Issue 160

Hello!

Insane week this week. Freelance work, partnerships, SVS stuff, personal life, and Inktober all kind of came smashing together this week, and I haven't been able to catch my breath yet. That's why this newsletter is coming out in the evening.

It's all a good kind of busy though. Really happy with how things are playing out, and for what is on the horizon.

Also! next week will be my Fall Original Art Sale. I will have some really spectacular pieces for sale. The art moves fast, so I give priority to my newsletter subscribers. I'll be giving you a link to the back room the night before the sale goes public, so be sure to keep an eye on your inboxes. Sale launches Wednesday morning on Nov 2.

You can check the archive here to see what's sold in the past: LINK​

Alright, here's 5 things I thought you'd find interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!

1) A Cloaked Traveler

From the Art Department

Yesterday, I finally took some time to do some Inktober drawings. As I was searching for ideas of what to draw I remembered I started the month with a cloaked character and thought I should return to that character.

This drawing is for Day 30: Gear, so I gave him a bunch of electronic equipment to carry. I have no idea what this guy is doing with all this stuff...but something is starting to brew.

I just shared some sketches and a little secret trick that I'm kind of embarrassed I used to design this guy over on the PATREON.

PATREON: You can see all the behind the scenes stuff and more like the start to finish creation of the SPACESHIPS book and other art, including secret stuff I can't share publicly. Sign up here: LINK​

2) Lybian Battle Trucks

From the Office of Wheels

While doing research for the Spaceships book I remembered seeing photos of these civilian trucks that were repurposed for guerrilla warfare. A quick search took me to the website of Venice based, British photographer James Mollison.

I also found this short, but fascinating read: The Toyota Pickup Truck Is the War Chariot of the Third World.​

It's about the Toyota War of the 1987 Chadian-Libyan conflict, in which Chadian troops in nimble Toyota trucks were able to trounce the Libyan's with their tanks. Over 7 Libyan soldiers were lost for every Chadian.

Anyway, I love the aesthetic of these vehicles. There's a pinch of Mad Max to them and a dash of DIY. Looking at it thorough a concept art lens there's some creative design decisions being made here that I'd never think of.

You can see more here: LINK

3) The Alien Monuments of Stanisław Szukalski

From the Sculpture Division

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​Moebius once said, "I am a nexus of universes. I belong to a class of people - I'm not alone in this- whose hand and eye are antennae, sensitive to a certain type of reality."

I feel like Szukalski is right there with him on that. He's one of a few artists who I feel like are living in a different reality than all of us, and we get glimpses of the universe they inhabit when we look at their work.

It's his sculptures particularly that haunt the recesses of my thoughts. They're human made, yes, but feel like they were discovered in an archeological pit on a long abandoned planet light years from here.

If you'd like to see more and learn more about this captivating artist here's some resources:

Struggle: The Art of Szukalski: LINK​

Official Website: LINK​

Nice gallery of images here: LINK​

There's also a documentary about this guy on Netflix that I'll have to check out one day.

4) Polychromatic Motorbikes by Mikee Atendido

From the Concept Art Division

I think these colorful motorbikes by Philipino artist Mikee Atendido are pretty fun. Got a nice Moebius vibe to them.

More of Atendido's art here: LINK​

5) On the work itself

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

Some two thousand year old clarity from Marcus Aurelius:​

If your happiness is dependent on factors you can't control you're setting yourself up for a never ending string of heartache. You can't control how a project will be received. And even if something is successful, the spotlight has an attention deficit disorder, and soon moves on to something else.

However, by focusing on what you do have control over: your effort and how you do the work itself, you'll always have a sense of contentment.

And that is something that can't be wiped away.

That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

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