Рука Судьбы Джека Мартина, или Закулисье Кирандии

Prehistory
Kyrandian fan club administration sometimes makes you do totally unexpected things! :) When I was a child playing Kyrandia, I couldn't even imagine that I will ever reach someone who was involved on its creation.

It all started with this photo. I found it on
http://www.game-nostalgia.com/kyrandia/kyrandia_scrapbook.html :


After googling a little bit I revealed an official site of Jack Martin:
http://jamminjack.com/ , and there I also found his e-mail address.

With no actual expectations I decided to send a letter on this e-mail. I have sent a request to see (if it's possible) those pencil drawings that are barely visible on this photo. When I actually received the first letter from Jack I dropped tears a little bit.
'Cause I couldn't believe that I've got a respond.

His response letter was very warm just as the further communication. He was excited to hear from such a fierce fan of this magical game.

…Ok, enough of that lyrics!

So, Jack Martin is one of concept artists who created pencil sketches for Kyrandia II and III (concepts for Kyrandia I were created by Rick Parks). Vivid pixel locations that we can finally see in the game were digitally painted over his pencil drawings.

Jack told a lot of interesting stuff about the process of making graphics for Kyrandia games and about his work in Westwood Studios!

He also sent photos of those cherished conceptual arts and a hand drawn map of the main island of Kyrandia exclusively for our fan club!



A dream that came true
The second Kyrandia was the first game I had ever worked on. That's wierd, Huh?
Before that I was a graphic advertising artist for 17 years in Salt Lake City, my birthplace and home town.

Always dreamed of becoming a full time ILLUSTRATOR, a freelancer. My dream of becoming the illustrator came true when Westwood hired me. My wife Arlene and my 3 kids moved from our home town, beloved Salt Lake City to Vegas.

How it was all started
Here is the very first digital painting I EVER did. Before I started drawing in pencil concepts, I was doing digital paintings over Rick Parks pencil drawings (*great artist who was making concepts for The Legend Of Kyrandia: Book One). The first one was so hard getting the knack of painting with a mouse and a limited palette of colors. It's the entrance through a wall, I think going into the area where the shop is with the mermaid statue. The one you wanted from me.

After completing just this one drawing of the wall and gate Louis Castle asked me if
I could possibly draw concepts in pencil like Rick Parks. I said I thought so and I tried and ended up doing nothing but concepts working with Rick Gush our great cool, producer and writer of the Kyrandia games. Such a nice guy. Loved working with him also. His knickname was and I imagine still is Coco. (Rick 'Coco' Gush)


I joined Rick Parks doing the sketches. He did all of the first game and I joined him and basically ended up doing a lot of the Hand of Fate. I did work on Kyrandia III also as lead concept artist.
Rick was an incredible fine artist, we called him the Art God. Unfortuneately Rick died of leukemia just a few years later.

13 pencil drawings that haven't seen the light of day since '93
I got out 13 original pencil drawings on 8 x 10 bristol heavy weight paper. From`93. A long time ago. They are all still in fantastic condition. They haven't seen the light of day for many years, tucked away in some portfolio from the past. Kyrandia II was the first concept work I did for Westwood Studios. It was the begining of 18 released video games in my career. I just so appreciate the quality in these drawings and the unleashed creativity that I was blessed with in doing Kyrandia.

I pushed on the pencil so hard on all these original traditional art pieces, 40 of them and then Kyrandia III after that, that I damaged the ulnar nerve in my drawing arm and had to have major open arm surgery on the nerve, the pain was awful. I have a 7 inch scar on my arm to prove it, kind of like a war wound scar, in the heat of the battle to get these drawings done for the world.


The first concept I did for Kyrandia II were big tough looking fishes that act as tug boats pulling the boat with the masthead that looks like a sailfish.

Unfortunately I don't have the pencil sketch of it. But here is the digital painting.

Unique opportunity for the fans!
The quality in the drawing is so in depth, just done with regular old pencils that had been sanded the point into a conical tip to get thick and thin lines. I was thinking that these drawings are so detailed I would be able to scan them and print them on white canvas about 12x18 inches, a glycee print on canvas. Being on canvas would make them so permanent for the fans of Kyrandia. They could buy them to hang on their walls at home. Or I could make prints on good quality laser print paper, but again a nice big size to see the magnificent detail.

If you guys would be interested in buying those canvas Kyrandia prints feel free to reach me. They would be like fine art. I would hand sign them for you and date them. But no limited edition.

Here is my e-mail address: jackamartin2@gmail.com





I did learn to paint in Dpaint quite well and even animate:


One of the Kyrandia animations I did was of Malcolm riding on a bicycle thing I made up where he peddled and a giant drill bit above him dug into the earth, bringing him to the surface of the earth, like I think he was in hell. Dirt was flying as he peddled all over him raining down on his head.
Then I did one of the magic cauldron with swirling colors of potions in it.
A lady by the name of Cindy D. Chinn animated Zanthia in Kyrandia II.
Cindy was very hip cool lady from Reno that moved to Vegas.
She is such a cool woman.

Also I attach the original sketches of the cat monoliths on Cat island:



Westwood is disappearing
I could tell you stories of Westwood that would go on and on. I worked there for 10 years then EA (Electronic Arts) bought us out for our Command and Conquer game series and got rid of near a two hundred employees, moving the game production to CA (California).

So I was out of a job and started working in the slot machine art. Then back to video games in Salt Lake for Smart Bomb Interactive for six years. Then back to Reno NV doing art for slot machines. So here I am. If you move to America you'd probably don't want to work in slot machines but the artwork is real fun and artwork is on big tall monitors shining brightly. I love the work I am drawing every day, creating cool cool games.

Such necessary support of the loved ones
I didn't start drawing anything until 2 years into college, I dropped out and went to a 2 year graphic art college, it changed my life.

But not as much as marrying my wonderful wife and having 3 great, great kids.

My wife stuck with me through years of artistic temperment and crazy ideas spewing out of my head. She always listened. And even during times of being let go from a company, 6 times since 1977, for a year each time not finding work. We lived like poor starving artists and she never once in our 37 year marriage, say “Jack, I want you to do something else for work”. No, she supported me as an artist.

Video that shows how cool Westwood was
Here's a link to a TV show that shows how cool Westwood was and there is a minute spot of me in my office talking about creating artwork for Blade Runner for the new technology of 3D. Blade Runner was the first 3D adventure game in the world. But man o man I was 38 years young. Now I am 65.


Uncommon things that you can see in common stuff


The avocado face, was something
I just saw when making a sandwich.
A piece of chicken for the mouth, red beads I had on the table for the center of the eyes.

I see stuff in things all the time. Faces mostly. Especially in marbled tiles or the bark of trees. Little trolls and stuff.

I had a wall in a rental house that a house painter had made a face marble texture on the wall. Man could I see faces in that. Endless. Sometimes I will take photos of those faces and try to do serious drawings of them. They are completely unique looking creatures.

I think many artists see these.

Appreciate your love for the Kyrandia games so much.

Hail Zanthia!

JamminJack