Posted 11/05/09 at 06:47:25 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Artist Chuck Anderson has found immense success at the ripe old age of 24. If you’ve installed the Windows 7 RC or final version, you’ve seen his artwork. Chuck designed the login screen and default wallpaper for Redmond’s new OS.

Microsoft contacted him in December 2008. They started off showing him the crazy background themes they were bundling with Windows 7. This may have put the young independent artist at ease knowing he had a lot of leeway in his designs.

The designs were done with pencil and paper first, and then transferred to Photoshop for refining. The entire process took about four months. In the process of designing the login screen, Chuck and Microsoft noticed an early version had a series of seven lines at the bottom. They started repeating that in the final design. If you look at his work, you’ll see there are seven branches, seven leaves, and seven flower petals in a few places.

Microsoft managed to collaborate well with a talented young artist, and our new Windows is much more attractive for it. Hit the story link for some work in progress images of the background and login screen.

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Posted 10/28/09 at 01:00:00 PM by Thomas McDonald

One thing I learned while attending art school was that anyone who thinks he or she is an Artist-with-a-capital-A, isn’t. Anyone who tries to produce Art—complete with layers of meaning and a message and prepackaged interpretations that they are just dying for some sensitive soul to uncover, is inevitably going to produce self-conscious garbage. It will probably be boring, almost certainly ugly, and without question, philosophically tendentious.

In any art, pure technique (honed by hard work and diligent practice) and pure instinct (some mystical combination of observation, perception, and interpretation, most of it subconscious) mingle to create something that speaks as “art.” You can’t fake it.

Thus, when I boot a pretentious art-house game like The Path, I know I’m in for instant seating at the crap buffet, complete with a tepid chaser of trite, high-school-level philosophy about MEANINGFUL THINGS. The Path is… words fail me.

Continue reading after the jump.

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Posted 08/15/08 at 02:05:23 PM by Chris Moody

SIGGRAPH 2008 brings roughly 30,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from around the world together focusing on science, research, art, animation, gaming, and education. They hand out prizes for the best in computer animation from submissions. This year’s conference ends today.

"The caliber of submissions this year was truly phenomenal, which made the jury's job especially difficult." said Jill Smolin, SIGGRAPH 2008 Conference Entertainment Director. "The winners truly showcase what is possible today and provide a glimpse into what artists can achieve in the future. Really, the only limitation is the imagination."

The SIGGRAPH 2008 Best of Show award goes to Oktapodi by Gobelins, l'école de l’image, from France.

Best Student Piece Winner award goes to 893 by Supinfocom from France.

The Jury Award Winner is Mauvais Rôle by École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle, also from France.

It seems the French made a clean sweep. The conference was held in Los Angeles. Go figure.

Oktapodi and Mauvais Rôle are both pretty entertaining. although I found Mauvais Rôle funnier. It must have been the gamer references. I couldn’t find a link to 893. Check them out!

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Posted 12/05/07 at 04:07:00 PM by Thomas McDonald

In which we try to decide if Bioshock counts as Art. Pitchforks and torches provided for your convenience.

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