at one of our favorite restaurants, a guy
checking his phone, a long necked freak, and a guy with
feathers for hair.
 

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 16, 2012

SOTW 265

It's alive!
Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 14, 2012

SOTW 264

Some studies for a personal illustration I'm (slowly) working on.

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 13, 2012

Anomaly 2012

I will be doing a demo at the Anomaly workshop in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 28th.

Click to go to the website
I've never done a live demo like this before, so if you're planning on attending please try and keep the heckling to a minimum. I'm going to be figuring out what I want to tackle during the 5 hours (yes 5 hours) that I'm scheduled for over the next month. If you are planning on attending and want to request something for me to cover feel free to leave me a comment with some ideas.

A big thanks to Tom Scholes for recommending me to the organizers, hopefully I don't make a fool of myself so you don't regret your generous endorsement!

I'll be posting more about this later, stay tuned.

-Vin

SOTW 263

Sometimes your dad is just a metal tube.
Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

SOTW 262

We're all getting old, it's best to embrace the wrinkles.

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 12, 2012

SOTW 261

Because I was re-doing my site during the beginning of the year I have a backlog of Sketch of the Week sketches to post! So here we go!

Got a crick in your neck? Might I suggest a
Nod Corp. brand neck replacement unit?

Since 2007 I've been posting a sketch/doodle/whatever every week on my site. I'll be continuing this trend here on my blog and on my new site:
http://www.vinodrams.com/sotw/

March 11, 2012

New site, new blog...same old art.


Welcome to my shiny new blog!
I doubt think the internet needs another artist blog, but I need an outlet to blab about my art so here we are.

I do plan on having some fun with the blog though. Besides sharing my art I want to talk about concept design, illustration, share inspiring ref and links and much more. So bookmark, follow or just stop by every so often to see what I'm up to.

Lastly, I recently re-did my website, check it out!
www.vinodrams.com


-Vin