Top level craftsmanship. He’s thinking ahead so far and his process is solid. The focus, the handling of the paper and materials and the sheer speed at which he is painting..! Legend, may he rest in peace.
'Fer sure, and probably typical of the skills it took to start out, first working as an automotive designer for Ford back in the day. Though kinda ironic that one of our pre-eminent 'imaginers' of the _'Future'_ actually preferred to work 'old school" (aka, sans Photoshop, 'digital', et al)! "The idea is the most important... the tools are only to help you complete the idea. And I like to keep it simple."
The number of wardrobe changes is a testament to the patience required to build the piece. Even as a experienced illustrator, I needed to have that aspect reinforced watching this brilliant artist at work
Ya the new artists since 1996 have the creative minds but dont do the work. Photoshop. lol nice but not for me. in 20 years you will lol at them new artists cause they just push a button.
@lastplacerebel7774 Syd Mead used photoshop too though for his compositions, it's just a tool. Not like the technical aspect if gone, in fact there's a lot of technique and skill involved. Today a concept artist is expected to pump out so many quality designs in a short period, both organic and mechanical. They are routinely doing thumbnail sketches, refining them, making 3d models using 3ds max or something, and even making doing the animation to show how the design functions, supposed to move, etc. And in order to do that you have to know how to do the rigging as well as keyframing, it's definitely not "pushing a button".
Thank you very much !Glad I found this .Greetings from Germany. I think that the reason Japan is interested in the high quality work of Sid Mead more than other nations is because its people have a better taste in futuristic design and Architecture than the others.
It sounds interesting... although on the other hand, Syd Mead seems to be a really workaholic guy; his version of "Joy of Painting" would be like "Just shut up and keep drawing 20 hours a day for 5 years, and criticize every line or stroke you make" kind of scary show!!
so much to learn from the way he works. To make a successful piece you need all these steps and practices. I always get caught up in the act of just diving right in. But then again it is all practice and diligence that will allow these practices to make an impact on your work. and you notice improvements.
I know what you mean. But then, over the years, I've seen many people endlessly caught up in practice, or worse, just studying (or googling) about how/what to practice, and never actually doing it. So by all means, dive right in!!! Endless iteration!!
If a Startgate was to be working, it would certainly be the easiest way to travel very far distances. Machinery could easily scout the universe and construct the gate somewhere too far for us to travel to, except with a quick SG route ;) Salute to this great artist for his great influence to the human culture .
His influence will span generations He was the designer of our age. Had the pleasure if meeting SYD in Montreal at a conference I attended mainly because he was there. He was about 80 at the time... Hero lvl Legend RIP
Hiroo, thank you for offering this! I own the boxed Kronolog set, including the LD. and of the 2 books, I prefer Kronovecta, as it shows his thinking process, sketching ability and where his mind is coming from regarding concepts. All in all, the most amazing collection of images I have in my library! We have lost a modern day Leonardo!!!
Thanks for posting this. I've always loved his work, even before I knew his name. The way he paints seems a little chaotic at first, but then you realize that he has an elaborate plan and is actually extremely methodical in his work. He was a genius. Also, even though the paint seems to be everywhere on his bench, he never gets any on his hands until he uses the spray gun.
Thanks!, Hmmm, I had the impression that in the begining, he only had a vague idea about what he actually wants, but then gradually forming the whole picture as he goes. Maybe that's just a different way of saying the same thing, though. But great to watch.
Helps to be a genius. Syd had a very thought out philosophy about the future. Another element of science fiction art, that you can easily see here, is splash. At least with Syd.
For some, the journey to the goal is more worth than the goal itself but imagine him having had access to either one of today's Computers with a Pen enabled Monitor ( Wacom Cintiq Series ) or a Computer with an equivalent Monitor already installed ( Surface Pro / Book / Studio ) and an accompanying software like Photoshop / Corel Draw thus not having to deal with all that color mixing, testing, masking, tracing, etc...
Call me old school, but I feel in a lot of ways digital art doesn't compare to the physical media. Sure, its polished, looks beautiful. But almost too beautiful. I love seeing old school product design marker and prismacolor renders, they just look badass and raw. Similar to CGI vs practical effects in movies. Sure CGI is capable of more, but it ages and isn't as pure in my opinion. Look at the movie 2001 Space Odyssey and tell me it has aged badly. Practical effects are real, the human eye can see that they are real. Granted this is a little different than digital vs traditional art, but I still appreciate me some non digital art.
Syd Mead did have access to all of that. He used Photoshop for some things but he stated in an interview that he preferred using gouache for illustrations. I'm extremely grateful he did not switch to digital, as it would have made his work vastly inferior. And I'm saying that as a digital artist. The main benefit of digital painting is flexibility and convenience not that it gives a superior end result. A physical paintbrush is still a more sophisticated and versatile tool than a digital stylus.
@C M *raises hand* I wouldn't call myself a digital artist on par with Sid Mead ( far from it ) BUT I do have the hardware I was referencing AND I can attest from experience that there's NOTHING stopping you from using a ruler ( preferrably a plastic one softer than the Screen ) on a Pen Enabled Screen to draw a quick straight line like he does. Same for a Compass... While there's obviously no off the shelf device like that on the market that would work on such a screen - If you REALLY ( like absufuckinreally ) wanted such a solution instead of using the built in circle tools in the program then you could sacrifice a spare Pen and attach it to a modified Compass like the old rOtring ones did with their interchangeable tips for drawing with a Pencil, Ink or a Cutter ( just don't forget to also replace the needle tip on the pivot side ). If you do it professionally, you'd probably hoarding such pens like a madman anyway costing you little to no thought of performing such a mod to a last Gen model of it. But why bother? The little extra time you'd lose for going FULLY digital with a Software Ruler and Compass at the conceptual stages would still be miniscule compared to the time you lose for doing all the other prep work like having to mix colors, tracing from one paper to another, erasing construction lines, cleaning your work before moving to the next step, etc... when remaining FULLY analog.
longshot but does anyone know what he's using to do his brush ruling at 31:34? I do ink stuff and normally just tilt my ruler but god DANG does having an actual lifted ruler seem great lol.
@A.D. Penhall Damn I totally forgot about it ! Same here unfortunatly... I think if we manage to track the documentary it is from It should be mentioned in the credits, but if it's a Japanese documentary, it's gonna be a bit harder to find... :'(
@A.D. Penhall If you feel curious there 's still an option .. :D : www.ebay.com/itm/Syd-Mead-Kronolog-Kronoteko-Kronovecta-Kronovid-LD-Laser-disc-Bandai/164255894890?hash=item263e6a0d6a:g:iKwAAOSwouxe705J
i know he made alot of his own paint. cant remember where i saw that but he had bowls and blenders and pigments. i cant remember the brand he used for storebought paint.
Hmmm, I don't quite see it. Playing around and expanding on what appeared is a usual way of making anything. And 44:10, he's just giving the finishing touches on that space orca or dolphin or something. What about that point suggest he's just going with the moment?
