Sculpt Video - The House from My Neighbor Totoro

I am proud to present the House from My Neighbor Totoro! This was a commission from my friend to his lovely wife. She, too, is enchanted by the amazing home in this Studio Ghibli classic :)







-MJ

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When the Creator of a Beloved Game Sees Your Fan Art

Life is funny. If you had told 8 year old me that someday she would get to have a personal email exchange with one of the co-creators of Toejam & Earl and ask him questions about the game, she would have been excited at the idea, and hopeful probably, but wouldn’t have thought it was possible.

Well 8 year old me, it happened, it was awesome, he’s super nice, he likes your art, AND you got one of your burning life-long questions answered: Are they saying, “Whoa, shit!” when they’re about to fall off the cliff?!

Sadly, no.

But onward to the story!

 

Some photos from a recent play through of Toejam & Earl for the Sega.

In January of this year (fabulous 2014) I completed a Toejam & Earl paper art piece. I was proud of it and thrilled to have made it. Toejam & Earl is a childhood and life-long favorite game of mine and my sister’s. If two video games defined my early years, they would be Mario 3 and Toejam & Earl. There were other games of course but those two were played the most, and they continue to be played by my sister and me even to this day. The first time we beat Toejam & Earl I was about 18 years old; we had been whole hog dedicated to that title for a solid 10 years!

The week before Thanksgiving I had a day like any other day. That is until I received an email alerting me to the presence of a new comment on my Toejam & Earl paper art photos. I checked it out and discovered that someone claiming to be one of the co-creators of Toejam & Earl had found my art and really liked it, and posted it on their official Facebook page. He invited me to check out the page and to e-mail him if I liked.

Now, I like to think I’m optimistic but I also don’t like to be fooled, and the internet is chock full of liars. So, I proceeded with caution. First I looked for the Facebook page, which I found, and sure enough there was my art! I scrolled for a bit and discovered that it was totally legit, and then I may have cried a little? But then I got it together and sent him (Greg Johnson) an email expressing my thanks for the comment and his compliment, as well as my unending love of the game series.

What followed was a very pleasant e-mail exchange where I was able to tell him everything I loved about Toejam & Earl and I got to ask any questions that had been on my mind for the last 20 years. He told me about the most recent game he’s made, Doki Doki Universe, and even gave me a download code so I could play it on my PS3. On top of that he offered to send me some signed Toejam & Earl art as a token of appreciation. Talk about a crazy nice guy!

(Note: I plan on writing a little about my experience with Doki Doki Universe once I've had a chance to dive into it!)

He had such wonderful and encouraging things to say about my paper art, and it was a wacky ass dream come true to get to talk to one of the people responsible for SO much happiness and gaming in my life.

A nice shout out to my sister from an email exchange from Greg.

Greg is currently working toward a new Toejam & Earl title and personally I could not be more excited. His Facebook page is promoting interest in the quirky series and he’s also hosting a lot of game-based quizzes with signed art up for prizes! He wants to hear from people on what they love and hate (who could hate any of it?) about the games, and what they hope to see in a new release. Any Toejam & Earl fans owe it to themselves to get in on the fun and have their voices heard!

So that’s my story. It was an honor to hear from him and a total thrill to have my art seen by one of THE creators of the game. He was also so kind and genuine, which is a rarity in my experience. I’m thankful that the internet exists and allowed this crazy thing to happen!

-MJ

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People Portraits - My Sister's Family

This is the last practice commission that I did and it was for my sister. She requested a portrait of her and her entire family (pets included!).

-MJ

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TMNT Pizza Time Paper Sculpt!

This was commissioned by a friend for her husband for their anniversary!

-MJ

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Firefly Serenity Paper Art Video

The fourth practice commission that I made! The background was supplied by my friend Chavid (the piece was also for him).

-MJ

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2D Paper Art - The Legend of Zelda Dungeons

Here's a little something I made for Zach for the Zelda subreddit gift exchange a few months ago. It was fun! And challenging. And you know. Maybe it wasn't that fun. There are so many geometric shapes, you know? But I think it's pretty cool, and I think the recipient really enjoyed it.

-MJ

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Midna - Twilight Princess Paper Art Video

A paper piece made for the lovely Rachel for her birthday! Enjoy watching Midna fromThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess come to life!







-MJ

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Roadster Sculpt Video - Vroom Vroom

A paper sculpt of a friend's real roadster! This was a total challenge for me since cars aren't really my thing. It was difficult to know what I was looking at in the reference photos. Hurray for challenges!







-MJ

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Shiva Video - FF8 GF Sculpt Series

For the first time ever I'm playing through Final Fantasy 8 (and documenting it!) and I decided to do a paper sculpt piece of each Guardian Force in the game. Here's Shiva!






-MJ

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Studio Ghibli Crossover Sculpt Video

The first in a series of 'practice commissions' that I'm doing for some friends. She asked for something Studio Ghibli related, so I came up with this Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away crossover piece! I have to say that I am SUPER pleased with it! The feathers were a nightmare and I don't ever want to do anything like it again. Haku was a dream, though. The whimsy of his design had me smiling the whole time I was cutting.







-MJ

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FF8 GF Sculpt Series Video - Quezacotl

Here's the first GF portrait from Final Fantasy 8! I'm working on creating all 16 of them as a personal project, and I hope to show them in a gallery at the end of the year!







-MJ



P.S. Did you see the little video camera icon on the article picture and preview picture? That'll be a nice, extra indicator that there's a video waiting for you! :)

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Having A Nerdgasm with Erick and Jon from Mythos Art Club

Note: This article contains themes and images of an adult nature.

Catwoman’s skintight costume. Princess Leia’s metal bikini. Lara Croft’s ample bust. Like it or not, sexuality is pervasive in geek culture. A group of local Seattle artists known as the Mythos Art Club has utilized this theme as inspiration to create the annual art show known as Nerdgasm. The second Nerdgasm art show is currently on display through March 30th at The Raygun Lounge in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. I got in touch with the two Mythos members who organized the show, Jon Young and Erick Lingbloom and asked them about Nerdgasm.

 

"Lovers" by Zeuf

What is the Mythos Art Club?

Erick: Mythos Art Club is an informal group of artists, each member pursuing art in varying capacities. All of us share similar interests, and endeavor to cultivate a community that engages others who share them as well. Key components that define Mythos Art Club are:The work is mythology/story-based; we are concerned with characters and stories, not art for art's sake. The work is graphic and commercial art based, with contributing artists who are cartoonists, tattoo artists, designers -- working artists -- though we maintain an open-mind to other mediums. My role within Mythos is as a co-founder and event organizer.

Jon: It started out as a group called Dead End Press. They would put on 5 hour sketch jams that I attended. That's actually how I know Erick and the core members of Mythos, it stemmed from that initial group, and when it dissolved Jordan Girratano started Mythos. Everyone that takes part is at different skill levels and work in different parts of the art industry: freelance, game design, comics, college students, all types.



Can anyone join? How do they get involved? What’s next for Mythos?

Jon: It’s totally open to join, we are a group that just wants to help promote our fellow artists and give them a fun environment in which to show their art.

Erick: There is a running joke among us that we never do the same thing twice. That being said, I have no idea what's next! We've got a Facebook thingy where people can check in with us. A big part of Mythos is just supporting other artists by going to their shows, taking their classes, and participating in their events. We will be working more with Raygun in the future for other art shows and a regular artist meet up/drink and draw night.

 

"Neil Degrasse Tyson" by Maxine Iglich

How would you describe the goal of Nerdgasm? How do you feel the show relates with the sex-positive movement?

Erick: The idea for Nerdgasm evolved from a very tongue-in-cheek brainstorming session between other members of Mythos -- much of our enthusiasm came from the name -- which led to the concept of what kind of work we wanted to collect -- erotic nerd art. We thought this would be fun (and it is), to see how artists interpret the prompt for sexy nerdy art. I'm sure we have much to learn, but I think we represent sex-positivity by creating a space for artists of all orientations to have their voices heard.

Jon: A lot of the art that gets created for Nerdgasm references regular discussion points in the nerd/geek community and some of it reflects the personal fantasy situation of the artist. I think hanging that on the wall gets a lot of people discussing those images ideas and generally just making people more comfortable to open that discussion.



How did you get the word out to artists who wanted to participate?

Erick: For this show it was an open call to artists we have worked with in the past. This is our second Nerdgasm, and we are very happy with how artists have responded to the concept-- in turn we have built a "word-of-mouth" type of network. Artists who "missed out" on last year's show approached us, artists invited other artists to submit work -- we even had submissions from artists who simply saw our posters! All pieces submitted were accepted (45 pieces from 30 different artists). One goal of Mythos is to provide a platform for unknown and inexperienced artists to show their work; and to create an environment for them to learn what it is like to show in a gallery. We have the experience and hustle to put shows together and create opportunities for artists who may not realize they have the power to do it themselves. It is satisfying to see other artists flourish and be inspired when they recognize the value of participating in an art community.

 

"Good Book" by Teague Tysseling

Do you have any of your own works on display?

Erick: Yes, I have on display the piece titled "Sci-Fi Pulp." The piece was an attempt to capture the cheesy sci-fi aesthetic of men's pulp adventure magazines. Like much of that type of adventure magazine art, I think the goal is to convey an image that is alluring and sexy; and inherently lacks much substance. I wanted to do a piece that focused on the purely aesthetic aspects of lurid pulp magazine illustration.

Jon: I do. Avengers Part 1 and 2, M.O.D.O.C , and Mumm-Ra the Ever-Babely. For my Avengers pieces, it was taking a fun way to connect the classic tattoos I love and comics I've read forever. Mumm-Ra the Ever-Babely was a fun gender-bent piece with a beautiful curvy girl that's also a bit of a throwback to one of my favorite shows as a kid. I created the Modok piece because there's just something wrong about making him seen in a sexy/cute light.

 

"Bound 2 - Nightwing and Batgirl" by Nolan Harris

How did you decide on the Raygun Lounge to display in?

Erick: We felt the Raygun Lounge was a part of the community we wanted to engage with. We wanted to work with a space that would reach an audience outside of the group of friends/artists that we typically rely on to populate our events. As a "start up" we are still getting our name out there.



Where do you feel the art in Nerdgasm falls on the spectrum of sexy to sexist?

Erick: A fantastic question. We keep this in our peripheral throughout the development of the show. We don't want to alienate anybody with this show, but we also recognize that the content is inherently controversial. We leave the subject of the art entirely up to the artist, with the exception of a few stipulations against violence and anti-gender content (as well as some ground rules with respect towards the wishes of the space we are working with). Beyond that, the show is driven off of the prompt of "erotic art, however you define it, based on themes found in nerd culture." We want to illicit a reaction, but we also want to have fun. Some of my favorite pieces are those that are most uncomfortable, or those that use the theme to tell a dirty joke. We let the artists express their interpretation of Erotic Nerd Art, and have confidence that the artists we work with will produce work that is varied and well thought out. We are conscientious of the potential for this show to come across as a tits and ass fanboy fest that only appeals to dudes-- for that reason, we try to seek out artists from various backgrounds and sexual orientations.

Jon: We left it up to the artists to interpret with very few guidelines. Generally the guidelines are given to us by the space we are displaying in. For the Raygun Lounge, the guidelines were pretty much to keep the art at an R rating: no spread vaginas, no erect penises. It was fun since it made sure no one could go straight to the gross out factor or just shock value completely.

 

"Torchwood 3 Way" by Amy Chisman

Have you encountered any criticism for this show?

Erick: We have not -- though I imagine this largely due to being such a new/small operation. The only criticisms come internally in the form of, "Oh my god I can't believe what I'm looking at -- that is so brilliant."

Jon: Surprisingly not, the only complaint we had last year is when we went in to take down the show. We've had a lot of nervous giggles though, which is a great compliment. Everyone seems to love the art and at our opening events it's always a very relaxed environment. No one seems to be too uptight or stuffy about the situation.  



Final thoughts?

Jon: We are so appreciative for everyone that has contributed to the show and everyone that's come through to check us out and enjoy Nerdgasm!

Erick: The response to this show has been great and overwhelmingly positive. I encourage people with questions or criticisms to contact me and start a dialog. One of the great things about this show is its ability to elicit a strong reaction from the viewer. Not a lot of art does that. We want people to engage in art and be a part of the art community -- actively, not passively. We want to break down the wall that separates artists from viewers and shatter the idea that art must come packaged with a sense of elitism.



Many thanks to Jon and Erick for providing insight on the Mythos Art Club and Nerdgasm! Readers, if you have the chance to check out the show, I highly recommend it! Feel free to come back to A Bit Of Geek and post your thoughts and impressions.

 

"Wonder Boudoir" by Aliva

You can find more from Jon Young at Artful Dodger Tattoo, where he is finishing up his tattoo apprenticeship. Also, check out Erick Lingbloom’s works on his website: Erick Lingbloom Art

-Eve



**Photography Note: I took the above photographs, but I am not the artist.

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Sculpt Video - Toejam & Earl!

Time to get down and funky with the hipest aliens in the solar system!







-MJ

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Grumpy Cat Paper Sculpt

First sculpt video of the year! The goal is to have at least one each month :) I made this as a Christmas gift for a friend's daughter. I hope you enjoy it!







-MJ

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Discovered Artist Showcase - supercoolspyclub

In order to inspire my own interests (while simultaneously fighting back the urge to rage-quit a tangible hobby because of jealously and fears of inadequacy) I am constantly on the look out for new paper artists to follow! I love to find people who have the same or a similar style to what I’m attempting to achieve. I’ve found that this is kind of hard to do, though. I don’t know if my search terms are off or what, but it’s just hard to find paper artists for me.



A while back I found a great tumblr that does all the work for me! They don’t post *super* often, I suspect because they have a similar issue that I did, but when they do, it’s almost always gold. Through them I found Jared Andrew Schorr, or supercoolspyclub on tumblr. His stuff absolutely rocks! Even better is that I sent him a message telling him how I was melting and freaking out over his work, and he gave me a response of thanks and encouragement for my own work. What a guy!



Please relax and enjoy this (very small) selection of his work.

 

Risers!

 

I never would have thought to display paper in anything but a frame.

 

Same color layering!

 

I don’t even want to talk about it.

 

Tiny cuts for fur? Yes!

His work is so simple, yet detailed! Such clean lines while also depicting movement and activity. And so delicate! Some of these pieces appear to be extremely small! How does he cut out the circles? You know, I tried to make a watery background for an octopus piece one time, and it was a full blown disaster. It looked so bad. I felt like a first grader who had just learned how to cut construction paper. I believe I threw it away because it filled me with such shame and frustration. But look!

 

It can be done! I really should give it another shot!

I’m so thrilled by everything that he does, and it has helped me to get back to the Toejam and Earl sculpt that I’ve been trudging through. I knew when I started it that it’d be a real challenge, and so I’m dragging my feet rather badly. Then I see detailed sets like this:

and I know I have to get back on the horse.



What do you think of his work? Do you have any amazing paper artists for me? :D



-MJ



*all images have been respectfully borrowed from Schorr's tumblr and they are his property.

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Minecraft Collage Sculpt

Mojang hosted a fan art community contest at PAX Prime 2012, and I decided to go ahead and submit a piece. (spoiler alert: my piece wasn't chosen) It was very fun to make, and also pretty challenging and tedious to cut out so many tiny squares. Also? I'm not a fan of the math necessary to cut up small squares into even smaller, even sized squares. From here on out I may stick with wibbly wobbly cut-as-I-please pieces. I hope you enjoy!

Time: Ten hours

Minecraft is property of Mojang.

Song: Crafty by Flawgic. http://soundcloud.com/flawgic

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‘Breaking Bad’ Paper Sculpt

I created this last year in celebration of Breaking Bad's fifth and final season beginning! We're now only a month or so away from the second half of the finale. I've got shivers.

Pulling from numerous resources around the web, ultimately most inspired by Phantom City Creative's 'Lily of the Valley' print, and helpful input from the ABoG team, I ended with the piece that you see above.

This is the first time that I've experimented with paper curling as well as true three dimensional shapes. It was a real challenge, and I can't wait to be more skilled!

Time: eleven hours

Breaking Bad created/owned by Vince Gilligan. Season five can be watched on AMC Sunday nights at 10pm.

Song: 8-bit Swingset by DDeuce.
soundcloud.com/ddeuce

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Pixar’s ‘Brave’ Inspired Sculpt

Last year in anticipation of Pixar's 'Brave' I decided to do a tribute paper sculpt! Pixar had so much great promotional material for me to be inspired by and I had a lot of fun putting this together. I hope you enjoy watching the in-progress work! It's about 20 hour's worth! Be sure to check back here for more sculpt videos in the future.

Brave is copyright Disney/Pixar
Song: Earthbound [Chiptune] by Modigs
http://soundcloud.com/modigs/modigs-earthbound-chiptune

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Sonic Screwdriver Paper Sculpt

My Whovian friend's birthday is today, and seeing as she's the emphatic soul responsible for my Doctor Who addiction it seemed only proper to give her something heartfelt and sonic for her special day.

Something sonic, and screwdriver-y.

Look at that great blue swirl on Ten's screwdriver. Oh yeah!

Initially I was going to make only Ten's, but once I was finished I was so pleased with the result that I decided to make more!

I was excited to use transparency material to make that weird tube thingie on the side of River's Sonic Screwdriver.

River's seemed like a good choice since she's connected to both Ten and Eleven, and her design was also a lot more intricate than Ten's. I was both excited and apprehensive to apply some splotch painting techniques to achieve the green that is spread around the gold plates.

But I was finished with it in one evening. I had a square frame to fill. Why not make Eleven's, too?

It was a real ordeal to decide if Eleven's Sonic Screwdriver should be opened, or closed. I'm happy with my decision.

To my great surprise, Eleven's was the most complicated to assemble! I went to the craft store and bought extra special shiny paper to replicate the metal shine of his sonic screwdriver. It was worth it!
The final product came together in an 8x8 shadow box frame, presented kind of like butterflies! Does that make sense? Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I was tempted to keep this for myself once all was said and done!

Eight inches by eight inches of papery, Doctor Who glory.

It's off to live in Colorado now. Perhaps if I ask my friend nicely she'll send me photos of its new living quarters!

To finish off the gift, I attempted to make her a card modeled after the invitations in The Impossible Astronaut. I even included her name in Gallifreyan!

Does this circular Gallifreyan word look like a sad frog to anyone else?

Gallifreyan paper cutting is a challenge. I... don't know if I'll be doing it again. Ever.

Does anyone else like these? I'm so proud of them!
-MJ

(Note: this was originally posted back in October of 2012 on abitofgeek.blogspot.com)

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Studio Ghibli - The House from My Neighbor Totoro Photo Gallery

The house from My Neighbor Totoro, made for a friend for his wife! Check out the video of its creation here :)



-MJ

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