Sci-Fi-O-Rama

This charming Spot illustration, is by Jerry Smath and was used for a “How Do We Know?” feature, included in Children’s Digest magazine January 1961.

This image has come via Flickr User Glen Mullaly check his photostream for more 50’s/60’s/70’s vintage illustration, childrens book and otherwise - really is a superb selection…

Another Frank Frazetta concept painting for the Original 70’s Battlestar Galactica featuring one of his trademark muscular female rumps and some pretty evil looking Cylon Raiders.  This is a follow up to the earlier Frazetta/BSG post which Charlie Jane Anders (cheers!) has expanded on over at i09.com - article: http://io9.com/5064127/the-savage-barbarians-of-battlestar-galactica  

Also check http://www.galactica.tv/ a very extensive Battlestar Galactica fan site…

Superb pixel illustration / retro game graphics taken from the ground breaking “Dune 2: Battle for Arrakis” considered by many to be the defining RTS  game (real-time-strategy game). Dune II was released in 1992 by Westwood Studios who later went on to evolve the game concept into “Command & Conquer” and beyond.  These Graphics by Ren Olsen were used to depict the various buildings and units attainable within the game, the actual in game graphics (down to hardware limitations) were representational and quite simple, so  Dune II’s real artwork -  Ren’s lavish animated cut scenes, menus etc - was necessary to set the mood.

Dune II’s was a hugely immersive experience set within the Dune universe but only loosely based on the Frank Herbert Novels. Basically Westwood deployed a shit-load of creative license and all for the greater good, in fact the game was that good I’m pretty certain that (via emulation) the Battle for Arrakis will still be raging on more than one laptop not too far, far away…

Read more here: http://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?q=dune+2&x=0&y=0

Artist Ren Olsen has a website with other examples of his work, heres a link: http://www.renolsen.com/

Images sourced via http://duneii.com/ an excellent dedicated fan site.

I’d just like to note that in terms of design I’ve always thought this rendition of  the Dune desert world and its protagonist’s are - all be it on a smaller scale - every bit of as inventive as David Lynchs much derided 1984 film - and I’ll add also that the depiction of the Saurdakar trooper (2nd down on left) is one of my all time favourite SF designs - dark as hell….

Ok so here we have one of the worlds premier Sci-Fi Artist’s featured on Sci-Fi-O-Rama for the first time and I’d like to point out that it’s not on merit that Ralphs not popped up before… Ralph Mcquarrie IS Star Wars, every bit as much as George Lucas and if you seek Star Wars Art (and why shouldnt you!) check some of Ralph’s astonishing concept art here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/heilemann/sets/152728/

So Back to (70’s) Battlestar Galatica -  and following on from the prior post - here are some of  Ralph Mcquarrie’s original concept paintings. Ralph’s work - of course - is pretty close to the finished models/art, but as with his Star Wars art its slightly more streamlined or spindly, in the way that only concept art can be - cooler perhaps?

BTW the reason why this blog isn’t laced with art from visionaries like Syd Mead or Ralph Mcquarrie is that a simple google search (or better yet bookshop) will yield far classier info than I can provide. It’s not that these artists aren’t amazing  (of course they are! )  Sci-Fi-O-Rama is more about the off-beat…

Images Sourced Via this BSG forum: http://galacticabbs.com/index.php?showtopic=1931

For more Info:

See a complete overview of his Battlestar Galactica paintings here:
http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-1978—news/ralph-mcquarrie-concept-paintings.html

Or an overview of his concept art for Battlestar Galactica here:http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-1978—news/ralph-mcquarrie-concept-sketches.html

Thanks Marcel!

Chris Foss “The Martian Way”

Another example of Chris’s airbrush work,  Scan Taken from Paper Tigers 1977 release“The Flights of Icarus”.

See more of Chris Foss here http://www.chrisfoss.net/or at http://astrona.blogspot.com/search/label/Chris%20Foss

Artwork for the 1977 Post-Apocalyptic Movie “Damnation Alley”, more on the film here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075909/

Excellent original Atari Art, I presume for the legendary 2600, that was the wood paneled console with the stiff as hell one button joysticks. The vaporising image is “Defender” and the lower art-  if you’ve haven’t guessed - is “Super Breakout”.

Many thanks to Ben at http://www.buhbomp.com/ for supplying the scans.

Here’s something a bit different that’s pretty certain to send my Bandwidth cost’s through the roof - an animated Gif loop - as made popular by FFFFound.com!  This is taken from the 1982 Clint Eastwood Cold War / Sci-Fi  Thriller “Firefox”