OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Concept Art by Michael Kutsche UPDATED

See designs for Finley the monkey and the River Fairies by lead character designer Michael Kutsche.

The movie Oz the Great and Powerful came out this week and professional concept artist and character designer Michael Kutsche shared some of his amazing designs.

I don't normally post on the weekends, but these are too good not to share.

Check after the jump for the images and some comments from his fun blog.

"With today's premiere of Oz, I thought it might be cool to start sharing the designs. This was my first and only take on the River Fairy, it got approved by Sam right away. He's such an awesome director to work with. Enjoy the film everyone! :)"

"Finley character design for "Oz the Great and Powerful". Loved how Zach Braff's performance brought the little monkey to life."

 

Theodora Riding Outfit

"Costume design for Theodora's riding outfit. This is the artwork that convinced Sam Raimi to entrust me with the challenging task of designing most of the costumes for the film. My drawings and ideas served as a guide for Gary Jones, my co-designer who injected his magic to bring them to life with the help of the talented people in the costume department."

Official Synopsis:
“Oz The Great and Powerful” imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well."

See more of Michael Kutsche portfolio at http://michaelkutsche.blogspot.com/

What do you think of the illustrations?

@ Copyright 2013 Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films Michael Kutsche. All rights reserved

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Arek conceptart, Michael Kutsche, Movie, Oz-Great-Powerful

UPDATE: Artists of 'The Amazing Spider-Man' (2012)

Updated:  Jerad S. Merantz, Eddie Yang, Ed Natividad
Here are some of the artists that worked on the science-fiction film The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). There are many talented artists involved in the production of a film. These are only some of them according to IMDb and my own research.

Official Synopsis:
Like most teenagers his age, Peter [played by Andrew Garfield] is trying to figure out who he is and how to be the person he is today. In his journey to put the pieces of his past together he uncovers a secret that his father [Campbell Scott] held… a secret that will ultimately shape his destiny as Spider-Man. This is the first in a series of movies that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story.

Production Design by J. Michael Riva

Concept Artists

• Simon Webber http://siweb.cghub.com/
• James Carson http://www.jamescarsondesign.com
• Paul Catling IMDb
• Matt Codd http://mattcodd.com/
• James Lima http://www.shinynewtv.com
• Ron Mendell http://www.ronmendell.com/
• Josh Nizzi www.joshnizzi.com
• Fabian Lacey http://www.fabianlacey.com
• Gloria Shih IMDb
• E.J. Krisor IMDb
• George Hull www.ghull.com/
• Ed Natividad ednatividad.com
• Jonathan Bach http://jbachdesign.blogspot.com/
• Jerad S. Merantz  jeradsmarantz.blogspot.com/
• Eddie Yang http://www.eddieyang.com/index.html

Storyboard Artists

• Robert Consing IMDb
• Warren Drummond http://warrendrummond.com
• Dan Sweetman IMDb
• Amy Lynn Umezu http://www.amyumezuart.com/

Official Site: www.theamazingspiderman.com


If you know of any artists who worked on the film, or know a website I missed, let me know via email or in the comments and I'll add them.

What do you think of the artists? Did you see the movie or plan to?

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Arek Ed_Natividad, Fabian Lacey, George Hull, James Carson, James_Lima, Josh Nizzi, Josh-Nizzi, Michael Kutsche, Movie, Profile, Ron-Mendell, SpiderMan, TheAmazingSpiderman, Warren Drummond

UPDATED: The Artists of John Carter (2012)

Here are some of the artists that worked on the science-fiction film John Carter (2011). As always, there are many talented artists involved in the production of a film. These are only some of them according to IMDb.

Synopsis: From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes "John Carter"--a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars).

"John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands

Directed by Andrew Stanton
Production Design by Nathan Crowley

Concept Design Supervisor Iain McCaig http://iainmccaig.blogspot.com/
Scott Patton - character designer http://www.scottpattondesign.com/store.html
Simon Webber - character designer

Wayne D. Barlowe - concept artist http://waynebarlowe.wordpress.com/
Tim Browning - concept artist
Seth Engstrom - concept artist
David Krentz - concept artist http://www.davidkrentz.com
Mishi McCaig - concept artist
Ryan Meinerding - concept artist http://boyrobot.com
Maury Ruiz - concept artist
Phil Saunders - concept artist
Mark Wagner - concept artist
Dan Walker - concept artist http://www.danwalkerconcept.co.uk/
Ross Dearsley - concept artist: Cinesite
Christian Huband - concept illustrator http://www.christianhuband.com/index.php
Vance Kovacs - concept illustrator http://www.vancekovacs.com/
Justin Sweet - concept illustrator http://www.justinsweet.com/
Ryan Church - concept illustrator http://www.ryanchurch.com/
Michael Kutsche - concept illustrator http://michaelkutsche.blogspot.com/
David Krentz - storyboard artist http://www.davidkrentz.com

I'll update this list as I find out more. If you know of any artists that worked on this that are not listed please let me know.

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Arek Dan Walker, David Krentz, Iain McCaig, Justin_Sweet, Links, Michael Kutsche, Nathan Crowley, Profile, Ryan_Meinerding, Scott_Patton

How Important Is A Website To A Concept Artist?

I spend a lot of time checking out websites of artists in the film and television industry. In fact, the majority of my posts are based on them. There are so many, I started a blog roll to help me keep track of them.

Every now and then I run into an artist that doesn't have a web presence. It surprises me.

How could an incredibly prolific artist like Ed Natividad (Ed contacted me and his site is ednatividad.com) not have a website? Why would an artist have a blog and not update it for two years? How could a legend like Ralph McQuarrie have an up-to-date and comprehensive website and others don't?

Obviously, it depends on how important the site is to the artist. So, I reached out to some artists and got answers from both ends of the spectrum.

Warren Manser has worked on major films like Transformers and says that his site is extremely helpful to him. This is mainly because "the film industry changes very fast." Besides helping clients up-to-date on his work it constantly introduces his work to new people. "I've also been getting emails from non-film related projects." In his words, "Diversity is good." Keep an eye on his site because he's planning on expanding it to include more information to compliment the imagery. So, some artists feel it's essential to their work.

Of course, networking plays a big part in any successful job and some don't see websites as being equal to that.

Martin L. Mercer worked on such films as Predators. He said, while a web presence can be useful to show prospective clients, he values something more. He said, "overall in my experience its who you know not how good your web page is."

So, if you're an artist in the entertainment industry or just a fan I'd love to hear your thoughts on your favorite art website.let me know in the comments.

Speaking of websites, make sure you visit the websites of Martin L. Mercer  http://www.martinmercer.com and Warren Manser  http://www.WarrenManser.com.

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Arek Martin Mercer, Michael Kutsche, Warren_Manser

Artists of 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' 3D

With the re-release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 3-D I thought I'd highlight some of the many talented artists involved in the production.

As always, there are a ton of people working on these films, but I can only list the ones on IMDb. I've also moved some names from other sections for clarity and I lumped everyone together regardless of official title.

Production Design by Gavin Bocquet

Design Director
Doug Chiang (as Doug Chang)

Concept Artists
Kun Chang
Neil D'Monte
Tony Wright
Marc Gabbana
Kurt Kaufman
Iain McCaig
Ed Natividad
Jay Shuster
Terryl Whitlach
Brice Cox Jr.
Warren Fu
Jules Mann
Noel Rubin

Storyboard Artists
Benton Jew
Peter Chan
Paul Topolos
Brice Cox Jr.
Warren Fu
Noel Rubin

I know there are more than these. If you know anyone I'm missing just let me know in the comments.

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Arek Benton Jew, conceptart, Doug Chiang, Ed_Natividad, Matthew Savage, Matthew-Savage, Michael Kutsche, Profile, StoryBoards

Name That Concept Art Game

Quick game. Name the movies that the following concept art goes to. Hint: The theme for this batch is "heroes".

All the concept art can be found on this site. Answers will be posted tomorrow.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

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Arek Michael Kutsche

'John Carter' Concept Art Keeps Getting Better And Better

The film John Carter (formerly "of Mars") has been sparse and sightly unimpressive. That's changed yesterday. It's Art Mag has a huge series of exclusive concept art for the film John Carter (2012) by Ryan Church, Michael Kutsche, David Krentz, and Mayes C. Rubeo. We get massive ships, bizarre creatures and sprawling interiors.

(UPDATE: I notice a lot of sites are copying the artist names from the original post including typos. Note the correct spelling of the artist names.)

Official Synopsis:

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E), JOHN CARTER OF MARS brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 'Barsoom Series,' the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitch), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

As tempted as I was to just grab everything, they deserve the link-back. So, I'm just posting my favorites.

Head over to Its Art Mag for the rest of the illustrations and look for more of the artists work.

Check out their portfolios:
David Krentz http://www.davidkrentz.com/
Ryan Church http://www.ryanchurch.com/
Michael Kutsche http://michaelkutsche.com/
Mayes C. Rubio  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayes-C-Rubeo/66859891928

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Arek conceptart, David Krentz, JohnCarterofMars, Matthew Savage, Matthew-Savage, Mayes C. Rubeo, Michael Kutsche, Movie, Ryan Church

Review: 'Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)' Blu-Ray Review

Captain America: The First Avenger has no concept art gallery. I was going to drop my rating because of it, but then I watched the gorgeous featurettes and stopped complaining.


Product Details

• Actors: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan
• Directors: Joe Johnston
• Writers: Christopher Markus, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Stephen McFeely
• Producers: Alan Fine, Amir Madani, Dan Masciarelli
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount Studios
• DVD Release Date: October 25, 2011
• Run Time: 124 minutes

Special Features

• Includes Digital Copy
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
• Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer -- Go deeper inside the Marvel Universe and unveil secret plans to assemble the ultimate superhero team, the Avengers. 
• And more!

Here are some of the featurettes I found interesting along, with some admittedly poor screen caps from the disk. I just couldn't resist putting some of these on the site.

Featurette Review
Designing the Costume
The director and producer talk about the challenge of designing a faithful comic book costume while making out realistic. Some concept art with interviews with lead concept artist Ryan Meinerding and some brief, but beautiful pan and scans of the illustrations.

Heightened Technology 
The producers and actors talk about the desire to bring advanced technology to WWII without looking out-of-place. We get a few shots of concept art on boards during production and some beautiful images of Daniel Simons' vehicle designs. He's the star of the featurette since he talks extensively about his design principles.

The Transformation 
A great explanation of how the creators got Chris Evans to look skinny and why they did it the way they did. There are only two illustrations, but the focus is on the technology.

Behind the Skull 
This feature talks about how they brought the character of the Red Skull to life. Artists Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen take about the challenge of balancing the anatomical effect of a man with his face burned off while maintaining the classic image of the comic book character. Here are some really nice illustrations in this video. The best on the disk really.

Overall, it's a really good set of disks. The concept art for the Marvel films are some of the best in the business and, besides the lack of a gallery, it's still a good disk to own.




Charlie Wen's website is http://charliewen.typepad.com/ and Ryan Meinerding's is http://boyrobot.com/. Both guy's are pretty busy, so Wen's site hasn't been updated since 2010 and Meinerding's blog domain has lapsed. Just go to Marvel.com to see their stuff.

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Arek CaptainAmerica, Charles Wen, Michael Kutsche, review, Ryan_Meinerding