New GARY LAM / Evangelos Wing Chun Video

Here's a new clip from a typical backyard Wing Chun class at Gary Lam's.

I've been watching a lot of UFC tourneys and I noticed that none of the fights ever take place in the 2nd gate territory. Here's a quick definition of what I mean. The 1st gate is your fists, the 2nd gate is the elbow distance, and the 3rd gate is the shoulders. It's just another way of explaining the layers of defense (gates) before you get to the body.

That being said, why do all the fights skip the 2nd gate entirely? Is it because we're not allowed to pin the opponent's arms? It seems to me that after a few strikes, they move in for the grapple, or their comfort zone. And if they miss, they back up and reset. Why? Why not move in and eat up the opponents space? Or is it because they lacked hand technique to fight in that area? Most of the fighters only train at striking and grappling distances, and nothing in between. I don't know if it's just me, but I see a lot of missed opportunities in the fights and I feel the fighters can become better if they cover all bases, especially the 2nd gate distance which is Wing Chun territory.

I'm not saying that WC is better than other arts by any means, but it's a good tool to have if you want to dominate the 2nd gate distances.

Loki-Ish Minion... who knows?

FIXED:....
K, I polished this painting a bit. I wasn't too happy with the anatomical errors from the previous one, so here's the newer version. It's still not as nice as I would want it to be but it's still a good practice piece.

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Thanks Yam for reminding me to finish this painting. His latest blog entry got me motivated to practice characters as well. In fact, this piece was collecting dust for the past 4 months, and now I finally took some time to refine it a bit. I admit there are still a ton of anatomical errors. Even the pose looks iffy. Oh well, guess I shouldn't have rendered it before nailing down the pose. My bad.


Also, special thanks goes to Fred (GameArisans.org) for providing me with some much needed reference.

Here's a progress video I put together that roughly explains the steps I took in completing this piece.

My new bike!... and a brief update...

I finally got the guts to buy a real bike (Suzuki SV650)... with gears and them thing you call a clutch. My 250cc Honda Reflex scooter just wasn't cutting it. It's great during slow moving traffic and in the city, but it picks up too slow on higher speeds. Passing other vehicles proved to be difficult, especially when the speed starts to pick up. There were times when I was almost sandwiched between cars, or when drivers intentionally block my path when I'm in between lanes. I'm sorry bud, you can cut through traffic too if you're willing to put your life on the line. The worst was when this crazy ass bitch in an SUV tried to change lanes into me without checking her blind spots. The car was so close that it actually nudged my shoulder. And to top it off , she honked at me. WTF? Anyway, here's the pic of my new moto.


WORK UPDATE:
Work has been awesome. I'm finally loving what I do... for once. Art was never my thing... even though I'm an artist by trade, my true passion is coming up with game ideas/mechanics, or ideas in general, and let someone else take credit for them:)... that's just the way it is... don't ask. I guess this passion of coming up with clever ideas goes way back to the early stages of Ratchet and Clank. Back then, I used to come up with weapon ideas, gadgets, and gameplay mechanics. I'm even surprised that Insomniac used my disco ball idea for their next RC for the PS3. How cool is that?! Those were the days. So now my new job at SCEA is essentially jamming with the designers on game mechanics and problem solving. This new step can hopefully shave off some R&D work from the developer's end, thus saving time and money.

"CALLING ALL CARS!" has gone GOLD (PS3)

Hey Guys and Gals,

The game I Art Directed... well was the acting Art Director, has finally gone GOLD! That's right, GOLD! It has some pretty good reviews considering it was a small game that focus more on the multiplayer/party game smack talk kinda game. Nonetheless, it was a blast working with David Jaffe, the GOD game desiger, and his super Senior Designer side Kick Adam Orth.

The game will be coming out only as a Playstation downloadable (PSN). For a couple of bucks a pop, I think the game is darn worth it.

Check out the reviews at:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/783/783536p1.html

Interview with 2DArtist

Here's an interview I did with the online magazine 2DArtist, published by Zoo Publishing. Their questions were geared towards my career as a video game artist, and why I chose the gaming industry in particular. However I must warn you that there are some typos because the publishers never got my edited version... I think their servers were swamped. Nonetheless, it should still be a fun read.

Enjoy...
On another note, here's a painting tute I created for a friend. It's just a 10 sec anim of the dumbed down steps I take to paint. Nothing spectacular since it's only a demo.

Painting_101

Crossing Hands Completed!!!

I finally completed Gary Lam's Crossing Hands training, otherwise known as Level 1. This level covers all the fundamentals of the Siu Nim Tao (1st form), Chum Kiu (2nd form), Biu Ji (3rd form), all the crossing hand techniques, the Wooden Dummy form, and a ton of Chi Sao (sticky hands). What's also cool about receiving this plaque, is that it gives me added hit points in a real fight:)... simply slip it underneath my shirt and voila!... more HP to my body:). But seriously though, the certificate is pretty much useless, unless I ever plan on teaching one day. It's just credentials, and it doesn't make anyone a better fighter.

New Image Added... It's about time.

Wing Chun Baby! This image was inspired by the show 24... I'm sure it's obvious.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

SHAWEEEeeeet! RCF is finally getting some press. I left that project during pre-production for my current gig... but I must say that the RC universe has always been a blast to work on. Check the kinda brief FULL ARTICLE!

Installed my WOODEN DUMMY!!!! Finally

I finally had the chance to install my wooden dummy. The project has been delayed for a year because of budget offsets. First it was a $2K massage chair that got in the way, and then a giant Sony TV... and later my scooter, which I LOVE... Anyway, this project has been long overdue. So I finally ordered the damn thing from China, which took a little more than a month to arrive, and got it installed. There were several trips to the Home Depot for parts and such, and an electric saw borrowed from the Yamster (Brian Yam), in all the job took approximately 6 hours to do. The next step is to pad the thing with duct tape and carpet.

What's this wooden dummy?
Well, it's used as a Wing Chun training partner. Sometimes it's hard to find a partner to train with, so this thing is the next best thing. Granted it doesn't fight back, but it does help correct bad body structure, positioning, sensitivity, and overall fighting mechanic. If you find yourself getting knocked back after giving it a palm strike, then you know you're doing something wrong. To find out more, go to the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_dummy

DOMINANCE WAR!!!

Think you've got what it takes to compete in the world's most badass game art challenge ? I know I don't, but maybe you've got some mad NextGen skillz and wanna put it to the test. Submit your work to the DOMINANCE WAR II website, and go kick some ass!

John Wu's 2006 Demo Reel

2006 Demo Reel of John Wu, a 2D/3D Artist in the video game industry . Works included are from the Playstation 3 game "Resistance: Fall of Man" and from his personal works. Art, Video Games, Science Fiction, Concept Art, Design