Youngling and Terentatek (Unofficial Fan Art for Star Wars), Original Artwork by Brandon A. Miltgen, 2014
We’re still out here… floating around. My co-workers and I, the ones of us who used to be regulars on this site for our challenges, have been busy with, well, life of course. Since there haven’t been any posts for awhile, I thought I’d give a shout-out about my latest, a gift for my son. Happy Friday! We’re not dead… we’ve just been… actively elsewhere…
Give a click on those profile pics on the side to see more of what we’ve been up to 🙂
I found out a little late that November 1st was Self Portrait Day. It’s been a long time since I’ve drawn a picture that’s an obvious attempt at me. I’m no boxer (although I loved my martial arts studies as a younger man), but this is an expression of some big ticket happenings about to explode onto my scene. My wife and I are expecting our 4th baby this Friday (lil’ Jack Fable is on his way), hence the “Round 4.” The scripture is a slightly modified sentiment from the Book of Mormon—about being able to handle the crazy mess of life with one’s faith firm in Christ. Being a good dad is a challenge indeed. You have to be on your game, because there’s a lot to distract one away from what’s most important in life these days. The “Ding. Ding.” is a reference to Apollo Creed from the Rocky films, expressing that I’m up for it and in it to win it. Daddy life can be tough business (if you’re doing it right), but it’s so very worth it, and very often it’s a hoot. The dividends of love that you get from all of the work involved are a wonderful investment, not only in your kids but yourself too—it’s the best training for your spirit that you can get. This post may be a little personal, but hey, it’s a self-portrait.
Gozer the Gozerian was a god worshiped in 6000 BC by various primitive cultures including the Hitites and Sumerians. It was an androgynous, sexless being capable of assuming whatever form it desired. Gozer was possessed of many aliases throughout the centuries, including Gozer the Destructor and Gozer the Traveller. A modern-day worshipper of Gozer, one Ivo Shandor, conducted rituals on the rooftop of a building located in New York City sometime after World War I, with the intent of bringing Gozer forth into the human realm to destroy it. Gozer had two faithful minions/pets, the Terror DogsZuul and Vinz Clortho, whose union in the bodies of chosen human hosts was to be the tool by which the gateway to the spirit realm would open, allowing Gozer to appear.
Tron made a huge impact on me as a kid. My dad showed my bro and I the movie, we had the glow-in-the-dark action figures (made of colored, clear plastic mind you), and we even listened to the vinyl record of Wendy Carlos‘ score for the film (I still listen to it). It’s more than nostalgia to me—it even influences my design work today. Something about the simplicity of shape, line, and color used in that movie has kind of seeped into a lot of the art I’ve made over the years. And when I listen to that soundtrack (or the Daft Punk follow up from 2012, also amazing) I feel like I’m on the grid while I do my design work—it enhances reality for me. So this is my ode to Tron—a fighting program who just caught someone else’s identity disc (a play on the whole identity theft idea). It kind of hints at the truth behind the yin-yang too—we all hold close to our hearts a way of being, but there’s always the opposite color of choice flying at us, ready to be caught. Happy Friday.
If you really want to geek out the way I do when I work on things like this, play the music link below as you view my piece. There’s often a sound-scape fueling my creativity as I lay down my shapes and pull vectors.
Well, finally they are all done. Our Star Wars portraits of each other are complete. And they look great! We have quite a few jedi, some sith lords and even an ewok. To tell you the truth we all had alot of fun with these.
Take a look at all the hard work that went into these. 😉
I have just now put the final touches on my challenge piece, which this week was landscape. I was inspired by a fellow artist to do something hobbit-y. But it comes from a deeper desire to generate a 26 card set of Lord of the Rings related ABC flash cards! How rad would that be! M is for Mordor. O is for Orc. And so on.
Maybe I will get to it someday
This is supposed to be Bilbo contemplating his journey to the Misty Mountain. But those mountains look rather moody do they not?
Haha, there is a mountain in there that oddly enough reminds me of Lumpy Space Princess, what the heck! Teehee
Illustration Time 