PANDEMONIUM ART Dominus' blog – concept art & illustration

EXPOSE 9

Yay! I've just received a copy of the book and my featured piece can be found at the bottom-right corner of the page #141! The album looks fantastic, top quality paper, art and design, definitely worth having it in your art book collection.

EXPOSÉ 9 showcases the world's best digital artists at a level of quality that only Ballistic Publishing can deliver. From established artists working in games, film and publishing to undiscovered artists showing their work for the first time, EXPOSÉ 9 inspires with a record-breaking 444 pieces of original art from 327 artists in 60 countries.

EXPOSÉ 9 entries were judged by a judging panel of renowned artists including: Stephan Martiniere (id Software), Chris Sloan (National Geographic), Max Dennison (Matte Painting UK), Chris Stoski (Industrial Light and Magic), Don Seegmiller, Alex Morris and Sze Jones.

Atelierul de Print

For the creative spirits that are going to be in Bucharest this Friday, come and check out "Atelierul de Print" at Mavrogheni No. 10, the only gallery  part of the White Night of the Galleries that exhibit artworks in limited series, which you can take home for the price of just 65 lei. Special event: see how the limited series are made in a live drawing performed by Catalin L’Artist .

Sword & Sworcery EP

I’ve been following this game since it’s development was revealed, almost two years ago, and now after I've played it I can say that Sword & Sworcery is one of the most beautiful creative piece of art I have ever experienced. Mixing the awesome Craig Adams's 8bit visuals with the great soundtrack by Jim Guthrie, it doesn't really feel like a game but more like an experiment, the developers explain it better:

"It’s a mix of laid-back exploration, careful investigation and mysterious musical problem-solving occasionally punctuated by hard-hitting combat encounters. S:S&S EP is an unusual genre-bending effort with an emphasis on sound, music & audiovisual style that has been positioned as ‘a brave experiment in Input Output Cinema’."

Visually, games like S&S EP, Minecraft or Journey prove that less is more and that they are more stunning than most of the photo-realistic console games out there.  Unlike many iOS games that are only good for killing a few minutes on your smartphone, Sworcery is a full-scale endeavour that draws the player into another world. Words can't describe how awesome this game is, so if you don't have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, go borrow one, this is pure art!

Print Art Fest

Photography, concept art, illustration and street art in the first Digital Art Festival in Romania. The open project of a generation of different artists - PAF is an innovative event for all art forms that use digital media to express their creativity. PAF - Garage edition includes Carioca's showcase, Saddo, Buzu, Dominus, Andrei Fantana and Artpi + afterparty with OK Corral and kapnobatai, tomorrow night at the McCann Erickson garage!

VisualArt Workshops

Visualart.ro organizes a series of thematic workshops for the visual art and design enthusiasts. Set between 22 and 26 November, the workshop will address topics such as Print Design, Character Design & Portfolio Review, Illustration Techniques, Creative Techniques Image Handling, Interactive Design and Concept frame in film production. I'll also be there as an instructor, I'll create in Photoshop a boss battle scene concept for a fictional game.

::Vermeer – Master of Light::

Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the secrets of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator.

::The Banishment of Beauty::

I totally agree with Scott Burdick's slide presentation "The Banishment of Beauty" that deals with the issues between traditional and "modern" art. I think this representation is an important viewing for anyone who has the urge to create meaningful, beautiful things. If you are an artist, it is very important to watch this great mini-documentary, please find some spare time and then click the links below:

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Part IV

::Gobelins – Annecy 2010 animations::

Each year animation students from the Gobelins school of art and animation gather and create short animations for the Annecy festival. Here are this year's wonderful short films in HD, kudos to the talented creators:

• Jean-Luc
• The King and the Beaver
• Smoke my Christmas
• Trois petits points
• I love you
• M. Eustache
• Soapy trip
• Chaman
• Red river bay
• Junk Space

Behind the Iron Curtain

The first Concept Art based workshop happening in Eastern Europe, will hit the streets of Bucharest Romania in 22nd till the 25th October.

Come prepared, this will not be your usual fancy instructors opening up PSDs and improvising a presentation. These heavyweights of concept art and illustration will be on their toes, all willing to provide the best educational, inspirational, motivational event poss...ible to the participants! Students from around Europe and the globe now have the chance to surround themselves with the biggest learning force that has hit Europe yet, all eager to share their knowledge inside out abut Concept art for games and films to the next generations of artists. This is THE opportunity for artists, aspiring or working in the field to be exposed to dozens of years of experience both from this super lineup of instructor and from everyone attending:

Stephan Martiniere (art director at id software, Rage, Star Wars), Steambot Studios (Avatar, Assassin's Creed, Tron 2.0, Thief 4, Deus Ex 3, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell), Kekai Kotaki (lead concept artist on Guild Wars 2), Mark Goerner (X-Men 2, Superman, Minority Report)

BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN

::MADE Symposium aftermath::

MADE was such a blast, four days of fun and learning with amazing talented people all around! I would gladly do this shit again anytime. I've posted some selected photos on my Flickr and you can see the whole load of pics I took over here. There are also some official sets of pics, artworks and videos at the MADE blog.