From its humble beginnings as a three-person console-game development studio in 1991 to the creation of the blockbuster Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard has a history of crafting stunning worlds of science fiction and fantasy. The company’s distinctive gameplay and storytelling styles have captivated an international audience numbering in the tens of millions whose passion cannot be quelled. Twenty years after Blizzard opened its doors, the company’s World of Warcraft® boasts the title of the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and the studio is widely recognized as one of the leaders in creatively driven game development. An epic volume of art and behind-the-scenes insights, The Art of Blizzard® celebrates the studio’s genesis by examining the creative forces behind these games and showcasing their artistry through more than 700 pieces of concept art, paintings, and sketches. Commentary on the art is provided by Blizzard Entertainment’s own Nick Carpenter, Sam Didier, and Chris Metzen, who’ve each played important roles in shaping Blizzard’s game universes over the years.

    This comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the blockbuster 'Iron Man' movie features exclusive content, from concept art and armor design, to unreleased stills and a glimpse at the creative process.

    These side adventures occurred randomly throughout the first 10 book series. If you have not read the 10 original novels, you will be confused!When the apocalypse hits and nearly wipes out humanity, the survivors band together in little knots, fighting desperately to stay alive. All except one forgotten child. Six-year-old Jillybean has been alone for months with “monsters” prowling endlessly around her house, looking to eat her as they did Mrs. Polarski from up the street. A big bunch of them ate the old lady down to the bone and left nothing but chunks of scalp with long strands of bloody, brown hair attached, and also an elbow. They left her elbow behind and Jillybean could never understand why. That elbow haunted her, as did Mrs. Polarski’s screams. When the monsters first came there had been many screams. All night there would be horrible, scary screams, and they had been simply awful, but the silence was worse. The heavy silence went on and on until Jillybean couldn’t take it any longer…and that was when her stuffed zebra began to talk to her. From then on, things got better. She even left her house. This is the story of a mentally shattered little girl finding the courage to live when so many millions of adults had died pissing their pants and choking on their own blood as they screamed.

    A Must Have for the Metal Gear Solid Collector!!EXCLUSIVE TO THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION GUIDE: A lithograph by Yoji Shinkawa, an art gallery, an exclusive hardcover and additional content.THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO 100% COMPLETION: All missions, all side quests, all secrets, all collectibles, all Achievements and Trophies – at your fingertips!TURNKEY WALKTHROUGH: An at-a-glance, map-based walkthrough steers you through the entire adventure supported by annotated hi-res screenshots.ALL GAME SYSTEMS DECODED: Statistics, diagrams and analysis from our experts provide a comprehensive understanding of all game systems and features, including the Mother Base management metagame. A WEALTH OF EXTRAS: Includes an extensive story recap, a poster covering the immense game area and much more!DEVELOPMENT: Developed directly with Kojima Productions in Tokyo. MAINTAINING TRADITION: From the same team that brought you the highly acclaimed guides to Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.QUALITY CONTROL: Carefully designed to avoid unnecessary story spoilers.

    In this first book collection of his work, readers can see a fascinating combination of adorable girls with large, manga-influenced eyes, and soulful Japanese landscape illustrations. Momentary features never-before-published finished work and sketches, as well as written commentary (in both Japanese and English) from the artist himself.Kuvshinov has a significant social media following on Instagram, Twitter and DeviantArt. On Instagram alone, 785,000 followers from all over the world eagerly await his latest posts.

    This astounding volume showcases alluring paintings of sensuous women and strong men, set against mythical, otherworldly backgrounds, and contains over 40 color and black and white illustrations, as well as 8 full pages of new, never before seen or published art work.

    Includes art from Dead Space, Dead Space: Extraction, Dead Space: Ignition, and Dead Space 2.

    It collects 209 fantasy-themed illustrations, paintings, and computer graphics created by Shirow between 1992 and May 1998, none of which have been published in the U.S. before. It also contains detailed commentary (in both Japanese and English) on each work, and an "info-box" that explains the techniques used to produce each piece.

    Two weeks later I was gone, witnessing my new world wizz by, especially at dusk, then darkness as I watched the sum of all the city lights cast my silhouette across the pine trees of the Florida panhandle. This was it, I was riding my very first freight train. And soon, what would begin as mere natural curiosity and self-discovery would evolve into a casting call of sorts, taking photographs of my newfound friends. — Mike Brodie11 x 13 Inches60 Four-color Plates104 Pages

    Drawing from street culture, high art, and traditional Japanese painting, Murakami takes the contemporary art trend of mixing high and low to an unprecedented level (critics call him the new Warhol), producing original paintings and sculptures as well as mass-produced consumer objects such as toys, books, and most famously, a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton. A committed supporter and spokesperson for Japanese artists and a powerful commentator on postwar culture and society, Murakami has organized influential exhibitions of Japanese art as well as a biannual art fair in Tokyo. Murakami has positioned himself as a new type of artist for the twenty-first century: a hybrid of creator, entrepreneur, and cultural ambassador.In conjunction with the first major retrospective of his work, Murakami traces Murakami’s global impact socially, culturally, and art historically. Essays focus on Murakami’s early works, which were based on a social critique of Japan’s rampant consumerism; the development of his characters; his work with anime, fantasy; otaku culture; and his engagement with global pop culture. Representing output from original works of art to mass-produced multiples, the catalogue also considers the implications of Murakami’s working methods within the tradition of the Western avant-garde.

    & China. Out of control sectors of government. Unrealistic regulations. Genetically engineered food.From the mind of Boyd Craven Jr. comes a story world that most readers find "Scarily Believable..."  "Right out of today's headlines..."  "Different than anything else in this genre that I've read..."HUNTER HOMESTEAD — Smack dab in the middle of all that, Jacob and Elaine Hunter sell their home on the water in a small Michigan city for more than they could've ever dreamed, and at the perfect time—just before the big real estate crash. With a fist full of cash, and timing on their side they retire from their jobs and set out to find the perfect place to settle down to a life of homesteading and sustainability. They might have found the perfect place, out in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina, but they also found something they hadn't counted on. His name was Mike Ford.★★★★★ The start of a new world!!  This first book in a new series I found quite enjoyable!! It's well written and the characters are fleshed out very well! I look forward to reading the next in the series!★★★★★ A Scary Premise!! Great start to a fascinating storyline. I love the characters - being as I am of the older generation - their doubts, and their hopes and dreams. It's a scary premise - the whole genetic manipulation and I am really anxious to see where this series is going. Well done, Boyd Craven Jr.★★★★☆ Different This story is different than what I'm used to from the Craven guys but still enjoyed it. Think it's actually the first story I've seen along these lines. I can say honestly the storyline interested me because I worry about what these big companies are doing to our food. Looking forward to starting book two.

    

    Slight of build, shy by nature, prone to fits of depression, the 28-year-old Beijing photographer was nonetheless at the forefront of Chinese artists' battle for creative freedom. Like his champion Ai Weiwei, Ren was controversial in his homeland and wildly popular in the rest of the world. He said, -I don't really view my work as taboo, because I don't think so much in cultural context, or political context. I don't intentionally push boundaries, I just do what I do.- Why? Because his models, friends, and increasingly, fans, are naked, often outdoors, high in the trees or on the terrifyingly vertiginous rooftops of Beijing, stacked like building blocks, heads wrapped in octopi, body cavities sprouting phone cords and flowers, whatever enters his mind at the moment. He denies his intentions are sexual, and there is a clean detachment about even his most extreme images: the urine, the insertions, the many, many erections. In a 2013 interview VICE magazine asked, -there are a lot of dicks ... do you just like dicks?- Ren responded, -It's not just dicks I'm interested in, I like to portray every organ in a fresh, vivid and emotional way.- True though that may be, the penises Ren photographed are not just fresh and vivid, but unusually large, making one wonder just where he met his friends. In the same piece, Hang also stated, -Gender isn't important when I'm taking pictures, it only matters to me when I'm having sex, - making him a pioneer of gender inclusiveness. Young fans still eagerly flock to his website, Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr accounts. His photographs, all produced on film, have been the subject of over 20 solo and 70 group shows in his brief six-year career, in cities as disparate as Tokyo, Athens, Paris, New York, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Vienna, and yes, even Beijing. He self-published 16 monographs, in tiny print runs, that now sell for up to $600. TASCHEN's Ren Hang is his only international collection, covering his entire career, with well-loved favorites and many never-before-seen photos of men, women, Beijing, and those many, many erections. We take solace remembering Ren's joy when he first held the book, shared by his long-time partner Jiaqi, featured on the cover.Text in English, French, and German

    It contains art work from the game, along with commentary by the developers for each piece of art and style approach.

    They will learn how to prepare wood surfaces before burning, how to transfer a design or pattern, and how to select materials for burning, coloring, and finishing a project. Methods for burning onto wood, leather, paper, bark, and antlers are detailed alongside ample pictures of pyrography on the various materials that will inspire novice woodburners. Numerous techniques are also discussed, including solar, negative, relief, engraving, torch, and hot wire. The most difficult area for burners--how to realistically create animal fur, feathers, and eyes--is addressed.