Avalanche Software Art Blog

hi

2012-01-17T08:56:00.004-07:00

I keep looking at it and wanting to add a thought bubble....

Unicorn City: Marsha

2012-01-13T16:44:00.001-07:00

There were a lot of great characters in the film, but she was the best. When I first saw her my reaction was, "Great, another hot-girl-plays-unconvincing-nerd role." But her character manages to be SO believably nerdy, but at the same time so likeable and appealing, that you really want her to win in the end. I don't know if I've seen that pulled off so well in a film before.

New Topic: SELF PORTRAIT

2012-01-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving this open so people can take it wherever they want. Make yourself epic, make yourself funny, make yourself 8-bit, or just look in a mirror and draw what you see, anything's fair game.

Unicorn City - The Animated Series!!!

2012-01-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

My pal, fellow Avalanche employee, super artist, story overlord and all around swell guy Bryan Lefler has made a fantastic independent film named UNICORN CITY!!! Aaand he was kind enough to ask me to do some promotional art for T-Shirts and Posters and stuff. Which I was only too happy to do. I have to tell yaz this was one of the best commissions I was ever lucky enough to do!!! Thanks Bryan!!!

My idea was to draw the characters as maybe they see them self's. Or maybe if there was a Saturday morning cartoon of Unicorn City it would look like this... I wish there was. (^_^) I wish there was a comic too...

You can find out more information and watch the wicked rad trailer over at the Unicorn City website.

Cyborg: half cute, half demon

2011-12-22T15:18:00.002-07:00

100% toddler!

My 2 year old Jonathan is a bottle of joy!
His favorite activities are:

- sitting on his potty
- wearing my shoes
- turning everything into a hat
- destroying books
- repainting our house with crayons
- dismantling his Buzz Light year
- and playing with toilet paper

I love this little guy.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Avalanche loves you!

Unicorn City - Matt Catt

2011-11-18T15:42:00.005-07:00

I thought I'd start this out simply.

New Topic: UNICORN CITY

2011-11-01T13:38:00.001-06:00

Next topic is to make tributes to our head of story Bryan Lefler's new film, Unicorn City.

Pay tribute in any way you'd like, including taking the topic title as a creative springboard for something unrelated.

Cheese-borg

2011-11-01T09:59:00.001-06:00

A doodle I did a while back. Fits last months topic too, but not on purpose.

Cyborgorilla

2011-11-01T09:41:00.001-06:00

I have this feeling this was a really stupid idea, but I went ahead and put 20 hours into it anyway.

Cindercrow

2011-10-31T09:57:00.002-06:00

And then the clock struck twelve...

Night of the Chompkin

2011-10-29T15:28:00.002-06:00

I wrote a little story to go along with this eerily spooky painting. For the morbidly curious you can read it here.

Pumpkin Puppet

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-06:00

Late at night when the pumpkins play,

And want to frighten the birds away,

They find their situation improving

As they make the scarecrow look like it's moving.

Scarecrows just want hugs.

2011-10-27T14:27:00.001-06:00

I like to think of this as a prequel to Dave's piece.

Ineffective Scarecrow

2011-10-27T00:41:00.003-06:00

This is a metaphor for something...perhaps many things.

Braaaaaiiinsss...

2011-10-18T08:33:00.001-06:00

Happy All Saints Day! Grab a loved one and sing the Halloween hymn "For All the Saints" while you remember your beloved dead!

Also! I looked up some supposed phone wallpaper resolutions. No idea if they are correct, but here are some small, phone-ish-sized versions of my pumpkin head thing:

Android

iPhone 3 and earlier

iPhone 4 and later

I [ heart ] Neil!

2011-10-10T17:50:00.000-06:00

The "ROCK STAR" topic is only about ummm 3 1/2 years old now right? Perfect timing for a portrait of the the one and only Neil Peart, one of the 3 memebers of the holy canadian trinity of rock. I was weened on Rush as a boy, so of course Neil has a special place in my heart. He is getting a bit up there in years though.

Halloween Topic: SCARECROW

2011-10-07T13:04:00.000-06:00

This topic will run until November 1 only, so you need to work fast if you want to contribute. Quick sketches are always welcome for people who have limited time.

Thanks for Kevin Keele for the idea!

Head Cyborg

2011-10-06T13:20:00.001-06:00

My contribution.

Link

2011-09-27T08:37:00.003-06:00

What?!
Late?

What?!

Cyborgs HATE Colds!

2011-09-26T22:18:00.001-06:00

I came up with this a couple of weeks back - you know, when everyone was sneezing and snuffling with back to school viruses and just wishing that your nose could be turned off like the faucet it was thinking it was. ... I don't think cyborgs stay sick very long.

Link

2011-09-16T13:22:00.001-06:00

A little late. But wanted to make a humble contribution to the Zelda theme.

We can rebuild him...

2011-08-24T09:28:00.003-06:00

Creative and humane use for current prosthetic limb technology or cleverly veiled Half Life 2 furry fan art? You decide! Yes, I really do consider people who wear these things to be cyborgs.

If there's anything wrong with it in any way, I blame it on the tablet pc I was using and its messed up color profile and not my severe lack of skill.

Prosthetic Proboscis

2011-08-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

Thankfully we now have the technology to assist the olfactorily-challenged.

Cyborg Unicorn

2011-08-23T18:03:00.001-06:00

Not to be confused with other awesome movies with unicorn in the title.

Part Raphael, Part Machine

2011-08-23T11:03:00.005-06:00

he's a sai-borg!! get it?? couldn't resist the play on words... I DID however, resist making him part borg though. I just don't have it in me to assimilate my favorite ninja turtle.

also been meaning to do a windwaker self-portrait (for a couple of years, actually... heh). last theme was a perfect excuse to finally check that one off the list.

At the Beach

2011-08-22T10:17:00.000-06:00

Part video game programmer, part machine!!!

2011-08-04T11:42:00.000-06:00

Terrifying possibilities.

The Return of Lotso

2011-08-02T09:28:00.002-06:00

Target Practice

2011-07-28T10:27:00.000-06:00

Even Link loves old-school Nintendo.

Link vs. Link

2011-07-27T16:42:00.000-06:00

Remember when Link used to be an awesome scrappy little kid/elf? For all the graphical improvements that have come over the years, the newer versions of Link's design have definitely gone backward a few steps.

New Topic: CYBORG

2011-07-21T17:03:00.002-06:00

Fill in the blank: Part ______, Part Machine.

Have fun!

The Wind... It is blowing.

2011-07-10T16:33:00.002-06:00

The climax of Wind Waker is one I'll never forget. Traditionally your final showdown with Ganon pits you against a ferocious magic-infused beast, but this time Link found himself matching swords with the man himself. No magic, no transformations, no place to hide... just a David vs. Goliath sword fight to the death as a secluded aquatic world falls apart around you.

Fair Princess

2011-06-07T08:56:00.000-06:00

After hammering out a few sketches of Link, I decided to go with Princess Zelda.

Couple of firsts here; first post to the Avalanche Art Blog and first stab at painting out my sketch lines. Neither were easy for me but I had fun and hope to do more of this in the days to come.

modern zelda in classic form

2011-06-06T11:35:00.005-06:00

I really wanted to do a nice painting of an epic Zelda battle scene using all the newest evolution of characters with a full background, dynamic lighting and a complex composition but do it all in the old zelda style that we remember from the original.

"Hey! Listen! Hey!"

2011-05-11T10:38:00.000-06:00

Link v25.1

2011-05-04T14:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, well I'm new to the Avalanche blog, and not too excited that I'm posting first but what the heck.

I went with a "new" version of Link. I apologize to all the Zelda purists out there, but I'm a UI guy, so I go with what I like. It's a mix of Photoshop and Illustrator, and I'm now wishing I'd have stuck with all one or the other... perhaps there'll be a Link v25.2... but knowing me, don't count on it.

New Topic: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

2011-05-02T16:05:00.000-06:00

Since people should start having some free time again, we're getting back on the blog topic horse! Nintendo celebrates Zelda's 25th anniversary this year, so it's a good time for a tribute topic (but feel free to interpret the topic differently if you wish).

Topic suggestion by Reed Hawker.

Extremely late ROCKSTAR entry

2011-01-18T11:32:00.002-07:00

the front man of the holy trinity...................................

More late arriving angels

2011-01-06T10:03:00.001-07:00

Better late than never...

2011-01-04T21:11:00.003-07:00

maybe...

Angel.....

2010-12-29T17:41:00.002-07:00

Howdy!

I know this is a little bit late. I don't really know what she is pointing at, or why she has a half-skull for a face, but here you go.

Christmas Throwdown

2010-12-22T12:41:00.003-07:00

Look out, Santa! It's corporate greed!

Santa on Speed

2010-12-22T10:29:00.003-07:00

I apologize for misreading the topic.

I spent maybe 3-5 minutes on this.

Round Santa, Square Hole

2010-12-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

Timely Santa Humor!

2010-12-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

He's making a list...

2010-12-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Santa Imposter

2010-12-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

Don't trust anyone

Happy Santa

2010-12-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Spent about 1 hour on this guy.

Late Christmas Topic: SPEED SANTA

2010-12-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks Joe for getting us to do something.

HAPPY THANKS GIVING ONE AND ALL!!!

2010-11-24T22:01:00.001-07:00

*

I woke up Monday and thought I want to do a nice Thanksgiving card... for Thanksgiving. This was what popped into mind. I made myself laugh... but I scared myself a little too.

Now if I can just catch a showing of Charley Brown Thanksgiving I'll be set.

Angel

2010-11-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-28T12:44:00.002-06:00

*I've had a crush on Sally ever since I first saw her on the silver screen
back in '93. She hasn't aged a bit. Because she's some sort of undead Raggedy Anne reanimated construct with autumn leaves for blood. And those sorts of people don't age the way you and I do.

Based on no one in particular.

2010-09-27T13:21:00.003-06:00

If you believe that this image was based wholly or in part on your person, I apologize, and express that this is not the case.

Mr. Underbridge

2010-09-25T16:01:00.001-06:00

Here is my troll a bit late as usual.

New Topic: ANGELS

2010-09-10T13:25:00.002-06:00

Troll

2010-08-30T16:06:00.003-06:00

Well, hopefully I won't be run outta town for posting 3d stuffs.....

Edit: Here's a link to a video of the sculpting and creation process I did in ZBrush if you guys want to watch. It's just a bit over 11 minutes.

Bowie's in Space!

2010-08-25T15:28:00.000-06:00

Obviously (or maybe not so obviously), this isn’t a troll, but rather my super late submission for the Spaceman topic. It’s been about 99% done for the last six months and was about 75% done for six months before that. I’ve got half-a-dozen or so more Ava-blog paintings started and in various stages of completion, so maybe I’ll get another one finished in a year or two.

Troll Like Bunny

2010-08-24T15:49:00.000-06:00

You Gotta Pay the Troll Toll

2010-08-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

now with color

2010-08-23T09:38:00.000-06:00

Trolly theTroll and the trolldame

2010-08-20T15:09:00.001-06:00

a classic fairy tale of evil and much worser evil...

Something.... else

2010-08-20T12:59:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about trolls these past few weeks. Here's one thing i came up with.

"Nilbog! It's Goblin Spelled Backwards!"

2010-08-19T11:39:00.001-06:00

If you've never seen the epic film Troll 2, you are missing out big time!

It's hard to get a date when you're a Troll

2010-08-16T15:21:00.001-06:00

Friday drawing

2010-08-16T11:42:00.000-06:00

This was done in the Friday figure drawing session maybe 3-4 weeks back. We were pretty surprised to see a real honest to goodness troll walk in. This was about an hour and 40 minutes done with my full range of pastels. Note, he does have a speedo on but it is hidden by his stomach.

In case you were curious, it was Brian Cutler who arraigned him into this distasteful pose, and you do NOT want to see the gesture poses.

The RoboTroll

2010-08-13T14:47:00.000-06:00

Are you tired of humans crossing your rightfully commandeered bridge and laughing at your humble toll requests as they tower over you and swat you aside? The Unicorps of Grengineers announces rental and plan licensing of their new and indestructible* RoboTrolls to help you turn the tables and squeeze ever higher toll-revenues from the travelers entering your domain.

Our deluxe model, the n8-a04 is packed with features to get you up and running in no time. With our flexible partial-construction operation, you can build in stages and still get the coin you deserve. Lure travelers in with the illusion of an uninhabited bridge, while your RoboTroll hangs out of sight with folding legs and Strongrip hands (and/or hooks)! But still get a full picture of the situation with your RoboTroll’s telescoping neck and ClearCam Eye. Surprise them before they can escape with your RoboTroll’s spring-step quick moves and clearly demand your due with the built in ReelToll Meter. Shakedown the cheapskates with a fully articulated hand that can grab travelers of any size. And best of all, control your RoboTroll from a safe distance with the reinforced data & control cable bundle. Contact us today for a free on-site consultation!

--------

This is some render style exploration for my WIP short film, A Heavy Toll, for which you can see an animatic (no audio) here: http://www.nateallison.com/2010/06/new-leaf-new-project.html

Lonely Troll

2010-08-13T11:37:00.003-06:00

Troll

2010-08-12T21:46:00.002-06:00

Figured I'd finally contribute.

Trollin' the boards

2010-08-12T10:09:00.001-06:00

We all know this guy. He's probably on a message board right now making wild accusations about the size and mental acuity of your mother.

TROOBS!!!

2010-08-11T13:56:00.006-06:00

I still want to throw some color on one of these trolls but can't decide which one. Kind of leaning toward the top one but...?

New Topic: TROLL

2010-07-19T13:03:00.000-06:00

Hugo

2010-06-29T16:35:00.001-06:00

Do you remember Hugo? He was a puppet toy you could disguise with a variety of hair styles, noses, glasses, scars, moles, mustaches, and stuff. He also appeared in Pee Wee Herman's early stage shows and is the basis for the costume Mickey (the fugitive) wears in Pee Wee's big Adventure.
You'll probably want to click on this to see a bigger version.

Indiscreet

2010-06-28T13:48:00.001-06:00

Well-disguised

2010-06-17T13:20:00.000-06:00

My first idea was something cooler, but the quick doodle of this guy made me laugh.

Beetle-Copter-Bomber squadron

2010-06-07T14:00:00.003-06:00

New Guy

2010-06-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

New Topic: MASTER OF DISGUISE

2010-05-26T14:58:00.000-06:00

One quick note: we've become very finished piece-focused on this blog, and I think that has sometimes discouraged some people from participating. So submit what you can, whether it's a doodle, sketch, drawing, whatever---everything is welcome!

Topic idea from Shane Lewis and Adam Koford. Thanks guys!

Samurai Fly

2010-05-18T16:15:00.001-06:00

Baroque Battle Bug

2010-04-17T14:09:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Joe O. for the great topic idea.

Just a giant beetle

2010-04-14T13:26:00.002-06:00

So this really isn't a bug war exactly. More of a battle. Or rather an attack..........of a bug.....................
......on a man.

Death of a Bug Exterminator

2010-04-12T08:45:00.001-06:00

Apocalyptic bug warfare

New Topic: BUG WARFARE

2010-03-25T13:13:00.000-06:00

We're overdue for a new topic! Interpret the topic however you want.

Dracula's Would Be Bride

2010-03-03T13:18:00.003-07:00

the Little Murmaider

2010-02-24T15:06:00.002-07:00

*

"The beasts of the sea,
will collect and submit.
Pray for her forgiveness,
and live as she permits."

That really was a Hanzo sword...

2010-02-18T23:28:00.004-07:00

If Tarantino were ever to direct a Disney film, my head would explode. From sheer awesomeness.

Tuff Prinsess

2010-02-11T13:29:00.007-07:00

A portrait of my good friend as a "Disney Princess".

Snow White wanders too far into the Enchanted Forest.

2010-02-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Headcrabs. They live there.

Minnie Mouse Princess

2010-02-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Bell

2010-02-02T09:45:00.003-07:00

As opposed to Kevin I have never tried to paint a Disney princess before.

Beauty and the Beast

2010-01-29T17:26:00.004-07:00

Ok, so I colored it. . . And it didn't take me ages. Yay for paint bucket tool.

Well, Belle and the Beast are ready to go patrol the castle. I'd have colored them but then I'd never finish. You color it if you want. Go ahead, color it.

The Girl Who has Everything

2010-01-27T20:59:00.002-07:00

Potential Disney Heroines

2010-01-22T16:44:00.001-07:00

If I learned anything from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," just about any classic story can be made into a Disney property when you spiff it up with a little song and dance. So I present to you my ideas for some unused "Princess" characters Disney should look into.

Disney Princess

2010-01-16T11:41:00.004-07:00

Well, this started out as a coloring book page, and one thing led to another... Anyway, something about the image just seemed to say, "Drink Coke!". I attempted to rip off the color and style of some old illustrators- I specifically tried to imitate Gil Elvgren's colors. I'm sure he'd be overjoyed.

I may also have altered the costume and design a bit...

Snow White

2010-01-13T12:12:00.002-07:00

What if, instead of changing the game forever with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney had decided to create the feature using the rubber hose techniques so popular at the time? We would live in a very different world.

New Topic: DISNEY PRINCESS

2010-01-08T10:28:00.001-07:00

Tributes, Mash-ups, Bastardizations, Undeadifications, New Princesses, "Coloring book" entries, everything's fair game. Just try to avoid doing something so wrong that it results in Disney shutting down the blog. :)

North Pole Hazing

2010-01-07T12:45:00.003-07:00

"So for this reindeer game, the ball starts where?"

Santa has game dev elves.

2009-12-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

I hate elves

2009-12-23T23:36:00.002-07:00

And so does Avalanche, but we really love Twilight, apparently.

what the elf

2009-12-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Cousin Eddie

2009-12-09T16:52:00.002-07:00

My wife thinks very little of the actor they chose for Eddie, so I had to have some fun with his portrait. I gave him Sid Farkus's yellow eyes.