io9: scifi art

You Are Being Watched By Alien Phalanx Monsters

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:40:00 PDT

A video-game creature in London warns us that spy cameras are everywhere in public spaces. It's almost as if the proliferation of CCTV cameras were the real "Space Invaders," intruding into our lives whenever we go outside and subjecting us to intense scrutiny that might as well be a rain of laser blasts. The Space Invaders graffiti, using tiles to simulate 8-bit video game pixels, has been a constant in London since 1999, but it seems to have started featuring the CCTV warning only recently. Click through for a couple more images.

[Space Invaders on Flickr]

Space Sex-Odyssey Reminds You To Wrap It Up [NSFW]

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:40:00 PDT

This science fictional AIDS education poster encourages us all to explore the sexy corners of the final frontier, but to just be safe about it. Artist James Jean took an R-rated, yet totally fantastical, spin on the outer limits, and what we got was a crazy naked but beautiful piece of art, that encourages safe sex. Jean's posters not only stimulate the geeky mind in us all, but they also help support the French philanthropy (AIDES) that educates and fights against AIDS. Click through to see both posters.

[Aides and Process Recess]

The Greatest Art Featuring 6 Iconic Scifi Villains

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:17:00 PDT

Darth Vader rocks out with the rest of the original Star Wars cast in this awesome painting by Hugh Fleming. Vader has starred in more than his fair share of offbeat and arresting artworks, but he's not alone — other classic science fiction villains have also inspired some provocative and clever art, from graffiti to gallery shows. We've gathered the wildest and most exciting art featuring Darth Vader, the Borg, the Daleks, Skeletor, Megatron and Godzilla.

Darth Vader

Darth Vader is such a rockin' mega-villain, it took two people to play him in the original Star Wars: David Prowse for the body, and James Earl Jones for the voice. But really, it's taken an army of artists, muralists, stencilographers, calligraphers, graffiti artists and conceptual artists to do justice to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Plus, some awesome artists have paid tribute to Boba Fett, Stormtroopers and Darth Maul.

Godzilla

Godzilla may have started off as a metaphor for nuclear devastation, but he's become an amazingly versatile symbol over the years. Besides starring in dozens of movies, he's become a touchstone for artists everywhere. He's a parade float in Japan, and Susan Bartley, a middle-aged woman in the Midwest has been painting Godzillas for years.

The Daleks

It's no wonder the Daleks rule the street art and graffiti world — they have sleek awesome lines, and one of the most famous street artists in the world is called Dalek (the creator of those awesome space monkeys.) Plus, the Daleks, from England's Doctor Who, are just so kick-ass.

Skeletor

Skeletor, from He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, is like a Heavy Metal icon, reigning over Castle Grayskull with his rocker-dude cloak and skull face. His unmistakable scowl has turned up on walls in the Netherlands and South America, and all over the United States.

Megatron

Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons from the Transformers, stands tall on murals all over the world, declaring his intent to conquer Belgium AND Venezuela. And when they wanted something cool to paint on a kids' bedroom wall in Scrubs, who did they paint? Megatron, duh. Not to mention that Megatron knows how to party.

The Borg

The Borg, from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager, may be evil galaxy-assimilating hive mind, but they're also hella cool looking. And they represent the cyborg aesthetic, complete with cool body mods, taken to its furthest extent. Artists have been inspired by the Borg to create everything from Steampunk eyepieces to Venetian masks to My Pretty Ponies.

Thanks to Lauren Davis for life-saving research help.

Militant Blondes Punish Bad Robot [NSFW]

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:56:00 PDT

Par Tingstrom's concept art shows that it's women, not the men who will defeat the Terminators in the not too distant future. Tingston who worked on character design in The Chronicles Of Riddick, Enemy Territory Quake Wars really has an eye for lifelike models. Click through to see a gallery of some of his alien work, including a hot topless alien.

For more information on Tingstrom visit his website. [ilcattivo]

The Anatomy Of A Gummi Bear

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:40:00 PDT

Some mad scientist decided to make gummi bears more juicy by using Frankensteiny technology to give them tiny circulatory systems and crunchy little veins, in this weird piece of artwork from Jason Freeny at Moist Productions. Freeny has digitally built a collection of anatomy for Gummi Bears and a balloon dog (they keep their brains in their ears.) He also has a picture showing what happens when a toy robot has a personal singularity and decides to haul ass. Click through for a gallery of his work.

[Moist Productions]

Rush-Hour Traffic On The Moon Is A Bitch

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Moving to the Moon won't solve all our Earthbound problems, such as overcrowding and traffic jams — especially if we have to stay within tunnels and domes. This ridiculously cute art piece by the University of Memphis' Justin Burns won NASA's lunar art contest for its mildly dystopian look at a future Moon colony. At least the rocket bike (with the mudflap girls) looks cool. [NASA Art Contest via HobbySpace]

Don't Tap On The Glass Of This Alien Zoo

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:40:00 PDT

In the zoos of the future are giant blue spiders, caged as a spectacle for the amusement of puny human tourists. I can't help but think of Free Willy in this picture, yet I don't know if the monster would let a small boy ride him out to his home planet. Concept artist Marc Gabbana helped design the beautiful landscapes and buildings of Naboo in the Star Wars prequels. Gabbana tinkered with the tripods from War Of The Worlds lending his mind to the alien's snake-like camera limbs and helped make Zion a reality in the Matrix sequels. But Gabbana's own personal work is just as fantastic as all the blockbusters he's worked on. Gallery, including fighting robots, scenes from the future and aliens, after the jump.

When asked where he came up with his scifi ideas Gabbana explained, "Reality is pretty boring. I want to find out what's around the corner." He will be teaching a workshop this June at The Gnomon Workshop and has plans to put out a book of his own artwork.

[Marc Gabbana]

Mutated Centipede Baby Demands Your Mittens

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:40:00 PDT

Now that the U.K. government may legalize the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos (or cybrids), there's never been a better time to celebrate artist Jon Beinart's Toddlerpedes. He creates them by assembling doll torsos, limbs and heads into one massive freaky chimera. It's actually pretty inventive if you look closely and follow the shrinking doll bodies along the tail. View more human-insect babies in the Toddlerpede gallery, after the jump.

View more of Beinart's weird work at the link. [beinArt Surreal Art Collective]

Luchadores... In Space!

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:30:00 PDT

Here's the cover illustration for the story "D-3 Base De Monstruos" by Spanish artist Jose Luis Sampedro Macias, who drew dozens of covers for the pulp magazine Luchadores del Espacio, plus tons of pulp paperbacks, in the 1950s. Despite (or maybe because of) being unable to see the work of American artists of the time, Jose Luis brings his own bright style to the pulp-art standbys of bug-eyed monsters, women and flying saucers. His work features prominently an amazing gallery of 1950s Spanish pulp science fiction covers, uploaded by El Estratografico. A few more of our favorites, after the jump.

See the rest of the covers in El Estratografico's Flickr gallery. [1950s Spanish Scifi Novels on Flickr, via EasyDreamer]

Soviets Lost Cold War, Won Pulp Scifi Sweepstakes

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:26:00 PDT

In the heady days before Sputnik, the Soviet Union was bursting with enthusiasm for space travel and the conquest of big-headed aliens with tentacles coming off their faces. Dark Roasted Blend has posted a gallery of pulpy Soviet scifi art that's full of speed lines, light rays, spaceships, giant robots and killer aliens. Click through for our favorite Soviet futuristic art blasts.

[Dark Roasted Blend]

Newest Book Covers Don't "Scream Scifi"

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:02:22 PDT

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Media Bistro's Galleycat blog about when science fiction books should have dignified covers that look less pulpy and "skiffy." Case in point: Clifford Simak's The Way Station, which has had a host of lurid covers over the years (see left) and now has gotten reissued with a nice pastoral grasslands scene, which looks more like a Willa Cather novel. Click through to see the new, classier cover, plus a selection of the old pulpy covers.

Compare this "classy" version of The Way Station with these older covers:

Iain M. Banks' publisher, Orbit, says it's giving his Culture books covers that "don't scream scifi," in order to stand out from the rest of the pack. But sadly, the bottom line, says one reader, is that a cover should tell distributors and bookstore clerks where to shelve a book. [Media Bistro]

Robots Have Needs Too

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:11:23 PDT

Sometimes a robot just has to let go of some hydraulic fluid, and it's lucky humans have provided such a convenient disposal area. This awesome robo-sculpture turned up at Lamar University, and the only thing missing from the photo is the reactions of the students who wandered into the men's room and saw the rusty contraption using up one of the urinals. Image by Shekay.

Cyclops Robots Want Our Women

LISA KATAYAMA — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:20:23 PDT

Nate Wragg is a cool artist from Davis, California who draws colorful scenes of monster battles and women-snatching cyclops robots on alien planets. In this 2007 piece, he illustrates a fight between Yeti and Bigfoot using acrylics, gouache, and paper cutouts. Okay, Wragg's actually not just some dude from California. He's a hot shot artist for Pixar — you can see his work in movies like Ratatouille. Click through to see his (maybe NSFW) homage to scifi pulp art.

This piece, called Use Technology to Collect the Women!, shows a giant, multi-limbed cyclops-like robot piloted by scientists on a mission to collect naked women on some unknown planet. "I have to say I love the logic of Sci-Fi pulp," Wragg writes on his blog. Images by Nate Wragg Nate Wragg via NotCot