2010 Schedule Wallpaper - The Game - Game 12 Ohio State
The greatest rivalry in college football? It certainly hasn't felt like it for the last decade as Ohio State has dominated Michigan, winning 8 of 10 games since 2000.
This week's wallpaper is an artistic expression of the questions I'm asking as a Michigan fan. Will the darkness cast by the dominance of our bitter rival continue to spread, lending credibility to the sentiment that the program is eroding, or is the growth we've seen this year a genuine indicator of a future return to glory? I'm a defensive optimist at heart, so this season I've maintained realistic expectations while believing that better days are ahead.
I wanted the artwork for 'The Game' to capture the epic feel of the rivalry. My initial concept called for colliding planets, but I like the simplicity of one planet where the battle is fought over the same land. I also wanted the artwork to have an otherworldly feel, like how the rivalry would look if it was interpreted as a photo-real animated film where the good guys are represented by light and life and growth, and the bad guys are all shadow and concrete and harsh technology. I'm not sure if the message is any stronger here than it is with some of my simpler artwork (i.e. Maize is Blue) but I enjoyed the challenge of creating something with a high level of depth and detail.
The image below is a preview only. You can get this week's widescreen, 4:3, iPad and mobile wallpapers at The Art. The Art. The Art!.
How it was made
I've captured the creation of this week's wallpaper artwork and sped up the footage to condense a whole bunch of hours (more than I care to admit) into a little under 5 minutes of video. If you like edge-of-your-seat action and nonstop excitement, then you probably shouldn't bother to watch this video.
All of the 2010 Schedule Wallpapers
Season Wallpaper - Denard Robinson Action Figure
Game 1 Connecticut Wallpaper - Husky Puppy Piddles in Fear
Game 2 Notre Dame Wallpaper - Touchdown Jesus Says "No Good"
Game 3 Massachusetts Wallpaper - The $550,000 Cupcake
Game 4 Bowling Green Wallpaper - Wolverine vs. Falcon
Game 5 Indiana Wallpaper - Good at Basketball
Game 6 Michigan State Wallpaper - Sibling Rivalry
Game 7 Iowa Wallpaper - Maize is Blue
Game 8 Penn State Wallpaper - The Eyes Have It
Game 8 Penn State Wallpaper - JoePa Halloween Costume
Game 9 Illinois Wallpaper - We Be Illin'
Game 10 Purdue Wallpaper - I Think We Can! I Think We Can?
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:03 PM ^
infinity to you for all of the work you have done on these this season. These are all great and I looked forward to them every Monday.
This one is by far my favorite. Thank you again for making these.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:06 PM ^
I'm glad you like it. I was disappointed to miss my 9am deadline today but hope it was worth the wait. I wasn't satisfied with where things were last night and decided to hold-off on posting until it was just right.
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:44 PM ^
It is well worth the wait! Thanks!
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:51 AM ^
Love them all. This one is a keeper and will remain until next season. Thank you.
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:08 PM ^
you said it.
Thanks a ton, these were really great.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
u got skillz
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:15 PM ^
Awesome work again this week. My favorite so far.
+lots
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:21 PM ^
Does this remind anyone else of the aesthetic of Beast Machines, where it was technological Megatron versus organic Optimus Prime? Nicely done!
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:26 PM ^
absolutely brilliant...
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:28 PM ^
I've been looking forward to this since about 3pm on Saturday...
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
Me too! I was disappointed that I wasn't able to get the artwork posted in time for my regular 9am deadline on Monday morning, but hope it was worth the wait. I have a rule that I won't display the wallpaper on my devices until I've posted it for the community...makes it more fun that way but was really tempted today.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
WOW. all I can say is WOW.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:40 PM ^
Is there a way we can support you? On your website I didn't see anyway to buy your art or anything like that.
And this weekend, we'll take back the greatest rivalry in sport.
November 22nd, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^
Can't do that. He's actually received a letter from UM's lawyers when it appeared he was attempting to profit from the trademarked logos/marks (it was originally hosted on his business's website). He's since moved the artwork and convinced them that it is all just a hobby and that he's not profiting off UM's brand. So no, I'm sure he won't sell you prints. Given the resolution of the images, though, I don't see why you can't just download them and make your own prints.
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:45 AM ^
User oriental andrew is correct. The Denard Robinson action figure drew the attention of the University's lawyers and the Heisman Trust because they had the incorrect (and hillarious) impression that I was manufacturing action figures for sale. That and the fact that I'm really just doing this to give something to the community mean that I'm not likely to sell prints or anything. However...
I'm thinking about providing all of this season's artwork in a do-it-yourself calendar friendly format so that anyone interested can download and make calendars with iPhoto or Snapfish or whatever. Might make a good Christmas present. I'm going to do a print test through iPhoto next week. If it doesn't look crappy I'll post the artwork sometime before Christmas.
Also, I've already had another request for a print-friendly version of the Ohio State artwork (pending a win) and would be happy to share it with you as well. Send me an email at [email protected] if you're interested.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^
Dude this is freaking amazing. +10000. I would pay $ for this, fo serious
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:25 PM ^
This is unreal. I love it.
You've got a month to figure out how to top it (yay bowl games) but it's gonna be really tough.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:32 PM ^
"I wanted the artwork for 'The Game' to capture the epic feel of the rivalry... I also wanted the artwork to have an otherworldly feel..."
Spot on in my opinion.
Was this completely done in Photoshop? In the video I saw some crazy 3d grid tools that I didn't recognize but I'm (obviously) not the Photoshop wizard that you are. I aspire to one day have half the skills that you have... Okay, on 2nd glance it looks like Illustrator for the block letters?
Also, if Michigan pulls the upset I'm having a huge print made, framed, and hung on my wall. (With your permission, of course.)
and of course, THANK YOU!
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:32 AM ^
Thanks for the feedback. The 3D grid tools you noticed in the video were from Cinema 4D. My workflow for the 3D elements (Block M, Ohio State logo, The Game sign, game info and schedule):
- Draw logos and text in Illustrator.
- Import to Cinema 4D for extrusion, bevels and lighting.
- Import to Photoshop for texures and supplemental shadows.
Also, permission granted on the printing, but...if Michigan wins, send me an email at [email protected] to remind me and i'll send you the big version of this. I have a version where the clouds extend well above and below what you're seeing on the desktop background and a win will definitely justify a "we won" special edition.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:33 PM ^
Reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:33 PM ^
...dary...
As an artist, myself, that is truly spectacular. +1^1000 to you!
Now we just need to beat those damn Buckeyes so I can lord it over all my co-workers here Columbus for a full year.
Go BLUE!
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:39 PM ^
I just noticed a graphics error in the mobile & iPad versions of the wallpaper (missing leaves in the top right corner of the Block M. If you downloaded either one of those versions before 9:40pm on Monday (Nov 22) evening you can get the corrected wallpapers at http://theartthearttheart.com/221
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:42 PM ^
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:48 PM ^
monuMental. Wow. Hands down my favourite. I slowly scrolled down, reading your every word. Trying to picture exactly what you could come up with. Unreal. I give it a "10" a "10" a a fucking "10"
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:13 AM ^
I did exactly the same thing. Suspense is awesome.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:54 PM ^
I've been impressed with you all year, but this one seems above and beyond. Well done sir.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 PM ^
I stand in awe. WOW thank you
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:01 PM ^
without the info for this year's game and the 2010 schedule/results? This is your best work, IMO, and one that I wouldn't mind as a long term wallpaper, but...... the "L"s.
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:35 AM ^
That's a good idea. If you send me an email at [email protected] I'll send you a direct message when I post it (probably not until after the game this weekend).
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:16 AM ^
Hurray.... I can stop hyperventilating. :)
Seriously, man.... AWESOME work all season long, and this one is the perfect icing on the cake.
Well done. +Millions to you.
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
You've out done yourself this week, monuMental. Thanks for all the countless hours you've put in this season. Video...Mind=blown!
I put them on my phone and post them up in my office (ok, ok, cube) and have had many comments on how awesome they are (including my Sparty buddy who checks in every Monday to see them).
I think I speak for everyone here when I say I hope you continue to do this next season and the season after...
Many, many MGoThanks!
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:59 AM ^
You're welcome. It's great to be able to create something that fellow Michigan fans like you enjoy. I spent several years lurking on this site and am really happy to be able to return something to the community.
I hope to continue with the artwork next season and have a few things planned for the off season and spring game. How nice is it that we'll have one less month between the last game and the spring game this year?
Like you, I have friends and colleagues that are fans of other Big Ten teams (lots of State and Iowa people for some reason) so it's always fun to see the discussions about the wallpapers on my Facebook wall.
November 23rd, 2010 at 6:58 AM ^
Just the thing to focus my mind during the work week -- and not on work.
Many thanks for your effort.
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:24 AM ^
Wow!
You may have mentioned this several times in other threads, but please tell me you do this professionally. A little Cinema 4D goes a long way, but I'm most impressed that the creation of the planet was done in Photoshop.
As a web designer at heart I like the site on which you host them too. You may want to expand its archival abilities as (I hope) you continue this for many seasons to come.
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:25 PM ^
Yes, I do this (or something like this) professionally but most of my "day job" work is more buttoned down than the wallpaper artwork.
I'm way more comfortable in Photoshop than in Cinema 4D so that's why I created the planet there. I had considered creating the wires on the Ohio State logo in Cinema 4D too but decided that sampling them from the crane photo would be faster (and more realistic looking). The block letters were a good excuse to excercise my 3D skills...our last extensive 3D client project was a year ago so I'm a little rusty.
My current web site was really just a band-aid solution thrown together in one night after I got hit with the cease-and-desist over the Denard Action Figure artwork, but I've come to like the simplicity of the site. You're right, though, that I need an archiving solution. It's on my list of things to do this off season, along with a mobile-specific style sheet and some other improvements.
Thanks for your comments.
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:24 AM ^
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:25 AM ^
I'm in awe. The only shame is that due to the short week I won't be able to show this off at work for as long. I can't wait to show it to my tOSU fan/boss.
I too would pay money for this one.
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^
Excellent portrayal of the eternal battle between good and evil. It's so Terminator-esqe.
GO BLUE!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:57 AM ^
Amazing as always.
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^
Absolutely phenomenal...love the stadiums coming out of the planets.
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:26 AM ^
This is beyond AWESOME. Thank you!
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:40 AM ^
Best series of posts ever. This has been great. I love watching the videos and seeing you try out different ideas.
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
Thanks for all you do to bring new depth to our Michigan football experience!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
...but somehow, you still managed to not dissapoint. Remarkable!
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
Holy crap!!! That is freaking awesome!!!
GO BLUE!!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 AM ^
This is great! Fortunately for you and I, Sun Devil Stadium is but minutes from our homes. Come on Insight Bowl committee!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
i cannot even process that
Brian needs to award you +10000 and bump this thread to the front page in recognition of your efforts this whole season
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
i love you.
Comments