Alien art club Glory

28/10/2022

The new Mazda CX-60 PHEV is designed to appeal to premium SUV buyers, so we test it against the Lexus NX and Volvo XC60 to see how it fares

27/10/2022

The Ford Focus is a great-handling family hatchback that matches its rivals on interior quality and cabin space

26/10/2022

We hit the road in the Mercedes C 300 d Estate to see if it's the pick of the range

25/10/2022

Second report: Our family-friendly estate impresses on its screen test

22/10/2022

A big French saloon might be an oddball choice, but the 508 looks bold, feels good and drives (mostly) well

21/10/2022

Carlos Tavares wants to protect European carmakers with tariffs on Chinese EVs

20/10/2022

Base Carrera engine + manual gearbox – rear seats = a back-to-basics 911

19/10/2022

Ignore *that* retro livery for a moment, and revel in the stats of the sublime V6 turbo Ferrari

08/09/2022

Simon Stålenhag has been on a roll recently. Earlier this year, Amazon adapted his book Tales from the Loop into a series. Last month, he kickstarted a new book called The Labyrinth. Now, he’s making his directorial debut with the music video for “Geronimo,” a single off of Duvchi’s forthcoming album, This Kind of Ocean, for which he also made the cover art.

The video stars a robotic penguin-man (named Hector) playing an antique piano covered in artistic graffiti curiously sitting alone in a scenic quarry. Over the next few minutes, we are treated to a wonderful mix of the evocative visuals Stålenhag is known for and the melodies from Duvchi and singer Nadia Nair, who is featured on the track.




The video feels like a natural extension of Stålenhag’s style. Like his paintings, it offers a snapshot of a bigger world — taking a frame and expanding on it without ever losing the spark of imagination a still image can provide. One of the reasons Stålenhag’s works are so popular is that they let you fill in the blank. Yes, lots of his paintings are accompanied by stories written by Stålenhag himself, but they don’t need that. On their own, they’re so evocative that it’s easy to invent your own story. And “Geronimo” successfully takes that approach and adds to it. It’s more a painting in motion than an episode of Tales from the Loop.

Stålenhag lends his iconic style to "Geronimo" by Duvchi.

06/09/2022

ThroughoutThroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have had their mediums closed off to them. With the limitations set on production teams and the complex logistics of getting back on set, some artists have had to find new ways to express themselves — like Karl Poyzer, a director of photography who took the time during the pandemic to dive into 3D artwork in Blender, with the goal of having fun and doing things his own way. This track would not only allow him to develop a fan base and fresh style but also to start a short film series, Floaters, that won a Vimeo Staff pick due to its amazing visuals, efficient storytelling, and — most importantly — its British humor.

I got to chat with Poyzer about his journey of getting started in 3D, the development of Floaters, and his tips for getting started in 3D art.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Take me to the beginning. How did you get started?

As a kid, I was hugely into sci-fi and Star Trek and Star Wars. And as I was growing up, I was a little bit more of a polymath in terms of stuff that I did, like making music, how you play music, writing, and stuff like that. And then yeah, went to university and started film and then got into cinematography. And the thing for the next 10 years, it was just specializing in one creative outlet, which was a lot of fun. And it was really great, but that interest in sci-fi was always there and the storytelling element of it.

How a director of photography learned to create without physical limits

02/09/2022

The Verge is turning 10, and a look back at the last decade’s worth of stories provides not just an encapsulation of what The Verge has covered but also a snapshot of how quickly the tech that informs our lives transforms. And since we’re The Verge, we can’t just look behind us. Celebrating the last 10 years is also about examining what might come next. Micha Huigen is the perfect artist to distill this intersection into a single image because Micha’s images never actually confine themselves to one space. His surreal illustrations function like scenescapes within which we get to explore close-ups of tiny modular worlds and expansive reimagined realities at once. Though he inks and colors digitally, his art maintains an analog quality, filled with halftones that suggest DIY lithography.

The 25 editorial illustrations, each of which represents one feature in our Verge 10 package, link together into a seamless infinite grid, filled with Easter eggs and precise linework that offer something new with each viewing. (We also think it makes a great pattern for any of your home wallpapering needs.)

I spoke with Micha about dropping out of art school, the evolution of his illustration style, and why urban exploring was pivotal to his development as an artist.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

How do you make your illustrations?

I used to always do the sketching and the linework on paper, then scan the linework and color it digitally. But I recently bought myself a drawing tablet with a screen, which makes working digitally feel way more natural. Nowadays, I only do the rough sketch on paper, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ll be doing that digitally soon as well.

For my personal work, I sometimes like to go fully analog, often with acrylic paint and markers. I like the way digital illustration is so efficient and that there’s an infinite amount of options within reach. That used to be a bit overwhelming, but now it feels like an advantage. I really enjoy the freedom it offers me.

"I really liked the challenge of making such a large number of illustrations and linking them together to make one big image."