Showing posts with label Artsy-Fartsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artsy-Fartsy. Show all posts

Monday, August 29, 2011

Altered Luna

When mankind began to generate more energy than it could easily consume, it turned its sights to the Moon, and dreams of a second, 'real' home. Two hundred years of man-made cometary bombardment and genetic bio-engineering have created the Moon of the 28th century. 

The Moon of the 28th century.  Click to zoom in.
While the atmosphere is not thick enough to support life beyond simple algae and lichen, the lunar seas seethe with bright green genetically altered single and multi-cellular organisms hard at work removing toxins from the environment and creating greenhouse gases as an after-effect. Lack of a breathable atmosphere has not stopped people from building cities on the moon, as can be seen by the lights in the southeastern shaded area.

From ancient times, this area has been called Mare Fecunditatis, but modern inhabitants prefer to refer to it as 'the Sea of Nookie.' Scientists say that we are still two hundred years from having a proper beach party and skinny-dip there.

[Image done with lots of fiddling and painting in Adobe Photoshop.  Thanks goes out to NASA & JPL, for gathering the data, NOAA, for some nifty clouds to steal, and Arthur C. Clarke, a man who inspired me to play with fantasy in a framework of science.]

- Ark

Friday, July 15, 2011

Vayniris Snow

I did a little sketch of Vayniris - the city that I mentioned in my Re-skinning Vornheim post.  In one part of the planet, it's a somewhat dreary, cloudy day.  In another part, it's a winter wonderland.  Luckily, georgraphy doesn't stop - or even slow down -Vayniris streets. :)

Click the city to see it bigger.

I can't quite draw Zak's sprawling mutant tower things yet - just plain, boring Germanic half-timber affairs.  I'll work on it.  But not this week-end.  It's the Boy's birthday weekend - and we just got back from the LEGO store - so it's time to build.. :)

- Ark

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Dicey Landscapes

I'm back from my coastal vacation.  It was very refreshing, and aside from the hardcore sunburn I idiotically gave myself, very pleasant.  The mental recharge was nice, and I was surprised at how much drawing I did.  I drew seaweed and dunes and waves and clouds and marshes and pelicans and seagulls and tankers filling up at oil platforms and tugs pushing barges filled with stacks of giant wind-farm propellers down the Inter-coastal waterway and bikini clad women drinking beer.

Strangely enough, I drew them all in circles.

In my teen age years, I kept a journal, and I'd start each writing session by drawing a mandala.  It's a kind of abstract art and meditative practice, in the form of a circle, in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions.  After a while, I wandered away from the abstractness and started just sketching whatever came to mind inside of a circle.

It's been years since I did drew that way, and I'm glad I rediscovered the technique.  It's very meditative.  Something about tracing out a circle and filling it with what I see is very fulfilling.  I'm not sure why filling up a rectangle isn't as enjoyable.

I also sat down and drew out some images for Jovial Priest's Old School Adventure Guide.  I drew them it the same fashion - in a circle - but from my mind's eye.  I just finished splashing some color on them, and here they are.

Click to see the little stuff


So hey, JP, here you go!  I'm not sure if this was what you were looking for, but here they are. :)  Thanks for the inspiration.

- Ark

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Ode to a Tachikoma

Brave blue spider
Innocent as a child
Watching the sun glow through its fingers
Death bringer
Life saver
Downloading enlightenment
Artificial
Yet possessing what so many strive for:

Salvation


- Ark

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Old School Runs!

The idea was simple - draw a little picture of some adventurers in the 'School House Rock' style, akin to the whole Old School Rocks image I drew a while ago.  It's taken me weeks and I've pulled out lots of hair.  It makes me envy artists who can spit out cartoons like a faucet - such as Ed Chase

As I was drawing, inspiration came from Bard, who mentioned that OSR should stand for 'Oh Shit, Run!.'  (Though he was cooth enough to asterisk out the nasties.)  I thought that was fabulous.  While some may not OSR that way, I certainly enjoy that style.

I finally finished it, so here is the picture.  Enjoy.

Click to embiggen.

- Ark

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Diana Davidsson's Flame Princess Fairies

I enjoyed Raggi's visual retrospective of the Flame Princess.  Some really great stuff there.  But when kelvingreen mentioned in the comments that he would like to see a colored version of Diana Davidsson's Flame Princess Fairies, my pavlovian coloring conditioning kicked in.  Well, okay, he didn't say color, he said colour, which I think means he's from New Jersey.

So yeah, I colored it.  Sorry, Diana.  I have no idea where you are to ask permission.  If you are not amused, just let me know and I'll toss it in the trash.  But it's a great piece and I had fun colo-u-ring it.

- Ark