As usual, this year’s Supercon was filled with your plethora of cosplayers, celebrities, and vendors. But the area I’ll like to focus on is that of the many fantastic and creative artists, both established and emerging alike, who joined the scene to share their work with everyone. I didn’t get a chance to talk to all of them, but to the ones I did have the opportunity to share a few words with, they have made their way onto my list of BADASS artists!
First artist whose work caught my eye was that of Jacob McAlister. His art shows a great deal of design work that can only be described as freaking cool and awesome! Also, being a die-hard Star Wars fan, Mr. McAlister has many masterpieces that are infused with the genre’s characters reinvented and placed into stylized pieces that echo influences from other genres rooted in both popular pulp culture and historical references. Other than that, Jacob is a totally cool and approachable guy who was a complete pleasure to talk with. Check out more of his work by visiting his site WWW.YOUFOUNDJACOB.COM and show some love!
Moving onto our next artist, Will Pigg is the ULTIMATE master of papercraft artwork. This guy creates highly detailed and intricate pieces of art that will make your jaw drop and cringe at wondering how many paper cuts he must have encountered when creating such amazing art. His other works include a collection of monochromatic paintings that embody both an ominous and eerie beauty to them. Finally, Will seems to have several projects still in the works which you can keep a close eye on by visiting his site WWW.WILLPIGG.COM!
Katrine N. Leyva, who is next on our list as a wide-range artist with a mastery of anatomy, exhibits both traditional and digital oriented skills that include great attention to detail and creative composition. Plus, I just loved the Doctor Who inspired pieces she was showcasing at the convention. Katrine also has a great talent in character design and layout work that includes web design. Head over to her site WWW.KATRINELEYVA.CARBONMADE.COM to see this and more of her artwork!
Another great artist I had the pleasure of meeting, even before the convention, is that of Robert Jiménez. What I like about Robert’s art is that it’s incredibly rendered, nostalgic, and the detail is just fantastic. His art tends to greatly draw from such genres as classic pulp comics, vintage scifi, low brow art, and monkeys… Lots and lots of monkeys! You can see this and more by visiting his site WWW.ZEROSTREET.NET! Robert is also the BIG KAHUNA when it comes to Tiki art. In fact, he has a whole second site dedicated to Tiki and Monkey art called TIKI TOWER – WWW.TIKITOWER.COM! Both sites contain amazing artwork that are not only limited to canvas pieces, but even iphone skin cases, sculptures, and a book named TIKILANDIA, which is available as either a hardcopy or as an iphone app on iTunes. The best part of it all is that Robert’s art can even be purchased at his store which you can visit from both his sites!
Peter Patrick Barreda is another great artist that creates magnificent and intricate pieces of artwork and has amassed an arsenal of it which can be seen on his site WWW.MANDALAZONE.COM. Peter’s art style is that of creating Mandalas, a sacred art found in both Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions. It’s a thing of beauty and his designs are available for purchase on anything from Prints, iPhone cases, and T-shirts. Also, thinking about getting a unique tattoo that has meaning? Peter can even design your very own custom design that can be used in the application of an awesome tattoo! For more details just check out his site!
Josh Adams, an established comic book artist that comes next on our list, is one of those amazingly talented people who are living what I consider to be the ultimate dream job. Not only has Josh illustrated for such popular titles as Batman (DC Entertainment), Blood (DarkHorse), Doctor Who (IDW Publishing), House of Mystery (DC Entertainment), Neal Adams’ Batman Odyssey (DC Entertainment), the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic (Marvel), and several others. But Josh has an arsenal of credits that also includes countless hit projects for the Syfy Channel including Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka, and Ghost Hunters. The most fascinating part about Josh’s art to me is the line work that goes into each piece. I had the pleasure of looking through Josh’s portfolio in person and I couldn’t help but be deeply inspired by his execution of pencil and ink. To see Josh Adams’ art in action visit WWW.WHATWOULDJOSHDO.COM. Also, stay tuned for his upcoming project that will come in the form of a web-based comic called, “In the Garden of Steven,” which can be seen on WWW.INTHEGARDENOFSTEVEN.COM!
Mervyn McKoy is another comic book artist who I admire for his illustration skills. At first glance I can easily compare his work to that of Frank Quitely (New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin). But yet, Mr. McKoy’s work still retains its own distinct look which can be easily identified. Mervyn has also succeeded in producing an all original comic book series called, “Giant Robot Warrior Maintenance Crew ”, which explores the whole Mecha genre from a never before seen perspective. It’s very well made and very cool to check out. Other than that, besides being a down to earth and cool guy, Mervyn also likes to help others reach their full artistic potential by offering some art tutoring. Mervyn is always coming out with new stuff and if you want to stay in the loop, feel free to visit his site WWW.PAPERLABSTUDIOS.COM to bask in all its glory!
Garth, who takes us away from illustration and onto a different medium, is a magnificent photographer that captures beauty with his camera. If you head over to WWW.STUDIO-G.CC you could see exactly what I’m talking about. His body of work is both creative as it is professional. Garth does everything from Editorial photography, to Glamour, to Boudoir, as well as commercial. But it doesn’t stop there; he also provides services within these areas as well others which include headshots, event, model portfolios, and other requests.
Finally, this brings us to the end of our list with the ULTRA talented special effects makeup artist, Mr. Andy Wright. Andy’s work is of such high caliber that it’s hard to even begin describing how awesome it is. For example, Andy is able to create hyper realistic prosthetics thanks to his extensive knowledge of using industry standard materials and his incredible talent for sculpting. These skills lead him to producing everything from corrective and daily makeup, to elaborate, multi-piece, overlapping appliances (foam and silicone). This also includes larger projects like full body figures, suits, as well as a massive stockpile of props and masks! With that said, there is no job too big or too little that Andy Wright can’t do! Head over to his personal site WWW.ANDYWRIGHTMCA.COM to check out his portfolio of work, and to buy some of his various custom prosthetics online, visit WWW.MORPHSTORE.COM for all your costuming needs!
Despite all the amazing artists mentioned here, there are still those out there waiting to be discovered. Speaking as an artist myself, I look forward to getting the same chance and joining my artistic brethren on the convention floor next year, as I will be showcasing my stuff for the first time in such a setting. Anyways, check out all the artists on here and show your support!
Johnny Tie Studios 