Most Extreme News to the Max...

Today I turn an Ancient 26 years old...

I also watched a lot of StarGate SG1 today. It was a good day 'indeed'.


Imagine FX

A fellow co-worker Donald Phan(a character artist on the WarHammer MMO) brought in the Sept. issue last week and allowed me to scan my article. I tried my best not to sound pompous, but you can be the judge. I have to really thank Rob Carney the editor for the opportunity to get my work publicized like this. It was especially great to see my graphic novel Fading Oasis mentioned in print!

Thanks again Rob!





San Diego Comic Con and Food Poisoning Extreme...

So, many interesting things have happened since I have returned from the San Diego Comic Con. First thing was a week and half Food Poisoning marathon. I spent about 8 hours in the emergency room but, the doctor prescribed some medication that cleared it up eventually. Thank the Ancients for medical coverage.

The Comic Con itself was great as always. It was also great to hang out with college friends for four days. The Con is an overload of art and I usually leave after 3 or 4 days without seeing it all. We met so many great artists there. Steve Silver was selling a great sketchbook that you can check out here at www.silvertoons.com. Also Chris Sanders the writer and director of Lilo and Stitch had a booth where he was selling his ashcan sketchbook. Turns out he is directing a 3d movie for Disney. I can't wait to see what he pulls off. I really loved Lilo and Stitch. Jose Lopez was another really nice artist to meet. He put out his first artbook, Mariachi Samurai, which you can find more info about at his blog desoluz.blogspot.com. David Colman had a couple really great ashcan-sized sketchbooks of animal drawing he was selling. Turns out he is actually putting out an Animal Character Design book with some tutorials I believe. It should be an awesome buy. Check out David's site at www.davidsdoodles.com. A couple of us also spoke with Clement Sauve a really, really great artist from Canada. He is doing some comic work and freelance concept design. Make sure to check out his work at www.clementsauve.com! Jon Foster's table is always a great visit. Most likely the most charming artist to speak with. I bought a great print of his. Btw check out the guys over at Atomic Monkey! I love that Franken Monkey statue! Buy one and support the ATOMIC MONKEYS!

Beyond the armada of artists we ended up meeting I also spent a decent amount of cash on some great artbooks. I bought the 3 Oz books and Les Liberateurs which Enrique Fernandez illustrated so beautifully! You can pick them up on the French Amazon site for about 16 bucks each! Oz Books & Liberateurs on Amazon.fr. Also I picked up two Claire Wendling books which are amazing! Her books Drawers 2.0 & Iguana Bay 2.0 are a must have if you simply love great drawing.

The Con is great overall but, I would have to say it is the unexpected that makes the Con great. The last day of the Con a couple of us were walking by the Weta booth and I was surprised to see the Master Richard Taylor sitting and signing posters for a small line of fans. He is the Company Director, Effects Designer & Supervisor of Weta Workshop. Seeing how absurdly short the line was I jumped in. I overheard him speaking with another fan and it turns out they still are interested and negotiating for the rights to make the Evangelion movie! When it was my turn in line I asked to show him my portfolio and he graciously obliged. I was a thrilled fanboy. Then Mr. Taylor did the unthinkable and actually said some nice things about my work ...which made me think that's what he tells all the ladies ^_^ but, then he also gave me his card! That was the greatest moment of the Con for me. There is no cooler swag than Richard Taylor's business card.

But, REALLY speaking of the unexpected. I ran into Jason Manley on the street that Saturday night and he invited us over to the hotel where they are staying to hang out. So there we were, there I was and there.. was .. Marko. That's right thee Marko Djergevkjaksahg! And his sidekick Android Pwns(or perhaps it's the other way around) I have to say Marko kept it insanely real. And boy they just couldn't stop giggling. They just thought the idea of Marko Dgurjevisadklgs and Joshua The James occupying the same space at the same time was just a hoot and a holler. But, I will say this.. They seemed like nice guys...in pirate cloths.

Besides all that I think I owe Chuk W about 800 beers. He thinks he can just pick up the tab and get away with it, then disappear. (I don't usually drink but it was vacation) Chuk will PAY! ...but not for the beers.


New J O B

So after the Con I come back and immediately get Food Poisoning.. After my sickness clears up I come back to work at EA Mythic and see an I.M. from my friend John Pearl at StormFront up in the Bay Area telling me "I have a job for you" (turns out John knew the AD at Concrete) The next thing I know I am flying BACK out to San Diego for an interview with Concrete Games 30 minutes north in Carlsbad CA.

I value the experience and knowledge I gained at Mythic but, I just don't/didn't have a healthy living situation. So to Cali it is...



Most Extreme 'Road Trip' Challenge!

So this Friday at 5am theIncredibleAndy and I will be driving out to Cali from Fairfax. I don't have a drivers license so in turn for buying Andy's plane ticket to next year's Con he is going to drive the moving van. We have an awesome trip planned. Fairfax VA to Knoxville TN for lunch with friends then off to Memphis TN to stay the night with Andy's extremely well-off Uncle. Then day two we head down to Austin TX to say the night with a good friend Eric Ehoff who is a Big Time Concept Artist at NC Soft( ^_^ -haha) The next day we head up near Albuquerque NM find a hotel and check out the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert in the morning. At night we should arrive at the Grand Canyon and stay the night there and check it out during the day, then drive 4 or 5 hours down to Phoenix AZ and stay the night at my sister's in Mesa. There should be awesome opportunities to take photo reference. The next day we head towards LA to have dinner and stay the night at a friends. Then the next morning we get to Carlsbad and my corporate housing. Then the real fun starts when I have to look for an apartment. >_<


wow...

I just realized.. Who the ruddy hell am I typing all this B.S. to?
I should really be painting..or at least StarGating... ;)


-Joshua