Sleep Art Is Coming To A Bed Near You

No, not Freddy Kreguer style tricks, just one really cool art project made possible via advances in sensor technology. The hotel chain Ibis is choosing 40 participants to take part in a pretty neat project, later to become part of a online gallery with winning guests taking home a true piece of there own dreams.

Using 80 sensors which detect movement, temperature and noise, a robotic arm will create the signals presented into a piece of art that could potentially be a bit of an abstract mess. You can enter through the site, and you know we will post the art once it's released but I thought I would give the project some publicity as it's an interesting idea. Who would love to be a winner and see how their dreams are represented through art? It's a really sweet idea and would certainly look nicer than the dusty Day of the Dead poster I have hanging over my bed.

J.Viewz - About The Sea

The hazy, billowing application of reverb has been a bit of an ongoing epidemic in the indie circles over the last few years (A mandatory gimmick reminiscent of what T-Pain did for autotune), but the Brooklyn based J.Viewz handled that aspect tastefully in this electro-tinged track. Animated by Clement Picon, the track visually narrates the interconnectednes of everything around us in nature. The track is from his latest 2011 album, Rivers And Homes.

Adelaide

In this dark-themed yet bright-looking short, the protagonist and title character Adelaide is a young woman who fakes illness. All self induced, she's plays a risky game with her health as a means of seeking attention. While at the pharmacy one day (of course), she meets a young man at the counter with whom she finds herself immediately attracted to. She's attracted to him for the obvious fact that he could be someone who could care for her. Created and directed by Liliana Greenfield-Sanders, who is currently developing this awesome dark humor piece into a feature.

Some Torchlight 2 Art By Sirio Brozzi

Original Pitch For the 'Collect Robot Parts' Quest

So Torchlight 2 is finally out! Have you guys been playing it? It seems like the response has been overwhelmingly positive, which has been really fantastic, especially considering that the game only cost $20. Some of you might not know, but AwesomeRobo was founded around the time that I was working at Runic Games as a concept artist for Torchlight 1 and 2. The team was small, ambitions were astronomically high, and the project turned out to be one of the most challenging (Yet ultimately rewarding) experiences in my career so far.

I left Runic halfway through Torchlight 2 to pursue other opportunities, but in the 2 or so years at the company I must have cranked out a few hundred concepts to accommodate the breakneck schedule of creating an epic game with a fifth of the team size typically associated with such a production. The biggest struggle was maintaining a good balance between quality and quantity when time was the biggest detractor, and when we'd only have a small handful days per concept. Considering that this game is an ARPG, the asset list for the sequel especially, which was about 5-6 times grander in scope was mind boggling. Yet at the end of the day, it all came together into a game which exceeds the original in just about every way imaginable..And which I hope you've had a chance to pick up at this point to support the folks and families at Runic.

After the break you can check out a ton of art for used and scrapped concepts I had a chance to work on during my time at Runic. Enjoy, and feel free to shoot any questions my way!

Livetune - Transfer

Kind of like how artists approach custom vinyl toys, this intriguing little collaboration for a music video features a slew of artists doing their own take on a sequence of a girl running through an environment, before looping into a different artists interpretation of her environment. The result is a collaborative effort yielding a full cornucopia of different scenarios, environments and art styles. This is pure fun from start to finish, with the pink haired heroine stuck in an unfortunate groundhog day style situation for our enjoyment. Absolutely awesome!

How Time Travel Works

You know what time it is? Supercut Time! About time travel. TIME. This supercut by Flavorwire puts together a crapload of scenes from a variety of the most popular time travel movies. Each one explains their version of how the fictional (or is it...?) idea of time travel works. From special cars, black holes, and even hot tubs there a lot of theories as to how such a an occurrence can come about. I can't explain it myself, "I don't know tech stuff." Got any theories? Leave a comment!

The Junk King

Vince Hennemann is a bit of an icon in Austin's more ecclectic circles, dubbed 'The Junk King,' by anyone who has seen his cathedral, a construct of found objects fueled by his passion of installations. Perhaps he's got a bit of a hoarding mentality, but hearing him talk about how his creation has affected people is truly fascinating, and how his environment has affected him in the form of an unfortunate city code violation debacle. The saying of 'One man's junk is another man's treasure' couldn't be a more fitting description for what Vince's vision is all about. An excellently put together mini-doc by Evan Burns.

Legoland - Circa 1968

This vintage reel from Pathe shows off the construction and launch of the world's first Legoland (Billund, Denmark) in a ridiculously cheerful, optimistic little montage. The early iteration of the park features a Miniland, which went on to become the foundation for all Legoland Parks to come, as well as a Duplo themed area and an adventure (Themed) zone. Speaking of which, if you're a brickhead yourself and haven't watched the Story Of Lego, I'd highly recommend it. The company went through so much trouble and misfortune   to get to where it's at in this day and age

Glued

Seeing as our blog has a definite interest in gaming, I'm going to assume that a good portion of you out there reading this are gamers yourselves. However, you're probably (hopefully?) not quite as one-dimensional as this kid in the student animation project "Glued". While the frantic mother tries to find a way to curb her son's fanatical gaming habits, she finds that the obsessed/addicted always find a way. It's a silly, fun little short with lots nods to some of the more popular games out there. Barrels thrown down the stairs, anyone? Check out some of the behind-the-scenes stuff here!

The Art Of Hotel Transylvania - A Quick Look

Thanks to the kind folks over at Titan Books, we came into possession of a book we were actually looking forward to buying for Genndy Tartavosky's first foray into feature length animation, 'Hotel Transylvania.' Being big Tartavosky fans (Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Clone Wars), we'd been intrigued by the movie since details started trickling out last year, and we're looking forward to checking it out tomorrow and supporting Genndy's future efforts.

As for the book, it's a hardback labor of love, featuring over 160 pages of visual development and commentary on the process for coming up with all the inhabitants of Dracula's resort, locales and more.   I had a blast checking out all the art and reading Genndy's thoughts on the production, as well as unfortunately spoiling some aspects for myself. It was totally worth it though, so check out the preview video above! You can get The Art and Making of Hotel Transylvania on Amazon for a very reasonable price of $22.

The Art Of Feral Kid

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The heavily designed decorative elements of Alphonse Mucha, the graphical flair of Gustav Klimt and the ethereal style of James Jean all come to mind when I look at the work of Joao Ruas, a Sao Paolo based artist who has made an impression on me over the years. His work is truly beautiful, combining the best of both digital and traditional mediums to create a style that emphasizes both schools of thought.

I really love his choice of subject matter, with his work typically featuring surreal creatures inhabiting the same realm as his haunted figures, plenty of symbolism and unorthodox, dreamlike color schemes. It's thought provoking, beautiful work that channels something truly personal, yet relatable at the same time. Check out more of his work after the break, and enjoy the healthy dose of inspiration.

Daedalus - Platforming

Daedalus' staccato, dissonant beats for Platforming fit perfectly with the visuals of jerky robotic arms and neon landscapes, a combination that grows ever more unnerving as the track progresses. It's a hypnotic, mechanical, chaotic experience taken straight from the artists upcoming EP, 'Looking Ocean' which should be dropping in October. Check it out.

Giant Spider Projection Mapping

Fredrich Van Schoor's installation is a perfect example of creatively using projection mapping techniques, and a great reason to keep hating spiders. By using a scaled down replica of his studio filled with normal sized spiders as the means of getting footage for projection, Fredrich was able to turn his house into an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. This is quite possibly the most creative application of the technique I've seen yet.

Things You'd Better Not Mess Up

In a silly, light-hearted montage of events, Dutch animator Joost Lieuwma creates a piece showcasing how it's probably a good idea to pay attention to what you're doing. It's completely understandable to confuse a violin bow with a saw (ahem...), but the results could prove to be disastrous. I loved the bright colors, and the simple, doodle-like animation, which brought a real simplicity to the short. For a I'm-burnt-out Thursday animated short, we couldn't have done much better.

Little People - Aldgate Patterns

There's no denying that there are a lot of great music videos out there, but some are getting to the point of ridiculousness with their use of VFX. Little People's Aldgate Patterns official video is god damn brilliant in that it brings in just the right amount of visually appealing VFX without over-encumbering you. The chill electronic beat flows perfectly alongside the subtle animations that begin to amplify into something downright beautiful near the end. I've already watched this video a few times tonight and I can't say I'm getting tired of it.

Ex-Rare Employees Need YOU for a possible Banjo-Kazooie Spiritual Successor

It's time to face the music guys; Banjo-Kazooie is probably never going to come back, and even if Rare and Microsoft somehow managed to resurrect it's mangled corpse after (the abomination that was) Nuts & Bolt, it still wouldn't be the same. That being said, there's always room for something new, something shiny, and most importantly, something made by the ex-members of Rare. That something that may be closer than one would ever expect.

Earlier this month an ex-Rare employee(@MingyJongo) created a Twitter stating "Let's make the spiritual successor to Banjo-Tooie! Core members of the original team are ready to go. All we need is your support. So join us today!" if that doesn't make you tingle a little bit on the inside, I don't know what will. 3D platformers are definitely something I've missed this entire generation (Rayman Origins aside), and the possibility of bringing it back by some of the greatest minds in gaming really tickles my insides.

The small team has already been joined by artist Steven Hurst and the amazing composer Grant Kirkhope. With more support one can only assume others will jump on board. This is where we come in; by simply following @MingyJongo on Twitter you are voicing your opinion that we want this game. The more people who follow, the more likely the game will be made, so get to it, because god dammit I want this f*cking game. . .Now.

Batman: The Tailor Is One Amazing Fan Comic

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Batman has many enemies. In fact it's almost like an unwritten law that in order to fight the Dark Knight you need a costume so elaborate no ordinary person could create it (which is a point the fandom will often bring up). I love comic books and when fans take it onto themselves to explore unanswered questions in a unique way, and I believe this is just that. 

TerminAitor is a Spanish Deviantart user who has created this one interesting look at the most overlooked and yet least considered part of any superhero universe: How do the villains get such fantastic costumes? I honestly doubt all of them are master tailors, so who do they go to? You need to check out this amazingly written, well drawn four page comic because his style is unique, charming and has something a lot of modern comics are missing: Character. Check it out after the break!

Powerball Pilot - Saving The World With Soccer

This French soccer-centric produced pilot for Powerball really caught my attention with it's Genndy Tartavosky-esque style and bizarre premise. Defending the earth from an ancient evil via the power of soccer like you've never seen it before? Winnebago trucks with back to the future style teleportation systems? It's a colorful, 3 minute spectacle of a show that will unfortunately probably never make it to Western shores due to it's choice of sport, but a great watch nonetheless.

Sigur Rós - Ekki múkk

I'd go as far as saying that Sigur Ros's latest music video for Ekki Muk is more short film than anything, due to how far the group has decided to head into the pure ambient, minimal direction for their upcoming LP, Valtari. In a way I found that the music kind of faded into the back of my mind while I found myself more drawn in to the visual aspects of their latest work.

With further usage of their made up 'Vonlenska,' language, the track maintains an otherworldly, ethereal presence that is both familiar yet alien at times during the course of the video. With some absolutely beautiful cinematography and a compelling story about love, life and nature, this musical short story is bound to draw some interesting discussion about the direction the band is heading in. It's definitely not for everyone, but Sigur Ros definitely knows how to deliver a truly unique aural/visual experience. Looking forward to seeing what else they have up their sleeve.

Mondo Presents : Looper, DREDD And Room 237

It looks like Mondo is going to give people who didn't have a chance to attend Austin's Fantastic Fest (The largest multi-genre film festival in the US) an opportunity to pick up some prints of their always amazing posters sometime tomorrow. Looper, Dredd and Room 237, a fascinating doc about hidden meaning in Kubrick's horror classic, The Shining will go on sale this Thursday at a random time.

If you're itching for a ridiculously high quality print, just follow the official Mondo Twitter and keep your eyes peeled for the unscheduled announcement. Check out the other posters after the break!

Don't Look!

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In this animated short by Nick Khoo we have the classic scenario of a man blatantly checking out other women in front of his girl. She in turn, is annoyed by this, and presents him with a challenge: Don't look at another woman who passes by for 10 seconds. 10 seconds, it's not that long, right? Well, it is for this dude, when a hot blonde in tight short shorts decides to stop her jog for some stretching. What's a fella to do? The obvious, of course. Cue the upset girlfriend who reacts in a very Scott Pilgrim-like fashion. Loved the paper cut out style and pacing for this short.

Tegan And Sara - Closer

I've been in a dire need of dance heavy, sugary, summery tracks lately, and it looks like folk rock duo Tegan and Sara delivered. The artists mentioned that the track was inspired by their youth, and I can see that with it's summery, optimistic vibe mixed with it's colorful, pop-art look. If you're looking for a pickup, this track from their upcoming 'Hearthrob' album is the medicine you need.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Welcome to Tuesday, minions. Where the day is long, and the week looks even longer. Give your work/school a quick middle finger, and enjoy some of this week's offerings of the cute, the fluffy, and the sometimes derpy. Also, don't forget: If you ever want your pride and joy featured on the Cute Mixtape, send us pics at rachael@awesome-robo.com!

More after the break!

The New Myspace

The new Myspace from Myspace on Vimeo.

Myspace just recently unveiled their new look last night, a product of a major overhaul in a visual sense as well as redefining the identity of the once popular social network. It looks pretty impressive so far, taking queues from websites like Pinterest and Tumblr with the large, bold content panel approach, mixed with the clean aesthetics of a website like Vimeo. And more than anything, this new Myspace is still going to maintain it's emphasis on music, an interesting direction the social network headed after indie bands started to use the service as a marketing tool for their music.

Will it work for the beleaguered website? Who knows, but you can definitely tell that there is a lot of potential here to capture and secure a niche. While Facebook stumbles a step or two amidst a botched initial public offering, this was pretty great timing on their part to get some buzz going for their relaunch. What do you guys think about this new direction?

David Vandervoort's Pinched

David Vandervoort just recently posted an online short created back in 2009 for Titmouse called 'Pinched,' focused on a pickpocket dealing with a powerful demon of vice in his subconcious, and his past at the same time. I loved the angular visual style (Which definitely became the basis of Motor City), and the story of coming to terms with his internal dilemma. Since the creation of Pinched, David has gone on to work on a slew of commercials, videogames, and animated feature films. Check out his website for a wealth of goodies, including some recent preproduction for Laika's excellent feature, Paranorman.

Adventure Time - Punch Your Buns

It's that time of night where nearly everything is funnier than it should be but this song might take the cake. Seriously, I've been listening to this song on repeat for well over an hour and not a single play-through has passed where I haven't at least giggled to myself. RydenRidge has made a truly awesome remix for one of my favorite Adventure Time moments. The least I can do for you is provide a download link right here.

Punch-uh yo' buns, Punch all yo' buns. Also, bonus round for RydenRidge's newest Adventure Time remix, Bacon Pancakes

Tron: Uprising Concept Art Is Just As Amazing As The Show

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Honestly? Tron: Uprising is the greatest show you aren't watching. Currently airing on Disney XD (or through iTunes downloads like me) the show takes the visuals and music from Tron: Legacy, the 2010 sequel to the cult classic Tron, and gaps the bridge between the two. It's a half hour per week revolving around Tron with the music of Daft Punk, and it's pretty breathtakingly good. We've posted trailers and hyped up the project, but it's not doing well in the viewing figures which is a shame, so I thought I would remind people this program exists and needs to be viewed, especially by the Tron Legacy fans who have no clue it's airing.

Concept artist Darren Bacon has released concepts and background paintings he created for Tron: Uprising and it gives you a glimpse of the world that you are missing, and it's pretty breathtaking as art to look at. Take a glimpse after the break!

Diplo Ft. Jahan Lennon - About That Life

If you're familiar with Diplo's typical body of work, you might find yourself a little confused by this track, which is rather uncharacteristic of what we've come to expect from the jack of all trades DJ/Producer/rapper. However, it's somewhat of a breath of fresh air at the same time, offering a much more downtempo, strumm-y psych-rock sound created in collaboration with Jahan Lennon (Po Po). Prepare yourself for lots of hazy, at times kaleidoscopic visuals.

Johan Thörnqvist's Photo Drawings

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This charming little project was created by Swedish artist Johan Thörnqvist, who set out to find an interesting way to incorporate art and photography into one cohesive mixture. Using only pictures taken from his phone, Johan used some photo manipulation to create interesting lighting scenarios for his characters to inhabit. Each of these images show off his quirky sense of humor and imagination.

You can check out more of his work after the break! And also, you can see the before/after pics and purchase prints on his awesome website, Snarlik.se!

Rone - Parade

Late at night I try to avoid music with lyrics, not only does it avoid distraction when trying to get to sleep at a decent hour, it also almost always fits the mood. Rone's Parade is another fantastic track to help with late night work, hell, it's fantastic for any time of day. With the stop motion music video goes great with the song's spacey feel giving an extremely relaxing vibe. Rone's new album "Tohu Bohu" will be out November 5th with hopefully a ton more tracks like this.

Shelter

Carl Burton's animated short "Shelter" is nothing short of a bizarre mind trip into a trippy wooden world. Starting out as a simple attic on a dark, rainy night evolves into gravity-defying Alice in Wonderland-esque tunnel and maze. It's a short that is heavy on visuals, and lacking in story. But it's so beautiful executed that it's hypnotizing to watch. The use of the soft, warm light and rain audios are particular relaxing.

Berserker Mario and Rubert Da Koopa

On this fine Sunday afternoon we've got two Mario related pieces here by Dorkly and NewGrounds member Rice Pirate for your consumption. In Dorkly's piece, you can observe Mario going into a murderous rampage, and pulling off his best Buffalo Bill impression by wearing a koopa as a head mask.

In Rubert Da Koopa, you'll find out exactly what happens to all those Mario lives, as seen through the aloof eyes of a Mushroom Kingdom minion. Enjoy these Mario flavored offerings.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly effect is the idea that one small event can/will change to outcome to a subsequent event. Not to be confused with that Ashton Kutcher movie, Passion Pictures' "The Butterfly Effect" is the animated short which tells the story of a man, just an ordinary man. He wakes up, drags himself to the kitchen, and attempts to make his usual coffee. Realizing he's out of milk, he goes to the nearby grocery store to pick some up. At that moment, he spots a butterfly, and a series of outrageous events follow. Traveling down a steep San Francisco hill, he traverses several blocks in a super high octane action movie style. Silly, yes. Improbable, most definitely. Accompanied by a metal track, you bet your sweet ass.

Fantasy Terrariums By Wonder Room

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The formal definition of a terrarium is 'a piece of life,' a little enclosure that typically houses a small habitat of greenery, plants, moss or other life forms. Etsy user Megatone230 took this concept and approached the terrarium as a piece of whimsy, enclosing snippets of fantastical, far off worlds inhabited by Star Wars characters, unicorns and other strange life forms. And guess what, if you have a hundred or two to spare, these one off creations can be yours!

Check out a few other arrangements by the artist after the break!

Singing All Night Long...All Night Long

To me, this video comes off as a fun to watch, yet complete nightmare scenario, equatable to medieval torture. Being forced to sing Lionel Ritchie's 'All Night Long' 11 hours straight for a viral video for Trident Gum? Kudos to these guys for achieving this feat, but my god.

I honestly thought this video was created using the typical faux viral trickery we've run into many a time, but these guys actually posted the unedited, 11 hour raw video on Youtube, which you can check out after the break. In a seperate endurance related note, it seems like Youtube users have embarked on a seperate endurance quest to sit through the full 11 hours of the video. Good luck and godspeed.

Slow Magic - On Yr Side

One of chillwave's most enigmatic producers released this track sometime in June, but over the months it's seen a slew of unofficial music videos from fans. Blake Hawke's recently released interpretation provides a great contrast for the track in my opinion, working well with the summery, uplifting sound which will hopefully evoke a wide range of feel good emotions.

Neurowear - Bring Out The Catgirl In You

Over a year ago we posted about a Japanese company called 'neurowear' that supposedly came out with fashion items and gadgets with an interesting twist. Basically these accessories use brain waves and other biosensors to determine emotions. First was the cat ears, now we have the cat tail. Again, I'm a little skeptical, but it's still kind of funny all the same. I guess if you were a furry in search of some top shelf gear, this might just be a goldmine. Also, some props to the creators of the commercial for using the same awesome 90's-esque elevator track as they did for their last ad.

Urchin

Marc Chevry's animated short "Urchin" (or "L'oursin") is the fun, bright story of a lone sea urchin, stuck on a rock doing, uh, urchin stuff. His miserable, gray existence is interrupted by the dream of having some new legs. With his newfound freedom, he finds himself galloping away into a new, beautiful life. That even includes meeting some new friends. But alas, when you're a prickly, spiny creature that can cause harm by your very touch, your relationships are bound to suffer. This was the perfectly simple and lighthearted video to perk us up on a Friday afternoon.

The Art Of Abigail Larson

 

Abigail Larson is an artist I've been admiring for a while. In a world where making something"dark and gritty" seems to be a common trope, it's always refreshing to see an artist take it in a different direction. Abigail has an amazing knack for character design and her use of colors really sets up for a twisted yet beautiful piece. With a style similar to that of Rafael Alburquerue, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'd love to see her work in in a comic one day. Hit the jump for 6 more pieces and check out her website for even more here.

Lorn - Diamond

In conjunction with the arrival of Lorn's 'Ask The Dust,' which is now out (Check it out on Spotify), we've been treated to a variety of excellent music videos with similar aesthetics. And this distinct look matches the heavily atmospheric, haunting sound that the producer evoked from a nether dimension for his latest album. Following a similar visual narrative as 'Weigh Me Down,' Diamond follows a man on the run from an entity and the long shadow it casts that he can't escape, perhaps an allegory for the inevitable result of trying to run from your problems. Loved the simulated VHS artifact look, and I really hope to see a continuation of this series.

'Gallagher in Slow Motion' Is Everything You'd Expect It To Be

Nothing is really cooler than seeing things in slow-motion, especially when using something like the Phantom Miro at over 1,000 FPS. Mix in famous comedian Gallagher and you've got one of the best videos you've probably seen in a while. You got to admit, in a strange way, seeing chunks of watermelon mixed with glitter is rather beautiful. Beautiful or not, I wouldn't sit in front of it with my mouth wide open waiting for thousands of pieces of glitter to enter my esophagus.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - "Black Mold"

I recently discovered this music video by the band Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Entitled Black Mold, the music video (which is filmed in Belgium & directed by artist Toon Aerts) tells a "backwoods horror story" involving UFO's, mold and a twist in a true horror fashion. Good music and an interestingly visual video? It's something we are always keen on and this video certainly delivers.

The Colorful Art Of NuccoNucco

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I have to say that a lot of Japanese artists that we tend to stumble into have a knack for working with colors that on paper, sound like they would never work. Cotton candy colored skies? Every color in the rainbow on a character's armor? Well NuccoNucco delivers, with some truly vibrant art featuring an interesting hybrid style that I'd call 'painterly glitch anime.'

The 30 year old Japanese artists work features a slew of bizarre urban landscapes, cracked out color schemes that work surprisingly well, and characters inhabiting these surreal, yet familiar worlds that seem completely at home and serene. Looking at NuccoNucco's art is like getting punched in the face by a rainbow, and if you're in dire need of some visual stimulation, rest assured that this will do the trick. More work by the talented artist after the break!

There You Are! - WETA's Portal Flavored Gift To Valve

It looks like the folks at Valve recently received an interesting little gift from the folks over at New Zealand's WETA Workshop. An awesome, motion tracking Aperture Science Sentry Turret, aka those soft spoken sentries with a deadly touch in the Portal Series. This little video that Valve released showcases the unboxing of the 1:1 scale replica, and some footage of the cute but deadly device in action. When will these be made available to the public?

Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut

I'm glad to see that Flying Lotus is still dedicated to releasing awesome music videos despite his exploding fame, with the experimental producers latest featuring a track from his upcoming album 'Until The Quiet Comes.' Featuring visuals by the infamous Cyriak Harris, the music video narrates the devastating, yet beautiful results of a malfunction in a fully automated, robotic world. I never thought I'd see these two great minds come together, so this made my day.

The Haunting Work of Vasilis Avramidis

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There's something really beautifully haunting about the work of artist Vasilis Avramidis. Drawing inspiration from gardens and plant life, he created a stunning series of fantastical oil paintings that are on the dark, somber side. I loved the look of overgrowth, how all the plants and moss just keep going, despite the best efforts of the gardeners. It's a sober reminder of how everything will just continue to go on, how life will move on, no matter what we try to do to stop or change it. Be sure to check out Avramidis' site for more of his great work!

More paintings after the break!

The Renter

In this rough but beautiful animated short by Jason Carpenter, a loosely-based-on-truth story is told about a young boy who is dropped off at an elderly woman's house so that she can look after him. While learning some life lessons about how cruel and harsh reality can be, he also learns that comfort and care can be shown in some surprising ways. It's interestingly dark and somewhat bizarre at times, but has an overall tone that's rather touching.

Kingdom Crumbs - Evoking Spirits

Chill beat? Check. Awesome hip-hop? Check. Amazing Animation? Double Check. I'm always on the lookout for new artists, and when I find one from my own backyard I'm always excited. This newest video for the experimental Seattle hip-hop group Kingdom Crumbs is damn awesome and really emphasizes on the groups style. Mix in some mighty chill beats and an awesome MC, and you've got one hell of a product. Seriously, If equalizers were more like this I'd lose all my free time.

Destiny

In today's animated short, we find ourselves admiring this student animation appropriately called "Destiny". A man gets ready in the morning, just as he always does, and somehow finds all of his clocks malfunctioning. At that moment, the unthinkable happens. But he's somehow granted a new opportunity to change his, you guessed it, destiny. In a series of events that remind me of the scene in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where he explains how each individual event can have an impact on the next.

The Art Of Afuchan

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Afuchan's work falls under the category of comic style illustration, relying on lineart as a vessel for bright, flat colors. The California based artist caught my eye with his angular lineart, hybrid western/anime art style and colorful, kinetic compositions, bringing to mind the works of artists like Geoff Darrow and heck, even JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Hirohiko Araki).

You really have to admire his drawings, which are heavily stylized with their usage of angular lines that show a great deal of confidence. Mix that with some truly dynamic compositions filled with dozens of people brawling, mingling or relaxing and you've got yourself some truly fun art to look at after the break!

The Lego Great Ball Contraption - 2012 Edition

With 600 hours to spare, one man set out to create a mindblowing feat of Lego engineering: The Great Ball contraption. I've seen a variety of these on Youtube in the past, but nothing as elaborate as the device that user Akiyuki assembled. The point of these GBC's is to create a device which moves balls on a self sustaining cyclical course, via a menagerie of engineered sorting devices, using Lego Technics/Mindstorms components. I can't even imagine how much this cost to put together, but it sure is a mesmerizing watch for anyone with an appreciation for everyone's favorite colored bricks.

Keiji Inafune Didn't Leave Capcom For Nothing

While we at Awesome Robo weren't able to visit Tokyo Game Show this year, we're still keeping our eyes out for any cool announcements worth mentioning. About 2 years ago Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune left, and while gamers were disappointed with the news, but most began to understand his decision after witnessing the downward spiral that is Capcom. Alas, not all hope is lost for Mr. Inafune, as we're finally shown some game play for his newest title, Soul Sacrifice. The original trailer had me interested, but I without any real gameplay, I was skeptical. Thankfully, Soul Sacrifice is shaping up to me an original looking title with some amazing visuals to boot. 

 

I can't say I've felt inclined to get a Vita game until I saw this, so great work Sony! The Playstation Vita is finally getting the titles it needs to be a worthwhile system,, and I think this might finally warrant my purchase.

Dead Island Riptide Trailer: Fool Me Once

We loved the original Dead Island trailer. We loved it so much we ignored the fact it had no gameplay footage and went on every hope and whim we had. We hoped that the game would actually live up to one of the most talked about video game trailers in past years. That was the Awesome-Robo crew of 2011. The Awesome-Robo crew of 2012 watches the trailer for the spin-off of the franchise, Dead Island: Riptide and sighs in relief. We licks the wounds for one of the most underwealming releases of last year.

Honestly? The fact that they tried to copy everything about the original trailer to get people talking about the sequel is not surprising. But it just doesn't work as we've all played the original and it was nothing like the original trailer. The game was broken and had some fun moments but would have faded into the video game crowd of games otherwise forgotten. The spark that the original trailer had isn't present and it feels like we've become more aware of the pre-rendered trailer trick thanks to the original Dead Island. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool us twice and shame on you.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Every week is a great week for a Cute Mixtape. But this week is exceptional, because it's the Tuesday following the success of our Kickstarter! While we previously celebrated with yummy food (sandwiches, because we fancy), now we're going to have a puppy and kitty party. Well, virtually at least (weeps longingly). Enjoy!

More after the break!

The Conspiracy, Found Footage Done Right

 

Only a small handful of found footage movies come to mind when making claims towards their ability to tell a story. Generally found footage ends up being over dramatic garbage, but The Conspiracy looks like a movie to keep an eye on. Here's hoping this isn't another good trailer leading into a sh*tty movie, because it's definitely on my radar. I've always been a fan of reading into conspiracy theories (despite my inability to grasp their ridiculousness) and this looks right my alley.

Digitized

Using the chippy music of Virtual Boy (Track in question is 'The Future Holds A Beat') as the foundation for their opening titles project, Tony Zagoraios and Stavros Kypraios created this piece for the Digitzed 2012, a Greek digital design conference. With creative free reign to experiment and come up with something visually compelling, I think the pair accomplished everything they set out to do, and then some with their colorful, synchronized piece. Tight.

Plot-oon By Chris Butcher

A battalion of retro green soldiers head out on a perilous adventure to reach the garden vegetable patch in this light hearted stop motion short by Chris Butcher, facing off against cherry bombs (Literally), incompetent French platoons and bottle cap mines. If you A)Ever played with those little green army men or B)Enjoy toy on toy violence, this stop motion short will hit all the right notes for you.

Frank Ocean - Pyramids (NSFW)

I don't know what I just experienced, but Frank Ocean's latest music video is just plain out fantastic. A transcendental, stylishly filmed endeavor, chronicling Ocean's attempts to escape a state of stupor and find new meaning. It's abstract at times, dissonant, but altogether fascinating entry by the Odd Future artist, who has been relatively quiet since coming out earlier this year. The music video was directed by Nabil, and even features a brief cameo by a stoic John Mayer. The track is from Mr. Ocean's Channel Orange
 album, which I'd highly recommend checking out.

Goodron - Superfan Unknown

Swiss animator Simon Eltz created this fun animation for Goodron's music video for their track "Superfan Unknown". He hand draws a variety of characters, bringing them all to life in the form of a march. Using greyish brown colors, they aren't particular vibrant, but are still pretty full of life. Along the way comes a blobish, uh, "thing" creating havoc until he's drawn some garb of his own. Of all the characters I'm a particular fan of the bear-headed lady. 

The Art Of Xiaji

(Via)

If there's one thing you won't find in Xiaji's portfolio, it's male figures. The Fu Zhou, China based illustrator (Who apparently lives in Iceland now) has a knack for creating elaborate illustrations of female heroines, wanderers and warriors. I remember seeing his work back in 2007, and it's been great to see his style evolve in a more colorful, painterly direction.

I'm going to guess that he currently works at CCP Iceland (Eve Online, The Secret World), seeing that the country doesn't really have that many studios anymore. Check out more of his work after the break!

Quadrameter Boy

Quadrameterboy was created as an entry for a German skate themed video competition known as Strange-O-Rama, using a ridiculously time consuming stop motion technique which involves shooting all the motion frames, printing them, cutting them out and staging them on real sets, one frame at a time. For all that hard work, the Cleptomanicx produced short ended up placing second in the competition. Let's not forget that it looks pretty damn cool too.

Mann Vs Machine - Robo Soldier's Robotic Plan

Dr. Face has become one of my favorite Team Fortress 2 Machinima creator as of late, always delivering top notch, humorous productions relevant to everyone's favorite free to play shooter. The morale of the story? You just can't win against those damn machines.

Speaking of which, it's been a few weeks since Mann Vs Machine launched, and I have yet to win a full campaign in Team Fortress 2's coveted new mode. I still have a half dozen tickets, the original ones I purchased sitting idly in my inventory What's the biggest problem? People dropping out in mass the second that you lose more than one round mixed with a slow matchmaking system. Now don't get me wrong, I love the mode and I kind of blame myself for not having more friends who still play TF2 in this day and age (Minus our UK Editor).

Justice - New Lands Shot By Shot Comparison

We posted Justice's 'New Lands' music video back in July, and loved it for it's retrofuturistic bizarro bloodsport music video. At the time I did think it kind of reminded me of movies like Rollerball, but Ariel Belziti over on Vimeo broke it down all the way, extracting replicated shots from all the movies this music video drew inspiration from, including Any Given Sunday and Space Adventure Cobra. The only one he forgot was Escape From New York, with that all too familiar, eye patched Snake Plisken look.

More Stunning Akira Live-Action Art Surfaces

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A couple of days ago, we posted the first-look at the in-production-hell American adaptation of Akira, the anime movie that introduced Japan animation to the world. Honestly? They looked fairly pretty but didn't give us much insight into anything but the opening sequence. Well, much like the Kevin Smith Superman film, everything has started to come out, though unlike those images the newest Akira art may prove that we may have jumped the gun with our hate.

Chris Weston (2000 AD, The Invisibles, The Twelve) has released a photo-realistic storyboard of a few sequences and they look stunning. While I can't say anything about the overall project, these storyboards seem to capture the feel and look of Akira. According to Weston, the plot of the Hughes version was meant to be even closer to the Akira manga than the animated feature. In his own words:

"Hopefully they reveal just how much love we had for the source material and how faithful we were going to be to it."

The photo-realistic style really did blow me away, but how well would these have appeared in a live action film? Maybe I'm still skeptical, but I doubt the art would have transferred well onto film, but I've seen what Hollywood has done to a number of franchises over the last few years.

More after the break!

Animated Tower

This has to be one of the most rad projects that I've seen in a long time. A tall building, all with sliding windows, create a animated pixel effect for super entrancing video. I don't even want to begin to think how long this must have took. Between closing the shutters, the glass, and the occasional cheers, it all comes together awesomely to create a super cool effect. Pairing up with the pixel effect is a chill, somewhat electronic tune that is basically on loop the entire video.

Samare

This super relaxing and beautiful animated short was created by Nicolai Troshinsky as an assignment at the French school La Poudrière. Using both traditional animation and stop motion, he created a simple story of two people being playful. That's all there really is to it, and yet it's so nice to watch. The use of glow bugs and candles really adds to the chill atmosphere.From the minimalist animation to the soothing and beautiful music, I've found myself watching this at least 4 times now. The use of glow bugs and candles really adds to the chill atmosphere.

Fanmade Star Wars Tribute Is Looking Positively Kickass

This WIP video of a Star Wars tribute was supposedly created by Youtube user Otaking7707. Despite it being soundless at this point, this proof of concept video is nothing short of insane, especially if it was created by an army of one. Using a mishmash of cel shaded 3D, a little rotoscoping and a lot of inspiration from the classic adapted Star Wars mangas (Published by Tokyopop)  from back in the day, this is shaping up to be one hell of an epic tribute short to the golden days of Star Wars. Stay tuned for more updates.

Hundred Waters - Thistle

The best way to describe Hundred Waters is as a fascinating cross-genre blend of folk pop, classical instruments and electro elements. Their latest music video (Directed by Spanish artist Martin Allais) is an atmospheric journey through the life of a stop motion horse, as it journeys across the world. For only a few bucks, the excellent Thistle EP can be yours.

Grosse Pläne

Animator Irmgard Walthert created this awesomely adorable stop motion about a young prodigy who attempts to create a vending machine for apples. Using stuff he finds around the house, he utilizes trial and error to fashion his device. Like with all inventors, things don't quite go as planned. But by using inspiration from an unlikely source, perhaps he can accomplish his goal after all. I loved how cute and lighthearted this was, and how simplistic the story was.

Live Action Light Painting Is Amazing

There will always be things I see on the internet that I'm skeptical about the legitimacy of, but this is one thing I really want to believe in. While I'm not 100% sure on how these guys did this, I can say that I'm 100% blown away by how cool it looks. While they claim the entire video was made on location with zero 3D used in post, it's still a bit hard to believe, especially considering how goddamn beautiful the whole thing looks. Real or not, this is definitely worth a look.

#Socialmedia

Reposting this video on this blog is pretty ironic!. #Socialmedia by ABOVE is a look at the current state of society and how we, as a people, have started to rely on social media for everything. This painting was executed at the GALORE festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. The painting is a time-lapse composed of over 9,000 photos and painted over a 5-day period by a person who doesn't use (and completely detests) social media. Great concept & a creative idea with a very true message; have we all become reliant on social media or are the people who think like that behind on the times? It's a very subjective answer for an interesting video I expect you all, in irony, to share via Facebook.

The First Google Glass Short Film

Interesting timing. On the same day that the Apple unveiled the next generation of their product, Google dropped this video of a film captured using the companies newest augmented reality eyewear product, known as Google Eye and Project Glass. The glasses supposedly weigh less than a pair of sunglasses, and are integrated with memory, a processor, a camera, speaker, microphone, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi antennas, an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and battery to boot.

I can't help but be excited by the possibilities of this product, especially due to the fact that it falls into an all new mass market tech product category and the quality looks amazing (If it's not mocked up). And with a launch date of 2014, they should definitely have some time to streamline and improve the design of the glasses. I'll definitely be getting one of these day one, I've been stuck on augmented reality ever since discovering Ghost In The Shell.

Bare by Helen Dallat

After a hectic workweek, it's time for something super chill and relaxing. When I came across this animated short, I knew I had found what I was looking for. This quiet and simple animation tells the story of a bear who moves out into a secluded house. However, he finds frustration with the fact that nature finds a way to keep things rather untidy. At the end of the day, all he can do is just say f**k it. Because that's all we got sometimes. Check out the rest of Helen Dallat's work on her blog!

The Art Of Dentyou

(Via)

The artist called Dentyou definitely chose to remain anonymous, sharing not much other than a selection of gorgeous environmental illustrations and his land of residence, Tokyo. What struck me about his work was his bold usage of colors and an excellent eye for lighting, texture and shapes, allowing him to imply a ton of detail without much effort.

If there's one thing I've learned after painting for a few years in the digital format, it's easy to get bogged down in over rendering, the true difficulty lies in being economical with your brush strokes. Dentyou's work nearly looks effortless, but the apparent simplicity is deceptive, which is kind of funny in a way. Whereas some artists think that tons of detail is the key when it comes to painting environments, it's an easy way to sink yourself in a treacherous render loop if you're not careful. Check out more of his work after the break!

Fractured Soul - A 3DS Title That Will Fracture Your Brain

You have to applaud Endgame Studios for really trying to take advantage of the 3DS's dual screen rather than treating it as a gimmick, opting to deliver a truly fresh experience. If you've ever been fortunate (Or unfortunate) enough to experience Ikaruga, which revolved around a dual sided ship switching colors to absorb different colored projectiles, this premise might seem familiar.

Fractured Soul takes that concept to the next level with one hero and his alternate dimension counterpart progressing through levels, with an awesome looking screen switching mechanic. The result is frantic looking, but I'm sold on the concept. Time to dust off that 3DS! You can get it on the Eshop for $12.

Lorn - Weigh Me Down

Damn, damn, damn. This music video is absolutely incredible, and comes courtesy of the excellent Milwaukee-based producer Lorn, who walks a fine line between glitch and smeared, visceral, atmospheric soul music. The memorable melody of Weigh Me Down is accompanied by equally haunting, 8-bit visuals, reminiscent of the look that the Superbrothers nailed with Sword And Sorcery. The video narrates a wanderer being plunged into a chaotic metropolis conquered by madness, before turning into an entity of darkness and destruction.

It's a spellbinding trip from start to finish, and you might just find yourself reaching for the repeat button. Weigh Me Down is from Lorn's newest album, 'Ask The Dust,' which you should get over on Ninjatune.

The Beards - Got Me A Beard

Folk-rock band The Beards have a song about, you guessed it, beards. In their homage to facial hair, their video is about a man who finds himself in a non beard friendly world. And it's a world that he, like any other ostracized folk, wants no part of. From the simple and unoffending animation to the silly lyrics, it's a fun late afternoon pick-me-up. As someone who is decidedly female, the fact that I can't grow a monstrosity of facial is somewhat disappointing. Moving on...

Gravity Falls x Paul Robertson

Alex Hirsch's Gravity Falls premiered in June, drawing inspiration from classic paranormal/occult themed shows like the X-Files and Twin Peaks, yet for a broader audience. A recent snippet from the show absolutely amazed me, featuring a humorous Neo-Geo/Street Fighter-esque pixel protagonist wreaking havoc on the titular town (Bowl Of Punch!). And that pixel protagonist was created as a collab between Disney and Paul Robertson, the amazing Aussie sprite artist behind absolute gems like Pirate Baby Cabana Battle.

I thought the show was going to be solid based on the previews we received, but the usage of this type of humor just placed it into a 'must watch' category with it's fun attempts to appeal to a broader audience. Check out another clip from the episode after the break!

You Forgot To Press Pause - An Homage To The Idle

This awesome little tribute to the SNES era was created by Youtube user TropicalContactHigh, inspired by the recent retro montage called 'Go Right,' which we covered back in April. In a span of 7 minutes you'll see sprites from hundreds of games sit idle, stare quizzically at the unresponsive player or get pummeled, with the inevitable result (If you grew up in that era) coming in the form of small pangs of nostalgia. Enjoy.

Willow -Sweater

3D projection has made some incredible advancements recently (including dead rappers!) but this might take the cake. Using 3 projectors and a treadmill, Filip Steckx has created an amazing music video for the band Willo and what I believe to be the next step in exercise. I wouldn't mind running every day if I was able to run through the sea with luminescent Jelly Fish! Accompanied by an awesome track this is definitely a music video you you'll wanna watch all the way through.

Akira Live-Action Storyboards

(Via)

We've talked about Akira a number of times on this site because we are huge fans of the original Anime movie (and the manga that it was based off). When Akira was released in 1988 it started a massive phenomenon of Japanese culture in the United States that only grew in size over the years. Before Naruto became the loudest ninja in existence Japanese animation wasn't popular or as well known as it is now, until we watched a movie about a dystopian Tokyo with bike gangs, psychic powers and some of the most mind blowing effects we had ever seen. Akira was a landmark in Japanese animation and animation in general. So, of course, America wanted to take the idea and ruin it by turning it into a live action film, but "American-ised".

Artist Jeffrey Errico (Crank, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil) has posted eight pages of storyboards from what would've been the opening title sequence for an early version of the film, which see Kaneda, one of the lead characters of the film, cruise to the outskirts of a crater that was once Neo-Manhattan on his iconic motorcycle. The opening sequence actually works pretty well until Neo-Manhattan rears it's ugly head. Take a look after the jump but if you haven't seen the original, watch the film as you may understand the passion we have against the project.

Building The Drone - Behind The Scenes

Drone is a scifi short series which we previewed back in August which just recently premiered as a miniseries on Youtube. Like a slew of other movies coming out this year, the series revolves around a technological singularity effect, in which an AI becomes aware much to the chagrin of it's creators. The behind the scene above goes into the creation of the damn cool looking Drone in the series, concepted up by Ben Mauro of WETA digital. Also, check out episode 1 and 2 (Out of 4) of Drone after the break. You can catch new episodes of the series every Thursday here!

Brand Spirit By Andrew Miller

(Via)

Brand Spirit is a project similar to the photo-a-day endeavors that people embark on, but with an added layer of complexity which truly took his series to the next level. The project started back in March and concluded in June, with Andrew focusing on taking iconic products that defined companies and painting them white to break them down to their purest form.

The series' main purpose is to bring up just how deeply these brands and their visual language have been embedded into us from years of exposure. Stripping away the colors, logos and other aspects still leaves us with (On the most part) instantly recognizable brands. Check out 7 more examples after the break, with the other 93 viewable on his Tumblr.

Merci Satan - Jérémie Périn's Madness

Jérémie Périn is the French director and animator who unleashed one of my favorite, and most incredibly NSFW music videos of last year called NYE - Fantasy (Do not watch this at work), which was a breakout hit online with it's bizarre premise and Lovecraftian themes. Since then Mr. Périn has been working with Mondo on a series of odd little shorts with insane themes. His latest short, Mystery Boy could be straight out of a bad 80's straight to VHS premise, featuring a 2 headed, psychokinetic baby that's half werewolf and half robot. It's as awesome as it sounds, presented in a semi-anime style that brings back memories of Katsuhiro Otomo.

You can also check out his 'pilot,' starring Mr. Bob, an unfortunate looking tennis player with a very strange gift after the break! And if you want even more from Périn, check out Detective God, a short we featured back in July.

Eclectic Method - Fight Dub

The first rule of Fight Dub is to tell everyone about Fight Dub. Eclectic Method returns with this brilliantly edited multi-genre brawl, featuring characters from different movies reaching into each other's businesses. In the wonderful world of Fight Dub, scenes like Indiana Jones and Happy Gilmore duking it out, James Bond entering the gypsy fight world of Snatch, and Bruce Lee drop kicking Bruce Willis across a room are commonplace. Get the Fight Dub track over on EM's Soundcloud! No pandas were harmed during the making of this film.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

It's been a whirlwind last few weeks here at AwesomeRobo HQ! From Kickstarter madness and beyond, we've been pretty non-stop. I, for one, am in desperate need of a cute fluffy animal break. I'm actually in need of several of them, but one for now will have to do. Please, chill out for a sec and peruse my weekly offering of all that is adorable!

More after the break!

The Painterly Illustrations Of Simon Goinard

(Via)

Simon Goinard definitely has a style that's perfect for early exploration during preproduction, with a style heavy on the painterly aspects. His work evokes more of a mood rater than weighing itself down with details and minutia, preferring to gravitate towards capturing aspects like color and atmosphere.

In a sense it's all very cinematic, but it works perfectly during the early stages of production on a project, providing high level inspiration and ideas for the rest of the team. Simon has mainly led a freelance career up to this point, working for clients including Disney, Arenanet and even Aston Martin. Check out more of his awesome work after the break! You won't be disappointed.

Dead Media By Noah Scalin

Noah Scalin, the author of the 'Skull-A-Day-Project' was commissioned by the TCC Visual Arts Center in Virginia to create this anamorphic installation featuring his favorite subject matter. Anamorphic is a term typically used to describe a film format, but has recently been adapted for a type of art installation, which requires viewers to view it at a certain angle to reveal the true nature of the image. Noah used a total of 497 VHS tapes to assemble this awesome installation, a commentary on video formats long gone. I could see Mr. Scalin expanding on this concept, starting with 8-track, cassettes, laser disc, betamax, all the way up to HD DVD (Remember that fiasco?).

Blade Runner - 30th Anniversary Trailer

In 1982, Ridley Scott released a masterpiece which would go on to inspire and leave a lasting impression on filmmakers, artists, musicians and people from all walks of life for generations to come. The cyberpunk flick starred Deckard (Harrison Ford), a specialized cop with the job of terminating replicants, clones with limited lifespans. The movie offered a beautiful, and haunting look at the future of Los Angeles, while also offering many interesting questions to ponder in a world dominated by technological excess and the dehumanization of replicants. With incredible performances, a brooding, scifi-noir plot and a visually rich world, Bladerunner is an unforgettable experience that many have tried to recreate unsuccessfully.

The movie, which has been classified multiple times as the best scifi movie of all time will be re-released on Bluray on 10/23, with the addition of a production art book and a replica Spinner car. If you haven't had a chance to experience this flick just yet, this is the version you won't want to miss. Now when can we get a theatrical re-release?

Mega64 Does Fallout 3 Right

Say what you will about current Mega64, but their newest public skit is one of the best they've done. While Fallout 3 may be a few years old at this point, the work the guys have put into this skit is incredible and equally as hilarious.

Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

A night never goes by where Flying Lotus isn't the perfect soundtrack, no matter what mood you're in the music fits. In this newest track Until The Quiet Comes once again proves that the experimental producer is always ahead of the game with his music. Accompanied by a phenomenal short film by Kahlil Joseph, this track is sure to get you in the right mood, I really dig the the use of 35mm.

Paranorman Gets The Nike Treatment

(Via)

We at Awesome-Robo loved the movie Paranorman. We talked about it on our podcast and it seems it's just about made it above the line of profit. We celebrate that, and so does the marketing company! If you feel rich enough, currently being auctioned are 80-limited edition pairs of Paranorman themed Nike Air Foamposite One shoes, with 70% of the proceeds going to the 'Born This Way' foundation.

The shoes come with hand crafted lace locks from Laika, a embroidered shoe bag and alternate green laces. I love my weird shoes and if the prices weren't reaching the $10,000 mark I would consider it an investment. For us peasents, we have a couple of shots of the shoes after the jump, and we can all feel bad about not having the money for such an amazing cause.