Grantalf Profile Joined January 2011 United States 29 Posts Last Edited: 2011-10-29 17:33:58 #1



4th: Laddering

3rd: Custom games

2nd: Watching streams and tournaments



and #1 is.............



FAN ART



It kind of surprised me, but when I look back I realized that I had spent a ridiculous amount of time constructing fan art for Starcraft players, maps, and just general stuff.



And it all started with a phone call about some (non-finals) GSL match.



It was early winter, and I was talking to my friend Vinomaker about a GSL we had just watched at 4:45am. We started talking about how funny it would be if we saw this and that as cheerfuls in the crowd. We were laughing so hard at the end that we decided to talk about what types of shirts Handsome Nerd should make. By the end of the conversation we had ideas for shirts for HuK, TLO, Jinro, IdrA, and even one for Metalopolis.



I then said to myself, "What the hell. Why can't I make these?" About 30 hours of Photoshop tutorials and a shit-ton of actual work hours later I had created my first piece of bonafide fan art (The idea of putting them on shirts stuck with me, hence the shirts for each).



+ Show Spoiler +



My next shirt was inspired by that infamous match between IdrA and Silver. You guys know which one.



+ Show Spoiler +



My next piece was dedicated to the great map of balance in a land of Jungle Basins and Steppes of War. Metalopolis! Don't sue me, Metallica.



+ Show Spoiler +



I then had two ideas that seemed to fit well with TLO and his hip German-ness



+ Show Spoiler +



+ Show Spoiler +



Then Jinro was on a roll so I had to devote some time to the Gorilla Terran.



+ Show Spoiler +



From there I went crazy, dedicating entire days to creating new pieces when they popped into my head. I would listen to State of the Game and lose myself in the work, completely immersed in Starcraft.



GG



+ Show Spoiler +



Hwaiting!!!!



+ Show Spoiler +



Nerd Empire (Combo of Soviet and Japanese imperial influence)



+ Show Spoiler +



Hydra Skull (A new take off of the classic Misfits fiend skull)



+ Show Spoiler +



Keyboard's Sexy (My girlfriend used to listen to Kenny Chesney......)



+ Show Spoiler +



I even thought up of an idea for a shopping bag. I thought of how cool it would be if I saw one of these in a supermarket!



Front

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Back

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Here's another version of the HuK design, this one being straight Protoss pride!



+ Show Spoiler +



This is another one based off the IdrA quote but for generic Terran.



+ Show Spoiler +



And this was a generic Terran one based on the TLO Warhol design. I don't like it too much because it's hard to tell that it's a marine, but oh well.



+ Show Spoiler +







I'm mainly a lurker, but I wanted to share with everyone what I've been up to for the past year. This collection of fan-art represents more than just my love for Starcraft 2 and eSports. It shows how a passion and a supportive community dedicated to that same passion can propel someone someone like me to do what he never thought he could do. I never thought I had what it takes to create any type of art, but the inspiration that I felt when watching high-level matches or winning a tense ladder match allowed me to reach for what I thought was unattainable. Essentially, I didn't expect SC2 and TL to give me anything near what it has given to me so far.



Heck, I even became inspired to start my own



So, in closing. I basically want to say Thank You to TL, to everyone who keeps this community going more than me, and to everyone else who is not afraid to be passionate about something unorthodox. Cheers! I was looking back on my life with Starcraft 2 since the beta days, and I realized that it consists of these categories (in order of time spent from least to most):4th: Laddering3rd: Custom games2nd: Watching streams and tournamentsand #1 is.............FAN ARTIt kind of surprised me, but when I look back I realized that I had spent a ridiculous amount of time constructing fan art for Starcraft players, maps, and just general stuff.And it all started with a phone call about some (non-finals) GSL match.It was early winter, and I was talking to my friend Vinomaker about a GSL we had just watched at 4:45am. We started talking about how funny it would be if we saw this and that as cheerfuls in the crowd. We were laughing so hard at the end that we decided to talk about what types of shirts Handsome Nerd should make. By the end of the conversation we had ideas for shirts for HuK, TLO, Jinro, IdrA, and even one for Metalopolis.I then said to myself, "What the hell. Why can't I make these?" About 30 hours of Photoshop tutorials and a shit-ton of actual work hours later I had created my first piece of bonafide fan art (The idea of putting them on shirts stuck with me, hence the shirts for each).My next shirt was inspired by that infamous match between IdrA and Silver. You guys know which one.My next piece was dedicated to the great map of balance in a land of Jungle Basins and Steppes of War. Metalopolis! Don't sue me, Metallica.I then had two ideas that seemed to fit well with TLO and his hip German-nessThen Jinro was on a roll so I had to devote some time to the Gorilla Terran.From there I went crazy, dedicating entire days to creating new pieces when they popped into my head. I would listen to State of the Game and lose myself in the work, completely immersed in Starcraft.GGHwaiting!!!!Nerd Empire (Combo of Soviet and Japanese imperial influence)Hydra Skull (A new take off of the classic Misfits fiend skull)Keyboard's Sexy (My girlfriend used to listen to Kenny Chesney......)I even thought up of an idea for a shopping bag. I thought of how cool it would be if I saw one of these in a supermarket!FrontBackHere's another version of the HuK design, this one being straight Protoss pride!This is another one based off the IdrA quote but for generic Terran.And this was a generic Terran one based on the TLO Warhol design. I don't like it too much because it's hard to tell that it's a marine, but oh well.I'm mainly a lurker, but I wanted to share with everyone what I've been up to for the past year. This collection of fan-art represents more than just my love for Starcraft 2 and eSports. It shows how a passion and a supportive community dedicated to that same passion can propel someone someone like me to do what he never thought he could do. I never thought I had what it takes to create any type of art, but the inspiration that I felt when watching high-level matches or winning a tense ladder match allowed me to reach for what I thought was unattainable. Essentially, I didn't expect SC2 and TL to give me anything near what it has given to me so far.Heck, I even became inspired to start my own Kickstarter campaign!So, in closing. I basically want to say Thank You to TL, to everyone who keeps this community going more than me, and to everyone else who is not afraid to be passionate about something unorthodox. Cheers!