My Longtime Source for Great CG!

Occasionally I like to blog about the places I frequent on the net. My friends over at CG Society have been creating some of the coolest articles for years now. With a range of Pro to Beginner work galleries, Workshops and News, they are a well-rounded source to peak at when you're in the 3D mood.


Some of my favorite CG art has been found here at CG Society, it's often the cartoony characters, with great expression that tell a story in a single frame that grab me. Check em' out!

CG Society homepage:
www.cgsociety.org

Ziggling's "Love Life" Gals Jersey

We are proud to announce our newest design called "Love Life"! Our extremely soft scoop neck jersey done in plum. With wide cuffs and longer length this 100% cotton piece is super soft as is all Ziggling apparel.
 

For this design Tonia created a wrap-around print that starts the Love Life poem on the front and blossoms into graphic flower petals through the side and back.

As always, our apparel is hand-printed here in California in our boutique studio.

We've also added a sleeve "Love Life" graphic with a printed Ziggling tag all done in our soft white ink.

Garment by Bella. Graphics by Ziggling.

Come check it out!

Buy one here:
Ziggling Love Life Jersey

More Ziggling, Alternative brand and Celebrities

So last time we talked about Ziggling, Alternative Apparel and Celebs we found a few of the Twilight Saga Stars kickin it around town.

This time we found Charlize Theron (left) in her Alternative Burnout Fleece Comfy.



We also have Jessica Biel (right) seen here traveling with her Alternative LS (Long Sleeve) Sleepover Tee. I'm not sure how comfy those leggings are, but she does know how to pick a good travel top and look good.

Jullianne Hough is here in her Alternative Long Sleeve Zip Hoodie (Unisex). We love this one, it's a light-weight hoodie great for Fall and under a coat in Winter!

We've used the Alternative Hoodie (Blue Heather) here for our Ziggling Skater Jump Graphic. It's a great piece and the people that buy these from us always tell us how much they love them too!

The rest of our super-soft and comfortable Ziggling Graphic Tee and Apparel line can be seen here:
www.ziggling.com 

Visual Effects & The Eye Candy Makers

I'll never forget the summer I moved to San Francisco, straight outta' college I was all eager to get into the Visual Effects industry and work on some of the biggest and baddest FX films out there. I wanted to create the cool imagery that everyone would see when they went out to the big Summer blockbusters! I wanted to be one of the Eye Candy Makers!

I was in a small book store and stumbled across a magazine that thrilled me to the core. It had 1998's Godzilla on the front and when I flipped through it I was sure I found the coolest book-like magazine out there. Crazy eye-candy, a fun read for an FX geek like me and a resource worth archiving into a collection. After all, these "magazines" are more like little books!

This issue with Captain America on the front is another exciting one for me as I did some Concept Design and Matte Painting on the film. Many of my friends and co-workers are mentioned alongside their great works too! Congrats to everyone who worked so hard!

Check it out.

-Chris Stoski

Cinefex Magazine (Quarterly):
www.cinefex.com

More of Chris Stoski's Designs at:
www.ziggling.com

Giant Robots and WWIII: MORAV

One of the great benefits of working in the Movie Effects business is that you meet some amazingly talented and hard-working people. I worked with Fon Davis at Disney's Image Movers Digital and he and his department of model builders always kept the bar high!

Fon and Team build some of the most amazing model miniatures you've ever seen! Their attention to detail will always astonish you. In a digital world it's always fun to see the practical models that these guy build. Real, tangible pieces that you can bring into the light and shadow and study as close as the eye can get.

Check out Fon's current project called "MORAV'. If you like giant robots and sci-fi, go see some of his unique designs and be a part of their success by making "Kickstarter" contribution. 

Cool eye candy at kickstarter: MORAV KICKSTARTER

The Grammy Award for Branding

This is great! This award recently went to a good friend and amazing professional, Doug Chiang. "The Award was initiated to honor these successful individuals whose contributions have helped the nation to grow, enhanced the well being of society and make our lives more comfortable".

A great reminder that remaining humble, kindness, professionalism and integrity never hurts. Congrats Doug! 

Awards page:
www.thebrandlaureate.com

Computer Graphics & Graphic Design Crosstraining

When I think of the Graphic Design industry, I usually think of the 2D graphics that I studied in College. Primarly 2D paint or illustration style imagery that would often grace the covers of my favorite magazines through the 90's. These were the graphics where the word "depth" meant something different than it does today in conjunction with 3D CG (Computer Graphics).


For myself, a Graphic Tee and Apparel company owner, I look at things perhaps a bit differently than most Graphic Designers. I've spent the better half of my career working in 3D Computer Graphics and as a Matte Painter (Environment Artist) for companies like Industrial Light & Magic, IMD (a Disney Company) & Matte World Digital.

For films like Star Wars, Captain America, Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Trek, I would often use 3D software and a great deal of digital paint to create what you eventually saw on the screen. In this Palace painting (above), a 3D tree model could be used to generate forests and later be lit by CG lights to help me get a complex looking environment.

My tasks as a Concept Designer (I currently work for Doug Chiang Studios) would also call for similar skills, although the outcome is usually a painting that is more "loose" in style to get the general design idea across quickly. This Craterton Village shot below is example of using 3D trees in yet another way.

Nowadays however, working with Ziggling Graphic Tees, I occasionally try to bring my 3D skills into play and explore faster or better ways for me to reach my goals. Today with easy to use 3D software and fast CPUs we can expand our tool set for many types of projects. It doesn't have to be a big Hollywood visual effects movie to warrant exploring software like 3ds Max or Maya.

Recently I had a concept for a t-shirt (now one of our Best Sellers) in which I utilized 3D software. In the end product, the graphic is well... very graphic. It's very 2D and simple. A giant Robot standing amongst the trees with his finger outstretched waiting for a little bird to perch.

My customers say they love the tee for many reasons. None of them guess that I created the trees in 3D to be utilized in my print, but that doesn't matter, as always, the media is there to support our concepts. For me the 3D trees were simply a way of getting a sharp, complex and editable tree-like form quickly so I could balance the composition and get moving towards production.

-Chris Stoski

More Ziggling stuff at:
www.ziggling.com