Over the weekend Aberrant Press attended / took part-in the LvL-UP EXPO in historic downtown Henderson. Practically mainly the event revolved around video games and techno-geek culture, though looking at the vendor(s) list one wouldn't really notice -somehow we slipped in there and brought our brand of free-wheeling fun into the mix. Had a great time over the course of two-days helping to man our table and exploring "old town" Henderson, taking in all its charm and history. Though it was a gathering for video game enthusiasts it had something for everybody.. EVIL DEAD: The Musical was in attendance and put on an Evil Dead panel, they had a variety of arcade games (mostly fighting games) which were all set for free-play -even had a Street Fighter Pinball machine, though it broke down on the 2nd day- to much fun I guess for one machine to endure. I played the shit out of it and the Neo•Geo system(s) had fun playing Metal Slug 3 and Puzzle Bobble, also got my ass handed to me but couldn't resist playing Super Smash Bros. a couple times on the last day. It was brought-up and noted that the event seemed pretty "front-loaded" as the first day had a hustle and bustle the 2nd day didn't match. Suppose the location out in the sticks might of had something to do with the overall attendance (which wasn't all that bad) but at the same time what the hells there to do out in Henderson anyways?
If our experiences in Arizona taught us anything its that "Fan Art" rules the day at these smaller conventions.. and why not, theres no such thing as original ideas anymore, right? Having to re-tool much of how we approach conventions/expos like this; seems people don't much care for adventurous ideas and they seem more happy to just consume the same stuff (familiar characters, plot lines, jokes, music.. ect ect) just regurgitated over and over again -guess its a wonder we ever have any original ideas. I don't know if it qualifies as a "disturbing trend" but the proliferation of internet meme(s) makes my hackles rise. Here I thought my friends and I were bad with all our inside-jokes and pop-culture references, using metaphor and eluding to things only remembered in a haze of adolescent fervor. On the last day of LvL-Up I sat there at our table and watched as nearly half the room dropping EVERYTHING and proceeded to enact a "Flash Mob" in the middle of the spot. I had to turn to my friend Jay and ask, "What the hell are they doing?"The concept of a flash mob had to be explained to me, thats pretty funny* ..guess I'm so disconnected from today's pop-culture and I don't give a damn. Still theres that desire to contribute to the global conscious -get your stuff out there in peoples hands and minds- change the world, yeh? Finding your ideas propagating like a viral infection with no known cure but forgetfulness brought on by society's short attention span. Is being the "flavor of the week" really all that bad? I don't know, perhaps only the GEICO Cavemen could answer that question.
The New Year brings with it some fun times ahead (hopefully) as its been cast and propped already -the stage is set. On the docket this year it looks like Aberrant Press will be trying to hit more conventions as well keeping time with 1st Friday. Motivation lately has been to continue to building-up product; our set-up is all hammered out so all there ever needs to be is a continued push to create new pieces and projects to populate the table(s) - where ever. Scatter-shot method just don't cut-it, when I go about my routine I jump around a lot from idea / thought to another - .PSD format .tif for tat. dibble-dabble(d) files strewn thru-out unlabeled folders. It becomes a daily routine not only backing-up files but just trashing / managing them as well. Not unlike the paper shredder under my analog desk and the waste bin supposing. Sadly I've struggled to really get back up-to speed for whatever reason (NHL being back doesn't help) oft-times I'll find myself mucked and mired in an idea to the point of seclusion. Its that way with music; getting lost for hours playing with sounds or even just enjoying a particularly good cut. Finding now I have to give better structure to my routine. Its not enough just waking up early I've got to till the soil and be more focused on just one project at a time. When not drawing I'm at least trying to write more and I've been going on week-long writing binges drunk on metaphor and tripping on the rhythm of english prose. With the new year of course comes a good deal of house-cleaning. Sometimes when I don't feel I'm getting anything done I try to clean and straighten up my work environment so at least I can look around and feel I accomplished something... an old trick but it works.
Featured here [left] is morning mantra bombing w/ coffee. One of the things people loose sight of continually is that if you're not putting in the work you'll never get there. Where ever "there" is for you.. I know lots of cats who (like myself at times) seem to wait for inspiration to strike them. Sure, while it can happen at the oddest times I don't think it'll ever really beam-down unless you're making an active effort to tap into it. I've often dreamed of having the ability to infuse inanimate objects with ponderous life - along the lines of Mickey Mouse in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" where he makes the broom sticks do all the work for him. Would be amazing to bring a pencil to life and dictate it's every movement, laying back and letting it do all the work. Shockingly I've yet to come across the magical working to allow myself such a luxury. When I hear people talk about their ideas / aspirations and see them not really trying I often think of Mickey and his magic hat. Truth of the matter is you have to make the moves to set things in motion and without that the Muse doesn't bother to even pay a visit. I've had to check my ego at the door many times; to think that the ideas and creative vision I have is mine alone... tend to think not, it's all out there floating about in the aether waiting for us to harvest like fruit from a tree. Honest injun I believe it cause I've felt it, everyone has when you daydream or when you're especially in-tune with your craft. I use mantra throughout the day especially in the mornings when I'm still shaking the Sandman's dust from my eyes. When telling myself, "it's not going to draw itself" it's a way for me to focus and realize I haven't earned the right to wear a magical sorcerer's hat just yet and thus the paper will remain blank till I exert my will upon it. Mantra is a good way to stay on track, taking it all one step further and putting it into form by writing it down can be seen as giving life to that idea. It'd be folly / unwise to disregard the power of the written / printed word, language is magic in how it conjures up images in our minds like connect the dots - trace back along the lines and I'm sure you'll be surprised at what you'll find. Finishing what you started and just making deadlines for projects is enough motivation for me - reaping the good feelings of seeing something completed can be pretty good rush, yeh? So we're kicking off the convention circuit w/ Amazing Arizona in Phoenix this month (January) and we're not looking back. Making the conscious effort to hit as many conventions as we can this year and already have a number of them penned in on the calendar. Amazing Arizona has been going on now for a couple year but this will be our first time attending - thankfully we'll be doing so as exhibitors rather than just being there to be there. Conventions are always fun but I'm not sure what to expect from this one; after reading some stories online about past years it sounds like it's growing and thats a good thing. Checking out the exhibitor/vendor list [link] I noticed we won't be alone, couple other Vegas heads will be in attendance chief among them Deryl Skelton. So heres to it...*
It's been a number of years since I've last set foot downtown for First Friday. Times have changed - in many cases for the better down there. Suppose one should look at the fact that there's now more money being pumped into the event than ever before (maybe could be wrong) and it's an oft-forgotten fact that the event has been around for like 10+ years (again, I could be wrong) though now it's blazing-ahead under a new flag/ownership. Waxing nostalgic, I can remember attending early First Fridays and having my meager set-up posted out on the side of the Funkhouse. Once played out in the street in the defunct group "Waste Management (6161)" - those were amazing times. Then when I joined up w/ the BlankCanvas collective we had a great run @ the Box Office with further artistic incursions taking place across downtown - BlankCanvas left it's mark. Of course I can't remember those days w/o thinking of my time spent @ the KGPA; all the crazy magical wonder that place developed. Anyone looking back in the early 2000's can see that there was an apparent "culture" in Las Vegas - it's just that hardly anyone cared to peep-it back then.
Well money changes things, having new backers and vision - is like hitting the reset button, yeh? So I've heard tell about how attendance is high, vibe being different and tinged commercial - universally I've heard people complain about the parking down there. Aberrant Press / Gett Comics rolled down there in the month of December and we had a pretty positive experience. It's definitely a different animal than I remember before, I get what people were talking about in regards to it being massively commercial now but that's one of those things, it's almost like you need that to draw in the crowd and to sustain its 3 sec. attention span. Parked on the northern outskirts afforded me the chance to revisit some old sites I grew-up in while attending the LVA, downtown still conjures up a curious brew of memories sometimes. Walking downhill I was able to see most everything, First Friday seems to have a good layout that's still in keeping with its roots. $5 for a PBR, though… yea, not so-much. Gone are the days of communal drinks fished from the depths of kiddie pools in someones backyard. I'm sure you can find cheese and wine if you know what you're doing, like it or not -more C.R.E.A.M. for your coffee.
Had a blast seeing some old faces and kicking' back w/ good friends. Hate rolling into something half-cocked casting scatter-shot, found myself working the day of so I wasn't there for set-up, took me a while to find our actual table/tent. Along the way I ran into the infamous Rade Q. Zone and spoke with him a bit - good to see he's still keeping up the good fight! Caught some B-boys breaking in a circle, crunk'd up in the crowd and wasn't alone.. made me lament some of the graffiti thats been covered up or torn down. Guess the terror-bombing that occurred down town tore-up more than some people realize. Admired some wares that I found along the way - lots more crafts / trades being featured, seeing such creativity conglomerated is a true sign of growth - either that or the continued melting-pot effect.
Least-ways I found it refreshing having more than just tattoo artists w/ Juxtapoz'ed aspirations entrenched down there. Definitely a better vibe than I remember from before, it doesn't feel like a demilitarized zone anymore like it did when they erected fences and charged a "donation" to stroll the streets. Nice not having to deal with the "art police" ..though never censored I did have my store-bought beverage confiscated, sorry - I refuse to pay $5 for a beer.. I'm not a tourist.
Stardate: 66394.9 - It's the truth. STAR TREK: TNG was an amazing show once it got rolling. As a kid I remember watching it religiously and once it went into syndication I can remember it coming on in the afternoons and I would catch it after school. With so many amazing episodes in it's long run - they had some great writers onboard who were able to weave all kinds of lessons and messages into the show. This particular episode; "DARMOK" always stood out as being one that had a strong message about understanding and appreciating the diversity in the world around us - there were lots of episodes like this but this one I always felt told it in a very unique way. Another fond memory of the show strikes me a few years back; when we'd gather to work on the TFAD project and it was around the same time my friends Gilbert#1 and Jay were getting their comic "Super" going. We'd watch TNG and DS9 all afternoon when they'd run those programs on SpikeTV. Those were dark times for myself but I can remember good times throughout many of which involved Star Trek. It was then that I remember the idea of a spin-off show being brought up, featuring Riker and Worf in a Miami Vice meets Midnight Cowboy type-deal.
Kicking-off December, couple of friends and I spent the weekend up-in Utah in the town of Springdale: the gateway to Zion national park. We'd been planning this trip for awhile now and it couldn't have come at a better time. It's been a number of years since I last went-up to Utah, believe the last time was a snowboarding trip I took with some long-lost friends. I've always liked it up there - fresh mountain air, actual foliage, intermittent cell phone reception and no slot machines. There's just always been a pull-towards nature that few people can resist (count me among those) when you've been stuck in a congested city for too long. Outside of Vegas the people pace and propagation are all different - you loose site of that I think the longer you stick stifled and simmering in big cities indoors.
Virgin River behind our room
We stayed in Springdale at the Desert Pearl Inn. So yea, couple things you can't miss in Springdale is the abundance of hotels, art galleries and girls piled in unusual Volkswagen(s) - strange. It's billed as being the "Gate-way to Zion" so one can figure there'd be a ton of places to stay (if one isn't staying @ the lodge in the canyon itself) on top of lots of tourist-traps on a lower scale than one might expect. I'm sure there's a ton of other good places to stay in town but for my money DPI is the spot - how can you not like the place.. much of it was built using old tresel wood [link] from a railroad, it's got the Virgin River running right behind it -not to mention it's logo resembles the Evil-Eye of Sauron, though it also reminded me of the Fuji Eyeball from the game Super Pitfall for the NES- in the end I took it as a good omen. Springdale is a beautiful little town nestled against some truly majestic mountains, it's easy to feel inspired when in such environs which might explain all the art galleries down the main-drag. Tourists must drop a ton of money into this place - in my case it was blowing $24.88 on items in the supermarket that would've cost twelve dollars back home. There were places everywhere in town that reminded me of the KGPA which gave the whole place a cozy and welcoming feeling. While in town on the 1st night we strolled about taking in all the nuances under the stars; away from the city you forget just how many stars there are in the sky, Springdale itself was lit-up in more ways than one - holiday decor and after sampling the native brews on-tap we ventured into the hills to visit the local graveyard. Eldritch and solem, lit only by obscured moonlight we came across a grave simply marked "Baby" - a deer came into view across the open field and I felt my hackles rise before it flowed like quicksilver dissipating into a ghostly blue light.
"Weeping Rocks" clogged tear ducts
Waking-up on the 1st morning in town was interesting. It's been a while since I've existed in MST - it's funny how things like timezones effect us. Spent a good deal of time in the morning getting shots of the virgin river out back-ways from our room. Daylight brought a whole new dimension to the river (photons tend to do that) which I reflected on while standing along it's banks. I decided to forgo the traditional breakfast fare in favor of coffee, sunflower seeds and a splash of V8 to wash it all down. Honestly I don't know what I was thinking but obviously it wasn't about the planned hikes for that day. First up to bat, steppin-up to the plate was the "Weeping Rocks" which is an easy one and thus makes for a nice initial warm-up. It's a fun hike that I've done once before years ago around this same time of the year. I figure it's Al Gore's fault cause he invented global warming but it was sort of disappointing that the rocks weren't so much weeping as they were wimpy. Yea, wet for sure, and muddy beyond all reckon - sights like these always look better in the travel brochures. Due to rain and other natural forces only a few trails were open. Part of what makes hiking so much fun is the variety of paths and trails to the final destination, so many of the trails have sections that split off at the onset or along the way. There's another trail you can trod-on in the Weeping Rocks area that I've never been on some "Hidden Trail" - for a future trip perhaps.
Angels Landing
Once finished we moved onto the main course of the day; hiking to the top of "Angels Landing" w/ gusto. One slight hiccup in my plans for this trip was that I never did get around to getting new hiking shoes, ending up instead making the trek up to the Angels Landing in my iRobot Chucks. Badass or not - I wouldn't recommend doing it. Sure my feet looked cool doing it but lack of shock absorption and arch-support are a major buzz-kill. The thing that seemed to really do me in were the steep inclines where you gain a ton of vertical ground. Theres a stretch right before you hit the little bridge that induced a gelatinous feeling in my whole body - felt like my legs were going to give-out, but we pressed on further and further. The trail eventually leveled out for a while before hitting "the Wiggles" -a series of tight switchbacks created by Walter Wiggles.. I regret cursing the man's name during the ascension but felt I made amends once I reached the top -eternally grateful for the workout provided. It's usually at this point or maybe a bit further that people usually turn back cause before to long the trail ends and a lot of rock scrambling begins out along a ridge line to the very top of the monolith itself.
C F♯ B♭ E A D
Looking back now at some of the photos my comrades and I took it's a wonder we made the climb all the way to the top. In reading about it, there has been a good-number of people who turn-back and never make the final push to the top. People with a fear of heights, those with ailments and a tenuous grip on reality are all among those with good reasons not to climb further.. however, we were determined to see the top. Throughout the entire climb one of the songs I played in my mind was, "the Greatest Adventure" from the Rankin/Bass animated Hobbit (1977), over and over again. I've always found that song to be inspirational and it makes for a good traveling tune. The climb out along the ridge and up the sandstone was one of the better parts of this trek. The sights were amazing along the way, steep cliffs to both sides as you pull yourself along lengths of chain over rocks and gnarled wood. How trees and for that matter chipmunks manage to exist up there is beyond me, life finds a way supposing, yeh? Upon reaching the top I was semi-delirious; chalk it up to doing this on an empty stomach and having to listen to a woman behind us for part of the way talk ad nauseam about HDR Toning.. saw in kaleidoscopic vision all the natural splendor laid-out before me. It's truly a rewarding challenge making it all the way to the top and I soaked it all-in. Counting our blankets [link] we made it up there in one piece each and all. One mixed blessing was the overcast sky; on one hand it was nice not have the sun blaring down on you but at the same time I think it diminished some of the sights, I've always found the desert to have some pretty compelling color schemes - especially when set within such a dynamic visual range. I'm not accustomed to seeing things with such magnified perspective in person.. in the movies, video games or even on the comic page ..maybe- but standing there breathing it in that's some other shit.
"Splash-Mountain"
The descent from Angels Landing took little over an hour (easier on the way down) though some where along the line Gilbert#1 messed-up his foot; breaking a bone yet continuing on - thats how you tough-it out. After resting up a bit back @ the hotel we hit the streets of Springdale looking to grub, our choice was simple; "Oscars Cafe" -is a really quaint / chill spot with excellent food and a colourful atmosphere. Oscars was so good we returned there the next morning for breakfast before setting out on a couple more trails. Next-up to fuck; the "Lower Emerald Pools" which weren't as impressive as I remembered. Last time I was in Zion it was a lot colder and can remember the Emerald Pools were frozen over with cool icicles clinging to cliffs all around you. This time around it was just really wet cold and muddy. We ended up hiking further-up making it to the "Middle Pools" but it became less and less impressive as we got higher up so turning back we made our way to the Narrows. I've heard tales of people's extended forays deep inside "the Narrows" though our time traveling them wasn't more than a couple of hours, we still managed to see some cool sights. Canyon walls looming up-up above, tracing the river back into the gorge - notable things encountered and recorded, saw so much wildlife on this trip. I'm really grateful that I have eyes now, days of seeing the world as an ever growing blurry construct are gone, can't imagine ever going back to seeing like that. Though now I do have to find some way to acquire a 2nd pair of glasses in the event of an apocalypse, I wouldn't want to end up like Burgess Meredith in the Twilight Zone.
Over the course of the last couple weeks I've sat-down with the task of doing a series of flats in Photoshop. Spirited by the fact that I have a wealth of backlogged work that needs a dash of colour here and there, I've been motivated to lay-down flats and actually flesh out my work more. The tools are all there -why not take advantage? The actual mechanics aren't important in the flatting process though theres always a long and short path to set forth on when you open a new PSD file. Tired and true-blu the method of hacking away at it matters little - only that you get it done. I often get sloppy with my colour-flatting so I've adapted my free-wheeling methods and been trying to fine-tune the technique. I'll find myself getting the lulz when discovering a new way of doing something (e.g. color-holds) and it dawns on me how simple it is; like a balloon, and... something bad happens! At any-rate, the flatting process can become pretty tedious after awhile since all you're basically doing is laying in base-coats of paint to rework later as needed. It gets frustrating (least for me) after flatting for hours and it doesn't seem like you've accomplished much, then once you start to render out the colours you'll quickly realize how important the flats are and how much simpler they make things. I've also found flats to be an excellent base from which to work with zip-tones. It's all worth-it when a piece is deemed "DONE" and you can move onto the next one with yet another finished project in the books and some new skills / knowledge in the arsenal. Back in high school we studied colour-theory, though I can't recall very much of what I learned then, it's been enjoyable revisiting it all. Colorimetry and all it's trappings fascinate and terrify me equally at the same time - when you see what a splash/dash of pigment can do for the perceptions, tickles the retina and brings life to the image. Studying the works of true masters like Dave Stewart and Tom Luth, trying to grasp how they understand color(s) and form. Working with different textures and tones is also within the reach of even the most pedestrian artist when in the digital realm. Before I think the root of my frustrations with colour came from physical limitations - having a particular Prisma Marker dry-up at the most crucial time or having the paper soak-in more than you'd like.. Blahh, don't have that to worry about now.
Even around the studio death and danger lurk so beware. Sitting in one spot long enough and I start feeling my body knotting-up; developed and dealt with exceptional back-pain awhile ago, hand cramps and twitches become routine, eye-strain as well is pretty unavoidable after an extended time glued to a retina display. About the only things you don't have to worry about while working digitally (as opposed to analog) are paper-cuts and lead poisoning. Earlier in the year when I made the decision to work (almost) exclusively digital -I started to develop bad back pain from all the time spent sitting. Piss-poor posture combined with an old worn-out office chair spelled "lumbar-dic doom" and really had me on the ropes for awhile. Investing in a solid office chair, working on my posture and yoga-fire were/are things I've had to adopt in-order to fight-off the effects of back pain. For my digits I looked to the interweb for answers, I came across a good series of stretches for my hands wrists and shoulders [link] which have helped combat stress and fatigue - hand cramps are the worst. Musicians and potters I believe could even benefit from some Ergocise. Just getting up-out and about daily does wonders.. the occasional C-Walk up the street at the park or tear-assing around the local ice-rink become a weekly necessity.
Recently I was approached by an old friend to help assemble graphics and layouts for reproductions of old NES games. Being a product of the 80's myself I felt it was a good fit and quickly jumped at the chance to test my digital-chops. An added incentive was the fact that one of the initial projects I'd be working on involved designing a box and label for Rockman: Exile. Essentially what you've got with this game is Megaman 2 on PCP. It's a ROM-hack made by fans where they've changed the entire game around from the colour palettes down to the individual enemies you face throughout the modified levels. It's an insanely difficult game for even the most seasoned side-scrolling player. It's not the only one, Megaman Ultra is another hack with some really bizarre variations within. While before I wade my way into this project I had heard of a few such hacks but it wasn't until I really started researching the phenomenon that I came to see just how creative some of these rouge-developers actually are. Much of the creative fervor comes from love of the game(s)- love of the culture along with-it and that's something I can get behind. It's sort of along the lines of a tribute and/or cover band, right? It's also a way to contribute to the same culture I grew-up with which is always appealing -nostalgia takes one back, yeh? I've had a blast working to 8-bit crunched goodness in the form of classic videogame soundtracks and of course going back and playing emulated NES games on my desktop. Of course, ones' got-to know when to unplug and stay on task - ADHD be damned.
"Sweet Home" artwork CMYK
Fan-hacks aside, there also exists a market for games that were released in other countries but not here in the states. "Sweet Home" is just such a game - it was released in Japan for the Famicom but was never ported out to other regions. It involves a good deal of work breaking open old Nintendo cartridges, reworking the chips and boards inside them and recreating a game that someone can enjoy on this side of the world. My part in this endeavor is simply to recreate the graphics for the recreated labels and boxes - the attention to deal means everything. I've found myself learning a great deal from this project in terms of using several applications I'd never even bother messing with. Endgame dictates I'll arrive at the final destination with something to show, some knowledge possessed and/or aspirations attained. All the hours put in have a good effect when I see improvement in other areas of my development while working digitally. Every so often I'll work in vector-zulu mode bringing stroked-paths and neatly packed type to bare. So it stands, we've been plying the trade and "tilling the soil" + having a bit of fun while we're at it. I now have working copies of the games I've created labels for and they're shway! It's been really gratifying seeing the finished product rolling out of the deeps of the darkness- positive energy activates, constant elevation.
If our experiences in Arizona taught us anything its that "Fan Art" rules the day at these smaller conventions.. and why not, theres no such thing as original ideas anymore, right? Having to re-tool much of how we approach conventions/expos like this; seems people don't much care for adventurous ideas and they seem more happy to just consume the same stuff (familiar characters, plot lines, jokes, music.. ect ect) just regurgitated over and over again -guess its a wonder we ever have any original ideas. I don't know if it qualifies as a "disturbing trend" but the proliferation of internet meme(s) makes my hackles rise. Here I thought my friends and I were bad with all our inside-jokes and pop-culture references, using metaphor and eluding to things only remembered in a haze of adolescent fervor. On the last day of LvL-Up I sat there at our table and watched as nearly half the room dropping EVERYTHING and proceeded to enact a "Flash Mob" in the middle of the spot. I had to turn to my friend Jay and ask, "What the hell are they doing?" The concept of a flash mob had to be explained to me, thats pretty funny* ..guess I'm so disconnected from today's pop-culture and I don't give a damn. Still theres that desire to contribute to the global conscious -get your stuff out there in peoples hands and minds- change the world, yeh? Finding your ideas propagating like a viral infection with no known cure but forgetfulness brought on by society's short attention span. Is being the "flavor of the week" really all that bad? I don't know, perhaps only the GEICO Cavemen could answer that question.
