As this is my first post here on the IMPACT website’s blog, allow me to introduce myself. I’m a graphic designer in the midst of my fourth week at F+W Media, and a new member of the IMPACT Team. I must admit that I’m not the biggest comic/fantasy art/manga fan, but I have read many graphic novels in the past and the style of comics is very inspiring to me. I also grew up on cartoons like Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, the Far Side, etc. Anyhow, enough about me.
The main reason I’m writing this is to promote the work of my brother, Mike Mayfield. He’s an animator who has lived and worked in Los Angeles for over five years. He’s worked on shows like King of the Hill and American Dad, and will soon be working on a spinoff of Family Guy starring Peter Griffin’s neighbor, Cleveland. I’m a bit skeptical of how they’ll base an entire show on Cleveland, but I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Mike also creates cartoons and collaborative video shorts for a comedy show on Fuel TV called Stupidface. In addition to this, he recently created an animated music video for the band Why? from the Oakland based record label, Anticon. Mike has always been a source of artistic inspiration in my life and hopefully he can inspire you as well. Check out his cartoons and videos at his website or his Youtube page below. Below is a little teaser just to spark your interest. It has always been one of his most popular cartoons… at least amongst those who lived through the original Nintendo-era.
I’ve been working on John Howe’s latest book Forging Dragons (which is awesome by the way!) and I came across something very interesting …
There’s a section in the book about ‘cosmic dragons’, dragons which are found in the world myths of ancient cultures - like Ouroboros, the world-circling serpent, or Apep, enemy of the Egyptian sun-god Re. One of the first paintings in this section is of a beautifully rendered, inky dragon flying through the stars. The combination of colours in this piece, along with the sinuous, shifting shape of the dragon, is simply breathtaking.
Imagine my surprise then when I discover that this is a painting of the famous dragon Tiamat, from the 70s kids cartoon Dungeons & Dragons!
In the cartoon Tiamat is portrayed as a fearsome dragon with a screeching voice and five heads. Her heads exhale fire, ice, bolts of lightning, acid, and streams of poisonous gas, respectively. She lives in the Dragon’s Graveyard and is, of course, evil. And very, very cool!
None of this is present in John’s painting, however - according to Forging Dragons Tiamat is a figure from Sumerian and Babylonian mythology. She existed before creation began and her body is the material from which the universe was made – a dragon of chaos!
Wow, that’s some interesting info. It certainly helps to add a depth of meaning to John’s painting. It’s amazing how fantasy art can sometimes give you a brand new perspective on something you thought you already knew… But the important question is, which is the coolest Tiamat?
Dungeons & Dragons was never beautiful but it was a pretty awesome show, especially when Tiamat showed up. But John’s painting is utterly exquisite, the way he’s used clouds of ink to make the dragon’s body … but his Tiamat doesn’t have FIVE heads!
Our very own Scott Francis had a chance to sit down with Mechanika author, visual effects director and Oscar winner Doug Chiang at Comic Con, asking him about the effect of movies on the con and the future of entertainment.
The best 4 days in gaming have come and gone and IMPACT was there. Between panels, games, the art show, costumes and everything else we got home happy and exhausted. Here are the highlights.
The IMPACT ladies on the floor
A random fake sword fight
“The Wreaking Havoc Guys,” Jim Pavelec, Chris Seaman and Chuck Lukacs, were kind enough to participate in a panel for us. Their message was one for aspiring fantasy artists interested in marketing their work to gaming publishers. One of the first things they told the crowded room was to not be afraid to talk to anyone in artist’s alley. They insisted that fantasy artists are always eager to talk about their work, share advice, and even review portfolios. There’s a definite feeling of community among artists who work in the gaming business—there has to be.
Chris, Chuck and Jim
Fantasy artists have to rely on networking and talking to other members of the gaming community to find work. “There are no ‘on-staff’ fantasy artists,” said Pavelec, talking about the trials of making a living creating gaming art, “It’s all freelance.” All of the panelists agreed that art directors don’t typically seek out new talent and artists have to hustle to get their work noticed. “It’s a job—it’s work,” said Seaman, who has sold his work across all kinds of markets, including to children’s books publishers.
Everyone agreed that being a gaming artist isn’t easy. “The pay isn’t great for a long time. You need a real job and have to work on art in your spare time,” said Pavelec. “Art school gives you a start, but not everything you need,” Lukacs chimed in, stressing how many art colleges don’t focus enough on the business side of things, which you have to learn to be successful.
So why bother, when you can make better money doing something else? The guys say it has to be something that you love to do. “I like to draw badass weapons, I don’t know about you guys,” laughed Seaman.
"I like to draw badass weapons."
The panelists went on to give advice about everything from marketing yourself as an artist to best practices for staying productive. Chuck Lukacs showcased samples of his impressive portfolio, stressing the importance of having professional looking samples that include your contact information and web address. And speaking of websites: “Don’t put up everything you’ve ever done,” Lukacs warned of a common mistake made by artists who create their own portfolio websites, “focus on your best stuff.”
The panel lasted about an hour and was packed with great advice about creativity and good business. When asked for final words of advice Jim Pavelec told everyone to “continually draw,” Chuck Lukacs warned about watching your time and working fast and Chris Seaman, getting quiet for a moment, said, “see it through to the next level—don’t quit doing anything.”
A bunch of us IMPACT chicks–Mona, Wendy, Jennifer, Kelly, Erika and I–are off to GenCon today (tough work, but somebody’s got to do it). We’re totally looking forward to seeing our friends Chuck Lukacs, Jim Pavelec and Chris Seaman there, as well as the awesome con crowd! The guys are authors of Wreaking Havoc: Create Fantasy Warriors and Weapons; Chuck’s working on a Fall 2009 book; Jim’s the author of Hell Beasts; and Jim and Chris will soon be creating some art for a vampire drawing kit in time for next Halloween. They’ll do a panel at GenCon, moderated by big IMPACT dude Justin. We’ve also got great projects coming up in October, including Comic Artist’s Photo Reference: Men and Boys by Buddy Scalera; Manga Martial Arts by David Okum; and Cartoonimals by Harry Hamernik. — Pam Wissman, Editorial Director, IMPACT Books
John Howe’s signings at Comic Con were amazing. The crowds lined up all the way around the IMPACT booth on both Friday and Saturday of the show. John, of course, was very gracious and took time to talk with each fan and draw sketches.
Here’s a short video of him drawing Gandalf for a fan.
Click here to buy his book Fantasy Art Workshop from our bookstore.
Check out Brian and Kristy Miller’s site http://www.hifidesign.com/ for everything they’re up to, including their time at the San Diego Comic Con, at which they did a panel on Hi-Fi Color for Comics and participated on our IMPACT Books panel. Great to see them and the tremendous interest in what they do. They’re in Egypt now, if I’m not mistaken (Kristy’s an archaeology prof, as well as the business brain behind Hi-Fi), so I hope they post pictures of that on their site when they return!
Check out this interview with renowned fantasy artist John Howe, author of Fantasy Art Workshop from IMPACT Books. John is a widely recognized Tolkien artist and the conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movies. I had a chance to meet John at Comic-Con and talk to him about the blending of movies and comics in popular culture, as well as get some creative advice. Enjoy.
Check out this interview with renowned fantasy artist John Howe, author of 
