Sand worms. Oh, and more boobie shots.
But hey, anyone heard of Project Sylpheed? (Cuz' I haven't until now)
I don't know, but seeing jets in space almost always makes me think of Macross. Is it possible that Macross has achieved that "first recall" of jets in space market? Nah, maybe not.
Lisa Chewable Candy jingle:
Life's just a big test
And you're feeling depressed
Have a happy time
With Lisa Hayes Chewable Candy!
Chew on this!
Hey there, the Robotech world is again brimming with life over the release of not just the Art of Shadow Chronicles book, but of the introduction of the Super Dimensional Fortress 3 Pioneer in the Mecha Size Comparison charts!
Nah, it's still dead as a doormat.
But hey, everybody's gotta pay the bills, eh? Who has time for Robotech? Or better yet, fanworks?
Yep, reality is also catching up to me, and I realize that since only a small portion of the fandom actually appreciates this kind of stuff, (and after that Steve Yun, Web Guy thing last week -ed) I'm really thinking of branching out beyond Robotech, hopefully before Christmas.
As one Commander so lovingly put it "Grow up and go away" (Med added that last bit, but I know he's thinking it -ed). Sure, why not? What can do that is original?
Hmm... Ah! I know! I'll draw cute little school girls in cute little outfits (Ya f**king pedophile -ed)! Or I'll draw a lusty babe in skin tight leather! No... no... ah, I'll draw Cthulu-inspired monstrosities!!
Oh right. That's all been done before. I won't leave Robotech in this pursuit outright, but... ah, what is original nowadays anyway? How do you set yourself apart from all the Toms, the Dicks, and the Harrys, out there? I know! I'll make a post-apocalyptic wasteland set in an alternate timeline where the Cold War ended in nuclear fallout!
Shit. It's been done too.
Well, I learned a lot in Singapore about the creative industry, and it can certainly be said that creating something original now is quite a challenge. You are competing with hundreds and thousands of artists, all with their own sometimes uninspiring or sometimes brilliant ideas.
Hmm... So... Hmm... What if I start throwing ideas around this blog... See if something inspires me...
REVOLUCION GENERIQUE 2130
The year is - 2130. Earth has finally succumb to global warming and powerful countries are scrambling to maintain peace as thousands of refugees are displaced and fleeing to the habitable areas all around the planet. Mankind has tried and repeatedly failed to establish colonies within the solar system so there is no hope in throwing these lowlies to the stars. Peace is maintained through militaristic means, and nations are far too involved in these duties than anything else.
The story begins with a young girl who travels to visit her grandfather, but for one reason or another, is thrown into a band of refugee rebels thinking they can overthrow the government and finally establish an order which would deal with all of the planet's woes in a very radical manner. Flashfilm, can be broken into at least five parts of five minute intervals.
THE HOLY WAR
The year is in the near future, an alternate dimension where a certain God-like deity is totally real and interferes with mankind from time to time. The world is in shambles and a chosen city lies waiting to be taken by the jealous non-believers who think that this god is a scam or something. War takes place and it sure as hell ain't gonna be pretty, especially if you have God at your side. This idea can be used for a short film.
WAR IS CUTE
In a bleak far future, the planet Earth is reduced to craters by a giant meteor Deep Impact style, and mankind is left with only a few hundred thousand people are left hanging out on the barren Earth. A cute little story about young kids finding out Earth's lost war technology and beginning a nice new war which would eventually lead to the implosion of Earth.
THE TRIALS OF A FAN ARTIST
Set in the near future, a young female fan artist tries to make herself known for her art for this 1980's cult television show. She's pretty good, but its not her art that gets her recognized, but her blog! She's so pissed that she decides to just start a soft-core website. A guy who really admires her art see this site and goes absolutely bonkers for her. A short film which leads to a very disturbing conclusion.
Gosh, man is it tough to design new ideas! I'm pretty sure everything written here has been done by some French guy, or perhaps some South American guy. Damn. Who knows?
Ah, in any case, I am working on a brand new website - an online portfolio dedicated to my ego. Sort of like how Robotech.com caters to that Web Guy, Marketing Guy and Creative Director's ego! (And their wallets -ed)
It's a draft, rougher than Chris Meadows' beard, but I'm working on it. The template of the site will allow for easy changing in case Robotech fans don't want me anymore (When have they? I didn't get any feedback on Robotech.com's message boards! -ed). That means the banner of the site can be switched to say... One about sexy poses of an anime school girl. Or a cute highschooler in a push-up bra! (F**king pedophile, don't go to Japan dipsh*t or they'll arrest you for saying stuff like that -ed)
Hey! Didn't MedMapGuy mention that he'd quit the Robotech fandom when he got angry at Steeeeeve? Well, y'all got yer' wish, cuz Mr. Nutty, I mean, MedMapGuy, won't be hear for the entire week! Hyuk hyuk! So in a way, he wasn't lyin'! Hyuk hyuk!
AAAAAAND, THE GEEK SPEAKS!
That's right, Buster - I won't be here for the next five days, so the fandom will thrive (as it always has)! Yes, thanks to the great Robotech Master, he has shown me the light! Nobody cares about what fanboys says, especially Harmony Gold's Creative Director! It's all about making money since we all live in a material world!
MORE CONVENTION STUFF
Got some funky photos of that con I went to.
Sure saw a lot of strange stuff in the convention, but not surprisingly, nobody gave a crap about Robotech the series! It's all Transformers and Starwars, baby!
The new trilogy may have been kinda crap, but damn - don't these guys scream "Our fandom is cooler than yours?"
But... Well... I'll talk about that stuff later...
Whoa, damn those Stormtroopers look cool. The guy on the left seems a little short though! And what's this? That toy on the right looks pretty cool... Robotech to the Rescue!!
Hey guys and gals! Look! A freedom wall! You don't see that on Robotech.com!
Gee, I wonder what was this guy's inspiration in drawing this? Perhaps Gundam? Patlabor? Evangelion?? Haha! Viva Robotech Masters Saga! Not just Macross and New Generation!
We have a thing for Voltes V. It was a cool cultural thing back in the 80's. Optimus Prime too. Damn, too bad I thrashed my toy when i was a kid. I heard it costs ten times its original value now.
Finally, this man's father was awarded post-humously (guy with glasses) for designing the armor of Boba Fett back in the 70's. Yes, he's my countryman. He was a talented national artist, and one we can all be proud of. Too bad we have the likes of Harmony Gold's Creative Director running Robotech, who is so proud of creating his own VF-1 Valkyrie design. God help us.
THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Space Fortress Macross 2012 Fanfilm
This... inner madness gave me the chance to go forth a create a spinoff to my Space Fortress Macross fanfilm - over the weekend. I know, it ain't the best, especially compared to that fanfilm by the great Ashed Dream, but well, at least I tried.Mind you, this film is a preview, its very short, and the story is nothing to write home about, but hey, I'm an artist, and like I said, I know my limitations. I'm one man, damnit! I'm not a three man Creative team or something. I don't work with Koreans animators!
AND FINALLY
That Singapore thing. Why the hell am I going there? Well, duh! I'm going to Asia's largest Computer Graphics Conference! Yeah! Sponsors include Wacom (which I currently use now), Square Enix (who?), and many more. Oh wait,
Lucasfilm Singapore is going to be there! Woohoo! Maybe I'll get to see some more of that new Starwars Clone Wars TV show! That trailer wasn't bad... Also, damn the internet. I can't find a single pic of the new show. So, enjoy Mace Windu kicking droid can.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Is Robotech really all about the fans? Or is it all up for Tommy and his crew to have the final say? What Mr. Meadows pointed out is distressing, yet, true. We, the so-called 'fanboys', are looked down. And with Robotech fans not caring about each other other than when the next Harmony Gold product will come out, how can Robotech survive?
Sure, we are at the mercy of this evil Copyright holder, but does that mean that it is the end of fans having fun with Robotech and playing with its universe?
"I heard Robotech.com revised their message boards by separating
events and fandom (projects, etc) - aren't you excited MapGuy?"
F*** you, Faye. You may be hot, but that is not enough to make
me jump in bed with the Yunes. Ewww.
"Dear Mr. MapGuy, I've been a long time fan of your work, but I think enough is enough... You whine too much and nobody likes your opinions. You think far too highly of yourself, and the funny thing about that is nobody ever listens to you anyway.
So please, get a real job. A job that actually pays you real money. Leave Robotech to that Tommy and Steve fellow."
Your biggest fan,
Ah, isn't it great to get fanmail every now and then?
Okay, so my test Flashfilm bombed. My blog's readership is below average. Will that stop me? Yeeee--No. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let's welcome June with a bang.
I am proud to announce the second Art Book Project I will be working on!
Here's my pre-release hype:
"The second book in The Art of Robotech series, Volume 2 exhibits the works of whiny Robotech artist MedMapGuy. This time, this online book thingy will feature art based on the cancelled Robotech series "The Sentinels" as well as the expanded continuity set by the RPG.
The book will also showcase "reimagined" Sentinels worlds such as Garuda, Haydon IV, Karbarra, and many more!
Whatever you may think of the Sentinels and its designs, you must have this book. It’s a fine addition to the Art of Robotech series, and a fantastic resource for any Robotech afacionado, whether casual or hardcore."
OTHER STUDIO MMG PROJECTS
Also, don't forget the iminent release of the first volume of The Art of Robotech, featuring 12 gorgeous digital paintings by yours truly. Aside from my stuff, you'll get to see some amazing art from a handful of the best and brightest Robotech artists this side of the web. It's been a tough road to convince them to make art for this project, but some thankfully agreed, and you'll see their stuff right there! Yay!
Hopefully, if this first volume is successful enough (i.e. 500 downloads or more) I will make a volume 3! If that doesn't happen, well... Goodbye Robotech!
Also to be released is "The Sentinel" A lifestyle magazine for the Sentinel in you. I'll let the cover speak for itself.
That last one is a joke. Special thanks to Captain JLS.
... Living the life of adventure!
Talk about overloading in cuteness. Damn! Well, I always wanted to draw the women of Robotech. I never realize I'd do it so early. I know what you're thinking. Where are the Robotech: New Generation characters (The third chapter of Robotech for those wondering -ed)? Well, I was going to add the blondie "Rook Bartley", but I realized that I don't actually need to anymore. With Harmony Gold milking the New Generation franchise for all its worth, I don't need to include any of them.
That, and the fact that I don't have any reference images of the New Generation characters. Anyway!
COOL THINGS HERE!
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/56363836/
Yes, this is something I worked on for at least three days before giving up on it to work on something else. I think it's pretty neat, so I urge you to copy that link and watch it. As my longtime readers know, fan-made content is a rarity these days.
All the details about this "sketch test" or "flash animatic" are explained in the film. I actually am liking the idea of this kind of preview film, and I might do more in the future, so I wouldn't have to wait three months to actually see my fanfilm in motion.
To coincide with the release of the fanfilm, I was planning to make a sketch book filled with ret-con Robotech designs. I know how iffy the idea of ret-conning Robotech is, especially with the hardcore fans, but Shoji Kawamori did it with his feature film Do You Remember Love? So I did my own for Robotech. Anyway, Harmony Gold's Creative Director also does it so there!
That's all for now! Enjoy! And screw the Creative Director!
Man, ranting can really redirect a man's priorities! Time to get back to the essence of this blog. Art. Films. Sex. Scratch that last one.
Man, did I have a good sleep last night! (Read the last post -ed) Ah, this small spurt of Robo-lust (S**t, what was this dumbass dreaming last night?? -ed) has prompted me to revitalize the blog.
So far things are going great. I have finished almost five art pieces for the art book. That's five art pieces more to add to the last pieces you saw before I left for China.
So things are looking good right? Well, not really. This latest sketch, which I drew in a swanky Quingdao condo is proving harder to color than I previously thought.
My pride. I love Southern Cross.
My question is... What color palette should I use? I want to detail this sucker bad, but I don't know if I should simply stick to the show's set colors, or should I go for a stylised palette, say the whole painitng be in a nice shade of red or something?
I might lean more to the show's original colors, but I wanna hear if y'all wanna see this painting in a more... erm... avante garde look?
PRESENTING, ROBOTECHNUT.COM!
This site is actually something I made a few months ago (not last year, I made a mistake!) and I've been keeping it in my harddrive until now because I thought it looked so awesome to show until I was absolutely sure.
I thought about uploading it but I feared low viewcounts. So what if it doesn't become popular? Do it for yourself! (Thanks for the support, whoever told me that!)
And yes, this webproject is indeed looking quite attractive. I know I signed up for the Robotech Revolution, a movement which tries to show fans an alternative to Robotech.com, and yes, I will support that as well - I just wanted to show the world just how insane a fan I am to make this.
Tell me what ya think! The graphics, the design... Come on! (If nobody replies, well... I'll be sad, but again, I'm used to it)
Greetings and salutations my dear friends! Boy am I glad to be typing today's thread? You know why? Because I may be getting burned out by the frickin' franchise, that's what! Why does it have to be this way? Why Creative Director? You seem like a nice guy in Talkshoe. But why? Why did you greenlight those mediocre Robotech comics and other merchandise? I really want to appreciate the things you did to resurrect Robotech, but I can't.
Please Creative Director. Please listen. If you have even a small fragment of humility and concience, please do something to stop the torture. God knows I've tried to forget. I've painted, ranted, taunted, eated... wait, that's not a word. Bah. I'm tired of ranting for now. Let's talk about something pleasant for a change.
GOOD NEWS?
Finally, some progress is being made with my art. And man, does my art suck or what? The brushes I use are wrong, there is no visible focal point, the lighting is bad, oh Creative Director, save me from my lack of artistic talent! I would try to take the time to read those art tutorials, but for some reason I am just too freakin' lazy to search tutorials in Google or Deviantart.
AGGGH! Why? Why can't I be innately good like the Creative Director in drawing, inking and coloring? I'm pretty sure there are artist out there who have the gift to paint anything there heart's desire, yet here I am, struggling to learn. LEARN, muthaflippers! Why must I face hardships? It's not like Harmony Gold ever faced any hardships in bringing that Shadows Chronicles movie out of the door or something?!
My joy. My sadness. My art.
So I am cursed. What will be my lucky charm? Perhaps I should recite an ancient Mayan incantion, or perhaps... juju? Something to relieve me of this artistic weakness I am now facing. (Take a chill pill you dumbsh*t - Kevin McKeever, Harmony Gold Marketing Coordinator) Yes, good people like Lynn have given me support in my art, and I thank you, but is that enough for me to truly rid myself of these demons?
I am not emo. Who the f*ck said I am emo?
(You just admitted it you prick - Tommy Yune, Creative Director of Harmony Gold)
Maybe there is no cure. Perhaps... I am merely a hypochondriac. A man filled with adult angst - perhaps I am scared of what the future might bring. Or maybe I just like to say crap so my blog would look like it actually contains something more interesting than the Creative Director's resume (Will you stop blaming everything on me, you ignorant sonavab**ch? - Tommy Yune, Creative Director of Harmony Gold) Perhaps I am afraid to face the real demons of my little world - The demon known as El Tommiblobby and his assistant demon, Kevin Sorbo.
THE DEMONS HAVE DISAPPEARED, THANK THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
You know, one day I will go over my entire blog, and laugh. Oh my Lord, I wrote all this? And to think, nothing has changed in the Robotech community. (How do you know, f**ing c**t? - Dommy Yune, Italian Brother to Tommy Yune, Has ties to North Korean Warlord) It's still a boring, dead place where you can discuss such wonderful topics such as, "We Owe the Creative Director For Resurrecting Robotech". (I did! - Tommy Yune, Creative Blah Blah)
SHADOW CHRONICLES ARTBOOK COMMENT
Is it me, or am I looking for a lovemaking scene involving Dr. Louie Nichols and Janice? There's something poignant about a nerd making love to his computer. I truly thank the Creative Director for fulfilling this sicko fantasy. It's not like this idea has been dealt with before in science fiction, right?
Sexy robots indeed.
No, I'm not a Robosexual.
Screw you, Asmiov.
SENTINELS ARTBOOK
One of these days, I'll get working on it. I'll also consider the suggestions The Tech Guy gave me.
NOTICE SOMETHING?
I've been posting straight ever since I came back. Time to stop. I must. It seems to me that the Robotech community is dead and further postings would mean I am shouting all my insanities into the great dark void of the net. So be prepared! I will repress myself from posting tomorrow! I know no one will stop me. MWAHAHAHAHA!
After babbling on about stuff that doesn't matter to Harmony Gold's Creative Director, allow me to discuss with you the amazingly real story of why I, MedMapGuy, am pursuing this insane plan to create this Robotech Art Book. All shall be revealed in this fairly short article.
A BRIEF HISTORY
What inspired me to start the "Artbook Project"? What got me involved in Digital Art, period?? I must've glossed over this topic once before, but let me go into detail for those curious as to why am I doing these nonsensical tasks for nothing. First of all, no to any of you asking - this obsession did not begin after I read the infamous Robotech Art 2, a book which I purchased more than a year ago (a book which literally jumpstarted Med's interest in Robotech Fan Artdom -ed). It all started much later, when I bought a magazine while I was in Singapore... It was called ImagineFX...
Well, this isn't the exact issue that I bought, but this magazine certainly inspired me to pursue digital art using Photoshop. After viewing the amazing things that could be done with Adobe Photoshop, I knew this was something I needed to learn... Fast!! (More on my journey in making art in Macromedia Flash to Adobe Photoshop in the near future -ed)
You wouldn't believe the stuff the guys in this magazine were creating! They were simply out of this world. I began wondering, why can't this be done with Robotech? Yes, there has been digital media put out by various artists over the years, such as the ones by this... Tommy Yune fellow, as well as various anime-style artists like Omar Dogan for the Wildstorm Robotech comics, but I have yet to see actual digital art the way ImagineFX artists were making for Robotech.
It wasn't long before my obsession with DeviantArt. Where else would I find similarly talented digital artists in this world? I voraciously searched for those amazing digital artists in the sci-fi galleries of this website's massive galleries, and after a few clicks, I was able to find artists whose works were simply phenomenal. They literally left my jaw hanging for a few seconds. The detail that could be seen in their works were so minute and intricate that it made me blush in embarassment because if you have seen my old art, they look like dog turd compared to the stuff these guys and gals crank out.
So I began exploring other websites like Conceptart.org, and pretty soon inspiration kept hitting me left and right. (This site gave birth to a new art book project idea which I will reveal in the future -ed) I highly recommend this site due to some fairly stunning art by folks from the art industry. This are also some other great art sites wherein the really awesome stuff can be found in the forums - I think there was one which was the official forum of some graphics design course in some popular American University.
So I was inspired. Where did my inspiration lead me to? Why, by making Photoshop art for my little blog... And if you've been reading it religiously, you can see a sort of evolution of my skills. My skills are not that good, not by Harmony Gold Creative Director standards, but they're better than most of the stuff out there in the net.
A few weeks of posting and I realized, what is the best way to showcase great art? Rather than simply drawing and painting stuff for my blog, why not show the world just how much of a dork I am to Robotech? Thus, the art book project was born.
DETAILS? ANY STUFF ON THIS BOOK THINGY??
Will there be only one compilation? How many pieces would I produce for this project? Just how many have decided to help out?
Well, seeing as this is my first foray into producing something a little more worthwhile than a simple fanfilm, I believe I want to start big. But I can't. There's only so much I can do since this is really a one man show - which is why I am limiting this book to at least 15 to 20 original art pieces by yours truly. I know that amount is quite small, but damnit, I only have so much free time. Anyway, it's... better than... uh... Love & War?? (What a dumb comparison -ed)
Another big thing I plan on doing is multiple covers. This is something I had in mind for a while now, and I really think it would be a nice treat for the fans. I have decided to make at least 1 cover per generation, not counting The Sentinels, and The Shadow Chronicles! I just hope that I can fulfill my promise in this department...
So far, despite what you may have read in previous posts, I have received only little support. Wait... No... I have received some stuff from at least two or three artists in Deviantart. I know it's small, but I guess it's better than nothing. What do you think?
So there you have it - my book will probably be only 30 pages of art plus a few for various interviews and descriptions, with 3 different covers. Whaddaya think? Ambitious? Pathetic? Who knows?
FUTURE INSTALLMENTS AND MORE PLANS
If you have read my last post, I have expressed some interest in creating an art book for the Sentinels. Why Sentinels?
Why not?
Despite what you may think of that property, I for one kinda like it. Or at least, I like some of the ideas thrown around by the Waltrips and the McKinneys. I have always planned to go "Do You Remember Love?" on The Sentinels' ass. I mean, I wanna change some of the designs, work out some of the concepts in the series (such as the Regent being the King of the Invid, or Tirol being the first planet to be liberated) Unfortunately, you won't be seeing those ideas in my art book because it is what it is - just an art book. Maybe I could always do a visual novel sort of thing - but then the problem would always be trying to get written material about the Sentinels.
Where would I get written material for that show? I have zilch. I also have nada on lineart and just about everything regarding designs on that franchise. If only someone were willing - to scan... some images... lineart and stuff. Then maybe I could get into the business of 'reimagining' key scenes in say, the Sentinels comics. Oh well. Who knows?
Here's an idea - redrawing certain Sentinels comic book covers. I seem to remember a redrawn cover of the first issue of the classic Fantastic Four comic in a bookstore somewhere... I could do that. Yes, maybe I could do that...
RESPONSE TO TECH GUY AND CAP'N JLS
You are absolutely right. The hovertank and ride armor transformation sequences were used at least twice. It was those typical speedline filled transformation sequences, and I think it would totally ruin the experience if used twice. The key would be to... Oh wait, I really can't animate frame-by-frame. You know what I'll do? I'll do that s*** I did with my first Robotech Sentinels flashfilm. All transformation animation will be done off-screen! Yes!
Damn. Won't the audience feel even more cheated..? Let's see what I can do when I get back. :)
ROBOTECH REVOLUTION
Khyron_Prime, Robotech Fan Extraordinaire, has set up a brand new site to lure hardcore and casual fans from the slimy clutches of Harmony Gold. Nah, not really. dWhat I mean was, for fans who are tired of Robotech.com's lack of updates in the infopedia and stuff. I for one like it. http://www.revolution.united-earth-group.com/
Naturally, the site's layout is extremely rough, but it shows an enormous amount of potential. Although I have to say, based on that front page - it looks like some guy's emo site. I just wish I could chat with Khyron so I can offer him some suggestions...
FINAL MESSAGE BEFORE I LEAVE FROM CHINA
Well, the titles sez' it all. This is indeed my last post. Has it really been six weeks since I left the comforts of my home to learn more about life and crap? Yes it has. But you know, it didn't feel like six weeks whenever I visit The Land of Eternal Smiles and Happiness. It always feels like time has literally stopped in that place. It's that bad, I'm afraid. No updates in the Infopedia section, new features on the Fan Art section. It is clear that Harmony Gold has no intention of overhauling that place.
Remember when I started this Robotech gig, I made a committment to convince Harmony Gold that the art fandom is alive. That they should do something to encourage people to create more fan-made content? Well, it appears that I have failed my mission. *Sigh* And I had such high hopes that the Creative Director loved the fandom. It appears now that all he loves is his damn ego. More Sighing.
Oh well. China was indeed a wonderful experience. In the Robotech world, it made me feel even more discontented with the fandom as a whole... I just hope when I get back I can provide that level of committment to help out the fandom again with my crappy films and art.
Enough with the babbling. Excelsior! Goodbye for now! Support me and my overinflated ego like Harmony Gold's Creative Director's! (Just shut up and leave, you stupid pri** - Keven McKeever)
