Filed under: Fan art

World of WarCrafts: Custom Arthas figure

by Lisa Poisso Nov 2nd 2009 at 11:00AM

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

This week's WarCraft comes from Jilara of Southshore, US Perenolde (aka WoW.com reader RetPallyJil ) -- and yes, that's Arthas himself. The 12-inch customized figure is a patchwork of modified parts and handcrafted pieces. Arthas wields a "Fantasy Letter Opener" Frostmourne from eBay, refined and repainted.

"As for Arthas, I started with a Dragon Models' Alexander the Great as a base figure," she explained to World of WarCrafts. "It was fairly expensive, but I thought the face sculpt was worth it; youthful without being boyish, mature without being craggy. The hair had to be special-ordered -- it's nylon instead of the world standard acrylic (to which I'm terribly allergic.) Again, it was somewhat expensive, but sculpted hair wouldn't do him justice."

Blizzard announces 5th annual pumpkin carving contest

by Mike Schramm Oct 14th 2009 at 7:00PM

Hallow's End is almost upon us, and Blizzard has once again announced their annual pumpkin carving contest. This is always a hoot -- I was only ever able to do the usual jack-o-lantern (once I did a Batman symbol, but it never really worked out), but there are always some real professionals in the mix on these contests, as you can see in the gallery below. Basically, carve a pumpkin featuring something Blizzard-related, showing "high levels of originality, craftsmanship, and possibly humor," light it up with a candle or other source, and then submit a picture over on the site by two weeks from today, Wednesday, October 28th.

And some nice prizes this year: the top five submissions will all pick up a nice 32gb iPod touch, apparently supplied by none other than Apple (and of course you'll be able to run those Blizzard mobile apps if you win). Good luck to everyone who enters -- go grab your knife and the biggest "gourd-like squash" you can find and get to carving!

Gallery: Blizzard pumpkin carving contest

The Guild, episode 7 of season 3

by Mike Schramm Oct 13th 2009 at 5:00PM

We're more than halfway through this latest season of The Guild, and the series is in full swing: the Axis of Anarchy is starting trouble, Wiggly is quickly learning the game, and Codex is stepping right up into her guild leadership role. But even as things are coming together, they're starting to fall apart: this episode might have the weirdest ending of the series so far. You can watch the episode in the usual places, including right here after the break.

Two other things from The Guild's website recently. Apparently that book that Codex was reading last episode is a real one, all about leading a guild and lessons you can take into real life (and our own Scott Andrews didn't write it? Unbelievable!). And if you happen to be in Los Angeles in the next few weeks, The Guild will be screening parts of season 2 at theaters around the city along with showings of Dr. Horrible, that other web series that stars Felicia Day. At one of them, the cast will be live doing a Q&A, so that should be fun to see.

Like The Guild? We do, too! We chatted with all of the folks at BlizzCon, including Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, and Jeff Lewis and Michele Boyd. We also saw their panel, and the guys were nice enough to stop by our meetup as well. Stay tuned here every Tuesday for a brand new episode of season 3!

Deathwing sculpture in progress

by Mike Schramm Oct 13th 2009 at 3:00PM

Ever since Blizzard first revealed Deathwing to us back at BlizzCon, that image of the dragon and that jaw has stuck in my head -- dragons are always dangerous (you know what happens when you meddle in their affairs), but Deathwing is a dragon in his own class. And apparently that picture also stuck in artist Kymba's head, too, because she's been working on (and documenting on Livejournal) an awesome sculpture of the beast himself.

Obviously it's a work in progress, but Kymba has been doing a really thorough job covering just what she's doing with Sculpey (a brand of polymer clay). You can follow her own accounts on her Livejournal page (start over here), or check out the gallery below, in which we've compiled all of the pictures of the process so far. The jaw was made separately, and from what I can tell (I've never sculpted in my life), she used aluminum foil baked into the clay wrapped around a sturdier core. The whole thing looks great so far -- we can't wait to see what the finished product looks like.

Stay tuned -- you'll probably see it all done in a future World of Warcrafts post.

Gallery: Deathwing sculpture in progress

15 Minutes of Fame: WoW, Eh?

by Lisa Poisso Oct 13th 2009 at 11:00AM

15 Minutes of Fame is WoW.com's look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes -- from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.

It's not every day that your interview subject offers to whip up some custom artwork depicting the 15 Minutes of Fame interview process in action - but that's how WoW, Eh? creator Cadistra/Kelly Aarons rolls. She's cool like that. That's Cadistra above, chatting with my retired priestess (who's normally found flitting about Darnassus in a Festive Green Dress with my daughter, chasing Wisps and leaving sparkly trails with her Benediction [to endless whispers of "Hey man, where does that staff drop?"] - so it was time for the wench to finally get some work done, you know?).

Still, our enthusiasm for Cadistra's artwork can't top her own well deserved elation over a September win in Blizzard's monthly comic contest. As part of her prize package, Kelly received three volumes of Blizzard Entertainment manga. More importantly, she'll be considered by TOKYOPOP for contributions to upcoming volumes of both Warcraft: Legends and StarCraft: Frontline -- a heady opportunity, indeed.

Robert Rodat to write the Warcraft screenplay

by Mike Schramm Oct 12th 2009 at 5:00PM

Sam Raimi spoke with MTV News about his upcoming Warcraft movie, and while he didn't confirm (or deny, we guess) the whole subtitle thing, he did mention a new writer. Robert Rodat is apparently putting a screenplay together -- he's best known for writing Saving Private Ryan (and of course if we can get a Warcraft movie as good as that Spielbergian epic, we'll all be happy), and he's also penned Fly Away Home and The Patriot. Most recently, says his Wikipedia page, he did some work on 10,000 B.C., though if you saw that movie, you probably wouldn't be able to tell, anyway -- it was terrible.

Raimi says he wants to stay faithful "to the Horde and the Alliance and the mythology that takes place in the game," as well as "choose one or some of the lands that are portrayed in the game with as much accuracy and authenticity as possible." He calls Rodat a great character writer, and says a great character-based story within the world of Azeroth is his goal. Sounds good. The picture above is the only art we've ever seen of the movie (it was presented at BlizzCon a few years ago), but since then, it sounds like the movie has changed quite a bit, so we'll have to wait and see what Rodat and Raimi are coming up with.

EpicAdvice.com lets you ask and answer Warcraft questions

by Mike Schramm Oct 8th 2009 at 11:00AM

Reader Jesta sent us a note about his new website. He's a big fan of Stack Overflow, which is a big Q&A/advice site for programmers -- you show up, ask your question, and then other folks who might or might not be working on the same problem post their answers, in moderated and organized threads for everyone to read. Jesta decided this same type of thing could work for our little game, so he put together EpicAdvice.com -- the idea is that you go there, leave a question about anything in the game, and then wait for your answer from other people browsing the site.

Stack Overflow actually has a little "badge" system where answerers can earn reputation points for answering questions correctly, and Jesta says that they're working on doing something similar for Epic Advice (though they'll probably have Achievements, as that's more Warcraft-y). But as of this writing, the site definitely needs more questions and answers, so if there's something bugging you about WoW (that our own Queue hasn't answered yet), or you consider yourself an expert and want to clear some things up, head over and give the site a look.

The Guild episode 6 of season 3, Jim Rugg drawing the comic

by Mike Schramm Oct 6th 2009 at 6:00PM

It's Tuesday, which means the new episode of The Guild is out, and this week the guildies deal with being down a member by reaching out -- Clara tries to get her husband into the game, Vork makes a new friend, and Codex spends some getting-to-know-you time with Riley. Yup, they get to know each other well. Real well. What an episode. And look out at the end, as the guild rivalry gets knocked up a notch. You can watch the episode in the usual places: below the break on this post, over on MSN, or in HD on Xbox Live.

And here's some more Guild news: Felicia Day reveals in this interview that the upcoming comic will be drawn by artist Jim Rugg. He's the artists behind the young adult Plain Janes series, and his work has been described as Daniel Clowes-esque -- perfect for the quirky folks of The Guild. No word yet on a release date (as far as we know Felicia is still working on it, and it sounds like she's busy lately, what with the Fallon appearance and all), but we're looking forward to it.

World of WarCrafts: Flickpainting and a playtime playlist

by Lisa Poisso Oct 5th 2009 at 9:00AM

World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.

In the wake of the torrential magnificence of the cosplayers at BlizzCon and Dragon*Con in recent weeks, we're going to dial back the sheer creative force this week. Let's catch up with more humble creative efforts with a new take on an old favorite (yes, it's another take on fabric painting) plus a playlist of WoW machinima and songs designed especially as an accompaniment to your playtime.

Flickpainting

Serthida of US Bloodhoof-H sent us yet another fresh take on Sugarrat's wildly popular bleach shirt. Serthida has created a bandana, but the approach works equally well on tees and other fabric.

The Guild releases episode 5 of season 3, retail DVD in stores now

by Mike Schramm Sep 29th 2009 at 8:00PM

Episode 5 of The Guild's third season is out now, and it's a good one -- with Tink out of the picture, the guildies are seeking a new member, and the applications they've got are.. a little unnerving (I do believe they are the folks who submitted video for that contest a while back, and there's even a pigtailed Kim aka @randysmolly from AIE and the new Ladies of Leet podcast in there with a cameo). In the end, it comes down to two familiar faces, and Codex puts herself in another situation with her newfound guild leadership skills. The new ep is available right now on MSN, and should be on Xbox Live as well. We've also put an embedded version right after the break if you'd rather see it there.

In other Guild news, they've also announced a brand new retail DVD that's apparently in stores today -- it's the same DVDs from the first two seasons that you could buy from them before, though it's dressed up in a brand new box, with space for both discs. They're also having a contest -- if you post a picture of yourself actually buying the DVD today (9/29) to their Facebook page or to Twitter with a #myguilddvd hashtag, they'll send you another copy, this time autographed. And even if you don't have the time or money to pick it up today, you can also add it in to your Netflix queue, which will spread the word over there. Good stuff. Stay tuned every Tuesday for another new Guild episode -- this latest season is getting hot and heavy (and painful for Zaboo, apparently) very quickly here!

The Guild season 3 episode 3 out now

by Mike Schramm Sep 15th 2009 at 3:00PM

After last week's shocking breakup, it's all up to Codex to put the pieces back together this week, as The Guild not only deals with the loss of one member, but tries to jump into a brand new expansion, even while some new wrinkles invade the guildies' lives. This season is starting to get some darkness to it -- not sure how it's all going to play out, but it's interesting to see our characters facing down some real-life struggles as well.

As always, the episode is available for download over on MSN Video or in HD on Xbox Live. We've also put an embedded version right after the break, so you can click down there to see it as well. Enjoy!

Win some real-life loot from screenshot contests

by Mike Schramm Sep 11th 2009 at 5:00PM

We've got not one but two different screeshot contests that have shown up on the tip line lately. First off, our friend Mep, who runs WoW Screenshots, has gotten his contest all up and running, and you can go over and upload a screenshot or vote for the winners over there right now. His contest runs through September 20th, and the prize is a mousepad with your winning screenshot printed right on it. Pretty groovy custom prize -- we can't wait to see what kinds of screenshots rise to the top.

And Chris also emailed us about a new site he's started up called Epic Screens. It's another screenshot database (a little competition is a good thing, right?), and he's hosting his own best screenshot contest, with two copies of vanilla WoW on the line (perfect, he says, for Recruit-a-friend). He doesn't have a final date (or any other official rules posted), so we're guessing you just head on over there and submit some shots, and if you win, he'll let you know. Sounds like fun -- let the screenshot competitions begin!

Night Elf in Guitar Hero 5

by Mike Schramm Sep 10th 2009 at 1:00PM

This is one of the many reasons why I really enjoy this job: one day, you're talking turkey with a psychologist who's dealing with serious addiction issues, and the next, you're writing about Night Elves in Guitar Hero 5. Personally, I prefer Harmonix's new Beatles game, but there's no denying that the character customization system in our very own Activision-Blizzard's Guitar Hero 5 is extremely complex. So much so that Artair on Doomhammer was actually able to make a pretty respectable-looking Night Elf male with the system.

Which really just makes it much more ridiculous that this thing could be playing onstage with none other than Kurt Cobain. But we'll let that one go -- if you've found a way to get any other Warcraft characters jamming in Guitar Hero (or any other game with an in-depth character creator), be sure to send us a tip and some pics.

The Guild episode 2 of season 3

by Mike Schramm Sep 8th 2009 at 3:00PM

Episode 2 of The Guild's season 3 is out now on MSN Video and in HD on Xbox Live (thanks, tipsters!), and it's the first new Guild footage we've seen since BlizzCon a few weeks ago (episode 1 came out last week, but there'd been a sneak peek of that before the season started). And Vork wastes no time at all mixing it up with Wil Wheaton playing the new rival guildleader -- he throws down as only Vork can, history lesson style.

Unfortunately, the Axis of Anarchy turns out to be more than a match for the Knights of Good, and that leads to a shocker that The Guild will probably be dealing with for a long time to come. Or at least until next week, when the new episode (and hopefully the game's new expansion) comes out. You can see the entire episode embedded right here after the break -- enjoy!

Cranius music available on Amazon

by Michael Gray Sep 8th 2009 at 9:00AM

Cranius has built one heck of a reputation as a World of Warcraft fan songwriter. His music and video credits include Big Blue Dress and the incredibly moving Darrowshire. This year, he (and machinimator partner Legs) achieved the first place prize at the BlizzCon 2009 machinima contest for their every-man video, Don't Make Me Get My Main.

All this background makes it awesome to point out that Cranius has released his music through Amazon, all collected on an album titled Big Blue Dress. The album is pretty cheap, coming in under $5.00. It includes downloads of Big Blue Dress, Darrowshire, and The Lament of Captain Placeholder, as well as his new pieces, Happy Place and Don't Make Me Get My Main. The only piece I felt was missing was Ulduar, but I can think of a few reasons it didn't appear.

At the cheap price, it's nice to be able to throw a little support at an artist who's brought so much music to the community. He's not been alone in this, of course, as both Oxhorn and Myndflame have released their music in one form or another. I think it's a wonderful opportunity, and something I support wholeheartedly. I obviously have purchased it, and am playing it on my computer even now.

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