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BitB's interview with Brian Lynch, from InterventionCon 2011

If you haven't heard already, we will be partaking in a Twitter/Drinking Game/Interview tonight at 9EST (looks at watch... sh*t! That's 30 minutes!) with Brian Lynch from InterventionCon! Basically, we will be doing a live interactive interview where any of you can play along! Ask questions, drink along, eat cheese, and win prizes!

How do watch/play along:

Follow these colorful characters on Twitter:

@brianALynch

@InterventionCon

@BitB_Shirts

Then run a search for #BitBQnAnD, this will let you see what others are saying so you can follow and interact with strangers... it's much like a room party at a con when you simply run in to steal a drink an a cup of meatballs (caution tape room)...

What are the prizes?

Well, we will have three prizes!!! They are all shirts, with little prizes like buttons and stickers! What are the categories one may ask, well, that's simple! I'll show you ... well. Tell you...

1st Prize: Best photo during the interview

2nd Prize: Best question asked during interview

3rd Prize: Worst question asked during interview

All the prizes are the same.... so... there is no particular order to the prizes...

Rough DRINKING GAME RULES FOR TONIGHT:

- Any tweets starting with the letters B, I, or T are 1 drink.

- Any audience questions are allowed, but the questioner must take a drink first. THEN they can ask their question.

- Drinking pics encouraged - if you post a pic of you drinking, you're allowed to give either the interviewer or interviewee a drink

- Best and worst question gets a shirt! - sip for every unofficial hashtag - one drink when we mention the guy in the horse head. 2 drinks if you don't know.

-interviewers/ees are encouraged to quote selected 80's action movies. Successful use of a quote gives them one drink to dole out; they cannot make more than one quote in a row, at a time, or in a five-minute period.

-ers/ees can "catch" their counterpart making a quote; If they can answer back with a quote of their own,

- if either interviewer or interviewee sneaks in a quote from a selected action movie that isn't caught by the other, observers can "Steal" this opportunity to "catch" them, and give two drinks to the interviewer/ee caught unaware.

- if neither observers nor the oblivious party catches said reference by the time the next question is asked, the party who made the quote becomes DRINK MASTER, and can distribute three drinks to whomever he/she chooses.

- Tonight's action movies: "Commando", "Top Gun", "Die Hard. Brian is typing ...

hmm... anything else? No. Well... probably. But I'm absent minded and ready for this interview to start.

Join us!!!

Love,

Tom.

BitB Crew.

Filed under // #BitBQnAnD Artist Interview Brian A Lynch Free Shirts InterventionCon Prizes TwitterView

Posted September 21, 2011 by boredinthebasement

AoM: Jay Rivers

Wow…it’s August. Does anyone else feel that the months of May-September fly by like nothing but the months of January-March crraawwll by? Here at BitB it has been hot, steamy, and busy. We are gearing up for our inaugural appearance at Intervention Con in September which we can hardly wait for. In the meantime, we are pleased to have Jay Rivers as our Artist of the Month for August.

We quickly decided that Jay was cool in our books when we discovered that he is a huge fan of Adventure Time and The Regular Show, just like we are…possibly even a bigger fan? Nah, that could never happen! Jay is a digital artist from Georgia. After five years in a retail job, he decided to quit and put all of his talents and energy into his true passion-digital art. With hopes of having his art featured one day featured in television, games, or movies, his art blends Eastern and Western influences.

Many thanks to Jay for his creative designs for the month of August here at BitB. Be sure to read the full interview to learn more about Jay and while you are at it, make sure you cruise his links on his page at BitB to see more of his work.

Bored in the Basement (BitB): Hello and tell us about yourself:

Jay: Born and raised in Bruswick, Ga. Lived here pretty much all my life. I have been drawing since I came out my mother. I never really knew what I wanted to do with my talent when I was younger; I just kept it as a hobby of mine. It was not until my 5th year of working at Wal-Mart that I wanted to do more and the doors of that place were slowly closing in. Now free from that job finally, I am now devoting myself to building an art business of my own.

BitB: So when it comes to shopping Walmart, Target, or don't shop?

Jay: Walmart for food, Target for gadgets and figurines

BitB: Describe your art style and inspirations.

Jay: I try to blend western and eastern styles together. I want to do more realistic drawings, but the anime style is too alluring to give it up yet.

BitB: What caused your interest in anime so much? Also are you a fan of Chocobots!?

Jay: The fluid of the animation, the ideas that go into every flick, the boldness to put a little suggestive content in cartoons..something that shook our Western-ish ideas about what age group cartoons are made for. When I first saw Vampire Hunter D and Robot Carnival almost 20 years ago, I was SOLD. I don’t know about Chocobots..but I want a Chocobo..are they the same thing??

BitB: How long have you been doing this work and how did you get started?

Jay: I have been doing digital work for over 11 years now. I saw a tutorial Long Vo made about digital airbrushing and it was a wrap :-)

BitB: This stuff is above my head... So I divert to a different question…Clubber Lang, Mr. T, and B. A. Baracus... Kill One, Marry One ,F*ck One... Go!

Jay: WHAT!? NOOO SIR!! lol! Well…I guess you gotta marry Clubber...he will protect you from Mr. T after you had that one nighter...and you gotta kill B.A before he kills you…or after he kills off Clubber and Mr. T to win your affection…yanno?

BitB:Is art your main career or would you like it to be?

Jay: I am working on making it my main career. I don’t think I can be happy if it is not.

BitB: Well would you be happy with 2 Million dollars? But it’s just to hold...no keeps.

Jay: You know what, that temporary feeling of not worrying about bills would be nice. I would be happy for a minute.

BitB: What were your inspirations for your Artist of the Month t-shirt designs?

Jay: Something cool, slick and new. Wanted to dazzle and show people what I can do.

BitB: I'm rarely "dazzled" however big fan of the Be-dazzler... thoughts?

Jay: I would be a fan of Be-Dazzker too if I was either a grade school girl.

BitB: What is your most and least favorite mediums to use?

Jay: I love pencil and pen. Oh and I.LOVE.PHOTOSHOP. My least favorite is paint I can’t stand the mess.

BitB: Well.... now we have an issue... see there is an old saying going around that says if it can't be done with paint then it ain't worth doing. It's just a fact. Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, even most of Vincent Van Gogh's work was done with paint. I do a workshop on paint every other Tuesday of the month. However it just occured to me as Lenard just pointed out you may be actually talking about paint paint not Microsoft Paint... which for your sake better be the case... or else...

Jay: I'm a big Microsoft Paint fan... BIG…lol. I am talking about paint paint. I just never really have been a solid hand painter.
BitB: Where do you see your artwork leading you?

Jay: Hopefully, I could showcase my ideas in television, movies and games.

BitB: What kind of games would you like to see your artwork in?

Jay: Open world adventure and flight simulators.

BitB: What is the first random fact about yourself that comes to mind that you are not afraid of being shared on the internet?

Jay: I am a shameless procrastinator.

BitB: And the second and possibly fifth random facts?

Jay: I am a hopeless romantic, dreamer, nerd and a geek <<I use these natures to prey on women unsuspecting of my deviant nature :-)

BitB: In your opinion-most influential ninja turtle, food, and Simpsons character and why?

Jay: Michelangelo: free will, loved to have fun and the most gifted of all the turtles..but you can never tell because he goofs off too much.

Food: I love food...ALL kinds except liver..and orka..yucks. Why? Because it is food and I am fat.

Simpsons? Maggie. She doesn’t say anything...but says a lot, lol.

BitB: Nuff Said.

BitB: Your favorite homemade remedy for the common cold (some of us here at BitB are sick this week).

Jay: Moonshine and honey.
BitB: You may have to send some of that Moonshine up here... You know for uhhh research.

Jay: I do constant research. Oh yeah, 6th thing about me: I am a professional alcoholic.

BitB: Do you like the tv shows Adventure Time or the Regular Show?

Jay: !!!!....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!! YEAH-YUH! ..I’m sorry I just had to. Those are my FAVORITE shows.

BitB:OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!! YEAH-YUH!!! /--:QI -- FISTPUUUMMPP!!

BitB:Any other information about yourself that you would like shared?

Jay: Thank you for this opportunity to showcase my work. :-)

BitB:And where can we find you?

Jay: deletionofthesoul.deviantart.com / emblem.redbubble.com
BitB: And let us end with you giving a shout out to your favorite Grape Flavored Beverage?

Jay: Splyuck! gimmie some orange juice..or a margarita :-)

This months Q&A was conducted by our very own A&E, we hope you all enjoy!

Have anothe great month and keep your eyes peeled for BitB's upcoming contests for August and September!

as always,

Love

Tom & Ant

BitB Crew

Filed under // AoM Artist Interview BitB Featured Georgia Original Artwork anime artist of the month

Posted August 2, 2011 by boredinthebasement

April: AoM. Nick Pendleton.

It's time for a new artist. The month has turned and the style is shifting. Nick has done some freelance work for BitB in the past, including shirts like "Live Your Dreams" and "Sock Monkey" ...which hasn't made it to the presses yet, but it will shortly. After following his works, we knew he was going to be someone that we wanted to showcase. Style, artistic ability, and humor. Three things required to be a shoe-in for our selection commitee. Well. I'm the boring writer, let me kick things over to Rebecca Riot. She is the one that gets paid, I'm just the one that laughs.

- Tom

O HAI THAR, readers! It's that time again! I trust that you've all behaved yourselves since our last visit.. and if you have not, well then, sorry to hear about your stay in jail. April is here and not only does that mean rain showers that supposedly lead to the abundant growth of plant-life in May, but also another Artist of the Month here at Bored in the Basement! We've got a lot going on over here with t-shirts flying off the presses like crazy, and we know that this month's designs won't be any different, so let's get this party started.

Designs this month are brought to us by Nick Pendleton who, for all intents and purposes, seems to be a bit of a jack of all trades. The bio on his blog lists "Illustrator, writer, designer, producer, voice actor" as his resume`, if you will, and he's got the links to back it up. Definitely surf on over and take a look at them.. as soon as you're done reading this, of course. When asked how he got into at least the art portion of that round-up of talent, Nick says that while he's pretty sure all kids draw, he was one of the ones who just never stopped doing it. He's had a little schooling here and there but it seems like for the most part he's just got a natural talent for it that he has been able to translate into his professional life, which also includes experience in the world of publishing. As far as what mediums he enjoys producing art in, he tells us that both pen and brush ink are his favorite and that he also enjoys sculpting with wood and plaster. Painting, however, he is not such a big fan of, saying that although he did experiment with it a little while he was in school he never really enjoyed it all that much and so after that, he just never really returned to that medium.

No worries, though, for we'd say that whatever appeal painting doesn't hold for him is more than made up in the myriad other projects Nick has worked on or is working on. Not only has he done voice over work for radio productions, but he also writes/co-writes his own comic stories (as well as illustrating them), has written a collection of short stories, is in the process of writing a novel, and is also currently involved in both writing stories for and designing cover art for a short story collection called COVER STORIES: A Euphictional Anthology.. According to Nick, the concept of euphiction is that of "a type of flash fiction inspired by a piece of music," what he equates to "the literary version of a music video." He says he's written ten pieces based on Interpol songs that will appear in the second COVER STORIES, which comes out on June 21st of this year (which is World Music Day.)

As far as his voice over work, Mr. Pendleton seems to lament a little the fact that most of the projects he donated his time and talents do never came to fruition for whatever reason-- Be it the editing out of the character he was voicing, the project fizzling out, or as in the case of one, the discovery that the writer had plagiarized the majority of the script. He says that it was just something he was doing for fun after he'd started recording readings of short stories for his own podcast, when he tried out for parts in amateur productions of radio plays, something he's always loved. Now he devotes that time and energy to reading for his podcast, MusionCast, which started out as a venue for showcasing his own fiction but has as of late, he tells us, expanded to include the work of other writers he is friends with. Not to be deterred by his less-than-stellar experience in the world of professional voice-acting, Nick says that he would still someday like to try his hand at recording an audiobook.

And now, moving along to the reason why Nick is with us this month. He tells us that he has actually done some designs for clothing before, although it was more along the lines of making custom t-shirts and other clothing for his kids in their younger years. (So. Jealous.) He says he also did silk screening back in his high school days, when he made t-shirts featuring a character of his own creation, Mr. Condom. Nick says that the shirts were popular among his friends but not so much so with the administration at his school, who banned the articles of clothing. He also says that having the design he'd created be censored at school made him feel like a little bit of a rebel or a bad boy, but that it was ironic because it's not like he was even getting laid. Oh, to be a teenage nerd again.

We're pretty sure that none of Nick's designs for Bored in the Basement are going to get you kicked out of school or anything, although he does say that they (like most of his art) are reminiscent of the things he loved in childhood-- growing up in the 70's and 80's and being nostalgic for that, he thinks, are what inspire a lot of his art.. Much like, he points out, it seems most of the world is doing given the abundance of remakes in everything from music/movies/tv to toys and candy. Fair enough, personally this writer felt like a few of his designs were slightly MTV-ish, from back when MTV used to actually play music and then those cartoons between videos that would gross your parents out.. An era I think most people are probably nostalgic for.

Nick also says that designing for clothing as opposed to creating/drawing concepts for comic books (and other projects he's involved in) is quite different. He tells us he feels like when designing for a t-shirt, it is important to convey what he calls a "conceptually whole" image-- both the image and the concept must come across together, and as a whole, at the same time rather than, for instance, being able to develop a plot or concept over the course of a short story or comic book. He says it also needs to be something that will grab peoples' attention and not only make them want to buy the shirt, but also make them want to wear it repeatedly rather than put it on once and then relegate it to the corner of a dresser until the day comes when it's used as a rag for a car wash. And lastly, you want it to be something that people will remember, a lasting impression, that they will hopefully tell their friends about, who in turn will also go looking for the t-shirt. (Remember: boredinthebasement.com for all your t-shirt needs!)

And you know, of course, that we had to throw in the completely irrelevant questions.. and we did.. however, one of Nick's answers really jumped struck a chord and so, we leave you on that note.

BitB: Dream concert line-up? And why?

I'm turning 38 in May, so I no longer have the constitution for large concerts like I once did. But I would absolutely dig a sort of Austin City Limits type venue - maybe a bit smaller, more intimate - with groups like The National, Interpol, Grizzly Bear, Steve Mason (formerly of the Beta Band), The The, Blonde Redhead, Tori Amos, Dean & Britta, and probably Mike Doughty (only he would be forbidden to play anything from the album Golden Delicious). Then at the end of the night, when we were all drunk, we'd resurrect Ian Curtis and rock out to Joy Division until sun up. Something like that would be awesome.

Sounds like an excellent time to us, Nick. .. Are we invited, or are we just gonna have to crash it?

-RR

Filed under // AoM Artist Interview CoverStories Dream Concert MusionCast Nick Pendleton artist featured artist

Posted March 31, 2011 by boredinthebasement