GlitchCon 2015 Recap

This past weekend was GlitchCon, a two day festival that explores video games as a culture, career, and creative practice. It's a super fun event, with hundreds of gamers and game makers in attendance learning, talking, and playing together. Light Grey Art Lab was an official partner, and we hosted several events throughout the weekend!



We started Saturday morning off with a pixel art workshop, based on the principals we learned while making Dream Arcade. Participants learned some of the basics of pixel art, and had hands-on time to brainstorm and make some assets and simple animations. It was a ton of fun, with a lot of really cool ideas thrown around.



After that, we participated in the retro videogame trivia challenge. Team Light Grey Art Lab came in a respectable third, although we wanted first so bad it hurt. Thankfully, we remedied that pain with a first place victory during Sunday's trivia challenge!

Saturday night we hosted a special BOSS RUSH! reception. Visitors reminisced over their favorite boss battles surrounded by tons of art, classic videogame music, and game-themed refreshments. We also broke out some boardgames and played until the convention center staff kicked us out!



Sunday was spent exhibiting Dream Arcade and Great Personality in MinneCade, a showcase of locally-made videogames. The reception was overwhelming, with a ton of interested people stopping by the play, say hi, and find out more about the projects.



MinneCade was an amazing experience, with a lot of talent and amazing games packed in one room. We did our best to play all the games on display, and tried to meet all the creators (while still tending to our own booth!). It was a wonderful experience, with a lot of amazing games, and outstanding people. Seriously, check out these games!



We ended the day with a heartfelt closing ceremony (there was more than one tear shed), which was perfect, but to our AMAZEMENT, Dream Arcade was awarded Best Visual Design by the GlitcCon attendees! A huuuuuuge congratulations to all the artists!



All in all, what impressed us most about GlitchCon was the community. Everyone was happy, friendly, and amiable it was like spending the weekend hanging out and playing games with a few hundreds of your closest and oldest friends.

To all our new friends, hope to see you soon!

Join us for GlitchCon 2015!

Join us this weekend, March 28th + 29th, for GlitchCon 2015!

We are thrilled to participate in this year's festivities and events! GlitchCon includes two days of guest panels, lectures, gaming tournaments, workshops, social hours and more! Some of the special guests and attendees include video game writers, producers, art directors, publishers, and board designers among others.

Our team at Light Grey Art Lab is teaching a workshop Sprite, Asset, and Effect Design for 2D Platformers on Saturday, where we will share some of the behind the scenes process and work for Dream Arcade and Great Personality! Saturday night, we are hosting an exhibition and reception for BOSS RUSH! We are showcasing the top ten pieces nominated by our guest jurors, as well as a projection of all 100+ pieces!


Dream Arcade Level by Joey McCormick

We have also been selected to participate in Minnecade! Come stop by our booth Sunday morning, as we table alongside tons of other game makers, developers, and artists! You will get the first look at these unique indie games and local creations!

If you are interested in video games, board games, concept art, and want to meet other gamers in the community, we invite you to join the events! There are still a limited number of tickets available on the GlitchCon website here!

Glitchon 2015!

This past week, we announced the 115+ artists that will be joining us for a large-scale print exhibition, BOSS RUSH, featuring some of the most epic battles, bosses, and bad guys! Each artist is taking on their favorite boss and depicting them for the exhibition, online shop, and traveling show that will be displayed at this year's Minneapolis Glitchcon!

Glitchcon is March 28th +29th, and is a weekend-long event full of workshops, lectures, panels, hands-on demonstrations, and fun events celebrating gamers, game culture, and the makers behind some of our favorite projects! Special guests include directors of Rainmaker Games, Galaxy Studios, Game Informer, Gearbox, Intropy Games and many more.



During the convention, Light Grey Art Lab will be hosting one of the hands-on workshops, sharing some of the behind-the-scenes assets and programming for projects such as Dream Arcade and Great Personality, and teaching attendees how to create their own platformer games using sprite animations and artwork assets.

Saturday, the the 28th, we will also be presenting the works from BOSS RUSH for a special reception and award ceremony! If you are interested in joining us for a weekend full of gaming, check out the Glitch. Tickets are currently available directly through the webpage here.

We hope to see you there!

In for the long haul.

Welcome to your new office. Domino is right --- it isn't much.  The lighting sucks, the chair looks uncomfortable... and what is all this... stuff? You are pretty certain that the only reason they can call this an office is that there's a desk in here and a few pencils. Where's your computer? What time period is this? 1960?

Ah, such is the plight of the new person. You're going to be working VERY closely with Domino over the next couple months. You hear she knows the ins and outs... about a whole lot of things, including what's going on with personnel at the Museum. You get the feeling that nothing's much of a secret around her... Hopefully you don't share anything too private...

It's finals time where I teach and I had the opportunity to finish a quick background while my class had work-time. Progress is going good -- just working on a couple stories this weekend and trying to crank out a few more backgrounds. I'm going to be sad school is out after next week, but somewhat relieved that I'll get a bit more time to work on Idealists!

---Lindsay

Cesario has a lot of work to do.

Cesario is headed out for yet another smoke break. You both have a lot of work to do still and no matter how fast you help out around the office, you can't seem to make headway. In fact, the more you do, the more it seems like he's double-checking your work. You guess you can't blame him... he's probably under a lot of pressure. 

Here's a glimpse of his office! Claire Hummel made an incredible pin-up for Cesario's end game scenarios and it was a lot of fun expanding on her original design. Look at all those books! He's got quite the office... I did a bunch of work on Cesario's spaces this past weekend. The fact that it's getting dark at four means two things -- 1. time to sit down and crank out a bunch of art and code... and 2. I've only got a couple of weeks to launch... crazy. 
---Lindsay

Winston Joel - What a cutie.

 

Winston Joel (Richie Pope's character from the Idealists game) is adorable -- just look at those eyes! I've been working on his spaces over the last couple days and wanted to share a peek of his room. This guy is immaculate.

He lives just outside the city - about 20 minutes by train. The air is cleaner out here and there are plenty of spaces around where a person can sit and daydream. He doesn't mind the commute -- in fact, it gives him a bit more time to relax and binge on another chapter. Best sellers or indie-publishing... it doesn't really matter. 

I had a great time working on his room -- as you can see, he's a big fan of Francesca Buchko's artwork (heh heh -- thanks Francesca, for the use of your awesome work for the wall-art in this scene!) 

I did a couple more backgrounds done this last week and sat around with Francesca Buchko as she worked on a couple more public spaces for the Idealists to explore. Maybe she'll share some of her process? We'll see! 

Wish me luck!

---Lindsay Nohl

Boys + Coffee

You need a job, and you need a job bad. The local coffee shop isn’t a bad option—it’s one of the more popular hangouts, so you’d be able to see all of your friends pretty frequently. Not to mention the free coffee. And then there’s Joko. He looks like trouble. But he works in the coffee shop’s kitchen, and though he talks tough, you wonder what he’s really about…

Hello and Happy New Year! I’ve been really fortunate to be able to help Lindsay a tiny (tiny) bit with Great Personality: The Idealists over the last few weeks. Man, it is just about the coolest project EVER. I kind of wish I could just work on this all day every day. I love all of the characters, and I really love the stories Lindsay has been cooking up for these guys. It’s hard to have a favorite, but I can definitely say that Shanti Rittgers’s Joko is on my list. Above is a little preview featuring him in one of the backgrounds I created. That’s the other really fun part about this project: we’ve been fleshing out the Great Personality world. Not only will you learn more about the people, but you’ll learn more about the city they live in. Tell you a little secret? I LOVE cities. So this is basically a dream project.

We’ve got a few more sneak peeks for you in the upcoming weeks till the ACTUAL RELEASE OF THE GAME. Eeeeeee!!! I’ll talk with y’all soon!

—Francesca

Artist Interview: Celine Loup

Meet Celine Loup. Celine is a comic artist and illustrator living and working in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2010, and since has been working as a freelance illustrator and studio artist. Celine has participated in several Light Grey Art Lab exhibitions, such as Girls: Fact + Fiction and the Great Personality, and has worked for clients such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Mental Floss, The Chicago Reader, Scrubs, Flare, and more.

We are continually impressed and inspired by the work that Celine creates. Through this interview we get to see some of the behind the scenes work, sources of inspiration, favorite techniques, and the world behind her work- intimate, nostalgic, and fantastical scenes.



Could you tell us a little about your aesthetic. What are some of the biggest themes in your work, stories and themes motivate you, ways of making?

Those things that form the root of human experience, and especially the perspective of women, are what I'm drawn to most. Cyclical things like insect and plant life-cycles, the relationships between women, birth and death, and the fears that have always haunted us make the best stories. I look for common threads in the stories of other times and cultures, going as far back as I can, and see how I can make it personal again. I'm terrible at "slice of life" stuff!

My studio is where I come to work and reflect on what I want for myself- A sense of serenity and privacy is extremely important to me. My style is a reflection of my values, my memories and the way I perceive my surroundings---which I think is the case for every artist, and why it is so incredibly personal.

Sascha for the Great Personality Exhibition

For the Great Personality Exhibition, you were prompted with creating a character based on personality and allure. How did you approach this assignments and what considerations did you include in making the piece?

Is it cheating to say I based my character on my boyfriend? He fit the age and profile I chose very well. I'm sure my friends who know him don't even have to wonder! The character was supposed to be androgynous, so I femmed my drawings up hopefully enough to disguise my source. The character was supposed to be eccentric and have a flair for the dramatic, so I made sure to put them in clothes inspired by Julius, Junya Watanabe and Gareth Pugh ( I have a pinterest board for such things here).

Although you were a part of the character artists for the exhibition, you also include space and memory into your work. Could you talk about your relationship to place, travel, and location?

Context is everything. A beautiful body lying in a dumpster is going to (hopefully) arouse different feelings in the viewer than a beautiful body lounging in a tastefully done-up apartment. I'm really sensitive to place, and I get depressed if I'm surrounded by mess or tacky/garish things. Comfort, natural light, and cleanliness are a bare minimum requirement before considering the lowering of inhibitions needed to feel aroused, personally.

Grouper for The New Yorker

Do you have any techniques for generating ideas? Do you approach client, gallery, or personal projects differently?

I'm fortunate enough that a lot of my client work comes to me through people who want my personal touch----they want to see how I approach the problem based on what they like in my portfolio. Sometimes though my head is a little too high up in the clouds, and my ADs gently pull me back down to earth.

As for generating ideas, the best practice I've found for that is to simply sit down to one's desk and fill a pre-determined number of pages in one's sketchbook without regard to quality. Our minds get bored with our own insecurities, and after a while, we eventually relax into a state far more open to suggestion than they normally are throughout the day. If you can base the success of time spent in your studio on the number of drawings you make verses the quality, you'll never fail---and sooner or later the quality will catch up. If you base your success as an artist on something you have no control over like your level of creativity on a given day, you'll always be at risk of feeling like a fraud.

Poster for Illisa's Vintage Lingerie in NY

What are your other sources of inspiration? (books, media, mentors, resources?)

I love looking at pre-historic art and artifacts. So little is known about them that it's always fun to imagine what sort of culture produced such things. Pinterest has been incredibly useful for this. Below are a few really great resources on historic and prehistoric costume and artifact:

pinterest.com/marilola678
pinterest.com/p8ronella
pinterest.com/stonefinder

I am also inspired by books. I'm always listening to something while I work- I have an audible account and love being read to. I also have a stack of books next to my bed. The current reads are The Diaries of Sylvia Plath, Galore by Michael Crummey, and The Donjon Series of French comics.

Over You Nanook Zine Cover

What is your creative community like? How has that affected the way that you work?

Right now, most of my creative community is online, and also the new people I meet at the comics festivals. I don't get a whole lot of critique since most everyone is just way too busy, but I've found most of my friends are more than happy to answer questions about their own process. I'm always pleasantly surprised whenever I publish a new comic or project, and the level of anticipation and excitement it's met with---it makes me think one day I might be able to work on comics full time.

Do you have any upcoming projects? Any in process works or ideas that you could share?

Haha, I never stop having personal projects. Right now, I'm so backed up with work that I've had to swear not to take on any more until I've completely finished with what's on my plate. April 3rd, I will be part of a group show at Baltimore's Creative Alliance, so I'm busy making work for that. I recently did a short comic called "Mother" in French for a Canadian anthology called TRIP, which will debut at TCAF. I want to continue to expand and translate it into English, hopefully in time for SPX this year. I will also be doing a HONEY related comic for STUDY GROUP. And further out in the wings I have many more secret comics projects planned, but I want more time to build up my comics-chops before taking them on.

The Prestige

Do you have any big goals or aspirations for this year? Any dream projects?
If I had the capital and the connections, there is a palatial gothic mansion in my old neighborhood that has been for sale for years that I would buy and fix up into a ladies comics and illustration commune. We could use that huge lawn out front to hold a yearly comics festival of our own, and maybe teach classes to the local youth. It's a total pipe dream but I fantasize about it whenever I see the latest crop of talented MICA seniors flee to New York or back overseas.

Thanks Celine!

You can check out Celine Loup's work for the Great Personality Exhibition and Game on the Light Grey website here, and all of the prints for the show on the Light Grey shop. You can also see her entire portfolio and projects on her website here.

Artist Interview: Evan Monteiro

The Mercurial Priestess

We are excited to share our newest artist interview with illustrator and student, Evan Monteiro! Evan is originally from Providence, Rhode Island, and is a current Illustration student The Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. He has participated in several Light Grey Exhibitions, such as Rolemodels: The Battle for Vyk'Tornaahl, and is one of the environmental artist in recent Great Personality Exhibition and Game. We are captivated by Evan's fantastical narratives, scenes of grandeur and adventure, characters, and lush, imaginative environments!



Could you tell us a little about yourself- the person and artist?

I was born in Providence, Rhode Island, right under the massive shadow of The Rhode Island School of Design. Literally, I live two blocks away. I am thankful for that, as my career as an artist began in the RISD Museum. My mother would tell you that I was born an artist, and that I drew circles better than all the other toddlers, but I feel I can attribute my early passion to draw to two things: RISD Museum’s Free for All Saturdays (which my mother would take me to every month) and Cartoon Network. While the wonders of the museum showed younger me why drawing was important, early saturday morning Toonami cartoons and late night Adult Swim anime shows were a large influence on what I decided to draw.

As much as I enjoyed visiting the museum, Providence has a lot to offer for young artists. I attended a summer art camp called City Arts for a few years during middle school, I made monster masks with the Big Nazo Lab (this was really awesome as a child), and spent the majority of my high school years at a local art studio called New Urban Arts. I attended high school at Classical High School, a college prep school that... well...provided me with lots of time to draw in class, hahah. I am currently attending Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL.

Rooftop Balcony created for the Great Personality Exhibition

For the Great Personality Exhibition, you were prompted with creating two intimate and romantic settings. How did you go about creating these works and what elements did you include to set the mood?

When I approached these pieces, I thought of situations that I felt people could relate with. Experiences that are common, but still striking or memorable. With the balcony piece I thought of summer romances. Bright summer sun, warm colors, strong shadows, flowers, and a view of the city. I wanted a place to sit and talk for hours, hidden in the concrete city, a place just for you and someone else. I’m not sure I was able to portray exactly that, but I hope I was able to capture a similar feeling.

For the apartment piece, I wanted a spontaneous feeling. Clean enough to be presentable, but still clearly lived in. A moment where you bring people over, but didn't exactly have it planned very far in advance. Anticipation and excitement overcoming preparation. The room itself has clothes laying about, but through lighting the mood is set regardless. The lovers probably aren't paying too much attention to the clothes anyway.

Studio Apartment for the Great Personality Exhibition

The environments you typically depict are vast, grand, fantastical, and otherworldly. Can you talk about the contrast between this and creating environments more grounded in reality for this show? Were there any challenges?

I can say with absolute confidence that the biggest difference between fantasy environments and these is that you can't fudge the details. Interiors especially require a lot of hard edges, straight lines, and perspective grids. With fantasy environments, you could have as many weirdly shaped, arbitrarily placed rocks and plants as you want to draw. For these two, however, I was constantly thinking “Why would anyone have that many pillows on a couch?” or “Who would be watering that many plants on a rooftop?” Reality really kills your fun sometimes, hahah.

Just Another Storm God

Can you talk a little about the role of storytelling in your work? What kind of stories do you like to tell, share, or take parts of? What elements do you include?

I love to tell stories of the occult in the literal sense, though my pieces tend to avoid the visual aesthetics that come with the genre. I like to paint witches, angels, mages, gods and clouds. I like exploring the mythologies of different cultures- Greek, Indian, Irish, Native American, and I love to play with the stories of their gods.

I think a big recurring theme in my personal work is the dynamic of scale. Scale in size, scale in power, etc. In many ways, the stories of gods and mythological entities in each culture showcase the highest scale of abilities- moments, places, and people that could only exist in stories. While the extent of those abilities vary from culture to culture and story to story, they say a lot about the priorities of the people that tell them. I like to try capturing the same sense of wonder and awe in my pieces that those stories are able to portray so well.

The Adventures of Major and Minor

What are some of the biggest differences in creating personal verses academic work or work for larger projects? Do the topics and themes ever relate?

With academic and contract work, there is usually this sense of anxiety/stress that comes with the territory. There’s a deadline, which always affects the way you think of the piece regardless of the length of said deadline, as well as the understanding that you don’t have final say on art direction. You always have to consider ‘Will the client like this design for clothing?’ or, ‘Is this far enough within their style?’ for parts of the piece that you might love as is. As far as theme, they can relate, though it usually depends on the client/teacher. When working on illustrations for card games, I’d say there is the strongest connection with my personal work. Academic work tends to vary from project to project.

Your environments make an appearance in an interactive dating game through the Great Personality Show! Do games inspire or influence elements of your artistic practice? (Video games, card games, etc?)

Absolutely! I interned at Riot Games last summer (and will be again this upcoming summer) working on League of Legends. I have played Magic the Gathering for a little over a decade now and have admired their artists for just as long. I was a huge MMO player for years, getting in to WoW, Aion, TERA, and GW2 before kicking the addictions when I started up school at Ringling.

What are some of your biggest sources of inspiration?

I find myself pretty split between sources of inspiration. In terms of contemporaries, I find a lot of inspiration from artists such as Vitaliy Shushko, Vasili Zorin, and Alexandre Zedig Diboine who work with vibrant colors, bold shapes, and generally heavy stylization. I also really enjoy the more painterly work of Chris Rahn, Karla Ortiz, and Tyler Jacobson. I look at a lot of Golden Age illustrators as well. J.C. Leyendecker, N.C. Wyeth, Charles Dana Gibson, and Coby Whitmore.

From animation, my biggest sources of inspiration would be One Piece, FLCL, and Tekkonkinkreet. All three of which have been huge influences on my growth as an artist. My book list is huge, but standouts include the works of Brandon Sanderson, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, and A Song of Ice and Fire.

Snapshot from The Adventures of Major and Minor

Do you have any recent or upcoming projects or goals you can share with us? What are you currently working on?

I’ve had a pet project that I have been playing with this past year, a collection of stories about two young sibling explorers called The Adventures of Major and Minor. I havent been able to sit down and spend a big deal of time on the actual project, though I have a lot of fun featuring the characters in illustrations. I am currently learning zBrush, and just finished a character model of my character Major that I was pretty happy with.

Thanks Evan! if you want to check out more of Evan Monteiro's work, visit evanmonteiro.blogspot.com, check out his pieces for The Great Personality show at the Light Grey Art Lab online shop, or at our permanent online gallery, and don't forget to download the Great Personality game!

Artist Interview: Manuel Kilger

Meet Manuel Kilger. Manuel was born and raised in Bavaria, Germany, and has a background and degree in Communication Design and illustration. He is a currently a full-time freelance illustrator, creating works for clients such as BOOM!, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Clone Magazine among others. He has also participated in several Light Grey Art Lab Exhibitions such as Night of the Exquisite Corpse, The Tarot, Mystics and Occult Show, the In Place Exhibition and Book, and the Great Personality Exhibition and Game!

Manuel's work is filled with fascinating, humorous, and narrative scenes- it is recognizable by its bright colors, playful characters, and fantastical animals. It is always a pleasure to work with him, and we are thrilled to share some of the things that he does both personally and professionally, get to know him, and a see a little of the behind the scenes!



Could you tell us a little about your working approach? Can you describe your practice, materials, and style?

When I get a new freelance job, I at first start to deal with the topic, inform myself about it, and then draw out the first pictures and ideas that come into my mind. I create the pictures in my head and try to fix them into little sketches. I always try to put a little of myself into an image, which is not required in the task, but gives the image something special and personal. I always try to add something, maybe something funny, that is not seen at first sight. I mostly work with Photoshop or Flash, depending on which style I have chosen for the illustration.



We have had the honor of including you in several Light Grey Exhibitions and projects. Could you talk a little about the difference in the creation of work- creating gallery work to client work to personal projects?

Commissions from clients are often very limited concerning topics and what will be shown. You do not have as much freedom, of course. Illustrating for galleries is cool and quite relaxing. Of course, you get a topic, too, but you are quite free in style and content, you can experiment, try something new and so on. It is always very interesting to see what other artists create and how they dealt with the topic. In personal projects you are completely free, which is, I think, not always better, because I often have so many ideas and try to put them all into one project, and I do not know where to start. Then I spend most of the time planning, sketching, including more ideas and so on. I like to work with given topics, especially those that challenge me.



For the Great Personality Exhibition, we ask each environmental artist to create two intimate and mood setting environments. Can you tell us about the spaces you chose and what elements you used to create a specific atmosphere?

When we had to choose which backgrounds we would like to illustrate for the show, I decided the sceneries that seemed most thrilling and the ones that I thought would be the most fun to draw. I already had pictures in my mind of how to draw them. For one illustration, I chose the museum of natural history- museums like this have always been fascinating to me and I still like to visit them. What I liked most, is that I could include a lot of funny ideas and details.

The Lake Side reminded me of a lake near my old home town I often visited when I was younger. It was surrounded by dense forest and you could rent canoes there, too. It was a wild, silent and idyllic place.



Through research, we know that spaces and lighting can create specific moods and interactions. How do you approach creating spaces- both realistic and fantastical? What do your spaces provoke?

Before I start, I search for a lot of background information and references. This is important if you want to create something credible. I think for both realistic and fantastic environments, it is important that the viewer can find something familiar in the picture. Maybe it provokes a special feeling or reminds him of a place he has been.



What are some of your biggest sources of inspiration?

When I was a child I loved to watch cartoon series, for example, on Nickelodeon - Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, Batman: The Animated Series, and Disney's Gargoyles. They influenced me a lot, especially concerning style and character design. Movies for children are a big source of inspiration as well - movies from my childhood like Mio, My Son, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, Labyrinth, and The last Unicorn. What I like most about these movies is that they are quite serious, sometimes a little spooky and not too kitschy and "sweet" like many children's movies today. As Guillermo del Toro said, 'children's movies have to be a little spooky, too, that's what makes them special…' and I think he is right.

Nowadays I find a lot of inspiration on the internet, of course. I look out for new trends, what is "in" right now, what other illustrators are doing and so on. Travelling is also very inspiring, getting to know new cultures, tastes, colors… And, very important: books! What, for me, is always annoying in typical Superhero stories- the characters are either good or evil, there is nothing in between. That's why I like novels, like "A song of ice and fire" by George R. R. Martin or "The Night Watch" by Sergei Lukyanenko. The characters are very multilayered, not either good or evil, black or white, but rather 'grey'. I miss this in a lot of common stories and I also try to consider things like this in my illustrations.



When you are given specific prompts, how do you make an image your own? What are some of your own tips and techniques?

In my illustrations, I try to tell little stories inside the picture. I include many details, sometimes funny parts that the viewer can discover and which will not be seen at first glance. I guess the method I use to draw people is also quite unique - the proportions or my choice of color for example. Lately, I'm mostly working in Photoshop. In the past, I used Flash more often, but this also depends on which style I have chosen for the picture. For me, it is important to do real pencil sketches beforehand and spend some time thinking about my illustration before I really start illustrating.



What is your favorite project you have made or been a part of?

My favorite project is my diploma project, "Headz". It is a graphic novel about a guy that can shift himself completely into another person. Besides the 'normal' comic it contains 10 really big illustrations that describe 10 different characters, with many details in just one picture. Each picture is drawn in a different style, which made this very interesting and challenging for me. I developed this project from the very beginning by inventing a story first and then bringing it to paper piece by piece.



Can you tell us a little about your creative community? How do you connect, collaborate, or communicate with other illustrators and designers?

Well, Facebook is very important of course, as well as forums and groups. You can exchange stuff, get feedback, and stay up to date. I go to meetings in my city or to comic fairs, for example, where you can talk to other illustrators and designers. I’m always in contact with friends of mine who are illustrators, too. In general I am very open to any kind of collaborations provided that I like the topic and I have the time for it.

What is the best pieces of advice you have ever received? What advice would you recommend?

Because I've always tried to be perfect, I like this quote from Salvador Dali: "Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." It is so true and takes a lot of pressure off of you. And what advice can I give? Well, it is always good to compare yourself with other artists but never let yourself be unsettled by their work and what they do. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.



What projects are you currently working on? Is there anything you can share?

In the course of the previous months I have been working on a new app called "Elfcraft“ together with friends of mine. It is a game where you have to merge gems to get more and more precious gems. It was a lot of fun to develop and design such a game, but also hard work. I was responsible for the complete design. It is my first app and I can’t wait to see it released. I really hope people will like our game.

What is your dream project? Something that you have always wanted to make?

I have an idea of a children’s book or a comic. I already have a very complex story in my mind, which still grows and grows. I developed a lot of characters for it as well as a whole unique world with special flora and fauna and an economy and so on, but unfortunately I have not found the time to start it. Maybe some day I will!



Thanks Manuel! if you want to check out more of Manuel Kilger's work, visit www.schattenkino.de, check out his pieces for The Great Personality show at the Light Grey Art Lab online shop, or at our permanent online gallery, and don't forget to download the Great Personality game!

Podcast: Behind The Scenes - Great Personality

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Behind The Scenes - Great Personality
Length: 00:57:27
Synopsis: In the first half of this week's podcast, Lindsay, Francesca and Jenny review the surprising results of our online personality questionnaire. For the second half, we share some behind the scenes process from the making of Guardians, the first installment of Great Personality dating game.

Show Notes:
Dominant-Inferior Function Dynamics: Healthy vs. Unhealthy By Dr. A.J. Drenth
Download the Great Personality game!

Podcast: Creative Love - Part Two

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Creative Love - Part Two
Length: 00:57:27
Synopsis: This week's podcast is the second in a series of interviews with creative couples. First, we talk with Sam Bosma and Kali Ciesemier, two illustrators working side by side in Brooklyn, NY. Then we talk with Jessica Roux and Nick Stratton, an illustrator and industrial designer, respectively, also from Brooklyn, NY. We discuss how they work together, drive each other artistically, and how they deal with things like strange quirks and competitive tendencies.

Show Notes:

Sam Bosma: Website - Tumblr - Twitter
Kali Ciesemier: Website - Tumblr - Twitter


Jessica Roux - Website - Tumblr - Twitter
Nick Stratton: Behance

And there's still time to fill our our Dating Creative People Q&A!

Podcast: Creative Love - Part One

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Creative Love - Part One
Length: 01:00:31
Synopsis: This week's podcast is the first a series of interviews with creative couples. First, we talk with Mike Yamada and Victoria Ying, two visual development artists from Disney Animation Studios who also run their own business, Extracurricular Activities. Then we talk with Llew Mejia and Alyssa Nassner, two product designers/illustrators/full-time hustlers. In both cases, these dynamic duos spend all their time living, working and creating side-by-side and we talk to them about how they work together, drive each other artistically, and how they deal with things like strange quirks and competitive tendencies.

Show Notes:
Extracurricular Activities
Victoria Ying: Website - Tumblr - Twitter
Mike Yamada: Website - Blog - Twitter

Alyssa Nassner: Website - Tumblr - Twitter
Llew Mejia - Website - Tumblr - Twitter

And there's still time to fill our our Dating Creative People Q&A!

Great Personality : Recap and Photos!

Gathering around the tablets for a big-screen experience!

Hey, this is Lindsay from Light Grey --
Huge thanks to everyone that came out and partied with us at the Great Personality Opening Reception!
We had quite a few people playing the games, laughing (and blushing!) and really getting into meeting the the characters and exploring the space!

This has really been one of the most interesting experiences -- from creating the game, to making a world... to just getting the chance to talk with people about the whole experience!



We were furiously coding up until the last minute -- as all great creative projects go (right!?). And once we opened the doors, a flood of people joined us for an incredibly successful opening! We had the pleasure of having guest artist Sam Wolfe Connelly join us for an artist lecture that night -- and the whole lot of us ran around, finding our types, and getting into the zone!


Becca Olene (who helped with a bunch of the animations in the game!) and Josh Olson with Sam Wolfe Connelly

Giant thanks to David Washington for helping us get some tablets for the whole experience -- and thanks to all of the wonderful people that checked in with us ONLINE! If you haven't had a chance to see what the buzz is about, we created the first of four dating sims based on the Myers Briggs Personality Types. The first story features you, a new resident in a strange city -- as you meet new people, find your way around, and have some friendly - to - sensual (!) adventures! The whole story ranges from some PG - to PG-13 moments, and for all of you dating sim-lovers out there, we have built in some really fun alternate endings, and some really funny encounters.

Each of the stories features one of the Guardian Characters (which you can see here on the site! SPOILER ALERT!)

The whole game allows you to make choices, and the choices you make will determine how compatible you are with each of the characters --- and ultimately let you see how it all plays out to your advantage - or not-so-advantage!

You can download the game HERE for free, and if you feel so generous, you can help us spread the word!
We'd love for everyone to play it!!




I had a blast coding the project and working with all of the amazing artwork. It really has been a surreal experience.
The spaces and people that were created for this project were incredible, and the stories practically wrote themselves. I owe a huge thanks to all of the creative people that put their time and effort into this project to make it a reality.

We are really excited about the prospect of doing more things like this in the future, and will be adding a page on the website that shows everyone how we did it -- so that, some day, when you have a lot of time, you can make your own dating sim, too :)

Anyway, I'd love any comments or thoughts about the game, the project, or otherwise! We really love talking with people about how it went, what they thought, and what they'd like to see from us in the future.

And I totally encourage you guys to take a look at the Flickr set where you can see the great turn-out, --- AND OF COURSE, stay tuned for the next three games (which will be coming out soon!). In these games you'll get to see more of the world, get to know some other amazing characters, have some crazy encounters and gain more of your bearings in the city while you watch the whole world unfold.

Thanks again and definitely, if you've been interested in participating in a project with us, give me a holler and tell me what you think! hello@lightgreyartlab.com

Cheers, you guys!
---lindsay

Great Personality: Guardians Trailer!

Great Personality opens this Friday, January 24th! Which means we're on the verge of launching the first of four interactive dating-sim games based on the Myers-Briggs personality types!

The first game will feature the Guardians, a lovable collection of characters who are the fabric of society; the defenders and protectors of the traditions, rules, and world around them.

We're super excited to finally let you all get your hands on this, we've been working non-stop to prepare, and we think you'll love it!

Keep your eye on our site, lightgreyartlab.com, for the download coming in a few days! Each game will be free to download, although we'll have an option to donate if you'd like to support more projects like this one in the future!

Podcast: Love Is Weird

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Love Is Weird
Length: 01:04:52
Synopsis: With the Great Personality exhibition launching this week, we've got romance on the brain. On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Jenny, Francesca and Chris talk about some of the less glamorous aspects of dating and courtship. From cheesy pick-up lines, (possibly) sexy bodily odors, kissing the hand of a stranger, and societal clues to let people know you're looking for action, we share our thoughts on it all. Even our positions on spitting on you loved one's food.

Sneak-A-Peek!

Get ready to meet your match in the Great Personality Exhibition, Project, and Interactive Dating Games!

We are absolutely thrilled and proud to present Great Personality, an exhibition and project about the science of attraction, ambiance, and allure. This sultry exhibition opens next Friday, January 24th from 7:00-10:30PM. We will begin with an optional, free artist talk with Sam Wolfe Connelly (In MCAD Auditorium 150) and then make our way over to Light Grey Art Lab to see all of the gorgeous, interesting, and personality-driven pinups of the exhibition and project!



This is not your traditional pinup show- it features a collection of illustrations and characters that are not only attractive, seductive, and fascinating, but also endearing and personable as each piece is inspired by the Myers- Briggs Personality Types. Connect with these characters and even find out more about yourself through these 16 unique personality types that are defined by life goals, energy, values, perspective, and understanding of the world around us. You can find out what your own personality type is here on the Myers-Briggs Personality Test.



Each of these characters is fully animatable and interactive in the Great Personality Dating Games! These are a series of four unique choose-your-own adventure games that allows you to get to know each of these characters, explore a new city, and even find love! The first game will be released at the opening reception on January 24th and available on the Great Personality Digital Gallery. There you will find the first of four games, information about the characters, teasers, trailers, and links to the online shop.



The Great Personalty exhibition is part pinup, part environment! We selected a group of talented illustrators to create intimate interiors and beautiful landscapes- places that are date-worthy, inspiring, and built for experience. Places are directly connected to our actions, thoughts, productivity, and feelings. They often set a tone for our physical, mental, and interpersonal interactions. See all of these landscapes and intricate spaces transform how we see the spaces around us- spaces as platforms for experience, love, and romance.



Each place is used as a background, living room, date spot, local coffee shops, and more, in the Great Personality Dating Games. You will slowly discover each place as you get to know your new world and all of the people that reside there. The first game will be available January 24! Keep an eye out on the Light Grey Art Lab Website.

We hope to see you at the opening reception and events! We are so happy to finally share and bring this project to life!



Artists include: Kyle Cahill, Wendi Chen, Lynn Wang, Geneviéve FT, Jimmy Malone, Nichole ter Horst, Natalie Andrewson, Sandra Bradstaetter, Gloria Pizzilli, Celine Loup, Amanda Lazone, Alice Tse, Jen Mundy, Lindsay Nohl, Stacey Lee, Matt Edwards, Alison George, Evyn Fong, Shanti Rittgers, Richie Pope, Anissa Espinosa, Claire Hummel, Francesca Buchko, Katherine Diemert, Mildred Louis, Xanthe Bouma, Noreen Rana, Angi Pauly Llobet, Allison Strom, Alex Bahena, Angela An, Meg Hunt, Charlotte Mao, Manuel Kilger, Evan Monteiro, Caitlin Clarkson, Evan Palmer, Jenn Liv, Sarah Marino, Elise Hatheway, Kendra Phillips, Bill Ferenc, Claire Mojher,Leonard Peng, and Andrew Kolb

Game Design and visual novels by Lindsay Nohl Game Assets, text, and research by Chris Hajny, Francesca Buchko, Jenny Bookler, Rebecca Olene, and Amanda Ritchie

Podcast: Qualified For Love

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!
Background image by Ricardo Bessa

Qualified For Love
Length: 01:15:16
Synopsis: Our sexy dating-sim exhibition, Great Personality, is quickly approaching! On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Chris, Jenny, and Francesca talk about one of the main themes behind Great Personality: the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. We talk about the research that went into the show, how personality applies to dating and relationships, and we even share a few stories from our own romantic past.

Stay tuned to the very end for a special gameshow-style Lightning Round with Jesse Riggle. Jesse is an artist and friend who has helped us out at Light Grey since the start. Now he's leaving the frozen tundra of Minneapolis behind for a brand new adventure in Vienna, Austria.

Show Notes:
Myers Briggs Personality Types Test
Sam Wolfe Connelly Workshop
Radiolab - Time
Jesse Riggle's Website
Jesse Riggle on Twitter

Great Personality Opening Reception!

Join us Friday, January 24th from 7-10pm for the opening reception of our newest exhibition, Great Personality, as well as an artist talk by Sam Wolfe Connelly!

Great Personality is an exhibition that explores love, attraction, dating and personality! An awesome group of artists came together to create an amazing set of characters, locations, and personalities, which culminate in a series of narrative fiction games, playable at the opening!


Based on the Myers Briggs personality test, try your hand at meeting, and possibly woo-ing, each character in the game for a fun experience with a ton of choice and multiple endings!

Again, the opening reception runs from 7-10 PM. Make sure to be there right on time to join us for an artist talk by New York-based illustrator Sam Wolfe Connelly from 7-8 pm! Sam’s work tells a mysterious, seductive story filled with interesting characters, uneasy scenarios, and a unique use of materials. Following the artist talk, visitors will be invited to view the artwork and play the Great Personality games!

Remember, the opening reception is Friday, September 20th from 7-10 PM! We're located on the corner of Stevens Ave and 26th Street. Street parking is available on Stevens, 26th and 1st Ave.

For more information and to RSVP, visit our Great Personality Facebook Event Page! See you there!

Great Personality Artists Announced!

Huge thanks to everyone that joined us for the call for art!
We have a super ambitious show ahead of us!

Great Personality
An Exhibition about the science of allure, ambiance and attitude
Opens January 24th
and runs through February 21st

at Light Grey Art Lab
118 E 26th Street #101
Minneapolis Minnesota 55404
612.239.2047

Not only will we be delving into the world of chemistry, comfort and chivalry, you'll see over 50 artists interpretations of their dream-characters and perfect places. In this incredibly interactive show, we'll introduce you to the characters in a way you've never seen us do before -- we are building a series of interactive visual novel/ dating sim games where you can walk the streets with our characters, go out and explore the town, and experience the people and places for yourself.

We're excited to spend the beginning of next year getting deep into the reasons why we long for the things (and people) we do, and what all goes on inside our brains. Stay tuned for lots of exciting information and quite the adventure!


FULL ARTIST LIST:

Character Artists:
Kyle Cahill
Genevieve FT
Lynn Wang
Jimmy Malone
Sandra Brandstaetter
Angela An
Nichole Terhorst
Jez Tuya
Gloria Pezzilli
Amanda Lanzone
Alice Tse
Jen Mundy
German Shible
Stacey Lee
Matt Edwards
Alison George
Evyn Fong
Shanti Rittgers
Richie Pope
Anissa Espinosa
Celine Loup
Natalie Andrewson
Katherine Diemert
Mildred Louis
Xanthe Bouma
Noreen Rana
Angi Pauly
Allison Strom
Alex Bahena
Wendi Chen
Claire Hummel

Environment Artists:
Charlotte Mao
Manuel Kilger
Beth Zaiken
Evan Monteiro
Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Caitlin Clarkson
Evan Palmer
Jenn Liv
Sarah Marino
Elise Hatheway
Kendra Phillips
Andrew Kolb
Bill Ferenc
Claire Mojher
Leonard Peng

Special Effects, Animation, Story and Programming:
Lindsay Nohl
Jenny Bookler
Francesca Buchko