Ramblings of an Art Geek

Busy Geek

2010-02-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Well, this art geek has been incredibly busy!

I'm also keeping a blog documenting the progress of my MFA thesis. Check it out!

Geek Watch: Wil Wheaton

2009-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Wil Wheaton, the actor previously known as Westley Crusher and since known as much cooler, has become a more prominent acting presence in recent weeks. At least, if you're into the same geek shows that I am, he has.

Wheaton has a recurring role on Felicia Day's Internet sensation, The Guild, and made a prominent appearance on The Big Bang Theory this week as himself, the object of Sheldon's long awaited revenge.

Wheaton is quite an entertaining guy, so I suggest checking out his Web site, and subscribing to his Twitter feed.

Interview with Seanan McGuire!

2009-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

I recently sat down with Seanan McGuire for a face to face interview on her books, convention life, and dying of mortification. (By "sat down with" I mean "sat at my desk and e-mailed," and by "face to face," I mean, "not face to face at all." Alas, I generally get to see Seanan only at conventions.)

I've known Seanan for going on fifteen years. She's always fun to be around, entertaining, charming, and she's a unique voice in fantasy and science-fiction. All her endeavors, from her books to music to her occasional comic strip, are, put simply, wonderful.

On to the interview!

Jon: You're pretty well known now among fandom, by which I mean the science fiction, fantasy, general geek crowd. For those who aren't familiar with you, give us a brief lowdown of Seanan McGuire.

Seanan: Hi, Jon, and thanks for having me! I'm an urban fantasy author under my own name, with occasional lapses into horror and straight fantasy (especially in my Rush's Bend and Velveteen stories). I also write distopian science-fiction zombie political thrillers, as Mira Grant. When not writing novels, I'm a filker, folklore nut, comic book geek, and obsessive television watcher. I have two cats -- Lilly and Alice -- and more horror movies than any single girl really needs. Oh, and I study epidemiology for fun.

J: Tell us about two of your most memorable Convention experiences.

S: I was at WorldCon in Los Angeles, waiting in line to get my Flash Girls CD signed by Emma Bull, when a fairly well-known science fiction author -- name withheld to protect the guilty -- who was signing at the next table felt the need to make a point. "Seanan, get over here." I went. "Sit on the table." I sat. "Be cheesecake." I struck a pin-up pose. Looking vindicated, he turned to the man at the front of his line, and said, "Now THIS is a WOMAN." I returned to my place in line. Behold the power of cheese.

Just this last year, at the San Diego International Comic Convention, I was hanging out with Ed at the Pocket booth, chatting about the current urban fantasy and paranormal lines with some friends of mine, when a guy I didn't know wandered up. He looked interested, so I proceeded to recommend Staked and ReVamped, by J.F. Lewis. "You like those?" he asked. I confirmed that yes, I very much did. "I wrote those," he replied. I did not die of mortification. I gave serious consideration to doing so.

J: Sounds like you played it cool, which I've noted you are very good at. I've also noticed you don't do what anyone generally expects. I've seen this especially in your music, but I have no doubt many things will take me quite enjoyably by surprise in Rosemary & Rue. Another is your choice of favorite Wicked character go in costume as. Do you relate to Galinda* in your day to day life?

S: If by "playing it cool," you mean "died of mortification on the spot," sure I did! As for my Wicked affections, yeah, I do relate to Glinda* in a lot of ways. She's a product of her upbringing, but she really wants to be a good person -- she just has to learn how. Plus, she's into sequins and sparkly things, and I share that tendency whole-heartedly.

J: What other fictional characters do you most feel a kinship with?

S: Marilyn Munster. I am so totally the Marilyn. Occasionally, CeeCee Bloom.

J: Which categories describe you in the Geek Hierarchy?**

S: From the top down, I fit under Published Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (Rosemary and Rue just came out); People Who Majored In Folklore and Mythology; Comic Book Fans; Science Fiction Television Fans; Comic Book Fans Who Read Superhero Comics; Roleplaying Gamers. I also read X-Men comics. Because I am a big geek.

J: You're a writer, a singer/songwriter, and an artist. What don't you do that you wish you could?

S: Sleep. Also, I don't know how to work in fondant, but I'm planning to learn, once I have the breathing space to take a cake decorating class.

J: That sounds delicious. Do you often like to try new forms of art?

S: I do, although I'll admit, I have a lot less patience for a steep learning curve than I used to have. I just don't have the time to devote to something that takes forever.

J: I noticed that, while you've been a welcome presence at BayCon for many years, next year (2010), you will be the Filk GOH at MarCon. Why the switch? Did BayCon not offer you a sweet enough deal?

S: Well, MarCon asked me! BayCon is my local convention, which means that most years, I get the standard, totally awesome guest deal -- free membership in exchange for showing up and being my normal perkily macabre self. MarCon, on the other hand, has me as a featured guest, which means I'm on the advertising, I get a plane ticket, all that fun stuff. Plus, they're doing zombies. How can I resist zombies? I love me some zombies.

My convention schedule is frequently determined by who actually asks. My traditional conventions come after those, and anything new and self-motivated comes after that.

J: That makes so much sense, I feel I should be doing a facepalm about now. On average, how many conventions do you attend every year?

S: Counting comic book conventions and filk conventions, along with general cons? Between five and eight. A really heavy year may be ten to twelve, a really light year may be as few as three.

J: Please tell us a bit about your new novel, Rosemary and Rue.

S: Rosemary and Rue is the story of October "Toby" Daye, a changeling living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Changelings aren't stolen human children -- they're cross-breeds, part human, part fae, and totally at home with neither one. Toby's mother, Amandine, was the most powerful blood-worker in Faerie. Toby's just trying not to get fired from the local Safeway.

Rosemary and Rue is a murder mystery; it's an urban fantasy; it's a piece of fairy tale noir. It makes me very happy. I'm really thrilled that people seem to be enjoying it.

J: The subtible of the book is An October Daye Novel. Do you have an entire series planned?

S: I do! I'm in the middle of writing book five right now. Only the first three have been officially sold, but I'm hoping that Toby will be around for a long time to come.

J: Can you tell us about any other books you're working on?

S: I'm currently writing Blackout, the second of my post-zombie-uprising science fiction thrillers (to be published by Orbit, under the name Mira Grant), and working on Discount Armageddon, the first in a new series of urban fantasy/horror hybrids.

J: Thank you, Seanan! It's been a pleasure getting to know you better and learning about your projects!

S: Thanks for chatting with me, Jon! It's been fun.

* Galinda and Glinda are both correct. The character is first Galinda, and later changes her name.

** Please see my earlier "Geek Hierarchy" post.

Links:

SeananMcGuire.Com

Still Alive!

2009-09-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

If you got that brief Jonathan Coulton reference, then bravo!

Anyway, your trusty art geek blogger is still around, just busy! My semester started up this month at Academy of Art University, and graduate level classes alone would keep anyone busy. Have I mentioned that I'm a single dad? I love being a dad, but yes, fatherhood keeps me busy, too.

At a very art geek level, though, I entered the The Beasts of 9 Creature Contest on deviantArt. Check out my "Shade Beast" entry! Then, have a look at all the contest entries. There are some incredible pieces in there. It's well worth a browse.

Upcoming soon in Ramblings of an Art Geek: my interview of Seanan McGuire, writer, filk singer-songwriter, and homo sapien par excellence.

Brief Review: 9

2009-09-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

That's what helps, right? When you look at movie reviews, you want the lowdown, not a bunch of talk.

So, here's my breakdown/review of 9. And yes, it's from an art geek perspective. Keep in mind, I'm not only an art geek, but a 3D modeler.

Story: C+. Good concept, but I wanted more character development. The movie is only an hour and a half long, which is common for animated features. It could have been a little longer. The titular character, 9, awoke from never having been awake at all, and had a fully developed conscience and personality. It made sense later, but 9 himself should have wondered about it. That would have taken two minutes.

Models: A. Great models in this one, only enhance by the...

Texturing: A+. Beautiful, gritty detail. Eye popping. Both the models and textures made way for great...

Animation: Solid A. It could have been improved a little. There was nothing bad about it at all; it was very believable and nuanced. I just would have liked a little more nuance.

Over all: B. Go see it!

9

Directed by Shane Acker; written by Pamela Pettler & Shane Acker. Produced by Tim Burton. Staring Elija Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Chrispin My-Density-Has-Popped-Me-To-You Glover, Jennifer Connelly, and Fred Tatasciore.

Geek Watch: Felicia Day

2009-09-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

At last, Season 3 of "The Guild" is starting on MSN Video! Felicia Day's Web series is about a group of MMORPG guildies whose gaming life crosses over into their real lives, something many of us can relate to... but maybe not at this level.

Haven't seen Seasons 1 & 2? No worries. Click the above link and watch from the beginning. Each episode is about five minutes long. Check it out. There's a reason this show is so popular.

For those of you asking, "Who's Felicia Day," well, remember the hot redhead potential slayer in Season 7 of Buffy? The hot redhead love interest in "Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog?" You got it now. "The Guild" is her show, and yeah, it's pretty damned funny.

While you're there, don't forget to watch the new "The Guild" music video, "Do You Want To Date My Avatar."

But wait! This "Geek Watch" is a double. Guess appears in the latest episode? None other than geek extraordinaire, Wil Wheaton. (Or, as Stewie would say, "Hwil Hweaton.") Woot!

Donation

2009-09-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

In mid-August, I said that I would donate any money made off my novels & anthology, from that date until August 31, to help with health care reform. Well, I kept my word! It came to only $10, but here's my receipt. Personal information is, of course, blacked out.

Geek Watch: Jemaine Clement

2009-08-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is a new feature I plan to have regularly in this blog. "Geek Watch" will focus on a popular geek currently doing something interesting.

This watch: Jemaine Clement! Most of you know him from the fantastic folk parody (aka. filk) group, Flight of the Conchords, and from the HBO series of the same name.

He's co-staring in the upcoming movie "Gentlemen Broncos," from the directors of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre." Clement plays a popular, but nearly washed up science fiction novelist called Ronald Chevalier. In a fit of desperation to save his career, he plagiarizes a novel by a high school student.

Based on the preview, it looks hilarious. Clement gives a terrific performance. Add in Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge, and this is a movie I have to see. (Actually, I would just see if for Clement. Flight of the Conchords FTW!)

Geek Hierarchy

2009-08-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

This is the second post in my new blog, and it seemed fitting that I introduce to you the Geek Hierarchy Chart. A friend of mine recently pointed out that I truly had to be a geek just to know about this, and that the person who wrote it had to be an even bigger geek. (According to the Brunching Shuttlecocks Web site, that would be Lore Sjöberg.)

This is version 2.0 of the chart. (All praise to Lore Sjöberg for being geeky enough to have more than one version.)

For those of you in a hurry or for those of you not fully inducted into fandom/geekdom, here is the abridged version.

For the rest of us, here is the highly amusing full version.

Aren't they wonderful?

(You can click on either image to see it larger.)

Notice that not all the arrows go down. An upward arrow does not mean "looks up to." It also means "looks down on." Same for sideways arrows. I find this highly amusing, and such a great microcosm of society at large.

It makes me wonder, say, about sports fans. The guys who paint themselves in the colors of their team are basically doing the same thing that sci-fi geeks do when dressing in costume. Do the other sports fans look down on the painted dudes? Do the painted dudes look down on everyone else?

To be fair, I see much more camaraderie than anything among geeks of all types and stripes. But yeah, there is some of this hierarchy stuff going on, a little, "Wow, that's weird," from one sub-group to another.

What about the rest of you? What do you think of the chart? Amusing? True? So true it's hilarious?

What to Expect

2009-08-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

It's ironic, but yesterday, I made my LiveJournal account friends only.

And now, I find myself setting up a brand new blog. What's up with that?

The truth is, I do like to ramble on about various topics, generally things of interest to my geek brethren. I'm an artist, a writer, a fan of computers, science, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I figure, why not share my thoughts on all these things, but in a more structured way than I have in the past?

So, that's what I'm doing here. I've always got some geeky thing to say.

My mission: Write posts on all these topics and more. Include humor, the occasional drawing or 3D model, snarky thoughts on the weirdness of the world, and interviews with interesting people.

Now is probably a good time to bookmark this page. Up there at the top of your browser. Open the bookmark tab. You know, it's... yeah, right there. Good.