Welcome back to the StarCityGames.com 2017 Season One Invitational
countdown blog!
Yesterday
, I went over everything related to the event and registration options at
the Season One Invitational. From the main event and the Modern-format
Roanoke Open to the Modern and Standard Classics and the Ultimate Commander
registration package, the Season One Invitational has something for
everyone!
When one qualifies for an Invitational, most of the time it’s to play in
the main event and test your skills against the best the SCG Tour has to
offer. For others, it’s to play in as many side events as possible because
you just love the value that the Infinite Challenge option represents. And
some just want to come out and hang with their friends!
But something that everyone has in common at Magic tournaments? Their love
of special guests! And at the Season One Invitational, there are going to
be quite a few. And the headliner? The critically acclaimed Rob Alexander.
The Who
As it so eloquently states on his website:
Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
I was born in southern Ontario, Canada, and moved to Alberta, Canada at age
12, where I stayed until I moved to the US. Currently I live in the Pacific
Northwest. The mountains which feature so prominently in many of my
paintings are definitely inspired by the Canadian Rockies, which were a
huge influence on me personally and artistically.
How and when did you first start painting?
I was always drawing and painting as a child, and I just never seem to have
stopped. Not that I was particularly gifted or talented as a child, I just
enjoyed playing with paints and colours too much to stop. School
assignments were often an excuse to draw something, and I was constantly
filling sketch books and notebooks with doodles, drawings and such. As I
was leaving high school, I realized that there was nothing else I enjoyed
as much as artwork, so I canceled all my engineering classes at university,
switched my major to Art, and haven’t looked back since.
What are your artistic influences?
Not surprisingly, landscapes play a major role. It was landscape art that
got me started drawing and painting as a child, and it remains my first
love to paint. I was also heavily influenced by Tolkien’s works. I had most
of the Lord of the Rings read to me in the 2nd grade, and it has remained a
huge influence and favored reading ever since.
I have also always had a love for old, beautiful art. The really good
pieces that you see in museums and art history books. Everyone from Vermeer
and Rembrandt to Rubens, Leonardo and Halls. From old Venetian painting to
the Academic and pre-Raphaelite artists. Church and Bierstadt, Sargent and
Alma-Tadema, the list goes on and on. Not all landscape painters, by any
means, but all of them good painters, and all of them fascinated with the
play of light across their subject.
Of all the cards you’ve painted for Magic, what’s your favorite?
Tough call. I loved the early pieces, as they were so wide open and
creative, but my recent works were also very satisfying to paint. I would
have to say
[card name="Underground Sea"]Underground Sea
[/card]
and
[card name="Spectral Cloak"]Spectral Cloak
[/card]
from the early days; and
[card name="Exalted Angel"]Exalted Angel
[/card]
,
[card name="Temple Garden"]Temple Garden
[/card]
, and
[card name="Overgrown Tomb"]Overgrown Tomb
[/card]
from the recent sets, but as I said, it’s a tough call.
I love to draw. What advice do you have on becoming an artist?
Three main pieces of advice. First off, paint from real life. Any form of
representational painting is all about making something look real, whether
it be the bowl of fruit on your table, or an alien world. That requires a
good understanding of the natural world, how it works, how it looks, and
why. You cannot paint what you do not know. Nature is the best teacher you
will ever have, and the best source of inspiration there is.
Secondly, paint what you love. When you get down to it, it’s not that hard
to learn to paint something and have it look realistic. Not to say it’s
easy, but it’s something which can definitely be learned. Therefore, the
thing which will separate your work from anyone else’s is not how well you
can render, but how much of yourself comes through in your work. The one
unique aspect to any artist work is the inherent personality of the artist
upon which the work is built.
Lastly, practice, practice, practice. This is one vocation which you will
never master, and which will constantly challenge you. Learn to embrace the
challenge, fall in love with the process, and try to make every painting
better than your last one.
The What
Rob has drawn numerous amazing pieces of Magic artwork, and at the Season
One Invitational he’ll be bringing along some amazing hand-painted playmats
that will be available all weekend long!
See all of Rob Alexander’s hand-printed playmats
here
!
The When
So when can you meet Rob and have cards signed by him? All those details
are below:
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
9am – 6pm |
9am – 7pm |
10am – 6pm |
|
Signatures: $1 per card, $4 per card for “shadow” or 2 |
||
Special Guests
Rob Alexander isn’t the only special guest we’ll have at the Season One
Invitational. We’ve got plenty of awesomely talented folks who will be
joining us all weekend long in Roanoke, so let’s meet them right now!
rk post
Artist rk post’s distinctive Gothic stylings have appeared on several of
the most famous cards in Magic’s history, including
[card name="Morphling"]Morphling[/card]
and
[card name="Lightning Angel"]Lightning Angel[/card]
, as well as popular Modern and Legacy cards such as
[card name="Fulminator Mage"]Fulminator Mage[/card]
and
[card name="Ichorid"]Ichorid[/card]
.
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 6pm |
10am – 6pm |
10am – 6pm |
Christopher Moeller
With well over 200 Magic illustrations to his credit, Christopher Moeller
is one of the game’s most prolific artists. Among his most famous works are
[card name="Chain Lightning"]Chain Lightning[/card]
(Premium Deck Series: Fire and Lightning),
[card name="Lightning Bolt"]Lightning Bolt[/card]
(Magic 2010),
[card name="Meddling Mage"]Meddling Mage[/card]
(Planeshift),
[card name="Mindbreak Trap"]Mindbreak Trap[/card]
,
[card name="Reclamation Sage"]Reclamation Sage[/card]
,
[card name="Saffi Eriksdotter"]Saffi Eriksdotter[/card]
,
[card name="Sower of Temptation"]Sower of Temptation[/card]
,
[card name="Umezawa's Jitte"]Umezawa’s Jitte[/card]
,
[card name="Vines of Vastwood"]Vines of Vastwood[/card]
, and
[card name="Zealous Persecution"]Zealous Persecution[/card]
.
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 5pm |
10am – 5pm |
10am – 5pm |
|
Signatures: $1 each |
||
Victor Adame Minquez
Victor Adame Minguez has emerged as one of Mexico’s top fantasy artists,
earning immediate recognition with his debut Magic illustration,
[card name="Ghirapur Gearcrafter"]Ghirapur Gearcrafter[/card]
in Magic Origins. An avid Magic player, he is often found playing
in side events when he’s not in his artist’s booth. His recent notable
cards include
[card name="Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast"]Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast[/card]
;
[card name="Maelstrom Wanderer"]Maelstrom Wanderer[/card] (Eternal Masters)
; and
[card name="Momir Vig, Simic Visionary"]Momir Vig, Simic Visionary[/card] (From the Vault: Lore)
.
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 6pm |
9am – 6pm |
9am – 6pm |
|
Signatures: $1 each |
||
Ken Meyer Jr.
Early Magic artist Ken E. Meyer, Jr. made his debut with Arabian Nights. Among his most famous cards are
[card name="Dark Ritual"]Dark Ritual[/card]
,
[card name="Erhnam Djinn"]Erhnam Djinn[/card]
,
[card name="Kird Ape"]Kird Ape[/card]
, and
[card name="Mystic Remora"]Mystic Remora[/card]
.
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 7pm |
8am – 7pm |
8am – 7pm |
|
Signatures: $1 each |
||
Thomas M. Baxa
Thomas M. Baxa has contributed more than 100 illustrations to Magic: The
Gathering, some of them among the game’s most gruesome images. His cards
include
[card name="Blightning"]Blightning[/card]
(Shards of Alara),
[card name="Duplicant"]Duplicant[/card]
,
[card name="Filth"]Filth[/card]
,
[card name="Maelstrom Wanderer"]Maelstrom Wanderer[/card]
,
[card name="Oversold Cemetery"]Oversold Cemetery[/card]
,
[card name="Relentless Rats"]Relentless Rats[/card]
, and
[card name="Wirewood Symbiote"]Wirewood Symbiote[/card]
.
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 6pm |
10am – 6pm |
10am – 6pm |
|
Signatures: $2 each or free with print or playmat purchase |
||
Vanessa Martin
Vanessa Martin is one of the “new notables” of Magic: The Gathering
cosplay. Based in Virginia, she came to prominence with her take on
Nahiri, the Harbinger
. Commemorate your Invitational Weekend experience by taking a picture with
her!
|
Friday, June 30 |
Saturday, July 1 |
Sunday, July 2 |
|
10am – 1pm 2pm – 6pm (as Tireless Tracker) |
9am – 12pm 1pm – 5pm (as Tireless Tracker) |
9am – 12pm 1pm – 5pm (as Hazoret the Fervent) |
What Tomorrow Brings
Now that you know more about all of the special guests who will be
attending the Season One Invitational, it’s time for me to go over all the
logistics for the event! Tomorrow, I’ll be going over the places to stay,
things to do, and food to eat during your stay in Roanoke! See ya then!
Previous Season One Invitational Blogs:
Countdown To The Season One SCG Invitational: 4 Days Out!
Countdown To The Season One SCG Invitational – 3 Days Out!