Use Bombs

Okay, something a little more design oriented for everyone… but still a video.

I’m not going to pretend I know anything about skating or snowboarding–I don’t. The closest I’ve been to that sort of thing is the few times I’ve tried to ski. Those recreational romps usually lead me straight into the t-bar lift operator at high speed. My point is not to trust me when friction is thrown out the window.

However, this skating/snowboarding video has all the cool moves.

See? Totally tubular!

I was initially kind of shocked that the designers choose to go with the 3D-2D characters, but it really gives them a sense of depth and makes them feel like they’re a more cohesive part of the world. But, the biggest design question I have is this: does it add anything?

The video is cool to look at in it’s own right, but I feel the characters and action movie explosions take away from the people doing the tricks. Again, I don’t understand the finer points of this medium, but isn’t the point to show off the totally rad skills these athletes possess?

I’ve been busy! Were you really expecting me to post the following day? Honestly? I know that you’re asking, “Arion, what better to you have to do while out of work?” It’s not exactly like they’re just give jobs away!

…Well, it’s a little like that. But still–you get my point. Onward!

Get ready to sigh dejectedly at me again a second time. More animatronics!

I guess I got out of costuming just in time. Things are getting intense–roller-coasters on Cocaine intese!

…Well, maybe not that intense. Stop second guessing me! I didn’t want to put money into servos anyway.

Okay, so you want something non-costume related? How about this little tidbit: WordCamp 2010 Utah–august 28th at the University of Utah. Considerably less distance to drive than San Francisco, at least for me.

What, you don’t live near Utah? Do I have to think of everything?

I just watched this excellent little mini-documentary on pixel art. (Via Bong Bong) I especially liked the end, comparing the medium to others. Not to mention the nod to the guilt that being a digital artist occasionally causes.

Incidentally, I love both well done pixel art and doing my own tiles or sprites for games. A while back I actually did a block for the Pixeldam project–an interesting place to let pixel art skills run free.

Just a bit of a note to myself–and anybody else who’s interested:

I stumbled upon an excellent looking series of on Illustrative Lettering at TUTS+. I haven’t had an opportunity to read all the pieces yet, and I won’t have a chance to tonight. But, even the little bit I have read has been very insightful.

Side Note: If you somehow manage to follow this blog, but not Use Bombs proper, get over there! The new issue is up and I’m going to be discussing the artwork.

It’s a slow process getting the monthly issue of the zine up to our rigorous (HA!) standards. Certainly, being the director, I do have a heavy hand in that process. But, I feel that even more than the cohesiveness of the site–or lack thereof–I have a larger impact on our artwork. Maybe because I create it all… who’s to say? Likewise, that artwork has a huge impact on the attitude of Use Bombs, and the attitude of our specific issues. Although the pressure of writing for, creating artwork for, and managing the technical aspects of each issue can be intensely stressful, I still relish in the artistic opportunity. I love the experimenting and dabbling I get to do when working on the various required pieces.

Would I welcome some guest artists? Absolutely. Hopefully we some talented people join the community, and we can offer them that opportunity.

As for myself, I constantly worry that my style will or is growing stale and I consistently find myself admiring the works of others. So, sometimes to keep fresh, I have to throw a new tool into the mix.

Recently, the new addition has been Corel Painter. Previously Photoshop dominated my work flow, but now my inadequate little laptop is tasked with managing both of these software beasts at once. And, it hates me for it. Ultimately I’m loving the addition of Painter, even if lappy may be weeping.

I was afraid of Painter at first, as it kept throwing fits and crashing. And, even after it got past those hiccups, Painter and Photoshop still don’t exactly seem like a match made in heaven. However clumsy moving between the two is at times, the results are worth it. For example, take a look at one of my current projects below, The mascot for for the first (annual? I hope so) Use Bombs music festival, Meteorite.

Steggo-Hendrix, the Meteorite mascot

Painter has been a big help in adding minor details to this mascot design. But overall, depending on the look and feel I’m going for, utilizing Photoshop for my line art and Painter for color is an awesome mix. Now I just have to get away from my overuse of the Impressionist brush (even though I love the texture it offers!)

So, I didn’t go into too much detail here, I just wanted to offer a little bit of a glimpse into how I’m currently crafting my illustrations. I’ll try and offer some more in depth details as time goes on.

And, well I’m talking about the production of Use Bombs, I should really mention that we’re trying to not be late on this–the May–issue. It’s pretty artwork heavy and being horridly sick has put me behind. Still, there will be deadline!

As a side note, I’m pondering starting a blog about bad typography. Now that I’m in near a big city, I see enough examples. >_>’

Maybe it should just be a category on here. I’m obviously stretching myself thin.

Another video! And further proof that we need a real video camera.

It’s an okay stab at creating network news style graphics. Only having a day and still not knowing crap about After Effects didn’t help. But, I know how I’ll handle the task next time I’m called forth to complete it.

Also, the crappy compression quality of this video will serve as a reminder to take some time, and figure out appropriate output settings for Adobe Media Encoder.

Long live the Xorse.

If a person has watched all the extras and commentary for Tom Goes to the Mayor and they’re an observant individual like myself, they would have noticed the photo-shopped movie posters on the wall. I believe they also mention the Garry Shandling photoshopping exhibition that went on in their office at some point on the disc. I had secretly wished I could have been involved in that contest.

Needless to say, I was excited when Tim Heidecker mentioned The Garry Shandling Movie Poster Project on his Tumblr. I thought I’d share the posters I submitted…

The Shanshank Redemption

Shand of Brothers

And something a little different, since I can’t think up any Garry Shandling puns I like for The Garry Shandling Show…

It's Garry Shandling's Television Repair Hour

Lots of people didn’t like Tom Goes to the Mayor, but to me it was an amazing show. There was just a charm about it. The writers could capture the mediocrity around us in a very true sense, and distort it to highlight the absurdity in such a way that it always left me in tears.

I happened to see an advertisement online that immediately made me recall a sequence from Tom Goes to the Mayor. I think this is a shining example of what I’m trying to explain.

First, the TGttM segment:

…

Second, what I saw just moments ago:

…

As a side note, I love that the 3D animated cobra makes some kind of “Caw!” sound.

Update:
…Well both the videos got taken down. Um… I don’t know… I guess my hair is no longer a bird.

Listening Room Made out of Cardboard

I thought paper sound engineering gear was cool. Then, I came across the cardboard listening room. Enjoy music in a pod constructed of 720 half square cardboard sheets.
[Via: The Cool Hunter]

Turkish Movie Remakes

The Turkish version of Hollywood makes Turkish versions of popular American films. Hilarity ensues. Gathered together here are clips of Turkish Star Wars, Superman, Star Trek, etc.
[Via: Fan Tent]

AbeBooks Advertisement

An entertaining series of ads for the online bookstore AbeBooks.
[Via: AdArena]

Miwa Koizumi: PET Project

Undersea lifeforms sculpted from used plastic soda bottles. A very creative and surreal way to reuse what most would consider trash. But, I doubt she can get the deposit back for them.
[Via: TreeHugger]

Post-it Notes Donkey Kong

A four story tall recreation of the first Donkey Kong level. It only took 6,400 Post-it Notes, 10 people, and 5 hours. Pretty good time if you ask me.
[Via: Slashdot]

Papercraft Sound Engineering Equipment

My secret love of papercraft slams head on into my complete lack of knowledge regarding sound engineering.
[Via: BoingBoing]

Gene Simmons Rocks Times Square with Guitar Hero II

I have friends who love Guitar Hero. I have friends who love Xbox 360. These are the same friends who wake people up by sining Strutter by KISS while playing air guitar.
[Via: Joystiq]

Good vs. Evil Foosball

I never thought of Hitler, Flash Gordon, Idi Amin, and Saint Francis of Assisi being depicted in such a light. ElevenForty, however, has had such visions. If your dream has always been seeing God versus Lucifer in a game of football, get ready to weep.

The Alameda-Weehawken Burrito Tunnel

Utterly incredible. Not living in New York City, I had no idea such extravagant methods of burrito transport were even feasible. This is certainly a stop I will have to make next time I visit. (It would be great if this were true.)