Archive for May, 2009

Ok, just one last post about my trip back in time. Below is another one of my favourite pieces. This one was an advertisement for Relentless e-magazine. or an e-zine. Yes, I know the proportions are slightly off. But when you are working with only 16 colours and a 14″ VGA monitor it took great skill for ANSI artists of the day to illustrate figures.  You could only view a few lines at a time. So it took great talent to draw ANSI art.

This piece was done while I belonged to one of the best ANSI Art groups in the world. DARK – Digital Artists of the Rare Kind, a legendary Canadian group.

Just to continue from my previous post. Below is one of my favourite samples of ANSI art.

This piece was created for a BBS called No-Carrier. Who doesn’t  love Calvin and Hobbes, for that matter who doesn’t love Spaceman Spiff!

I’m going to take you folks on a trip way back in time. Just before the internet. Back when BBSes and dial-up modems and terminal programs were used. Back in the day, I was the artist formerly known as Xeryrus. I belonged to many groups and created over 20 pieces of ANSI art for BBSes. I created images of my favourite characters and I also created logos. I was branding BBSes before the word branding was hip. Let me give you a bit of a backgrounder on what ANSI art is all about.

ANSI Art

ANSI art is a computer artform using text characters on computers with MS-DOS (before windows) which was popular in the late 80’s and early to mid 90’s. It was mainly used for BBSes, which was software that would allow users to dial into the computer over a phone line and, using a terminal program, interact with it, read/post on forums, and exchanging messages, exchange files. being only text on a terminal, artists never really pictured this as a limitation.
ANSI Charcter Set

The art was all typed out by hand using the above characters available, mainly using the solid and shaded blocks. they also used escape codes to specify colors for their work, 16 foreground and 8 background were available.

The Site
Many props to the guy who developed this archive dedicated to this art form.
Sixteen Colors was originally created as “Somnium” in 1999. Somnium was a small site that allowed users to view the current months’ packs online. In the years since Sixteen Colors has grown to an attempt to create a comprehensive archive of the entire ANSI art and ASCII art scenes. In addition, the site attempts to create a historical record of artists, groups and scene events. Sixteen Colors currently boasts 3,784 packs. Users can view artworks by pack and year, artist and group. The community is also encouraged to add and edit metadata relating to packs, groups and artists. If you have a new pack or a pack that is missing from the archive you may upload it at any time.

Xeryrus BBS logos

A collection of unusual knuckle shaped gadgets and creative product designs.

Brass Knuckle Shopping Bag – Unusual shopping bag designed by Leo Burnett Lisbon ad agency from Portugal.

Brass Knuckle Coffee Mug – Punch coffee cup reminds you that you need a strong coffee and a good punch in the face to get going in the morning.

Brass Knuckle Comb – Knuckle Comb combines feminine delicacy with power that characterize modern women. It is a gift-gadget, a hybrid of everyday use object – a comb with knuckle-duster.

Brass Knuckle Soap – Inspired by brass knuckles, this all natural glycerin soap is designed to add a bit of playful subversion to your soap dish.

Brass Knuckle Handbag – In an age when it is difficult to avoid terror take charge of the streets and look fashionable with a PeaceKeeper handbag.

Brass Knuckle Umbrella – Umbuster is a creative umbrella with an ergonomically positioned knuckle duster handle configuration.

Brass Knuckle Brush – Creative knuckle brush design by Ken Goldman.

Brass Knuckle Chair – Metal art chair design inspired by brass knuckles.

Growing Brass Knuckle Jewelry – Growing Jewelry is a redefinition of modern values. It is a clash of jewelry and gardening; couture and organism.

Brass Knuckle Corkscrew – The Bourgeois Brass Knuckles are a cross between two iconic objects whose cultural and socio-economic associations lie at opposite ends of the spectrum from one another.

This series is part 3 of a set of photos that were taken by Branislav Kropilak, a very talented Prague-based photographer. I particularly like this Landing series featuring long exposure images of landscapes that airplanes have landed through.

Pleasure through beauty. No, i’m talking about models or fashion. But gas pumps!! Yes, that’s right. Gas Pump design.

With the price of gasoline increasing for the long weekend, at least the gas pumps should be appealing to the eye. At least I will know what some of that money is being spent on. This series is part 2 of a set of photos that were taken by Branislav Kropilak, a very talented Prague-based photographer.

Who knew that garages could look so elegant. These photos were taken by Branislav Kropilak, a very talented Prague-based photographer. I think I’ll post a series of his work in the coming days. But that’s enough for tonight. The long-weekend is calling.

I found this using Shrook. Its an RSS reader for those not in the know. I got a laugh out of this one. Thanks -  piscolabis.

I just happened to stumbleupon this site. Pretty cool recycling of bike parts. Check these guys out at www.bikefurniture.com.

While I was cruzing the internet today I came across this truly unique, inspirational and multi-talented artist – Victor Reyes. He is an artist from San Francisco who works in printmaking, fine art paintings, illustration, commercial design, and mural work.

I wish he could make a visit to Hamilton. He could teach these hacks a few lessons. I wouldn’t mind having a wall on my townhome covered with his work. For that matter, I’d proably invite him to come inside and do an entire wall in my living room. Mad props to Victor Reyes!! you can check out his work at http://reyes78.com.