welcome to design studio press

Spearheaded by Constantine Sekeris, author of MetamorFX, this book is an in-depth look at costume design and illustration. Showcasing an educational process breaking down the problematic areas of costume design for the film, video game and animation industries. From 10 top leading artists in the field, this title will have a wide range of aesthetic and design solutions. One will learn how to design and illustrate a costume from start to finish with educational tips and the process from sketches to finished Photoshop images to 3D ZBrush sculptures to fabrication.

Scott Robertson Workshops are designed to inspire and to educate. As we strive to improve upon this mission, we have created the SRW Sketch Collection as something you can refer to whenever you need a little reminder of the rewarding creative experiences that the sketches in the booklet represent.

“Almost all of these 203 sketches have never been published until now. They were selected from my own personal sketchbooks and a few digital sessions represent my design explorations. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed creating them, and they can provide some inspiration when sketching your own designs.” – Scott Robertson

The beautiful minds of six extremely successful women artists in the entertainment industry present LOVELY: LADIES OF ANIMATION. The history of art in animation has had many female heroes, this elite group is continuing the tradition and building upon it. Featuring the first published personal works by Lorelay Bove, Lisa Keene and Claire Keane, this title is an indispensable addition to the library of those interested in animation. With a variety of styles from graphic works to realistic portraits, these images will inspire and delight the viewer with each turn of the page.

The highly anticipated follow up to best seller, Nuthin' But Mech, Nuthin' But Mech 2 delivers outstanding artwork from 40 artist contributors to the Nuthin' but Mech blogspot. Founder of the blogspot, Lorin Wood is so passionate about Mecha design that he created a nook of cyberspace to dedicate to the talent that he found among his colleagues. Currently with Gearbox, Lorin has been involved with the development of games Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands as well as Borderlands 2. Prior to joining Gearbox in 2007, Lorin worked with major studios such as Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Warner Independent Pictures.

“After Cosmic Motors and his adventures in Hollywood, this is Simon's next coup. He has let his galactically huge imagination run riot to create a motorsport world we can only dream about.” – TOP GEAR magazine

At a stunning size of 12″ x 14″ (30.5cm x 35.5cm), and with full spread images spanning 24″ in width, this first book of a new fiction series will open the doors to a parallel history of racing. Daniel Simon designed for Bugatti, Lotus, Formula 1 and penned unforgettable vehicles for Hollywood movies like Tron: Legacy or Oblivion. This is his second book after Cosmic Motors.

Simon will present in this series over the next years fictitious racing machines at impeccable detail up to 50 megapixel, including vehicle specs and maps of the tracks they raced on. All vehicles and characters are explained through the carefully written story of racer Vic Cooper, who time-travels to the past and the future to compete in the most challenging motor races between 1916 and 2615. This is episode 1, the year 2027, written in English, French and German.

Design fans, car enthusiasts, CG addicts and science-fiction aficionados can enjoy Simon's parallel world through hyper-real renderings, drawings and photography of fictional drivers, managers and beautiful women. This first episode puts three uniquely designed race cars in the spotlight: The 1981 Masucci X-5 and X-6, the 2027 Masucci X-7 and the 2027 Prideux -Martin MF/27.

The foreword has been written by racing legend Jacky Ickx, who raced in the 1960s, '70s and '80s for many famed teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Brabham or Lotus. He is the only driver to have won in Formula One, Can-Am, Le Mans, and the Paris-Dakar rally.

“Daniel's designs are spectacular. ” — Flavio Manzoni, head of Ferrari Design

“This is really cool stuff.” — André Lotterer, winner 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011 & 2012

UPDATE: The PITLANE edition, as well as personalization of the limited version, are no longer available.

In 1979, Ridley Scott introduced moviegoers to a new definition of fear and horror with his sci-fi classic, Alien. To coincide with the release of AVP, special effects gurus Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. opened the doors of their Academy Award-winning creature shop,Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. (A.D.I.), to invite all to a behind-the-scenes journey, as they once more breathe life into the characters that have been scaring audiences for over two decades.

Different from many “making of” books, it focuses exclusively on the creature effects of AVP; what it takes to create some of sci-fi’s baddest baddies. It follows Gillis and Woodruff and their talented crew of over 100 artists and technicians throughout the design, sculpting, fabrication, and finishing processes. The story continues on location in Prague where, as the cameras roll, their creations truly come to life.

This is the fourth book by the award-winning science-fiction and fantasy artist Stephan Martiniere. Following his previous books, Quantum Dreams, Quantumscapes, and Velocity, Trajectory showcases Stephan's phenomenal artistic range and skills in a stunning new visionary collection of sci-fi book covers, theme park and animation concepts, video game designs and never-before-seen artwork.

Click here to view the LIMITED EDITION version of Trajectory.

tales: ('teilz) a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or story. Whether it's one Christian has read or one that has been developing in his head, the tale has always been one of his biggest inspirations. Tales: The Art of Christian Alzmann is Christian's first book collecting his digital paintings and sketches as well as his traditional pencil sketches. He also walks the reader through his digital painting process using Photoshop and Painter.

Punch Drunk Moustache is the off-the-clock work of eight animation industry artists with the insatiable need to tell stories. Each artist showcases new ideas infused with unique personal style. Get ready for stunning visual development and never before seen concepts. Giants, androids, strange beasts, brave animals, magic, mystery, and everyday folks collide in these vividly imagined tales. With Punch Drunk Moustache, the gloves are off!

A fantastic addition to the Battle MiLK series, this third installment features four new artists contributing their work to the wide range of captivating images from the team. Upcoming projects from the artists include Star Wars 1313, Thor 2, Fountain City, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 5.

Inspired by his intense love of cars, animals and creativity, Big Book of Wacky Rides! by Fireball Tim is a mad-cap take on inanimate objects transformed into cool cars. Each illustration stands on its own as an amusing story, delighting children and parents around the world.

From the Olympic “Spoonster” to the “Snot Rocket”, these wild and wacky rides take kids of all ages on a journey of the imagination and unique design exploration

The field of design combines the talent of an artist, the intuition and awareness of what the future could be, curiosity, and a drive to create and adapt new technologies. RIDE shares the process of complexity of design development. The young and old alike will be inspired by viewing the steps towards creating an object of beauty and innovation.

With this first book in a series of five, Belker introduces his dream of an electric motorcycle with drawings, renderings and 3D models.

Also discussed in RIDE is evolution of transporation: two wheel active hub drive system, 24kwh at 80nm torque, li-ion smart power, two axis adjustable handle bar and fly by wire steering.

Young inventor Tyler Washburn was always getting into trouble due to his numerous failed projects. Early one morning when testing his newest invention, the Automatic Locker Organizer v.2.0, Tyler could not help but be drawn into a closet with a strange blue glow where the touch of one star whisked him across the galaxy to join aliens at the STAR academy. Tyler finds acceptance for his creativity, talents and different beat at The Society of TechnologicallyAdvanced Races where he joins students from all over the universe to promote intergalactic peace.

Dylan Cole is a concept artist, matte painter, and production designer for the entertainment industry. Since graduating from UCLA in 2001, he has contributed art to over 50 films. Notable credits include Senior Matte Painter on Return of the King, Concept Art Director on Avatar, and Production Designer for Maleficent. The Southern California native grew up drawing spaceships and alien worlds and this passion led to the creation of this book, his first. Dylan lives in Playa del Rey, CA with his wife, Bethany.

Nuthin' But Mech is the brainchild of Lorin Wood of Gearbox Software. He wanted a place to harbor his passion for robots so he put together a blog and corralled some of his friends and professional acquaintances to populate this nook of cyberspace. A collaborative effort from over 40 artists, this title will showcase various styles of mecha design that the artists create while they are not working on block buster movies, tv shows and video games.

Author/Artist Marcos Mateu-Mestre applies all of the rules of visual communication that he outlined in his bestseller Framed Ink to create a graphic novel that will have you on the edge of your seat. Follow along with Condottiero Martin and his son Sancho during their dark journey through Spain in 1441 A.D. on a mission that will change their lives forever.

Born on the Spanish island of Mallorca, Marcos Mateu was passionate about drawing and storytelling at an early age. This led him to work in the fields of illustration and animation for nearly thirty years. He is currently working at Dreamworks Animation as well as developing his own projects, such as graphic novels and books, including his recent bestseller, Framed Ink, drawing and composition for visual storytellers.

Bonjour! Join Chris Ayers and his menagerie as they make their Parisian debut on the walls of Galerie Daniel Maghen. Fifty-eight pieces were created especially for the gallery show in year six of The Daily Zoo and they are all captured in this book in their full glory. Do not miss meeting Le Chic Sheep, Le Penseur (The Thinker), Alien Accountant and Rosie On Skates, to name only a few, as they are certain to become close cartoon friends.

Following in the successful tracks of DRIVE, vehicle sketches and renderings, BLAST takes the readers on a visual exploration of spaceships. The team from DRIVE, Scott Robertson, Annis Naeem, and Danny Gardner are together again for BLAST, with each of the three artists exploring spaceships and sci-fi environments with concept sketches executed in wide range of mediums through to final full color Photoshop and 3D digital renderings.

BLAST also features a guest artist section with spaceship art from Harald Belker, Ian McQue, Thom Tenery, David Hobbins, Darren Bacon and Joon Ahn.

Take off with these visionaries as they launch us out of this world with their captivating spaceship creations.

MetamorFX offers insight into Constantine Sekeris' aesthetic of creature design, makeup design, robot design, and costume design for film. As you flip through the pages, you will see it's a book about process from a rough, loose Post-it sketch, to a more refined, tighter rendering, into Photoshop, with photocollaging and detailing, to a rough ZBrush sculpture model. Chapter one on creatures will showcase examples of practical creatures with digital removal that allow the director and studio the option of having a creature that is designed as a practical suit or to be built completely digitally. The makeup chapter gives some tips as to what to think about when designing a practical makeup over an actor's face. Chapter three showcases robot design from the sci-fi look to the fantasy; covering the range of hard, sharp shapes to the soft and organic. The last chapter on costume design gives tips on what to think about when starting a costume over an actor and designing a complete digital suit.

This book is also a look into what designing in the film industry is like. It's not only coming up with pretty images, but problem solving as well. Constantine has been fortunate to have worked with and learned from the best in the business and in this magnificent book, he is able to share tips from his artistic journey with you.

Following his previous books, Quantum Dreams and Quantumscapes, Velocity is a stunning new visionary collection of sci-fi book cover paintings, commercial and film art, video game designs, and never before-seen artwork from the fantastic imagination of acclaimed artist Stephan Martiniere.

Limited Editions may be purchased here: Velocity Limited Edition by StephanMartiniere.com

Kallamity (Luca Zampriolo) creates an imaginary future world dominated by dark undertones where protagonist robots (Hard Doll Machines a.k.a. H.D.M.s) mass-produced from recycled metal are needed in a failing society to secure resources for mankind in order to progress its technology.

Kallamity poses the question, “As oil and gas are depleted in the future and inhabitants of Planet Earth continue to grow exponentially, how will a world based on the exploitation of these two natural resources maintain its current technological growth?” and then he precedes to present amazing visuals for the answer in the form of ABAKAN 2288.

In this Sci-fi tale, with oil resources tapped out and the ensuing crash of the world economy, the Weingart family holds a dictatorial monarchy over Earth as a result of their development of WEIN technology which allows for the fabrication of H.D.M.s as well as travel to other planets for more natural resources.

ABAKAN 2288 not only focuses on the images for the world that is yet to be but also on the creation of the Hard Doll Machine mecha designs. Kallamity designs the master patterns that are cast, assembles and creates machine dolls from these pieces of various sizes; ranging from a volleyball to the head of a pin. Being a worldwide success as a collectible sculptor of machine warrior dolls, readers will learn from one of the best in the industry how to conceptualize, fabricate and finish machine robots.

Kallamity combines mecha designs with the steampunk aesthetic to create the stunning yet depleted Sci-fi world of ABAKAN that we hope to not have to occupy someday, as visually captivating as it is!

Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier, has been an active Artistic Director and Concept Designer for the gaming industry for over 15 years. In Structura 2, he delights us with what he has been imagining for the last three years since the release of his first best selling book, Structura. This visually stunning book includes images from video games DUNE, Assassin’s Creed, Rage, and Halo, over fifteen new gorgeous books covers and never before published personal science fiction pieces that will have your imagination running to the future!

Not to ignore the past, Sparth also shares his world of fantasy art pieces influenced by medieval times.

In addition to the amazing images that you will want to devour over and over, Sparth shares his expertise with several step by step tutorials focusing on specific Photoshop techniques using custom brushes, custom shapes, clone stamping and the smudge tool, to name only a few.

Be swept away into the imaginative and gorgeous world of Sparth’s imagination and then pick up a few tips to assist you in improving your digital artistic knowledge and visual communication skills.

In the future, a new land on the edges of the universe, Kolonie, has been found with untapped sources of oil. Colonization follows immediately. Watch the story and the stunning visuals unfold for this new world through the expert eyes, hands and minds of artists Patrick Hanenberger and Christian Schellewald.

The Kolonie was a fairly unimportant world at the fringes of the known universe. Although its climate and living conditions make it a habitable environment, the immense distance to the central worlds left it provincial and there were no serious plans for any form of colonization.

When the first oilfields were discovered, an enormous rush to the Kolonie started immediately. At that time space travel, and any other form of transportation was still completely dependent upon oil. Millions of colonists left their worlds to find their fortunes on the Kolonie. A new class of spaceships was constructed to ferry settlers and supplies to the distant world and bring back oil and oil products in vast quantities.

Kapitol, the main city on the Kolonie grew into a huge metropole and for more than a decade its spaceport was one of the busiest of the entire universe. When oil was finally replaced by other more efficient energy sources, importing it from the Kolonie to the main planet ceased to be profitable.

The large oil corporations pulled out and shipping to the Kolonie stopped entirely within a short amount of time. Occasionally a government ship from the central world lands on the Kolonie to bring new government troops and officials, spare parts and new technology and sometimes a few passengers.

Leaving the Kolonie is difficult and very costly and far too many people are stranded and long to go back to their less remote home planets. But there are still a few adventurers and fortune seekers who manage to travel to the Kolonie, which still offers many opportunities.

This book is the first chapter in introducing the visually rich world of the Kolonie as well as its inhabitants and technology.

Sean Hargreaves believes that for artists and designers, images are born from the experiences one observes during the first 10-15 years of their lives. Those images are subconsciously refined over and over in one’s life. They may consist of shapes, or places, or films…but they always stay present in the back of the memory and now and then they make an appearance in an image or design that is created. Two important images that stand out for Hargreaves from his youth are the modern house in the green countryside of Northern England that his father built and furnished with prominent mid-century pieces and the machines that he saw when he accompanied his father on business visits to factories; both are extremely prevalent in the artwork throughout these captivating pages.

Hargreaves states that designers are taught that sketching is an important part of the design process. The final image is the presentation of the refinement of all the sketches. When the final image is presented, it is usually presented with all the sketches that led up to the final design. Though Hargreaves agrees with this approach to a certain degree, he also questions it, feeling that there are “filtering” issues when sketching; the sketches that follow the initial idea may be refining it but it also “waters down” the initial design. As a result, the final design may end up being a mere long lost relative of the initial idea. The designs in this book started out as an exercise Hargreaves laid out for himself to counter what he learned, he wanted to create designs without any preconceived sketches, he wanted to design as he was designing.

The results of his exercise are contained within the pages of this amazing book. Covering every aspect from the vase in the corner of a room, to the cityscape that contains the building that contains the room with the vase that holds the flower, Hargreaves has created places beyond our imaginations yet firmly rooted them in reality. Unbelievable to most, no photographs were used when making these stunning places, space was designed digitally and directly.

PULSE features Harald Belker's vision of the future of racing. There was a time when the fastest means of travel was a jet, but in 2035, private conglomerates have harnessed magnetic levitation (Mag-Lev) to create trains that get people from place to place in a fraction of the time.

To advertise the cutting-edge technology and sheer speed of Mag-Lev, events were held with a handful of machines and fearless racers. Within a few years, PULSE Racing Grand Prix were hosted in major metropolitan areas with the funding of the cities. The world of Pulse racing is introduced and illustrated via elaborate drawings and digitally rendered futuristic vehicles while telling the story of an adventurous young man thrown into the whirlpool of an all encompassing and physically grueling sport. Through captivatingly sleek and futuristic images, the audience follows the racers to the limits of speed and power while they are barely on the ground. The sleds force their drivers to the edge of human endurance while keeping the racing fans on their feet in excitement and enthusiam. Tactics and rules make the outcome of the race a nail bitter until the end as you never know who will emerge victorious in this incredible world of futuristic racing.

Inspired by The Daily Zoo, Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day and The Daily Zoo, Year 2, Chris Ayers has created MY Daily Zoo to get the creativity of the young and old alike brewing! This activity book will provide page upon page of exercises that will provide YOU with ample opportunities to create your own personal zoo of characters. Some examples of what you will find within the cover – an octopus with the ends of his tentacles missing, you get to add what you would like to see held in the eight spaces, scribbles that get turned into characters with scribbles drawn to inspire your own characters, design a tortoise shell, a hippo tattoo, a bowling team's missing members, the dog show's competition line up, animal splicing (parts of different animals are provided for you to create your own). Have no fear, this book of artistic challenges will be started off with a step-by-step drawing follow-a-long: showing a line by line (shape by shape) progression of drawing a Daily Zoo character – provided with blank spaces next to each step for one to follow along.

Animals Real and Imagined: A fantastic visual voyage into the world of animals, both real and imagined. There is no end to the diverse and unique creatures that Terryl Whitlatch creates for us with her solid knowledge of anatomy and boundless imagination. Especially intriguing are the 100s of anatomical notes that are dispersed among her sketches, educating and enlightening us to the foundation of living bodies and their mechanics.

Terryl Whitlatch is an accomplished, scientific, and academically trained illustrator who extensively studied vertebrate zoology and animal anatomy. She has worked for various zoos and museums in the US and The World Wildlife Fund as Senior consultant for Wildlife Art and Animal Anatomy. She is considered to be one of the top creature designers and animal anatomists working in the field today. In a career spanning over 25 years, Terryl has many projects to her credit, including Star Wards: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: The Special Edition, Jumanji 1 and 2, Men in Black, Brother Bear, Dragonheart, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Curious George, The Polar Express, and Beowulf. For over seven years, Terryl worked for Lucasfilm Ltd., Industrial Light & Magic and George Lucas’ JAK Films. Her unique combination of illustration skills are comprehensive knowledge of animal anatomy and movement are essential components in the design, anatomy and physical animations aspects of believable creature creation.

Last remaining copies of the first print run!

Syd Mead's Sentury II: The long awaited book from legendary Syd Mead finally arrived nearly a decade after his last book. Loyal fans and art enthusiasts will rejoice in being able to view what Syd Mead imagined during that time. Having illustrated the future for us for over 50 years, Syd Mead continues to amaze and surprise us with his stunning pieces no matter how much of the future we have seen from the start of his career. Looking through his unrivaled artwork, we still find ourselves continuously waiting for his future to be in our present.

Images from countless conceptual projects as well as realized ones are included in this fantastic visual voyage into the future with the only and only Visual Futurist, Syd Mead.

Syd Mead (b. 1933, St. Paul, Minnesota, d. 2019, Pasadena, California) is a widely celebrated industrial designer, illustrator and “visual futurist,” known as the designer of cityscapes and vehicles for motion pictures including Blade Runner, Tron, Star Trek – The Motion Picture and Mission to Mars. After graduation from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Mead worked briefly as an auto stylist for Ford Motor Company. For US Steel, he designed and illustrated books that envision the use of steel in future societies.

The Colony – The story, taking place in 1875 traces the epic journey of Gabriel Duban in an era before space‑travel when worlds of mystery, danger and enchantment were still found on Earth. Adventure and horror take on dizzying new dimensions as Duban pursues the truth of A LOST CITY in an empire defying space and time…

Viktor Antonov was born and grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria then immigrated to Paris, France at 17. He is renowned for creating compelling fictional worlds that combine beauty with striking realism. Viktor is a winner of the Visual Effects Society and a BAFTA award. In his 11 years in the entertainment industry he has designed and art directed projects such as the blockbuster Half Life 2. He’s currently a production designer and co‑author of the French animated feature The Prodigies.

Framed Ink – The ultimate guide to visual storytelling! How to make the audience “feel” the story while they are “reading” the story. Using his experiences from working in the comic book industry, movie studios and teaching, Marcos introduces the reader to a step‑by‑step system that will create the most successful storyboards and graphics for the best visual communication. After a brief discussion on narrative art, Marcos introduces us to drawing and composing a single image, to composing steady shots to drawing to compose for continuity between all the shots. These lessons are then applied to three diverse story lines ‑ a train accident, a cowboy tale and bikers approaching a mysterious house. In addition to setting up the shots, he also explains and illustrates visual character development, emotive stances and expressions along with development of the environmental setting to fully develop the visual narrative.

Spanish born Marcos Mateu Mestre is a visual concept, traditional animation layout, and graphic novel artist whose film credits include titles such as ‘Balto’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’, ‘Asterix and the Vikings’ and ‘Surf’s Up’ amongst others. With an extensive experience of twenty years in feature animation, working mainly for Dreamworks and Sony Pictures, he has also been teaching drawing, illustration and visual storytelling techniques for twelve years. His works as a film maker have mostly included both the design and cinematic aspects of film, taking care of frame composition, lighting and visual continuity of many key sequences in some major productions.

Moonshine features artwork that is made during the precious little time of day when the contributors are not working on stunning movies such as Puss in Boots, The Croods, Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, Megamind, Guardians, Scared Shrekless and Kung Fu Panda Holiday; these artists amaze us with their individualistically styled images that they create after dark at DreamWorks Studios.

DreamWorks Animation artists featured in this book have worked on blockbuster movies Monsters vs Aliens, Surfs Up, Coraline, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, PowerPuff Girls, Lord of the Rings Two Towers, Bee Movie, Astro Boy, Kung Fu Panda, Prince of Egypt, Monsters Inc., Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Nemo, Ratatouille, Shark Tale, Flushed Away and Monster House – to name only a few. Many of the contributing artists have been nominated for an Annie Award, the highest honor given for excellence in animation chosen by a nominating committee appointed by the Board of Directors of ASIDFA-Hollywood (ASIFA is a French acronym “Association Internationale du Film D’Animation). Each year, Annie Award trophies are awarded within 23 categories including Best Animated Features, Best Animated Home Entertainment Production, Best Animated Short Subject, Best Animated Television Production, and Best Video Game, as well as individual excellence in areas ranging from production design, character animation, character design, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, directing, music, and voice acting.

BATTLE MiLK 2 is the latest collection from several San Francisco based animation professionals featuring personal works and original concept designs. Inside are over 120 pages of full color imagery incorporating a wide variety of approaches, styles and subject matter. Everything from traditional pen and ink to miniature photography to cutting edge digital painting can be found as new worlds and ideas are explored. Each artist provides a step by step guide to their creative process, from inspiration to techniques for realizing their ideas. Fans of all styles of imaginative design and illustration will find plenty to enjoy in this eclectic volume.

Wayne Lo was born on the East Coast, raised in California, saved in Cupertino, nurtured in Berkeley, rewired in Beijing, rebooted in Taiwan, shrunken-headed at San Jose State, discombobulated on Kerner Blvd. and jury-rigged into a VFX concept artist. There he cursed pirates, skinned werewolves, skewered vampires, thawed Neverland and got cluster-f*@ked on Iwo Jima. After about six years with the Industrial Light and Magic art department, he moved on to art direct Factor 5’s PS3 title Lair. Since then he has been creating artwork for Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

David Le Merrer was born in Paris where he grew up and later studied graphic design at ESAG met de Penninghen. After getting his degree he spent a few years in the UK creating art for video games. But after a while he grew tired of the rain and in 2005 the road took him to Northern California where he ended up in another video game company. Now he is working at Lucasfilm on the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated television show where he met all these crazy folks and decided to join the Battle Milk team.

Thang Le was born and raised in Southern California. The youngest boy of seven children, he spent his childhood reading comics, watching movies, and playing video games. After high school, he moved to Pasadena where he attended the Art Center College of Design, majoring in transportation design. Prior to graduating, he decided to switch his focus to entertainment design. After receiving his degree, he began working in commercials, video games, and film. This eventually led to an opportunity to relocate and work on the Star Wars: The Clone Warsanimated television show and film. After several years at Lucasfilm, he decided to move back to Southern California to pursue other creative endeavors.

It’s hard for Kilian Plunkett to believe that, growing up in Dublin, Ireland, he would one day end up gainfully employed drawing and painting the kind of robots, monsters, spaceships, heroes and villains that occupied so many of his waking hours as a pale young geek. He moved to the US in the early ‘nineties when the chance to work as a professional comic artist came along. Comics taught him the value of learning to draw as broad a range of subjects and settings as he could. He worked almost exclusively as a comic artist until 2005, when an opportunity arose to be part of the team at Lucasfilm’s new Animation division. He’s been there ever since, learning everything all over again.

Le Tang has spent most of his years in Southern California, but woke up from a stupor one day to find himself living in the Bay Area. He studied animation and studio arts in Southern California, but on the job is where the real education started. His career so far has been short-lived, ranging from being an animator on small traditional animation projects to a story artist on the 3-D television show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Be it short, it has still been sweet. Now he’s gonna cross his fingers, knock on wood, and hope his good fortune keeps up.

Jackson Sze has always liked to draw and paint. His passion grew as he was exposed to video games, cartoons, and movies. Creating worlds is infinitely exciting. Thankfully his parents were always supportive of his passions. He studied illustration at Art Center College of Design with an emphasis in entertainment arts. Since leaving school, he has worked in advertising, video games, television, and film. With luck, he was brought into Lucasfilm Animation where he eventually worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now he is back in Los Angeles, teaching and freelancing for games and films.

DRIVE features Scott Robertson’s very latest vehicle designs intended for the video game space communicated through skillfully drawn sketches and renderings. DRIVE builds upon the success of his prior two vehicle design books, Start Your Engines and Lift Off. Featuring four chapters, each representing a different aesthetic theme, Aerospace, Military, Pro Sports and Salvage, conceptual sports cars, big-rigs and off-road vehicle designs are beautifully represented through traditional and digital media sketches, and renderings.

DRIVE features Scott Robertson’s very latest vehicle designs intended for the video game space communicated through skillfully drawn sketches and renderings. DRIVE builds upon the success of his prior two vehicle design brooks, Start Your Engines and Lift Off.

Following in the successful paw and hoof prints of The Daily Zoo: Volume One comes another exotic menagerie of creative fauna from Hollywood artist Chris Ayers. The Daily Zoo 2 offers more furry and feathered friends along with continuing reflections on his life as an artist and cancer survivor. And, as with Volume 1 and perhaps more so, regardless of your artistic experience, this book will leave you inspired to grab the nearest pencil, pen, brush or crayon and start drawing … for fun and perhaps as a way to bring healing!

A portion of the proceeds from this book will support cancer-related charities and research; the current recipient is The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Soon, you will be imagining yourself as one of the riders—flying, running, jumping, bumping and blocking your way to the finish line!

The alien bio-lab has appeared at the United Nations building in New York City. We, the human race, have been invited to compete in the most popular Alien Race in the universe. As they develop the visuals for the great competition, let this gifted team of concept designers carry you away with their brilliant imagination, transport you to unique off-world racing environments and introduce you to never-before-seen genetically engineered racing creatures. Created from the best D.N.A. available in the universe, each racing animal will amaze you more than the last and each treacherous environment will seem like a walk in the park compared to the next one.

For all science fiction enthusiasts, entertainment industry artists, illustration and design students worldwide!

Steambot Studios presents its first original visual “art of” book, Exodyssey. A new alien race has been discovered that adorns themselves like humans celebrating Halloween. A group of unlikely heroes from Earth, consisting of prisoners, pilots and scientists, must travel light years away to confront this new race that they feel threatened by. Steambot Studios takes us on a fantastic visual journey to tell this science fiction tale.

Steambot Studios, a collective of six digital artists working in the world of entertainment – Sebastien Larroude, Thierry Doizon, Joel Dos Reis Viegas, David Levy, Nicolas Ferrand and Patrick Desgreniers, takes us aboard an epic science fiction ride in Exodyssey. Created in parallel with a series of art education DVDs and lectures, the group demonstrates their creative production art techniques developed through many years of experience in the field working for such companies as Electronic Arts, Activision, Ubisoft, Epic, Digital Dimension, Canal+.. Follow the Steambot crew through an original but also realistic point of view on futuristic civilizations, space transportation and society as they visually develop the characters, vehicles, environments and props needed to tell the tale. Various educational lectures and tools are thoroughly documented in this visually stunning book.

The 2nd edition is completely revised with an additional 68 pages of indispensable material.

Currently used as the educational handout for the transportation design students at Art Center as well as institutions around the world, H-Point is now available to aspiring car creators everywhere, clearly organizing the packaging standards that apply to car and truck design; along with insightful graphic explanations, this book demystifies the automotive design process and allows designers access to illustrious careers’ worth of knowledge.

In the spring of 2005 Chris Ayers was busy working as a concept artist in the Hollywood film industry. That came to a crashing halt when he was diagnosed with leukemia on April first. After a year-long period of treatment and recovery he started a sketchbook called The Daily Zoo on the anniversary of his diagnosis. Over the next 365 days he would draw one animal each day, challenging both his self-discipline and imagination. Most importantly it would allow him the focused opportunity to celebrate the gift of each healthy day.

The pages of The Daily Zoo: Volume One are chock-filled with the first year’s 365 distinct critters, ranging from curious pandas to sinister hyenas, athletic aardvarks to zealous zebras, with the choice of artistic styles as diverse as the subject matter. Alongside the images, Ayers ties in commentary about his cancer experience, the sources of his artistic inspiration and his creative methods. Regardless of your artistic experience, this book will leave you inspired to grab the nearest pencil, pen, brush or crayon and start drawing!

*A portion of the proceeds from this book will support cancer-related charities and research; the current recipient is The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Structura: The Art of Sparth is a collection of his personal artwork. Sparth has been an active artistic director and concept designer for the gaming industry for over 10 years. Currently with idsoftware in Texas, a renowned leader in the gaming world with such titles asWolfenstein 3D, Doom I and II, Quake I and II, Sparth has been integral in designing the games that the video game enthusiasts of today devour.

In both his professional and personal work, there are no limits to Sparth’s creativity when it comes to translating forms and concepts with an experimental and original approach. Born in France and having traveled the globe extensively, he was influenced greatly by the various world cultures he encountered, and this is largely responsible for his multiple creative passions, which range from space to architecture, robotics and beyond.

Counterweight is a collection of images, observations, and concepts by artist/creator Rick O'Brien. For the last eight years, Rick has been a one-man art department in Hollywood, designing, constructing and painting sets and props for such clients as Victoria’s Secret, Luxor Las Vegas, Nikon, London IMAX, Konica, Tevo, Motorola, Honda, United States Postal Service, Proctor & Gamble, “The Contender” and “The Apprentice.”

Compiling stunning images from experiences, environments and the emotions perceived on these diverse projects, as well as from his everyday life, Rick captures the human condition like no one else. Nationally recognized by the Society of Illustrators, O’Brien’s art has placed both gold and bronze and has received much acclaim and print exposure in various publications.

Through traditional mediums ranging from egg tempera and oil to gouache, wood, ink, resin, and plaster, Counterweight beautifully scrutinizes Man and his journey, showcasing captivating images that unequivocally resound O’Brien’s motto, “Fortitude.”

SOMETHING BIG IS BREWING!

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem – Inside the Monster Shop is the upcoming sequel to 2004's Alien vs. Predator film. In this follow-up to the worldwide hit ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, the iconic monsters from two of the scariest film franchises ever, wage war in an American Midwestern town — with the residents caught in the middle.

Filming began in September 2006 in Vancouver. Tom Woodruff, Jr. and Alec Gillis from Amalgamated Dynamics (ADI), veterans of the first AVP and all the previous ALIEN sequels, will be handling the creature FX for the encore film as they did for the previous installments.

ADI opens its doors to unveil the secrets of the creature design process behind two of the most frightening characters ever! From conception to fabrication and finishing, follow their talented crew in-studio and on location through this captivating book.

Want to be a video game designer?

This diverse collection of concept art highlights the most recently released video games of Midway Games, including the rich mysterious worlds of Mortal Kombat, the science fiction of Area 51 and Psi-Ops, the high fantasy of Gauntlet, the eerie horror of The Suffering, as well as several new games that have not yet been announced. Of special interest to many fans will be the inclusion of art from Stranglehold, the recent project (due May 2007) from Visual Design Director Stephan Martinière. Most of the images contained within have never before been published in any form.

“Daniel Simon has an amazing mind that not only conceives startling designs but has the critical skill to translate those designs into stunning imagery.” – Syd Mead, Visual Futurist

Come explore the vehicle designs of a far away galaxy called Galaxion where futuristic concepts exist in everyday life. Nine different spaceships, pods, race cars, giant trains, warships and balloons from various planets of the Galaxion system are shown from concept to completion.

Daniel Simon is an established car designer who has spent the last several years focusing his talents on futuristic concepts for such automakers as Bugatti and Lamborghini. In his first book, Cosmic Motors, each chapter shows the design process of a unique vehicle, from the first ideation sketches to the stunningly detailed 3-D models to the final photorealistic full spread renderings. Join Daniel in this virtual world of visionary vehicles!

Stephan Martinière is an internationally renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy artist. He is the recipient of numerous awards including a silver and a gold Spectrum Award, eight Master Awards and an Excellence Exposé Award. He is also an accomplished concept artist who has worked on such movies as I Robot, Star Wars Episodes II & III, Red Planet, Sphere, and The Time Machine. As a visual design director for Cyan, Martinière was responsible for creating and overseeing the look of the games Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, Uru: The Path of the Shelland Myst 5. Martinière is currently the art director at ID software in Dallas, Texas for “Rage”.

Monet in the Digital Age

Luminair presents a collection of digital life paintings by noted concept designer, Nick Pugh, who has developed this novel approach to traditional representational art. Painting from life, Pugh’s canvas is the laptop computer screen and his palette is the multitude of colors available to the digital artist.

Traveling from his home in California to rural New England, Europe, and South America, he has painted a variety of appealing images that capture the light and emotion of the scenes. For aspiring digital painters, a helpful guide to the process is included. Luminair is a lovely, unique book for artists and those who love art.

In The Future… showcases the first student work created in the new Entertainment Design program at the prestigious Art Center College of Design. Entertainment design requires strong industrial design, architectural and illustration skills, as the designers create characters, environments, vehicles and props. Examples of class work from such courses as Originality in
Design, Character Design, Architectural Design, Visual Development and Color Theory are presented.

This stunning collection of sketches, renderings, and models created by the inaugural class of entertainment design students is a “must-have” for any fan of entertainment design and for those who have enjoyed the first Art Center student book, The Skillful Huntsman.

The Black Frog’s first published sketchbook, Doodles, is a compilation of 200 original pencil doodles featuring teapots, monsters, silly robots, and other weird characters and concepts. Each was doodled in five minutes or less.

Igor-Alban Chevalier—a.k.a. The Black Frog—was born in Champagne, France in 1973. The only son of an antique dealer/art teacher, Chevalier grew up discovering the work of glorious comic book artists like Liberatore, Moebius, and Frank Miller. He spent four years as a creature designer at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in London, and has designed for such films as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and X-Men 3. He now freelances in Los Angeles as a visual effects art director.

Anyone interested in air vehicle sketches, concept design and color renderings of the subject will be eager to add Lift Off to their library.

Lift Off presents personal and professional works by Scott Robertson, Program Director of the Entertainment Design major at Art Center College of Design. This book features the following chapters: Airships, Spacecraft, Aircraft, Lefty Sketches, Hovercraft, Original “Card Collection” and selected work from the conceptual design of vehicles for the video games Field Commander and Spy Hunter 2.

FROM THE DESIGNER OF THE HOT WHEELS CAR, SEMI-PSYCHO

Start Your Engines compiles works from Scott Robertson's, vast archives of ground vehicle drawings and renderings, and features the following chapters: Cars, Bicycles, Snowcraft Mechanimals and selected work from the conceptual design of vehicles for the video games Field Commander and Spy Hunter 2. The Cars chapter comprises about half of thes book and features original designs both futuristic and retrospective.

“…her style seems to be the point where manwa meets Brendan McCarthy. It’s beautiful, beautiful work.”

Warren Ellis, comic book & graphic novel author

What do you get when you combine a frozen chicken and a ballerina, or a cat and a bagpipe, or an insect and a beautiful lady? No, this is not a riddle—it’s the surreal imagination of Daphne Yap. Prepare to be amazed! The illustrations in Daphne 01 are unlike any seen before. This book contains everything from bizarre carnival creatures to ornate royalty inspired by a deck of cards to fanciful fashions. With brilliant line work and exquisite detail, this young artist conveys her characters and creatures with every element necessary to bring them to life.

One of the few female artists in the field of concept design, Daphne is accomplished beyond her years with delightful images that range from as small as a quarter to as large as a door.

24 ARTISTS IN ONE BOOK!

In this second volume of Concept Design, seventeen guest artists are featured along with the original seven Los Angeles Entertainment Designers from Concept Design 1 to show us worlds, vehicles, monsters and creations beyond the wildest imagination! Even more astounding and jam-packed than the first volume, Concept Design 2 takes you on a journey into the minds of the talented and successful concept design professionals who create for the sake of creation.

From the creative director of Over the Hedge & Shrek 2.

“You find yourself drifting when you become aware of the arrangement of trees behind a freeway sound barrier, when you wait for the container ship to disappear beyond the horizon, when you sit and listen to the ambient noise of distant traffic, unconcerned that most people would consider this a waste of time.”

From the moments described above, emerges a captivating sketchbook from Christian Schellewald. Art Director Schellewald has taken time away from the world of entertainment design to create vignettes that capture his everyday observations of living in California, specifically Los Angeles and San Francisco. When viewing such delicate yet compelling sketches, one feels as though Schellewald’s memories are his or her own traveling between these two cities through his eyes and artwork.

Designer from Titanic, The Matrix & Spore.

Welcome to the fascinating world of Entropia.

Entropia: A Collection of Unusually Rare Stamps is a uniquely crafted storybook for all ages. Through a full-length narrative accompanied by 60 beautifully illustrated imaginary stamps, readers are taken on an unforgettable journey to a fantastic world.

“It is lunar year 1001, and Entropia City is ravaged by an inexplicable kitchen fire. In the ensuing chaos, the Childish Robot Czar and his Animatronic Shock Troops seize power and oust the royal family for nearly a decade.”

This is the story of Queen Pingo the Young and her unwavering pursuit to end occupation and bring justice to all sentient beings. This is also the testimony of a country named Entropia, with its traditions, inhabitants, and historic milestones masterfully documented through a collection of unusually rare stamps.

Meet the monsters under your bed!

“Where are all the monsters?” was Carlos Huante's question in his first book. And then the questions kept coming… “What if Medusa could somehow create her own kind?” “What if Hera was a disease, a virus or a fatal agent instead of the goddess?”

There is no end to the fantastical visual answers that Carlos provides to his own creativity-inducing questions.

Vampires!

“The artists who have created and visualized this world developed their imaginative creativity with such fertile cultural elements as Star Wars, Blade Runner, Aliens, Tron, and The Terminator to name but a few of individual inspirations. From the bucolic to the terrifying, these artists all share a common sense of exhilaration that is the signature characteristic of genuine creative facility.” –Syd Mead, visual futurist.

The Art of Darkwatch book showcases the concept art that went into creating the video game, Darkwatch. It demonstrates the process and development of the concepts, as well as the evolution of the game itself. Steal a glimpse into the true talent, perseverance, and collaborative spirit of the concept artists that contributed to developing Darkwatch.

“…a visual masterpiece….”

Worlds is more than just an absorbing and, ultimately, heart-wrenching work of fiction, it is a visual masterpiece. Not since Wayne Barlowe's Expedition has an artist conceived an alien biosphere in such baroque detail, while remaining true to nature’s fundamental principles of adaptation, selection and ecological interdependence. These worlds are intricately conceived, their biomes scientifically plausible, while possessing a sufficient sense of the quirky and outrageous to mirror nature’s own outlandish inventiveness.

Worlds is a visual depiction of humankind’s first exploration of life-supporting planets, shown in a dynamic vérité photographic style and told in a firstperson narrative. Created by Academy Award-nominated visual effects artist Alec Gillis, Worlds leads the reader on a journey to undiscovered landscapes, populated by unknown life forms. Worlds is a mission of discovery that becomes a struggle for survival, and in the process celebrates humanity’s spirit of exploration.

– writer/director James Cameron

A tale from the Brothers Grimm provides inspiration for three gifted students from the world-renowned Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Khang Le, Mike Yamada, and Felix Yoon were guided by their instructor, Scott Robertson, to create original design solutions for the environments, characters, props, and vehicles found within The Skillful Huntsman. The trio’s sketches and full-color renderings thoroughly document the creative process of concept design, revealing a host of intriguing places—from sci-fi cities to castles, and people—from giants to royalty. A must for artists, aspiring entertainment designers, comic aficionados, and anyone interested in the creative process, The Skillful Huntsman offers insight into the mysterious world of the imagination.

“When I grow up I want to be an astronaut!” declared a six-year-old Stephan in 1968, a year before man walked on the moon. Not surprisingly, his first doodles featured blazing rockets and spaceships. Growing up in France, and not permitted to watch much TV, Stephan spent a lot of time at the corner cinema. There he was introduced to the likes of the Werewolf, the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein and King Kong. He traveled on the Voyage to the Center of the Earth and experienced The Day the Earth Stood Still. The fantastic creatures and worlds in all of these classics were overwhelmingly cool. As Stephan’s doodles of astronauts became doodles of monsters and aliens, he found himself enjoying drawing more and more—and the dream of becoming an astronaut gradually evolved into becoming a visual artist.

Quantum Dreams: The Art of Stephan Martinière is a collection of his scifi book paintings, video game designs and personal art. Stephan takes others’ descriptions of faraway, imaginary realms—and makes them real.

“Carlos Huante's work is a grand play of passion, his forms are taut with agonies and ecstasies, his images bite like chisel and hammer. A monstrously beautiful body of work.”

Iain McCaig, concept artist
Terminator 2, Star Wars-Episodes I, II and III

Carlos Huante was born in East L.A. in 1965. Besides chilaquiles and Yerba Buena (mint tea), Carlos grew up on stop-motion monster movies. Since that time he has pursued his passion for the arts by creating some of the most original monsters and characters, for both film and animation, ever seen.

Monstruo is a collection of Huante’s personal, original work featuring a wide range of monster and character designs, from simple pencil sketches that magically capture the gesture of his subject, to full-color digital and traditional media paintings.

“Beautifully presented and filled with wonderful art and designs, this is the book that I've wished I had years ago. I think students and professionals alike will find this book inspirational.” – Doug Chiang, design director, Star Wars Episodes I and II

In the Fall of 2001, a group of seven conceptual designers gathered together in Los Angeles to begin work on a new creative experience. At the heart of their coming together was a desire to create and explore new images and ideas in a creative environment apart from their normal design jobs. A presentation of the efforts of this group is available in the form of the first Concept Design art annual.

Concept Design contains nearly 300 original color works by the seven contributing designers. In addition to the 84 Concept Design pieces, support sketches and roughs appear throughout the book. Each piece is accompanied by text detailing the design ideas and/or illustration techniques used. Concept Design is printed with quality as our primary focus. The book is 9”x12” in a vertical format with eight fold-out pages which allow for the printing of sixteen large horizontal images. No images cross the binding of the book, breaking the image.