Not long ago, one of our own represented us in an art contest on
Bungie.net. Since I was amazed by
the work and proud of his accomplishment of being stated on the Honorable
Mention list, I have spent some time on doing an in-depth interview with the
artist. The questions and quotes
are from me, the rest are unedited answers from the heart and mind of Kirk. The
interview is detailed. If you do not have the time to peruse through it all, at
least do not miss the end for a special gift from Kirk to all 2o2p
members. So without further due.
1. Tell us about the contest, what was it?
Over at Bungie.net they posted a news article announcing an art contest and a call for submissions. Deman267 from OMM posted it to the 2o2p forums for those of us that might be interested. I checked it out and got very pumped because i thought it would be a great opportunity to get some exposure to Bungie staff. I decided I would take the challenge and create something to enter. It was all due Jan 7th. To be honest, however, to this day it’s not really clear to me how much Bungie actually played a part in the event if at all. I’m now pretty sure they simply endorsed it but that it was organized, sponsored by and judged by members of a Halo Fan forum hosted on the Bungie.net forums called The Septagon.
Here is the final art piece submitted for the contest:
The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
Alberto Giacometti
2. How long did it take you?
The piece I entered took me about 8 days to complete. That’s working on it a little bit each day in between other work and family. Total hours spent were probably 16 to 20.
3.Was this your first time participating in such event?
I have entered into other similar contests before. It’s always a great way to get your work seen and to get you motivated to create something new. As I’m sure everyone knows by now I didn’t win this contest. In fact I didn't even place in the top 3. But that’s what happens. You pull your self up and move on to the next. I had A wise Art teacher once that said " stop thinking of each piece as a masterpiece and see it instead as simply an exercise and learning experience for the next piece." I have tried to keep that in mind ever since.
4. What were the technical parts behind the creation process? Did you seek feedback during the process?
Well the process for this piece went as follows. First I sketched small thumbnail drawings of different ideas for composition and characters. I picked a few that I liked and I did more detailed sketches of each but still very rough. At that point I posted up the sketches on the OMM forum and asked people to vote for which they liked best. I don’t usually get to have input from others since I work alone so that was really nice. Everyone gave me great feedback on which they preferred and why. I found it very helpful. Once I decided on a sketch, I located photo reference to help make sure I get things accurate. At that point I enlarged the sketch on a copier. Then I I redrew it tight on a light box, referring to the reference material I had put together for accuracy. Some times I draw all the elements into one finished drawing. I didn't do that with this piece, instead I drew each element, the pelican, Cortana, and the Master Chief by themselves. I scanned these into my computer, which for those interested, is a Mac G4 duel 1.42GH with 2 gigs of ram. I work primarily in Adobe PhotoShop for painting and digital manipulation and Adobe Illustrator for type and 2d graphics. I brought the pencils into Photoshop and went over them with solid black. Once each of the elements was digitally "inked" I positioned them where I wanted them. Then I separated the black on too its own layer so that all the color can go below and the line art stays rich and dark on top. Then I did a quick color study. This is a loose rough of the colors in the general areas they will go to see if what I was imagining is actually going to look good. Then I painted. Once all the painting underneath was completed I created layers above the black and did more painting over the black, like highlights, smoke etc. Through this whole process I was posting up .jpgs of each stage and getting peoples responses from my clans forum. It helped me a lot. Once the piece was done I made a flattened .jpg and sent it over to the contest via e-mail.
5. Can you show us some additional roughs used in the creation?
Sure, I didn't post up the initial roughs so this is a great place to show those. I’ll also get you all the stages I did post so that everyone from around the site that wasn't able to see them since I posted all this in the OMM forum can get a chance to see them. Here is a link to a gallery that has all the roughs, tight pencils, inked elements, color study and the final piece.
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/landing_process/
Creativity takes courage.
Henri Matisse
About what you do :
1. How would you describe what you do for a living?
I’m a professional Illustrator and designer, I guess, if you had to label it. I operate two companies out of my studio, KMKM Communication that does design, retail graphics and web design and STUDIOKM which is all the illustration, comic book and agency board work
2. How long have you been doing what you do? Did you used to do something else before?
I have been drawing and creating art or visual imagery since as far back as I can remember. But professionally as a career I would say about 8 years. Prior to that I worked in Corporate Retail as a Creative manager and Art Director. It took getting laid off for a second time to finally give me the kick in the pants I needed to go out and do what I loved full time. It was scary and I will not B.S. you, it still is. It’s a very different career style to work for yourself. It has its pluses and minuses. But I tell you for once in my life I can honestly say...I like my boss!
3. Do you hold advanced training in that domain? Do you teach it?
I have a BFA in Illustration from a liberal arts college as a posed to an art college because I wanted to have as rounded a background as possible. I think that has been a wise decision looking back on it and one I would recommend to anyone at that stage in their life. But then anyone reading this is probably way passed that point. I don’t teach art but I have looked into it. I would like to at some point.
4. How has technology evolved in the past 5-10 years to help you with what you do?
Tremendously!! Ten years ago all the art I was doing, was in a traditional style. Paint on canvas, ink on brush etc. The computer has completely changed the field. I think making it better. Initially it was homogenizing the work, which wasn't good. There definitely was a period there were personal style was getting lost and replaced by technical execution and a universal "computer generated" look. As the programs have gotten more sophisticated and more so the artists using them have gotten comfortable and experienced with the programs we see just as much personal style. The added benefits of computers are endless, ease of use, no more toxic materials, work that is print ready and work you can refine, correct and change right to the end easily. That can be daunting and oppressive too, but I think ultimately it is freeing and allows the artist to get that much closer to reproducing the image that is in their head which is the goal of any artist work.
5. What would you recommend to someone thinking of starting off in this industry?
Get a Mac! Seriously get digital as quickly as you can so that you can get proficient at it as quickly as you can. If you want to do traditional illustration or comic book work then you also need to work at the traditional basics, drawing, color theory etc. You can’t create an effective illustration unless you practice anatomy, perspective, composition, and color theory first. The computer can't do all that for you. The computers ability to execute is only as good as the commands that the artist using puts into it. This goes for everything, even abstract work like Picasso or Bugs Bunny for that matter. I mean you look at Bugs Bunny and you don’t think man that anatomy looks wrong. He looks fine and feels right even though he is only drawn with 2 or 3 lines in total. That’s because the artist drawing him understood anatomy so well that he could express it in a cartoon exaggerated manner and have it "feel" right. So anatomy, perspective and composition are comparable to reading, writing and arithmetic when it comes to this field, they are the basic necessities.
6. Where do you go for your sources of inspiration, and/or what inspires you?
Pop culture in general is my basic inspiration, movies, comics, books, video games, music, the Internet etc. More specifically since I was young, comics have been a huge source of entertainment, inspiration and motivation. I think you can see that very clearly in my work both in style and subject matter. I love the heroic imagery of comics, as well as the visual story telling aspects. Specific artists in the field that have greatly effected me are Adam Hughes, Alex Ross Adi Granov, Bryan Hitch, Travist Charest to name a few. I get a lot of inspiration from Japanese Anime and Manga artists. People like Masamune Shirow. Also Fantasy painters and illustrators like Brom, or RK Post are an influence. The artistic community on line is a great source of support and inspiration for my work. I frequently post work in progress on art forums for feedback and critique from peers. Lastly video games have increasingly been a source of inspiration and influence. In many ways they have started to replace comics for me since the stories have become almost as rich and certainly the visuals have. Where a comic can show you a different world a video game lets you become a part of it, lets you become the hero. And that’s very powerful.
How rich art is; if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never without food for thought or truly lonely, never alone.
Vincent Van Gogh
About you :
1. How would your significant other describe you in less than 25 words ?
When i asked her, She said a bunch of stuff about being, handsome, funny, loving and caring, smart, a great Dad, great in bed, a great husband, artistic, sensitive and a bunch of other crap that I don’t believe for a second!! Seriously though, I would hope that she would say, that she was glad she married me and that I was in fact the man she was meant to be with.
2. How would your children describe you in less than 25 words?
Kookie! I think would sum it up. ? Let me answer this with a pearl of wisdom my daughter dropped on my head this past month. I started teasing her and goofing with her. To which she said "oh daddy your being kookie" and I said: "Yeah daddy is not making any sense, is he ?" to which this 3 & 1/2 year old turned to me and with a shrug and a smile said "Well daddy, you can’t make any sense ...if you don’t have any! " Smack, bang, game over, Dad zero, Daughter 10. My daughter had smack talked me and instantly I realized my inferiority and graciously laid down my crown. Boy it doesn't take long, I thought I had until she was at least 13 or 14 before she knows everything and I know nothing?
Here is a picture of Kirk playing halo 2 while his family looks on.
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/batfamily2.jpg
3. How did you learn about this site? Did it change your vision of gaming? How so?
To be honest I don’t recall exactly how I came to hear about the site. I think I read about it online or saw a link somewhere that I followed. It absolutely changed my vision of gaming. Until the point I joined 2O2P I believed the same old stereotypes of who makes up the gaming community. I believed, like I’m sure most older gamers do before finding 2O2P, that I was a freak of nature, a troubled adult that must be struggling with not having had enough childhood since I was playing games that "only" kids played. It was refreshing and eye opening to find a large, mature, adult community of gamers where I wasn’t the odd one out, but instead fit like a glove. It’s become very clear to me now that gaming is soooo not a kid’s only phenomenon. Matchmaking in Halo 2 might be predominantly kids, but that is clearly not the norm, but the exception. I no longer feel some how, guilty for playing video games at my age. In fact I state it proudly at any chance I get with family and friends. It’s been great and I can safely say that finding 2O2P, and all the wonderful people that make up its expansive and rich community, has kept gaming fun for me. Thanks 2O2P and thanks to everyone I have met here and had the honor to play with and to those that I cant wait to meet that I haven't been lucky enough to play with yet.
4. What games do you play on what consoles or PC? What is your favorite game to play and why?
Right now I only play Halo 2 on XBox. I haven't had the desire to play anything else since I started playing back in Jan of 2005 and when I got hooked into 2O2P. I do rent other games from time to time to try them out but only Half Life 2 has interested me enough to actually get it recently. My gaming history started back when I worked in a corporate setting. A guy in a cube next to me had a copy of the original Doom. I quickly got hooked on playing that at night after work. I then got a copy of Doom 3 for the Mac and I played it all the way to the end. A task that took longer then I care admit. My first console was a PS2. I got it mainly because I rented one and played Devil My Cry. Now that game kicked some serious butt!! I was pretty much hooked from there. I have played a lot of games since then and until Halo 2 the highlights for me would be:
Zone of the enders, Psi-Ops, Otogi #1 & #2, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1 & #2, Metroid Prime, Burnout 3, Top Spin, SpyHunter, and of course the piece de resistance.... Halo CE!!
My favorite game is Halo 2 without a doubt. The matchmaking and custom games create a different experience every time you play and i love that. I get a rush out of joining up with a group of friends and going into an arena together and working as a team. For me Halo is like a virtual sport more then a game. I played a lot of sports through high school and college and I often miss the camaraderie of playing with a team. My Halo gaming gives me back some of that team experience. In a battle, it’s great to know that people you are playing with have your back and nothing is more exhilarating then saving one of my mates in the heat of battle. Maybe it is the whole super hero thing and this is as close as I’m going to get to it in real life. It’s nice to win but for me it’s not about winning it’s about getting better at the skill sets, the weapons, mastering the maps and having allot of laughs and fun with friends. I also love the sci-fi space story line, the wild aliens, the awesome central hero figure in the Master Chief. So the background for all the online play in Halo is rich with the kind of entertainment I seek out in my life everyday.
Entertainment and art are not isolated. Entertainment is in art like color in pictures.
Martin Kippenberger
7. Passions in life:
Raising my two kids with my wife. Comic books, I’m still collecting them and have been since age 6 or 7. I was a Marvel Comics kid but in my adult life DC and independents get as much focus from me now. I mean come on! DC publishes Batman :-). Sci-fi and action adventure movies have always been a passion. You can imagine howstoked I am for the Halo movie AAAAHHH!!!! I CANT WAIT!!!!! I love Asian cinema and Hong Kong action flicks. Good TV like the Sopranos but mostly good TV Sci-fi like the current Battlestar Galactica or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Music. I can’t work without it. Pretty eclectic musical taste but the emphasis is on rhythm and beat. Lots of rap, hip-hop and R&B, some reggae, classical, some rock, and movie soundtracks. Im pretty passionate about the signatures I design for fellow members. You can see a small gallery of them here :
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/sig_gallery/index.html
I used to be passionate about exercise and I am trying to get back to that. Our dog. We rescued a white Boxer about 6 years ago and she has been my faithful studio mate ever since. Lately I’m pretty passionate about politics, some would say to a fault. :-) I think that becoming a Dad has been a wake up call for me to look more seriously at our political state and to become more active in trying to effect it for the better.
Final Words?
Just some shout outs if thats ok.
Big props to Doodirock and all the founding fathers of 2O2P!! You guys rock and have created something that has saved gaming for myself and a lot of others like me, so thanks gentlemen!!! A big tip of the hat to all of you!!!
Many have taught me how to play better here at 2O2P, but I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to Buffy, Fetal Injury and Eksessiv for some of the best training classes I have ever had. Like so many others at the site you and all those that have volunteered to run training classes, give it up for the greater good. Thanks, I appreciate it and I refer back on those lessons every time I turn on my Xbox!
DanLeCrinque, for being so supportive of my work and offering to put this interview and display of my art together for all to see. I appreciate it, and further more you are the master of the custom game!!! I bow to your expertise in managing a room of nuts and making it fun!
Old Man Mafia, Don Crawler and all the hit men and women of the OMM, you guys are like family to me now and I really enjoy hanging with the best clan in all of XBL!!!!
A-Team my home within a home!! Keep that thread alive Brothers and Sisters !!! It will be a thing of Legend!!!!
And to some of the members that have greatly influenced me, inspire me every night we play, and have kept me laughing and singing through many a wild match, I salute the following. Phlizzer, MrWhite, TCL22, ARMnHMR, Skeyewalker7, MTK005, AnotherJay, DanLeCrinque, Grady Shane, Didity, Deman267, TSAIceman, Netw3rk, EBall, Yarr, Raste, Rental Pack, Cranefolder, Freakmullet, XSSmoke, Darth Cestual, WMD meemoos, Gaius Caesar, Lonewolf1973, PhreaksB1tch, Castlemonster, SkyCube, Deadstock, BigOne, Webmonkee, AlphaMongoose, PapaHamster, Rashani, PMS_EM, BeeMan, LeightyRx, Dantez Inferno, Moesly, WallyBR, ArmedZero, Spot778 and soooooooo many more I cant list them all. You all rule and have made my life richer and filled with more laughs and good times then I thought possible, thanks!!!!
Finally, a small gift to all 2o2p members.:
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/landing_desktops/
Long live 2O2P and long live Halo!!!!!!
Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.
Oscar Wilde
Over at Bungie.net they posted a news article announcing an art contest and a call for submissions. Deman267 from OMM posted it to the 2o2p forums for those of us that might be interested. I checked it out and got very pumped because i thought it would be a great opportunity to get some exposure to Bungie staff. I decided I would take the challenge and create something to enter. It was all due Jan 7th. To be honest, however, to this day it’s not really clear to me how much Bungie actually played a part in the event if at all. I’m now pretty sure they simply endorsed it but that it was organized, sponsored by and judged by members of a Halo Fan forum hosted on the Bungie.net forums called The Septagon.
Here is the final art piece submitted for the contest:
The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
Alberto Giacometti
2. How long did it take you?
The piece I entered took me about 8 days to complete. That’s working on it a little bit each day in between other work and family. Total hours spent were probably 16 to 20.
3.Was this your first time participating in such event?
I have entered into other similar contests before. It’s always a great way to get your work seen and to get you motivated to create something new. As I’m sure everyone knows by now I didn’t win this contest. In fact I didn't even place in the top 3. But that’s what happens. You pull your self up and move on to the next. I had A wise Art teacher once that said " stop thinking of each piece as a masterpiece and see it instead as simply an exercise and learning experience for the next piece." I have tried to keep that in mind ever since.
4. What were the technical parts behind the creation process? Did you seek feedback during the process?
Well the process for this piece went as follows. First I sketched small thumbnail drawings of different ideas for composition and characters. I picked a few that I liked and I did more detailed sketches of each but still very rough. At that point I posted up the sketches on the OMM forum and asked people to vote for which they liked best. I don’t usually get to have input from others since I work alone so that was really nice. Everyone gave me great feedback on which they preferred and why. I found it very helpful. Once I decided on a sketch, I located photo reference to help make sure I get things accurate. At that point I enlarged the sketch on a copier. Then I I redrew it tight on a light box, referring to the reference material I had put together for accuracy. Some times I draw all the elements into one finished drawing. I didn't do that with this piece, instead I drew each element, the pelican, Cortana, and the Master Chief by themselves. I scanned these into my computer, which for those interested, is a Mac G4 duel 1.42GH with 2 gigs of ram. I work primarily in Adobe PhotoShop for painting and digital manipulation and Adobe Illustrator for type and 2d graphics. I brought the pencils into Photoshop and went over them with solid black. Once each of the elements was digitally "inked" I positioned them where I wanted them. Then I separated the black on too its own layer so that all the color can go below and the line art stays rich and dark on top. Then I did a quick color study. This is a loose rough of the colors in the general areas they will go to see if what I was imagining is actually going to look good. Then I painted. Once all the painting underneath was completed I created layers above the black and did more painting over the black, like highlights, smoke etc. Through this whole process I was posting up .jpgs of each stage and getting peoples responses from my clans forum. It helped me a lot. Once the piece was done I made a flattened .jpg and sent it over to the contest via e-mail.
5. Can you show us some additional roughs used in the creation?
Sure, I didn't post up the initial roughs so this is a great place to show those. I’ll also get you all the stages I did post so that everyone from around the site that wasn't able to see them since I posted all this in the OMM forum can get a chance to see them. Here is a link to a gallery that has all the roughs, tight pencils, inked elements, color study and the final piece.
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/landing_process/
Creativity takes courage.
Henri Matisse
About what you do :
1. How would you describe what you do for a living?
I’m a professional Illustrator and designer, I guess, if you had to label it. I operate two companies out of my studio, KMKM Communication that does design, retail graphics and web design and STUDIOKM which is all the illustration, comic book and agency board work
2. How long have you been doing what you do? Did you used to do something else before?
I have been drawing and creating art or visual imagery since as far back as I can remember. But professionally as a career I would say about 8 years. Prior to that I worked in Corporate Retail as a Creative manager and Art Director. It took getting laid off for a second time to finally give me the kick in the pants I needed to go out and do what I loved full time. It was scary and I will not B.S. you, it still is. It’s a very different career style to work for yourself. It has its pluses and minuses. But I tell you for once in my life I can honestly say...I like my boss!
3. Do you hold advanced training in that domain? Do you teach it?
I have a BFA in Illustration from a liberal arts college as a posed to an art college because I wanted to have as rounded a background as possible. I think that has been a wise decision looking back on it and one I would recommend to anyone at that stage in their life. But then anyone reading this is probably way passed that point. I don’t teach art but I have looked into it. I would like to at some point.
4. How has technology evolved in the past 5-10 years to help you with what you do?
Tremendously!! Ten years ago all the art I was doing, was in a traditional style. Paint on canvas, ink on brush etc. The computer has completely changed the field. I think making it better. Initially it was homogenizing the work, which wasn't good. There definitely was a period there were personal style was getting lost and replaced by technical execution and a universal "computer generated" look. As the programs have gotten more sophisticated and more so the artists using them have gotten comfortable and experienced with the programs we see just as much personal style. The added benefits of computers are endless, ease of use, no more toxic materials, work that is print ready and work you can refine, correct and change right to the end easily. That can be daunting and oppressive too, but I think ultimately it is freeing and allows the artist to get that much closer to reproducing the image that is in their head which is the goal of any artist work.
5. What would you recommend to someone thinking of starting off in this industry?
Get a Mac! Seriously get digital as quickly as you can so that you can get proficient at it as quickly as you can. If you want to do traditional illustration or comic book work then you also need to work at the traditional basics, drawing, color theory etc. You can’t create an effective illustration unless you practice anatomy, perspective, composition, and color theory first. The computer can't do all that for you. The computers ability to execute is only as good as the commands that the artist using puts into it. This goes for everything, even abstract work like Picasso or Bugs Bunny for that matter. I mean you look at Bugs Bunny and you don’t think man that anatomy looks wrong. He looks fine and feels right even though he is only drawn with 2 or 3 lines in total. That’s because the artist drawing him understood anatomy so well that he could express it in a cartoon exaggerated manner and have it "feel" right. So anatomy, perspective and composition are comparable to reading, writing and arithmetic when it comes to this field, they are the basic necessities.
6. Where do you go for your sources of inspiration, and/or what inspires you?
Pop culture in general is my basic inspiration, movies, comics, books, video games, music, the Internet etc. More specifically since I was young, comics have been a huge source of entertainment, inspiration and motivation. I think you can see that very clearly in my work both in style and subject matter. I love the heroic imagery of comics, as well as the visual story telling aspects. Specific artists in the field that have greatly effected me are Adam Hughes, Alex Ross Adi Granov, Bryan Hitch, Travist Charest to name a few. I get a lot of inspiration from Japanese Anime and Manga artists. People like Masamune Shirow. Also Fantasy painters and illustrators like Brom, or RK Post are an influence. The artistic community on line is a great source of support and inspiration for my work. I frequently post work in progress on art forums for feedback and critique from peers. Lastly video games have increasingly been a source of inspiration and influence. In many ways they have started to replace comics for me since the stories have become almost as rich and certainly the visuals have. Where a comic can show you a different world a video game lets you become a part of it, lets you become the hero. And that’s very powerful.
How rich art is; if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never without food for thought or truly lonely, never alone.
Vincent Van Gogh
About you :
1. How would your significant other describe you in less than 25 words ?
When i asked her, She said a bunch of stuff about being, handsome, funny, loving and caring, smart, a great Dad, great in bed, a great husband, artistic, sensitive and a bunch of other crap that I don’t believe for a second!! Seriously though, I would hope that she would say, that she was glad she married me and that I was in fact the man she was meant to be with.
2. How would your children describe you in less than 25 words?
Kookie! I think would sum it up. ? Let me answer this with a pearl of wisdom my daughter dropped on my head this past month. I started teasing her and goofing with her. To which she said "oh daddy your being kookie" and I said: "Yeah daddy is not making any sense, is he ?" to which this 3 & 1/2 year old turned to me and with a shrug and a smile said "Well daddy, you can’t make any sense ...if you don’t have any! " Smack, bang, game over, Dad zero, Daughter 10. My daughter had smack talked me and instantly I realized my inferiority and graciously laid down my crown. Boy it doesn't take long, I thought I had until she was at least 13 or 14 before she knows everything and I know nothing?
Here is a picture of Kirk playing halo 2 while his family looks on.
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/batfamily2.jpg
3. How did you learn about this site? Did it change your vision of gaming? How so?
To be honest I don’t recall exactly how I came to hear about the site. I think I read about it online or saw a link somewhere that I followed. It absolutely changed my vision of gaming. Until the point I joined 2O2P I believed the same old stereotypes of who makes up the gaming community. I believed, like I’m sure most older gamers do before finding 2O2P, that I was a freak of nature, a troubled adult that must be struggling with not having had enough childhood since I was playing games that "only" kids played. It was refreshing and eye opening to find a large, mature, adult community of gamers where I wasn’t the odd one out, but instead fit like a glove. It’s become very clear to me now that gaming is soooo not a kid’s only phenomenon. Matchmaking in Halo 2 might be predominantly kids, but that is clearly not the norm, but the exception. I no longer feel some how, guilty for playing video games at my age. In fact I state it proudly at any chance I get with family and friends. It’s been great and I can safely say that finding 2O2P, and all the wonderful people that make up its expansive and rich community, has kept gaming fun for me. Thanks 2O2P and thanks to everyone I have met here and had the honor to play with and to those that I cant wait to meet that I haven't been lucky enough to play with yet.
4. What games do you play on what consoles or PC? What is your favorite game to play and why?
Right now I only play Halo 2 on XBox. I haven't had the desire to play anything else since I started playing back in Jan of 2005 and when I got hooked into 2O2P. I do rent other games from time to time to try them out but only Half Life 2 has interested me enough to actually get it recently. My gaming history started back when I worked in a corporate setting. A guy in a cube next to me had a copy of the original Doom. I quickly got hooked on playing that at night after work. I then got a copy of Doom 3 for the Mac and I played it all the way to the end. A task that took longer then I care admit. My first console was a PS2. I got it mainly because I rented one and played Devil My Cry. Now that game kicked some serious butt!! I was pretty much hooked from there. I have played a lot of games since then and until Halo 2 the highlights for me would be:
Zone of the enders, Psi-Ops, Otogi #1 & #2, Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1 & #2, Metroid Prime, Burnout 3, Top Spin, SpyHunter, and of course the piece de resistance.... Halo CE!!
My favorite game is Halo 2 without a doubt. The matchmaking and custom games create a different experience every time you play and i love that. I get a rush out of joining up with a group of friends and going into an arena together and working as a team. For me Halo is like a virtual sport more then a game. I played a lot of sports through high school and college and I often miss the camaraderie of playing with a team. My Halo gaming gives me back some of that team experience. In a battle, it’s great to know that people you are playing with have your back and nothing is more exhilarating then saving one of my mates in the heat of battle. Maybe it is the whole super hero thing and this is as close as I’m going to get to it in real life. It’s nice to win but for me it’s not about winning it’s about getting better at the skill sets, the weapons, mastering the maps and having allot of laughs and fun with friends. I also love the sci-fi space story line, the wild aliens, the awesome central hero figure in the Master Chief. So the background for all the online play in Halo is rich with the kind of entertainment I seek out in my life everyday.
Entertainment and art are not isolated. Entertainment is in art like color in pictures.
Martin Kippenberger
7. Passions in life:
Raising my two kids with my wife. Comic books, I’m still collecting them and have been since age 6 or 7. I was a Marvel Comics kid but in my adult life DC and independents get as much focus from me now. I mean come on! DC publishes Batman :-). Sci-fi and action adventure movies have always been a passion. You can imagine howstoked I am for the Halo movie AAAAHHH!!!! I CANT WAIT!!!!! I love Asian cinema and Hong Kong action flicks. Good TV like the Sopranos but mostly good TV Sci-fi like the current Battlestar Galactica or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Music. I can’t work without it. Pretty eclectic musical taste but the emphasis is on rhythm and beat. Lots of rap, hip-hop and R&B, some reggae, classical, some rock, and movie soundtracks. Im pretty passionate about the signatures I design for fellow members. You can see a small gallery of them here :
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/sig_gallery/index.html
I used to be passionate about exercise and I am trying to get back to that. Our dog. We rescued a white Boxer about 6 years ago and she has been my faithful studio mate ever since. Lately I’m pretty passionate about politics, some would say to a fault. :-) I think that becoming a Dad has been a wake up call for me to look more seriously at our political state and to become more active in trying to effect it for the better.
Final Words?
Just some shout outs if thats ok.
Big props to Doodirock and all the founding fathers of 2O2P!! You guys rock and have created something that has saved gaming for myself and a lot of others like me, so thanks gentlemen!!! A big tip of the hat to all of you!!!
Many have taught me how to play better here at 2O2P, but I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to Buffy, Fetal Injury and Eksessiv for some of the best training classes I have ever had. Like so many others at the site you and all those that have volunteered to run training classes, give it up for the greater good. Thanks, I appreciate it and I refer back on those lessons every time I turn on my Xbox!
DanLeCrinque, for being so supportive of my work and offering to put this interview and display of my art together for all to see. I appreciate it, and further more you are the master of the custom game!!! I bow to your expertise in managing a room of nuts and making it fun!
Old Man Mafia, Don Crawler and all the hit men and women of the OMM, you guys are like family to me now and I really enjoy hanging with the best clan in all of XBL!!!!
A-Team my home within a home!! Keep that thread alive Brothers and Sisters !!! It will be a thing of Legend!!!!
And to some of the members that have greatly influenced me, inspire me every night we play, and have kept me laughing and singing through many a wild match, I salute the following. Phlizzer, MrWhite, TCL22, ARMnHMR, Skeyewalker7, MTK005, AnotherJay, DanLeCrinque, Grady Shane, Didity, Deman267, TSAIceman, Netw3rk, EBall, Yarr, Raste, Rental Pack, Cranefolder, Freakmullet, XSSmoke, Darth Cestual, WMD meemoos, Gaius Caesar, Lonewolf1973, PhreaksB1tch, Castlemonster, SkyCube, Deadstock, BigOne, Webmonkee, AlphaMongoose, PapaHamster, Rashani, PMS_EM, BeeMan, LeightyRx, Dantez Inferno, Moesly, WallyBR, ArmedZero, Spot778 and soooooooo many more I cant list them all. You all rule and have made my life richer and filled with more laughs and good times then I thought possible, thanks!!!!
Finally, a small gift to all 2o2p members.:
http://www.studiokm.com/OMM/landing_desktops/
Long live 2O2P and long live Halo!!!!!!
Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.
Oscar Wilde
