Of Titans and Demiurges 06: Arist Sandara

In this season, I always find myself drawn even more than usual* to beautiful and sparkly things. With no ulterior motive whatsoever**, I'll wander through the jewelry stores for an extra dose of glimmer and tune the old Pandora to my Opera station for a few precious weeks. Why? Because it's all so pretty! For whatever insane reason my brain comes up with, during the holidays I want to soak up ambiance and emotionalism and gorgeousness like an hungry little human sponge - Achem. I mean... nightelf sponge, of course. o:}

In that same vein, I've been returning over and over again to one particular page that I've recently discovered. Sandara of DeviantArt sure seems to have 'beautiful' and 'emotional' in spades in her rich, painterly art. Check it out:

Ahh.... Sigh. :) These are only a few examples from a very lovely and diverse gallery; Sandara has many more paintings of WoW characters as well as a wonderful selection of non-WoW-related art that still gets high points for style and execution. She's got the dynamic lines, the graceful forms and figures, and the evocative lighting that makes me just want to stare and stare (and maybe drool) and stare some more!

I highly encourage everyone to follow the links to the full-sized images*** and take a few moments to really look them over - admire the quiet detail and softly gritty flow of her brush strokes. Follow a line and watch how it becomes much more than just a line of paint in the way it interacts with the shapes and colors around it. This is the 'painterly' style, and I think she's a perfect example of how and why it works so very well. The paintings manage to look rough and finished at the same time, controlled and somehow still loose enough to make you wonder how every pixel can seem to be in the right place and a random place all at the same time. Mmm... yep, she gives me my holiday artsy glow every single time.

* Yes, it's possible. Tough to believe, I know. But possible!
** I promise, Mr. Rhoelyn. I wasn't hinting at anything more. Really!
*** If you're not familiar with DeviantArt, please follow my link and then click the image itself on her DevArt gallery page one more time to see the full sized version. We intarwebtubes are thumbnail-happy, nowadays. :P

Titans and Demiurges 05: The WoW Sketch Meme

I've made a decision.

No, it's not the one that you're expecting. Despite my long silence and my relative blogging youth, I am not interested in announcing that I'm done blogging or that life's too busy or whatever. The fact is, I love this blog (despite all its rough edges). I have decided that it's time to stop waiting for life to slow down before I "get back to the blog" and start making time and energy for writing a higher priority.

So, here I am to tell you that I'm still here and still committed despite the long, inexcusable silence. I've been saving up all kinds of good ideas and information while I was gone, and I'm eager to share the wonder. I'm also digging away at converting to a new, self-hosted blogging platform, a new URL, and a more mature (less girly *cough*) look for PoC. If that's not NOT giving up, then I dunno what is.

I didn't have the heart to apologize with empty excuses during the long silence, so I hope that the sketch comics were enjoyable enough to be some fraction of the apology you're owed. I will continue the little mini-tale that I've started, and maybe when Rhoelyn finds her way back to the surface, my own life will ease up. (One can hope, right?)

Now, with all that said... Let's do something fun. :)

Anyone who's spent any time running around in the lighter journaling world (like Livejournal, for example), has probably run into a meme or three.

A meme (pronounced /miːm/)[1] is any thought or behavior that can be passed from one person to another by means of imitation. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, gestures, practices, fashions, habits, songs and dances. Memes propagate themselves and can move through the cultural sociosphere in a manner similar to the contagious behavior of a virus.

From a more practical perspective, blogging memes are short little quizzes that ask you to give your take on a set of questions, then pass the quiz along by 'tagging' your friends to see their answers. The fun comes from trying to be creative, honest, funny, or just downright weird in your answers so that readers and friends can enjoy your input and give you their own to enjoy. It's a way to slowly and openly get to know yourself and other writers.

The art community has taken this concept and (of course) adapted it to what they love most, and the perfect example of this for those of us who love both WoW and art would be the WoW Sketch Meme, provided by Crimson Viper of DeviantArt. He has written a set of questions to be answered in whatever way you please, either with a sketch, a scribble, some writing, or even a pasted picture or screenshot.

I'm not going to post a thousand links, but if you look at the comments of the Meme's gallery page, you can go visit an easy two dozen examples of how other artists have completed the meme. There are some great and really funny answers in there!

And, of course, I'm not allowed to even tell you about this Meme without having my own entry ready to present as the fee for spreading the madness. If you click the little image below, consider yourself tagged! Go, enjoy, and toss together your own answers to share with the community. I'd love to see how WoW inspires you. :)

Titans and Demiurges 04 - My Little Dreadsteed

Well, hey. Since yesterday was a cop-out, and today has dropped some fun, creative fodder in my lap... Here we are with an off-schedule update.

Wertle over at the Livejournal WoW_Fanart community has made a great gift for a guildmate. Inspired by an old WoW Insider contest entry by Amynnah, she customized a My Little Pony into an adorable dreadsteed present. Isn't that just about the cutest thing since babies and kittens?!

It begs the question... what other 'My Little Pony' customizations could the game inspire? I wonder if you could get as far as a Ram or a Talbuk? And what other toys might be customizable into fun creations from our World of Warcraft experiences?

Titans and Demiurges 03 - Burning Crusade: The Movie

I almost scrapped today's topic at the last minute. Almost. Why? Because what I'm about to link you isn't new. It's been linked before, and in fact, has gotten a whole lot of link love* since its publication on Feb. 1st, 2008.

Upon careful consideration, though.... I don't believe that any of the blogs that I've seen, the recommendations, or even the random forum posts really have reached the beating heart of what makes this video great. It deserves a second - and even a third - look. Sit down with a cup of something nice to drink and no distractions and really just absorb all 31 minutes and 15 seconds of this artistic look at the raid content of The Burning Crusade.

Burning Crusade: The Movie
By Jack of Easy Productions (FR)

Now, if you're still wondering why I'm linking this movie, then I think you need to go watch it again. This is not just a PvE movie. It's not just another Guild X killed Vashj Youtube knockoff. Unlike so many of its "peers", this look at in-game content aspires to an intense level of artistry - aspires and succeeds! It's electrifying, dramatic, beautiful, and inspiring. If you've never seen these 25-man instances, it makes you want to go forth and conquer. If you're fighting your way through progression, it reminds you just why that 12-wipe night was worth it. If you've already fought these battles and seen these bosses, then this video shows you everything you were too busy staring at your actionbars and threat meters to notice.

How did Jack do it? The technicalities of programs and filters / effects could probably fill a month's worth of blogging**, but let's take a look at the artistic principles that he has used to turn months worth of game play into a half hour of visual appeal.

1. Cinematography - The cameras are seldom still on an action movie set. Sweeping, panning, zooming and fading the viewer's eye forces them into the action, making them feel like a part of what's happening on-screen. Jack has used this to great affect to heighten the emotion and the sense of excitement. You don't just stare at Vashj from across the room. You rush in at her, watching her hideous fangs and taloned hands get ever closer to your skin. You watch in horror as Illidan leaps into the air and comes crashing down toward you.
   
2. Color Adjustment - There is a very complex interplay between our brain, our emotions, and our eyes when it comes to colors. They have a meaning to us that seems to go far beyond what the words 'red', 'blue', and 'yellow' could possibly contain. That's why visual artists of any type work hard to understand and use the deeper meanings of color, and Jack is certainly no exception. Just look what he does at about 10:15 with the Voidreaver battle; we watch the Voidreaver go from a bright and vibrant enemy to a dull, grey, and lifeless hunk of metal in a handful of pieces on the floor. The subtle use of desaturation helps to lend a certain sense of loss to his death.
   
3. Score Composition - As brilliant as the visuals are in this film, it would be a gross oversight to fail to mention the soundtrack (except, maybe, for the unfortunate Linkin' Park at 17:50). Seamlessly mixed, Jack has chosen a handful of powerful compositions and matched them to the action, letting their resounding drums and energetic strings add to the tide of the video, drawing you up to crescendos at the instant of a boss's death again and again. It's hard to define the art of music beyond to say that the notes should do the same thing to your heart that the action does. I think, in that, Jack has found unequivocal success.
   
4. Dialogue - It almost feels funny to talk about dialogue in a video like this, but it most definitely is there. Moreover, it's meaningful in multiple ways - not only to the 'story' of progression that Jack is telling, the smaller understory of the determined Paladin and his nightelven guide; but also to the game, the source of his carefully-chosen words and effects. Unlike so many of his peers in the machinima realm, Jack didn't try to create his own homebrewed sounds, but instead he borrowed from Blizzard's expert studio. In so doing, he not only ensured that his dialogue was rich and recorded with impeccable quality but also that his video tapped into a larger sense of being in the game. Even if you don't recognize the voices, you recognize the sound of World of Warcraft dialogue, and it brings all kinds of in-game memories up to mix with the content you are seeing for (possibly) the first time. Did you recognize any of the soundbytes from your own game experiences***? How did that jolt of recognition make you feel?

Alright, that's enough from me. I hope you understand, now, why I felt that this video needed a re-examination despite its travels around the blogosphere and the larger interweb tubes. It's not just about the PvE. It's not just about the game. It's not just about 25 friends gathering up and shooting some vids while they go after their phat porples. It's about artistry and the manipulation of the human mind for the sake of evoking emotion. And I give Jack from the Empire full marks for knowing his tools and using them to the best of their advantage.

Thank you, Jack!

* 121485 views as of today. @_@
** Blogging by someone NOT me, as I don't know how to do these miraculous and wonderful things to in-game imagery. Imagine the havoc I could wreak if I did?! We're talking about the Screenshot fool being given an MPG Nuke to play with, here.
*** Gruul the Dragonslayer's gravely voice at 24:10, perhaps?

Titans and Demiurges 02 - Orc Rider

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a sculpture worth?

Based on one of the earliest, most famous pieces of World of Warcraft art, "The Fury of Blackrock Spire" by Wang Wei, this statue is a rare and unique example of Blizzard inspiring itself - new blood taking on old concepts. It's a scale replica of the 20-foot bronze monster that they are creating for their new Blizzard campus in Irvine, California. Stunningly detailed, artificially-tinted to simulate the aging of bronze, and viscerally evocative, it's a stunning example of 2D art making an impressive transition into the 3D world. Far from a copy of the original work, it's a reinterpretation, one that I think mimics the game's evolution and enrichment over the past 4 years. Just as we've gone from the straightforward experience of 'Vanilla WoW' to the rich, multifaceted world of the Burning Crusade (complete with battlegrounds, arenas, instances of varying sizes and difficulty levelings, and reputation paths and rewards with more factions than you can shake a stick at) the Wolf Rider has graduated from his static, straightforward roots to a hauntingly intense, far-more-vital presence.

Where can you get yours? I'm afraid that's the rub. These statues can't be found in stores, and if you see one on Ebay, that means someone has probably gotten fired*. Blizzard gave one of these beauties to each to their employees as a Christmas gift for 2007. Manufactured in New Zealand, they only recently made it into the happy hands of employees that have been looking forward to them since they were announced back in December. It's part of a certain generosity that has impressed me about Blizzard Entertainment since my first experiences with them. Even back before they were making money like bees make honey, they made sure to save a bit of the budget for cool swag and fun opportunities for their people. Far from just an office to seat your butt in for the day, this company champions creativity and takes pains to create a work environment that fosters inspiration.

And hey... I didn't share this as some sort of promotion drive for Blizzard's hiring team. I honestly respect the effort they put into projects like this one, and I am never anything but impressed with the quality of what they can do.

* ... or is about to. @_@

Titans and Demiurges 01 - Artist Llanir

We humans, wonderful animals that we are, love to derive inspiration from outside sources. From books, magazines, scenery around us, idle comments from our coworkers - that's the way of the demiurge, the creative force inside each of us. We're always watching, always listening, always flirting with ideas, concepts, and the boundaries of what we know versus what we wish.

Is it any wonder, then, that so many WoW players are inspired by Azeroth, Outlands, and their hundreds of thousands of years of richly-crafted history? 9 million subscribers, even if only a small fraction of them are creators who put these wonderful ideas on 'paper'*, that's a mountain - no, a planet full of mountain ranges - worth of media for us to enjoy. Videos. Paintings. 3D renders. Fiction. Poetry. Software. Web sites. Icons. Sound bytes. Songs. The list is ... well, pretty much as long as our imaginations are deep.

'Titans and Demiurges' is a series that's all about discussing, enjoying and sharing the creativity WoW has inspired. I'll be scouring the internet, bugging friends and contacts, following trails of animus, and gladly accepting suggestions for art, writing, webcomics and anything else that is born out of the inspiration of Blizzard's Warcraft world. Sometimes, we'll have simple showcases, a sharing of beauty and individuality. Other times, we'll discuss sources of inspiration in the game that might help your own demiurge kick into motion. For those that are interested, I will also offer critiques of paintings and stories, giving constructive advice from an experienced** artist and writer.

But enough talk. Let's start this party out right, with some beautiful World of Warcraft fanart gleaned from the depths of the Deviant Art community. Allow me to share with you the work of Llanir, a skilled portrait artist that has turned her hand to a few familiar races:

Llanir's beautiful, semi-photorealistic style combined with lots of interesting angles and dynamic lines really makes these portraits feel natural, graceful, and engaging at the same time. I enjoy looking at them, picking out the carefully-placed details that really elevate the relatively simple backgrounds and uniform skin tones.

* In this modern age, it's seldom really paper. Let's just use the phrase as a euphamism for 'any shareable form'.
** Experienced does not equate to perfect, so don't worry on that account. Critiques will be by request only.