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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Predators Motion Comic
Last July I worked on a couple Predators motion comics for the blu-ray edition. The timeline was tight, but there was no way I would turn it down. I was a HUGE fan of the original! GET TO THE CHOPPA!

This was a very collaborative project for Tony Harris, JD Mettler, and myself. Like I said, we had a short timeframe, so we broke the work up from the start. I did the layouts for the project.



These layout were done at the final size in Photoshop, but they are rough. Once we had the layouts approved, we broke up the work. We new JD would color it, but this was a new process for Harris and I. We decided that he would do a good portion of the foreground characters, while I would do all the backgrounds, close-ups, and shots with no characters. Our styles are close enough that we thought it would mesh well.


Here's an example of how I broke down the work load. Red = Harris, Green = Me. Each of us did our parts, then I would assemble everything in Photoshop. From that point, I gave JD layered files to color. The guys that animated it needed everything drawn and colored on separate layers so they could move the camera around, push past foreground elements, etc.










Below is the start of the Noland story. These are the panels where I assembled my work with Harris's. EVERYTHING had to be layered. Vines, trees, all the foliage, foreground, middle ground, background... all layered. To make some sense of this, I added a grayscale to some of the elements.




The dead samurai was originally supposed to be Harris's, but I jumped in on these two (above). Harris did the foot and hand. Time was getting tight.








Then they were off to JD, and he did an amazing job coloring them. You'll have to buy the blu-ray to see the final animation version, but here's a link to the teaser:


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posted by Tony Shasteen @ 7:55 AM   0 comments
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pieces From The Past









Occult Crimes Taskforce Artwork
posted by Tony Shasteen @ 4:53 PM   0 comments
Friday, October 22, 2010
Figure Drawing Friday :: 18

Warmup drawing, Nupastel on Newsprint, 1 minute



Warmup drawing, Nupastel on Newsprint, 1 minute



Nupastel on Newsprint, 20 minutes








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posted by Tony Shasteen @ 5:44 PM   0 comments
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Studio Tour
A couple weeks ago I did a major remodeling to our home studio. It was in desperate need of one. Since my wife and I both work from home, and I spend a good 12 + hours a day in here, it needed to be someplace that we both wanted to be in. I'd call my design aesthetic "1950's government office meets 12 year old boy's bedroom". On to the tour!

This is the view as you walk in, well my side anyway. Just to the left of the picture is the supply closet. My wife's side is over to the right. We'll get to that shortly. As you can see, I have a love of industrial metal furniture. I've collected it for years. Some bought, some found, some new, some old. We have matching Steelcase desks. I've hauled these desks around for years... and they aren't light.

Here's my wife's side of the studio. Slightly smaller, but we'll share the drafting table on my side. The shelf holds some visual entertainment for me as well. There's a small tv that we use occasionally, but mostly for music these days. We use the computers for movies since I have no patience for commercials these days. Above the tv is a couple pieces of original artwork. The sitting area is on the right, and the small deck is behind the door straight ahead.

Brian Stelfreeze gave me this piece that he did of one of our sons. I love it, and it's positioned directly in front of me on Sarena's shelf where I can see it all day. It's either an inspiration or a driving force to give up... the jury is still out on that one.

Speaking of giving up... beside Brian's pice is my little Mignola skull and bones original. I pinned it in a shadowbox so you can still see the production notes.

Luke, one of our other studio-mates usually takes over Sarena's chair. Leia must be hiding.

Next to her shelf is a vintage Shaw Walker file cabinet. I eyed this one for years at Victory Vintage in Decatur, GA. It was never for sale, but I was able to finagle it when they closed down.

This is Sarena's side again. There are a couple printers and a few index card files we use for general storage. She has a framed promotional calender press sheet on top of the filing cabinet. This is the only piece of my work in the studio. I tend to loathe my work shortly after it's completed, so having too much of my own work framed would be trouble.

Sarena's desk. As you can tell, we have a fondness for vintage office supplies.

Sarena's stapler. Don't steal it or she's likely to burn your office down.

Back to my side. The kids have claimed these chairs. They usually come in and hang out here after they get home from school. One of the perks of working from home. Between the chairs is a rolling filing cabinet. I'd like to turn it into a little bar Madmen style.

Just past the sitting area is the restroom, and above the chairs are vintage coffee ads. We collect those as well.

On top of the rolling file cabinet is the money plant. It has a freakish ability to know our financial situation before we do. It's the bane of our existence, but don't tell it I said so or a leaf will drop off.

Here's my shelf. It's filled with a pretty odd assortment of items. To name just a few, there are harpoons, a pinned bug collection, a cat skull that needs mounting, military headware, a Russian Ushanka, a dummy bomb ridden by Hellboy, graphic novels, art books, R2-D2, and enough index card files to drive my wife nuts. She thinks I have an issue with "cubbies".

More miscellaneous items layered onto the shelves. There's a derringer in that Boba Fett mug. Where else would it go? Hello? The boxes are filled with trinkets that go back to my childhood.

Here's a little bit of a tank helmet liner and a vietnam era (I think) infantry helmet. I have a lot more of this type thing, but it's stored away.

Hellboy on the bomb, and the sign from my Graphic Design/Illustration firm.

This is a view of the shelves from the drafting table. More Hellboy magnets up top. I obviously love Mignola's work.

And here's the drafting table. This used to belong to Brian Stelfreeze, then Karl Story, and now me. It has seen a lot of use. Behind the drafting table is a large cork board that I use for a rotating collection of inspiration, pieces that need framing, and project notes.

Here are a couple portraits of me drawn by my kids. I think they have me down.

I found this old container of lead in one of the desks when I moved it. It's a piece of wood with little grooves cut into it to hold the lead. How cool is that!

Someone made these badges for us based on my design back when we did the Occult Crimes Taskforce. It actually rotates.

Another prized possession waiting on a frame. Thanks to my friend and agent Paolo Belfiore, the Reverend Dave Johnson drew me as an evil photoshopping racist! That'll teach me to photoshop him into awkward situations.

A monkey mask I picked up while traveling about.

The oily waste can. Feel safe when you're throwing away oily rags here. Just make sure to empty it every night.

Above the sitting area are a few of our vintage coffee ads. Have you read old coffee ads? They're full of lies! LIES!

The second office. You get the point.

A little James Jean postcard above ye old throne.


More vintage items. I love this phisohex soap dispenser from Winthrop Laboratories. Still works great!

Here's my desk. I have the Cintiq on an arm so I can lower it below usual desk height, and I can move it out of the way if necessary.

On the other side of the desk is the laptop that drives the Cintiq. It's a portable setup, but it rarely moves these days. I used to haul it back and forth when I worked from Gaijin Studios.

The arm with Sarena's laptop in the background.


There's a little deck off the studio. I'm still looking for a nice vintage glider rocker so I can do layouts and sketch here. It would work well for the occasional morning cup of coffee or evening drink as well!


Leaving the office, the supply closet is to the right. It's a mess. Trust me, you don't want to see it yet. Out in the hall are a few vintage J.C. Leyendecker coffee ads from the 1940's.

Vintage Stock Room sign above the supply closet.

If there's anything I love more than coffee, it's Leyendecker. You put the two together and it's like chocolate and peanut butter!

Here's the set of three coffee ads. Two more are waiting to be framed.

Alright, that's about it. Hope you enjoyed a little peek at where I spend the bulk of my days. Back to work!

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posted by Tony Shasteen @ 12:45 PM   7 comments
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Name: Tony Shasteen
Home: Atlanta, Georgia
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