Pre-ordering is now open at Steeles Publishing for the standard and deluxe editions of The Art of Tim Burton book.

The 430-page hardcover book contains film concepts and over 1000 illustrations, including those from Tim Burton’s personal archives and some which have never before been shown to the public. The Deluxe edition contains a signed inside cover and comes with cloth slipcase, as well as a numbered and individually signed lithograph – ready for framing, not folded.

The standard edition is $69.99, while the deluxe is $299.99; both ship in 2-4 weeks.

See below for more details on the book and check out the publisher’s site for samples of the artwork included in the book [...]

Everyone loves tauntauns, right? Every since one of them kept Luke from freezing to death in The Empire Strikes Back, fans of the Star Wars saga have had a soft spot for these reptomammals. (We know they make great sleeping bags.)

So, have you ever wanted to learn how to draw a tauntaun? Well, now’s your chance, as writer and artist David Petersen, creator of the best-selling Mouse Guard comic book series, has given the official Star Wars site a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw these lovable furry mounts.

The tutorial has a list of supplies for you to use, and is complete with 14 easy-to-follow steps accompanied by instructional drawings. In the end, you’ll have a tauntaun standing on the snowy tundra of Hoth, with the option to add color to your creation.

If you enjoy drawing characters from Star Wars or want to learn how, then check back at Geeks of Doom real soon for your chance to win a copy of Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars [...]

I’m celebrating Halloween in Philadelphia this year, so it’s come to my attention that the Autumn Society has a Dia de los Muertos art show at Proximity Gallery here in town today.

One of the selections for the show is from artist Tom Whalen, who has contributed a Darth Vader sugar skull — a Day of the Dead pop culture mash-up that if I had the money I’d run out and get tattooed on me right now.

Check out the Darth Vadar Sugar Skull image here at right (click for larger view) and check out Whalen’s blog at Strong Stuff.

To see more entries from the show, visit The Autumn Society’s page where the artists all blog about their contributions. (The Society is a collective of artists from the Philadelphia area, but it’s branching out worldwide.)

The Society is also doing a Trick-Art-Treat art show at Brave New Worlds in Philly today 5pm – 8pm [...]

Someone named Dr. Monster has an awesome artist remix of Scooby Doo in which Velma, the nerdy girl of the group, is the only remaining survivor of the the Mystery Team after zombies, vampires, and other evil creatures have taken over the planet. Click the image to see it in-full.

She isn’t completely alone, as a solid, Dolberman version of Scooby has shed his goofy skin and is ready and willing to protect with highly-aggressive nature. Velma has also grown up in her new role, making sure to always be equipped with a shotgun, machete, and wooden stakes while wearing a cross ’round her neck. She also re-named the van The Misery Machine and pimped it out with flammables, an artillery of weaponry, a giant wooden stake, ultra-powered lights, and a nice little memorial for Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy.

The image definitely gives off a sort of Y: The Last Man vibe but with a woman and monster invasion instead. OK, maybe I Am Legend would work much better in comparison, but that movie sucked, so Y it is! [...]

For many, Star Wars and its entire mythology may be considered a religion in itself. But what if Star Wars WAS actually a religion all this time, and many classic works of art had been created in celebration of it? As we all know, there are many easily recognizable works of religious art — most notably of them, of course, is The Last Supper. So who of us in the world of geekdom could resist the image of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, R2-D2, George Lucas, and many others sitting at that legendary one-sided table for a little womp rat feast?

In all, there are twenty images of parody. Along with the Last Supper images, you can also see things like Yoda as the Pope, Storm Trooper stained glass art, and Princess Leia as Mary, holding an infant Yoda. There’s a couple using newer characters from the movies we do not speak of, but they’re pretty cool as well. [...]

You’ve seen them on gaming tables or in display cases, preserved and painted to amazing quality. If you’re a Dungeons & Dragons player like myself, odds are you have one of your own to represent your fantasy persona. They come separately packaged or in multi-figure kits, typically sculpted from plastic or pewter. These days, they can even be bought pre-painted for the avid gamer who would rather spend more time rolling dice than sitting at a painting table.

But where’s the fun in that?

If you’ve ever looked at a beautifully painted miniature and said to yourself, “I wanna do THAT!” then this, my friend, is the column for you.

I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “There’s no way I could ever be able to paint like that,” but don’t be discouraged! The people who do those incredible paint jobs started off just like you, and with the right guidance and plenty of practice, you could be giving them a run for their money in no time.

For the duration of this column, I will be discussing the techniques of painting your own miniature. I do not profess to being a professional by any stretch of the imagination, but that is the beauty of this rewarding and relaxing hobby… You don’t have to be a professional to share the tips and techniques that you’ve discovered! [...]

Now this is totally cool!

New York-based artist Devorah Sperber created an upside down tapestry made of 1,102 colored spools of thread. In front of it is a glass ball, that when you look through it, the spools are condensed and the image flipped to show Leonard Nimoy as Spock from the original Star Trek television series.

Per Sperber’s site, the piece of art is titled Spock 1. The piece, along with two other Spock creations, was a part of her Mirror Universe exhibition, named so for the 1967 Star Trek episode [...]

Fast Company has a first look at what Helena Bonham Carter’s character, Serena, might look like in Terminator Salvation. The image is an artist’s conceptual vision of the human/CGI combination special effects that will be used in the film.

Terminator Salvation is directed by McG and stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, and Common, with some voice over work by Linda Hamilton and may Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, this concept may be a peek at one of the options for Schwarzenegger’s T-800; maybe grab him for the voice and use Arnie-clone Roland Kickinger along with this technique for the look. Who knows.

Click over to the other side for a look at the image. Be warned, it may be considered a little bit of a spoiler image for some of you, so click cautiously. I hate spoilers and I was able to check it out with no problem, so it shouldn’t be too bad for anyone to look at, but I have not seen the movie yet and I could be very wrong. Also, make sure you click the above link to Fast Company to watch video interviews with McG. [...]

Usually while enduring that unbearably long wait between the announcement of a movie and actually seeing a movie, we’re given many things to keep us wanting more; whether it be images, concept art, trailers, official sites, and everything else. Usually concept art comes toward the very beginning before the images and trailers, but today, some of it comes a little later and that’s just fine.

The concept art in question just so happens to come from a little movie called Terminator Salvation, so although we’ve seen other art, images galore, and multiple trailers already, it’s still worth seeing this collection of very cool pieces!

The collection of artwork is also accompanied by many various quotes. To see and read everything, make sure you head over to Wired to read the story, but if you click over and continue reading, you can check out a few of the more interesting quotes along with all of the very cool pictures. Some of these quotes have been around and some are newer but most give a very good idea of the approach to the movie and the passion of the people involved [...]

Another great set of Watchmen goodies have come along for all of our enjoyment!

The collection includes a very cool little viral video which is presented as a 1970’s newscast on the man known as Dr. Manhattan, which you can watch at the bottom.

After that we’ve learned about a new book being released by Titan Books called Watchmen: The Art of the Film, which showcases everything from costume sketches, storyboards, concept art, and production designs to set designs and pictures. The thumbnail below is a costume sketch for Nite Owl II by comic artist David Finch.

Continue reading to check out the sketch and also to check out the above mentioned viral video that you just can’t miss!

Here is the thumbnail for the sketch by David Finch as well as the finished costume that they used in the film. Click them to go full-size and compare.

Also on the menu are a couple new websites. First, The New Frontiersman website a la Rorschach’s favorite newspaper. [...]

Tickets are on sale now for Harry Potter: The Exhibition, a museum exhibit in coming next year to Chicago based on the world of Harry Potter created by J.K. Rowling’s popular book series brought to life by the film adaptations.

The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will contain costumes, props, and artifacts from the Harry Potter films in places in and around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, such as the Gryffindor common room and Hagrid’s hut, all on display in settings inspired by the Hogwarts film sets.

This international touring exhibit opens on April 30, 2009 in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry and will run til run through Monday, September 7, 2009. The exhibition requires a time-entry ticket and will be open for guests during regular Museum hours, as well as each evening until 9:00 p.m. during the Chicago run [...]

Several Neil Gaiman-related items are currently up for bids on eBay, with the proceeds going to the CBLDF charity.

The image at right is of two unrelated comic book characters together — Hellboy, drawn by Mike Mignola, and Sandman, drawn by Neil Gaiman. The drawing will be up on eBay for the next 20 hours or so.

Another charity item on eBay ending in less than a day is a sketch by Fables artist Mark Buckingham of Gaiman playing drums (and the author points out that while he does play instruments, drums is not one of them).

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) exists to fight censorship and defend the first amendment rights of comic book professionals throughout the United States.

Comic book artist Michael Turner passed away this past Friday, June 27, in Santa Monica, CA, after a long battle with chondrosarcoma. He was 37.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art makes the case for an unlikely but fruitful link between haute couture and comic books with the Costume Institute’s new exhibit, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy.

Lowbrow connoisseir Manic Rage brings us into the underworld world of Kustom Art with his signature Inter-Re-View — a review of the book Kustom Graphics and an interview with one of its featured artists Felix La Flamme.

Renowned movie poster artist John Alvin passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 59. Some of his best-known posters were for Blade Runner, E.T., Young Frankenstein, and so many more.

The GoD resident Brit interviews artist Chris Coop’ Cooper, known for his voluptuous devilish women reminiscent of the classic pin-ups of the 1950s and ’60s.

Christopher Moonlight is the creator of the goth comic The Black Lipstick Curse, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Mono AKA: SiMONOke, AKA: Cbleek is a mysterious Dutch artist, creator of the comic Crackhead Angel (about drug addiction in a group of supermodels), a techno-mix musician, and single working mom.

The Rolling Stones guitarist’s paintings and prints will be on display at the Richard Goodall Gallery in the UK this November.