Nicholas Hanna is one inventive fellow, he also made this Water Calligraphy Device:
Taipei Fine Arts Museum’s Bubble Device & Water Calligraphy Device 水书法器 by Nicholas Hanna
•January 1, 2016 • Leave a CommentReddit Q&A with Rick Remender [comics]
•December 6, 2015 • Leave a CommentWriter Rick Remender (BLACK SCIENCE, DEADLY CLASS, LOW, TOKYO GHOST) opened up to the internet recently in a Q&A session hosted over on Reddit:
Writer Rick Remender offers the keys to life by finding your center in the joys of the universe in this, his second, and best ever, reddit AMA. (self.books)
lvest, asked:
“Hey, Rick, thanks for a lot all your great work. I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying Low, and I can’t wait for it to start up again.
What advice do you have for people who want to write good stories? I don’t care about making money, I just want to write stories that people want to read. How did you learn to write as well as you do?”
Remender, AMA Author/Submitter:
“Write about the stuff you think about all day. Write your obsessions and passions and hates. Write what you know or what you want to explore. Write what you want to read. Care about it or they’ll know you don’t.”
Nazislike, asked:
“Who were your heroes when you were younger and with you being one of the top writers in the industry, what words of wisdom do you have to offer the next generation of writers entering the world of comics?”
Remender, AMA Author/Submitter:
“My heroes by age 12 were painter Robert Willaims, Steven King, John Byrne, Jeff Grosso and Ian Mackaye.
Wisdom… well, make sure it’s what you want. You have to already be doing it. If you’re not making comics, you might not have the sickness. If you are, if you’re writing and drawing everyday, and you love it so much nothing else seems feasible, then my advice is keep making more comics. Anyone can get good at something. I’m no special snowflake, I just love writing and drawing. You do it long enough and give everything you have to it and you’ll get good. Then you have to keep at it for year and years when there is no sign that it’ll ever pay out. Eventually you’ll find where you belong. Mostly.”
[Details can be found at http://www.rickremender.com or @remender. Above art by Bengal @bengal_art.]
NZCA Lines — “Two Hearts” [♬]
•December 5, 2015 • Leave a Comment“Two Hearts” is a delightful slice of electro-pop — NZCA Lines, the London-based (previously solo) project of Michael Lovett, is joined by Charlotte Hatherley (Bat For Lashes, Ash) and Sarah Jones (Hot Chip) for their forthcoming album ‘Infinite Summer’.
From the album Infinite Summer. Out 22/1 on Memphis Industries. Preorder from www.nzca-lines.com.
Lovett says that the album is influenced by his love of science fiction authors such as Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), explaining the album’s concept in a press release: “The album is based around the idea of a far-future Earth, where the sun has expanded to the size of a red giant and our extinction is imminent. Half of the world is covered by a city [Cairo-Athens] that clings to the past and embraces its destruction, whilst the other half is trying to rebuild, create and make something new. Yet, it’s good on both sides because it’s warm everywhere and people just party most of the time.”
Goutte d’Or [stop-motion animation]
•December 4, 2015 • Leave a CommentChristophe Peladan’s amazing and beautiful stop motion film from 2013 — As a pirate enters the Kingdom of the Dead he’s met with the beautiful Queen. He instantly falls in love, but love it not always easy…
A co-production between Happy Flyfish Production ApS (Denmark) and ExFool’s Production (France) / Produced with the support from The Animation Workshop, The West Danish Film Fund, The Film Workshop, Open Workshop, The Danish Animation Society ANIS, Viborg Council and more. [gouttedor.com/gallery/]
“IT’S A MASTERPIECE!” ~ Børge Ring (Oscar® winning film director)
“SIMPLY AMAZING AND UNIQUE AND BOLD AND LAVISH AND WONDERFUL!”
~ Barry Purves (Oscar® nominated film director)
“A FILM THAT CARESSES THE EYE IN A WAY THAT SEEMS ALMOST OVERWHELMING!”
~ Animation Jury at Odense Intl’ Film Festival, 2013
Björk — “I Miss You” [music video]
•November 26, 2015 • Leave a CommentDiscovered this amazing Björk music video made by Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi that I have never seen before today — It is a gem!!!
An ongoing online debate was sparked over why nudity in children’s cartoons, primarily of the female form, was so frowned upon and considered taboo, while male oriented lewdness was more or less acceptable. The debate came to no standout conclusion so will most likely resurface again some time. I made a case for aesthetic appreciation and used Kricfalusi’s Ren & Stimpy for context, so when I searched for an example to back up my point, I found “I Miss You“, and for lack of a better excuse, I pretty much got sidetracked. It is a weird and wonderful music video, don’t you think?
Music Specifically & Scientifically Composed for Cats [♬]
•November 25, 2015 • Leave a CommentEver wondered if your feline friend preferred Cat Stevens or Cat Power? Wonder no more because there is a YouTube channel dedicated to cats, featuring music that has been verified by science as being pleasant-sounding for them:
How nice, for the cats. As opposed to those owners who get a kick out of their cats being frightened by produce. As weird as that may sound, it is true; for some reason, cucumbers freak the living daylight out of cats. Toasters, I get, but cucumbers?
New Zealand’s New Flag, Unveiled before the Country Has Actually Voted on One in any Referendum ..How Strange?
•November 25, 2015 • Leave a CommentThis was spotted by Tauranga resident John Miller recently while in a Shanghai wholesale fruit market; “Do the Chinese know something about the outcome of our flag referendum that we don’t know yet?”
Not to be coy; I wouldn’t put it past governments to employ a facade of democracy to implement change. For some socially discriminant reason I’m sure (or Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations clause, for you conspiracy theorists), our government has put the appearance of a flag before the well-being of its citizens. Why do I say that? Because the cost of holding two referendums and consulting on a change of flag has been estimated to be just under $26 million. That figure to me is fucking loony, but that is exactly what is happening in New Zealand at the moment. Instead of feeding and educating children and the poor, or spending it on infrastructure or wherever else money is needed, we are having a vote over two-dimensional non-sentimental symbols.
Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets [comics/film]
•November 22, 2015 • Leave a CommentLuc Besson said he would return to the outer-space science fiction adventure film, and that proposed film is “Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets” based on a 1967 French comic series from writers Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.
Luc Besson’s most ambitious project to date is officially happening. Currently in the pre-production phase with the film slated for a July 2017 release, principal cast members have already been chosen (Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Dane DeHaan, and… Rihanna).
Not only that, but, Besson and costume designer Olivier Bériot are asking aspiring artists and creatives around the world to design outfits for one scene in the story. French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier did a fantastic job on The Fifth Element (1997), so this call out may come as a dream come true for many artists out there — 20 winners whose costumes could be turned from sketch into reality and featured in the final film:
Contest Link: http://bit.ly/designforvalerian / Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValerianMovie / Twitter: https://twitter.com/ValerianMovie / Instagram: https://instagram.com/valerianmovie/ / Hashtag with: #DesignForValerian.
Designers are asked to create a piece that could be worn by a human, alien, humanoid or any other intergalactic creature you can think of. The scene for which you are designing will take place at a political cocktail party inside a space station called Alpha in the year 2580. For inspiration and details: talenthouse.com/i/design-for-valerian
For The Fifth Element, there were 954 costumes produced for the final film. Just imagine how many concept drawings were created for each individual garment and accessory, then multiply that by however many hundreds of other designs that didn’t make it past any further development stages. That’s a lot of art.
Some exerts from a Jean Paul Gaultier interview about the fashion of The Fifth Element:
And for anyone preparing to jump on the ‘just another Star Wars inspired rip-off’ bandwagon, understand that French artist Jean-Claude Mézières was one of the most revered artists of future landscapes and characters long before Star Wars was even conceived. The original Valérian and Laurine graphic novel is said to have influenced one of Besson’s earlier features, The Fifth Element — along with the original Star Wars series.
One of the five featurettes on The Fifth Element DVD/Blu-ray Disc — The Visual Element:
For anyone who has seen the original Star Wars trilogy, you’ve also seen the largely uncredited influence of Mézières’ work. Here are a few original pieces for comparison:
And yes, Mézières was well aware of Hollywood’s hypocrisy. In 1983, after having seen all three of the original Star Wars flicks and a fair bit of what he had inspired, Mézières released this single-frame comic in the French magazine Pilote. Sharing a table at a Star-Wars-Cantina-like bar are Princess Leia and Luke opposite Valérian and Laureline:
Judging from the source material alone and Luc Besson’s passion and pedigree of work, “Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets” looks like it could be amazing.
ABOUT VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
Rooted in the classic graphic novel series, Valerian and Laureline- visionary writer/director Luc Besson advances this iconic source material into a contemporary, unique and epic science fiction saga.
Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. Valerian has more in mind than a professional relationship with his partner- blatantly chasing after her with propositions of romance. But his extensive history with women, and her traditional values, drive Laureline to continuously rebuff him.
Under directive from their Commander (Clive Owen), Valerian and Laureline embark on a mission to the breathtaking intergalactic city of Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis comprised of thousands of different species from all four corners of the universe. Alpha’s seventeen million inhabitants have converged over time- uniting their talents, technology and resources for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, not everyone on Alpha shares in these same objectives; in fact, unseen forces are at work, placing our race in great danger.
Pixelord — “Rescue Cyber Party” [music video]
•November 18, 2015 • Leave a Comment♩ ♫ 7(^-^7) ♪ ┗(｀o´)┓ ♪ (´〜^o^)〜 GRAB YOUR FRIENDS
Animation by Alexandre Louvenaz facebook.com/alexandre.louvenaz and alexandre-louvenaz.com / Music by Pixelord pixelord.ru and facebook.com/pixelord / Production Wemotion wemotion.net / For more from King Deluxe visit kingdeluxe.ca.
Ken Garing’s PLANETOID Sequel in the Works [comics]
•November 17, 2015 • Leave a CommentThis bit of info was written back in October, and it’s funny to me that no one has made a fuss over it yet, because, it’s Planetoid! From Ken Garing’s corner of the net:
“I’m now back at work on PLANETOID and the work is coming easier to me now… and I hope to have an announcement soon! Till then, be well.” (Wednesday, October 28, 2015) ~ http://kengaring.blogspot.co.nz
>>kengaring.blogspot.co.nz / kengaring.tumblr.com / kgaring.deviantart.com<<
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