17 posts tagged “design”
Just thought I would give all the vinyl toy and art lovers a heads up!
Toy2R has generously offered to give a massive prize package to two
lucky ToyCyte readers.
The bounty includes over $700 of Toy2R
merchandise!
I was labeled a Gwin fanboy recently. While I was slightly offended at first, I quickly realized it was true. Never considered myself a fanboy. I don't live in a basement, I don't haunt dark alleyways looking for comics, I bath regularly. Geek, nerd, loser maybe but never a fanboy. Oh well. Guess I'll have to move back in with my mom now.
Why was a called a Gwin fanboy? Because I've been geeking over the mini gwins that were released at San Diego Comic Con last month. Well I finally got some. 3 to be exact with a perfect little Z.O.M.B.I.E. (who hopefully will be the start or a giant Z.O.M.B.I.E. horde). They arrived on my doorstep Monday and I've been playing with them ever since. Each mini gwin came in a small bag containing an "I play with toys" sticker, a zombie magnet and was attached to an October Toys keychain. "Best promo idea ever!"
The Z.O.M.B.I.E. came carded and bagged, individually numbered 1-50. Mine is number 7. He even has a 7 on the bottom of his feet. He's great! The perfect zombie comic con attendee. He has glasses, backpack, Star Trek shirt, no fat chicks sticker, comic con badge, poster tube. You can almost hear him panting and wheezing as he hunts for free swag and fresh brains.
The blank black gwin didn't get much camera time, but the little ones are such camera hogs it was hard to squeeze him in. I'll make it up to him somehow.
Sandman recently mentioned how few mentions of Brandi Milne's artwork there are on Vox. So I have come to add my love of Brandi's work to the Vox. I will begin with a bio I found on the Gelaskins website:
Brandi Milne was born and raised in the small town of Anaheim, California. Throughout her upbringing Brandi was exposed to the sounds and sights of the 1970's, through the still pumping family 8-track as well as her mother's wardrobe of flowing paisley. This love of the funk was later mated with a curiosity and respect for the fashion and culture of the Far East. Her artwork represents a melding of two very different genres that seem to feel curiously at home together. Brandi is a self-taught artist who makes her own rules and is not confined by what is expected. She favors beauty and aesthetic over any message or propaganda. Her favored media is acrylic and ink, but as of late has become heavily involved in hand sewing various plush creatures. She is also currently working on writing and illustrating her first book, which will be out late 2007. Brandi has been involved in the L.A. art scene for over four years and has shown in many of the area's biggest galleries, including Gallery 1988, La Luz de Jesus, and the Corey Helford Gallery. She has shown in countless group shows, including numerous Create:Fixate and Cannibal Flower events, and has her first solo show at the Corey Helford Gallery in November of 2007 (to be followed by solo shows with Copro Nason and Thinkspace over the coming years).
Now the first thing about Brandi's artwork that got my attention was some of the ongoing subject matter, specifically the "Alice in Wonderland" references. Since I have a predilection towards all things Alice, I could help but stop and stare.
Her art has such a graceful, ephemeral look to it. Almost reminiscent of art nouveau posters, but so much better. After seeing her works based on the movie "Freaks" in the recent "Crazy 4 Cult" show I think I have become even more of a fan.
Hopefully one day, I too can afford some of them.
I came across this fantastic posting (taken from Craigs List) on the no!spec site today.
Put a smile on my face, so I thought I would share.
-nos
To those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world
Every day, there are more and more CL posts seeking “artists” for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they’re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are “seeking artists”, let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?
More than likely, you don’t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their “portfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit www.no-spec.com.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you’re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
Guess if I had waited momentarily I could have included this.
Here is Tara McPherson's design for the 8" Hellboy Qee.
Not sure what I think about "hug life". A little sappy for me, but overall it looks really good.
Okay maybe not Liberty for all, how about Liberty for some? She's limited to 300 in the green color.
The 100 pick ones have come and gone. Now it's a waiting game to see how she appears next.
Who is she? She is Erick Scarecrow's first release in the Liquis Series. And Liberty is her name.
What to see her? Of course you do. Here she is:
She's fantastic! How's that for a review? See you next time...
Just kidding.
She is an amazing sculpt, well balanced with clean lines and and great details in the folds of her robe and her hair.
The paint job is perfect, no smudges or overspray, something should have been written in the book, but it's blank - that's my only complaint. She's great and reasonably priced. $60 and she's almost a foot tall. I could spend all day boring you with my love of Liberty, but I'll keep it short and simple, no need to over-extrapolate.
If you like her she's well worth picking up. If you don't like her, pick something else up instead.
She's been well received, selling (out) quickly, and Erick should be proud.
Dark Horse Comics has announced a HELLBOY 8" QEE coming in August.
Based on Mike Mignola’s comic Hellboy.
As a follow-up to the 2.5 inch Hellboy Qee. Dark Horse brings you the 8 inch Hellboy Qee. (edition of 1,500) $79.99 (pictured below)
Mike Mignola was asked by Dark Horse to pick an artist to design the
Tara McPherson! Tara was happy to comply, and has designed a unique
version of Hellboy all her own!
Tara McPherson variant Hellboy Qee. (edition of 450) $79.99. (no picture yet, I'll post it as soon as it's available)
WOW! I can't wait to see Tara's version!
From Dreamland Toyworks:
My Little Cthulhu to Arrive in 2007
Production on My Little Cthulhu will start in December 2006 and the toys should arrive at the distributor by April of 2007. For wholesale inquiries please contact DKE Toys or look for a solicitation through Diamond Comics/Alliance Distribution.
My Little Cthulhu is an 8"vinyl figure and has a suggested retail price of $29.99. There will also be set of six Little Victims & Little Minions ™ that will retail for $14.99.
Oh, and stay tuned for details on an exclusive limited edition My Little Cthulhu.
Now we know the exclusive belongs to paizo.com and it's a red My Little Cthulhu
Guess I need to justify the need for another Cthulhu. No I don't, they're both great. Now make me a Glow in the Dark one and I can die happy. HA!
For all you Luke Chueh fans.
Whoo and Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!
Alright, so for the first time ever I am paying attention to how my photos look. Why, because everyone else's look better that's why. So I'm practicing, trying new techniques, etc.
And then I was shown this:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html
So I gathered up so bits and bobs, made a light box and started shooting.
I think I need some stronger lights, and a few tweaks to the box (a colored background or two) and I may have something that perfectly fits my meager needs.
Now let's see if I can put it to good use.
