Hachi Scupt

Here is the finished sculpture of Hachi Hachimitsu in her Orun garb from her quest on the planet Doona. To find out more about her cool gadgets and gear pick up a copy of Ink Bloom: Draw and Paint a Fantasy Adventure! I had a blast and was the first finished maquette I had done in ten years! Yikes!! Too long. The Sculpture premiered at Gen Con 2010 and was a fantastic attraction for folks interested in Ink Bloom. I used Sculpy Firm Grey modeling clay and an array of sculpting tools. I also put together a photo montage of the Step-By Step process. Pretty cool!

Chris

Making Ink Bloom Part 1

Wanted to get back to the chatting about some art. In a recent interview with Ninja Mountain Podcast Jim and I discussed the creative process. We talked about what it was like to work together and the many conversations back and forth through email and phone. ( if you would like to hear that interview go here http://ninjamountain.blogspot.com/2010/08/episode-77-ink-bloom-steve-ellis-ndas.html)Here is a concept sketch that grew out of a conversation we had about Hachi's companion character Pigweed. We felt pretty good about it so ran with it. The other is a version of Pigweed's house. We knew that his house was going to play a roll in Hachi's story. Here is a previously never before seen concept of Pigweed's domicile. The original thought was for a more organic design. But decided later to make it more geometric.

Enjoy!
Chris

Ink Bloom gets 4 out fo 5 from Imagine FX

ImagineFX, the best art magazine around, gave Ink Bloom 4 out of 5 stars. Here's what they had to say.

"We first heard of the idea for a narrative-led tutorial art book about two years ago, and we're pleased to say that it's been worth the wait. This one tells the story of Hachi, a half-Japanese, half-Chinese teen living in 50's America. After getting a tattoo, she's thrown into a world of weird creatures and sci-fi adventures, with Jim and Chris taking it in turn to reconstruct important scenes.
Although this book is aimed at traditionalists, intermediate digital artists will find plenty in it to inspire them. The combined pulling power of an epic story and detailed art instruction provides a unique, engrossing title."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Ink Bloom DVD Preview

Here's a sample of the 72 minute DVD that accompanies Ink Bloom: Draw & Paint a Fantasy Adventure. We filmed in little over 2 hours and I had no script! I improvised my entire outline. It was tough to come up with things to say on the spot. Hope you enjoy it!

http://artistsnetwork.tv/p-238-painting-a-fantasy-scene-with-chris-seaman.aspx

Chris

My Palette featured on Blog

Fellow fantasy artist Aaron Miller has a fantastic blog about artists palettes! From classical to contemporary artists, Aaron's blog runs the gamete. This week he featured my palette, paints and mediums. I've had this palette for 10 years so it's got loads of character! Check it out! Here's the link.

http://oilcolorpalettes.blogspot.com/2010/08/chris-seamans-palette.html

Thanks Aaron!
Chris

Ink Bloom @ Gen Con Indy!

WOW!! What a great con! This year Jim and I went all out on our booth space in artists alley. It was great to see the response Ink Bloom received by the fans. Our peers were most impressed with the amount of art and level of quality the book had. A special thanks to those who bought this labor of love. It was great to do a Ninja Mountain Pod cast just dedicated to the book. Jim and I could talk about it for hours. So a special thanks goes out to Jeremy and his handy little recording device! Also would like to thank Gen Con Live for the on camera interview as well. I was hossing down lunch so I probably had mayo on my face!

The art work this year was amazing! Judging the show was probably the hardest thing I've had to do. All great stuff! Congrats guys! You all deserve it!

Until next time!

Chris

Gallery Showing

I just got word that I'll be exhibiting my collected works at The Arts Collinwood fringe gallery, www.artscollinwood.org, in Cleveland Ohio. The opening of the exhibit is August 20th from 7PM to 9PM and will hang till September 10th 2010. This will be my first one man show and will house approximately 65 published pieces. Ink Bloom will have it's own special section along with the book for sale. I'm very excited and can't thank my brother Matthew enough for setting up this fantastic opportunity. The goal of the exhibit is to present to the public how viable commercial fantasy art is to our imagination and pop culture. My hope is that people walk away with a new awareness and understanding about the artist.

Chris

Signings

Jim will be signing copies of Ink Bloom at the Borders in Oak Park, Illinois on Wednesday June 9th from 7 to 9 PM, and at the Borders in Creve Coeur, Missouri on Wednesday June 16th from 7 to 9 PM.

Hope to see you all there. Now that the book is out here's a little more artwork to entice you to buy it.

In Stores Now!

Well, today is the day! Ink Bloom: Draw and Paint a Fantasy Adventure releases in book stores everywhere! What an amazing journey! From it's conception, two years ago, to the actual book being released is an absolute dream come true. For those following this blog, thank you for sharing in our creative process. So go buy a copy and tell us what you think. Hachi's journey starts with this book but doesn't end with it. And neither does ours!

I hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,
Chris

Books

Well, less than a week until Ink Bloom hits the bookshelves. Lots of anxious anticipation on our end.
I've read a couple of excellent books lately. Flow My Tears the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick, which is the best book I've read in quite a while.
Also, a manga called Kingyo Used Books by Seimu Yoshizaki. Each chapter explores a way in which manga from Kingyo Used Books influneces people's lives. Along the way it has little sidebars explaining the history of the manga mentioned in the panels, so it's funny and educational.
Also, on a side note, I will be debuting my Harajuku Zombies at the prestigious Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago in August. When I know the exact date I'll post it to the multitude of social networking outlets I have become a slave to.

Be sure to Check out Ink Bloom when it comes out next week.

Jim

Hachi invades Chicago

We debuted the book at the C2E2 show in Chicago this past weekend. We were stunned when Hachi showed up in the flesh. She really worked her magic on the crowd. Check out her facebook page for more photos from the show.
The reaction to the book was great. We were blown away and greatful for all of the nice things people had to say about it. Everyone said that a how-to with a story was a really unique and interesting concept, which we were elated to hear. It was an exciting weekend for Chris and I.

C2E2 setup

Here's our setup for the C2E2 show this weekend in Chicago at McCormick Place. Come see us in artist alley.

Imagine FX 56

Check out the exclusive spread on Ink Bloom in Imagine FX issue 56. Here's a picture of the cover, and the first couple of pages of our spread. Don't forget to check out Imagine FX's site as well at www.imaginefX.com

Voster

Ink Bloom got another mention in Imagine FX this month. Next month they're running an exclusive excerpt from the book. They're the best.

Here's a preview of one of the book's nastier characters. One Eye Voster, the meanest Lava Pirate of Tussoc.

Preview copies

Chris and I got our preview copies of Ink Bloom in the mail today. We're so excited. It really looks great. The printing is fantastic (I love the Chinese). It's very satisfying to see so much hard work come together in a nicely presented package.

Fantasy Art China

Hey,
The spread on Ink Bloom came out in the magazine Fantasy Art China. You might not be able to read it, but it sure does look cool. Go to the website and click on the image in the News section to see a bigger image. InkBloomAdventure

Official Ink Bloom Website is UP!

Head on over to www.inkbloomadventure.com to check out the new website! Dive into the world of Ink Bloom and introduce yourself to its main character, 17-year-old Hachi Hachimitsu. Tons of cool sneak peek art and a downloadable sample chapter await! Stay up to date with Ink Bloom News and Artist Appearances. Check back regularly for new installments of Hajime's sketchbook and dive into the mind of a true Tattoo Master!

Pre-order you copy today!

Hajime

As moderator of the Ink Bloom blog, I felt it's time for a formal introduction. My name is Hajime, and I am a master tattoo artist. I moved from Japan to San Francisco's Chinatown in 1939. It was a very rough period for me, but I focused on my work and made it through. I have met some very interesting people over the years, but none quite so unique as a young girl named Hachi Hachimitsu. I think that you'll find her quite interesting as well.

Hajime

Off to the Printer

Hooray, the book is officially off to the printer in China. They've done great work on our previous books so we can't wait to see how this one turns out. We know for sure that we will have at least four copies by the time of the C2E2 show in Chicago. There is a possibility that we will have all of our books, which would be great. Whether we have them all or not we will be at Chicago in full force with a ton of fliers to hand out and lots of original paintings to show.
Also, Amber, the girl who originally posed as Hachi, is going to dress up as 1950's Hachi on the Saturday of the show to help us out at the booth. Our very first booth babe. It should be lots of fun.

Hope to see everyone there.

I Want My Hachi Toy!

Now that all the major work for Ink Bloom is done I've had a little bit of down time. Not much down time, but just enough to start work on something I've wanted to do for a long time. The official Hachi Hachimitsu action sculpt! Here is the beginning stages of Hachi in 3D. I'm having allot of fun with it and hope to have it debut at some of the conventions Jim and I will be appearing at this year. I still have along ways to go with it so I'll keep the pics coming as I get more completed.

My studio is a mess...

Chris

The Final Cover

Here it is, after much laboring, the final cover. Not much left for us to do now but hype this sucker and get it into as many people's hands as possible. We hope everbody likes the story and clamors for more.

Jim