I very seldom share pictures of myself, but I thought this occasion a good exception; getting the chance to hold the Kpop Demon Hunters’ Oscar award for Best Animated Film (2026); I was a lighting/comp VFX artist on the movie. The directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans made a trip up to the Sony Imageworks studio here in Vancouver so that we can have this photo op, thank you ! I wished they also bought along the Golden Globe award which the movie won as well, but you know, a nitpick.

The last time something like this happened was back in 2018 when Sony won the same 2 awards for Spider-Man : Into The Spiderverse. Kpop Demon Hunters is the 3rd Academy Award winning animated film that I’ve had the good fortune to work, the first been Rango (2011).

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While we’re talking about Kpop Demon Hunters, I’m very excited for the upcoming Criterion release of the film coming in December. It’s particularly cool because Kpop was bankrolled by Netflix and they very seldom release their films on physical media. I’ll of course be getting a copy and will post pictures of it at the time.

I also recommend checking out the art book for the film, which showcases alot of beautiful concept art created for the movie.

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Warning : The following post contains nudity/adult content. This book is not suitable for children !

EX MACHINA GALACTICA was an art exhibition showcasing the erotic adult art work of 4 renowned illustrators, namely Hajime Sorayama, Rockin’ Jellybean, Katsuya Terada as well as Shirow Masamune. It was held at the Vanilla Gallery in Ginza from April 25th to May 24th, and I was actually able to see it in person during my Tokyo spring trip earlier this year.

The gallery space was quite small and unfortunately photography was not allowed for most of the pieces on display, which is why I didn’t write an article about my visit.

Thankfully of course, the organizers of the exhibition saw fit to publish an art book for the event, collecting most of the pieces that were on display ( from my recollection, there are select pieces in the exhibition I saw that are not included in the book, and conversely also some that were not shown at the exhibition ).

This is actually the 4th joint exhibition that Sorayama, Rockin’ Jellybean and Terada ( Shirow is kinda a ‘guest appearance’ artist this time around ) have collaborated on; there are also art books available for the previous 3 exhibitions held, namely Pussy Cat ! Kill ! Kill ! Kill !, TOKYO SWEET GWENDOLINE as well as Dominatrix Heaven.

Highly quality, tastefully executed erotic adult art by some of the very best artists working in the Japanese illustration scene right now. The reproductions are excellent, and the big print format shows off the art work most handsomely. Recommended.

Note : In the preview images above, I have censored some of the more explicit art work showing genitalia that I have deemed too risque for public viewing; they are uncensored in the book.

Also be sure to check out the art books for the previous 3 collaborative exhibitions held by the artists; Pussy Cat ! Kill ! Kill ! Kill !, TOKYO SWEET GWENDOLINE and Dominatrix Heaven.

“EX MACHINA GALACTICA” art book details :

Dimensions – 10.16 x 0.31 x 14.37 inches
Softcover, 72 pages
Full color, In Japanese language

  
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MIXINGSCAPE is an art book by Japanese sculptor/modeler Kishi Omori (大森記詩) showcasing his superbly detailed kitbash mecha figures. These mecha were first featured in serialized form in the monthly hobby magazine HobbyJAPAN before been compiled and published in this tankobon volume. The book comes with a promo band and a blurb by renowned concept artist Yoji Shinkawa ( MGS / DeathStranding ) endorsing Kishi Omori’s exceptional kitbashing work.

Skillfully painted and expertly assembled, all the mecha looks incredibly stylish, with a variety of interesting form factor including the most common bipedal type as well as quadruped and the bulkier ‘tank type’ mecha. Each featured model is accompanied by a making of write-up, although your Japanese will need to be up to speed, or a translation program handy.

A most fascinating collection of expertly assembled, painted and finished kitbash mecha by Kishi Omori. If you’re into kitbash modeling and/or beautifully designed mecha, this book is an easy recommendation.

You can follow Kishi Omori on Twitter and his personal website.

“MIXINGSCAPE – Kishi Omori Kitbash Mecha Book” details :

Dimensions – 11.69 x 8.27 x 0.31 inches
Softcover, 128 pages
Full color, In Japanese language

  
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The August 2026 issue of Britsh Vogue fashion magazine is a cover shoot featuring actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, who is starring in the latest film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense And Sensibility. The photographs, shot by Szilveszter Makó and with styling by Tabitha Simmons are mesmerizingly beautiful, but what made them even more appealing to me is the splendid art direction, with the look and design paying tribute to 19th Century portrait paintings by the old masters like John Singer Sargent, James Tissot, and even earlier masters like Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres as well as Jan van Eyck.

During the earlier days of my creative career, I interned as a fashion photographer’s assistant, and seriously considered it as my future profession. While that trajectory never happened, I still love to live vicariously through beautiful fashion shoots like this one, especially when they tip the hat to the art work of famous painters.

Availability – This magazine must surely be stocked at any newsstand in the UK at the time of it’s publication, but it is puzzlingly difficult to locate an online store that carries it- even a search on Amazon UK yielded no results. Folks who want to track down a copy outside of the UK might have to source other websites like Ebay.

You can find the Vogue original article here.

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Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One (2016) is my favorite Star Wars film of all times, and so by extension the 2 seasons of Andor, whose story-line is a direct prequel won over my approval easily as well.

This thick and heavy tome of an art book ( running close to 300 pages ) covers extensively the stunning visdev and concept art work created for both S1 and S2 of Andor, covering in exquisite detail character, costume, vehicle/ship, set designs and more. Really, there’s not much lyrical I can wax that can better the preview images I’ve included below in this post, so scroll on down and be amazed.

Publisher synopsis –

The official behind-the-scenes companion to the Emmy, WGA, SAG, Golden Globe, and BAFTA–Award nominated Disney+ series. New York Times bestseller!

The Art of Star Wars: Andor (The Complete Series) gives readers an exclusive inside look at the production art, visual development, concept art, creature designs and FX, graphics, props, and more that went into creating the Tony Gilroy helmed Disney+ series.

Through extensive interviews with Gilroy, star Diego Luna, and the talented Lucasfilm visualists, author Phil Szostak documents every step of Andor’s production from discussions following the initial release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story up through post-production on the final episodes of season two.

With deep dives into the locations that defined the series, including Kenari, Ferrix, Aldhani, Narkina 5, Mina-Rau, Ghorman, and Yavin 4, among many others, this essential volume celebrates the legacy of all twenty-four critically acclaimed episodes and the hurdles the filmmakers, cast, and crew had to overcome to bring their vision to life.

Every facet and detail of the Rebellion and Empire’s inner workings and the day-to-day existence within the world of Star Wars that Andor lovingly depicted are explored in great detail along with reflections on the series overall and its espionage roots and political relevance. The lived-in, battered costumes, ships, and locales that are so crucial to the DNA of Star Wars are on full display in this volume alongside the elegant formalism of the Galactic Senate and Coruscant.

Every piece of concept art―from ISB uniforms to Ferrix workwear to sleek speeders to the sterile prison cells of Narkina 5―has a tactility that leaps off the page. Cassian Andor’s journey from thief to spy to rebel to martyr, and the stories of his allies, uneasy partnerships, Imperial schemes, and galactic revolution took audiences on an emotionally resonant adventure and The Art of Star Wars: Andor spotlights the exceptional work that made it all possible.

I thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of Andor, in particular S2 which for me is the best production I’ve yet seen come out on Disney+. This art book is a most splendid showcase of the brilliant concept art behind both seasons and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I also recommend checking out equally excellent ‘The Art Of Rogue One‘ art book, which is a direct feature film sequel to Andor.

“The Art of Star Wars : Andor Book” details :

– Dimensions – 11.3 x 1.02 x 10.35 inches
– Hardcover, 288 pages
– Full color

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