Comic Artists Use 3D Printing to Stand Out at This Year’s New York Comic Con

from 3Dprint.com - bY SCOTT J GRUNEWALD · OCTOBER 13, 2015

With well over 150,000 attendees, last weekend’s New York Comic Con is one of the largest comic book and pop culture conventions in the country. The NYCC took over the entirety of the massive NYC Javits Convention Center’s 840,000 square feet of exhibit space and meeting rooms, which occupy a full six city blocks. At over 80,000 square feet and occupied by 450 artists, even the convention’s Artist Alley held in the North Pavilion was massive. As you would expect, it isn’t easy for an artist to stand out in a place that large with a crowd that huge.

But this year three of the independent artists trying to stand out from the pack had a little help thanks to 3D printing. They teamed up with 3D Printing 4 Everyone (3DP4E) and their new comic art-orientated 3D printing service 3DArtGeeks.com to bring their two-dimensional artwork into the third dimension. 3DArtGeeks is a service that offers comic book and other traditional artists the ability to turn their artwork into 3D statues that can be printed in full-color sandstone. Once the statue is printed, 3DArtGeeks will coat it in a material similar to super glue that really draws out the colors and hardens it enough to be just as durable as any traditionally cast statue.

The first of the three artists who signed up to take their art 3D was a relative newcomer to comics, Colin Lawler, who started his career as a freelance graphic designer. But he decided to put all of that aside so he could pursue a career in comic books, and he’s already off to a great start. His first self-published book Spirits: The Soul Collector was funded through Kickstarter and follows the adventures of 12-year-old Will Thompson entering the spirit world to rescue the soul of his younger brother. The 3D printed statue of Will looks like he walked right off of the page, and Lawler even designed a custom base for the statue.

David Wenzel is perhaps best known in the comic world for his graphic novel adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which remains one of the most successful graphic novel adaptations of classic literature ever produced. He also created the classic Kingdom of the Dwarfs where he recreated an entire underground civilization based on the Aegol Barrow archaeological dig, and worked with Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and has illustrated over thirty children’s books. His Dwarf of the Oak Shield looks great as a 3D printed statue and you can really see the Nordic influences of his armor, weapons and clothing.

Finally Katie Cook, writer and artist on her self-published comic Gronk: A Monster’s Story and IDW’s hugely popular My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic brought a box of cats to the show. No, not real cats (although that would also be a pretty decent way to stand out at a comic convention wouldn’t it? “Why yes, you can pet my cats, but you need to buy a comic first.”). But instead she brought a box of 3D printed cats. Her statue “Free To A Semi-Decent Home” evokes a feeling that every cat owner can sympathize with: ‘you guys sure are cute, but stop being such jerks’.

“Everyday, I am amazed with what we can create. These works of art translate so wonderfully into 3d printed sculptures. The whimsical character of Katie Cook’s cats, the domineering power of Dave Wenzel’s Dwarf of the Oak Shield, and the courage and determination of Will, Colin Lawler’s 12 year old hero, are all enhanced and magnified when transformed into 3D,” said 3DP4E CEO Ron Rose.

By all counts the New York Comic Con was a huge success all around, and Artist Alley saw some huge crowds walking through it. If you are an artist and you’d like to turn some of your artwork into 3D printed statues, then you can submit some of your artwork and get a quote here. And if you want to buy any of the 3D printed statues featured here, or any of the dozens of other great artists that they work with make sure that you visit 3DArtGeeks.com.

3D Printing Brings the Award Winning Artwork of John Nickle to Life

from 3dprint.com by SCOTT J GRUNEWALD · OCTOBER 4, 2015

Illustrator John Nickle has been making a living as an artist for newspapers, magazines, novel covers and children’s books for over 25 years now. His body of work is as diverse as it gets, ranging from serious journalism to humorous commentary and criticism. His art can easily shift from surreal to childlike and over to dark and moody depending on the subject matter, and sometimes even a mix of all three. His work graces the covers of hard boiled crime novels and absurd and silly children’s books alike, and while all of his art is distinctly his, it never feels out of place or like it doesn’t belong. 

Thus far he has had quite the career, and he has the resume and awards to prove it. Over the span of his career he’s counted just about every major book publisher as a client at one point or the other, from Random House to Harlequin. Newspapers and magazines like the New York Times to Sports Illustratedregularly call on him for his art services. And his award winning children’s book The Ant Bully, a story about a young bullied boy who is shrunken down to the size of ants after he takes his frustrations out on their colony, was turned into an animated film in 2006. 

And now, after all his years as a working artist, Nickle is now bringing his artwork into an entirely new dimension. Specifically the third one, thanks to 3D Printing 4 Everyone (3DP4E) and their new 3D printing service 3DArtGeeks.com. The new website works with artists of all kinds to turn their two-dimensional artwork into three-dimensional statues. Nickle worked closely with the 3DArtGeeks team and turned three of his most intriguing pieces of art into cool 3D printed sculptures that his fans can purchase and display.

The cover that Nickle created for the gritty 1988 crime novel The Problem of Virtue is moody and creepy with its overhead image of a woman with her head stuck in an oven. Her lifeless body is contrasted by the black-and-white checkered floor and is grisly, unsettling and visually striking all at the same time. The original artwork was created using colored pencils rather than paints, giving the art a texture that makes the empty kitchen feel like it has been lived in for years. The 3D print almost exactly recreates the look and feel of the cover, so much so that it’s hard to tell them apart.

The original “The Problem of Virtue” cover.

Slightly less unsettling is this piece that he created for an editorial in the New York Times in 1998 for an article about supporting local libraries. The piece is called “Book Lover” for obvious reasons, and we all have someone in our life for whom this artwork will resonate. Conveniently, the 3D printed version of “Book Lover” would make a great bookend.

Then there is the wonderfully weird, odd and just plane silly “Chicken in a Frog Costume” painting. The art is from a popular children’s book called Things That Are Most In The World. The book introduces its readers to some pretty hilarious and random surrealism by attempting to answer questions that logically should have no answer. For instance, What is the jumpiest thing in the world? “Two thousand two hundred twenty-two toads on a trampoline.”

So, why is there a chicken in a frog suit? You’re just going to have to read the book to find out. But even if you never get the answer, why the heck wouldn’t you want a chicken in a frog suit statue sitting on your shelf?

“It is exciting to work with art that is so rich in color and so wonderfully expressive. I am excited to continue our work with artists of John’s talent to create a new dimension of their art,” said 3DP4E CEO Ron Rose.

All of the 3D reproductions of Nickle’s artwork were 3D printed on a 3D Systems ProJet 660using a full color sandstone material and sealed with a durable wax coating. If you want to pick up your own 3D version of Nickle’s art, then head on over to 3DArtGeeks.com and check them out. While you’re there you can also browse through all of the other great pieces of 2D artwork that they have converted into 3D statues. And don’t forget to check out a huge archive of some of the best John Nickle artwork over on his website.

3D Printing and 3DArtGeeks is Bringing Comic Book Art into the Third Dimension

From 3dprint.com BY SCOTT J GRUNEWALD · SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

In the West Village, one of the oldest parts of New York City, you can find a strange little shop called Carmine Street Comics. Not only do they sell the comic books that you would expect them to based on the shop’s name, but they also have an open art studio situated at the front of the store. Every day a new artist sets up residence in the front window of the shop, and customers can ask questions, commission a sketch, buy prints or just watch them work. And if that wasn’t strange enough, Carmine Street Comics also host weekly open mic nights for local stand up comedians. So it is legitimately possible to spend an entire day at the shop, buying your weekly haul in the morning, learning some new tricks with an art brush in the afternoon and laughing at Paste Pot Pete jokes at night. 

“Walter Tank” by artist George Vega

Their latest unorthodox venture is one that is bringing a whole new dimension to comic book art thanks to 3D printing technology. Carmine Street Comics owner Jon Gorga has teamed up with 3D Printing for Everyone(3DP4E), a group we’ve covered, on a new project that offers 3D modeling and 3D printing services to the store’s local comic book artist community. The project is called 3DArtGeeks, and the artists who work with them can turn their two-dimensional drawings into full-color 3D printed statues that their fans, and the comic store’s customers, can purchase. The artist gains not only exposure–and as any up and coming comic artist will tell you, that is always welcome–but also a bit of sorely needed money. 

“In keeping with our goal to support comics artists and creators of all kinds, we’re proud to partner with 3DP4E to bring yet another artistic tool to the writers and artists who use our open studio space,” said the owner of Carmine Street Comics Jon Gorga.

“Walter Tank” by artist George Vega

3DArtGeeks uses the same technology that has allowed many a proud parent to turn their children’s drawings into 3D printed collectibles over on KidsCreationStation.com, a site launched back in November that we’ve been following. Digital artists take a 2D drawing and using a CAD program turn it into a 3D model, which is then sent to be printed in a full-color sandstone material. Once the 3D model has been sliced into layers, it is sent to be 3D printed. 

“Cadet Jack” by Shannon Gordon

The printing process starts when a robotic arm spreads a fine layer of gypsum powder onto the printer’s build platform. A mechanism similar to an inkjet printer prints the first layer of the model using colored inks that have been mixed with a binding agent onto the layer of powder. This is repeated layer by layer until the entire three-dimensional piece of art is completed. The finished statue is simply removed from the printing bed, any excess material blown off with compressed air. Then it’s finished by applying a coat of a material not unlike super glue that makes the colors more vibrant and adds durability to the statue. 

“Through our partnership with Carmine Street Comics, and our new website 3DArtGeeks, we are working with artists to create a marketplace for 3D printed works of their art. While this is a new endeavor for 3DP4E, it is something that we have a great deal of experience in. We have worked with artists before in developing an exhibit for The Children’s Museum of the Arts, and an exhibit for F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology). Also, through KidsCreationStation, we have created hundreds of 3D printed sculptures from children’s art,” explained 3DP4E CEO Ron Rose.

Ron Rose and Jon Gorga in front of Carmine Street Comics

Not only are the artists 3D printed statues available to view online at 3DArtGeeks, but Carmine Street Comics regularly displays some of them inside of the shop for everyone to see. So the comic shop with an art studio and a stand up comedy stage is also an art gallery. Currently the website isn’t letting just anyone turn their art into 3D printed statues, but they are looking to bring new artists in on a case by case basis. You can stop in the store and talk to Gorga about being featured, or you can email him at info@3DArtGeeks.com.

3DP4E Unveils NYC’s First (?) 3D Printed Alien Subway & Rat Disco

from 3DPrint.com  BY HANNAH ROSE MENDOZA · AUGUST 11, 2015

3DP4E is no stranger to helping children fall in love with 3D printing. The name, which stands for 3D Printing 4 Everyone, reveals their commitment to spreading access to the technology by helping people to develop the mastery necessary to turn the equipment from an expensive paper weight into an essential tool. Through an initiative they call the Kids Creation Station, they continue to engage in projects designed specifically for capturing the imagination of young children by working to turn their drawings into 3D prints.

For their latest Kids Creation Station project they have joined forces with New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) to create a subway system for an imaginary alien population, complete with underground rat disco. This time, the ‘kids’ were young adults graduating from the Illustration program at F.I.T.

A spokesperson for the college explained the scope of the project that made up their thesis exhibit, entitled Alien’s Underground: F.I.T. Subway Reimagined:

“For this year’s thesis, the students were challenged with a way to make the 28th street 1 train station more visually and spatially reflective of F.I.T’s flourishing creativity. Working within the theme of aliens passengers and a dancing rat disco underneath the subway, the students created two-dimensional mystical and eccentric beings to populate the subway.”

The illustrations that the students created got an added bit of zing when 3DP4E’s creation station worked to turn them into 3D printed models. For the exhibit, there are a total of 35 statues printed in full color sandstone with a wax coating. The team at 3DP4E used a 3D Systems ProJet 660 to turn out the delightful critters. If you find yourself inexorably drawn to any one of them, it might be its alien super powers–but nevertheless, they are also available for purchase online at the 3DArtistGallery website.

And they are adorable. Or at least most of them are. The aliens range from a rough and ready beauty named Kari Toudou, designed by Bridget Pavalow, to the stuff of nightmares in the form of a particularly ghoulish fast food Wendy, complete with red braids and a disturbing, obese Ronald McDonald, both the products of Christine Bell.

The rats are charming as well, even if you aren’t the kind of person who normally associates that characteristic with this particular class of rodents. Rebecca Kozel’s disco rat sports a gold medallion and a super smooth rat jacket, open to reveal the obligatory chest hair, never mind that he isn’t wearing pants. Among the dangling disco balls, you’ll also find Leanne Maltese’s rat sniffing the air – maybe it’s the odor of cheese wafting down from the subway above.

You may have always secretly suspected that portions of the New York subway system are inhabited by aliens and overrun with festive rats, but now the idea of it might just seem somewhat pleasant. If you are in the neighborhood, at F.I.T.’s Pomerantz Center lobby on 7th avenue West 28th street you can stop by and see the exhibit until August 31st.

Let us know if you check this out in the 3D Printed Alien and Rat Disco forum thread over at 3DPB.com.

3DP4E Brings 3D Printing to Young Artists

post from 3D print.com - bY SARAH ANDERSON GOEHRKE · NOVEMBER 29, 2014

We’ve seen 3D printing go to the stars and back, more or less literally. With all the expanding uses in high-tech industries like aerospace and semiconductors, we also need to remember to look closer to home… including in our own homes, to children. It’s today’s children, after all, who will really benefit the most from 3D printing as the technology continues to improve while their generation grows up.

The startup 3DP4E means 3D Printing for Everyone, and they mean it. Their mission statement “is to empower through design, technology and entrepreneurism.” 3DP4E has been working to ensure that the “Everyone” in their name includes children, bringing 3D printing to educational facilities like schools, as well as libraries and museums, where children can get some hands-on experience.

3DP4E has teamed up with Shapeways for support from an established company with real for-the-people 3D printing know-how. Shapeways is supporting 3DP4E as they expand and, now, bring 3D printing to a new exhibition. “Into the Third Dimension: 3D Printing for Young Artists” is a new exhibit at New York City’s Children’s Museum of the Arts which just opened November 20th and will run through January 11, 2015.

“CMA is delighted to partner with 3DP4E to draw attention to new techniques in artmaking,” said CMA Executive Director Barbara Hunt McLanahan. “The Museum is very proud of our permanent collection of over 2,000 pieces of children’s art from around the world, and we are always looking for new ways to encourage visitors to really look at and engage with these works. This exhibition showcases our collection while introducing children, their parents, and caregivers to a new art making technique — 3D modeling and 3D printing.”

The CMA exhibit will showcase some two-dimensional pieces from their permanent collection with a 3D printed element from each work. A dinosaur, for example, may come into three dimensions in front of its 2D likeness, or a baseball player may look really ready to swing into the air near a painting of a ballgame.

“3DP4E is about nurturing and expressing creativity and this exhibition presents a fantastic conduit for that. This partnership with CMA — arguably the city’s leading expert in engaging children through artistic endeavor and expression – will empower children and students through design and technology,” said Ron Rose, CEO and founder of 3DP4E. “We provide the technology, CMA makes it fun and educational. We are thrilled to help bring this exciting project to fruition.”

To help its visitors understand the process, the CMA will also present a short film that details 3D printing based on a 2D drawing. Kids love movies, but just watching a film won’t really provide a complete educational experience. Drawing workshops led by a CMA Teaching Artist will be held throughout the duration of the exhibition. From these workshops’ participants (ages 5 and older), 20 winners will be randomly selected to have their drawings rendered into 3D and printed by Shapeways.

The drawing workshops — “Experimenting with Dimensions” — will be held on five Saturdays throughout the exhibition. The workshops will run from 10 AM to 5 PM on November 22nd, December 6th and 13th, and January 3rd and 10th. The 20 winners whose artwork will go 3D will be invited to a presentation ceremony of the finished pieces in late January or early February, following Shapeways’ printing.

In addition to the CMA exhibition, 3DP4E has also launched a new website aimed at young artists. Kids Creation Station uses “3D printing technology to visualize your child’s imagination in a three dimensional space.” In about a 4-week turnaround, a child’s artwork can be rendered into 3D designs and then 3D printed and shipped out. The site also features an online portal where kids can create and share portfolios of their artwork. For $100 for the first model (and $60 for additional prints), parents can get a 3D model of their child’s artwork. Per KCS, the completed order will include:

• Your child’s artwork as a 4 inch 3D Printed Sculpture
• An openable diorama case
• A full-color background insert for the diorama case
• Lots of love

3DP4E is really bringing 3D printing to new frontiers and a new, young audience.