Ending on a Lotus

The Guru Moxes that are displayed above are probably some of my best known works from the past year. They were originally commissioned by Wes Wise, buyer for StarCityGames, just a few short months ago. They're changed hands since, but I had an opportunity to meet the current owner earlier this month at SCG Charlotte. He approached me about commissioning an accompanying piece to the Moxen. The idea: a Guru Black Lotus.

This was to be my third Lotus alter of the year, and they've all raised different challenges. This time the question was, how does one Guru something that produces all five colors of Magic? The solution was to combine all of Nielsen's original landscapes into one colorful background. And here's what that looks like:

It's been a great year starting a new business and running this blog. 2012 is sure to bring lots more painting and hopefully some awesome alters! I'll continue to update here with the best pieces, but be sure to like the Klug Alters Facebook page to see even more work. Thanks for all your support and have a Happy New Year!

Queen of Japan

The surface on this Japanese Sliver Queen didn't look so hot so we gave her a complete makeover!

Tales from the Crypt

Fixing up Judge promos, one card at a time. Like the way this turned out. Obviously based off of Mark Tedin's original Crypt.

Klug Alters 2012

I spoke with Evan Erwin this past weekend in Charlotte about how to go forward with the next year of Klug Alters, and he provided some sage advice. Long story short, Facebook provides a more fluid way for the community to share and comment on the work I post, and to communicate with me directly. Over the next few weeks I'm going to start transitioning the majority of my updates to my Facebook page found here. This blog will remain intact, and I'll likely still use it to post detailed descriptions and anecdotes of my favorite pieces, and to document travel weekends as I've done in the past.

To kick things off, this week I'm doing a Facebook Giveaway where you can win this:

Go to the link provided above and Like, Comment, or Share for a chance to win. Do all three and earn three chances! And remember to Like the Klug Alters page to stay updated on future alters, events, and contests like this one.

SCG Charlotte: Part II

The last few rounds of the Invitational are completing and we'll have a Top 8 shortly. Meanwhile I've just completed this:

My table here is paired next to 3-D alterer Mike Fairservice. This morning Mike handed me an awesome gift: a 3-D of my sticker that debuted this weekend! I wanted to showcase it here, and as usual, photos lend 3-D alters no justice. Thanks Mike!

That's a wrap. See you at SCG DC in 2012!

How Bazaar

Something a little different for me. Bazaar of Baghdad becomes Saddam's Al-Faw Palace.

The owner tells me, "Basically, it boils down to my active duty-ness and the fact that I never got deployed to Iraq and instead got deployed to Afghanistan...it's a symbol of pride in what our guys have accomplished over there."

SCG Invitational in Charlotte

Just a few rounds into the Invitational here in Charlotte and I've already have quite a few commissions in the queue. I started this Grave Titan yesterday afternoon while waiting for clients to drop off work. Just one of the cards for sale this weekend!

So what's on the table now? A work in progress. You'll have to wait to see what it turns out to be.

Illusion, Michael

Mysterio doesn't get enough credit. I mean, his costume is puke green and magenta. He also wears what amounts to a fish bowl on his head. Top ten costume design easy. There's not a lot of reference material online for the guy, but Aaron Lopresti did a nice sketch to base this one off of.

Getting super excited for SCG Charlotte tomorrow. Glenn Jones gives the rundown here! Be sure to stop by my table and grab a sticker!

Countdown to Charlotte

The past fews days have been spent catching up on commissions and now I'm in crunch mode. Just a few more days until the SCG Invitational in Charlotte and I'm looking to get a few more alters done before then. All of the Gambits I've done in the past have been blue draw spells, but I realized today that this guy works perfectly.

I'll leave you with a reminder about my Escher Maze of Ith, which is currently up for silent auction on my Facebook page. The bidding closes Friday at 12PM EST. I'll be on the road to North Carolina, but will be sure to check in and contact the winner.

See you in Charlotte!

Everybody Likes Stickers

Stickers came in super fast! I'll be handing these out at SCG Charlotte next weekend. :)

Escher

My first Escher alter. And probably the last for a while. Quite the marathon, this piece.

The Mountain Top

It's hard to not call Katsushika Hokusai the most masterful, and certainly well-known, Japanese artist of all time. His most famous work, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, is recognized by the most modest of art lovers around the world.

I recently came across a spare Sensei's Divining Top and decided it was time for a little Asian art history. The result contains no waves and is likely one of my most subtle alterations.


The image comes from one of Hokusai's Thirty Six-Views of Mt. Fuji. I tried to stay true to the print's minimal palette and subtle gradients. While it doesn't come close to the original, I enjoy projects like these that get me into the heads of the masters.