Planetmatt

I was recently interviewed in Dallas by the fine folks at Busy Gamer. I talked about everything from You Can Draw STAR WARS, sexy drumsticks, working in a freelance industry, artist tips, and what I'm working on now.

Check it out here:

http://www.busygamer.com/blog1/?p=5403

Last week, the long-awaited Slave Leia video was released, and the buzz quickly spread Online. Fans and aspiring artists welcomed Matt Busch's return to the popular series he's known for, and the antics seen in the new video didn't disappoint.

Now, exactly one week later, Busch has released the follow-up episode, quite possibly the most outlandish How To Draw video yet! Here you'll see some of Matt's great tips and techniques with painting, using an airbrush, and working with color pencils.

Of course, everyone is waiting to see the Slave Leia models duke it out in the grand finale, as the ultimate cat fight breaks onto Comic-Con's main floor! Check it out!

The wait is over! It's been a year and a half since the last episode, but Artist Matt Busch is back is full swing with Season 3. The action begins with a 2 Part video tutorial on how to illustrate Jabba's captive princess!

In this first segment, Matt holds auditions for Slave Leia models from around the world at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. He also shows how to work with photo reference in your drawing.

Tune in next time to see Matt complete the painting, and hopefully resolve the ultimate cat-fight in Comic-Con history!

This weekend is the third annual STAR WARS FAN DAYS show in Dallas, Texas! It's an incredibly well-run show that is a favorite among fans, and the celebrities and artists that are featured there. Matt Busch is one such artist who will meet with fans and friends, displaying and selling art, prints, books, DVDs and more!



Matt will also be participating in the Sketch Card Program! Each VIP card set (given out free to VIP ticket holders) will contain 5 blank sketch cards that you can trade select artists for another card with a free quick sketch on it. Each participating artist will have 25 free sketches to trade for your blanks per day. Matt Busch will also have existing fully-painted sketch cards from other sets available for purchase. As well, for an easy $20, you can have Matt "upgrade" your free sketched card with more detailed color markers right on the spot! It’s the perfect opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind, full-color sketch card!



This show is a must for STAR WARS fans! Come by and hang out with Matt! For more details, check out: http://www.scifiexpo.com/DCC/fandaysIII.html

With Halloween lurking on the horizon, there's never a better time to have a creepy Konxari Video CONTEST! Are you a fan of Konxari Cards? (If not, check out http://www.konxari.com ) Are you an aspiring filmmaker, looking to make something cool and get recognition for it? Then this contest is for you!

What kind of video can you make? Anything, as long as it shows or has something to do with Konxari Cards. For the most part, we're looking for great creepy footage of experiences that happen during Konxari Readings. We want to see documentation of how you're utilizing the Cards into your ghost hunting, séance, and spirit communication practices.

However, the sky is the limit, and you could create any kind of Konxari-related video, including documentaries, fictional stories, animations, humorous, and more. There's also no limit on how long or short the video is. We'll accept anything, as long as it's entertaining.

What's in it for you?

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

The person who creates the best video (as judged by The IRM Foundation) will win:

- A check for One Hundred Dollars!
- Set of 4 Limited Edition Konxari Prints by Paul Michael Kane, each is 13" X 19" and suitable for framing!
- One-of-a-kind map artwork, the original prop as seen in the Konxari "Cryptic" Card!
- You video will appear on an upcoming Konxari DVD, to be released soon!
- 10 decks of Konxari Cards for you to give all your friends!
- Exposure and recognition in the media for being the Grand Prize Winner!

RUNNER UPS

A limited number of runner ups and honorable mentions will win:

- Limited Edition Konxari Print by Paul Michael Kane, 13" X 19" and suitable for framing!
- You video may appear on an upcoming Konxari DVD, to be released soon!
- 4 decks of Konxari Cards for you to give all your friends!
- Exposure and recognition in the media for being an honorable mention!

What to do:

Shoot your video. Upload it to YouTube and/or MySpaceTV and/or FaceBook. Email the url link to info@konxari.com, so we know it exists. (You may be asked to upload a higher resolution version for inclusion on the upcoming Konxari DVD.) Then, you sit and wait patiently, or make another video to increase your chances of winning. Enter as many times as you like, if making multiple videos.

Below is one already submitted for the contest. Think you can beat it? Let's see what you got!



The contest ends December 31st, 2009. The following January, the winners will be announced, and contacted via email to verify mailing addresses. Prizes will be mailed out thereafter.

So get your filmmaker cap on and start brainstorming your masterpiece. Anyone is eligible and this is a great opportunity for some exposure- especially those looking to break into the Horror genre. We look forward to seeing your Konxari film submission!

Matt Busch's Zombie Wars poster parody concludes with Episode VI: Return from the Grave, based on the infamous 1982 advance one-sheet for Revenge of the Jedi, before the title was changed to Return of the Jedi.



All six of the posters Busch recreated tell a very different version of the saga. Here we see the final evolution of Darth Vader's zombie conquest, but we also see an alternate ending with Luke dueling Vader...one where Luke doesn't win!

"This poster may not be an epic montage like I did for the first five posters," comments Busch, "but I love the simplicity of Drew Struzan's original. It's become such an iconic vision."

Designer Paul Michael Kane comments on his logo work -- "This was the easiest of the posters for me. This totally showcases the amazing image and the type is cast as a secondary element. Sad to see this one come, as it signaled the end of the project. But what a blast it was!"

Since the original advance poster had no credit block, Busch had fun with the tag line at the bottom, "Coming soon from a cemetery near you."

Thanks for joining this intergalactic journey of the undead. See more incredible artists rendering Star Wars Zombies here: http://www.starwars.com/vault/books/news20091012.html?page=20. Have a wonderful Halloween and the Force will be with you... Always.

The Zombie Wars epidemic continues with artist Matt Busch's recreation of the saga. Here, the story of a "zombified" Luke Skywalker develops, and romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia is more tender than ever.



Based on the original Gone With the Wind-inspired poster for The Empire Strikes Back (illustrated by Roger Kastel), Busch couldn't resist pushing the envelop with his parody. "The original poster for Empire is so emotional, I had to pull out all the stops and make this one the bloodiest mess of them all. There's even a pointless explosion of blood in space!"

Too much gore for Star Wars? "The original version of this was definitely too over-the-top, though in a humorous light. I purposely tried to push the limit, knowing I'd have to make some alterations. It went through several revisions before it was tame enough to be shown here, though I'm always more than happy to make changes. The fact that us artists have been given a chance to play with such a dark and twisted version of Star Wars at all is a riot."

Matt's vision of a dark and twisted tauntaun also had a last-minute change, though for the worse. "I was finishing up this painting in Nashville at a pop culture show called GMX," recalls Busch. "I was marveling at how funny I thought the tauntaun was now, with its little chicken-like claws that clearly have done some damage. As I finished the painting, my friend Kim Dunaway, who happened to be watching, asked, 'Wait a minute -- where are the tauntaun's cut-out intestines?' I knew I had to go back and add her brilliant idea, thus immortalizing her name in the credits as well."

To complete the feel of the original, designer Paul Michael Kane created the new logo in Adobe Illustrator and then skewed it in Photoshop to match the original logo angle.

Check out more at StarWars.com right here: http://www.starwars.com/vault/books/news20091012.html?page=17. Tomorrow concludes Busch's horrific spin on classic Star Wars posters with Episode VI: Return from the Grave!

Matt Busch's re-imagined Star Wars zombie-fest continues with the fourth installment of Zombie Wars (and the first of the classic trilogy), A New Epidemic.



This series introduces new characters two decades after the prequels, including a newly-infected Han Solo, portrayed by fellow Star Wars artist Spencer Brinkerhoff III! However, you can still see the evolution of Darth Vader from the last poster, as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who's now nothing more than a skeleton in a cloak.

Comments Busch, "In this alternate version of Episode IV, the first Death Star is still under construction, and features two beam dishes, creating the eerie, or perhaps humorous illusion of a skull."

Busch also admits there is a fine line between horror and humor. "Many horror filmmakers like Sam Raimi really push the exaggeration between the two. Here, I thought it would be creepy, and funny, to have R2-D2 so filled with blood that it's spilling over where his dome swivels. This cracks me up, as I don't know why blood would be inside an electronic droid in the first place!"

The unique poster, originally illustrated by Drew Struzan for the 10th Anniversary of Star Wars, also required some serious work from designer Paul Michael Kane. "This is my favorite poster of the bunch and the hardest to work on," says Kane. "The logo and type design had to be perfect because it's featured so prominently on the poster."

See more at http://www.starwars.com/vault/books/news20091012.html?page=16. Next up, THE LIVING DEAD STRIKE BACK!

Artist Matt Busch continues his Zombie Wars saga with Episode III: Revenge of the Zombies! Here, we see the decaying evolution of characters like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi from the earlier posters that Busch created for Episodes I and II.



Amid the clashing of this epic disaster, one character hasn't changed at all. Matt comments, "Darth Sidious is already so evil and vile physically, he pretty much looks like a zombie. I thought it would be funny to just keep him the same when depicting Drew Stuzan's original rendering."

Matt has also worked in 'easter eggs' into his posters wherever possible. "If you look closely, you'll see all kinds of cute additions. For example, in one of the Jedi Starfighters, you'll see an Astromech Droid head missing, and replaced with a zombie head sticking out of the droid socket!"

Viewers may also notice some changes in the poster's credit block, which was recreated by Paul Michael Kane. Matt elaborates, "You may notice that some of my posters include the name Doug Drazin as a Skull Handler. When I was taking photo reference of plastic skulls, Doug helped me out by holding them at the correct angle while opening the jaw, suggesting a horrific zombie moan."

For more info and a look at other incredible zombie art from artists Nicole Falk, Cat Staggs, and Jeff Carlsile, check out http://www.starwars.com/vault/books/news20091012.html?page=12. Stay tuned- tomorrow begins Busch's 'zombified' renditions of posters from the classic trilogy, starting with Zombie Wars - Episode IV: A New Epidemic!

Matt Busch's alternate 'zombified' Star Wars saga continues on StarWars.com with Episode II: Attack of the Undead. Here, even Yoda has joined the Dark Side!



Viewers may note an evolution with the characters throughout Busch's series of zombie posters. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who found his demise in Busch's first poster for The Zombie Menace, now is clearly infected and ready for revenge.

"I love how in the middle of all this horrible inter-galactic zombie massacre, Padme and Anakin still find a tender moment," says Busch, "but my favorite part of this poster is Jango Fett. His body and clothes have decayed to nothing more than a mere skeleton, yet his armor is still perfectly intact. Oddly, it gives him almost a Popeye-like physique."

A keen eye may also notice some familiar faces from the real-world Star Wars community. "I wanted to do something special for the army of clones, so I sent requests to some of my fellow Star Wars artists to send me photo reference of them in zombie poses." From left to right, you can see artists Cynthia Narcisi (Cynthia's husband Ian can also be seen in the background), Brent Woodside, Kayla Woodside, Mark McHaley, and Denise Vasquez. On the right side of Jango, artist Randy Martinez hammed it up to portray a horrified Jedi.

See more at http://www.starwars.com/vault/books/news20091012.html?page=8 and tune in tomorrow to see Matt's Zombie Wars series continue with Episode III: Revenge of the Zombies!