New "8 Bit Cubist" interview podcast up

Myself and MisterBenja of the 8 Bit Cubist had a fun talk about video games, film, and staying focused on the long road to self-fulfillment over here at the 8-Bit Cubist site. Check it out and leave a comment.

Mark 7

Original post on the Miracle Mile Marksmen blog

This week was tough because we decided on the mark literally as she was walking past our group of tables and it was hard to absorb all the details in that short amount of time. I'm not even sure that she had an orange bag with a yellow jacket--it could have been the opposite. I guess I still have a long way to go in training my short term memory.

Detail maybe no one else noticed: the horizontal stripes on her boots.

Mark 6

original post on the Miracle Mile Marksmen blog

This guy was definitely exuding a sense of "please look at me," and I find it funny that he has no idea that six people were observing him to sketch an impression later. Although the color palette of his clothes wasn't more than a few brown tones, he had a lot of details to capture.

Detail maybe no one else caught: the white threads at the end of his scarf & the unbuttoned shirt cuffs.

Jack the Giant Killer trailer is here!

Jack the Giant Killer was the very first movie I worked on with the Third Floor when I moved to L.A. last year, so it has a special place in my heart. The trailer came out great and I'm greatly anticipating the movie when it comes out in IMAX:



Jack the Giant Killer trailer on Quicktime.com

There are only a few shots in the trailer that I personally worked on, but the movie will have many more that I 
worked on during my stint on the project.
0:45/0:46 (Jack on the ground/Isabelle in the house being raised into the sky)
1:09 (Elmont preparing for battle with the troops behind him)



Jack the Giant Killer in the news:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32705
http://collider.com/jack-the-giant-killer-trailer-poster/131392/

New Sketch Blog: The Miracle Mile Marksmen

Some other Los Angeles animation professionals and I have started a "sketch club" in the Miracle Mile area. We've been picking random people on the street to all draw from memory and posting the results here:

MIRACLE MILE MARKSMEN

Subscribe, comment, and enjoy!

I've been doing mine by sketching the person loosely once I get back from lunch and then fleshing out the illustration on my Cintiq at home in my spare time. It's been a great way to stay sharp and a good outlet for trying out new styles.

Hat tip to Marcelo and the rest of the Sketch Club in Culver City for showing their support.

Empty Streets

Last year I helped out with some of the package design and promotional materials for this short film Empty Streets. The short is about a young war veteran returning with PTSD and has been shown in festivals nationwide. The production blog link is here: www.emptystreetsmovie.blogspot.com

Daily Show has a Red Dead Redemption reference

Saw this video and thought the graphic gag was worth sharing (It comes on at 8:16 and 11:02). Nice to see the references continuing in outlets like this.

New Avengers Movie Trailer

The new Avengers trailer came out this week. A few of the shots I did previs for are in it, including the shot of the damaged flying jet (:56) and Thor reaching out for his hammer Mjolnir and catching it "Jedi style" (1:09). Check it out and let me know what you think:

"Grandpa" mini-comic

Here it is in full. Feedback is appreciated in the comments section.

©2011 Josh Lange. All rights reserved. All of the characters and events in the story are completely fictional. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. No similarity to any person either living or dead is intended or should be inferred.

"Grandpa" is now at Meltdown Comics!

The first print run..

Tina and I sold my first copies to Meltdown Comics in West Hollywood tonight. They can be found in the indie comics section at the far left side of the store. Pick one up if you're in the Los Angeles area!

My mini-comic is here!

I picked up my copies of "Grandpa" at the printer today:

The first two pages:

Sure, it's a mere eleven pages and printed on copy paper, but I learned a ton in the process and it feels great to call my first comic project complete and have it in my hand. I'll be at Meltdown Comics tomorrow night to put it on their indie shelf with the other self-published mini-comics from their Meltdown University class. All those who read this blog that live in the Los Angeles area are welcome to come by and pick up a signed copy.

For those who can't get their hands on a physical copy, check back to this blog later this week because I will be posting the mini-comic in its entirety very soon.

"8 Bit Legends" Prints Now Available on My Etsy Site

To purchase your very own signed and numbered 18"x24" giclee print from my "8 Bit Legends" game designer series, stop by my Etsy store and I'll send it to you with free shipping.

New "Grandpa" comic is done!

As of an hour ago, my side project, a graphic short story titled "Grandpa," is finally complete. My remaining (and important) step is to print copies for distribution. The comic was 100% digitally created, aside from a handful of character design drawings that won't see the light of day (I started out a little rusty). In addition to printing out copies for friends, family, and the patrons of Meltdown Comics who visit their indie racks, I plan to also post the comic online in its entirety. So please keep your eyes on this site for the upcoming link to my comic. I'm excited to finally share my work, and hope that it gets some positive feedback and interest in my next excursion into self-published comics.

"Jesse Lange" skin for Red Dead Redemption

For some reason I hadn't noticed this before, but this hombre's got quite the awesome last name:

Just saying.

Food for thought

An Open Letter to Andy Serkis


I like the points the author makes. I think Serkis is right in thinking that despite all the CG people that work with his performance after it has been captured aren't as deserving in the credit as the original actor. It is semi-akin to the fact that there is one director credit despite the fact that directors have second units who literally help him or her make the film. It is strange to see how clumsily Serkis explains the process (I wouldn't assign him the motive of intentionally downplaying the work the CG team does, however).

"A Day in the Life" at The Third Floor, in Animation Magazine

I meant to post this when it first came out. You can see me in the bottom left picture at our 10th floor patio (left side, all the way down at the end, wearing red).
http://www.animationmagazine.net/a-day-in-the-life/issue-214-the-third-floor/

Video article on The Third Floor's previs for X-Men: First Class

TheDaily.com has a new video featuring interviews and footage from The Third Floor. You can learn about the previs process as well as see what our shots look like before they're handed off for the final effects work.

300 sketchbook update

Another page of 15 minute sketched heads, colored in Photoshop. Sure, it takes time away from the minicomic, but I have to keep sharp. These are more topical than the ones I've done in the past, which were mostly drawn from pages of the LA Weekly.

Chris Christie (Gov-NJ), Anthony Weiner (Rep-NY), Louis CK

American McGee's "Alice: Madness Returns" show at Gallery 1988

A belated post, but here's a writeup my friend Ben wrote of the art show for American McGee's "Alice: Madness Returns" video game. We attended the opening on Thursday and I was pleased with the artwork. NC Winters and Kevin Tong had some standout pieces, as usual. I got to speak with American and his art director Ken (who I was photographed with on that blog post), who provided some insight on the game's production. American had just started up Red Dead Redemption, so we talked about that a bit as well.

I'm about three pages into my minicomic, and am trying to redouble my efforts to make sure it's finished in the near future. I underestimated how long it would take, and I think making it digitally has been about a wash in terms of time saved compared to making it in 2D. I'm planning to post the first six or so pages here on the blog when they're ready.

300 sketchbook update

So this blog has been static lately, but for those who have been asking for updates, here's the latest 15 minute head sketches from my 300 heads sketchbook. I colored them up a bit in Photoshop. See how many you can recognize from the headlines over the last few months:

Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut, Imed Trabelsi

Muammar Gaddafi, Vice Admiral Alex Gortney, Michael Keaton

Melissa Leo, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale

My spare time has been spent on a ten page mini-comic that I'm doing 100% digitally. It should be finished soon (before ComiCon) and I'll make it available as soon as I can.