Magnus Feed

Android MWC

2012-02-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Magnus Rex has been hard at work on illustrations for Android's Mobile World Conference site and it's finally live!There will be daily updates as the design evolves to its finished form.

Hope you enjoy!

Derick

Lore: Building Concept

2012-02-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Here's another original piece from my original project "Lore", first mentioned here.
Having a ball with these village concepts, much more to come!

Derick

Workshop in Imagine FX #79

2012-02-09T03:28:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I contributed a workshop on one of my Mythika Prime pieces in Imagine FX #79, out in the US now. The focus of the workshop is on how to create distinctive design languages for warring cultures. It's a great issue with articles by the incredible team behind Arkham Asylum as well as luminaries such as John Howe and Wayne Barlowe.

Check it out!

Derick

Lore: Environments

2012-01-26T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Here's some work for an original project I'm currently developing called "Lore". It is part of something larger I am working on with Stephen Chang and Randy Bantog here at Magnus Rex. It's been an exciting process and I'll be sharing more work soon!

Hope you enjoy!

Derick

Android

2012-01-26T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Continuing our current streak of work for the world's largest technology companies, we have just started a project for Google Android. We are creating a series of illustrations and character designs for their website counting down to the Mobile World Conference this year in Barcelona.

It's a new aesthetic we haven't really delved into yet, so the process should be exciting. We will post work for it as soon as the site goes live.

Stay tuned!

-Derick

Intel

2012-01-26T01:19:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

Magnus Rex has is currently working on a project for the new Intel Ultrabook with our friends at 2am Club. We are producing all the illustrations for this unique motion design piece and it's looking pretty sweet. We will post the final animation and our work for it soon.

Stay tuned!

Derick

Cisco

2012-01-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

Magnus Rex just closed out a project with world renowned studio Digital Domain for Cisco. The concept is very cool and we will show work for it soon.

Stay tuned!

-Derick

Mythika Prime

2012-01-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

This is from Mythika Prime, an original project I started developing at Magnus Rex in 2010. The concept was to create an original fantasy mythology centered around puppetry with a contemporary graphic feel. I've always been fascinated by puppetry and this was the perfect opportunity to indulge in that obsession.

This project has been featured in various publications such as Imagine FX and is currently in development for distribution in a variety of media.

You can view the whole project here.

-Derick

Samurai

2012-01-26T01:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

Here's an experimental illustration expressing the power of the samurai from Marcus Collins.

Enjoy!

Derick

Harry Potter

2012-01-26T01:05:00.001-08:00

Hey all-

Here's an awesome illustration from Ben Zhu for the Harry Potter Tribute Show at Gallery Nucleus!

Enjoy!

-Derick

Street Fighter

2012-01-26T01:04:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

Here's an awesome illustration from Ben Zhu for the Street Fighter Tribute Show at Gallery Nucleus!

Enjoy!

-Derick

Musika

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Here is the first entry in Musika, an original project in development at Magnus Rex.
It's exciting to finally get going on it, more to come!

-Derick

ASUS "Republic Of Gamers"

2012-01-26T00:57:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

Bionic brain and holographic armor designs created for ASUS "Republic of Gamers directed by the great Nick Losq.

You can see the whole project here.

-Derick

Duels

2012-01-26T00:56:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

We worked on this project for over 3 years to design scores of characters for the MMORPG "Duels". The objective was to design character sets, which is to take one central design and alter small elements to create multiple variations on a theme. It was a really fun exercise because each character set essentially became its own mini-culture.

Below are some samples of the character sets created for the game.

Enjoy!

-Derick

Asian Warrior Set

Roman Warrior Set

Persian Warrior Set

Lara Croft & The Guardian Of Light

2012-01-26T00:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Continuing in our specialty of creating game cinematics, here is some keyframe art created at Magnus Rex for Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light. These pieces were used to determine the look and feel of major moments in the game cinematics.

You can view the whole project here.

Enjoy!

-Derick

The Incredible Hulk

2012-01-26T00:47:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

The Hulk was always one of my favorite characters growing up, so working on this project was a dream come true. In this sequence, the Abomination goes wild in the streets!

You can see the whole project here.

-Derick

Alpha Protocol: Secretary

2012-01-26T00:44:00.000-08:00

Here's another sequence from "Alpha Protocol", Mike Thornton tries 3 strategies to get past a secretary...each more ridiculous than the last.

You can view the whole project here.

Enjoy!

Derick

Aggressive

Spill coffee

Email

Alpha Protocol: Pompeii

2012-01-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

Magnus Rex created the majority of the storyboards and animatics for Obsidian Entertainment's "Alpha Protocol". An interesting feature of Alpha Protocol was the branching function, which depending on the attitude the user chooses to adopt would result in a different outcome for that particular scene. We were therefore able to visually explore multiple possibilities for almost every cut scene in the game. It was a unique experience to explore all emotional facets of the storytelling experience in such a dimensional matter. Below is one example of a scene going 2 different ways.

You can view the whole project here.

Sequence: Pompeii

Intro

Death of Madison Parker

Death of the bus

Verizon "Dominoes"

2012-01-26T00:32:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

This one is from a while back, another fun project with Motion Theory | Mirada.
The concept was to create a city out of Verizon cell phones with dominoes cascading down the streets,

-Derick

Modest Mouse

2012-01-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

Here's some visual development for Modest Mouse's epic video, "Dashboard". Loved working on this project with Motion Theory, it was a fun challenge to combine discarded technology with musical equipment to create an interesting aesthetic.

You can view the full project here.

-Derick

Nomads: The Gunslinger

2012-01-26T00:25:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

This is from a fantasy western project I'm doing in the tradition of The Weird West, basically a fusion of western elements with other genres. Here's a reinterpretation of "The Gunslinger".
You can see the whole project here.

Enjoy!

-Derick

Inspiration

The Nightmare Before Christmas Animated Poem

2011-11-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Here are some final keyframe art from The Nightmare Before Christmas Animated Poem. This project was a particular challenge because how do you reinterpret a classic, yet still retain its unique charm? After many rounds of development, I think a nice balance was struck.

You can see the full project here.

-DT

What is Motion Design?

2011-11-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

"Motion Design" Center : "What is Motion Design ?" from Motion Plus Design on Vimeo.

This is a great animated piece explaining motion design to the public.
Check it out!

-Derick

Website Update

2011-11-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

We added a new "Services " section so visitors can browse our work by specific disciplines. You can check it out here. Thanks to all the great artists that were involved!

Enjoy!

Derick

Wise Words

2011-09-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

Coming Full Circle

2011-09-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

There is a studio profile on Magnus Rex in this month's Star Wars themed issue of Imagine FX. I believe it is currently available in the US right now. It was a personal thrill to be a part of this issue because it had the feeling of coming full circle.

Like most of the artists of my generation, Star Wars holds a special place in our hearts. I believe many of us were inspired directly by the "Art of" books to get into the game and see what we could do for ourselves. I felt like a kid again reading the Star Wars features, they really reminded me why I got into concept design and imaginative illustration in the first place. To evoke a sense of wonder in the viewer and to create a world for him to be immersed in.

I also remember reading IFX years ago when I first got into art school and being blown away by the work inside, and now that very publication did a feature on my company. It's amazing what can happen if you just stay on the path and keep grindin'.

Till next time, may the Force be with us all.

Derick

Don't Forget To Play

2011-09-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Great article at The 99% about the importance of play and experimentation during the creative process:http://the99percent.com/articles/7080/IDEO-Big-Innovation-Lives-Right-on-the-Edge-of-Ridiculous-IdeasDerick

Making A Start

2011-09-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Magnus Rex 2.0 has been up for about a month, so I figured it's about time to add a blog! Here's something I read recently that seemed appropriate for a first post:

THE MAGIC OF MAKING A START

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is

one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills

countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one

definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would not

otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events

issues from the decision, raising in one' s favour all

manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and

material assistance which no man would have dreamed

would come his way. I have learned a deep respect for

one of Goethe's couplets: "Whatever you can do, or

dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic,

and power in it. Begin it now."

-W. H. Murray,

The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

Hope you guys enjoy! More to come!

Derick