Niko Geyer's Journal

B Is for Blog

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:36:08 GMT

I'm now officially a Blogger! If you want to keep track of my art, head on over to my super sleek and snazzy art blog!

There are going to be frequent updates with random doodles, concept sketches, and finished illustrations alike -- some of which I won't be posting anywhere else. You can try adding the RSS feed nikoblog to your friends list, in case you prefer to see my updates on your LJ account. I will most likely miss any comments you post on there though, so please leave your feedback directly on my blog. Thanks!

Like a Butterfly

Mon, 14 May 2007 06:42:10 GMT

Fantasy Realms update! You can also see a bigger version of the new header graphic here:

Le Petit Prince

Sun, 13 May 2007 04:30:28 GMT

I decided to start using my DeviantART account again and figured I'd upload an ID picture this time around. Between considering a self portrait or even a photo and using a collage of existing art I had a spark of an idea and went right to the drawing board. An hour or two later I had combined two of my all-time favorites into one neat little package: The Little Prince and Zelda: Wind Waker!

Speaking of DeviantART, I also submitted most of my pictures as prints -- the ones I left online after a massive cleanup, that is. This means you can purchase high quality prints of my artwork now! They come in all kinds of sizes, ranging from 4x6 inches to 20x30. Take a look:

Oh, and psst: Rumor has it that Fantasy Realms might be seeing an update this Monday!

Dragon's Egg

Thu, 03 May 2007 18:42:02 GMT

When asked what my favorite kind of story is, I would be prone to name works like The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay or Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe (which I admit I have only seen the animated movie version of so far). As clichéd as the premise of a modern day kid to enter the domains of a fantasy world may be, I adore the idea of a lush and imaginative realm experienced through the eyes of childlike innocence.

I completed a short story in a similar spirit with a little help from Clay Gardner, and you can read it here:

It started out with a small request: I wanted to stray away from my usual color work to do a couple of greyscale toned manga pages and asked Clay to write it. The original plan was to have no more than 4-5 pages, but the thing just kept growing in my mind as I read through the script. I was hooked. Once I got started, I finished the whole comic in little over a week.

As for the dragon's egg, its very existence will bring about much joy...and much grief. But this is not for our little hero to worry, for by then, this enchanted jewel will have long escaped his grasp into the hands of another.

But that's a story for another time.

Sketch-o-Rama

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:47:57 GMT

It's been months since I last updated this journal...but considering I just renewed my paid account and I plan to overhaul the layout some time in the future, I'd better start using it again! Unfortunately I have no finished art I can show, so some sketches will have to do.

First, a couple of assorted Fantasy Realms characters, including some that are yet to be introduced:

I also did a cover design for a YA novel; once I get approval from the author I'll continue with inks and colors. Never mind the layout, that's just a mock-up.

Lastly, some concepts for a client who commissioned a series of illustrations featuring characters from Captain Future. Does anybody remember that cartoon? Anyway, below you can see some of my redesigns, Captain Future and Joan Randall respectively.

There are still a few commissions left I need to tackle next. I'm also working on a little experiment -- a short comic (maybe 5-10 pages) in greyscale. I'll post that here once it's done. Then there's Green: A Terra Verde Lendária, which I'm staring over for the third time... And of course Fantasy Realms. We plan to resume updates on the actual comic very soon (this time for real).

It feels great to be drawing again!

Drow Elf Christmas

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 17:53:15 GMT

Kern, the author of Drowtales, commissioned me to draw something for his girlfriend as a Christmas present. It's her character, Desmonde, hugging chibi versions of two guys from the manga.

This was a last minute effort. I literally finished it just before the 25th! Spent the rest of the day with my family, after I sent out the final illustration, and now I'm beat. I have a lot of catching up to do as far as work is concerned...no holiday break for me this year, now that my computer is functioning again.

I've also been reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (in German of course). Or maybe I should say I've been neglecting to read it. I have always enjoyed the story of the original movie, and this is the first time I'm actually reading the book, but I don't want to finish it. It's kind of ironic that I'm afraid that a never-ending story might end too soon. At any rate, I'm really inspired to do an illustration; maybe the scene where Atreyu meets the ancient Morla in the Swamps of Sadness. We'll see what comes of it.

Computer Blues

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:23:19 GMT

After recurring problems with my ancient PC had gotten a lot worse over the past weeks, I decided to replace it with a new machine. I'm on a tight budget, but I was able to find a good computer within my price range. It arrived soon after I ordered and I was glad to finally have a shiny and sparkly PC that actually operates the way I want it to...or so I thought.

I've spent over one week doing practically nothing but weeding out the issues the new computer was having. It was a draining experience, ranging from minor annoyances (Windows XP occasionally not remembering some of my user profile settings after a reboot) to severe problems (Norton AntiVirus -- also known as Resource Hog Extraordinaire -- giving me a critical system error on my attempt to uninstall it, leaving me with a corrupt install). I didn't even get a Windows CD with my PC (although I have since contacted the manufacturer, who mailed me a copy) so I couldn't just wipe it clean and make a fresh install. Credit goes to my brother, who works as an IT server specialist, for aiding me in this time of peril. As far as I can tell, things seem to be working smoothly now (knock on wood), so I can finally return to my regular schedule of working on commissions and my own projects.

I hate PCs. :(

The Secret Garden

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:56:17 GMT

I have decided to start updating on my own LJ account again -- it's paid for, so why let it rot? -- and that's why my mechapenguin entries will be linking here in the future. Naturally, I'll only cross-post my art entries, so just keep watching the community if you only care about the pictures!

My friend Clay suggested I should get my hands on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgon Burnett after he started to read it, saying it seemed like "just my kind of story." I was a bit hesitant at first -- I had only seen two movie adaptions and neither one had impressed me -- but eventually gave in to his prodding. So I went shopping at Amazon. And fell prey to their "People who bought this book also bought..." schemes! I ended up ordering a dozen (fortunately pretty cheap) books. All these classics you know everything about but never actually read...well, at least I never read them. Titles such as Peter Pan, Moby-Dick, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and so on. At any rate, The Secret Garden was a great recommendation as it turned out, I enjoyed the book thoroughly; I even finished it before he did! I fell in love with the characters. So much that I felt compelled to do my own interpretation of Mary, Dickon, and Colin:

I wanted to go for a more storybook kind of look, but in the end they turned out looking a little like tiny dolls. Especially Colin looks so fragile. One nudge and he'll shatter! If you don't know the story and like charming little fairy tales, let me pass Clay's recommendation on: Go and read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgon Burnett!