Printable Valentine’s Day Cards from Tim Fangon!

Epic Gamer Tim Fangon is at it again. Even though he’s very busy with school, Tim has taken the time to create a new Valentine’s day image for you to print out for your favorite Valentine. Last year, Tim created a whole set of Valentine’s Day cards to print. Here is a repost:

Show your love how much you care with a custom Valentine’s Day card designed by Epic Gamer Arukun14! The cards are suitable for printing and will be cherished by any Gears of War fan.

Pick your favorite card from the gallery below and print it for your Valentine. If you want to see more amazing art inspired by our games, head over to the EpicGamers deviantART group. We’d love for you to join and post your work too!

: Epic Games Valentine 2013

Posted by Flak Feb 13, 2013

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Savage Grenadier Elite 1:2 Scale Statue WIP

Infinitydesigns from the Statue Forum is creating an amazing Savage Grenadier Elite Statue for a friend, based on the fan art of Epic Gamer, Tim Fangon. The statue stands over four feet tall and so far, over 100 kgs of clay has been used on it!

You can see more work from Infinity Designs on their Facebook page. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the work on the Savage Grenadier Elite progresses!

Posted by Flak Jan 03, 2013

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Epic Gamer Artist: Blake W

Welcome to a new issue of ‘Epic Gamer Artists’. Tim here, to bring you a feature this week from the Epic Gamers on deviantART.

We have Blake W. from Charleston, gamer, traditional painter. He has a few words about how he went with his Gears acrylic painting.

Tim: Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what you do.

Blake: Well I’m 30 years old, I live in Charleston, WV, and I spend my days working a day job, spending time with my fiancé, painting, and playing a video game or two.

T: Are you a gamer? Do you play Gears of War?

B: Yes I’m a pretty avid gamer, I started playing video games with the Atari and I haven’t really stopped since. Over the past couple of years I haven’t had as much time to play games as I would like, but the big releases (like the Gears of War games) I still buy on day one.

T: Do you work professionally, are you in school for art, or is this a hobby of yours?

B: I discovered I love to draw as a kid around kindergarten and I have continued to draw/paint since then. I have a BA in fine art from West Virginia State University, but I work at a full time job where I don’t get to do what I really love which is make art. Although it isn’t yet my main source of income, I do get take on some freelance gigs/commissions as well as sell my artwork online. The goal is to eventually be a full-time artist, and have my art be everywhere; comics, book covers, video game covers, that’s the dream.

T: Looking in your gallery, you seem to favor traditional mediums. Would you like to tell us a little bit about the stuff you use? You certainly use acrylic for most of your pieces!

B: I do in fact favor traditional mediums, acrylic paint being the one I use the most. I have used oil, watercolor and gouache paint in the past, but I prefer acrylic because of the quick drying time. I like being able to do a painting and scan the painting in the same day. I use a earthy toned kind of muted and limited pallet for all of my paintings to keep a consistent look.

T: The Gears entry you had for the “Gears United” contest. Tell us a little bit about that. What inspired you to create something so awesome? You have an interesting style, very painterly.

B: When I first read about the Gears United contest I knew right away I wanted to enter a piece. I looked at a ton of screenshots, watched all of the trailers that had been released and did a ton of sketches to nail down what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted the painting to feature Marcus in a kind of us vs. them moment and have some of the other cogs behind in the background. I just wanted it to be this very tense second right before everything goes down. I used some pretty broad paint strokes around the bottom of the painting to kind show this action/movement as well as paint the background to be very contrasting to Marcus and his lancer.

T: Have you taken a knack at digital painting at all?

B: I do have a wacom tablet that I use from time to time if there is a project I’m working on that requires a digital drawing/painting. I just would really prefer working on a traditional painting rather than digital. My feeling is if I’m working on a painting for hours and hours I would like something tangible at the end to show for it, prints just don’t really do it for me. I’m definitely in the minority these days working traditional, but I think there will always be a place for it. Or so I hope.

T: Do you have any words of inspiration you want to say to the Epic community?

B: Just to keep doing what you love!

If you want to see more of Blake’s work, check out all of his acrylic paintings on his deviantART page. And of course, be sure to visit the Official Epic Gamers group on deviantART. If you have Epic fan art, show us!

Posted by Flak Oct 22, 2012

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Epic Gamer Artist: Liam Sharp

Epic Gamers, welcome to the 20th entry in the “Epic Gamer Artists” series where we sit down with artists and showcase their incredible work. Tim from the Team Epic Gamers here to bring you yet another great feature. This week, we have a special guest on board, and many of you may know him. He’s a veteran in the comic book industry, working on many different projects like The Hulk, Spiderman, X-Men, and of course, Gears of War! His favorite Gears character is Michael Barrick, and his favorite Locust is the Ticker.

I’d like to introduce to you, Liam Sharp.

Tim: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Liam Sharp: Well, I’m a big, bald and goateed 44 year old Brit. I’m married with three kids. I’ve got some very personal tattoos that chart my family heritage in a Maori-Viking fusion.

I don’t believe in the perpetuated notion that games and comics are for geeks. Music has its geeks. Fine art has its geeks. Book genres have their geek followings. The mistake people make – and the media – is in thinking comics and games are ‘genres’. They’re not. They’re mediums. And every medium has it’s works of genius, its good stuff and its bad.

I’ve never been a comic obsessive. I like great comics the same as I like great novels, great music or great films. Comics are words and pictures and should be more than the sum of it’s parts, not less! The popular concept of geeks is, in my opinion, reductive – even though we have managed to claim the title for ourselves!

Aside from that, I’ve sang in a few rock bands and I love making music. I’ve written a couple of novels, and I write and draw comics.

I’m currently the CCO and founder of Madefire – which is creating a new storytelling medium for the iPad – along with Ben Wolstenholme (CEO of Moving Brands) and Eugene Walden, our CTO. Very exciting times!

TF: I am certain that you’ve worked professionally in the field for years; from publishing, to inking, to drawing. Tell us a little bit about your journey in your career. It must have been exciting!

LS: Freelance work is tough whatever your chosen field. I’ve said many times – it’s feast and famine, and it requires you to go places you might never expect, and do work you didn’t ever anticipate.

As a comic strip artist you have to be able to draw literally ANYTHING. And very quickly. In the gaming industry it might take months for a single vehicle to be designed. In a comic you’ll get the script and it may require you to design one on the spot and have the rest of the page done that day… it’s insane, intense work!

I’ve been very lucky to have had a very varied and eclectic run – from Judge Dredd, to Death’s Head II, to The X-Men, Spiderman, The Hulk, through Manthing, Frazetta’s the Death Dealer, Red Sonja, Testament for Vertigo, The Possessed and Gears of War for Wildstorm – I’ve pretty much covered all the genres, and met almost all my artistic heroes on that journey…

So yes, exciting is a good way to put it – even if the reality of day to day life is generally just being tied to the drawing board…

TF: You must have a favorite medium of choice. Do you usually work digitally, or traditionally? Or both?

LS: I really don’t have a favourite medium! I love writing as much as drawing. I like pencil drawing, inking, painting in oils, acrylic, Gouache or watercolour. I like using an airbrush. I love getting stuck in in Photoshop… life’s too short to pin yourself down in one area – at least that’s my view. I like richness in my life, as much of everything as time will permit! There’s too much fun to be had, and with every new skill you learn you grow a little, and that gives you a fresh perspective. I never cast myself in stone in anything I do.

TF: At a certain point, you were involved with art in the Gears of War comics. What was that like? Did you have any favorite moments?

LS: Gears of War is probably the strongest single traditional run of any comic I’ve ever done, in terms of the consistency of that work. I felt really connected to the characters, and it was great having the chance to design these guys that later ended up in the game – Barrick and Jace in particular. We had no idea they would become so popular!

Gears of War was also the biggest selling comic of any title in 2009, outselling Batman, Superman, the X-Men… incredible. I’m extremely proud of that.

The first story arc is my favourite – ending with Jace trapped with a Berserker, and Barrick tearing into the Locusts in an apparent act of self-sacrifice… Great stuff to draw!

TF: Who’s your favorite COG soldier? Who’s your favorite Locust?

LS: It’s got to be Barrick! And I like the Boomers and Berserkers, and all the crazy, twisted creatures the Locusts ride… And Tickers! That’s just messed up!

TF: Aside from drawing Locust monsters and chainsaws, did you play Gears at some point?

LS: I’ve had to, to get a good feel of the world. It truly is amazing, what the guys at Epic created. Incredible. And I have two boys that love it. Lorcan, my eldest, is WAY better than me though… I’m a bit useless to be honest. Must be getting old!

TF: Do you have a favorite artist that you look up and aspire to?

LS: I have many – Bill Sienkiewicz, Don Lawrence, Bolland, Moebius, Frazetta, Richard Corben, Clemente Coll, Michelangelo… the list goes on and on. I’m always finding new inspiration too. And with writers it’s China Miéville, Garbriel Garcia Marquez, Jeff Noon, M. John Harrison… amazing, literate and visionary scribes all. I always find ‘favourite’ as a notion somewhat inflexible! I like different things at different times and depending on the mood I’m in! Right now I’m looking at some Travis Charest and Sorayama…

TF: Before we close this, Liam, do you have any words that you would like to tell the community?

LS: Yes! Please go and check out the Madefire app at the app store. It’s free, it has AMAZING art and stories from people like Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Bill Sienkiewicz (Electra Assassin), Brian Bolland (Killing Joke), Mike Carey (Lucifer), Gary Gianni (Prince Valiant), Dougie Braithwaite (Justice), and loads more… It’s not comics, it’s a whole new medium. And you control the pace you read at. We’re the only 5 star app in the top hundred free apps, and have been featured by Apple every week since launch. It’s INCREDIBLY exciting, and waaaay bigger than I could ever have hoped or imagined.

This is also creator-driven content, and we’re deeply passionate about making it the best reading experience we can. You can find out more at www.madefire.com!

TF: Thanks for your time, Liam! We appreciate your time!

LS: Absolutely my pleasure! Thanks for having me!

For more of Liam’s artwork, visit his pages on deviantART. For more fan art and fan works, head on over to the Epic Gamers group on deviantART.

Let us know who is your favorite character from the Gears of War comics for your chance at The Gears of War Graphic Novel, Book Two! We’ll choose one random commenter on Tuesday, September 18!

Update: Congrats to Lee R for winning the Gears of War Graphic Novel, Book Two!

Posted by Flak Sep 12, 2012

5 Comments

Epic Gamer Artists: Nick Lee

Hey guys, welcome to a new edition of the Epic Gamer Artists series, where we’ll be showcasing awesome fan artists and their work. Tim from the Epic Gamers here, and I sat down with Nick from Utah. He’ll be talking a little about who he is and a little bit of insight on his “Behind You” Gears illustration. Without further ado, say hello to Nick!

A: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what you do.

N: My name is Nick Lee and I’m an illustrator and gamer commonly known by the pseudonym Runefaust. Until a couple of weeks ago, I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life. I just recently moved to Utah. As far as what I do, I draw, I game and now I fish! I’ve been drawing and gaming my whole life, but I’m a total newbie at fishing.

A: Do you play Gears of War? Are you a gamer?

N: I’ve been a Gears player since the debut of the first game, which comes as a surprise to most people who know me ’cause I’m not much of an FPS player; one of my younger brothers, Alex Lee of metal band Holy Grail, is the FPS fanatic in the family. Well, technically, Gears isn’t an FPS, it’s OTS but whatev. I am most definitely a gamer! My first console was the Atari 2600.

A: I’ve noticed that you have a couple of Gears of War pieces. What motivated you to do these?

N: DeviantART and EPIC hosted a contest to promote Gears of War 3 last year, and that was the inspiration for me to get crackin’. The illustration I did that landed me a finalist spot in the contest was actually rendered almost a week after to the game’s release. I still hadn’t played the game at the time and avoided reviews and anything related to Gears (with the exception of the contest) to avoid spoilers. I was so tempted throughout that week to just go out an’ buy the game but I knew if I did the drawing wouldn’t get finished! Luckily I finished the drawing and it won me a free copy of the game, but the wait for the contest results and for the game to be shipped was brutal, man!

A: Looking at all the Gears pieces you’ve done, “Behind You” seemed like a radical change in subject. What gave you the decision to work on that? I looks like you’ve put quite the amount of attention on that one!

N: Like I said, at the time I hadn’t played Gears 3 but I was well aware of the theme, thanks to the trailers, interviews and having played through the previous two games. So I started sketching away with a few things in mind. Firstly, the theme song Heron Blue by Sun Kil Moon. Secondly, like a lot of people I had this gut feeling that a central character was going to be killed off in this game. And thirdly, I wanted to abide by the contest rules as well as I could, which were asking for an image that captured the ‘soul-shattering spirit of Gears of War.’ So with ‘soul-shattering’ in the description I immediately drew comparisons to foreboding, ominous images, the horrors and pains of war and sacrifice. But then again… so did everyone else. And by the time I had finished my second illustration I looked at the rest of the contest entries an’ was like… this sucks. Everyone’s entry is starting to look the same; mug shot with dramatic lighting on the face, eye sockets shrouded in darkness, looking so very defeated, desolent battlefields, etc. Honestly, only a handful of those entries actually struck me as ‘soul-shattering’ and mine didn’t really have that impact.

Then we had these other guys doing art that had absolutely nothing to do with the theme of the contest. People were even depicting comedy which was the complete opposite of what was being asked for but made the cut anyway because the level of artistry was so good. So I figured, what the hell, I want to do an action scene. Something fun! So I picked Anya and a Lambent Drudge to be the centerpieces. Anya because it was such a controversy early on, with Gear’s graphic imagery, that the females were being tossed into the Lancer-wielding fights, and the Drudge because it’s so bad ass looking! I had so much fun painting that creature! Ironically “Behind You” took just a little over half the time the first two took to draw and came out looking much better.

A: What are your tools of the trade? I’ve noticed that you worked with Paint Tool SAI with the Gears pieces. Do you work in any other medium?

N: Paint Tool SAI has been my preferred medium for years now, but when I first went digital I was exclusively a Photoshop user and lately it is the software I use the most. Which program I use really depends on the end result I’m trying to get and the method I need to go through to get that look. If I want to assimilate paint on a canvas I’ll usually go with SAI, but if I decide I want to go grisaille or brunaille and add layer masks for hue adjustment then Photoshop is the way to go. I’ve dabbled with other programs, but SAI and PS, individually and together, are the two that suit me best.

A: Do you have anything to say to your fellow Epic Gamers and aspiring artists?

N: Other than thanks for taking the time to read this… nah, not really. I could tell you guys to keep on gamin’ but you’ll keep on doing that regardless what I have to say. As for aspiring artists, seek out constructive criticism and don’t get bent out of shape about it. Learning’s never done an’ there’s always room for growth and improvement.

Thank you, Nick, for your time, and the awesome piece! Hope to see more from you soon in the future.

If you want to see more work from the Epic Gamers community, head on over to the Epic Gamers group on deviantART, or the Official Epic Gamers Forum.

Posted by Flak Jun 29, 2012

3 Comments

Posts Tagged ‘TIm Fangon’

Printable Valentine’s Day Cards from Tim Fangon!

Savage Grenadier Elite 1:2 Scale Statue WIP

Epic Gamer Artist: Blake W

Epic Gamer Artist: Liam Sharp

Epic Gamer Artists: Nick Lee

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