Geek Art Gallery: September 2015

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Video Round-Up: September 30, 2015

"Honest Trailers - Avengers: Age of Ultron" by Screen Junkies

Screen Junkies gives their "Honest Trailer" treatment to Marvel's 2015 quip-filled Avengers sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Horse Licks Man’s Face While Getting a Pedicure

The Hacks of Life: How to Sneak Into a Concert

Lucky Woman Goes Swimming with Five Baby Otters

French Bulldog Puppy Struggling to Reach His Favorite Ball

Blind Man Describes His Least Favorite Things to Touch

"Cops Crack Down 09/24/15" by PussyOnRye

Source: Imgur via Reddit

...OR SELL DRUGS. I'm a sign, not a cop.

Short Film: Tombes & Manèges

"Tombes & Manèges" by Nicolas Albrecht, Jérémie Auray, Alexandre
Garnier, Antoine Giuliani, Sandrine Normand, Ambre Pochet, and Marc Visintin

To chime in the start of the Halloween season, we've got "Tombes & Manèges," a great animated short film about a gravedigger and his son. The film would be right at home on Tim Burton's early demo reel, starting out sweet and otherworldly before closing in for the chills.

With a strong narrative and a beautiful style, this is a Halloween short worth bookmarking.

"In his isolated cemetery, a rather boorish gravedigger tries to amuse his son in a rather silly way…."

Sweets: Doctor Who Minecraft Cake

Doctor Who Minecraft Cake by JB Cada and Stephanie Santos of The Regali Kitchen

The Tenth Doctor finds himself on a strange new cuboid world in this all-new culinary adventure! The Regali Kitchen made this custom order cake for Geektastic parents Barry and Maya for their awesome son, Aemon, who just turned eleven.

All of those little characters were modeled after actual Minecraft skins from PlanetMinecraft.com. I love that they chose to put The Doctor in his 3D specs from "Doomsday." It seems very on point.

Of course, now that we've seen it, we can't stop imagining how awesome this game would be, with Daleks descending upon your creations each night and the TARDIS to whisk you back in time to correct your mistakes! I would play the bejesus of that game!

"Alien Egg Cake" by DavidArsenault

I would blow the candles on this cake out from a considerable distance. In my mind, it's filled with marshmallow mucus.

Tech: Pokemon Game Boy Color

Pokemon Game Boy Color by Vadu Amka

"New console on Pokemon's theme ; This time it's about Unown Ruins. This console has been made for "Gogetoad", his nickname is written in Unown alphabet in the back of the console. A and B buttons are also written the same way. On the front of the console, we can easily recognize Kanto's map, wheareas Johto's is on the back. One small anecdote: in 2014 I had made another Pokemon console (blue, red and Togepi), annoncing that this serie would continue chronologically and follow the TV show and video games. Thus, this console is using Gold and Silver universe... émoticône smile I am going to do something else for Suicune.

The purpose of this creation was to give te illusion that it's an old and mysterious artefact found in the ruins."

Apocalyptic Mega Man NES Case Mod by Ryan Fitzpatrick (Platinum Fungi)

Console modder Ryan Fitzpatrick aka Platinum Fungi shares one of his latest creations. It’s a backlit Mega Man NES with a rusted and battle damaged look. For this project Ryan teamed up with airbrush artist Noel McEwen and illustrator Gary Bedell, who made the kickass battle scene featuring Mega Man and Roll against several Robot Masters.

You can see the console in person at iam8bit’s 10th anniversary exhibit. Head to Ryan’s Facebook page for more of his work.

"Portal-Themed Bedroom" by Randy Slavey of GeekDad

"Portal, and its successor Portal 2, took the brilliantly simple concept of a portal gun, combined it with a fantastic storyline that included a sadistic but hilarious antagonist, and created a game that is just as replayable today as it was eight years ago. It was no surprise that my video game obsessed son took to it like a Cheep Cheep to water. Years after that first test chamber, he is still a huge fan and has amassed an impressive collection of t-shirts, toys, and collectibles based on the characters and story. So when it came time to remodel his room for his thirteenth birthday, and he asked for a Portal room, my wife and I wanted to make sure it was something worthy of one of Aperture Laboratories’ finest young test subjects."

"Fallout Gaming Room Vault - Tec Vault Door" by Trey Hill

Okay... someone's got a bit too much time and money on their hands, because this is the door to some guy's man cave. I fully expect there to be an equally insane set of interior shots of the room in the near future. If this is the outside of the room, the inside has to be incredible.

"Star Wars Battlefront Limited Edition Skin Decal for PS4 & Wireless Controller Sticker"

Available for purchase from Amazon. $16.99

Merchandise: Mad Max Fury Road Car Decal

3D printed silver Mad Max Fury Road car decal

"Mad Max Fury Road Car Decal" by Travis Worthington of TheMeansOfProduction

This is a 3D printed magnetic car decal/logo. It can also be used as a magnet anywhere else. It has a super-strong neodymium magnet inside, hand-embedded inside the plastic while printing. Silver painted, although if you choose to specify a color in advance, that can be done too. Made of durable PLA plastic, which is a biodegradable type of plastic made from corn. Great gift for your favorite nerd/geek girl or boy.

Design: Nameless Paints

Nameless Paints by Ima Moteki

The nameless paint set is just what it says - a collection of tubes of paint without their colors labeled. Instead, each tube of paint is identified only by colors. “By not assigning names to the colors we want to expand the definition of what a color can be, and the various shades they can create by mixing them,” explains Yusuke Imai. Together with Ayami Moteki they form the design duo Ima Moteki.

The set of “Nameless Paints” were originally part of the 2012 Kokuyo Design Awards, one of the most interesting design awards in Japan that’s helped commercialize simple yet groundbreaking products like the kadokeshi eraser or the infinite canvas roll table. Kokuyo’s stationary brand Campus spent the last 3 years working with the designer duo to refine their concept and eventually bring it to market. The set of “Nameless Paints” will go on sale in Japan in October of 2015 and will retail for 1800 yen.

Star Wars Posters by Auckland, New Zealand-based Jonathan Ellis

A Galaxy Far Far Away Series by Rhomuell Bernardo

"A Galaxy Far Far Away" by Philippines-based Rhomuell Bernardo

"Rey" by John Keaveney

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Fan Made Poster

Posters: BB-8

"The Force Awakens BB8" by The Geek Club

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$15.55

Posters: Game of Thrones

"Game of Thrones Art Print" by Jeff Langevin

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$15

Posters: The Hobbit

"The Hobbit Art Print" by Jeff Langevin

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$15

Posters: Travel by TARDIS

"Travel by TARDIS" by Joshua Graham of TheArtEye

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$12

Posters: Avengers Age of Ultron

"Avengers Age of Ultron" by Joshua Graham of TheArtEye

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$20

Fresh Take: Darth Vader and Kids

Darth Vader and Kids Created by Ali Solomon

"Darth Vader and Kids" by Ali Solomon

Fresh Take: The Magic of Star Wars Toys

The Magic of Star Wars Toys Created by Jeff Victor

"The Magic of Star Wars Toys" by Jeff Victor

Mash-Up: Star Trek / Mass Effect

"Trek Effect" by Tony Warne (Jedi-Art-Trick)

A Star Trek / Mass Effect Mash-Up

Fresh Take: Borg Naval Battle

"Star Trek Borg Ship Naval Battle" by Mirsad Agic

Prints available for purchase from Imagekind. US$10 - $51

What if Star Trek: The Next Generation had been set in a different era? Would it have detracted from the power of the series? If your knee jerk reaction is yes, give this piece a hard look. In it, Mirsad Agic re-imagines the Enterprise as a seafaring vessel and the Borg cube as a pirate vessel reminiscent of the Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

I've always been a fan of science fiction as fantasy, and I think Agic is on to something here.

Humor: Amazon Delivery Eve

"Sleep" by Chris Hallbeck of Minimumble

Looking ahead to Christmas, I realize...

Sci-Fi Round-Up: September 30, 2015

"Maintenance" by Ben Andrews

Interviews

Adventures in Scifi interviews Rod Duncan, author of Unseemly Science.

Elizabeth Bear interviews Fran Wilde, author of Updraft.

Examiner.com interviews David Walton, author of Supersymmetry.

Fast Forward interviews Laura Anne Gilman, author of Silver on the Road.

Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy interviews Andy Weir, author of The Martian.

My Bookish Ways interviews Edward Ashton, author of Three Days in April.

Paste interviews C.A. Higgins, author of Lightless.

Paul Holdengraber interviews Neil Gaiman.

Reddit recently held an AMA for Andy Weir, author The Martian.

Suvudu interviews C.A. Higgins, author of Lightless.

Suvudu interviews Margaret Atwood, author of The Heart Goes Last.

Ventures Africa interviews Nnedi Okoroafor, author of Binti.

"Spider-Man" by Ryan Kinnaird

Interview: Gilbert Hernandez talks about teaming up with Darwyn Cooke for his new Vertigo series Twilight Children

Interview: Neil Googe, who draws for DC Comics and a number of tabletop games, talks about the nuts and bolts of working as a comics artist.

Interview: Rob Salkowitz writes about the popularity of comics festivals, as opposed to the more commercial comic cons, and how the business model is different

"Deadpool" by Devonne Amos

An Acrylic Tunnel Turns a London Museum Into a Sci-Fi Alice in Wonderland

Create a Peanut Character of yourself.

Design a retro-inspired sci-fi film poster

A Free Open Source Guide For Creating Beautiful User Experiences

Ruth Graham, in a Slate piece entitled, Banned Books Week is a Crock, argued that censorship is no longer a problem in the United States. Censorship laws are nearly extinct, and if your local library doesn't have the book...well, you can always find it online. "This Banned Books Week," writes Graham, "instead of hand-wringing about a nonexistent wave of censorship, let’s celebrate the obvious: The books won." But have they? Michelle Anne Schingler responds on BookRiot: "'Better than before' seems to me an inadequate measuring stick when we’re discussing the availability of books, particularly in our schools and libraries...I want all readers and seekers to have the same access to books that I was privileged enough to have growing up: total."

Trevor Noah has delivered his first episode as host of The Daily Show. Reviews are mixed but mostly positive.

Wanna spend Christmas at Hogwarts? Well, now you can spend December 3rd at the Great Hall at Harry Potter Studios with a dinner, drinks, a tour, and so much more!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Video Round-Up: September 29, 2015

"Back in Time Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Back to the Future Documentary HD"

Here's the first look at Back in Time, the upcoming 2015 documentary about the making of Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future trilogy. The film comes to select theaters on October 21st, 2015.

Malala Yousafzai Performs Card Tricks with Stephen Colbert

Mom Finds Out How Her Husband Watches the Kids

Dog Gently Covers Sleeping Baby

Bengal Kittens Play Whack-a-Cat

Guy Performs Song with 90 Different Instruments

"How NASA Should Have Announced Their Findings" by MisterAlaska

Source: Imgur via Reddit

Humor: Accurate Home Screen

"Accurate Home Screen" by Christiann MacAuley of Sticky Comics

Where's the "Boss isn't Looking" Angry Birds icon?

Comic Round-Up: September 29, 2015

"Ant-Man" by Jung Sik-Ahn

Event: Dan Gearino looks forward to the inaugural Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, which launches on Thursday with a heavy-hitting roster of indie comics creators as guests, thanks to the efforts of artistic director Jeff Smith (Bone).

Interview: ComicsPRO director Joe Field (the creator of Free Comic Book Day) reveals some more details about this year’s new promotion, Local Comic Shop Day.

Interview: Dana Simpson, the creator of the comic strip Phoebe and Her Unicorn, talks about the gender imbalance on the funny pages.

Interview: Political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz spoke about his work to a Mexican-American studies class at the University of Arizona, talking about how presidential hopeful Donald Trump has given him plenty of material this summer.

"Daenerys" by Ginl Delphine

Infographic: What Makes An Infographic So Popular?

34 Amazing Photos Of The Super Blood Moon

99 Designs offers a tutorial on How to design a die cut sticker

Forget about the 3D printer, the wave of the future is digital fabrication

Is there something to “Avada Kedavra” versus “abracadabra”?

lyre-of-ur.com is a somewhat rustic website dedicated to a playable reproduction of the world's oldest string instrument. You can hear it accompanying a set of silver pipes and a short recitation from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Don't miss the fan poetry on the informative history page.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Video Round-Up: September 28, 2015

"Ultimate Gun Game" by CorridorDigital

Visual effects artists Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer of Corridor Digital imagine a video game where players get to use all the best weapons from new and classic video games, including Super Mario Bros., Halo, Minecraft, Mega Man, Portal, and more.

Formerly Neglected Golden Retriever Picks Out Her First Toy

Guy Makes Mesmerizing Dance Video Out of Flight Safety Card

Rate Me (A Comedy Sketch by Genuine Jerks)

Genius Baby Figures Out How to Escape Bed

Chewbacca Toilet Paper Dispenser

Toby the Tiny Monkey Takes His First Bath

Fan Film: Summer ’78

"Summer ’78" directed by J.C. Reifenberg

This nostalgia inducing fan film will help tide you over until the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It centers around a young boy, played by Hunter Leon, a host of the original Kenner Star Wars action figures, and whole lot of imagination. Despite a "continuity error" (Kenner’s Millennium Falcon toy didn’t actually debut until 1979), it perfectly captures the feeling of being a Star Wars fan in the late seventies. The short film was directed by J.C. Reifenberg (Hughes the Force) and produced by James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on The Clone Wars and Rebels.

"“Summer ’78” is a short film about the power of imagination. Watch as a young boy during the late 70s plays with his favorite Star Wars toys and learn how his simple, but elaborate front yard adventures inspire his future."

Fan Film: LOOTERS

"LOOTERS" by Fury Fingers

Looters is a short film inspired by Skyrim. I suspect many tabletop gamers will recognise the chaotic evil that sometimes take a hold of dice when it comes to random loot tables, though.

The VFX here are the work of Daniel Vink, one of the Fury Fingers team who work along side the director/writer Andrew Shanks. There are all sorts of evil here; random loot, random encounters, cheeky team members and dreaded encumbrance. I know which of those four I dislike the most!

Quick Pic: Press B to Crouch

Video game store makes the most of their broken shutters.

"Video Game store makes the most of broken shutters"

Via: Imgur via Reddit

I'm not entirely certain this "malfunction" was an accident.

Short Film: The EVENT

"The EVENT" Written and directed by Rustam Vakilov

This short film from Rustam Vakilov is a proof of concept for a larger, full-length, feature.

"Neil, in his mid 20s, awakens suddenly to a low, unearthly rumbling. As he goes about his morning routine, he begins to experience some bizarre and unnatural happenings that usher in both a cataclysmic end, and a brilliant new beginning."

Short Film: Redaction

"Redaction" by Tim Sanger

"Redaction" is a super eerie thriller with a sci-fi premise. It's smart, chilling, and really powerful metaphor about the public's tendency to silence victims in the name of a communal peace of mind.

In a future where victims of traumatic crimes have their memory of the incident erased like it never happened, one woman fights for her right to remember her husband's abuse and the pain she endured.

Lego Creation: Vatican

"St. Peter’s Basilica" by Reverend Bob Simon

Pope Francis visited Philadelphia September 25th, and one local pastor was so excited about the visit that he’s built an gigantic LEGO model of the Vatican to commemorate the occasion. Reverend Bob Simon of St. Catherine of Siena Church created the massive and impressively detailed model of St. Peter’s Basilica and square in Vatican City from over half a million LEGO bricks over the course of ten months. The model includes crowds of tourists visiting the square, a nun who’s documenting her pilgrimage with a selfie stick, safety blockades, and Swiss Guards guarding the Pope.

Simon's Lego Vatican was going on display at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where Pope Francis took part in the World Meeting of Families on September 26th and 27th. The display coincided with the museum's new Vatican Splendors exhibit, which showcased significant objects from the Catholic Church's history.

"Giant Functional LEGO NES Controller" by Julius von Brunk

"Initially conceived in the late summer of 2012, this titanic brute was been gradually worked on from July to December and finally completed towards the end of 2012. Various obstacles, such as work-related and/or financial problems halted its production, but nonetheless I managed to complete this giant controller, in both its LEGO structure as well as electrical functionality.

Resting atop a large folding table in my attic workshop, the controller is built of light-grey LEGO brick walls with large removable tiled plates for the ceiling. Like previous works, I’ve used custom glossy stickers for the labels originally, but in 2015 I modified it slightly by removing the labels and using LEGO pieces to create the text. The innards are mainly hollowed with some trusses and support for the buttons; the buttons are spring-loaded modules using LEGO Technic pieces to make the large buttons reciprocate when pressed. Below the large LEGO buttons are small momentary pushbuttons soldered to the actual circuitry board of an original NES controller, which is then linked to a USB converter to play Nintendo ROMs on my computer. When the large LEGO buttons are pressed, the bottoms make contact with the pushbuttons, which then send the electrical signal back to the controller’s circuit “brain”; the LEGO Technic spring suspension system prevents the large buttons from getting stuck in place. For the record, I do in fact own hard copies of each ROM that I used, and the controller can also work with an actual NES. After this creation was published and posted amongst numerous websites, I was personally contacted by Nintendo of America to create a store display for Nintendo World Store’s release party of LEGO: City Undercover in spring 2013. Currently I’m looking forward to showcasing this mighty monument at some video game conventions."

Created by by Beau Stanton

Photos by Sal Rodriguez (@ElJefe313) and The Pharmacy Co. (@ThePharmacyCo)

From September 17-25, more than 45 new murals were created as part of 1xRUN’s 'Murals In The Market' festival in Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market district.

45 local and international artists were invited to the city's first mural festival, painting massive walls with waves of colour and cultivating a contagious artistic energy that transformed the city into an epicenter of the contemporary public art movement.

Events included during the 9 day street art festival included intimate talks with legendary New York City documentary photographer Martha Cooper, progressive Parisian street artist Kashink as well as New Zealand’s Askew plus a Featured Artist Exhibition at Inner State Gallery. Artists also participated in the Detroit’s Slow Roll bike ride taking a unique look at the city in one of it’s newest weekly traditions, and took in the sights and sounds of Detroit’s finest musicians at TV Lounge.

Go here to check out more of the murals.