The Kong of Kings.

The Orange County Fair has always been good to me whenever I enter a piece. Usually reviewed by a panel I manage to get at least two out of three drawing entered. I'll stop in with my wife on the opening day and check out the world's largest cow. She's huge. Put a plate on her and call the DMV for a CDL.

I'm planning on entering three pieces this year and the King Kong image above is my first drawing. The others I want to concentrate on a something down to earth for once. We'll see if that's possible since I'm a crack junkie when it comes to sci-fi and fantasy themes.

I would love to design a game, this is a running theme in my Fight Club ( 1st rule of..) things to do before dying. So while sitting on the pot or working I usually get a narrative from IGN or Gamestop on the game I'm imagining. No really... I know.

It's a testimony to all the articles I read as a young adult when Valve's Half Life was but a blip on the horizon.

I also love monster movies. Giant rubbery beasts duking it out over a cityscape are the movies for me, especially when I need a pick-me up. The Original King Kong was one of those Saturday afternoon movies that was played almost every other week in the 70s that I loved. In the evenings it ABC broadcasting the 70's remake of Kong and that got me thinking of a interesting game in the present. King Kong 70's version depicted a oil company descending on Skull Island. Along the way they find a blonde just drifting in the sea. You find them in the dangested places.

Peter Jackson would create a fine Kong movie, but I always felt the rush to get Kong to New York took or somehow lessened the nightmarish first half of the movie. I almost wished he had made an four and 1/2 hour version, instead of the film's 2005 three hours running time.

The X-box movie-tie in game was okay. It's shining grace was being able to play as Kong in a few levels.

I personally wanted it to be the entire game. After playing a few hours in Just Cause2 ( Really they owe Lucas Art's royalties for Mercenaries 3) it struck me that Universal could drop players on a Virtual Skull Island. Now that would be a interesting to me. Playing as Kong in a free roam map seems a viable adventure game.

Playing games alone can get boring quick, so adding a few extra Kingish creatures to complement Kong's own grandeur would allow for mixed gameplay and a real chance at never having the same thing happen twice within say a campaign or Multiplayer match. So Kong needed his own Mothra and Rodan to quest with hence all the beasties next to him in the picture. Should be fun to color and I'll be following up with the finished work later on.

Peace.

SomeTHINGS better left buried.

I love the movie the Thing by John Carpenter. I find myself watching it just to figure out the clues and nuances the actors incorporated into the movie. When did they get taken over? Did they know it happened? Does the Thing itself hide so deeply into the being of the person it has consumed to blend with the others... lose itself?

It's a brilliant movie. One that wouldn't be considered as such until much later.

I saw it for the first time with my Dad in Concord California around 82. He had a small condo there and I would be shuttled off to him via the BART from South County by my mother to stay the following weekends. Men and women of my age know exactly what I am talking about, because an entire generation of us came out of divorces from our parents in what seems exactly at the same time.

During those Saturdays and Sundays I loved seeing him. We spent hours at video arcades, race-karts, and softball games. We cruised around in a Datsun Z 280 and hung around Pier 39 checking out model stores. The divorce was a very ugly time in my life, and those few moments with him were some of the shining points that dug out some happiness.

At night it was homework and when I was done, it was HBO. There the Thing reared it's distorted head and captured my imagination in a gruesome way. I was hooked. Never missed it since when it comes on. Eventually I would buy the VHS copy and then the DVD. Most likely I'll buy the BluRay as well.

I read the script later on while in college. It's a fascinating body of work. I find myself bent over it every once in a while late at night, or while having a slow period at work. There is this one scene that was deleted due to budget constraints. It's called "out on the ice". The original artist Michael Ploog boarded it. It's incredible art that depicts MacReady, Childs, and Bennings chasing after three of the dogs that escaped.

They are most likely now Things and it's heading for the ocean. In this scene Bennings is killed by a Thing under the snow, rather than the grotesque consumption in the locker room. I've always wanted to see this sequence. So, I'm now doodling it out. More to come in the next few weeks.

Now they are saying that a prequel is in the works. The story of the Norwegians is being brought to light. I'm mixed on this. Part of me is curious if the director can pull off a companion piece to what many consider a near perfect movie in Carpenter's career. As they say time can only tell.

Kevin

No rest or art for Dad.

Hi there! Well I'm stuck. The Parent trap has snapped my neck and I'm doing nothing but being a loving dad to my son. This has halted everything next to lack of sleep and long hours at graveyard. I'm trying not to fall into that easy cop-out like ignoring my son over my art. Whata douche I would be if I did that. So I am stuck for a bit doing nothing over my laptop save twitter or bills.

Florin here is the last picture I've had time to actually finish. I managed to get some Mudbox in , which is a pretty fun 3d sculpting program. Sadly it's a monthly trial, so after the Zbrush run I'll know which one to buy. Until then it's kick the tires time.

Take it easy.

Kevin

Music behind the Characters.

I love music to a point. I'm set to certain beats, which are basically something between a dirge and a building back beat for my internal soundtrack. Most of my drawing for this AVT project are drawn to what I call my Asinine Metal Playlist.

Here's basically what's on it that highlight's each character so far.

1. Helmet: Unsung : This is KillSwitch's anthem. He's based on this song's aggressive beat.

2. Metallica: No Leaf Clover : The main song for BigBot. It's something grand for the big guy.

3. Insane Clown Posse: Nothing's Left: Whines for MotorCade; little is holding him to his life.

4. Reveille: What you Got : Here's the villain HullBreach's main song.

5. Kasabian: Club Foot : Falls to SpeedTrap's techno-spector theme.

6. Puddle of Mudd: Psycho : This song goes to the hulking Overload.

7. Helmet : Milquetoast : The theme for DeadBolt.

8. NIN: Sunspots: casts a glare on GearBreak.

9. Rammstein: Engel : Whistles through the power tank ShockProof.

10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs : Gold Lion : Roars for Nexus Valor.

11. Submersed: Hollow : Wails for the Maximal BackStryke.

12. Korn: Freak on a Leash : Can't keep DeathKiss chained. She's a major villainous Bitch.

13. Foo Fighters: Come to Life : Wandered into GunStart's theme.

14. Kasabian: Shoot the Runner : Shot FireFlight.

15. The Bravery: Believe : Saw the truth in ShortStop.

16. Metallica : Fuel : Drove the unstoppable GunBattle

Birthday come early.

Well my birthday has come early. I have a tradition that in January I treat myself to something I always wanted. This is my birthday gift to myself. Celebrating me and one more year of life done and the enigma of death looms closer and closer... eeep. All that aside I'm pleasantly happy with the latest Wacom Intuos 4 Medium Tablet. It came with Corel Painter 11 at a fantastic deal that I couldn't let slide by.

So that means I get to experiment with AVP. The last image in this post the Blue fella is a first attempt at the Tablet using the grip pen. Needless to say I got a steep learning curve to climb and quickly. Thankfully this is why I made AVT in order to get better at drawing by using the tools of the trade. I'm almost ready to download Z-brush's month long demo to dive into deep artistic waters.

To everyone visiting a happy holidays. To everyone else not gobbling down PC dong, Merry Christmas. Have a great New Years and see you in 2010.

Kevin164

Update 2 complete.

This has been a long road this project. Started in April of 2008 it was supposed to be a simple 50 panel exercise, but I'm a story teller at heart. So, here we are 200 panels and plus later. I've grown fond of the characters with telling their complete tale. I've listed the chapters left to go and I have the bones and marrow of where I'm going with plot.

I'm getting closer to the third sequence with a two year old, a job, while trying to be a good husband on top of the whole endeavor. So with the update completed I can now move onto the final chapters of the second act, then into the third and final outcome. I made the necessary change to the relationship between Nexus Valor and Gear Break. I've toned down Dead Bolt and KillSwitch since both were too gung-ho. I wanted more solid personalities out my Tankbots. I finally found a name that I liked for the sister of Gun Start and Short Stop. She's had more name changes than Prince. Overall I pleased with the decision on taking the time to go back and fix the Drop Sequence. It was worth the extra work.

Now it's time to get going and finish this project. I'm pushing myself to be finished by November of 2010. Another game conceptual project is looming on the back burner and a children's book for my son is in order. Both are calling me to flush them out. Anyways to anyone visiting I hope your enjoying the story so far.

Kevin164. 11/16/2009

Tweak, Polish, and Beat into a story. Update 2 begins.

Well, I've been dead in the water with the AVT storyboards for the last two months. Why? Because I've been updating all the prior storyboards. Well the first part my statement is a lie. I've been extremely busy on AVT. I practically have the second act finished in Black and White. A few extra filler boards for the action and we are ready to move on to the meat and potatoes of what I think will blow people away when I get planet side in the story.

In fact I think I've over done it. It's a nightmare of sheer volume of work sitting on my hard-drive that I'm going to have to color and finish before I can up load it. Then I decided to UPDATE EVRYTHING!!! What the hell am I thinking?

...and yet... I managed to get the Drop Sequence fixed. I hated that series of boards. When I first started it I really wanted to stop and do something else with the story. It was long and tedious and really didn't serve any purpose. I knew that I needed it to establish the main character. It would tie into the last part of the story about who he was and where he was going. It was important set up for the final act. It looked horrible. I was embarrassed by it. It took forever to finish and I hated it.

Then UPDATE 2 happened and I have made the jump in my art. See if you keep drawing you get better believe it or not. Art is like weight lifting you can only get stronger by doing it every day.

I got better. I can see it in the last few sequences. I'm getting more comfortable with the characters and how I draw them.

Wait till you see the Humans, Aliens, and Jockey Pilots that will populate this story in the third act. I'm biting through the midnight hours to get you all there, and when we go I plan to make it worth the wait.

See you

Kevin164