The walls of our home won't be complete until one of them sports a pixelated portrait of Ellen Ripley from Konami's Aliens arcade game

I've had a bit of a "thing" for the Alien and Aliens films since I watched them for the first time as a teenager.

You'd think that would mean I've long had a similar thing for games inspired by those flicks, but it doesn't.

There have been a few exceptions, of course. Sega's Alien Syndrome and Alien Storm are two examples. Xenophobe is another.

None of the above compete with Konami's Aliens quarter-muncher from 1990, however. OK, so it takes some liberties with the source material. It's such a blast to play, though, that I don't have any problems overlooking those "creative differences."

It's also gorgeous, of course, with wonderfully detailed backdrops and sprites that evoke the 1986 movie that spawned it.

Apparently Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson agrees with that last tidbit. After all, he recently referenced the above-mentioned Aliens arcade game in the acrylic painting that can be seen below.

Before you go and think this is just some paint-by-numbers copycat, consider what Anderson said about it on Instagram:

"I limited my palette this time to traditional portrait colors, prussian blue (to mix with umber to make chromatic blacks), titanium white (for opacity), and zinc white (for warmth and translucence)."

As much as I like this piece, I like this next one, which Anderson calls "Ellen (Withering Heights)," even more.

For the curious: Anderson made "Ellen (Withering Heights)" using color pencil on toned paper.

I'm also quite fond of the similar "Sigourney Weaver," below, from 2010:

Anderson produced it using graphite on paper.

As for what prompted him to go down this particular path eight or so years ago, the artist shared the following explanation on Flickr:

"In keeping with my interest in pixellation's relationship with painting and its mechanics [and] traditions, I have begun collecting images of recognizable personalities as they are depicted in games and drawing them as one might create a portrait drawing from a photograph or a live sitter."

Want to see more of Anderson's pixelated depictions of the Aliens protagonist? Check out "Ellen (Ms X #1)" and "Ellen as April as Ellen."

Consider scouring his Instagram and Flickr photostreams, too. Both are filled with fascinating, game-inspired works of art.

Who wouldn't want to be seen wearing an 8-bit-ified 'Virgin de Guadalupe' t-shirt?

I, for one, would strut around town as proudly as a peacock if I owned the t-shirt bearing the design seen below (and here)--which was produced by one of my favorite gaming-inspired artists, Ashley Anderson.

Of course, I could acquire one of said shirts pretty easily if I made my way over to fallenarrows.com and handed over $28 of my hard-earned cash.

I may do just that in the next few days, to tell you the truth, as I really like how Anderson's sprite-based illustration looks against a sage-y green American Apparel tee.

Do you think it would clash too much if I paired the shirt above with this "Black Honey" pin that Anne Lee (of the Chic Pixel blog and The Nichiest Podcast Ever) recently turned me on to?

Super Marilyn Clouds

You know what I'd do this weekend if I lived in Atlanta? I'd drag the hubs to the Emily Amy Gallery on Saturday evening so I could take in Ashley Anderson's "Shinobi Marilyn" exhibition, that's what.

Why did Anderson call his first solo show, "Shinobi Marilyn," you ask? According to the Emily Amy Gallery's website, he chose the strange moniker because he was "inspired by an online discovery of imagery embedded in a classic Sega video game from 1987 (Shinobi). Convinced the appearance of Marilyn Monroe in the game was a posthumous tribute to Andy Warhol created by the game designer in 1980s Japan, Anderson sought to explore the subject further."

(For more on what prompted Anderson to focus on this head-scratcher of a subject, read Henry Detweiler's informative interview with him over at burnaway.org.)

A series of 10 digital collages will be featured as part of the "Shinobi Marilyn" exhibit, including the following trio:

According to Anderson, the second of the three pieces above was inspired by fellow artist Cory Arcangel, whose most famous creation also incorporated cloud sprites pulled from the first Super Mario Bros. (On a related note, I'm pretty sure the third piece is made up of coin sprites taken from the same game.)

Want to know more about this Atlanta-based artist? Check out his blog, his Facebook page and his Flickr photostream.

And the winner of the Ashley Anderson-signed 'Cabana Fever' poster is ...

... Viewtiful_Justin.

Congratulations, Justin! I'll be in touch shortly (via Facebook) in order to nab your contact information. Or, feel free to preempt my touching (hmmm, that sounds wrong) by sending your info to me through whichever channels you prefer.

To all of you who didn't win this awesome poster: My apologies. Thank you, though, for throwing your hats into the proverbial ring. Also, best of luck next time--since you know I'll have another Gay Gamer Giveaway™ as soon as possible (i.e., as soon as someone sends me something I can give away).

One more comment for those of you who don't win: You may want to check out Ashley Anderson's society6 shop, where art prints, stretched canvases, stationary cards, iPhone skins and t-shirts featuring this image can be purchased for as little as $12.

See also: 'Ashley Anderson's Cabana Fever'

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Ashley Anderson Edition

Atlanta's one and only Ashley Anderson recently surprised me by sending me the poster--of his crazy, sprite-filled collage titled "Cabana Fever" (below)--that was showcased in a recent issue of Young Foxy & Free magazine.

As much as I love the poster, I thought it might be cool to offer it to one of you via the second Gay Gamer Giveaway™. After mentioning this idea to Anderson, he said he'd send another so I could keep one for myself and give one away. Awesome, huh?

A few details about said poster before I get to how you can win it: It's approximately 18 inches by 23 inches. Also, it's been signed by Anderson. Oh, and it'll be shipped rolled up and in a tube (as opposed to folded and stuffed into an envelope).

Winning this particular giveaway is just as easy as the last one, by the way. Just leave a comment below between now and the end of the day (let's say 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time) on Friday, May 25. I'll announce the winner of this oh-so-fabulous poster on Saturday morning.

Those who don't win may want to check out Anderson's society6 shop, where art prints, stretched canvases, stationary cards, iPhone skins and t-shirts featuring this image can be purchased for as little as $12.

See also: 'Ashley Anderson's Cabana Fever'

Ashley Anderson's 'Cabana Fever'

Remember how I introduced you to the "Alien Goose of Love" a couple of weeks ago? (If not, you'll probably want to check out this post before continuing on.)

Well, artist Ashley Anderson just shared (OK, so he shared it a few days ago) the full, final product on his Flickr photostream and, boy, is it a doozy. Don't believe me? Click on the image to the right and take a good, long look at it.

The piece's official title is "Cabana Fever," by the way, and it's currently featured (as a pull-out poster, I believe) in the latest issue of Atlanta's Young Foxy & Free magazine.

Sadly, I can't tell you at this time which games Anderson, who's also based in Atlanta, plundered to find the sprites that make up this crazy collage. I'll ask him to spill the beans--via his Facebook page--shortly, though, and then share the details here, OK?

Any of you who really like "Cabana Fever," by the way, might like to know that prints, stationary cards and iPhone cases/skins featuring Anderson's illustration can be bought via society6.com.

See also: Previous Ashley Anderson posts

'Alien Goose of Love'

What's an "alien goose of love," you ask? Why, it's the ... thing showcased in the image below (as well as here), that's what it is.

Also, it's a small part of a collage that Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson is working on for Young Foxy & Free.

Anderson recently took to Facebook to comment on this much-anticipated (by me, at the very least) project:

"This constitutes about one-sixth of a collage I've been working on for Young Foxy & Free. If you like this, you will have an absolute conniption at the sight of the whole thing!"

The cropped image above is the "this" Anderson is talking about in his Facebook quote, by the way.

Anyway, keep an eye on this blog--or on Anderson's blog, Facebook page or Flickr photostream--for more information on this sure-to-be-intriguing piece of art.

Is Mickey Mouse sticking his nose where I think he's sticking it?

Artist Ashley Anderson recently shared (on his facebook page) the following "sneak peak" of a piece he was producing for a show at Beep Beep Gallery in Atlanta.



Is it wrong that my initial reaction to this piece was, "Where'd he get those strawberry sprites?"

The Mickey-centric and probably-not-certified-by-Disney image above takes up but a small portion of the completed illustration, which is called "The Human Centerpiece," by the way. Check it out in all of its not-entirely-safe-for-work glory after the jump.

Any piece of art that features sprites from Irem's Gekisha Boy looks good to me

Even better is when said piece of art--which is made up of sprites taken from all sorts of games, not just Irem's wacky PC Engine title, Gekisha Boy (aka Photograph Boy)--tells the story of "a heartbroken octopus who drives to the beach to forget about his girlfriend."

The sprite taken from Gekisha Boy can be spotted in the digital collage's lower right-hand corner, by the way. Specifically, the blond-coifed head that tops the golden bass' body originally appeared (sans green makeup) on a Marilyn Monroe wannabe in the aforementioned game.

To take a closer look at this piece, officially titled "Memory Beach Part 3," check out artist Ashley Anderson's Flickr photostream. (Part 2 can be seen here, by the way, while Part 1 can be seen here.) Also, check out this post on Anderson's blog to read about how he created this piece and why it's quite literally bursting with color.

Prints of all three "Memory Beach" collages can be purchased, for $15 each (plus shipping), from Anderson's etsy shop, pressstarttobegin.

See also: 'It's like the sexy, wacky Out Run spin-off I've always wanted but never got to play' and 'Memory Beach 02'

It's like the sexy, wacky Out Run spin-off I've always wanted but never got to play

What do you think of when you look at the digital collage below?

When I first saw it, I thought of an only-in-my-dreams Out Run spin-off that features a wacky splash of Parodius. I'm not sure how such an idea would work as an actual game, mind you, but I'm sure it would be amazing if handed to the right developers.

Anyway, enough about me and my odd ideas. Instead, let's delve deeper into the aforementioned collage, which was produced by Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson.

It's one of three pieces that were commissioned by the owner of a local pizza joint, by the way. Although the commission fell through, Anderson completed the series anyway.



The one above is the series' first and is titled, "Memory Beach, Part 1." According to Anderson, it's about "an octopus who drives to the beach to forget about his ex-girlfriend, who has cheated on and/or left him."

Anderson doesn't say on his blog where he found each of the sprites that appear in this piece, but he does say that the "Japanese pornographic mahjongg video game industry" is responsible for the girl and the lipstick. (He also says he learned to operate a Famicom emulator while working on the "Memory Beach" series, so I'm guessing a number of the sprites were pulled from Famicom titles.)

For more behind-the-scenes info on how Anderson produced "Memory Beach, Part 1," check out this blog post. To order 7-3/4-inch-by-7-3/4-inch prints of it, check out Anderson's etsy shop.

See also: Other posts about Ashley Anderson and his art

In this post: Proof that any piece of pixel art that borrows graphics from TwinBee is awesome

I've been a smidge obsessed with the TwinBee series of "cute 'em ups" (you know, shoot 'em ups that are cute) ever since I first laid eyes on the PC Engine port of Detana!! TwinBee as a teenager.

Actually, I'd say I was only intrigued by the series at that time; I didn't develop a real interest in it until I bought Detana!! TwinBee--it was the first game I ever imported--and played through it a few times, and I didn't become fully obsessed with the series until I picked up--and loved dearly, I might add--Pop'n TwinBee and TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventure for the Super Famicom a few years later.

Anyway, I'm sharing all of this in order to show that I have a definite appreciation for Konami's series of cute, overhead shmups. I also have a definite appreciation for the poster to the right, produced by artist Ashley Anderson for the Atlanta-based band, Little Tybee.

Anderson says (on Flickr) that he sifted through nearly 7,000 pixellated images before settling on the ones that appear in this colorful illustration. If you're at all interested in hearing how the artist pieced all of those elements together, check out this blog post at your convenience.

Behold: The Famigun!

By now, it should not be surprising to hear me say that I'm a big fan of Ashley Anderson. After all, the Atlanta-based artist has been the focus of at least 13 posts on this here blog in the last year or so.

It should go without saying that I didn't write any of those posts in the hopes that Anderson would notice my adoration and send me a free piece of art. Simply put, I like his stuff, and since it's nearly always game-inspired or game-related, I wind up writing about it with some regularity.

As such, imagine my surprise when, just about two months ago, Anderson contacted me via Flickr and asked for my mailing address. He didn't say why he wanted that information, but I assumed it was because he was planning to send something to me.

You know what? I was right. Late last week, a mysterious package arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a  handwritten note, a number of postcards (featuring Anderson's illustrations) and the following sculpture:



It's called "the Famigun," by the way, thanks to its Famicom-esque color scheme, and it's the fifth addition to the series of acrylic-on-poplar pistol sculptures Anderson has created that's based on a handgun that appears in the NES classic, Contra Force.

For more information on the Famigun, or to order one for display on your desk or fireplace mantle, check out Anderson's etsy shop.

See also: Previous Ashley Anderson posts

Proof that Nintendo's Urban Champion has at least one redeeming quality

Serious question: Does anyone actually like Nintendo's early Famicom/ NES brawler, Urban Champion?

Now, before all of you Urban Champion junkies (yes, all three of you) jump on me, you should know that back in the day I was slightly enamored with the game. Specifically, I was enamored with the colorful packaging that it came in, which called to me in a way that most of Nintendo's Black Box titles didn't.

Then I played it. Ugh.

As I'm sure anyone who has played the game can imagine, that lone experience I had with Urban Champion (I rented it from the local grocery store) led me to believe, quite firmly, that the game lacked even a single redeeming quality.

Then I saw the piece of pixelated art to the right, titled "Flowers."

Clearly, artist Ashley Anderson has a different sort of relationship with Urban Champion than I do, as he says of his latest game-inspired illustration, which was created for an auction to benefit the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences: "I've been wanting to do some kind of treatment of these flowers for a while.

"This is the second color image I've worked on since I went to NYC for the first time a few weeks ago," he adds. "I looked at art for hours everyday for a solid week. I think hanging out at the Met looking at all those Georgia O'Keefe paintings rubbed off on this one, I'm glad to say."

To see more of Anderson's creations, check out his Flickr photostream as well as his etsy and zazzle shops.

8-bit Ellen Ripley

You know what my office--i.e., our rarely used guest bedroom--is missing? A pixelated portrait of Sigourney Weaver (aka Ellen Ripley) as depicted in Konami's Aliens arcade game from 1990.

Unfortunately, although it seems my favorite Atlantan artist, Ashley Anderson, has created just what the doctor (me) ordered, I doubt I can afford the graphite-on-paper portrait (below) he produced. (Assuming it's even up for sale, of course.)

Oh, well, at least I can look at it--via Anderson's Flickr photostream--whenever the fancy strikes me.

See also: Other examples of Ashley Anderson's abilities

'Memory Beach 02'

It's always a great day when a new piece of Ashley Anderson's artwork appears on Flickr.

The latest example of this Atlanta-based artist's talent is called "Memory Beach 02," and it will soon grace on the walls of a local yogurt shop.

Being the curious chap I am, I asked Anderson if he'd be willing to share which games are represented within this eight-inch-by-eight-inch piece. Here's what he had to say:

"The girl's face is from Ao no Senritsu for the Famicom. The polaroid border on the photo of the girl is partly drawn by me and partly borrowed from SimCity for the SNES. The thumbtack is from scratch. The ocean, beach, sunset, and ship are from the end screen for Goonies for the NES. The octopus is from Adventure Island for the NES. The seagulls are from Family Composer for the Famicom. The crab holding the turtle is from Kame no Ongaeshi - Urashima Densetsu for, I think, the Famicom. The stereo is from Guile's stage in Street Fighter II. The car is from Famicom Grand Prix II - 3D Hot Rally for the Famicom. The bonfire is from Kazekiri for the PC Engine."

Go here for more information about "Memory Beach 02." To see more of Anderson's portfolio, go here.

Help a brother out, will ya?

It should be pretty obvious by now that I'm a big fan of artist Ashley Anderson. I've shined a spotlight--or at least I've tried to do so--on a number of his creations over the years, including "Cherry Ghost" and "Dark Cake."

If those posts have prompted you to become a fan of this Atlanta-based, too, may I suggest sauntering over to artistswanted.org so you can vote on Anderson's portfolio?

Should Anderson win this competition, he'll walk away with "$10,000 in grants, international publicity and a feature exhibition in the Scope Art Show during Armory Week in New York City"--which means he'll be able to spend more time creating pieces like the one above ("8-bit Virgin de Guadalupe").

See also: 'Collage of found game imagery'

'Collage of found game imagery'

The words above are used by artist Ashley Anderson to describe his latest creation (below), which appears to be a concert poster of some sort.

Although I generally consider myself to be an über retro-gaming geek, I feel more like a retro-gaming noob when I look at Anderson's poster. I mean, I know the images of Scrooge McDuck near the center of the poster were pulled from Capcom's Duck Tales title for the NES, but that's about the only one I can ID.

Do any of you know the origins of the rest of the poster's images?

(Via flickr.com)

Ashley Anderson + Crystal Castles = This

Aaron Keuter--an Atlanta-based motion graphics designer, animator, editor, compositer and director--recently created the following music video, set to Crystal Castles' "Xxzxcuzx Me," using some of artist Ashely Anderson's symmetrical drawings.


Xxcuzx Me Video from Crabfood on Vimeo.

It sure is trippy, isn't it? Hopefully it didn't cause any of you to have an epileptic seizure. Anyway, to see more of Anderson's work, check out his Flickr photostream. Conversely, go here to see more of Keuter's work.

Just in time for Halloween

Artist Ashley Anderson is a man after my own heart. I mean, we both like art and we both like video games. Oh, and we both like Pac-Man--as evidenced by this rather spooky piece:

This isn't the first time the Atlanta-based artist has been inspired by Tōru Iwatani's most famous creation. Early last year, for instance, he conjured up the following (titled, appropriately enough, "Cherry Ghost"):

Speaking of Pac-Man, the folks over at Namco-Bandai recently sent out a number of new screenshots of their upcoming PSN/XBLA release, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. See them in all of their neon-hued glory here.

'Pixel Cake'

Anyone who played and enjoyed--or should I say endured--Capcom's Mickey Mousecapade as a tot should recognize the subject of the following painting, produced by Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson.

"This image is from a videogame I owned as a kid," Anderson says on etsy.com (where the 12-inch-by-12-inch piece is being sold for $80). "I feel a special, almost visceral bond with this health power up, partly from playing the game it was in and part(ly) from my affinity for cake."

See also: 'Dark Cake'