lapetino

Hey, all. You might have seen this in another thread, but we've set up a place for people to get updates and info/developments on our efforts as they progress. Please sign up if you want to be in the loop: http://artofstella.launchrock.com/ Of course, we will post here at AA, but this email list will make sure no one misses important info.

Thanks so much! We are working hard on it. BTW, we've set up a place where people can sign up for info and updates: http://artofstella.launchrock.com/

Curious to hear which art you meant. Steve Hendricks' original art for the game looked like this: http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3205643/atari_finalart.jpg But it was changed because a woman in marketing didn't like the placement of the eyes on the woman. So, they used the art from the inside of the manual to serve as the box art. Also, this art was also used for some promo pieces, but I'm not sure who the artist was (yet). http://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_04_2010/post-5874-127177498956.jpg

Oh, no worries! And congrats! So glad that everything went well with your little lady's birth. A game changer! And thanks -- yes, we'll work out the details. I think it's a great idea to mention where pieces come from, and I'm planning on an expansive acknowledgements section too. Good stuff! Talk to you soon.

Totally agree on that. Outside of a big Star Wars collector, I'd be surprised to see you get near that from someone who has only the Atari connection to it. It's a beautiful piece and the game is excellent, but it's less of a holy grail for Atari folk. Now if it were the original piece the Brothers Hildebrandt did for the unreleased Ewoks game, that might be different from the Atari perspective. This piece is great, but since it's less about ships and Death Stars, and more about that great logo, I wonder if it would go for what the classic Bob Peak pieces went for. Nail down that $20K offer! (After we figure out a way to photograph it for the book, of course!). Good luck!

Got it. Well, let me know if that offer doesn't happen.

I'm sort of interested in this thing, but doubtful that it'd fit in the car I'm taking to MGC. I'd love to get some specifics on the size of the pieces for transport -- will you still be selling it after MGC? I'm in Chicago, so a drive to get it at some point wouldn't be a big deal.

Hey, everyone. As you might know, I'm working on a book about the art of Atari (http://atariage.com/forums/topic/220583-art-of-atari-book-in-progress-and-need-help/) and we are moving apace, and talking with Atari and a couple different publishers. I'm also working on another classic gaming project involving art as well. For both of these, I want to increase the research funds we have, and am considering selling off some of the slides (4x5" positive transparencies) we have acquired to fund it all. When these went up for sale a couple years ago (when I purchased them from another collector here), several people were interested in that set. So, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to purchase the portion I've set aside (see below) to help fund our efforts. I could put these on eBay, but I'd rather keep them in the community that has been so awesome all these years, not to mention very helpful in our efforts with the book. There are few things like AtariAge, and I've met some amazing people over the years here. So, images are below. And to be clear, these are the intellectual property of Atari. I'm not selling the rights to any artwork, just the physical slides themselves. Each of these is in good condition (a couple are negatives, rather than positives, which is why they look brown). The photos were taken of them in their protective sleeves, sitting upon a 4x5 portable light box, but they are very crisp, beautiful, and better than what I shot from my iPhone. PM me with questions and offers. Thanks, all!

We are working on it! http://atariage.com/forums/topic/220583-art-of-atari-book-in-progress-and-need-help/

Hey, RJ. Sorry it wasn't longer. (I wrote it, along with the two sidebars.) We figured that 1300 words and 4 pages were enough! Though there's more where that came from. We are working on a full book on the art of Atari, and I will also be speaking at the Midwest Gaming Classic on the topic on April 12.

That's technically true, but I can tell you that Atari will probably have plenty of lawyers to challenge anyone who does try and to incur on their properties, even if their paperwork isn't airtight. It seems like their paperwork is pretty airtight on most of the properties (we've been talking with them for a while on this) and have a friend who worked in their licensing division. But anyone who wants to challenge them on this will no doubt find themselves on the receiving end of the work of many lawyers. That might be discouragement to test them, as fighting it will probably be costly and time-intensive.

This thread inspired me to bust out the ones I bought a couple months back and give them a go. Really like them -- are well-made, and do have a little more stickyness to them, in that it takes a little more work to get them turning, but it feels nice, and high quality. Don't feel significantly different than the originals. They served me well in a couple of super fast Kaboom! games. I might pick up another set.

Having gotten into the licensing world of classic video games some recently, I have seen that what Bill is saying is pretty much a spot on assessment. We as classic fans might not appreciate that perspective, but this is basically the market reality for mass retail.

It doesn't really matter what he calls them, because the art is their intellectual property (done as work for hire). Assuming that the modern Atari still has the paper to back up their claims -- as the rights were transferred through all these iterations and sales. They certainly have the lawyers to lean on him. They've done it before with other people trying to make money with their artwork. For the Atari art book we're working on, we'll be getting a license from them to use the artwork.

Could be, but he's still using Atari's artwork, so I don't think that's going to dissuade them.

These are pretty nice but definitely not officially licensed. Will see if Atari hits him with a C&D.

Finally got a chance to play this, and it's amazing! Love the running character's animation -- so beautiful on the 2600. And really digging it. Can't wait to hear speech as well!

This is awesome! Love that it's happening. Great work. Not sure if this has been said already, but when I use this on the Harmony with my woody 4-switch, it seems like the screen is jumping occasionally. I can't tell if it's only when a new flag first appears onscreen, but it's doing it pretty consistently.

Yep, it is. Very nice! Does anyone know if this appeared anywhere else besides that AtariAge magazine cover?

Thanks, ledzep. We are going to be including at least *some* 8bit computer art. It all depends on what we can acquire.

Yeah, I would have been surprised if Perez had done his own painting or coloring. Would be cool to know who that is.

Our Plan A is to sign with a large publisher. Are discussing it with two different ones, so we'll see how that pans out.

Hey, dubxcube. Totally agree that some great art has come out of the homebrew scene, but it's a little beyond the scope of what we're doing with the book. We're really trying to recapture the magic of the original Atari via the artwork, and the latter-day homebrews (and this community!) are their own unique, special thing. Maybe another book?

strudders, I hear you on the art prints. That's a good idea. Do you have a link to the McQuarrie ones you're talking about? bfstats, thanks so much! The press kits could be very interesting, depending on what they contain. We are also focusing on the graphic design of Atari, so they could be helpful. High-res scans would be amazing -- thanks! We will definitely be including unreleased game art/game info. I can think of at least a handful of pieces (off the top of my head) that we have already that will go in the book -- Frog Pond, some Dukes of Hazzard, and unused versions of existing games as well. PM me and we can work out how to get files sent easily. Appreciate all the support, everyone!

Nice collection of stuff, Allan! Yeah, posters would be awesome. We shall see what we can work out.