BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS & WALLPAPERS FROM G.I.JOE 2 RETALIATION!

All right, I'm not going to give an extensive review or display any spoilers from that new movie..... but the buzz around the internet about G.I.Joe 2 Retaliation hasn't exactly been uplifting.... I mean, how good can it really be when DUKE DIES?? BTW, that is NOT a spoiler; the info about that onscreen disaster leaked in the summer last year, when the toy line from the movie was being featured at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con and at other comic conventions, before the Hasbro toy makers and the Paramount movie distributors decided that they didn't want 2 Battleships to sink in the theaters, one right aftyer the other! LOL
Anyway, check out these behind the scenes photos and wallpapers from the movie!
 

 

[You may need to click on the word link that says "Read More" below, to see the rest of the pics in this article!]

THE ART BY ED BENES! [FEATURING JUSTICE LEAGUE, BIRDS OF PREY AND OTHERS!]

This article features artwork by the legendary Ed Benes. He was born in 1972 in Brazil - a land filled with exotic beauty. And Ed's art is definitely filled with beauty, since he is an expert at female anatomy [as shown by the Powergirl and Supergirl pic on the left]. Plus his Superman renditions are also outstanding. Ed has worked for DC Comics, Marvel and even other smaller comic companies in the past. Once you understand Ed's style, you will always recognize his works, which is distinct from many of the other Brazilian artists that draw ladies with similar traits. A lot of artists have been influenced by Ed's work for over 20 years [he started drawing comics  back in the mid-90s]. And I also have learned a great deal from him, just by carefully watching his anatomical layout and trademark style.

Ed Benes is known for his popular splash pages that feature iconic characters like the Justice League, since he is an expert at incorporating multiple characters into a single poster. One of his breakout works was done for Wildstorm Comics [founded by Jim Lee], and the title was Gen13, a series about a group of superhero teenagers. 

Ed did a lot of work on the Birds of Prey series for D Comics, from 2003 - 2005; that comic book featured an all-female cast and it gave him a chance to create some astonishing artwork, which made the fanboys drool. He later returned to that series back in 2010, for a short 4-part run. And fans were able to note that he'd certainly gotten better over the years. Check out the comparisons below, which show his early work with the logo on the left, and his latter works on the right.

 

Several harsh critics consider some of his art to be overly erotic [since a lot of horny fans have commissioned him to draft suggestive pics over the years], while other observers view his sexy presentations are merely a ploy to sell more comics. I don't have time to give you a long list of all the projects that Ed has worked on in the past, but you can easily search for graphic novel collections of his works at Amazon.com.


     
It is wise for an aspiring artist to have more than one mentor, even if you have a sole mentor that you like more than all the others, in terms of their style. A while back, several young artists at the DA website started presenting Influence Maps, posters that were composed by software like Photoshop that showcased all of their artistic influences, who have inspired them and how they draw. I've never done one of those Influence Map posters, but if I ever do it, Ed Benes will be one of the guys that I give credit to, along with Terry Dodson, Jim Lee and even the late Michael Turner. Below, we have the classic Justice League, the female Teen Titans [Raven, Starfire and Wondergirl] and the Huntress:

 
According to Ed's facebook page, this year he is retiring from comics - but only temporarily. Ed has opened a studio in Brazil in which he works on his creator-owned IPs and he also teaches young artists, mentoring them in his style so that they can do work for him, in order to push his Intellectual Properties. I think that's a smart move on his part and I wish him the best of luck.

FEMALE SCI FI / FANTASY CHARACTER CONCEPT DESIGNS - PART 2

Last year I did an article that featured this same topic, tagged as Part 1. And now I've gathered a few more concept art posters and wallpapers from around the Web. They showcase mostly fantasy armor concept designs for female warriors, including light exo-suits and other sleek battle armor [yet I added just one row for showcasing male armor as well]. The artists behind these fantastic posters include: Nawol, xuhaoliang123, Kveldulv, Datouxiaozuo, kyleiori, tooboo and visualvenias. Some of those guys are at DA, awhile the others are at CGHub.
The futuristic all-female line up below is from a  sci fi MMORPG known as "Queens Blade" [in Korea] and the version prepped for release this year in America is called "Scarlet Blade".

The lead image on the left is from Galaxy Saga [a new MMORPG battle card game] and the art is by a guy named Taesi. Initially when I heard about it, I though that Galaxy Saga was going to be a sci fi book / comic series. Anyway, there is a second poster from that series below, the female soldier wearing yellow....

 

 

There are more articles like this in the DSNG blog archives; just browse around.

A SCI FI / FANTASY VERSION OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND?

In this month of March, Disney will be releasing a movie titled "Oz the Great", linked to a damn classic fairy tale spin-off that never previously existed, or something along those lines. And in 2010, there was a live-action movie titled Alice in Wonderland that was directed by Tim Burton [the same guy that directed the original  Batman movie in 1989 and Batman Returns in 1992]. Anyway, figured I'd search through the Web and take a look at alternate versions of the fairy tale heroine named Alice. I've found two sexy versions, shown on the left and right. The first pinup is by comic artist Eric Basula. And the second poster, which is clearly more Sci Fi oriented, was done  by a CG Artist nicknamed "inshoo". Notice the futuristic motorbike / hoverbike that Alice is sporting in that pic. It looks rather cool and sleek, as she soars above the ultra-modern cityscape. But chances are, despite my words of praise for the pic on the right, if you are a fan of this blog, then you'd prefer to see a live-action movie / animated feature based upon the Cheesecake pic on the... LEFT. The one in which Alice looks like... a damn playboy bunny.

Clearly the pic on the left is more Fantasy than Sci Fi, in terms of its overall presentation. But blatantly separating Sci Fi and Fantasy is almost like splitting the delicate veil that distinguishes between the concepts of Art and Science - they are not the same, but they are linked & related. A long time ago I wrote a blog article that distinguished between those two genres, and I gave a lot of examples from the media. That article on Sci Fi and Fantasy is archived over HERE.

And the Classic article that describes what Cheesecake art is all about is over HERE.