Here's a little guy I had created for a side project I'm working on. There's only few of these made for me and the people involved in the project, so they are not for sale...at least not right now ;)

Just thought it turned out pretty dang well and wanted to share.

Thanks to Bob and Chris at fig-factory.com for helping me get this made, I think their digital printing is excellent! Give them a shout if you need a project done and are looking for a good digital printer.

What do you all think of this guy?

Final update. May 8th. Alright. Sorry it took me a few days to follow up on all this. I have not been ignoring the e-mails. Well ok, I have. But only because after pouring so much energy into this event over the last month, once Thursday night was finished I needed to set it all aside for a couple of days. I still feel pretty wiped in that regard, but I wanted to let you all know just how we all did. My fundraising event page with Mercy Corps took in $1420 that night. In addition, I know of $150 in donations made to the cause before I set up that page specifically. I also know of at least two other donations made to Mercy Corps since that did not go to my page specifically. So it is safe to say that total, we raised something north of $1600 for Mercy Corps' Japanese Disaster Relief Fund. I consider that a hell of a success. Sure, a higher number would have been nice. But $1600 will still do a heckuva lot of good over there. So thank you for all your help, everyone.

And yes, you can still donate to the cause. The link is above. Please feel free to do so.

Update 29 April 2011: So just under a week to go before the night of the event. I will say this more than once over the next week or so, but thank you everyone who donated work to the event. I currently have over 50 pieces, and with the remaining promised pieces the show is going to have over 60 and possibly 70 works for sale to raise money for Mercy Corps. I appreciate the assistance greatly. I may be the one organizing this, but I could not have done it without all your help. Again, thank you.

At this point I need attendance by a crowd meaning to purchase the work and fulfill its purpose. So I am encouraging everyone who is thinking of attending to bear in mind that the venue is small and is going to be crowded. I don't want to limit the crowd or the moral support, but mind you that if you are not planning on buying work, you will be making it more difficult for those who do plan to do so. The event is public though and word of mouth has been awesome to this point, so please feel free to encourage family or friends to attend.

Also, you are welcome to make donations to Mercy Corps ahead of time and bring a printout of your receipt as a voucher. You can do this if you would like to make the evening slightly less complicated for me, and would care to donate from home. The prices of the pieces are going to vary greatly, but I am telling people if they are planning on making pre-donations to do so in $25 increments. Most bare prints will be $25. Most matted prints will be $50 and most framed work will be $75.

Also, I should warn you that work is going to sell right off the wall. So if the turnout is robust enough, this event could in theory be finished by 7:30 or 8 if everything sells. I am normally a big fan of the fashionably late entrance to art shows, but I would not recommend it in this case. :-)

Other than that, I am spending this last week getting the final preparations in order. Wish me luck!

Update 18 April 2011: Thanks all for the donations. I really appreciate them. I am collecting quite a few pieces so far, but will gladly take any others people want to add to the cause. At this point, I need to start encouraging people to attend with the expectation of spending small amounts of money. More on that with the next update, but just to get it in your minds.

In terms of Quickstop orders, there have been a few issues, but mostly minor. Their uploader accepts both JPEGs and TIFFs but they highly recommend JPEGs as their printers do not recognize all TIFF formats.

Also, Christopher Fetterer, whichever of my contacts you are (forgive me for not knowing), send me an e-mail, it seems Quickstop needs you to re-upload your file as a JPEG.

Again, thanks everyone. The date is fast approaching.

As I have mentioned to some of you, I have decided to organize a small, benefit auction in support of disaster relief for Japan. I don't like being in a position where I know I could do something if I was motivated enough, and don't, so I figured I would see just what I could do, and started organizing an auction.

I think as a population, we are not limited by our abilities or inabilities but rather by our motivation and desire to see something done. It is pretty amazing what a small group of motivated individuals can do once they set their collective minds to a task. And that is one reason I wanted to do this. The photographers of Portland are all a capable lot, capable of quite a bit, and I wanted to tap into that a bit and turn our talents with cameras into a result greater than the occasional images we make.

So quickly, here is the time and location:

Fresh Pot

724 SW Washington

Portland, Oregon

May 5th, 6-9 pm

So, what I need in terms of help, because I can do this on my own, but the result and the effects will be much greater the more help I can get. At this point, I need donations of artwork.

In terms of the art, I am looking for smallish pieces, say 8x10. Larger or smaller pieces than that are certainly welcome though. The work can be bare prints, it can be matted, it can even be framed. I want to stress though that these pieces are going to sell inexpensively. Do not donate something valuable with the expectation of it meeting that price.

Ideally, I want to put up a number of pieces with very low, buy-it-now prices of around $25-50. Other pieces, particularly framed ones, can go through a silent auction process, but I want firm prices on many of the pieces so as to be able to tap into the walk-through crowd that would not hang around until a bid was finished. I will also tell you, based on a heck of a lot of experience, that in order to sell work in Portland, it needs to be inexpensive. Portlanders, especially after the recession, do not spend a lot of money on art. Hence why I want to put low price tags on the work, and I want anyone donating to be aware of that upfront. I have not settled on a price structure just yet, but I will be in touch with everyone who donates when I do. The cutoff for donating pieces is the last Thursday in April, so one week before the opening. Of course I will still take donations after that, but if they can be in before that, it will make my job of organizing all this easier.

Donations can be dropped off at Blue Moon Camera in St. Johns where I work. Please include your name, phone number or e-mail with your pieces. Alternately you can e-mail me to make other arrangements for getting your work to me. If you are out of town, state or country, you are still more than invited to donate work, just mail it to Blue Moon Camera. If you need that address, e-mail me at zeb@zebandrews.com.

An alternate idea for getting prints to me for those of you far away, is through Quick Stop Photo, which is Blue Moon's outlab for digital printing. You can upload, order and pay for prints through their website which is www.picturepreview.com. I think an 8x10 costs all of $1.99. Then in the final instructions for your order, just instruct them to send the finished print to Blue Moon and to my attention. Make sure you leave your name in the order comments as well, and contact info too please.

The second group of people I need help from are those willing to show up the night of, bring friends, hang out, and buy work. I don't expect to have a problem with people willing to donate, I don't even expect to have a problem with getting people to show up, but folks, this will not be an art show, but an art sale, so it is important to get people willing to contribute small amounts and get to go home with a print under their arm.

100% of the bids will go to charity, at this point, it appears Mercy Corp. I plan on having a laptop right there so that winning bidders can make their donation on the spot and no paper money has to trade hands or even be involved. Alternately, and I still need to confirm this, people could make donations before coming to the show, and bring a printout of the receipt for their donation and use that as a voucher for bidding. I will accept that too. The important thing is to just make sure the money gets to Mercy Corp some way or another.

Alright, there are still other details to iron out, but this gives you all enough concrete information to start making your own arrangements. I don't need to tell you this is for a good cause, you already know that. Nor do I need to remind you what a disaster Japan is at the moment, our media barrage, as clumsy as it is, has made that point too. What I will remind you of is that we are all capable of making a difference here, it may be small, but it will matter. And the more motivated we become, the more intent on our purpose, the greater the effect we will have. So don't write yourself off as being insignificant, don't use that as an excuse to do nothing at all. I know you all have prints just laying around out there, and you all have abilities with a camera, lets translate that into something, that on a certain scale will be a big thing.

Thank you.

Otherland has landed in Berlin! If you're in the area you can get yours directly from me for a mere 11€ - while they last. Message me here or via www.simonbephotography.com/

Otherland

Simon Becker

52 pages

294 x 214mm

Numbered edition of 100

b/w digital printing / stapled

Digital 2013

Digital printing on vinyl

3900 x 2380 mm

Corinto Valladolid

María de Molina, 16

47001 Valladolid

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Best Minifigures of 2015

Well, as they say, better late than never, LOL.

Here’s my list of the best figures, in my own opinion, from the past year. I obviously didn’t include my own custom minifigure releases from this year, as that is just weird to do, but if interested you can see my releases this year in the previous pic.

I’ve included, just like last year, my favorites for both custom created figs AND official LEGO releases, as I’m really a fan of both. But, I should state that I mostly follow Star Wars, Superheroes, CMS, and Movie/TV sets – but I did browse through the selection of City, Ninjago, Chima, and Ideas sets, as well.

With that in mind, here are the ones I selected as the best 20 minifigures this year and why:

Custom (L to R, top to bottom – top two rows)

Maestro Hulk by Christo – this figure was of a character that I had no clue about from the comics, but the design instantly grabbed my attention. The design on the torso is clean and straight forward, but what makes this figure stand out are the attention to details with the custom beard piece and the great alignment of the wonderful head print with the beard. Together, they all work out fantastically. I also like that Christo has provided black boot prints to go with this as well. While the beard piece and arm bands are a bit loose, it still looks great overall and a definite “get” for collectors. What kept this from being the best of the year was the price, which - while it is understood to have 3 high quality custom pieces – is a bit too high for most collectors.

Ms. Marvel by Christo – while this figure had been released before by other vendors, this was clearly the best version of this character made yet! The custom wavy hair is a standout feature, but what I loved the best are both the face design and the way Christo printed the flesh tops of the arms (to make them look double molded) and the flesh upper legs. The continuation of the waist wrap to the legs was nice too. The only issue with this fig (other than not being able to turn its hair piece/head) is that the wrap around the waist was designed to look like it was floating over the waist, instead of hugging it – and it suffers from Christo’s misaligned hips issue. Still, a fantastic custom that I absolutely love.

Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games – Mockingjay version) by Christo – a late release but an absolute MUST for custom collectors! This figure has so many features that make it one of the tops of the year, it’s hard to focus on any of them. From the wonderful custom hairpiece (which does allow the head to turn), to the unique eye printing (those are some bright blue eyes!) to the subtle shades of grays used to print the very intricate design on the torso. The custom bow and quiver we’ve seen before with last year’s Arrow fig from Christo, but this bow is in black (which is new). There is also some cool little prints on the arms and side legs too (not pictured) that make this figure even more spectacular. What I love best – the wonderful likeness to the character to the movie! Stunning figure – would have been best this year, if not for another release. So, a very close second…

Rorschach by Christo – this was one of two new Watchman-based figs from Christo (the other being an update to his Comedian fig, which I’d also recommend) and I really liked it. It’s not an amazing figure in terms of print or design, but he is exactly what he needs to be. For me, the custom hat is great (as that short brim is great) and the front torso/legs design and print are perfect. I love the detail to the belt and buckle, as well as how he adds subtle dark brown shaded creases to the jacket. A great figure overall – hopefully we get the rest of the Watchmen next year.

White Lantern Flash by Christo – yes, there are a lot of Christos in this review, but that’s because he had an amazingly standout year – which is saying a lot for Christo! This figure was originally my favorite of the year early on, as I loved how he used the silver accents throughout to complement the light gray color of the figure – it just made it POP. The face design and print was perfect, too, as I really loved the light blue eyes that come through the mask. The helmet was great too, similar to all his Flashes, but the silver bolts really looked great! But, again, this design was clean and just amazing to hold in hand! I wasn’t a huge fan of his earlier Flashes, but this one with the silver accents on light gray, I couldn’t resist (even though I’d never heard of him as a character before).

Best Custom Figure Blue Lantern Flash by Christo – while I wasn’t impressed with the original render of this fig, when I finally saw it in hand, I knew it was the best figure of this year – no doubt. Similar to the White Lantern Flash, he integrates the chrome blue color on the torso and the bolts so well into the design and the way the blue and black work together, it was just perfect. While I was disappointed the head from the render didn’t come (it ended up being the same as the White Lantern Flash), it still was a great head to have with this fig. To top it off, the blue boots are the perfect finishing touch. Overall, a fantastic figure – the best in my opinion of this year.

Mystique by Christo – while I released a similarly inspired fig earlier, I appreciated how this figure was unique on its own and one of the best of the year, as well. I really liked the simplicity of the figure overall, as it has all the required elements necessary for a Mystique fig (scaly skin, yellow eyes, dark blue on blue, etc.). While I don’t feel the dark blue legs were the best idea for this figure, it still works well the way he integrates the matching blue on the torso and arm prints. The standout for this figure is of course the custom hair piece, which matches the movie character so well. While I really don’t like how he made the figure happily smiling (not sure I’ve hardly ever see her smile like that – usually it’s a sinister smile) – it still is a great figure overall.

Grid Iron (blue version) by eclipseGrafx – while I’ve heard some people grumble about this figure (how some of the pad printing isn’t as clean as it could have been in places – which is pretty true to a certain extent), I actually loved this ambitious figure by Victor! This figure was our first to have many of the following details (the proper opening of the helmet for Iron Man, inner head display on face, glow in the dark pad printing ink). Along with the amount of pad printing (seriously, it has printing EVERYWHERE – not just on the custom armor, but UNDERNEATH on the torso too!), I really admire what Victor has done here. This is how Iron Man figs should look – thank goodness LEGO is following suit (see 2016 Iron Man figs – like the underwater Iron Man and Mark 33). Bravo Vic!

US Airborne (101st Airborne) by CitizenBrick – I usually don’t collect military figs (with the exception of Vic’s special ops and the different GI Brick and BrickArms figs that I designed the past couple years), this one was a must have the minute I saw it! The amount of detail to this figure – accurate as well – just jumps out. From the airborne patch on the arm, to the detail to the torso, to the printed helmet, and the great printed legs, it was an absolute steal for the price they had it at (man, it sure helps to have your own pad printer in house, LOL). As a designer, I also like the way they add shadows to their figs in places, makes it really unique that way. The best military fig of the year, IMO.

John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) by CitizenBrick – I’m a huge fan of this show and when I saw that CitizenBrick made a version of the host to give as a gift to the man himself, I was sold. First, I am a true believer that face design is crucial to a fig – as that is what gives it the likeness. And CitizenBrick have done an amazing job recreating Oliver’s face, and his unique smile (to the side like that and with the chipped kind of tooth). The look of the torso is just like John’s too, which just rounds out this character really well. When they showed they were gonna release some of these at BrickFair this year (at least that’s where I think it was released), I had to get one. Thanks to Shilo (ChocoBricks Customs) for helping me acquire it, I owe you, buddy!

Deadpool by onlinesailin (ebay) – while there were several good releases by onlinesailin, there were only two that really stood out to me as excellent – this being one of them. Right away, the head design was the first thing that grabbed my attention. A wonderful design that really captures the “Merc with a Mouth” expression – you can just see the smart ass thoughts floating around in his head. The design of the torso was excellent as well, really liked the two bullet holes. My only complaints were the amount of detail (which was too much in some areas) and the way the printing on the arms looks smeared on the edges (I know that is an after effect of digitally printing too far to the edge of the rounded top portion of the arm). Still, a great figure from onlinesailin.

Chrome Claw (Wolverine) by KO Customs – this minifigure surprised me. I wasn’t quite sure I liked it from the pics, but I really liked how it all worked together: the custom piece they created for the shoulders, the printed parts, the chromed claws. This is how our Wolverine figs should look – just like the comics! I think they did a wonderful job overall, especially in creating the custom shoulder part and chroming the claws. While there is some issue with the pad print ink in spots, like the paint around the bottom of the arms and on the shoulder piece, as it looks a bit brushed on, but it is really only visible if you look real close. I like the overall effect of the fig, and can see that this figure got a lot of love – to finally get a comic variant of Wolverine like we always wanted! Great effort here, as their figs are getting better and better.

LEGO Official:

Darth Vader (from Final Duel) – This is the definitive Darth Vader fig that I’ve been waiting for! The long overdue update to Vader’s helmet has come, and it does NOT disappoint! I love how it can come apart, just like both the last scene with Luke in the Death Star hangar and in TESB. I also like the updates to the torso and leg printing (though not sure if that is all new or just carry over from 2014, and the new head is much better and more accurate to the film! While some people have pointed out how the mask points up a bit too much, I don’t see that as a big problem at all…I absolutely love it!

Poe Dameron – This Force Awakens fig was such a great new addition to the Star Wars line. First, I absolutely love the new approach LEGO has taken with the SW helmets – adding the yellow visor portion as an overmolded section. This now frees us from having to use the “visor printed heads” with the helmets, which is great. Additionally, the helmet has tons of detailed printing, as does the torso and legs! I also love the new orange colored parts they are using for the body, looks so much better. Along with the accurate face for Poe, it’s a favorite for sure!

Best Official Minifigure – Captain Phasma (from FO Troop Transporter) – By far my favorite of the year! Lego has really stepped up with this one. Not only do I love the new Stormtrooper helmet mold they used, I love the subtle silver lines they printed throughout. Along with the silver “damaged” areas on the torso and the lovely shoulder cape and matching new colored blaster, this figure just rocks. While some people complained that it wasn’t truly chromed, I’m glad LEGO chose this color of part, as chrome just wouldn’t work (as it chips, etc.) Great design, great execution, awesome fig!

C-3PO (Force Awakens Toys R’Us Exclusive polybag) – while this was just a minimal update to the figure (adding printing on the arms and side legs) it just was such a great improvement to the overall accuracy of the fig, I was in love. I usually don’t like when there is too much printing, but in this form, it was perfect.

Ant Man & Yellowjacket – this whole set was spectacular (aside from the issue with the buildable ant’s legs)! Both figs really jumped out to me. What made Ant Man so spectacular for me was the absolutely brilliant torso and leg design and print – with the subtle mesh pattern onto the dark red sections and the tubes and belts accurately printed on. While I didn’t love the helmet piece with the open mouth, I still liked how they overmolded the eye pieces and it was close enough. For Yellowjacket, the figure itself (from the printing on the fig – with the honeycomb pattern underneath – to the printed yellow trans pieces molded into the helmet) was just majestic! It was absolutely perfect in those terms. What kept this from being my top fig was the fact that the attached “stingers” that attached to the back would often lead to the figure falling backwards. Along with that, they just reused an old head for the inside, as well (ditto for the Ant Man). Otherwise, two amazing figs in one set!

Cyborg – while the design of this figure is good, it wasn’t spectacular. What raises it up the charts for me is the custom headpiece, which I thought was fantastic. Along with the nice head piece and clean design, I thought it deserved to be mentioned here.

Carnage – if Captain Phasma wasn’t so wonderful, this for sure would have been my favorite of the year. Lego did with this design what we’ve always wanted to see with their figure designs. The torso design is complex, but not messy, there’s arm printing and leg printing (with foot printing to boot – no pun intended), and a comic accurate head print! Everything we’ve ever wanted from a Carnage fig. So, while we’ve had to wait a long time for one, this Carnage fig was well worth it! Bravo, Lego designers!

Honorable Mention: The Archer (Green Arrow) by SH Custom Minifigs (so close to making the list!!), She-Hulk & Arkham Knight Batman by onlinesailin, Cybercop Classic by Fig-Factory, Comedian by Christo, Spectre: Rio de Janiero by eclipseGrafx, TechnoGirl by agoodfella customs and bricks@raminator, Cosmic Spidey by SoCalMinfigures, Agent Coulson by Muddy River Minifigs, Bowling Buddies (The Dude) by CitizenBrick, (LEGO): Miles Morales (Spiderman),

Hey, see more of my work at poundaprint.com

Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy as she appears in Batman Arkham knight.

This custom feature high quality digital printing on both the back and front of the figure.

This design contains elements from all 3 of her appearances from the Arkham games, this is so it can fit within any of the 3.

This custom was planned to be released alongside Penguin, however when ordering parts, rather than receiving half left & half right arms, only all left arms were received. Because of this issue, this custom will be delayed until parts have been corrected.

I just got back from a weekend, well most of a weekend, at the coast. A bunch of us made a pilgrimage down to Astoria on Saturday night for a photography opening, my boss' to be precise. You tend to try not to miss your boss' opening galas. :-p It was an amazing show. My boss, Jake (I rarely think of him as my "boss" anymore) photographs with an 8x10 Deardorf view camera, then makes wonderful contact portraits of the work. The photography and the printing were both beautiful. He was also showing with another Portland photographer, Ray Bidegain, who also photographs with a variety of large format view cameras and prints platinum and palladium contact prints. Platinum printing is some of the most archival printing a photographer can do, you can expect the prints to not only outlive you, but your children, their children, their children and very likely their children. Perhaps longer than that even, but at a certain point you begin splitting hairs.

I enjoyed the show very much, as much for the photography as for the printing. It is rare to see such exceptional printing outside of a museum. I mean, I don't consider myself much of a slouch when it comes to printing my own images, but these prints made even mine look awkward and crude by contrast. So I found that inspiring. I switched over to digital printing a few years ago fairly firmly. Not because I believed I could get a digital print that equaled an optical print. I could not then and still don't believe even the best digital printing looks anywhere as good as the best optical printing. But I did and do believe I can produce a better image in the digital darkroom and to give digital printing its dues, it has come a long way and while it may not equal optical printing, you can sure make some pretty damn good digital prints these days.

But this image is a good example of that, and was actually going to be the subject of my discussion tonight before I got sidetracked and on the tangent regarding Jake and Ray's show.

This image really was a process, and though it was a brief process I wanted to share it, to illustrate how the process certainly begins with the taking up of a camera (or just before) but certainly doesn't end with the push of the shutter.

This was taken on a previous trip to Astoria, in fact on a day I was down there delivering my show to the same gallery that is hosting Jake's and Ray's works. It was a bright overcast day and Washington was just barely discernible. The Megler bridge looked like it was depositing traffic into the ether in fact, which was the idea that floated across my creative consciousness and initially inspired me to point my camera in that direction. I knew I wanted the bridge as one element, and I wanted to frame it in such a way as to swoop in from the side and terminate near the middle in that white, misty nothingness. Without making use of a telephoto lens, I had to include the ruins of the pilings in the frame, which I actually kind of like. The same as the bridge, they end up ending in nothing, their remainder not just invisible, but completely obliterated by time. So in a sense, they worked for me in emphasizing the mysterious and timeless feeling I was trying to go for in this image. I overexposed a bit, to blow the sky out just a tad more.

The original negative was shot on color, it happened to be what I had in the camera. So I scanned it in and hemmed and hawed over the photo a bit. It was mostly there for me, but not quite all the way. So I removed the color completely. In reality the muted tones were doing absolutely nothing to help the photo go in the direction I wanted them to. So if something is not helping a photo, it is weakening it. The colors went, perhaps to the same place as the tops of the pilings. We will never know.

The conversion to black and white cleaned the image up and simplified it beautifully. I really like simple images. The simpler the better most often. I adjusted levels a bit to make the sky a bit whiter and blow out what little detail was there. Again, the detail in the sky was only confusing the image and I wanted to make it simple and direct. Finally I cloned out a few pilings that occurred right at the edge of the frame. I had try to compose a clean edge in camera but that had turned out to not be possible with the alignment of the pilings, so I composed as clean as I could with the expectation of removing the offending rascals later.

And this is the result. It is not a stellar image, but I like it for its simplicity and calm nature.

Days at the beach are just that, days at the beach.

Anyway, I wanted to share a bit of the process I went through, or at least a bit of the mindset. Again, nothing severely enlightening, but nonetheless helpful. I also admit that I definitely had Michael Kenna's work on the brain while post processing this image, though not when I was originally shooting it.

Self published

Edition of 75 numbered and signed copies

40 photographs

44 pages 14,8 x 21 cm (soft cover, staple binding, digital printing)

Inspired by Maxime Parisy's photo.

'Olde Worlde Tulips woven in rose + copper by Su_G': on a textured purple ground. Technical test, (part) detail only for proofing. Keen to see just how much of the faded detail will print [Spoonflower's digital printing on basic cotton ultra process].

Metallic oil & chalk, basic repeat.

© Su Schaefer 2018

A recolored version of my simulated woven textile from the Ottoman court studios, a remnant of the original is in the Davidson Museum in Denmark.

See more versions of 'Tulips' by Su_G.

[Olde Worlde Tulips woven in rose gold + copper by Su_G_detail_TechnicalTest]

Sem título

Foto de Fernando Zago

Work by the artist Matthew Darbyshire, part of his "An Exhibition for Modern Living"

The Artist used industrial prototyping and 3D digital printing to produce layers of hand-cut, multi-coloured polycarbonate that are then assembled layer upon layer to create monumental sculptural forms.

Digital Printing. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

Wall and sidewalk of a building advertising “digital printing.”

Sometimes I wonder what people must think if they happen to notice me making street photographs. Take this image for example. I was walking with some sense of purpose back towards the 4th and Townsend Caltrain station, where I would pick up a train heading back down the peninsula following a morning of photography in San Francisco. In a location where most people are similarly focused on getting from point A to point B, usually with heads down, I suddenly stopped, stepped off the sidewalk... and photographed the wall of a nondescript building.

This photograph may be the urban equivalent of the "intimate landscape" image — I certainly think of photographs like this as being landscapes, and this one zeroes in on a very small area of a subject that folks overlook. Being a photographer who prints digitally, the "digital printing" sign had caught my eye when I passed by here a few hours earlier. Now I saw the soft light on the scene, the weathered quality of the wall, the geometry of the subject, and the relationship between the blue bar at the top and the blue quality of the light on the sidewalk.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, "California's Fall Color: A Photographer's Guide to Autumn in the Sierra" is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

These awesome figs are by another of the community members, Phoenix Custom Bricks.

PCB only started releasing figs in early 2014 but whilst he's only been at it for a short time, he's already made a big impact with his brilliant designs. He mostly produces pad printed figs (of which, the quality is amazing) but has also released one with digital printing too.

The figs above are all pad printed but with an almost digital level of detail. The designs are augmented by the really vibrant colours used and the wonderful shading that gives a sense that these characters have jumped straight from the pages of a comic book. His figures also come with great collectors cards that compliment them really well.

I've always felt that custom figs are one of the few forms of art that truly resonates with me and i feel that PCB's designs take that art form up a notch. This, for me, is what really makes PCB's figs stand out amongst the crowd and what separates him from other customisers, making him another invaluable asset to collectors like myself.

The collection is quite small right now but i hope we get many more releases from him and, to one day post a pic with as many of his figs in it as the other great customisers featured in my recent posts.

I'm waiting on a Lady Sif fig before i can post a pic of my NACM collection. Next up, i'll be posting pics of of 76040: Brainiac Attacks.

Self published

Edition of 75 numbered and signed copies

40 photographs

44 pages 14,8 x 21 cm (soft cover, staple binding, digital printing)

via Buffer

This technique was developped by Emmanuel Gatti, an artist from Paris, France ( gatti.carbonmade.com/ ).

Transfer is a combination of digital printing and traditional engraving technique. At first, we print a digital inkjet file on a plastic film that is not suitable for printing. Also the ink remains fresh and on the surface of this film. In a second step we press this film on engraving paper with an engraving press. However it takes several inkjet prints on film and several prints of it on paper to have an interesting image. The process ultimately questions the nature of this new image. Photography, engraving, painting? This is an alternative and creative technique of photo printing.

via Buffer

Thanks to Ramon for a safe and speedy delivery.

An astonishing figure by Ed and Ramon. I have to say, this fig is flawless and it's hard to believe it's the first release from these guys.

She's digitally printed and it's some of the smoothest digital printing i've experienced (even more so than the mighty OnlineSailin!).

The fig features great quality front and back printing on the torso, front and side printing on the legs, double sided head printing and a custom trenchcoat. The hairpiece comes with additional glasses that really add to the overall effect of the fig.

It's brilliant to see more community members step into the world of getting figs printed and both Ed and Ramon should be immensely proud of themselves for this accomplishment. Really looking forward to what these guys have in store for us next :).

She's going to look great amongst my 90's X-Men team!

As always, there are more pics in my stream.

Self published

Edition of 75 numbered and signed copies

40 photographs

44 pages 14,8 x 21 cm (soft cover, staple binding, digital printing)

Well, what can i say that hasn't already been said. This figure has been pretty much, unanimously voted the best of 2014 and you'll hear no arguments from me. I'd go as far as to say it's the best of both the official and custom releases (no small feat considering the awesome year we had).

The moment Adam mentioned that he had a Spidey fig on the way i knew we'd have something special on our hands but he's totally surpassed my expectations with a simply beautiful minifigure. Based on his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and taking inspiration from the 2013 SDCC fig, Arachnid Hero has a stunning design, a level of detail that you'd expect from digital printing and beautiful, vibrant colours. The printing is absolutely top notch and i love the fact that instead of just going for a perfect recreation of the SDCC fig, Adam has made the design completely his own and it puts the SDCC version to shame. When put together, they compliment each other really well but the PCB version really does go the extra mile.

For me, what truly makes PCB's figs stand out (apart from the brilliant designs and vibrant colours) is the extra little details and the shading that not only give the figures character, but make you feel like they've jumped straight out of a comic book page.

Hats off to you Adam, you should be beside yourself with pride on this one :).

As always, there are more pics in my stream and i'll be posting pics of Arachnid Hero alongside the SDCC , M4U and Christo versions of the Amazing Spider-Man soon :).

Another recent addition to the custom collection, GridUser by Brickmoc - the figure based on Sam Flynn's costume in Tron: Legacy, is a very well done digitally printed custom minifigure. I wish I would have received this figure earlier, as I definitely would have included it in the best figs from last year review.

Review

This figure is UV ink printed on both the front and back, as well as the front legs and arms. The figure comes with a black helmet with visor and a Brickarms tron disc, which is great as usual from Will.

The print quality is much better than anticipated. As I've stated before, I like the durability of digital printing, but am a bit of a purist and prefer pad printing. But, when the coloring and printing is done well, the finished product of digital prints can sometimes be the equal of their pad printing brethren. That was the case with Minifig4Us Webslinger, and again here, as well. Very good translation from design to finished product. The visual effect of the blue and white give that idea that it glows, like in the movie. the all black is very slick, as well, and any fan of Tron movies will recognize this instantly!

If I were to nitpick, the only things I wish would have been present in the design is a continuation of the "grid" or line (whatever it is called on his chest) over the "hip" section of the figure and connected to the leg print. In this way, it would have represented the figure from the movie more ideally, and given the way that digital prints are done, I don't see why it was excluded. But, it still doesn't take away from the overall effect and design of the fig, which is top notch! Also it would have been cool to have a custom head piece like Sam from the movie, but I understand the use of the black head, as it keeps the sleek black look to the fig with the helmet on.

Overall, this fig would easily fit into my Top 5 Custom figures from 2013. Wish I would have picked up Brickmoc's GridProgram fig, as well. Looking forward to the next figs from Brickmoc!

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

Venice (Italian: Venezia; Venetian: Venesia, Venexia) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region.

It is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. The lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2018, 260,897 people resided in Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice (Centro storico). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), with a total population of 2.6 million. PATREVE is only a statistical metropolitan area.

The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals."

The 697-1797 Republic of Venice was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. The city-state of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center which gradually emerged from the 9th century to its peak in the 14th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.

It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period. After the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, the Republic was annexed by the Austrian Empire, until it became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, following a referendum held as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence. Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi. Although the city is facing some major challenges (including financial difficulties, pollution, an excessive number of tourists and problems caused by cruise ships sailing close to the buildings), Venice remains a very popular tourist destination and an iconic Italian city, and has been ranked the most beautiful city in the world.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodak

The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak) is an American technology company that produces camera-related products with its historic basis on photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated in New Jersey. Kodak provides packaging, functional printing, graphic communications and professional services for businesses around the world. Its main business segments are Print Systems, Enterprise Inkjet Systems, Micro 3D Printing and Packaging, Software and Solutions, and Consumer and Film. It is best known for photographic film products.

Kodak was founded by George Eastman and Henry A. Strong on September 4, 1888. During most of the 20th century, Kodak held a dominant position in photographic film. The company's ubiquity was such that its "Kodak moment" tagline entered the common lexicon to describe a personal event that was demanded to be recorded for posterity. Kodak began to struggle financially in the late 1990s, as a result of the decline in sales of photographic film and its slowness in transitioning to digital photography. As a part of a turnaround strategy, Kodak began to focus on digital photography and digital printing, and attempted to generate revenues through aggressive patent litigation.

In January 2012, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In February 2012, Kodak announced that it would stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames and focus on the corporate digital imaging market. Digital cameras are still sold under the Kodak brand by JK Imaging Ltd thanks to an agreement with Kodak.

In August 2012, Kodak announced its intention to sell its photographic film, commercial scanners and kiosk operations, as a measure to emerge from bankruptcy, but not its motion picture film operations. In January 2013, the Court approved financing for Kodak to emerge from bankruptcy by mid 2013. Kodak sold many of its patents for approximately $525,000,000 to a group of companies (including Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe Systems, and HTC) under the names Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation. On September 3, 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy having shed its large legacy liabilities and exited several businesses. Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging are now part of Kodak Alaris, a separate company owned by the UK-based Kodak Pension Plan.

McDonald's burger and chips special shape hot air balloon

PH-MCD built by Camerons balloons, Bristol England

The burger on this envelope is entirely digital printing

Taken with a Nikon D7000

woodcut

It's a MOC MOC! (My own creation mint on card...nerd.) This is just a fun little art project for me, but if you're interested in making the figure, I'm happy to share the original artwork. I just ask that, if possible, you make me one. (Or a few, if you're capable of pad/digitally printing some.)

Self published

Edition of 75 numbered and signed copies

40 photographs

44 pages 14,8 x 21 cm (soft cover, staple binding, digital printing)