Showing posts with label Video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video games. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Recent Shows at iam8bit Gallery in LA

Last week was a busy week for the iam8bit folks! They had two gallery openings, one featuring the 10th Anniversary of video game Psychonauts and the second show was celebrating their own 10 year anniversary!

The Psychonauts show featured work from artists, concept art from the early years of the game development, and Tim Schafer - the founder of Double-Fine was there too! Here is my painting from the show.

Another Day At Camp
9x12 inches
Gouache, ink on wood panel
©Nicole Gustafsson
SOLD


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The 2nd show that opened last week was iam8bit's 10th Anniversary show! I am super happy to have been showing with the gallery since 2011 and pumped for Jon, Amanda, and all the iam8bit crew for this celebration in the galleries history. This show featured over 150 works remixing their favorite retro video games memories. 

I chose to feature Donkey Kong Jr for NES a game that has me frustrated and hooked all at once. I can never get very far in this game, but I sure keep coming back for more!


Jr. in the Jungle
9 x 12 inches
Gouache, ink on wood panel
©Nicole Gustafsson



Monday, June 09, 2014

Future of Gaming at iam8bit


Tomorrow is the opening to "Future Of Gaming" exhibit at Iam8bit. Industry leaders give quotes on their thoughts on the future of gaming, and artists like myself illustrate the quote. I was teamed up with Kim Swift (co-creator of Portal) and illustrated her quote:
"The future of gaming is going to always be with us on mobile devices that are a part of our daily lives, and will infect and project onto the world around us. We're on the advent of some truly impressive mobile devices-- input systems that detect the acoustic variances on where you tap your palm, tiny microprojectors on glasses, cameras that detect where you're looking, virtual and augmented reality, not to mention increased processing speeds. Imagine games that can project onto any surface, anywhere to create an instant display and use voice, eye direction and touch controls for inputs. Then picture the game taking into account the environment it’s being projected on to determine things like level layouts, and those projections interacting with other people’s game projections. I imagine that games will be everywhere around us.”

Game Night, 8x8 inches, gouache and ink, ©Nicole Gustafsson 2014
This exhibit originally launched at DICE summit in Las Vegas last February, and now it's showing in LA during the E3 expo this week! Go see the exhibit in person at the opening Tuesday, June 10th from 7-11pm (show runs until June 22nd).

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

D.I.C.E. Summit 2014

I had the honor of contributing a piece to The Future Of Gaming curated by iam8bit at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas last week. 10 artists were asked to create an art piece based on a quote by individuals in the gaming industry. My quote was from Kim Swift who said:

"The future of gaming is going to always be with us on mobile devices that are part of our daily lives, and will infect and project onto the world around us. We're on the advent of some truly impressive mobile devices--input systems that detect the acoustic variances on where you tap your palm, tiny microprojectors on glasses, cameras that detect where you're looking, virtual and augmented reality, not to mention increased processing speeds. Imagine games that can project onto any surface, anywhere to create an instant display and uses voice, eye direction and touch controls for inputs. Then picture the game taking into account the environment it's being project on to determine things like level layouts, and those projections interacting with other people's game projections. I imagine that games will be everywhere around us."

Game Night, 8x8 inches, gouache and ink, ©Nicole Gustafsson 2014
I loved the idea of characters interacting with other players and that gaming could be projected anywhere. My painting I created for the show features a group of gaming gals hanging out playing a game together. For the "game" I used woodland characters that I've been developing in my artwork over the years.

Playing video games can be such a fun experience with friends and other gamers. Some of my favorite memories of video games are playing NES games with my sisters and friends growing up. Going to PAX I see impromptu games springing up everywhere while people wait in lines or just chilling, it's an exciting time for video games and I love seeing the new technology and innovation mixed with passionate creativity.


Photo of The Future of Gaming via iam8bit

Photo of The Future of Gaming via iam8bit

Photo of The Future of Gaming via iam8bit
To learn more about the D.I.C.E Summit visit their website: www.dicesummit.org

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Original Painting at Desert Bus for Hope

My original painting "A Perfect Day" based on Animal Crossing New Leaf, is up on silent auction over at Desert Bus for Hope! Quick recap of what Desert Bus for Hope is that they play a video game nonstop while raising money for Childs Play Charity. They auction off items, do fun challenges, have guest speakers during this time. So far the group has been bussing for a little over two days and has already raised over $173,000!!! I have participated in this event for the last four years and it's been wonderful getting to know the folks involved.


"A Perfect Day"
Original Gouache and Ink painting on paper
8x10 inches
©Nicole Gustafsson 2013


Note: My auction item has about 6 hours left (at the time this post was made), get your bids in!!! 
UPDATE: SOLD for $1212.12!!! Thank you! 

There were prints made of this for the Fangamer X Attract Mode show and I've been getting a few questions about those. I believe that there are still copies of the print available, but they will be available at Fangamer.net sometime in the future. 

UPDATE on the PRINT: It is currently available here at Fangamer.net


Monday, June 03, 2013

New Print available at Fangamer

Just launched this weekend is my new print at Fangamer! It was a few years ago that I stumbled upon Fangamer's booth at Pax Prime, and I was in love with their company ever since. They provide great quality t-shirts, prints, and other fun stuff inspired on the video games you know and love. Fangamer's goal is to celebrate, encourage, and advance the art of gaming.

Flora of the Kingdom is available for purchase: here





These photos are via Fangamer.



Thursday, March 07, 2013

Harvest Moon : Follow-up Desert Bus Painting

Back in November I participated in Desert Bus for Hope charity event (here is my complete blog post about the event) where lots of items are bid on while the hosts play the video game Desert Bus. One of the items I contributed for the auctions, was a custom painting based on a video game of the winning bidders choosing. It's been a little time since the event, but here is the completed painting based on Harvest Moon for 64. The client really liked the farming aspect of the game and I thought all the animals and characters in the video game were adorable, so I worked out a composite highlighting some of the main aspects the game.


For those of you who have played the game you might recognize Karen who is one of the lovely females of the game your character can "woo". I didn't realize that they're were lots of Harvest Moon games in the series still being made, they really interesting and made me want a DS!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

"Natural History" show opening at Gallery 1988 Venice

Last Saturday was the opening to the duo show "Natural History" at Gallery 1988: Venice with Leontine Greenberg and myself. It was a bit rainy but thanks everyone who came and extra special thanks to the fine folks at Gallery 1988.

It was my first time in California and I couldn't have been more thrilled to be there!





Here's a closer link at my pieces in the show. This venue specializes in pop culture shows and so I focused the theme of my paintings to what pop culture is to me. I tend to be on the nerdy side of pop culture...Dungeons and Dragons, Video Games, and Legos are a few of my references that came up in this show.

Critical Fail, 6.25x6.25 inches, Gouache and ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 Available

D10 of Bad Beasties, 10x10 inches, Gouache & Ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 SOLD 

D20 of Awesome Artifacts, 10x10 inches, Gouache and ink paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012,  Available

Fire Flower, 7.5 x 10 inches, gouache and ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 Available

Flora of the Mushroom Kingdom, 12x12 inches, gouache & ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 Available

The Forest Grew While She Dreamed, 14.25x8.5 inches, gouache & ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 Available

Exploring the Mushroom Grove, 8x8 inches, gouache and ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 Available Sold

Fragments of Kingdoms Past, 7.5x6.5 inches, gouache and ink on paper, ©Nicole Gustafsson 2012, Available


Ruins, 10x10inches, gouache and ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012 SOLD  |  Prints Available

The Night Fortress, 8x10inches, goauche and ink on paper, ©Nicole Gustafsson, SOLD

The Nothing is Coming, 10x10inches, gouache and ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2012, Available

All the paintings are available online at www.nineteeneightyeight.com and will be up all month long at the gallery. Check out their website for hours.



Monday, November 19, 2012

Desert Bus for Hope 6

It's that wonderful week of the year where gamers and fellow-nerds tune into Desert Bus for Hope. All week long, the dedicated individuals who run this charity event play the game Desert Bus and raise money for Child's Play Charity, who donates games and toys for children in hospitals. There are guest callers, live auctions, silent auctions, giveaways, and all kinds of excitement going on!

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for tuning in and yea to the winning bidders!



This is my third year donating an item for their auction and I love being involved and meeting new people through this Desert Bus event. The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite game series so that is what I chose to paint this year. It is a mystery just how Link is able to carry all those items in his inventory so my painting depicts Link traveling Hyrule with all his stuff. Zelda also likes to travel the world and her kingdom, so I made a companion painting featuring her as well.


I also debossed the mat's with the Triforce symbol (to be extra nerdy!). These paintings will be up for the live auction HERE on Wednesday, Nov 21st at 12:00pm EST (or 2:00 CST). You must have a donor account to be able to bid in the chat. (see the FAQ for more info on this).

Update: SOLD for $1515.15!!! 







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This year I am also doing a CUSTOM PAINTING based on the video game of the winning bidders choice. I get a lot of requests for video game commissions, so if you are interested or emailed me in the past for a custom piece, this is your chance!!! Again all the money goes towards Child's Play Charity so it's a double win.


The silent auction for the custom painting 5x7 based on the video game of your choice goes live Wed, November 21st at 6:00AM (PST). Click here to go to the auction link.

Update: SOLD for $1818.18!!!

The painting above is the "Custom Painting" winner from Desert Bus for Hope two years ago, and the clients game choice was Super Mario Galaxy. I had not played the game but had the fun of doing a little "research" and playing the game. The music was amazing and being a Mario fan it was great to see such an interesting world for Mario to be in.

Tune in to Desert Bus for Hope and check it out. There are a lot of really great items being auctioned, and awesome people visiting in and doing what they can to help earn money for the charity.  

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Old School Video Game Art Show at Gallery 1988


Tomorrow is the opening for The Old School Video Game Art Show at Gallery 1988. 
Looks like a really awesome lineup of artists to reminisce about their favorite games.

The Old School Video Game Art Show
Reception: Friday, September 16th 7:00pm
Show runs Sept 16th - October 8th

Hide and Seek, 7 x 14.5 inches, Gouache & Ink on paper, © Nicole Gustafsson 2011, SOLD
One of my favorite video games is the Legend of Zelda series. My personal favorite from the series is Windwaker which influenced the style and characters in this painting. I am very much looking forward to the new game coming out this year. I got a little peek of it at PAX and it looks awesome!

I become quite fond of the  Bokoblin's (little green guys with torches) when working on this piece. I want to think of myself to be somewhat-like princess Zelda, but really I think I'm more like a Bokoblin just hanging out, enjoying some of the scenery and being a little puzzled :)


If your in the area this is a show not to miss! Say hi to all the little game sprites for me :)

Monday, September 05, 2011

PAX Prime 2011

I've been a bit quiet lately partially because I was getting ready for a solo show this last week and partially because I just came back from the giant nerd-fest known as PAX Prime in Seattle. It was a grand time...meeting people that were previously just internet buddies and lusting after new games soon to be out. Here are highlights of our adventures from the trip (Warning...my rendition involves mostly food and random comments. If you want a more comprehensive day to day telling of our PAX adventure head on over to Matts blog.)

Our first day we left Nebraska here at 5:00am for the airport which was way too early, but that left us a whole day to explore Seattle and get our bearings before PAX actually begain. After getting a little breakfast (Matt went with the Japanese breakfast (above) and a much needed nap at our hotel...we journeyed over to Pikes Place Public Market and got lost in an endless maze of shops and goodies.

 I had been to the market years ago, but I had no idea how big the place was or how the levels would randomly end or twist to a different section. It is someplace that I would like to explore more on a really quiet day...it was pretty busy when we were there.

 Whoever decided to add greenery to the buildings that hangs off the side is a genius....a plant loving mossy green genius...

Got up early the first day to get in line for the opening keynote speaker and question and answer time with Jerry and Mike. We were greeted by lines of nerds.....

After waiting in line for all morning we were super hungry so we stopped at 820 Pike Street Pan Asian Cuisine. I got the Bibimbap is one of my favorite dishes. Basically various yummy things with an egg on top. (Yeah...I'm thinking that most things with a fried egg on top is a good sign it will be delisious. )

Matt went with the Chicken Pho which came in a giant bowl.

Here is the Bioshock booth which was super sweet because it had a photoshoot with Elizabeth from the new game. Then after you get your photo taken you stand in line and look at concept art from the game and then answer trivia questions to win a t-shirt. Matt won one but I commandeered it :)

Banner for the new Legend of Zelda game coming out. It looks really fun and want it to be out...NOW!

Matt got to meet Scott and Kris and gave them some of my postcards, and also picked up a copy of The Best of PVP.

Yum Pizza! These are from Mod Pizza downtown Seattle. Really I think we could have shared one but went ahead and ordered two and ate it all.

While waiting for a panel to start we walked in on a cosplay competition. If I could hand out prizes this lovely lady as Vanille from Final Fantasy 13 would win hands down. It's crazy how good some of these costumes are....these people have some serious sewing skills.

Some of my favorite stuffs we got the first day. I LOVE all things Totoro so I freaked out when I saw this bag. Also super sweet was some older print Magic cards...and guess who pulled a mythic card...I did.

For day 2 of PAX we headed once again to this great little bakery Belle Epicurean which was a block from our hotel. This bakery is one of the things we miss most about leaving Seattle. We ate there everyday but this was the only day that we got photos of both our dishes before devouring them.

One of the panels that was a MUST SEE for us was Acquisitions, Inc, where Mike, Jerry, Scott Kurtz and Wil Wheaton play Dungeons and Dragons. Above is Mike as his character Jim Darkmagic.

The whole crew playing away. It finally occurred to me that PAX would be the perfect place to wear my handwoven green cape my Mom-in-law made me.... maybe I'll bring it next year permitting it will fit in my suitcase. Check out the amazing table and set that they are playing on. Someday I will have a table like that....someday.

Another favorite food place we found was Blue C Sushi, with the yummy moving belt of food.

All the plates are color coded according to cost. Was also nice that if you didn't see something on the belt that you wanted you just push a button and can request it. So of course I wanted green tea ice cream!


The Magic the Gathering booth had a great statue of Jace, but if there could be a giant figure of any character from the game I would totally pick Empress Galina. Really I'm working on how I could go as her for Halloween sometime....she's so badass....and has seal companions...awesome!

I admit I don't play the Pokemon series but these papercraft Pokemon figures were really fun.

Another really great cosplay figure from the game Journey. I'm still trying to figure out how some of these costumes are so good. The glowing eyes on this one were flawless, and I love how they will pose for you across a room full of people!

 For dinner we ate at our hotel and it was really very good. Matt got the salmon above and I ordered a big hunk of prime rib and got a bit of heckling from both my date and our waiter because we've got enough beef back home in good ole Nebraska!


We had a great time at PAX and this entry doesn't even begin to cover all the events and panels we went to. Again go check out Matt's blog for a more comprehensive documentation of our PAX adventure. I also had a super fangirl moment and tracked down Mike some of my postcards featuring some paintings. He momentary confused that I ambushed him to give him something but took it anyways. Looking forward to our next PAX trip in the somewhere near future.