the Artisan Rogue

Art is an evolutionary step, and it’s staircase is a phone.

Recently as I had mentioned I’m working on a few projects that have me up late at night (just like I am now) and although I am mentally worn out, I’ve been having some of the most fun with interface design that I’ve ever had.

Thanks to both the iPhone OS and Android making the incredible strides in overtaking the mobile phone market, it’s more than ever easier to have a place to get your ideas and concepts for apps of all kinds out to the masses. Literally 4 to 5 years ago, the mobile gaming market was seriously in disarray, and there were just too many phones with too many different operating systems to get mainstream idea exposure.

I’m beginning to see where something like the iPad and other tablet PCs are beginning to wedge into our lives, and I can’t wait to see where things will be in another 5 years.

Tron in my hand.
One of the coolest video game controllers I’ve ever seen is the one for the Wii based off of the design aesthetic from the world of Tron. Well built, solid, and has a killer light up set up to emulate the look of Tron, it’s quality is right up there with Nintendo’s controller.

PDP game accessories were the ones that created this one, and although you can see a lot of images of the actual controller online, the one aspect I cannot overlook is the really nice package design. Every bit of it was nicely thought out and well constructed.

Package design is one thing I really miss doing. Most people externally ignore how important it can be, but when it’s done right, it can really bolster an item’s attractiveness to a consumer.

Tron Wii Controller

Well, since it’s now going onto 2am, I’d better call it a night. Thanks for reading – Mario

Etsy – Artwork for the Social Organism
Its finally come to the point where I wanted to put up a store on Etsy that would showcase my artwork. Currently, if you go there, you’ll just see my listing of the Pagan Zoetrope baby doll ringer shirt featuring Mandy and a few sketchcards. As I get some freetime, I’m putting stuff slowly up online.

Each one of the sketchcards is an original work of art signed and dated with the year it was created on the front, and then hand stamped with the Artisan Rogue logo on the back (using a hand created stamp and unique metallic based ink), with the roman numeral for the order it was created in. Each individual artwork will in no way ever be offered again as a print or on a shirt, etc. The characters may show up again, but no two renditions of them will ever be the same.

Each one is clear coated and comes in a protective acrylic sleeve; prices are starting at $10 and up to $20.

Not unlike other items that are coming down the pipeline, I will do alchemy requests for custom sketchcards.

The rest of the items forth coming on my Etsy store, I hope you’ll all find interesting. Since some of them are still in flux, I’ll hold off talking about them for now until I can get some of them finished up and ready.

Conventions – Wanderlust is overcoming me.

Conventions I will be hitting early this next year are Naka-Kon, Planet Comicon, FreeCon and a few others. I’ll have dates forth coming on those as I get more information.

Pagan Zoetrope – An update on a comic I haven’t updated.
I’ve been so busy as of late, that I feel like a neglectful parent towards the characters in Pagan Zoetrope. I have a story begun, and have every notion to get the next issue out by the end of February. Sometimes, no, actually a LOT of times, I tend to have my minds wrapped around too many things. But for what it’s worth, I will keep on going with the story. That I do promise.

Freelance Work – Sometimes your hot, sometimes your not.
One of the things that is the lifeline for anyone with half an idea to call themselves an artist, is to be able to grow client relations and find freelancing jobs. It can be challenging and time consuming looking for prospective avenues and clients, but ultimately rewarding when you find them.

I got hit with a massive amount of freelance work, and I am under NDAs with most of them. But, look to some new games for the iPhone this next year with art by yours truly in them.

Business Endeavors – The unexpected was a pleasant surprise.
Even more that I can’t talk in too much detail about right now, but I’m going to become MUCH more involved in the KC comic community in the next year, and hopefully even more so abroad. Which brings the efforts of my own comic creations and other works into the light in ways that I didn’t think would be happening so soon, but when the time comes to move on something, you have to know when to go with it.

A study in the smaller moments of life, the ones that we miss in a blink as we walk by. Aspects of life, both light and dark. The beauty of oddities and the nuanced.

In a technical work, it was an effort to put myself on ground level or within reach of the subject matter with no use of a zoom lens, and the macro lens continually on. I continually travel with cameras of all kinds, knowing that I have often seen things that I want to keep for later, for posterity, or for inspiration.

It amazed me consistently how much can go on in this world in our day to day lives and the details we can only relive if recorded.

This is also a small tribute to my last little ferret, Emilio, who along with the other ferrets that had been there before him, taught me that the greatest things can be the smallest ones.

I hope you enjoy this odd little collection of moments. – Mario

You know sometimes inspiration can hit at the oddest time. For me, it hit when I was invited to be the guest for FanCon #26, and during one of the quieter bits of time, I was just looking over to the side at some of the Comic boxes that were being given away if visitors to the show spent a certain amount of money. And like anyone who spent moments drawing on anything they shouldn’t have as a youth, I was overcome with the urge to want to compose some art onto the sides of one of the boxes.

So an idea was hatched and together with the blessing of Craig Klotz (the man behind the scenes, yet at the forefront of the KC FanCons) I made the initial 10 boxes that would be given away at FanCon #27, with guest Kyle Strahm. Much to everyone’s surprise (especially my own), they were gone in 40 minutes. The first ones were four boxes featuring Thor, three that had Lady Deadpool, and then another final three that had Wolverine on them. All of these as you can see below were done on the side of the box. [Funny thing was until someone pointed out that there was an actual "front" to the boxes, I really had not thought about it. The side just seemed like the logical place to put artwork.]

The first edition of ten boxes: 4 Thors, 3 Lady Deadpools, and 3 Wolverines. The first variant aspect to this was the slightly different colored Lady Deadpools.

After some feedback, it was decided to try utilizing the aforementioned “front” of the boxes since, logically, when one stores these boxes away, the handle side is all that’s really visible. It proved to be a bit of a design challenge because I likened the initial attempt like trying to paint the Mona Lisa on a tire. But as you can see below, Jonah Hex, Sgt. Rock, and X23 all came out pretty darn good if I do say so myself. These debuted at FanCon #28 with guest illustrator Brent Engstrom.

This show I was actually able to be there, and helped out. I was actually surprised once again that the boxes disappeared quickly, but this time they were all gone in just over 20 minutes.

In this run I pushed the variant aspect a bit further. The Jonah Hex boxes were subtle eye changes, Sgt. Rock had one variant where he had a cigarette in his mouth, and all four of boxes 1 through 4 which were the ones with X23 on them, were each different outfits and looks. The main standout from this group was sketchbox #4, which was the full color variant box (shown at top in middle, and up close on above right).

The way you can currently get them is to go to a KC Fan Con and help out the vendors by purchasing a predetermined amount of merchandise and then as a bonus, you get to have one of these hand drawn creations.

A couple of you asked me if the boxes would be available at the next show. As far as I’m concerned, they will be. But be sure to leave some feedback and ideas that you’d like to see on the KC FanCon page: KC Fan Con on Facebook.

Also the question was brought up a few times as to whether or not some custom ones would be available outside of the show. The answer is yes. I’ve got some in the works that will be available on my site, and I think you’ll like what I have in store subject and theme wise.

A new and updated store will be up by the end of December, so be sure to check out this journal, or follow me on Twitter (@theartisanrogue) for any updates pertaining to the sketchboxes or other shows I will be doing.

The idea was to hopefully create a small movement, (sort of inspired by sketchcards and sketchcovers) that would bring more custom original art to local shows in a new and unique way. Thankfully, it seems that many of you are really into these boxes. That’s the best feeling in the world, and I truly mean that.

Until my next entry, have a great Thanksgiving weekend, and thank you for reading! – Mario

I can hear this man's testicles clanking together from here.

[Today's post was actually partially inspired to be finished up and posted because of the one on Annie Cherry's Blog. Go and read and follow her: Annie Cherry - Be Daring]

Ever dream a dream that in your everyday existence, seems crazy and unattainable? Well on Nov. 14, 1910, at 3:16 p.m., civilian aviator Eugene Ely, seated in his Curtiss on a temporary wooden deck built atop the scout cruiser Birmingham was one of those people that was living theirs. Admist the blustery conditions of rain and wind, Eugene took off over the waters of Hampton Roads, off the deck of the ship and into history as his takeoff marked the birth of naval aviation.

Keep in mind that only YEARS earlier had the Wright brothers (you’ve heard of them, the bicycle making duo that decided to bitch slap gravity) actually gotten the concept of heavier than air flight into a form of reality. [The French though refused to believe two Americans had done this, for no better reason than they were sure they would invent it.] And really before that, there had been all kinds of attempted mishaps with attempting to fly, including Icarus. Evidently, as the story goes, he was so giddy with delight at flying he forgot that the sun was hot, and instead of being remembered as possibly the first human flight, I believe he’s referred to in historical circles as the first human lawn dart.

I tend to love the reckless abandonment and sense of adventure, whether romantic or reality, that permeated much of the early 1900′s. Many times inventors and creators all had to do with what they had. There were no grants, no fanfare, and not a lot of people understood what they were doing. The world is filled with minds like this. Einstein. Tesla. Ford. Earhart. And so many others…

Visionaries. Pioneers. But more importantly, painters and architects of the human environment. Without these kinds of people where would we be today?

Now the fellow above, retired Navy Cmdr. Bob Coolbaugh, didn’t fly the replica Curtiss you see above off the deck of the carrier. It was just a photo op celebrating 100 years of Naval ship aviation history. But Coobaugh DOES fly this thing. And in so doing, keeps alive the spirit and energy of the early pioneers that thought of things no one dared to think about.

I’d like to think I’m insane. Really. I mean that. Not the kind of insane where I get a rifle and end up on a water tower picking off random people, but maybe more of the run across a football field dressed up as Ru Paul kind of crazy.

Today, so many of us resign ourselves to limiting what we can do, and where we should go. One of the things I notice is that many people on facebook and other social media sites are so happy with what they have now that they want to post and talk about it. And really, that’s fine. But I don’t. Because I refuse to believe that where I am at now is the high note of happiness for me. That it’s the best things can get.

The moment we begin to believe that what we have is just so good, we stop exploring. Stop exploring other avenues, meeting people, seeing things… all for the sake of self controlled happiness. And this isn’t a journal entry beleaguering the point of whether or not each of us is happy, but more if we are still wanting to attain the things we allowed ourselves to dream about.

I’ve recently started taking guitar lessons again. I specifically hoped to find someone that would challenge my understanding of music and make me relearn all of the things I thought I knew. And I did (I am redeveloping the callouses on my fingers slowly as proof…) But more importantly, the new reinvigorating experience of learning the guitar again and the theories and practices behind it have opened up new paths of thought in my head. How can learning what I am learning now, enhance and drive my illustration work? Well, immediately, more so that even a few months ago, I’ve become more aware of my hands. What each one is doing. Normally, one hand, my left is relegated to holding down the paper and not much more. The right hand drives the instrument making all the marks.

But recently, although I am not really ambidextrous, I have been trying to learn to draw with my left. Needless to say, it’s like learning to walk all over again. But the fact is that the motions from my left hand have a very different kind of feel. One that I hope to keep developing.

Until the next rambling journal entry… take care and be well. – Mario

Who hasn’t carved their name in a desk at school, drawn something in the sand, or (if you’re from Missouri) spray painted your undying love to your sweetheart at the Kwik E Mart onto an  overpass for I-70?

Is it something within all of us that strives to make a statement? That drives us to be remembered as having actually been there and seen what there was to see? I’ve often wondered this while appreciating the multi-cultural referencing that happens upon bathroom stall walls from bars to high end offices.

Give a man a stick and he will write what is on his mind on the nearest surface.

We are a species of doodlers. We can’t help it. It’s ingrained in us to do it.

A bit of illustration graffiti done by US Marines.

Even when faced with something as horrific as war, the ideas of utilizing art, as markers of note, actions, and events still appear. In some instances, it can be used as propaganda.

I recently came across some examples of artwork that had been photographed over in the Middle East. Some of it, created by coalition and U.S. forces, some of it created by the Taliban.

Apart from the messages of triumph and battles fought, I was really lured in by the differences in the art styles and the psychology behind them.

With the art that I saw from these few examples, I was surprised that the ones created by the U.S. forces were actually rendered quite well, and with a precision and attention to detail that, quite honestly, if I were in a theatre of war, I do not think I’d be able to execute.

I mean what a hell of a way to bite the dust! “So yeah, you hear what happened to Mario? He took his helmet and vest off to get a better bit of detailing on the perspective for this work and a sniper took him out.”

Graffiti by a previous deployment of the U.S Marine Corps's, adorns the walls at Musa Qala in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.

That’s a boatload of respect I have for ANYONE that can find it in themselves to create amid all the destruction that surrounds them. Maybe it goes beyond the branding to bring a sense of being there in the moment and very much alive to leave a mark in the world, because in an environment like that, life’s next moment is delicate and not sure at best.

Also there was a fair amount of stylization evident that specifically made you think that this was western influenced art. A bit of “ego” and attitude that comes forth from it. Some of it like the one shown to the left here of the bandanna covered skull with the dual knives behind it, is evocative of a multitude of meanings. For me, I look at it and the first thing I see is honestly something I’d not be surprised to see as tattoo flash in any tattoo shop. But I look beyond that, and see that the design is reminiscent of the jolly roger flag pirate imagery, but also the symbol of the skull and crossbones, that could signify danger or poisonous consequences.

Maybe the reason that these artists create these works of art stems from the need to brand ownership to a newly taken area.

Whatever the reason, both sides as I stated earlier create this kind of work but unlike the work created by the U.S. forces, I can’t help but look at the somewhat crude and perhaps nervously energetic linework and overall approach that appears to come out of the work from the opposing forces of the insurgent Taliban.

Art attributed to the Taliban.

Nowhere is there stylized bravado, but there is an immediacy and stark message of situations and accomplishments for which they deem worthy of recording in a graffiti like matter. There is a crudeness and matter of fact aspect that serves as more of a record to both commemorate a successful ambush or attack, that could also double as a bit of antagonistic teasing to their enemies.

The fact is that no one creates art without thinking about what others that view it might think when they see it. As a commercial illustrator, I want people to be drawn to my work, and to hopefully have positive reactions to it (depending on what I am trying to communicate).

But there in the Middle East, such is not the case.

In the quieter moments though, I wonder if anyone is able to look at the graffiti being left behind, and understand that regardless of the inherent message that is put forth, each of these works is a statement on the part of the person and how they view the environment and situation they are a part of.

The one bit of commonality that permeates both sides is the human factor of creative energy to make these images. Each picture is worth a thousand words. But those thousand words are different for each of us. What sort of message do you derive from this sort of art?

Until next time, thanks for reading. I will be updating my website soon as well. – Mario

Who reading this didn’t enjoy dressing up for Halloween or otherwise as a kid? Who didn’t want to be a superhero? Who among us didn’t want to be someone else just for one day, just to know how it feels?

If you can’t relate, then I say, READ on anyway! You might just learn something about yourself you’ve been ignoring.

Recently, after having been going to comic conventions for the earlier part of the year where in some case, hundreds of like minded individuals will get together for the common goal of having a good time, talking about similar interests, and most importantly, looking stylish in some new outfit of Cosplay. [Cosplay is in the most basic of definitions, a hobby that is focused around portraying many characters out of pop culture from here in America and many from Japan. The really good cosplayers never break out of character, and the outfits are very often true works of art.]

I’ve seen it all, from Batman to Godzilla, Hamtaro to Frankenstein, Charlie Chaplin to Fred Flinstone, all under one roof sometimes.

Now to some of you who’ve never been to a comic or sci/fi convention, the notion that you’ve probably got in your head is a room full of dice rolling, weirdos sucking down Mt. Dew and still living in our parents basement. Well, that stereotype is somewhat accurate, but only to a small degree. It’s like saying you can pick out a Nascar fan just by looking at them. I can tell you, I’m a Nascar Fan and I believe you’d be hardpressed to know it if you saw me.

BUT, the point was, that for the past two years I’ve worked at the massive entertainment complex called KC Power & Light (Imagine a cross between the Mall of America and Mardi Gras, and you MIGHT get an idea as to the wild and weird uniqueness that is KCP&L here in the midwest) I’ve been able to work on Halloween night both years. And it dawned on me last night, that Halloween (the wacky, nutty holiday that it is) brings out the closet Cosplayer in everyone. I really mean that. Even people that have probably never picked up a comic book would be shocked to see just how similar the overall feel and action there could be so similar to a comic convention.

Don’t believe me? Well, after I went to Chicago, I put up a small film I made about Cosplayers that I saw there. You can watch that here:

Now, take a look at footage I had recorded (albeit it’s not as good of quality at that from Chicago, I think you’ll get the idea) from KCP&L:

Notice something? It’s all people getting together, showing off costumes, and having a really fun time. Now, I’ll give you that some of the people at KCP&L are probably of the convention type, or are medieval re-enactors, theatre troupe members or whatnot, but the majority of them are people that think only one day a year or so is viable for dressing up and letting the inner child we have, out to play.

To that I say, NONSENSE! Say it with me!!! The proof is in the pudding! We all secretly wish it could be Halloween everyday!

So what is today’s lesson boys and girls? It’s that sometimes those aspects of “fringe” society you claim to not understand, might be closer to your understanding than you previously thought.

The part I found most ironic is although in both places people wore masks, it seems like the truer, more kind aspects of each other’s personalities would often come through. It’s almost like watching the emotional walls and insecurities melt away.

What happens as we age that we feel delegated to be so conformist and rigid? Or would it be, that if it weren’t for that, then Halloween or Comic Conventions wouldn’t be as fun? That by society holding those moments to be releases treasured only a couple of times a year, actually makes them that more enjoyable?

————-

Some quick adds that I didn’t get video of, but had to post up on here that I did see out at KCP&L…

This guy's Autobot costume was still one of the most phenomenal ones I have seen there. The fact that he can actually transform into the Mustang has got the be the coolest part of the costume.

I literally almost forgot how to use my camera when I ran across these guys. Daft Punk gets it and so do their fans. Cool costumes, fantastic dj skills, and they are doing the soundtrack to Tron? Who WOULDN'T want to be these guys for Halloween?

That’s all the rambling for tonight. Next up I’ll be talking about KC FanCon #28, and some other news, with a probably update to my website as well by then. Hope you all had a great Halloween!

I recently read an article that focused on the good and bad aspects of yoga. It was a link off of Yahoo! that told about how some people tend to misappropriate the ideas behind what yoga means and how some people (in this particular case, Christian Fundamentalists…) thought that it could be pushing appreciation for and be giving possible misdirected life views while embedding, Middle Eastern aspects into the masses of America.

I’ve heard this kind of thing before. Amazing how when something is misunderstood, people will just guess and then rampant supposition and ignorance rule the day on anything. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because there are people in this country that believe the Holocaust never happened, that 9/11 was propagated by our own government, and that we never landed on the moon.

Yoga refers to a series of disciplines, both mental and physical, that originated in India. Not from the Muslim world.

I tend to look at yoga from a standpoint that I think is more common. It’s a physical working and manipulation of the body that allows me to further understand myself, and keeps me limber and helps prevent injury. I don’t view it as an internal viewing of myself as my own god. Although, I can say that I’ve grown to understand that old saying of “my body is a temple”, and if you fill it with garbage, it becomes a dump.

One of the immediate comparisons I drew out of yoga was how much of an apparent influence it has in many other martial arts and physical disciplines. Even your everyday actions benefit from the practice of it. I know that the days that I’ve skipped out on doing yoga, I feel as if something is amiss, or that I’ve shortchanged myself for that day somehow.

But today’s post isn’t to argue the fine points of diet, exercise, or anything like that. Instead, it’s a post about the capabilities of the wonderful machine that is the human body when it is faced with mastering a discipline like yoga.

The human body is capable of a myriad amount of incredible feats, people ranging from Buster Keaton to the Jabberwockeys, from Fred Astaire to Bruce Lee, show how the body is literally the ultimate blend of scientific balance, grace, endurance and outward expression.

I myself am nowhere near the level that the practitioners I am about to show you are. But I have an understanding as to the level of incredible mental stability and rest one must have, never mind the indelible core strength and flexibility to get to this point. I often use these photos as a method of inspiration not unlike some of the people I mentioned above. To achieve a balance between outer and inner harmony is something that I strive for every day. But to see that others have climbed that mountain to get there and maintain it, is enough to inspire me to greater heights physically.

This just makes my inner thighs hurt. A lot.

... and remember to BREATHE... you think I am joking, but deep cleansing breaths are sooo integral to being able to do a lot of this.

What really inspires me about the image on the left is that it's a family thing to do this. Now the one on the right? I sincerely didn't think that was possible. My tailbone would be so sore!

The day I attain this pose, I will shout it from the rooftops (in other words post it to FB, repeatedly.)

But before all the physical regime runs take place, I always try to remember my favorite quote by one of my idols:

“Be formless… shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You pour water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put water into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or creep or drip or crash! Be water, my friend…” – Bruce Lee

When I am stressed, or when life has positioned obstacles in front of me, I remember this quote. It’s ironic honestly, because of my incredible fear of water. Drowning will do that to a person. But that’s another post for another time.

Till next time, remember don’t believe the hype, yoga is probably one of the best things you could ever introduce into your life.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions you are about to read are mine alone, names have been withheld because in today’s world, you never know where a legal issue will walk all over you like the offensive line of the New England Patriots.

The title screen.

Some years ago I, along with a group of people I worked with, had an opportunity to work on a project that had infinite promise, a lot of backing with enthusiasm and excitement laced throughout, and what at the time seemed like a very bright horizon.

What follows is simply MY take on events and happenings from the point of view of probably the only creative person in history never to have actually witnessed most of what occurred to him. Confused? So was I.

I have in no way, the full right to explain all of the details or almost unbelievable things that transpired over the two years that I am about to summarize in one journal posting. That is another man’s tale to tell.

This is something of a rebuttal or statement about the creative process and how most people will never know how hard something like a television pilot is until you walk a mile in their shoes.

How the most pure and simple ideas, can, from almost an outsider’s standpoint, become mired in the best of intents. But this isn’t an entry based on bad feelings or negative outcomes. It’s about a learning experience and an abbreviated view of a journey that on some days, it seems like the ghost of it still lingers on. Sometimes you wonder how different things would have been if something had gone forward and blossomed as it probably should have.

Everyone has those moments of “what if” and “maybe had”. Doesn’t matter if you’re thinking of that girl or boy that got away, that job opportunity that passed you by just marginally, or that stranger you found interesting, but never ventured to speak to.

Out of the various properties and ideas that were swirling around to be the flagship element that would lead the charge into a new brand of family friendly entertainment, one had the potential and widespread appeal on paper to be the breakout that could materialize on television.

Lenny the lion.

When I first learned about Lenny and Shirl, it was a fairly unique idea that had been sitting waiting to be developed. The idea was about two animal characters, Lenny a lion, and Shirl a sheep, and their relationship with a kid named Matt. The concept envisioned young Matt as a promising puppeteer who often had lively dreams that included his stable of  hand-made friends and was to culminate with a lesson learned in living life through making the right decisions when faced with adversity or making the unpopular, yet correct choice.

Once a week, the minds involved with this fledgling idea would meet, deliberate and discuss everything from trademarking names to what format the idea should come into fruition as (the idea of a strictly web series didn’t make sense at this point), to who else might be of value to bring into our group.

The idea went from creating an animated show to a live action show for a proposed pilot episode. [I always drew comparisons to it being more akin to "ALF" than most of the kid friendly programming created by Henson Studios.] We hired a very talented local puppeteer to bring the concept ideas of Lenny and Shirl and the rest of the developing puppet cast to life.

Now during this time that I was working on elements of this show (that had now been decided would be live action with puppets) I was also working on the sister company’s projects that ranged from logo design, website development, and other things along that line. It was a weird creative time for me. At the same time I was dealing with day to day processes of creating business collateral and talking to people about layouts, there was this looming prospect of what Lenny & Shirl could become for us.

Shirl the sheep.

I can remember many nights that were sleepless with anticipation, with worry, and many that were filled with late nights working on this concept for Lenny & Shirl.

As the months went by, we garnered quite a gathering of people that became involved with the production. Actors, outside set designers, script writers, a television production house, costumers, other producers, one or two investors, and a director.

During that time, as busy as it was, I can only remember bits and pieces from the time that the pilot was filming. I remember the puppets being created, the times that the pilot was being filmed on a soundstage, the casting of the people that played parts, even doing photo shoots with the puppets (a bizarre, yet strangely cool project at the time).

I also recall that people often had many questions that during production we had no answers to, and we were always involved with a mystery investor whom only one of our group ever talked to.

When projects, whether they be a television pilot or the writing of a book, become so big of an effort, being able to think of it as a singular combined effort becomes impossible. It can also lead to moments of disconnection and disjointed thoughts. Was it good enough? Do we need to storyboard this? IS the script funny enough? Is the director engaged and the actors responding to and understanding the motivation of the characters they are portraying?

He kind of looks like a younger Kirk Cameron doesn't he?

Finally after what seemed like a year and a half, the pilot episode was finished. Countless hours of design, photography, illustration, filming, retakes, ADR, rehearsals, and planning had finally culminated in a television ready pilot. It had puppets! An actor playing Matt that looked like a young Kirk Cameron! Upbeat music! An actor who played a walk on cameo of Paul McCartney! What, we thought to ourselves, without having seen the final cut, could anyone else WANT!?

Turns out, there’s a lot of things people wanted. And when it all was done and said, every last one of them made it into this pilot. Which was probably what went wrong.

Now like I said, I can’t name any names, and this was something that to this day, I am still proud I was a part of but, like anything that overcomes that much time in your life you can’t walk away from that without having learned a thing or two about human nature, and how a lot of creative purpose can quickly evolve into the strength of a steam locomotive.

Maybe too much was riding on this effort. Maybe the timing or the people were wrong. Or maybe we didn’t try hard enough. I’d like to think it wasn’t any of those, but time and probably a bit of denial has blocked a lot of it from my mind.

But here are things that I learned while working on this production.

1. It takes in incredible amount of time to put together something like a television pilot. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. From the writing, to the look, to the branding of it, it was a monster endeavor.
2. The art of puppetry is insanely cool and requires true talent and many long hours and takes. After something like this, I have a million times more respect for Jim Henson (not that I didn’t have a universe fulls anyway).
3. Actors can be good, but with proper direction, they can be great. But without a director…
4. Script writing/working is a complex animal to deal with. The creation of something like that is something that goes beyond anything I’ve even done in my own meager writings. If you’re not the proverbial Steve Irwin, that beauty of a script will bite you quicker than you can say “Crikey!”.
5. Learn to let go of things. Often, you’ll work and work on a specific scene, idea, or character and because of location, budget, or time, you have to know that there is not always a fair compromise, and you have to let things go.
6. It will drain you. Emotionally. Financially sure, any big endeavor can. But when you run out of the human element, you’re in dry dock faster than the USS Enterprise without it’s Dilitihium crystals.

It never made it to television of course. Copies of it are floating around out there, I actually saw a copy of it on Ebay months ago. I should have taken a screenshot of it.

Someday, I hope that a book is written about everything that happened. I’ll be the first in line to buy it.

Weird entry into my journal isn’t it? It was a rainy day when this post first started, and those kinds of days make me remember things often. Good and bad things. It actually took me a while to want to post this up.

If you guys ever see me at a convention and want a tale too weird to believe, just ask me about Lenny & Shirl. If you’ve got 30 minutes, I can guarantee you won’t be bored. You might not BELIEVE me, but you’ll not be bored.

(to be continued?…)

This was just such a geek out moment of pride for me.

I love robots.

Anyone that hangs around me for any point of time will eventually hear me talk about them. They fascinate me in so many ways it’s not funny.

When I was young, I missed out on seeing the first Star Wars film in 1977 so R2-D2 didn’t have the impact on me that he may very well have been for many of you, until I my first Christmas back in the states. (You see, I’d been exposed to different kinds of robots over in Italy as it was standard fare to import Japanese Animation and dub it in Italian.)

I can still remember getting a remote controlled R2 of my very own that Christmas. I think I practically ran that little bot into the ground. He went with me everywhere! Rain or shine. After that, from R2 to Commander Data (whom I got to meet this year in Chicago. Mr. Spiner, you are one heck of a funny and gracious man.) But I collect robots of all kinds. Heck my cat Zero even has his own litter robot (I named it Poop-E; a weird nerd homage to Wall-E by Pixar) that cleans up after him. He didn’t like the robot at first, but now they are “best of friends”. Once he figured out the litter robot wasn’t going to eat him that is.

So it was no surprise that recently when I got the chance to design a logo for a robotics club, I was literally jumping for joy. [That actually included a wild and violently happy clog dance followed by a flip. I injured my toe and threw out my back. Evidently I am NOT the monkey king, and all proceeds from this job are now going to my chiropractor and a bottle of Ibuprofen.] First of all it was for a robotics club, so getting more people interested in the field of robotics is always a good thing.

But it also gave me chance to work on some robot concepts that I’d been thinking of and incorporating the ideas and directions my client had.

It had to feature, of course a cool robot character, perhaps some laptops, and at least one kid.

So first things first, I started by getting a couple of robot designs put together for consideration. I usually try and do a couple of different directions and influences no matter what I am designing unless I get pretty specific directions. In this case it was pretty open to my own interpretation.

A spectrum of robots...

Robot version 1 was the design that immediately jumped into my head when I first started designing. He was meant to be more human, and evocative of the quirky inspired universe of Blue Sky Studios’ “Robots” film. Version 2 was trying to infuse some deadpan character into it. Only the eyes would be the real “emotional” read out.

The only one above that was based on some real life counterpart was version 3 (which is actually based off of a common hobbyist robot platform). And then the fourth one was an amalgamation of the first three in a lot of ways. I usually tend to like the idea of monocular vision for a robot since their form and function in today’s world is so delineated by the concepts of zeros and ones. A binary on and off system of informational feed. A one track mind if you please (further carried in emphasis by it having one wheel).

Two of the boy concepts.

After the decision was made to go with Version 1, I then proceeded to work out a background that consisted of metal elements and a large gear. A boy character was decided upon from the two I had come up with. But a girl was also needed to be illustrated.

In this robotics club, the members actually work and control the robots they utilize with laptops. So at first it was necessary to work laptops into the layout, but it was deemed a bit too busy, which I agreed with. So the next step was to find a good balance of sizing for the now three characters and get them to work with the background and foreground elements.

[I know I'm leaving a few steps out in the creative process, but this wasn't meant to be a total breakdown of the refinement process of logo design. I might do a post on that later in the future.]

Of course color was to play a part in this so I was trying to keep good strong flat colors that evoked a playful and industrious mood but also kept the eye able to identify elements immediately. Granted a lot of that has to do with basic shape more than color choice. Doug Chiang (head designer on Star Wars Episode 1) once said that good design means you are able to identify something by it’s silhouette in a matter of seconds. That’s the essence of good logo design.

I mean, think about it. From street signs (the STOP sign is a perfect example of this) to the golden arches of McDonalds that stick out on any landscape almost immediately. [I really need to stop talking about McDonald's, it's probably the LAST thing anyone should ever eat... ] You can instantly recognize the imagery and associate something with it.

I actually found that Egyptian Hieroglyphics could be construed as some of the earliest examples of logo-esque design. A successful logo is inherent in communication of a service or individual’s abilities in our modern society. What more are the icon covered walls of ancient burial sites in Egypt than a wall of logos that depict and unify to deliver a message that we can relate to? [Yes, I know the Rosetta Stone was fundamental in our understanding of the Egyptian communication system, but for the most part, abstraction of iconography aside, a remedial understanding of what the hieroglyphics are trying to work towards communicating CAN be gleaned from some time spent studying them. Enough time that is, to get a doctorate's in Egyptology...]

Final Version

So because of that, I’ll actually take elements of a logo or even the whole logo and push the contrast levels up while looking at it photoshop to see if it hold up well even if it’s all solid black. People’s attentions spans today are such that you really need to have any edge of recognition to a design to make it stick in those few seconds of someone’s attention.

So what was the final version like you ask?

I was very happy with the end result. This was one of those cool jobs one gets where you can work in a hobby or interest and really delve into the subject matter. I hope a shirt gets made with this on it. I’d buy one so fast.

The gear element in the background is probably my favorite subtle unifying bit to all of it.

The whole artwork is hand drawn and inked. As with a lot of my works, I then pulled it into Adobe Illustrator and worked the cel-shading techniques all over it. I think the end result wouldn’t look out of place as the logo/intro for a kids show on Nick jr., a sort of show with a Mr. Wizard kind of spin to it.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Till next time, keep appreciating the world around you. It’s filled with art, you know? Both natural and man-made.