Friday Artfest: 1920 - Final Charge by Jakub Rozalski

1920 - Final Charge by Jakub Rozalski

1920 - Final Charge by Jakub Rozalski is part of a larger series of paintings that the artist has been working on from an alternative earth and First World War where massive war machines ambled their way across battlefields and wrecked havoc on a scale that I don't think any of us are capable of fully grasping. The entire series is well worth exploring but this one in particular has kept my interest for months and each time that I look at it I find some new detail that I had previously missed.

On this occasion my eyes are drawn to the delicate, orange flames lingering on the wreckage surrounding the lone solder with his rifle drawn in a hopeless stand against the charging cavalry. His legs have this implied tremble to them that hints at his desperation but his upper body shows a resoluteness that holds him firm in the face of insurmountable odds. Then I find myself noticing the eagle that flies over the left of the solder mounted on the white horse. I've assumed since I first saw this painting that it was a vulture but upon closer inspection it appears to be an eagle. Is the implied message here that the charging cavalry represents the forces of freedom while the soldier is but a stubborn hold out from some oppressive regime? I don't know the answer to that questions; however, I do know that I want a canvas print of it. 

If you, like me, enjoy Jakub's work I encourage you to visit his store on society 6 and purchase some of this gifted artist's works. I know I will be.

Friday Artfest: WHATS UP DOC by Jim "Food One" Mahfood

WHATS UP DOC by Jim "Food One" Mahfood

Jim Mahfood is one of those fantastic artists whose illustrations in comic books always seem to tell a more evocative story than the words that crop up on the page. I'm often impressed by the way that he uses black in his pictures to create a more vibrant feel of color. This illustration is a beautiful example of his skill.

Like most of Mahfood's illustrations this depiction of Alice in Wonderland is wholly his own. He mostly defies the stereotypical depictions of the characters and instead transforms them into something that is unmistakably his own. Alice in the black top with her shades isn't a little girl overtaken by the strangeness of Wonderland but instead appears to be a grown woman who has chosen to subvert the real world for one that is transformed by her mind. Yet it is not Alice that is the focal point of the picture, but the Mad Hatter. The Caterpillar seemingly spews forth from the Hatter's mouth to curl back behind him while his mouth is extended into a madman's laugh that you can almost hear cackling from the page. While rising from the Hatter's tea cup appears the White Rabbit. There's a suggestion here that the tea itself is, if not poison in of itself, a hallucinogenic that has inspired the entire scene.

Jim Mahfood is steadily becoming one of my favorite modern illustrators with his bold lines and distinctive style. If you liked this piece you can check out more of his work on his official website or you can pick up one of his excellent books.

Friday Artfest: Maxximized Maxx Cover by Sam Kieth

Maxximized Maxx Cover by Sam Kieth

Sam Kieth is one of those figures in comic book art that opened up the possibilities for what the medium was capable of doing. His illustrations challenged the notion of what characters looked like. They were more brutal, often bestial, and there was always a hint of a deeper reality just beyond the images.

This cover he did for Maxximized Maxx is breathtaking. All about the two central figures is this image is a wild explosion of color and formlessness that seems to be pressing against them, threatening to overwhelm the two. Yet Julia, the woman ridding Maxx, seems to radiate a sense of serenity that pushes back against everything else in the world and brings a sense of grounding to the Maxx. Yet in spite of her calming influence the Maxx isn't at piece. His muscles are taunt and everything about him seems to be readying to explode at a moments notice into a frenzy of violence. 

There's a looseness to Kieth's work that gives it a frenetic feel and that makes the Maxx seem all to likely to jump off the page. As you look at him, notice the way his leg bends the wrong way and the odd bulges appear on his thigh near where his knee should be. And the almost graffiti-like pattern that surrounds those bulges. His left arm, closest to the audience, seems to bubbling with muscles that don't exist in reality right near the glove with its frayed end. He's an unworldly character brought into our view. Too strange to be real, too odd to live. 

I love Sam Kieth. His art style is just overwhelming at times and the things that he's able to do with pencil and ink are mind blowing. If you liked his artwork of old you can check out the pieces he's working on today at his blog Trout-a-verse. Or you can pick up one of his collections at the links below.

Friday Artfest: Appetite for Destruction by Robert Williams (1978)

Appetite for Destruction by Robert Williams (1978) Click to make bigger

Robert Williams is one of those artists who tends to make me incredibly happy that he exists. Appetite for Destruction is a prime example of what makes me enjoy him so very much. 

When I was researching this painting the robot standing over the woman is regularly referred to as a rapist and the large beast leaping over the fence is described as a metal devouring monster. Of the beast leaping over the fence's narrative I will not argue for that appears to be exactly what he is; yet it is the story surrounding the robot and woman that I have a harder time accepting. Were this all your eyes were drawn to then it would be simple to imagine that she is about to be raped, however, her face tells another story. Instead of expressing terror or any similar emotion as you might expect in this situation she looks as though she's wrapped up in a moment of orgasmic ecstasy. Then there's the woman's robot assailant. Even a cursory examination of his body reveals on that could not possibly commit the act. His mouth is too large and looks far more capable of biting her in half than being involved in any sexual act. The clamps the robot has for hands are also too large and not capable of sex, and least you think that perhaps he has a hydrolic cock waiting to destroy her flesh his coat is flung open revealing a smooth, flat surface underneath.

No, I find it far more reasonable to assume that the robot is there to kill the woman than to savagely rape her. Everything about his body posture to the way that he is destroying the tiny robots she had been selling looks far more like an attempted murder than an attempted rape. But what about her panties, breast, and the look on her face?

This is Robert Williams. What other answer do you need?

Friday Artfest: Midnight Snack by Jamian Juliano-Villani (2013)

Midnight Snack by Jamian Juliano-Villani (2013)

Last February I discovered Jamian Juliano-Villani and fell in love with this artist's entrancing work. Her paintings have an easy way of both comforting and completely upsetting me when I look at them and Midnight Snack is no exception.

Midnight Snack is deceptively simple upon first glance. The scene is reminiscent of so many childhoods where a worn out mother comes home late at night looking for something to eat and a few minutes of rest only to find that the children are still up and no peace will be found. But if you give the picture a closer look things are far different than they first appeared. 

On the upper left hand corner of the refrigerator is a man's tie and on the corner of the counter are his glasses seemingly existing within the same space as the potted flowers. It's as though he's both here and gone beyond our plane of existence - which may very well be the case as looking into the freezer box you can see two hands reaching out. Yet even as these hands grasp for freedom the look on the woman's face seems not to register their appearance, as though they aren't really there. The two worlds theme does not end here as in the door of the fridge, near her knees, is a fish spitting out water as though it were still alive while a skeletal shadow with crossed eyes is cast on the refrigerator door. And then there's the bird cage where the parrot has escaped to land on the top of the cabinets while the vulture sits in the cage watching the little girl enter the room. 

I love Jamian Juliano-Villani and Midnight Snack only reinforces my belief that she is one heck of a talent. Hopefully soon I'll get to see her works in person! So what about you?

Friday Artfest: Joker from Super Flemish by Sacha Goldberg (2014)

Joker from Super Flemish by Sacha Goldberg (2014)

French Photographer Sacha Goldberg has a brilliant and discerning eye that seems to be capable of cutting through the traditional understanding of what a subject is supposed to represent and instead focuses on the inner core of the subject. In the Super Flemish series he has used the traditional Flemish style of portraiture that dominated the 17th century to expose the underlying nature of these larger-than-life, fictional figures. 

Of the series none captured my imagination more than this beautiful Joker. Like each of the other portraits in the series there is a sense that the Joker's real essence has been captured in a way that doesn't leave him a cartoonish oversimplification bereft of depth or meaning for the wider world. Instead everything about him carries a weight that keeps bring your attention back to him. His eyes burn past the artist. His hair hangs in stringy strands as though the effort of pulling them back were simply too much for him at this point. His posture both shows an attentive eye towards what he's supposed to be doing (his shoulders and hands) and a complete rejection of that tradition (his lower body slung over the edge of the chair). Just a brilliant piece of work and I can't wait to see more from Sacha Goldberg in the future.

Friday Artfest: Inglorious Bastards (c. 2009) by Alex Pardee

Inglorious Bastards (c. 2009) by Alex Pardee

This alternative poster for the magnificent Inglorious Bastards movie is the one I wish I had in my theater when I was running it. I've always thought that Alex's work is reminiscent of Ralph Steadman's in the best possible way. It's as though he's the natural extension of where Steadman's been heading for the last few decades. 

While I think this is an absolutely beautiful poster that sets a great tone for the movie (and a somewhat accurate one) I cannot imagine that it was a good advertisement for it. The Nazi getting his throat slit has thorns coming out of him as though he were some mutated plant spreading across the earth while the eagle-man, with his Star of David emblazoned handkerchief wrapped about his clenched fist, screams a war cry has little to do with what was actually on the screen. Still, if I had found this poster it would have been up in my office and proudly displayed to anyone who ever came to visit. 

Just a beautifully, cool poster.

Friday Artfest: That_Land Panel 1 (Reccuring Dream) by Pierre Ferrero (2014)

That_Land Panel 1 (2014) by Pierre Ferrero

That_Land panel 1 by Pierre Ferrero is the first panel in the larger Reccuring Dream series. Each panel in the series shows a single individual progressing through a series of events that lead to his death and his awakening in a new place, still himself, yet a stranger to his previous incarnation.

This first panel in the series exemplifies so much of why I really dig Pierre's work. The colors are vibrant and feel like I'm on the edge of a fevered dream. The lines are crisp and clean; and though you can easily tell what most everything in the image is supposed to be there is no clear hold on reality or its silly laws that will dictate what the image reveals to you. Then there are the shadows, which are only fleetingly given thought to, which seem to lend an other world feel to the overall image. 

Perhaps my favorite part of this beautiful panel is the man in the lower left-hand corner. His posture seems to foretell his future theft, which can be seen in panel 3, and the way he leers at the house whispers of his intent. Here is the main protagonist of the series and from this panel forward he directs his fate through his own actions, always making a terrible decision and forcing himself into worse situations time and time again.

Friday Artfest: La Princesse by La Machine (2008)

La Princesse (2008) by La Machine picture by Matthew Andrews

There is nothing quite as frightening as looking at a gigantic spider. At least that's what my wife would have said before she saw this gigantic mechanical spider that was produced by the french La Machine. Now she's dead and doesn't say anything. 

It's quite sad. 

I've digressed enough. I love performance pieces of art that are capable of capturing my imagination and making me think about what's possible in new ways, and this piece by La Machine certainly does that. The boney arms juxtaposed with the mechanical underpinnings give this spider the look of something straight from my nightmares where men with bone white skin and cocked eyes ride mechanical spiders as they chase me across the crowded streets of Atlanta and no one bats an eye. I love that it causes me to flinch when I see it splayed out and that it captavates my imagination.

La Princesse (2008) by La Machine picture by Matthew Andrews

These are the sort of mobile sculptures that make me salivate as I wait for the artists to release their next project. We need art that makes us excited and that slightly terrifies us. We need to be energized and to have our hearts pounding when start trying to best something this fantastic. 

La Princesse (2008) by La Machine picture by Matthew Andrews

This is the sort of thing that inspires the hell out of me. How about you?

[NSFW] Friday Artfest: Gurls! Sex! by R. Crumb

Gurls! Sex! by Robert Crumb

R. Crumb is one of those controversial artists that people either love or love to hate. Personally I love his artwork. This piece in particular features a lot of the things that make me such a fan. His line work is incredible and his ability to simulate various fabrics and colors of flesh just amazes me. Then when you look at the outlines of each woman's body they have this amazing strength to them that creates this sexual power that radiates off the page. Yet even in a strong piece such as this you can see the weakness of Crumb's art. The black woman's hand looks like it's malformed. The blonde woman has the stereotypically small head and the black woman speaks with a borderline offensive style of speech.

For Crumb's critics the overt sexuality of his women overcomes any appreciation for his artistic ability. That is a pity, because not only does Crumb have some of the best line work I've ever seen but the ease with which he pulls off satire and social commentary are unparalleled. If you'd like to find more of Crumb's work I highly recommend The Complete Crumb collections. In particular the first three Volumes are outstanding  (with Vol. 3 staring Fritz the Cat) and the ZAP Comics Collection is really worth picking up (even if they're very expensive).

Friday Artfest: Training of the New Girls by Valentine at the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Training of the New Girls by Valentine at the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Sometimes it's just nice to remember how wonderful it is to be alive and nothing does that more for me than Toulouse-Lautrec. This painting in particular just makes me ridiculously happy. From the haughty lines of the crowd to the delicate features of the woman in pink in the foreground. 

How about you?

Friday Artfest: Ark by Manabu Ikeda

Manabu Ikeda Ark (2005) [click the picture to make it bigger]

I love pen and ink art, and over  the last twenty years I've spent a lot of time working with that medium. Nothing I've ever done or seen has compared to Manabu Ikeda. His unparalleled work with ink has made my jaw drop and this piece in particular has forced me to rethink what I've done and what I'll do in the future. 

What do you all think about it?

Friday Artfest: Kabaret Zielonego Balonika by Kazimierz Sichulski

Kabaret Zielonego Balonika (1908) by Kazimierz Sichulski

I discovered this magnificent painting by Kazimierz Sichulski this week and couldn't get over how beautiful it was. Titled Kabaret Zielonego Balonika, or the Green Balloon Cabaret, was created in celebration of a cabaret that was targeted only for the cultural elite. As you can imagine by eliminating the openness that came with most performances the cabaret was quickly subject to all manner of dark rumors. 

Those who couldn't get into a performance of this play whispered that you could see everything from orgies to the most perverse style of performance you could imagine. With such rumors circling about the performance it was only natural that it's advocates would soon begin releasing works that celebrated the rumor far more than the fact. Songs, poems, essays, plays, and even paintings that presented a hedonistic explosion of creativity began showing up throughout the artistic community of the time. This fantastic painting with it's devils and debautchery is but one of the many - though it does happen to be one of my favorites.

What about you?

February Artfest: My Lasting Memory

All of us have a cover that says everything about the game; that has shaped our views of where the game came from and what it could be, and this is mine. I picked up the classic D&D boxed set as my first purchase and I've been chasing that fantasy that was inspired by its cover ever since.

As this is my last entry in the February Art Fest I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you to the men and women who made this hobby what it is today, and who continue to inspire my imagination, and the imaginations of so many of us. Thank you to the artists who gave us the visuals that have shaped us, and the authors whose words directed us. Thanks to the editors, playtesters, and all the unsung heroes who have made this hobby something that is more than just a game.

Thank you all.

February Artfest: Untitled by John Berkley

Untitled by John Berkley

I absolutely love this painting by John Berkley.

It has everything I think about when day dreaming about floating in space and being attacked by some unknown force. The ship seems to phase across reality, as though it weren't fully able to exist in this dimension alone. The fiery explosion near what I can only assume is its engines screams across the void of space, "Bad shit is happening and we're all fucked!" Then there's the near-by planets that seem far too close for comfort in a universe where distance is measured in the millions and not the thousands of miles.

All and all this is the sort of ship I dream about when I think of playing Metamorphosis Alpha or Star Frontiers; and it's the ship I wish I had in Spell Jammer.

Your thoughts?

February Artfest: Red Dragon Challenge by Chris Achilleos

Red Dragon Challenge by Chris Achilleos

While I don't particularly like the design of the red dragon there is nothing wrong with the way that this picture is composed. The female knight in the foreground with her massive shield ready to kill this mad lizard is clearly the wildest thing there. The backgrounds are neat and the castle at the top of the painting is grand, but look at all of that plunder she's been dragging along behind her!

That's one bad chick right there.

February Artfest: Best Dungeons and Dragons Cover of All Time?

Player's Handbook Cover by David Trampier

Yesterday I talked about David Trampier's Player's Handbook cover and how it wasn't my favorite cover from Dungeons and Dragons products. Not surprisingly this got a bit of traffic as I had people telling me that Dave's illustration was superior to just about anything else that came before or since. 

Poppycock. 

While Trampier's cover has become iconic, it's just as likely that this status is the result of its place as the original cover for the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook as is it for its originality and evocative nature. If we examine the covers for each of the hardback books from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons it quickly becomes apparent that not only was David's cover not the best among the group, but that it wasn't even in the top five (I'd cover later editions of the game, but the point will be proven shortly so there's no need).

Original DMG Cover by David C. Sutherland III

DMG Cover Redux by Jeff Easley[1]

Deities and Demigods Cover by Erol Otus

Legends and Lore Cover by Jeff Easley

Fiend Folio Cover by Emmanuel

Monster Manual II Cover by Jeff Easley

Oriental Adventures Cover by Jeff Easley

Monster Manual Cover by Jeff Easley

Monster Manual Cover by David C. Sutherland III

Greyhawk Adventures Cover by Jeff Easley

Manual of the Planes by Jeff Easley

Dragonlance Cover by Jeff Easley

Wilderness Survival Guide Cover by Jeff Easley

Dungeoneer's Survival Guide Cover by Jeff Easley

Unearthed Arcana Cover by Jeff Easley

Out of the AD&D covers I personally am torn between the original DMG cover by David C. Sutherland III and the Wilderness Survival Guide by Jeff Easley. 

The DMG painting is like a glimpse into the possibilities of the Dungeons and Dragons game. You have the fanciful city in the background that mixes elements from Medieval Europe, Mezzo-America, and the Middle East. The wild, red sea with its frothing waves crashing against the jagged shore and the flaming horizon sends me reeling with the possibilities of what could be going on in this world we're seeing. It's the sort of cover that launches a thousand campaigns and keeps you traveling back to look at it for inspiration, and a prime example as to why David Sutherland should be higher rated as an artist.

Original DMG Cover by David C. Sutherland III

My other favorite, the Wilderness Survival Guide possess all the elements to a great game of Dungeons and Dragons. A treasure guarded by a vile monster, a damsel in distress (sometimes the maiden in need of rescue isn't a woman at all, but a idiot Bard who should have died when he was used to check for traps on the way up the top of the mountain), and the Heroes are on the way. Unlike Trampier's cover the adventure isn't behind the party, but in front of them - that's the way things should be. We shouldn't be looking at the aftermath of the adventure but at the potential for where things are going and what they will be in the future.

Wilderness Survival Guide Cover by Jeff Easley

Your thoughts?

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[1] While the cover is credited to Donald Sutherland III in my copy the signature on the painting is clearly Jeff Easley's. My guess is that mine holds a misprint when crediting the cover illustration.

February Artfest: AD&D Player's Handbook Cover by Dave Trampier

AD&D Player Handbook Cover by Dave Trampier

Over the last few years this cover by Dave Trampier has been fetishized by the old school community and been recreated countless times. Some have even called it the Greatest Cover Ever.

It's not though. 

This cover tells a lot about what it means to be an adventurer in the world of Dungeons and Dragons but it isn't the most inspiring cover. The adventures are shown after the battle, after the danger is long over, and other than the gigantic gems the idol uses for eyes there really isn't a lot here for you to want to emulate. 

They aren't heroes ready for battle, their bored adventurers hoping that something exciting will show up on the map around the next bend. 

Two Great Recreations of an Icon. 

By Dan Scott

By SaxonAngel

February Artfest: Emirkol the Chaotic by David Trampier

Emirikol the Chaotic by David Trampier

When I first saw this picture I thought it was simply amazing, but over the years I've I've found that I like this picture less and less. Which is odd because I absolutely love Tramp, but there's just something about the cross-hatching that I don't like. Perhaps it's that you lose the definition of the buildings on the right or that the men coming out of the doorway on the right just seem unfinished. Or maybe it's that the woman fleeing on the left skirt gets lost in the shadow of the building.  

Either way, it's a favorite of many an OSR blogger and I feel like I would be remiss not to feature it during this month, but I'm really not that thrilled with it.

February Artfest: Berserker by Chris Achilleos

Berserker by Chris Achilleos

I don't play Dungeons and Dragons to imagine myself hiding in the back of the pack, hoping that the vile hordes never make it to me. I play it to the hill; climbing over the table and chucking dice at the Dungeon Master.

This painting by Chris Achilleos exemplifies how I play the game. Everything from the orc raising his club overhead to the knight leaping onto the hordes' outstretched shields just so he can be the first one to meet the enemy. I love this painting and I love this style of play.