Kratos is alive and well in Los Angeles, California for the E3 Videogame Conference going on this week. We have roughly 20 kiosks with our playable demo running on all of them. God of War 3 is set to release in March of 2010. Stay tuned to my photoblog (http://potatowedges212.blogspot.com/) for complete photographic coverage of my visit to E3!
Inspiration is a strange urge that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I found myself sketching a woman from a catalogue (red image) and ending up making group sketches of five women in action poses. Fox Force Five was a group I always wanted to see, as it was only a story told in the film Pulp Fiction. To kill birds with one stone, I wanted to practice line control and airbrushed skin. I am in the process of printing the final images of the five for my best friends house. The working process has always fascinated me, as sketches are always more rewarding to me than the final pieces themselves.
Digging through the archives, I compiled a few of the early sketches I did to make the Beat Down Crew Series final piece. There are two in the center who did not make the cut, but I will probably end up developing them later on for some other future project. The bottom image is to drive the point home of having solid values--which is what my blog has been about for the last six months. It's getting there, but I still have a lot of work to do.
Growing up among circus performers, she learned to be a master illusionist, acrobat and trapeze artist. She was considered the deadliest woman in the world with a knife, and could tell you a zillion nasty jokes she learned from her vaudevillian grandfather. Along with her team, she would eventually use her skill with knives to keep the world safe from evil....if only the T.V. show had not been cancelled after the pilot!
On March 11th, the deadly Fox Force Five will be revealed!
To commemorate the release of Street Fighter IV, may I present "The Beat Down Crew"-- Seven deadly fighters who seek out the best that the Street Fighter IV Tournament can offer. Starting from top to bottom we have vital information on these fighters identities.
Tyler Durden: The self-proclaimed leader of the group who assembled these fighters together. A diagnosed insomniac and schizophrenic, Tyler can take enormous beatings, and is said to possess the strength of two men.
Chuck "Colt" Norris: Founder of Chun Kuk Do, which combines multiple fighting styles. Chuck also has the reputation of the "Toughest Human Being on the Planet." His skills are unparalled as he will fight for truth, justice and the American way.
Chong "Bolo" Li: This former Defending Kumite Champion, has a tendency to pulverize and cripple opponents on the mat. His menacing frame and crazed stare place great fear into his foes hearts.
Captain James T. Kirk: A man among men, and a hero for the ages, Kirk has never lost a fist fight, suffering at worst a bloody lip and a torn shirt. Kirk holds an undefeated fighting record against both humans and aliens with his unpredictable and lethal double-fist fighting style.
Jim "Black Samurai" Kelly: The true African-American Martial arts master of his time, Jim Kelly is a lethal weapon that should not be messed with!
The Mysterious Luchador: By harnessing the power of an ancient Eagle, this wrestler was able to defeat the great Luchador Ramses. An enigma to the rest of the fighting squad, he is known to them only by the name "Nacho."
Jean Claude Van Damme: A champion bodybuilder and famed martial artist, JCVD's lethal kicks strike faster and harder than anyone on the Crew. He is also a Kumite champion, and known to many as the "Universal Soldier."
As they dragged the body away he saw the intricate pattern of blood on the ground, knowing what he had to do next. He would assemble the greatest fighting team who ever lived, pulling them together from every corner of the globe for one purpose: To participate in the underground Street Fighter IV Tournament! Coinciding with the coming release of Street Fighter IV on 2/17/09, may I present The Beat Down Series!
This teaser illustration is the first of many images based off the popular 2005 Science Fiction Novel 'Old Man's War' by John Scalzi. It chronicles the journey of 75-year old John Perry as he enlists in the Colonial Defense Forces to save the human colonies in deep space from extinction. His mind will be transplanted into an enhanced superhuman body based off of his DNA. The elderly are no longer useless as they are thrust into war with aliens who threaten the very existence of the human race.
My good friend Scott Seeto gave me this book to read, and after reading it multiple times I felt like I wanted to use the book as an excercise in concepting characters, weapons and vehicles. The last few months working on this have been a blast, as I have finally had a chance to turn this into a fan-art based personal project. More images to come in 2009! Pick this book up if you have the chance!
Sometimes I feel like I am running in molasses. Strange to say it but sometimes when I am working on my personal projects I feel like I am actually getting slower. So 2009 is going to be about experimentation and mileage, and with doing all the work comes speed. If I had it my way I would be posting everyday, but with God of War 3 production in full swing, it has become very difficult. Reflecting on my blog, I can see that my 3D section is painfully anemic, as a lot of the sculpting that I am doing is under 'top secret' wraps--but I can assure you that when the project is over there will lots of work to post. As far as 2D experimentation goes, I am gonna try to 'loosen the tie' a little bit and not try to noodle everything to death. It's good to set early goals for 2009-- so here's to everyone having a happy holidays and a great new year!
Legendary pinup queen Bettie Page passed away last night at the age of 85. She was an American icon who paved the way for the sexual revolution of the 1960's. I was doing a pinups series for the blog, but cooked this up this morning. She will be missed.
