Studio Seven design and illustration weblog

Come and visit Sevensheaven

2006-03-17T01:53:00.000+01:00

This weblog has moved to my renewed main portfolio website www.sevensheaven.nl. You're heartily invited to visit my new weblog and view my work over there.

Thanks and cheers,

Metin

Illustration Friday - Tattoo

2006-03-10T14:12:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "Tattoo" theme. It's a paper drawing that I cleaned up using Photoshop.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

- ANNOUNCEMENT -
Coming this wednesday the 15th of March: the all-new Sevensheaven.nl website, featuring this blog along with much more! Be sure to check it out.

Sign of life

2006-03-07T23:29:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I am more and more absorbed by assignments, but I will be back with my new weblog which will be a part of my all-new Sevensheaven website. The new Sevensheaven site will go online on the 15th of March and will mean the end of this Blogger weblog as it is. My new blog will exist of a custom weblog system.

Stay tuned, I'll be back soon. :)

Cheers,

Metin

Illustration Friday - Insect

2006-03-03T18:22:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "Insect" theme. It's actually the second image in a series called "Unpleasant Company". This was the first one:

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

The countdown has begun...!

2006-02-26T18:42:00.000+01:00

The deadline has been determined: on the 15th of March the all-new Sevensheaven website will go online.

A tip of the iceberg: the site will be completely database-driven and will feature more of my work than has ever been published before.

I'm currently busy preparing a serious heap of imagery for the new site, from a library of about 18 years worth of work. I started working relatively young, skipping art education in order to learn from practical experience, and have never come to regret that decision. This doesn't mean that I don't encourage art education, it's was just a personal choice to enter this direction.

All the best,

Metin

The return of Skypeman

2006-02-24T10:45:00.000+01:00

Skypeman is back, praising the Intel dualcore processor as the ideal processor to run the Skype software / service. :)

Enjoy your weekend,

Metin

Skypeman

2006-02-18T01:16:00.000+01:00

My latest character concept: Skypeman, a character design based on the popular Skype digital telephony service, created to serve a magazine illustration.

Hope you like it. Check out Figure Farm for some more info about Skypeman.

Enjoy your weekend!

Metin

Illustration Friday - Song

2006-02-17T14:55:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "song" theme. This is a CD cover I once created for a friend of mine, nicknamed DJ Stubby.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Moon Child

2006-02-16T10:22:00.000+01:00

From late 1995 to early 1997, programmer Reinier van Vliet, music composer Ramon Braumuller and I created the commercial 2D platform action game Moon Child for Windows 95/98. The exact same game is now available for the Pocket PC range. Be sure to check it out.

Here's the official Moon Child website, and more about the game and the adventures of the team behind it can be found over here.

Boing Boing

2006-02-16T09:52:00.000+01:00

Created this image for the fabulous BoingBoing.net, regarding the new Google book search.

If you've got time to spare, here's a little interview with me at Creative Latitude (scroll down to find it).

Webwereld PDF special

2006-02-15T10:36:00.000+01:00

If you can read Dutch and are interested in wireless media transmission to your living room, check out the freely downloadable Webwereld PDF special of this month. I took care of the illustrations. :)

Online marketplaces

2006-02-13T11:42:00.000+01:00

An Illustration for the Dutch ComputerTotaal magazine, to accompany an article about online marketplaces such as eBay.

Cartoon - Mozart

2006-02-13T11:16:00.000+01:00

My first cartoon for the new national Dutch newspaper NRC.next. This particular cartoon was created for the test edition.

Illustration Friday - Simple

2006-02-10T21:25:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "simple" theme. This is an image from my good old 2D pixel days, a long time ago.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Wireless media transmission

2006-02-10T13:28:00.000+01:00

My latest coverillo for the Dutch Webwereld magazine, regarding wireless media transmission.

Have a great weekend,

Metin

Toilet Teufels...!

2006-02-09T16:37:00.000+01:00

Be sure to watch out when you visit the toilet next time...!

:) You can read more about the Toilet Teufels over here.

All the best,

Metin

Sexy White Boots Girl

2006-02-05T13:33:00.000+01:00

A CD cover I created for the Dutch DJ Ronaldo, inspired by the title of his song "Sexy White Boots Girl".

Illustration Friday - Chair

2006-02-03T14:24:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "chair" theme. This is one of several office interiors I designed and visualized for the Focus on Finance website.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

BBware logo

2006-01-28T16:31:00.000+01:00

A logo I created for the Dutch webhost BBware.

Enjoy your weekend,

Metin

Illustration Friday - Glamour

2006-01-27T14:49:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "glamour" theme. To me glamour stands for the radiance of my beloved wife Natasja.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Sony's rootkit

2006-01-26T01:42:00.000+01:00

You've probably heard about Sony's dirty trick called the rootkit, installed on your PC when you insert an audio CD from the Sony music label.

I created this illustration regarding the subject matter, for the Dutch Computer!Totaal magazine, and I'm very flattered that the image has been published on BoingBoing.net as well!

Google China

2006-01-25T22:20:00.000+01:00

I was surprised to read all over the world news that Google has conformed to Chinese censorship, as I already created the above cartoon about a year ago, after reading about the matter somewhere.

NRC.next and Veronica magazine

2006-01-24T22:07:00.000+01:00

News part I:

The above cartoon is one of several cartoons I created for the Dutch internet magazine Nu Wij Weer, until about a year ago when the magazine stopped.

A while ago I discovered that the well-known Dutch national newspaper NRC Handelsblad will soon be publishing a new tabloid format morning edition named NRC.next. A weblog about NRC.next mentioned they were still searching for cartoonists. So I decided to send a few of my cartoons to the editors.

And to my surprise I turned out to be among the lucky guys who have been invited to become a weekly contributor to NRC.next! I'm quite excited, as it will be a challenge to create weekly cartoons for a national newspaper.

News part II:

The talented and sharp-witted Dutch writer and columnist Luuk Koelman has actually managed to make me blush today, by mentioning the Studio Seven weblog in his top 5 list of internet links, published in the popular Dutch Veronica magazine. You can find the online version of that page over here. Muchos gracias Luuk!

Whales

2006-01-22T13:44:00.000+01:00

My latest background for the children's pages of the Dutch Wildlife Magazine.

The Datacatcher

2006-01-21T14:42:00.000+01:00

The Datacatcher, an illustration for a Dutch magazine.

Hope you like it. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

Cheers,

Metin

Illustration Friday - Cats

2006-01-20T16:46:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "cats" theme.

This is a real oldie: a paper drawing I created about ten years ago, colored with Adobe Photoshop version 3. Time flies when you're having fun.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Mikmak Monster

2006-01-16T10:48:00.000+01:00

I'm honoured to be featured at the Designers Who Blog website today. Thanks guys!

I worked for the children's books publisher Malmberg for a few years and redesigned their "Mikmak Monster" character from a drawn 2D character to a 3D reincarnation.

First I converted the original look of the character to 3D:

Then I scetched a redesign proposal, modernizing his clothing and shoes:

And converted that new look to 3D again:

Office competition

2006-01-14T20:35:00.000+01:00

Microsoft Office has got some serious competition these days. I illustrated a magazine article regarding that subject matter.

Illustration Friday - E is for ...

2006-01-13T19:48:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "E is for ..." theme. In my case, E is for Edgeman, my latest character in my growing Figure Farm character development project.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Sugar Frosted Goodness!

2006-01-11T11:51:00.000+01:00

A magazine illustration regarding anti-spyware software I did for the Dutch Webwereld magazine.

I'd like to announce the recent birth of Sugar Frosted Goodness, an artists collective blog I am proud to be a part of. Be sure to check it out when you've got the time.

Illustration Friday - Sea

2006-01-06T15:07:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "sea" theme, entitled Sailing to eternity.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Teahouse

2006-01-04T23:51:00.000+01:00

Come and have a cup o' tea in my luxury teahouse, if you're small enough that is. :)

I've returned to my rendering roots: I'm using the Finalrender renderer again, after adventures with V-Ray as well as Maxwell.

Finalrender has this certain kind of finished quality in its renderings, I almost forgot how I love it.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-03T00:42:00.000+01:00

A very happy new year to everyone who happens to pass by this blog!

My wife and I had a great time at a party over here in Hilversum and we danced on until daybreak. I hope you enjoyed yourself as well.

May 2006 spawn a lot of peace for as many people as possible, and please stay tuned to this blog for lots of new eye food.

All the best,

Metin

File sharing

2005-12-31T16:14:00.000+01:00

A cover illustration about file sharing, for the Dutch Computer!Totaal magazine.

Have a great New Year's Eve y'all and I hope to regularly see you back around here in 2006!

Cheers,

Metin

Best wishes to you all

2005-12-25T22:47:00.000+01:00

Within the framework of the X-Mas atmosphere I've illustrated a dream my father once had.

All the best wishes,

Metin

Illustration Friday - holiday

2005-12-23T15:50:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "holiday" theme.

This is my X-Mas card of last year, presenting my online character development project Figure Farm.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Personal data screening

2005-12-20T23:17:00.000+01:00

Created this to accompany a magazine article regarding a new Dutch law that enables saving and screening of everyone's personal data such as e-mails.

Horror tribute

2005-12-19T01:33:00.000+01:00

My tribute to horror comic artists such as Berni Wrightson, Wallace Wood and of course Graham "Ghastly" Ingels.

I've always had a weak spot for classic thriller comics ranging from Tales from the Crypt to Creepy.

De Avonden essays

2005-12-17T12:37:00.000+01:00

This is a recent illustration of mine regarding the Dutch book De Avonden ["The Evenings"] by Gerard van het Reve. I created it for the Dutch Rails magazine, which is freely distributed throughout all trains in the Netherlands.

The book's main character Frits Egters has frequently recurring nightmares and I decided to use some of the elements from those bad dreams in my image, such as a swan with a large popping eye and a black lobster claw. The rabbit is an element that appears in the book while Frits is awake and the environment is a street in Amsterdam. Finally, mirrors and clocks are also prominent elements in the book.

I posted the illustration at the Conceptart.org art showcase website and received this e-mail:

"Hi Metin,

I know this will probably seem pretty weird but... I saw this image posted on conceptart.org and it freaked me out a little because it looked just like my face on the figure.

So I cut and pasted it into an email to coworkers at my office in Baltimore, MD in the United States (we work in finance, nothing creative) and jokingly suggested that if everyone wrote an essay about this picture of me from a Dutch website, I would buy the best submission lunch. I thought they would all say "hey, weird, that does look like Mike" then laugh and delete the email. Instead they actually were excited to write essays. I realize these are mostly corny, juvenile full of inside jokes and barely essays, but I thought you might be interested to see how distant strangers (non-artists) interpreted your picture, thinking it looked like someone they knew. I'm an artist myself and enjoy when people find unintended meanings in my work.

So... here are the 'entries' from the De Avonden / Mike and the Big Eyed Duck essay contest...

Spencer wrote -
The picture is obviously a snapshot of a dream, so let's first review the symbolism of each artifact. A rabbit is commonly used to represent fertility. This idea is further reinforced by the location of the rabbit on the mannequin-Riley body. The fact that he is represented by a mannequin leads me to believe that he feels dissociated from his humanity (especially since the picture is taken from above, as if looking on while floating). The prison ambience cannot be ignored: note the cot and the striped pajamas. The menacing position of the giant crab claw, in context with the fertility rabbit, may indicate some fear of sexually transmitted disease, specifically crabs. The giant-eyed duck (I believe the bird is a duck and not a goose) presents a unique and interesting twist. In gay mythology, a large eye represents judgment by the "straights", while a duck represents freedom to travel anywhere (as ducks travel on land, sea, and in the air). The fact that the duck is the holder of the large eye reverses the judgmental eye on the "straight".
Combining all of this symbolism leads me to one conclusion:
There is worry in the life of Riley that he has lost touch with humanity (aka his gayness) due to an infectious and socially-scorned disease called crabs that he contracted from a gay partner. The eye of gay is watching Riley, making him feel trapped by a prison of judgment.

Monika (from New York) wrote -
From the stripes on his shirt, Riley is actually waiting on death row. The clock above his head indicates the time he has left until his death. He contemplates whether to be a rabbit, duck or a black crab in his next life. He contemplates really hard for his time is running out.

Kellie -
This picture is of Mike dreaming. The main colors are beige and gray. Beige represents neutrality, detachment and an absence of communication. A clear shade of gray represents a peaceful transition. As we all know the clock means running out of time. Crabs relate to love affairs and/or a difficult courtship. Since we only see one claw, I think it could mean holding onto a love that isn’t necessarily good, especially since it’s a black claw and black signifies conflicts and friction within relationships. A rabbit symbolizes faithfulness, great friendships and good business ventures. The color of the rabbit (white) means sincerity. The Goose represents a long journey, which could lead to good fortune. An eye means clarity, so the fact that the goose has a rather large eye could mean you see the opportunity for good things ahead. I also noted the mirror behind the bed. A mirror represents identity or a true picture.

Jessica (vegetarian) wrote -
I think it's what Mike thinks about when dreaming. He saw a picture of Bun-bun(Jessica's pet rabbit) and is obviously infatuated with him. The crab and goose are coming to get him because he ate their cousins.

Yuet (originally from Hong Kong) wrote -
Prof. Mikie goes to bankruptcy, so his landlord took his only furniture he has and him out to street at night. He sleep too deep so he doesn't even noticed he has been moved...it is because he get drunk with Paul F. last night (so up sad about his bankruptcy), that's why he keeps sweating (see his face is full of grease!!) There is a duck from space wondering how come Prof. Mikie move out from his house, that's why he come down from the space ship to see how mikie doing...so dose the bun-bun from earth and the crab from hell...poor Mikie...

Anyway... I thought you might be interested to know we have been enjoying your great artwork at my office here in Baltimore.

Thanks,
Mike"

Thank you very much Mike and friends / colleagues! I enjoyed reading the essays a lot!

All the best,

Metin

Illustration Friday - imagine

2005-12-16T14:41:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "imagine" theme.

Imagine you were so close to starving that you .......

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Focus on Finance website

2005-12-15T23:27:00.000+01:00

The Focus on Finance website has just gone online. I've designed and visualised the website's virtual office interior locations. Check it out here:

www.focusonfinance.nl

Be sure to turn on your speakers and try to find the hidden hotspots in some of the office locations.

De Aanslag

2005-12-15T12:56:00.000+01:00

An illustration to accompany an article in Rails magazine regarding the book De Aanslag [The Assault], by the Dutch writer Harry Mulisch.

De Avonden

2005-12-12T18:54:00.000+01:00

My first illustration for the Dutch Rails magazine.

The illustration subject is the Dutch book "De Avonden" ["The Evenings"] by Gerard van het Reve.

The swan with the large popping eye and the other elements occur in the lead character's nightmares.

The book has also been converted into an impressive graphic novel series by the very skilled Dutch artist Dick Matena.

Arboprijs

2005-12-10T17:28:00.000+01:00

A design / illustration I created for the FNV Bouw "Arboprijs", a yearly prize that's awarded to the best innovation in the construction work sector.

Illustration Friday - surprise

2005-12-09T14:54:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "surprise" theme.

The image can be ordered as a high quality framed print at my webstore. Nice X-Mas present. :)

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Me and my wife

2005-12-06T22:51:00.000+01:00

I will not be able to post new items for a few days, but here's an impression of the man behind this blog, along with his beloved wife.

This photo was taken in a train station photo booth about five years ago. I've gained some weight in the mean time, but I also lost about 15 kilos of weight again during the last six months.

I'm not planning to give up weight control, so I hope I will sooner or later be able to take a new photograph similar to the one above. :)

Illustration Friday - blue

2005-12-02T22:34:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "blue" theme.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Car navigation variation

2005-12-02T10:40:00.000+01:00

A variation of my previous cover illustration, using a conventional perspective in stead of isometric, to accompany the magazine's cover article.

This is one of the big advantages of illustrating using the 3D medium: once you've built a scene, a different viewpoint is a piece of cake.

The drawback is that you can't fake a lot if you want to turn around in a scene. :)

Have a great weekend y'all!

Car navigation systems

2005-12-01T18:17:00.000+01:00

My latest illo for the Dutch Webwereld magazine.

New interview

2005-11-29T17:17:00.000+01:00

I'm honored to have been interviewed by the man behind the great Character Design blog!

Winter tree

2005-11-27T18:27:00.000+01:00

A snow-covered winter tree I created to serve as a background for the children's pages of the Dutch Wildlife magazine.

I'm quite content with the frozen snow on the branches. I used a great new plug-in called Bloodhound to create a selection depending on the polygon normal direction of the tree mesh and then created the snow using displacement.

Illustration Friday - small

2005-11-25T16:31:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "small" theme.

A little shameless plug: if you like this image, you can order it on apparel, accessories and as a framed print at my webstore.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Digital Rights Management

2005-11-22T22:48:00.000+01:00

My latest illustration for the Dutch ComputerTotaal magazine, regarding the restrictions of Digital Rights Management [DRM].

Beelzeblues

2005-11-21T22:44:00.000+01:00

Even Lucifer himself can sometimes get tired of having to be evil all the time.

Portrait - NatasjArt 01

2005-11-20T22:29:00.000+01:00

The first portrait I created of my precious wife.

Team Hoi

2005-11-19T10:04:00.000+01:00

Note: please click on the image for the clear version of the image.

A big wink to a certain animation-creating company in the US, created in 1993 to serve as an intro image for our freely distributed computer demontrations in those days.

"Our" means programmer Reinier "Rhino" van Vliet, music composer Ramon Braumuller and I, a team that has been creating games and demos together for about ten years. In case you would like to read the complete story of our adventures dealing with commercial games publishers, then you can read that at MetinSeven.com.

Illustration Friday - free

2005-11-18T14:54:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "free" theme: an illustration against animal abuse.

The rabbit is named The Bead-eyed Avenger and more about him can be found at FigureFarm.com.

A little shameless plug: if you like this image, you can order it on apparel, accessories and as a framed print at my webstore.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Icons - Mainactor

2005-11-17T11:08:00.000+01:00

A collection of icons with regard to digital sound processing.

I created the icons years ago for the multimedia editor MainActor by the German company MainConcept.

The MainActor software suite started on the Commodore Amiga computer system, but moved over to the PC in the late Nineties.

Bureaucrazy II

2005-11-16T10:09:00.000+01:00

The second of two illustrations I dedicated to the aggravating superfluity called bureaucracy.

See my previous blog entry for the other image.

Bureaucrazy I

2005-11-15T20:42:00.000+01:00

The first of two illustrations I dedicated to the exasperating nuisance called bureaucracy. I'll post the other one tomorrow.

Key position

2005-11-14T10:58:00.000+01:00

A selection of imagery from a range of computer game locations I pixeled back in 1991 [notice the Commodore Amiga 1000 computers in the computer room] ...

The game was called "Key position" and involved infiltrating a Dutch advertising agency called "The Big Bill".

The assignment was among my first commercial jobs, executed using the legendary Deluxe Paint software on a Commodore Amiga 2000 computer at the Comic House agency studio that was located in the heart of Amsterdam in those days.

The graphics had to fit into an area of 300 x 200 pixels and the worst restriction was having to use the standard Microsoft palette, existing of only 16 predefined colors, including a few fairly unusable colors, such as magenta.

Despite the above, it was a fun assignment and I made use of pixel patterns to achieve an impression of mixed colors. Of course it doesn't look stunning at all, but for me it has a certain retro value mixed with a melancholic feeling of nostalgia. :)

Oldie - jukebox

2005-11-13T16:12:00.000+01:00

An image from uncle Metin's old 3D shoebox. It's a jukebox I created in 1998 while working at the Dutch Jaytown / Spin multimedia production company.

The jukebox was created as a visual interface for one of the first MP3 players. It is also one of my first 3ds Max scenes, created with the revolutionary 3ds Max R2 and I remember having to wait until eternity for the standard Max Raytrace material to be finished rendering the relatively simple reflections. :)

But of course in those days you had to work with an Intel Pentium 2 processor if I remember it correctly. Besides, there were no 3ds Max plug-in renderers yet, such as finalRender, V-Ray or Maxwell.

Violin investments

2005-11-12T15:48:00.000+01:00

An illustration for the Dutch SQ magazine, to accompany an article regarding violin investments.

If you've got the money, buy yourself a Stradivarius or two. :) According to the article it is a solid and lucrative investment.

Illustration Friday - strength

2005-11-11T14:43:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "strength" theme.

This lad is called BragBoy. The story behind BragBoy is a part of my Figure Farm character development project.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Internet tv

2005-11-11T11:17:00.000+01:00

Another illo for the Dutch ComputerTotaal magazine, regarding internet television. That's actually all I have to tell about this. :)

Working in this isometric a.k.a. axonometric a.k.a. orthographic perspective style really makes me a happy camper. It offers creative freedom and the chance to develop a distinctive style of my own.

Have a great weekend!

Build your own NAS

2005-11-10T23:50:00.000+01:00

My latest illustration for the Dutch ComputerTotaal magazine, regarding a workshop about building your own affordable NAS [Network Attached Storage] device by reusing an old computer and installing Linux on the system. You can read much more about this in the next issue of ComputerTotaal.

I'm still drowning in the deadline sea, but I've almost reached the surface by now. :) I'll be back tomorrow, hope you'll be back as well.

Trial and error

2005-11-09T10:47:00.000+01:00

A new article illustration for the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

The article discusses the lack of theoretical education in the construction work sector. Most construction workers learn their most important lessons through trial and error at work.

Scetch - Level Crossing Monster

2005-11-08T21:09:00.000+01:00

An image that came into my mind, so I roughly scetched it in Photoshop.

It's the Level Crossing Monster! Just as you are almost falling asleep waiting for that long train to pass by, the level crossing turns out to hide a monster in disguise, with flashing red eyes that hypnotize you. So beware! :)

I will create a 3D version of this critter for my Figure Farm project as soon as I find the time. Usually I start from scratch in 3D, but I've decided to start scetching again before creating my characters in 3D, to establish a certain spontaneity in the design that is hard to achieve when carefully constructing in 3D.

Grab your benefit

2005-11-07T16:57:00.000+01:00

A new illustration for the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine, accompanying an article regarding the right for benefit in the construction work sector.

I'm facing a considerable amount of deadlines the next days, so I will have enough new material to post here this week.

BRAIN foundation

2005-11-06T11:28:00.000+01:00

My monthly illustration to accompany the Dutch Computer!Totaal magazine's opinion column.

In the Netherlands there's the so-called BRAIN foundation against music and movie piracy [stichting BREIN for Dutch readers]. Nothing wrong about that, but their latest initiative is the distribution of CD-ROMs among school children, containing software that erases all peer to peer software from their system.

Enjoy your Sunday. Although the Autumn sun is shining outside over here I'll have to work today, as a number of deadlines will dawn the following days. But no problemo, as you might already have guessed that I love my job. :)

Love hurts

2005-11-05T09:18:00.000+01:00

A doodle I created with the good ol' Photoshop brush tool.

Usually I haven't got the time or courage to draw in stead of constructing in 3D. I often compare drawing with playing an musical instrument: you have to keep practicing or you will lose the necessary flexibility. This is different in 3D, where you can carefully build every single present element and tweak until you drop.

Of course, drawing using the computer allows you to fine-tune up to eternity as well, erasing and redrawing time after time, while drawing on paper will always leave some traces of your errors. That's why I've got the least confidence when I draw on paper, which in my opinion often results in a mediocre piece of work.

I wish you all a great weekend.

Illustration Friday - night

2005-11-04T15:20:00.000+01:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "night" theme.

A little shameless plug: if you like this image, you can order it in the shape of a high quality framed print at my webstore.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

Wallace & Gromit

2005-11-04T01:02:00.000+01:00

I just got back from the Wallace & Gromit movie and I really enjoyed it. I won't go into any details, but the rabbits were so funny and so was the dog character (not Gromit but the other dog in the movie). Only the dog's sheer appearance in any scene was enough to make me laugh, being such a whimsical character design.

It's really great to experience such a charming, humorous, innocently themed and brilliantly created movie amidst of all the usual mindless violence and drama. Two thumbs up for Nik Park and his huge film production crew.

If you're into animated features, go and see Wallace & Gromit and the curse of the were-rabbit in the movie theatre.

Crime serial - finale

2005-11-03T10:54:00.000+01:00

My final image from a range of illustrations for a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

This illo depicts the decor for the story finale, where the inspector and the murder suspect will get into a fight on the roof of a building.

I had a lot of fun creating the ten illustrations and the logo in this style. My thanks go to the editor of FNV Bouw magazine for giving me the opportunity for this film noir style experiment.

This afternoon I will go to the new Wallace & Gromit movie, together with a bunch o' friends/colleagues from the Comic House agency. Looking forward to that.

Crime serial - brothel

2005-11-02T10:28:00.000+01:00

The ninth illustration I created to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

This particular illustration depicts a flashback where the suspected murderer has an argument with the prostitute that would later become his victim.

I decided to leave the ink lines away this time, because they did not contribute to the overall image, suppressing the rim light effect.

Tomorrow I will post the final illustration from this series. Stay tuned. :)

Crime serial - argument

2005-11-01T11:42:00.000+01:00

My eighth image to illustrate a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

In this part, one of the lead characters has an argument with his wife. The man keeps watching television in a quasi-indifferent manner while his wife complains.

As you can see I've gone quite berserk in this particular illustration. I wanted to visualize the unpleasant atmosphere between the two arguers and decided to do that in an arty farty way using an intricate web of rough lines.

Two more crime serial illos to go the next couple of days.

Crime serial - Moulin Rouge revisited

2005-10-31T10:02:00.000+01:00

The seventh image to illustrate a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

In this part the inspector visits the Dutch variant of the Moulin Rouge club to talk to some prostitutes about their murdered colleague and find out about her clients.

There will be three more crime serial illustrations the next three days and then the ten-part series will be concluded and other stuff will be coming your way.

Up to now I believe I've managed to keep up an update a day since the start of this blog. I have no idea how many frequently returning visitors I've managed to attract, but I hope I can build up a nice audience with this blog.

Your comments are much appreciated. Please don't hesitate to write down what you think. It's very inspiring for me to communicate with visitors of this weblog.

Inspiration

2005-10-31T00:27:00.000+01:00

I'm spending a fair amount o' spare time visiting about a zillion inspirational artist weblogs and online portfolios lately. There are so many flabbergastingly talented illustrators around, I just don't know how to stop my list of links from growing to infinity.

The current status can be viewed in the right column of my blog. Be warned though: visiting the various links will very probably cause an irresistible urge to create something yourself or your head will explode after feeding your eyes with this overload of visual candy.

So check the links at your own risk and be prepared for some serious insomnia. :)

Crime serial - the call

2005-10-30T10:32:00.000+01:00

The sixth illustration I created to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

In this part, one of the main characters has just received a mysterious threatening telephone call, related to the still unsolved murder case. See previous blog entries for more imagery and info regarding this crime serial.

Crime serial - interrogation

2005-10-29T12:53:00.000+02:00

My fifth illustration to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

This image illustrates a part of the story where a suspect is being interrogated by the chain-smoking inspector that is handling the murder case. For more info check out my previous posts about this crime serial.

Enjoy your weekend!

Illustration Friday - broken

2005-10-28T20:24:00.000+02:00

My contribution to Illustration Friday's "broken" theme.

I created this image not long before the US invasion in Iraq as part of an animated anti-war statement by assignment of the Dutch division of Greenpeace. The motto was "Violence breeds violence, war is never the answer".

You can find my complete audiovisual short for the Greenpeace website in Sevensheaven's realistic animation section.

If you entered this particular page through the Illustration Friday website and if you would like to see more of my imagery, then you're heartily invited to check out my complete weblog here: www.studioseven.nl

New interview

2005-10-28T18:03:00.000+02:00

Both English and Dutch readers who are interested can visit a fresh online interview with me at the Dutch Illustration website ...

Here's the Dutch interview.

And here's the English translation.

Hope you enjoy it! :)

Computer Arts gallery

2005-10-28T11:39:00.000+02:00

Wow, an old friend of mine just e-mailed to tell me that I am featured in the Computer Arts magazine online gallery! I am really flattered, thanks Future publishing!

Check it out here.

It seems that the thumbnail navigation doesn't work flawlessly though, but as far as I'm concerned that's only a minor drawback. :)

Crime serial - the incident

2005-10-28T11:01:00.000+02:00

The fourth illustration to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

In this part, one of the main story characters is driving his car when the radio news starts reporting about the murder that has just happened, involving the Moulin Rouge prostitute he had been visiting. While he is listening he forgets to concentrate on the road, when suddenly a playing boy runs across the street in front of his car.

The driver manages to stop his car just in time and with an accelerated heartbeat he realizes that he has missed most of the report because of the incident.

It's Illustration Friday again, so I might interrupt this series of crime story illos for an IF contribution, but I will continue the crime story illos right after that again, so don't go away. :)

Intermissive message - Hazes

2005-10-27T23:33:00.000+02:00

Wanted to mention this to the Dutch readers among you [apologies for the temporary language shift] ...

Gisteravond was de bevriende illustrator Peter Pontiac op bezoek. Hij had een mijns inziens zeer scherpe opmerking: dat actuele vogelgriepvirus heet "H5N1" ... Dat spreek je uit als "H 5 en 1" oftewel ... Hazes! André is terug, in virusvorm! :)

Vond het wel een spitsvondige woordvondst van Pontiac en kon het niet laten om dit even te vermelden alhier.

Crime serial - discussion

2005-10-27T10:21:00.000+02:00

My third illustration to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

This scene depicts a part of the story where a non-stop smoking inspector is having a discussion with his chief regarding a murder that seems to be connected with the Moulin Rouge club [check previous blog entries for more about this crime story].

To avoid a grey-only result and to emphasize elements I decided to process the colour red into each crime serial illustration. In this particular image the red is only faintly apparent outside the window.

To be continued again tomorrow ...

Crime serial - shaving cut

2005-10-26T10:31:00.000+02:00

The second illustration I created to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

In this part of the story one of the main characters is thinking about having been unfaithful to his wife, when his wife unexpectedly yells something to him from the hall, which results in a shaving cut.

While looking at the resulting blood of the cut the man realizes that his unfaithful behaviour can't go on like this.

Tomorrow I will post the next illo from this series, so I hope to see you back tomorrow.

Crime serial - Moulin Rouge

2005-10-25T11:10:00.000+02:00

The first illustration I made to accompany a multi-part crime serial that was published in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

This first part featured one of the lead characters from the story visiting an imaginary Dutch version of the famous French Moulin Rouge erotic club. So I illustrated his departure in the evening rain.

I wanted to establish a dark, moody atmosphere and used a rough brushed ink style to avoid a sterile computer graphics appearance.

Crime serial - gun 'n' rose

2005-10-24T11:42:00.000+02:00

A logo I created for a multi-part crime serial in the Dutch FNV Bouw magazine.

The idea behind the image is that the rose's thorns would make it hurtful to pull the trigger and pulling the trigger would cut the rose: hate kills love. Now that's deep isn't it? :)

If you like this image, you can buy it on all kinds of apparel and accessories in my Cafepress shop.

The following days I will show you the illustrations I made for this crime serial, so stay tuned to this blog frequency.

Police cap

2005-10-23T17:49:00.000+02:00

A couple of years ago I used to carry out photography assignments every now and then, for the Dutch Intermediair magazine.

One of those photo assignments involved a police cap for the magazine's cover. I had a hard time trying to convince the local police station that I needed to borrow one of their caps for a photo assignment, but eventually the police station of a nearby town did not mind.

So I photographed a few different angles of the cap and brought it back to the police. The officer asked me to arrange a copy of the magazine in return for their support.

When the magazine was published, my cap photo was printed very large on the cover, along with the following headline: "WHY THE POLICE IS NEVER THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM". You can imagine that I decided not to give a copy of the magazine to the police officer. :)

RSS Owl part II

2005-10-22T11:09:00.000+02:00

Someone I know from a comic artists forum made this cool photo edit with my RSS owl [you can find the RSS owl illustration a few entries back].

I'd love to see my 3D characters materialized and finished on my desk like this one day. A 3D World magazine character design competition has made me win a rapid prototype of my Prop character about a year ago:

Illustration Friday - remote

2005-10-21T16:47:00.000+02:00

Within the scope of Illustration Friday's remote topic here is The Remote Robot, a character I created in cooperation with my good friend Pieter Hogenbirk.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Moon Child - storyboard

2005-10-21T10:14:00.000+02:00

One of my storyboard drawings for the intro and bumpers of our platform action game Moon Child, released in 1997 for Windows 95/98 by the Dutch Valkieser publishing company.

You can download the complete game for free over here if you own a Pocket PC. The original version's 3D animations and the CD soundtracks are not included in the Pocket PC version though. :)

If you would like to know more about my ten years as a computer games developer, you're invited to read the Hoi saga.

RSS Owl

2005-10-20T18:09:00.000+02:00

An owl character I created for Computer!Totaal magazine, accompanying an article about RSS readers, including a coverage of the RSS Owl open source reader.

Dutch readers will undoubtedly recognize the wink to an old Dutch television series featuring a blue owl reading the "Fable Paper". I remember having to go to bed around seven in the evening, after watching that show in the second half of the Seventies.

As you can see I couldn't resist to include a shameless plug in the illustration. :)

The machine - continued

2005-10-19T11:40:00.000+02:00

Staying in the machine theme of the previous post here is another conveyor belt I recently created for the Dutch Webwereld magazine. This isometric style illustration is about virusscanners and will be featured in the next PDF special of Webwereld.

I love steel machines and the industrial theme in general. Maybe because it's such a cold and hard opposite of our warm and soft biological nature. Don't you sometimes wish your heart was made of armoured steel? :)

OnGuard art 7 - the machine

2005-10-18T11:38:00.000+02:00

The seventh and last piece I created in a series of printed and framed artworks for the Dutch software company OnGuard [also see previous weblog entries].

This work portrays two icons from the icon range I produced for OnGuard's credit management software. One icon is the VU meter on the machine and the other icon is the abstract human character on the conveyor belt.

After conceiving the machine I couldn't resist creating a darker variation of the image, altering the subject into what you may call an industrialized portrait of god:

OnGuard art 6 - smile

2005-10-17T11:51:00.000+02:00

The sixth of seven printed and framed artworks for the Dutch OnGuard software company [see previous posts for more info regarding this subject].

This happy image was inspired on a smiley icon that is a frequently appearing symbol in the OnGuard credit management software suite.

On a personal happy note: it's my wife's birthday today. Congratulations babe and I hope we will stay together for at least 200 years! :)

OnGuard art 5 - hail to the doctor

2005-10-16T11:01:00.000+02:00

The fifth piece from seven printed and framed artworks for the OnGuard software company [read previous weblog entries for more info]. The doctor bag that's the theme of this work is an important help icon within the OnGuard credit management software.

I created all of the about 180 icons in 3D, because they needed to look good in different resolutions and a 3D render with high quality sampling settings and a sharp anti-aliasing filter such as Catmull-Rom can produce remarkably fine-looking icons in small dimensions, with a level of sub-pixel sampling that is nearly impossible to create manually.

Enjoy your Sunday folks. Over here in the Netherlands the sky is blue and the sun is shining, which is not quite an obvious weather condition in these regions, especially not in this time of year. :)

OnGuard art 4 - lightning expo

2005-10-15T12:23:00.000+02:00

The fourth OnGuard artwork [see previous weblog entries for more info].

I placed the lightning icon in an exposition-like 3D environment and turned the lightning bolts into object-based area lights using the V-Ray renderer for 3ds Max.

Have a great weekend y'all.

OnGuard art 3 - currency balance

2005-10-14T08:30:00.000+02:00

The third piece in a series of seven printed and framed works for the Dutch OnGuard software company, derived from a series of icons I created for the company's software suite [see previous posts for more details].