The Jalan Cerita Bersama Toyota promotion is ongoing for the month of June 2018. During the promotion period some new Toyota vehicles will be offered at attractive prices with rebates at also that special zero percent GST exemption that Malaysian is experiencing for the time being.




UMW Toyota state that cars like their Toyota Vios is now more affordable with price starting from RM70,752

2015 GMC Yukon is Sleek, Modern and Luxurious.




What Comes Standard on the 2015 GMC Yukon – with its new interior, new styling, and new found refinement. The 2015 Yukon is nicer than the old Denali ever was.

Quality materials, including real wood and aluminum interior finishes. Automatic windshield wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and fog lights.

The SLT line gets

This video of morphing and turning space rocks was created not by sculpting or modeling in the usual way, but rather by using fractal mathematics. (Video link).

One of the principles of fractal geometry is self-similarity, where large forms are composed of smaller and smaller components that share the same geometry. This is a design principle found in nature in rock forms, cloud shapes and branching forms. Fractal powered digital graphics provide a a tool for building worlds for animation and computer games.

The video was by Julius Horsthuis, rendered in Mandelbulb 3D, with music by Maurice Horsthuis.

BOGGIE - NOUVEAU PARFUM (official music video) from THE SOUP on Vimeo.
In this music video, Hungarian singer Boggie's face is given a digital makeover throughout the course of the song. Blemishes are removed, the neck is elongated, hair swapped around, and the colors are graded to make an increasingly glamorous—and increasingly artificial—appearance. (Link to video on Vimeo)

The result is a clever reminder that every photo and video we see may be far removed from the initial capture.

In fact, the video itself is not quite what it appears. Of course, the makeover doesn't happen in real time. The digital control interface surrounding the singer is invented. Really, it's done in Adobe AfterEffects. Also, the singer was shot with two or more initial live action plates with different practical makeup effects.

Thanks, Marney Morris!

DIY Lego-powered motion control camera dolly, running on dollar-store broomsticks, used for tracking shots

"If you've ever wondered how a master illustrator creates a painting from start to finish, James Gurney's new DVD is a wonderful demonstration of the process. Filmed over the course of a few months as Gurney worked on two assignments for Scientific American magazine, this lovingly edited and beautifully photographed film follows Gurney every step of the way as he conducts research, makes thumbnail sketches, constructs maquettes, prepares line drawings, and paints his final pictures in oil."

"Rather than work with an outside film crew to produce his DVD, the artist took it upon himself to helm the entire production, and I think it shows in the intimacy and clarity of the final presentation. You really feel like you're there with the artist as he's showing you his methods, and it's fascinating to watch over his shoulder as the paintings take shape. I don't think a film crew could have captured everything in nearly as much detail as Gurney himself has been able to achieve. Extras on the DVD include a slideshow of Gurney's dinosaur art, an insert print of one of the paintings, and a bonus feature on brushwork."


Other reviews
"Presented in a clear and thoughtful manner, James Gurney reveals that there is no mystery to bringing the prehistoric back to life! The process of research, drawing, and maquette building by a master who has great knowledge and passion for his subject matter will be especially invaluable to any artist aspiring to raise their work to a higher level."
—Jerry LoFaro, Illustrator and teacher, New Hampshire Institute of the Arts

“James Gurney is a modern-day Meissonier and the techniques he shows in 'How I Paint Dinosaurs' closely follow those of the earlier master. The creation and use of maquettes is clearly presented, as is James' discussion of materials, lighting and color. Whether you are interested in painting dinosaurs or not, there is much to learn from this wonderful DVD.”
—Darren R. Rousar, Artist, author and teacher.

"James Gurney once again shares his masterful knowledge and creative imagination, giving us a glimpse into his own dinosaur kingdom."
—Jason Dowd, Professor, Laguna College of Art

"For any art student or beginning illustrator wanting to learn how to create realistic scenes from one's imagination this inexpensive DVD is a gold mine of information and learning!"
—Christopher Leith Evans, Head of Matte Painting Department, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

"James Gurney's 'How I Paint Dinosaurs' is not only a fascinating look into a master-illustrator's creative and technical process, it outlines fundamental techniques useful to any artist interested in infusing their work with life-like authenticity."
—John-Paul Balmet, Concept Designer

"James Gurney has the ability to create rich and vivid imagery of creatures and environments long lost to us. He is nothing short of inspirational and humbling."
—Le Tang, Story artist at Dreamworks Animation Studios & co-author of the Battlemilk book series

"This has to be one of the most informative and imaginative approaches to bringing painting instruction to students and professionals alike I have ever seen! The narrative is clear, concise and inspiring. The academic methods as seen from the “over-the-shoulder” cinematography provide us all with instruction which would otherwise require a trip back to the nineteenth century and a class with Les Animaliers. This video will certainly be viewed by all my Constructive Anatomy and Scientific Illustration students!"

Paleoartist Mauricio Anton helped to organize a safari to northern Botswana to sketch big cats in the wild. He filmed and edited  a video about it, and he wrote the music, too. (Direct link to video)

He'll be doing the safari again if you're interested in joining in.
Mauricio Anton has written and illustrated several books, including Sabertooth (Life of the Past)

Artists in the digital realm continue to create fresh visual wonders. Here's a fluid effects reel by Jesse Pitela that shows off some amazing splash and flow dynamics.

I'm not sure exactly how this stuff works, but I'm guessing it involves some sophisticated simulations involving momentum, air resistance, surface tension, and gravitation. Plus a wonderful artistic sense of timing, lighting, and composition. (Link to video) Thanks, CG Bros.

I produced this mini-doc about painting in a blacksmith shop at Old Sturbridge Village. (Direct link to video)

One of the reasons I'm playing around so much with video is that I'm developing a series of instructional DVDs about painting on location in various media: watercolor, gouache, casein, watercolor pencils, ink wash, and oil. Each full-length video will feature two or three plein-air paintings done right front of you in real time, plus a variety of informative short features.

In the two polls at left, please let me know which media and topics you're most interested in. You can select multiple answers. And in the comments, tell me what else you'd like to see in the long-form DVD/videos.


Garin Baker's painting is in oil, 14 x 27 inches. It was amazing to watch him do it, an impressive feat of concentration. He says: "From the moment you suggested going to Sturbridge Village to paint on the spot, a flood of memories came back to me. Year ago when my daughter was in grade school I was a parent chaperone on a class trip there. I remember the completely authentic feel of the place, so I knew we would find some interesting scenes to inspire a painting or two."

Garin continues: "A few years ago I also remember seeing the original of Norman Rockwell's blacksmith shop ("Horseshoe Forging Contest," above) and how amazing and lovingly every square inch of that painting was handled. So with those two points of interest in mind I set out."


I approached the two portraits separately, since the workers kept changing places and taking breaks. The man above was a retired police lieutenant who was just learning the trade.


I'll be writing in more detail about our blacksmith shop paintings in the next issue of International Artist magazine.

Materials: I was using casein paint, various flat and round brushes, and a Moleskine watercolor book  on a homemade pochade easel. Most of the video is shot with a Canon VIXIA HF R400 Camcorder. The opening shot was with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i with a Canon 50mm 1.8 prime lens.
Previously: Creamer in Casein
My first full length video: How I Paint Dinosaurs
Don't forget to vote at left.

(Direct link to YouTube video) I shot some video last week while I did that little painting of field combat armor, and here's the result.

In the video, you'll see a few glimpses of my friends painting. So that you can see their work a little more clearly, here are some better scans. Please check back later, because there are more images to come.

Sean Murray, study of Papal guard armor, pen and watercolor.

Greg Shea, pen and ink.

Jeanette Gurney, pencil, watercolor, and a little white gouache.

Garin Baker "The Higgins Armory"


Chad Smith, "Romanesque Ceremonial Armor"


And in case you missed it, here's the painting I did of the field combat armor using watercolor and casein, 5x8 inches.

Mercedes-AMG has just released a teaser video on their official Facebook page for what looks to be, at first, quite an awkward concept car: the Concept GLA 45 AMG.

Given the fact the A 45 AMG and CLA 45 AMG were released shortly after the introduction of the standard-spec Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLA-Class models in their series production form, one cannot help but wonder why they took the strategy of showcasing a near-series concept of the future GLA 45 AMG.

At a closer inspection, the exterior livery is identical to the livery of the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series that was premiered in September (see HERE), which means Mercedes-AMG is planning to further expand their customer motorsport activities, which successfully started with the SLS AMG GT3, with a possible, racetrack-prone GLA 45 AMG Racing Series version.

The new GLA 45 AMG should be introduced later on, in early 2014. As its two brothers, the high performance version of the compact crossover will be powered by the rocking 1,991 cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged M133 engine. The 360 hp output will reach the ground through all four wheels thanks to the newly developed Performance AMG 4MATIC sports-oriented traction system which directs the impressive torque of 450 Nm as follows: 33% towards the rear axle and the remaining 67% to the front wheels.

Look for official details and pictures of the Concept GLA 45 AMG to be released as soon as tomorrow morning! So, stay tuned to www.mercedes-benz-blog.blogspot.com for the latest news!


Video Credits: Mercedes-AMG | Facebook

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The latest issue of International Artist magazine has a feature about the making of the Australian dinosaur stamps. If you pick up a copy, you can see the various preliminary stages that the art went through.















I've also just uploaded this longer video preview about the making of those stamps. (Direct video link)
You can travel with me to Museum Victoria to study original fossils with paleontologist Tom Rich. Then we head into the Australian bush to study ancient plants. The full video shows every part of the creative process, from the unique design challenges of philatelic art to the construction of 3D reference maquettes, then the comprehensive drawing, the color planning, and the oil painting.


The DVD version also includes 10 minutes of additional interview material with Dr. Tom Rich, plus an eight minute narrated slideshow of development artwork and philatelic products, and a 13.5 minute documentary on the making of Dinotopia, called "Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination."

This is a great resource for art teachers or parents wishing to inspire a young person who wants to find a way to do imaginative or science-based artwork.

Stan Prokopenko says: "Saw the DVD and loved it. He takes you through his whole process from concept to final. I liked seeing how he built his maquette and used it as part of the creative process. Great to see how free he is in every stage to experiment with ideas and make changes. Makes me want to go paint dinosaurs."

Learn more about the full-length art instruction video:
Digital download  via credit card Australia's Age of Dinosaurs: Art of the Stamps
Digital download via Paypal 
DVD with 32 minutes of additional content available now here
or preorder with Amazon 
More info at James Gurney.com 

(Direct link to video) My son Frank is working as an apprentice at a glass art studio in Colorado called Homegrown Handblown. This studio was the destination for our recent cross-country adventure.

I made this video profile as a thank-you gift to the glass artists Kirk and Katie Howlett and as a snapshot of my son's life.

At the end of August, I invited you to create 1-minute long videos for a contest called "Plein-Air Persistence."

There were five six entries, and they all show wonderful imagination and hard work. Please have a look through them and vote for your favorite in the poll at left.


1. Michael Goldberg
Website: www.artissimple.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/RJlGfafIiL4
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Good news: The DVD version of the new stamp art video  is now available.

The DVD includes 72 minutes of total running time, including:

• 38 minute main feature
• 13 minute extended interview with paleontologist Tom Rich
• 8.5 minute narrated slide show, with almost 100 images, including preliminary drawings and the full range of philatelic products from Australia Post
• 13.5 minute bonus feature on the making of Dinotopia ("Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination")







The DVD also includes a free 5x7" photoprint of the stamp minisheet inside, making it a great gift for the stamp collector, dino-phile, or art student.

Praise for the previous DVD: "How I Paint Dinosaurs"
"For any art student or illustrator wanting to learn how to create realistic scenes from one's imagination this inexpensive DVD is a gold mine of information and learning!"—Christopher Evans, Head of Matte Painting Department, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"

"James Gurney's 'How I Paint Dinosaurs' is not only a fascinating look into a master-illustrator's creative and technical process, it outlines fundamental techniques useful to any artist interested in infusing their work with life-like authenticity." —John-Paul Balmet, Concept Designer
Find out more about the new DVD (Paypal customers)  and Here's the product page for credit card customers or watch the YouTube trailer for the video

Note: The DVD is NTSC, Region 1 encoded, mastered on a Mac, so technically it's optimized for North America, but I'm told it should work in most modern DVD players internationally. Shipping overseas is less than $5. In any event, your satisfaction is guaranteed.
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Also, don't forget to check out my live ConcertWindow webcast tonight at 7 pm Eastern time.

It's now September 24th in Australia, which means I can announce the release of a new set of postage stamps that I spent a lot of the last year working on.


(Link to video trailer) This trailer gives you a peek at the instructional documentary that I created to record the adventure of creating the stamps. In the video, I share all the unique artistic insights that I learned from doing philatelic designs.

Blog reader Aaron Becker created the bestselling picture book 
He told me that he builds digital maquettes before doing his finished illustrations in traditional watercolors.

I invited him to do a guest post explaining the process, so here it is:

Danielle from Anthony Cerniello on Vimeo.
You may have seen those "photo-a-day" time lapse videos showing the aging process. This one is a little different, showing a person aging very gradually, almost imperceptibly. (Direct link to video)

According to Colossal's Chris Jobson, videographer Anthony Cerniello traveled to his friend Danielle’s family reunion...
"....and with still photographer Keith Sirchio shot portraits of her youngest cousins through to her oldest relatives with a Hasselblad medium format camera. Then began the process of scanning each photo with a drum scanner at the U.N. in New York, at which point he carefully edited the photos to select the family members that had the most similar bone structure. Next he brought on animators Nathan Meier and Edmund Earle who worked in After Effects and 3D Studio Max to morph and animate the still photos to make them lifelike as possible. Finally, Nuke (a kind of 3D visual effects software) artist George Cuddy was brought on to smooth out some small details like the eyes and hair."

Cerniello says: "I attempted to create a person in order to emulate the aging process. The idea was that something is happening but you can't see it but you can feel it, like aging itself."
Thanks, Greg Shea

Here's some mesmerizing digital animation of pulsing, fluid-like forms timed to music, by Matthias Müller. (Video link)

Really beautiful video titled 'Embrace Life'. The message gets through without a single word being spoken and not a car in sight.