Video: Academy Conversation

"Academy Conversations: Star Wars: The Force Awakens" by Oscars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens discussion with writer-director-producer J.J. Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, actor Harrison Ford, writer Lawrence Kasdan, production designer Rick Carter, visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett and costume designer Michel Kaplan on December 19, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Video: John Oliver Interview

"John Oliver on success of "Last Week Tonight" by CBS This Morning

Watch as John Oliver systematically deflects praise from Charlie Rose.

Video: Tools Everyone Should Own

"Cool Tools with Kevin Kelly - Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project" by Tested

Wired and Whole Earth Review editor Kevin Kelly recently joined the Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project podcast to discuss his current passion project, Cool Tools. Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities is a collection of 1,500 tool reviews from Cool Tools, the tool recommendation site founded by Kevin Kelly. The book is edited by Kelly and features reviews of hand tools, how-to books, vehicles, software, and more.

Kelly and Savage discussed holiday gifts and the starter tools everyone should own, as well as the genesis of Kelly’s project.

Interview: Milton Glaser

"The Horse and the Goat - An Interview with Milton Glaser" by Catalina Kulczar-Marin

"The Costa Rica International Design Festival asked La Moutique to interview the legendary Milton Glaser, as part of the festival's final evening of speakers. Festival attendees submitted questions, and the following is an interview where Milton Glaser responds to three of these questions."

Interview: Seth Godin

At the 2014 HOW conference, Debbie Millman, host of interview show Design Matters sat down with Seth Godin to discuss courage, anxiety, change, creative integrity, and why he got thrown out of Milton Glaser’s class. Listen to it here.

Artist Interview: Ian Miller

I've been a fan of Ian Miller's art since I first saw the cover for Ray Bradbury's anthology, Long After Midnight as a kid.  My copy of that anthology had pride of place on my nightstand through my entire adolescence thanks to that cover.

Even if you don't recognize the name, you'll recognize the art.  Ian Miller is a British fantasy illustrator with a very dark, very distinctive style.  His career has spanned forty years, but he's best known for his contributions to David Day's Tolkien-inspired compendiums and a long run of cover art for some of the biggest names in genre.

When I saw that Ian Miller was releasing a book this year, I took a chance and requested an interview through his publisher, and I'm happy to report that I received his reply this morning.

Interview: Dave Elliott

Dave Elliott, creator of the fantasy comic book series Weirding Willows offered some advice for aspiring comic book creators in a long interview on deviantART.  Here’s an excerpt from his interview:

"Marvel and DC look towards IDW, Boomstudios, Dark Horse and Image Comics for their talent. They do that because there is no hiding when a creator can’t keep their deadlines or has an emotional meltdown … If you want to draw something in particular, you’re going to have to do some samples of that character. You can always get more eyeballs on your pages by doing mash-ups where characters meet who couldn’t in their own books.  Have Batman meet the new Sherlock. Draw how you would imagine the Justice League would look in J. R. Tolkien’s world. Have Blade and Buffy team up against the Twilight characters."

He had me at "Blade and Buffy team up against the Twilight characters," but the whole article is a good read.  Meanwhile, if you're not reading Weirding Willow, you should check out the preview panels in Elliot's DeviantArt gallery.

Interview: Milton Glaser

"Milton Glaser: Good Life Project" by Jonathan Fields

In this wonderful episode of the Good Life Project, iconic graphic designer Milton Glaser discusses his philosophy of life.  "Speed is a factor because it is an economy factor. But in the world of art, speed is irrelevant."

Interview: Batman: The Animated Series

"Batman: The Animated Series - 21 Years SDCC 2013 Panel" by High5Tv

Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, and Paul Dini discuss Batman The Animated Series, which, so far as I'm concerned, was one of the greatest animated series ever created. I think that the series was pretty much the definitive screen Batman.

Lecture: Is the Internet Ruining Design?

"Is the Internet Ruining Design?" by Big Think

Milton Glaser has no problem with mediums that limit design potential—they can produce great work—but he worries that technology is removing the most powerful instrument of art from the equation: pencil and paper.

Paintings: Beauty

"Beauty" directed by the Brass Brothers

Melanie Norris shares her passion for finding beauty in people that others may have overlooked. ""My responsibility as an artist is to convey beauty in people. To find the wonderful side of things that may typically be ignored, or just kind of passed on the street ..." Part nine of the "Making Art" series.

Interview: The Man Who Built Westeros

"Game of Blocks: The Man Who Built Westeros in Minecraft" from Time.com

The continent of Westeros is home to 'Game of Thrones' and now exists in the virtual world of Minecraft. Meet Jacob Granberry, the artist behind the epic build.

Video: Illustrated Talk with Maurice Sendak

An Illustrated Talk With Maurice Sendak (Drawings by Christoph Niemann)

Interview: Takehiko Inoue

Manga master paints 'real' characters

CNN's "Human to Hero" series profiles Slam Dunk creator Takehiko Inoue, one of Japan's most successful manga artists.

The 45-year-old artist has been working in the industry for a quarter of a century. He started out as an assistant on City Hunter for Tsukasa Hojo before making his solo debut in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1988. Since then, he has worked on numerous series including Slam Dunk, Vagabond, and Real. That's a staggering amount of output, but in light of the speed at which he moves in this video, not a surprising amount.

Link Round-Up: September 25, 2012

 

Animal New York scored an exclusive interview with the street artist wanted by the NYPD for punking the police with Fake Drone Ads. He readily admits that he's not really a part of the street art scene, but he wants to let people know the scariness of drones.

Brandi Roberts is selling a series of hand-drafted Fantasy Floorplans recreating the layout of fictional television homes. The series now includes over a hundred floorplans, including current shows like Dexter and Mad Men and classics like Seinfeld and The Brady Bunch.

Rare Original 'Calvin and Hobbes' Art To Be Auctioned

Self-Professed "World's Best Father," Dave Engledow, is raising money via KickStarter for a calendar. Check out his hilarious photography at Fotoblur.  Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video of the making of Ballet Master. They're reminiscent of Jason Lee's creative portraits of his daughters.

Interview: Jonathan Bender

Jonathan Bender, author of LEGO: A Love Story, speaking at Google

There are 62 LEGO bricks for every person in the world, and at age 30, Jonathan Bender realized that he didn't have a single one of them. While reconsidering his childhood dream of becoming a master model builder for The LEGO Group, he discovers the men and women who are skewing the averages with collections of hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks. What is it about the ubiquitous, brightly colored toys that makes them so hard for everyone to put down?

In search of answers and adventure, Jonathan Bender sets out to explore the quirky world of adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) while becoming a builder himself. As he participates in challenges at fan conventions, searches for the largest private collection in the United States, and visits LEGO headquarters (where he was allowed into the top secret set vault), he finds his LEGO journey twinned with a second creative endeavor—to have a child. His two worlds intertwine as he awaits the outcome: Will he win a build competition or bring a new fan of LEGO into the world? Like every really good love story, this one has surprises—and a happy ending.

Interview: Lego Artists

LEGO blocks are one of the most beloved toys in the world, playing a role in many a person's childhood. But for some creators, LEGO has evolved from toy to art form. In this episode of Offbook, PBS talks to three LEGO artists (Sean Kenney, Alex Kobbs, and Nathan Sawaya) who have made beautiful mosaics, amazing stop-motion videos, thoughtful sculptures, turning the tiny building blocks into a true artistic medium.

Video: Museum of the Moving Image

The Verge takes a tour of the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York

They interview Jason Eppink, the assistant curator. Curated from a Something Awful forum thread, the "We Tripped El Hadji Diouf" installation shows the incredible evolution of a simple fall during a soccer game, to a work of art. The real revelation of the installation is that it shows GIFs as a new form of conversation, unlike the pre-meditated forms of art normally found in museums.

Artist: David Macaulay

Illustration from The Way We Work by David Macaulay, 2008

"I draw to understand things." Artist David Macaulay, illustrator and author of "The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body," "Mosque," "Cathedral," and "The New Way Things Work," among other books, talks about the creative process behind "Rome Antics," his look at the city that wasn't built in a day. His books may be for children, but they're fascinating for adults as well. Don't yet know Macaulay? Prepare to be amazed. Learn more about "Building Big," "Castle," "Cathedral" at PBS.

Interview: Maurice Sendak

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, of Where the Wild Things Are fame, died yesterday. You can read his obituary on the New York Times. Most notable among his achievements is bring a darker tone to children's books. Do yourself a favor and watch his interview on the Colbert Report (parts 1 and 2 above), he was a witty, delightful curmudgeon up until his last days.