GIF and only GIF

The Oxford American Dictionary has declared GIF as the word of the year apparently. I guess that means I can republish this:

If you haven't watched it already, you should definitely check out the PBSOffbook video about GIF.

It is fantastic. Really, you should check out all of their videos. The only piece of criticism I have towards them is the fact that they only put out a new video every other week. That said, if that is what it takes to keep up the quality of the videos, let them take two weeks!

 Question: If GIF is considered an artform, what are the most successful ways of displaying them in a museum setting?

Possible solutions include:

1. Projectors upon a wall.
2. Utilization of specially designed digital photo frames.
3. Connecting directly with portable digital devices with methods such as NFC, QR, or other scan based transmission of data.

Finally, if you want an example of great GIF work, check out the following:

Dain 8)

If We Don't, Remember Me

From Me to You

Something Smells Fishy...

Ichthyosapien 61912
Digital Painting
2012

Lately, I've been working on a project that I have been thinking about for a long time. Originally, the project was a series of essays connecting classic movie monsters with fears and phobias. Though I may return to the lengthy written discourse the project originated as sometime in the future, for the time being, the project lives as a series of portraits called Social Monsters.

The first portait, Zombie 5412, actually marked the first time I made an artistic rendition of the walking dead, as I wrote about previously. Originally, it was created for a friend, but the enjoyment it brought encouraged me to complete and entire series of related portraits. Icthyosapien 61912, as seen above, is the third portrait of the series and one of the more challenging pieces I have ever completed. In fact, the image seen above is the second version of the piece. The first was much more heavily inspired by Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The goal is to complete the series in time for Halloween. If I feel inspired, I may write the full essays to accompany each image explaining what fears and phobias each monster represents and why. For now, I'm content just making the images. What are your thoughts?

The 8-Bit Arts

Mega Man

Sense memory is an amazing thing. A single, errant scent, sound, or taste, and a person can be thrown back decades in time to relive experiences long forgotten. For anyone who invested hours of their childhood playing the NES, the modern art scenes inspired by 8-Bit acts as a bridge to worlds familiar yet foreign.

Blip Festival NYC 2012 just concluded. Had I access to a TARDIS, I would definitely check it out. Lacking said technology, I'm left basking in they afterglow remotely.

Moleman 2 - Demoscene - The Art of Algorithms has been released for a few months, but since it is a documentary about an art scene that is still generally unknown by the general public, it felt important to showcase.

Loved is an example of what I hope for more of in the future of video games. If you have a couple minutes, I highly recommend that you play it. The game is relatively short, and worth more than a few plays.

There is still an incredible amount of 8-Bit inspired arts out there. What are your favorites? Also, Happy Memorial Day!

How I Learned to Stop Bashing and Love the Zombie

Zombie 5412
Digital Painting
2012

For years, I've avoided zombies. They are far from my favorite monster. I'm much more of a werewolf guy myself. However, as a first, I feel this zombie portrait turned out alright. I may even try another in the future. Any opinions?