technabob » illustration

lego control concept: why did it take so long to come up with this?

technabob — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:15:22 +0000

Of all of the universal remotes out there, this LEGO-brick-inspired concept design is my new favorite.

Instead of using programmable “soft” keys, Craighton Berman’s LEGO TV Remote uses physical keys that you arrange and snap into place on the surface of the remote.

Sure, it’s completely impractical for anything more than a single device, but I want one now.

[Fueled by Coffee via reubenmiller via swissmiss]

pac-man on twitter

technabob — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:51:57 +0000

What would happen if Pac-Man was on twitter? A whole lot of trouble, that’s what.

I laughed my ass off when I saw this hysterical illustration by Scott Hampson. Scott, will you please make T-shirts out of these? I’ll be first on your list.

[Flickr via Laughing Squid ironically, via twitter]

tetris machine: the blocks get real

technabob — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:56:51 +0000

This collaboration between UK mixed-media artist Chrissie MacDonald and photographer Dominic Lee envisions what Tetris might look like on some newfangled 3-dimensional computing platform that uses physical blocks to let you play the classic Russian puzzler.

The whole thing seems slightly impractical to me – with only that much height, and blocks that can rotate to any angle – I think the game would be over really quickly for me. For now I’ll stick to Topple.

[via Broccolicity]

pac-man art shows life outside the maze

technabob — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:40:12 +0000

I always wondered what Pac-Man and his entourage did when they weren’t busy chasing each other around that maze. Thanks to the wacky and warped mind of illustrator Scott Campbell, we finally get a glimpse of Pac ‘N Pals outside the confines of their familiar corridors.

Scott’s whimsical Pac-Man illustrations show the iconic gaming characters in a number of everyday (depending on what your days are like) situations, from recreating the Napoleon Dynamite bike jump scene to trying out some fabulous new hair-dos.

The current series, entitled Pac Man Set 2, is available in sets of five limited-edition giclee mini prints (2.75″ x 2.75″ each) over at Gallery 1988 for just $65 a set.

Be sure to check out Scott’s other works over on his website.

superbrothers pixel art: super retro goodness

technabob — Thu, 08 May 2008 03:43:58 +0000

After spending the last 7 days straight looking at the hyper-real 3D environments of Grand Theft Auto IV, don’t you long for the blocky 8-bit goodness of days gone by? Eh, maybe not when it comes to gaming, but when it comes to retro gaming art, I definitely have a soft spot for the pixelated stuff.

So when I stumbled across the 1980s-inspired pixel art of artist Craig D. Adams (aka superbrothers), I was tickled pink. With just the simplest of elements, superbrothers manages to bring an amazing amount of humanity to his blocky images.

Craig’s images are so good, in fact, that his illustrations have been published by Wired, ESPN, American Illustrator and other prestigious venues.

He’s even brought his minimal imagery to life in videos like this one for musician Jim Guthrie…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While most of his works appear to be one-of-a-kind pieces for the publishing industry, you can get your hands on a little bit of his art on t-shirts, greeting cards and buttons over on the Superbrothers CafePress shop.

[via DRAWN]

8-bit video game art by jimi benedict

technabob — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:01:57 +0000

You may think you know Mario and Zelda, but you’ve never seen them like this.

Artist Jimi Benedict (a.k.a. “Jimiyo”) created these 8-bit game inspired images which combine the pixel-blocky forms of the game’s original characters with a surreal mix of natural textures and literal illustration styles.

Not into video game art? Jimi has many more tricks up his sleeve. He’s produced numerous professional illustrations for t-shirts, skateboards and has even done work for NASCAR. He even got into politics with his brilliant 8-bit Barack Obama.

For more illustrations, merchandise, illustration tips and more, check out Jimiyo.com.

[via Drawn!]