Geek Art Gallery: July 2015

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Announcement: Summer Hiatus

Dear Valued Readers,

I'm taking a hiatus through the coming month for the purpose of working on a board game that I'm hoping to crowdfund later this year. I've been following recent boardgame trends since the whole KickStarter craze began a few years back, and I've come up with several ideas for games that I think would sell very well. However, I can never quite seem to find the time to set anything down on paper. This summer, I hope to change that.

In the mean time, I hope that you'll keep this site in your bookmark roster. I'll be back to my daily post schedule in August.

If you start to miss me, try visiting my snarky Twitter feed, or my other Blogspot blog, The Great Geek Manual, both of which I've loaded down with enough of my own unique brand of wit and wisdom to last through the month.

Yours Truly,

Pipedreamergrey

Admin, The Geek Art Gallery

Fan Art Round-Up: Captain America

"Captain America" by Dustin Weaver

Captain America Fan Art Gallery

[ Previously: Fan Art Round-Up: Captain America (Part 1) ]

This weekend, we here in the United States will be celebrating the Fourth of July, which makes it a perfect time to feature Captain America in another Fan Art Round-Up Friday! He's a hot property since the Avengers franchise hit the silver screen, and rightly so. He's been one of Marvel's best written characters for decades. I've always thought that the costume was a little unfortunate, but the movies are helping work out that kink as well.

As usual, if you know of any good pieces we overlooked, don't be shy about dropping a link in the comments below!

"Captain America - Avengers" by Malaysia-based Johnson Ting

Captain America Fan Art Gallery

It's the Fourth of July here in the United States, which means it's time to celebrate what makes Merica so great - explosions excessive amounts of food, and super heroes! Who better to feature on this most patriotic of holidays than Captain America? His popularity sort of explodes about this time of year anyway, so it wasn't hard to find some great art featuring his face. Check it out below!

As usual, if you know of any good pieces we overlooked, don't be shy about dropping a link in the comments! ... also, don't forget to check out Part Two of our gallery!

Quick Pic: Biloxi Junior High Lockers

Lockers become books at Biloxi Junior High

Biloxi Junior High Lockers

Source: WLOX via Mental Floss

School hallways can be grim places, but a group of teachers at Biloxi Junior High School found a way to lighten the mood. They’ve turned the 8^th grade English hallway into an “Avenue of Literature” by transforming 189 unused lockers into the spines of books! This seems like the best possible thing that could ever happen to a locker. One question though: if you paint them to look like C.S. Lewis books, will the lockers become doorways to Narnia?

Super Mario Nightmare Before Christmas Mash-Up

Super Mario / Nightmare Before Christmas by Little Cherry Cake Company

Just when you'd thought that literally every permutation of the Super Mario Bros. cake had been made, The Little Cherry Cake Company comes along and shakes things up!

"So this amazing bride and groom loved both Nightmare Before Christmas and Mario and didnt know which to choose. Why choose when you can have both!?! I love it when a couple just gives me free reign with design and lets me run with crazy ideas haha.

Mario and Peach as Jack and Sally, Oogie Boogie as Yoshi, Lock, Shock and Barrel as Shy Guys and some spooky Mario characters – Boo Ghosts, Dry Bones and dark Piranha plants. The mario landscape even features spiral hill around the back and the brides favourite – Zero."

Sweets: Harry Potter Pancakes

Harry Potter Pancakes by Nathan Shields of Saipancakes

Nathan Shields of Saipancakes is back! Watch him as he creates various pancakes shaped like the characters from the Harry Potter saga!

"Birthday Cake The Girlfriend Made" (House Stark Cake)

Photographed by Unluckie

I've always said that cakes in my house are a lot like the Stark family. They get cut up a whole lot sooner than you'd expect, and the pieces all end up missing before you know it.

Sculpture: Tyrion Lannister

"Tyrion Lannister" by Cologne, Germany-based Gustavo Vargas Tataje

"Outer Rim Travel Bureau" by Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based Michael Mateyko

"Welcome To…" by Simon Delart

Prints available for purchase from Society6.

"Shadow of the Colossus" by Cheshire Cat

Translation by Alex Gryson

I love the expression of the monster on the left. He's quite pleased with these turn of events. Like, "I came to feast on the blood of innocents, but hells yeah, cupcakes!" This is one of those cute, often overlooked web comics that deserves waaay more attention than it gets.

I honestly wonder why this is a web comic and not a series of self-published children's books, because Revoy would be making a lot more money as a book author.

"Disney Steampunk" by Canada-based Mecainque Fairy

"Elsa, the Frost Archer"

"Disney x LOL" by Elasar Reem (Dreemers)

League of Legends / Disney Princesses Mash-Up

"While discussing TV shows..." by Tim Chamberlain of Our Valued Customers

Looking at you Dark Matter, KillJoys, and Humans.

Comic Round-Up: July 3, 2015

"Mad Love" by Croatia-based Valentina Tutic

Interview: Christopher Butcher talks about the time lag between the big publicity push for a comic and its actual publication, and how that and the paucity of reviews for many non-superhero titles is hurting the industry.

Interview: Christine Marie talks to Steve Blatchford, the man behind ZCO.MX, a web site devoted to alt-comics that seems to be taking working cartoonists' projects that don't have another home, giving them a home, and allowing for the possibility that revenue can be generated on their behalf.

Interview: Daniel Maurer tells the story of how he went from ordained minister to drug addict to award-winning graphic novel creator; his Sobriety: A Graphic Novel won a Midwest Book Award in May.

Interview: Danny Boyd, creator of the graphic novel Carbon, which received some attention last year, is dropping plans for a trilogy and turning to IndieGoGo to fund his second book, Salt, because the sales of Carbon are not high enough to sustain it.

Interview: Kevin Stark, creator of the aging superhero Geezer, and Mike Buckendorf discuss their patriotic-themed comics.

Interview: Ronald Wimberly discusses his two newly announced Image Comics projects, Sunset Park and Slave Punk: White Coal.

Interview: Scott Chantler, creator of Two Generals and the Three Thieves series of children’s graphic novels, will be the first-ever cartoonist in residence at the University of Windsor, in Ontario.

"Edge of Reality" by NAMGWON LEE

Architect Pitches a Building Using a Giant Lego Model

This graffiti artist's "experiment" with the authorities escalated hilariously

How a museum restores a beautiful painting from hundreds of years ago

Mad Max, Karate Kid & Star Wars Art Among Awesome Comic-Con Exclusives

Pixar’s films put technology and storytelling hand-in-hand

Someone is turning the Saved By The Bell Wiki into a thing of beauty. The Onion's AV Club notices that a wiki for Saved by the Bell has been taken over by malevolent, occult forces that communicate in messages of existential despair, as in this quote by Screech: I think we are just insects, we live a bit and then die and that’s the lot. There’s no mercy in things. There’s not even a Great Beyond. There’s nothing.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Video: One Bright Dot

"One Bright Dot on Vimeo" by Clément Morin

Amazing camera-play and nite-brite design.

Video: À Perte de Vue

"À Perte de Vue" by Jonas Genevaz

It's like a moving Moebius illustration in parts. Jaw-dropping backgrounds and colors.

Video: All PIXELS must DIE

"Game of Thrones - All PIXELS must DIE" by pipocaVFX

A compilation of some of the most shocking deaths in the Game of Thrones series, all in pixel art!

Video: Game of Thrones Intro

"Game of Thrones Intro Made With Only Board Games" by Bill Bergen and Michael Cisneros

Vocals by Pat Cassels

s a part of CollegeHumor’s second episode of their Game of Thrones Wish-Fulfillment series, animators Bill Bergen and Michael Cisneros teamed up to make a new animated version of the Game of Thrones intro with real board games. The pyramids of Meereen are brought to life with Jenga pieces, the game of Monopoly makes up the Night’s Watch‘s colossal Wall, and more. CollegeHumor writer and performer Pat Cassels also sang a beautiful acapella rendition of the Game of Thrones theme song that goes along beautifully with Bergen and Cisneros’ animation.

Video: Pixar’s Next 7 Movies Unveiled!

"Pixar’s Next 7 Movies Unveiled!" by CollegeHumor

Inside Out destroyed CollegeHumor’s hearts, and in retaliation, they spoil the next seven Pixar movies. Their made-up movies consist of a Toy Story 4 film that is set in a post-apocalyptic world, a film titled Tiny Timber that follows the last sapling left in a desolated Brazilian rain forest, and more.

Video: R RATED HARRY POTTER

"R RATED HARRY POTTER" by Fine Brothers Entertainment

The Fine Brothers and animator Ryan Scott Wick have teamed up to create a new animated short that imagines what the PG-rated film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone might have been like as an R-rated movie. I find the concept hilarious because I've been mocking the casual attitude of wizards toward gruesome violence for years. I mean, think about how many times a Hogwarts student is terribly injured in the Harry Potter series only to illicit practically no reaction from the school's teachers whatsoever. It's either disturbing or hilarious, depending on how you look at it.

The Fine Brothers' version is a bit more grim, portraying Harry Potter as a victim of physical abuse, but as The Fine Brothers make a point of reminding us, the original version of the movie actually already contained some pretty dark stuff. The best part is that they imagine Quidditch as an even more deadly sport than it was originally, which is fitting given that it's a game that involve teenagers literally flying through the air, attempting to hit each other with balls. I've always been convinced that, in real life, that would be a game that would escalate into violence very quickly.

There’s a part of me that would love to see a much more grown up version of Harry Potter, but of course, Lev Grossman already has that covered.

Video: Only in Monroe

"Only In Monroe --- July 2015" by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

We’re deep into summer and enjoying the beautiful weather of the summer, but the TV schedule offers slim picking. With months left until the fall television season starts to hit the air. Luckily Stephen Colbert has decided to step in and relieve the tedium while offering us a taste of what The Late Show with Stephen Colbert might feel like come fall.

Colbert recently stepped in as the guest host of Only in Monroe, a Monroe, Michigan public access talk show presented by MPACT. He uses the show to interview Michigan native Eminem. The interview runs for twenty minutes, and it’s just as awesome as you’d expect it to be. Colbert said he was growing impatient waiting for the theater for his new show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, to be ready. His new show is scheduled to premiere on CBS on September 8, 2015.

Video: How to be a Supervillain

"HOW TO BE A SUPERVILLAIN - ILLANIM 2014" from Alkanoids

This charming short project sprang from the mind of Alkanoids. 7 illustrators and 7 animators had just 2 days to get the job done. That’s why each of the segments has its own style. Despite how different each section is from the other, they fit together rather well. You can find out more about the project over at Behance.

Video: A Farewell to Robot Arms

"A Farewell to Robot Arms" Directed by Christopher Ventura and Peter LaSala of Comagine

Written by Christopher Ventura

"Imprisoned by future technology, a man discovers a forgotten past that helps him and his wife break free."

Short Film: The White Wolf

"The White Wolf" - Adventures of the League of STEAM by The League of S.T.E.A.M.

"The White Wolf" is the a tale of an old man and his werewolf. It's part of a web series called "The Adventures of the League of STEAM." So, if like me, you enjoy this taste - be sure to check out the full series.

"In this epic Western adventure, the League's werewolf hunter Jasper Mooney tells tales of his lifelong hunt for an elusive white werewolf.

Guest starring Tim Neff, Trevor Trout, and Joe Kidawski, and featuring music by The Dirty Diary!"

Short Film: What You Can Burn

"What You Can Burn" by Jeff & Chris Smith

"What You Can Burn" is a light comedy inspired by the works of Terry Gilliam and the Coen brothers. In it, two inseparable friends who hate each other slog through the desert on a quest for treasure, only to discover that someone's beaten them to it. It's silly, but fun.

Short Film: They're Made Out of Meat

"They're Made Out of Meat" Directed by Stephen O'Regan

Based on the short story by Terry Bisson

In "They're Made Out of Meat" is a short film about two intelligent beings on a mission to "contact, welcome and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in this quadrant of the Universe." The film is based on the excellent Nebula Award-nominated short story by Terry Bisson.

Short Film: Alien Communications

"Alien Communications" by Something's Awry Productions

"Alien Communications" is a sweetly awkward coming of age comedy about two teenagers who discover an alien machine that has crashed to Earth.

How do you finally bond with the boy that you have crushed on for years? By making sure that he’s the first person you call when you discover an alien probe in the woods. Even then, the course of love isn't guaranteed to run smoothly. This charming and funny coming-of-age short was created by Pennsylvania based Something's Awry Productions and stars upcoming actors Evangeline Young and Luke Baxter.

"Sometimes communicating with the opposite sex can be as alien as communicating with well... an alien. This slightly sci-fi short film is a touching coming of age story that the awkward in all of us can relate to."

Short Film: Reaver

"Reaver" from Len LoBiondo

"Reaver" is a short horror fiction film about a pair of siblings confronted by a malevolent supernatural entity that is responsible for their father's mysterious disappearance.

It's a well directed, well-written film featuring some excellent visual effects, and the actors' performances are top-notch. It's an impressively chilling film that makes for some great late night viewing.

Short Film: Grave Shivers

"Grave Shivers" directed by Brent Sims from Sims Films

"Grave Shivers" is an anthology film that weaves together three tales of "monsters, killers, and things that go bump in the night." Here's the full description:

""Brent Sims' Grave Shivers" is a short sci-fi/horror anthology that weaves three tales of monsters, killers, and things that go bump in the night. Recent winner of the audience award at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Los Angeles. The project has been featured on io9, dread central, and on moviepilot. The film has been view more than 550k and called an "Anthology of Awesome," by dread central.

A dark legend tells of a mysterious book with no identifiable author, the only thing known of its contents, its subject matter, is that it has magical… endless pages that contain stories of horror, wonder, and dread. Many have searched for it throughout the sands of time. Many have lost themselves in this quest, never to be heard from again. By other worldly assistance, or pure malevolence, one man has located this "book," and has dared to open its pages, to release it back on the world...

"Chapter 1: Teddymare" weaves the historical legend of a teddy bear swore to protect children from a monster that feeds on their souls.

"Chapter 2: Shhhhh! You'll Wake The Dead" tells the story of a killer whom preys on a troop of young girls.

"Chapter 3: Teething Tiffany" is a biting tale of a young girl's thirst for bedtime stories."

Illustration: George DUBYA Bush

Illustration of George W. Bush Skydiving Out of Air Force One

"George DUBYA Bush" by San Francisco-based artist Jason Heuser ("SharpWriter")

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$25 / $80

Created in honor of the Fourth of July holiday, Heuser's artwork depicts George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, skydiving out of Air Force One while riding on a deadly shark and shooting his pistols into the air. Because America!

Humor: The Theropod we Deserve

"The Theropod we Deserve" by Chris Gugliotti of Who's the What Now?

"He’s already gone through 11 Alfred’s."

Featured Site: Night Physics

"Night Physics" by Austin Holcomb

Night Physics is a webcomic (currently updating bi-monthly) on tumblr that is sometimes about anthropomorphic animals in a "tough-but-doomed little mountain town somewhere in the American Midwest" being asked what they dream about, and sometimes about some friends living in that town "as they try to navigate relationships, sexual ethics, suburban legends, ancient myths, haunted houses, and psychedelic wastelands--often all at the same time." The story begins when two friends consume exactly too much of a new drug and have revelatory visions about their lives - and afterward, one can't seem to stop having them.

Comic Round-Up: July 2, 2015

"Amazing Spider-Man and Black Cat" by Frank Cho

Event: Ales Kot appears at Mission: Comics & Art in San Francisco, CA on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM to give a talk and signing to celebrate the release of his new Image Comics series WOLF and the final collection of his wildly successful series ZERO. RSVP on Facebook!

Event: Writer Robert Venditti appears at Barnes & Noble at Ashley Park in Newnan, GA to sign Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape: Attack of the Alien Horde on Saturday July 25, 2015 at 2:00 PM!

Interview: Brian Anderson discusses creating a gay Mormon superhero for his comic Stripling Warrior.

Interview: Carrie Jung interviews creators of several comics featuring Native American superheroes.

Interview: Kelly Sue DeConnick talks about how she’s deconstructing the exploitation genre in Bitch Planet, and offers some recommendations for new readers.

Interview: Zak Kinsella (King Maul, Outré Veil) talks about collaborating with writers, his drawing process and what the X-Men meant to him

"A Show of Force" by Brent Woodside

Bustle ponders 13 different characters who could be the “cursed child” of the new Potter play.

Drawing yourself as a Lego minifig on your Resume may not land you a job, but I bet it pulls down crazy internet traffic!

Get ready for a new batch of The X-Files by watching Chris Carter’s personal Top Ten!

Hello from the Magic Tavern! A few months ago, Arnie Niekamp fell through a magical dimensional portal behind a Burger King in Chicago and found himself in a strange magical land called “Foon.” He's still somehow getting a weak wi-fi signal from the Burger King and so, as you do, hosts a weekly podcast from the tavern the Vermilion Minotaur, interviewing monsters, wizards, and adventurers.

"I merely want to remind us that cyberspace is a literary invention and does not really exist, however much time we spend on the computer every day. There is no such space radically different from the empirical, material room we are sitting in, nor do we leave our bodies behind when we enter it, something one rather tends to associate with drugs or the rapture. But it is a literary construction we tend to believe in; and, like the concept of immaterial labor, there are certainly historical reasons for its appearance at the dawn of postmodernity which greatly transcend the technological fact of computer development or the invention of the Internet." - Fredric Jameson looks back on Neuromancer by William Gibson

In advance of Ian McKellen's new take on Sherlock Holmes being released later this month (trailer), The Guardian has published a nice set on infographics on Arthur Conan Doyle's most beloved detective.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Quick Pic: Canada Day

"Today is Canada Day. Here's to the best neighbor any country has ever had."

Source: Imgur

It has come to my attention that today, July 1, 2015, is Canada Day, celebrating the day Canada became a federation, signing the British North America Act (now known as the Constitution Act).

Illustration: Pixels, Huh.

"Pixels, Huh." by Barcelona, Spain-based Octavi Navarro

If you like these pieces, check out our directory of Free Pixel Art Software.

Game of Thrones Pixel Art by Czarek Łuczyński

Łuczyński has captured Daenerys, Jon (this one especially captures that 'I'm grumpy or I really need the loo' face Kit Harington is so fond of pulling), Drogo, Tyrion, The Mountain and Oberyn really well - each pixel-drawing has a great deal of personality, but it's the little animations that bring them to life. From the Mountain's tabard to the blood dripping from Drogo's Arakh, they're subtle additions but they add something lovely to each design.

If you like these pieces, check out our directory of Free Pixel Art Software.

"Foster's Home for Hobbes" by Malaysia-based Kroizat

[ Previously: Calvin & Hobbes Fan Art ]

I'm not sure if this is sad or uplifting, but it's definitely fitting. Not to mention that it's a lot happier ending than many artists have envisioned for the intrepid duo.

"This idea came out of the blue actually. Wonder what happens to Hobbes when Calvin gets older..."

Humor: A Dish Best Served Early

"Revenge is a dish best served early" by The Frogman and Chris Gugliotti

Interview: Arnold Schwarzenegger on Terminator Genisys.

Interview: Den of Geek talks with Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney.

Interview: Director Alan Taylor Also Thinks the Marketing Gave Away Way Too Much.

Interview: Director Alan Taylor laments spoilerific trailers.

Interview: Emilia Clarke And Arnold Schwarzenegger Discuss Nudity

Interview: Emilia Clarke Discusses Nudity in Terminator: Genisys.

Interview: Emilia Clarke: Here’s the famous role she wants to try next.

Interview: Even Alan Taylor thinks its dumb trailer spoiled the movie.

Interview: Game of Thrones didn't help Emilia Clarke with Genisys

Interview: Genisys is largest scale Terminator movie claims producer David Ellison.

Interview: Jai Courtney needs two weeks’ notice to take his shirt off

Interview: Jason Clarke talks action, Arnold at AJC.com.

Interview: Why Emilia Clarke Prefers Robots Over Dragons.

"District 19" by Pat Presley

Discussion: It never fails to amaze how enthusiastic people still are about Babylon 5.

Interview: The Cybersecurity Podcast interviews Cory Doctorow, author of In Real Life.

Interview: My Bookish Ways interviews Sarah Lotz, author of Day Four.

Interview: Notes from Coode Street interviews Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Aurora.

Interview: Qwillery interviews Ishbelle Bee, author of The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath, recently released by Angry Robot Books.

Interview: Rising Shadow interviews Gail Z. Martin, author of Iron & Blood.

"Spider Wars" by In-Hyuk Lee

Event: Steve Orlando is the writer for the current series of MIDNIGHTER from DC Comics and the sci-fi graphic novel UNDERTOW from Image Comics. He will appear at Escapist Comics in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, July 4th at 1:00 PM to sign comics. RSVP on Facebook!

Event: Zack and Nick Keller will appear at Dr. Comics & Mr. Games in Oakland, CA on Saturday July 18, 2015 from 3:00 till 5:00 PM to promote the release of Death Head #1! RSVP on Facebook!

Interview: "Well, They Can’t All Be Batman" Jon Morris on his League of Regrettable Superheroes

Interview: Steve Foxe talks to Marian Churchland.

"Never Say Die" by Angel Saquero

@Pixel_Dailies gives you a theme or subject every day for you to draw. They retweet and blog their favorites each day. The art club just had its first birthday.

Here’s an Indiana Jones/Darth Vader conspiracy theory about Adolf Hitler for you.

How Hannibal's food stylist, Janice Poon, creates hypothetical human meat: "The secret ingredient is imagination, fear."

How Many Chris Pratts Tall Are The Dinosaurs In Jurassic World?

Laura Vaugh talks about her response to seeing a kick-ass woman with the same disability as her on the silver screen. In an interview with Nerdist, she explains a bit more about why Furiosa's arm was a triumph.

"Not only did Furiosa’s arm look right and operate correctly when it was on, most importantly to Vaughn, it also came off. Prosthetic limbs are often heavy and hot – in reality, Vaughn tells me, no one wears them all the time. But amputees in film are almost never without their prostheses. The conclusion is that they need them to function properly. Not Furiosa. And certainly not Vaughn."

What if people had compared Harry to Lily instead of James?

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Friday, July 3, 2015

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Wednesday, July 1, 2015