JOE LACEY
  • HOME
  • ILLUSTRATION
  • GRAPHIC DESIGN
  • PAINTINGS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

Illustration Blog

/bläɡ/ noun – a regularly updated website or web page.

8-bit Cosmos

5/11/2023

0 Comments

 

Zoom into 8-bit Cosmos!

Sci-Fi tales of computer technology by Joe Lacey
The book,
Picture
Get ready for an adventure beyond your wildest imagination!
You have questions. Outer space has the answers! Modern-day social media and AI technology are brought to life in the Sci-Fi tales of 8-bit Cosmos. For we all know, without fiction, there would be no science.

Transport yourself to a mind-blowing universe of cosmic computers and amazing aliens!
Illustrated in classic 8-bit pixel art!


• Cheer for Captain J. Peg as he defends the 8-bit Cosmos with his Galactic Interstellar Fleet!
•  Cringe in terror as the evil robotic zombie Botnet seeks to destroy the 8-bit Cosmos!
•  Relax at the Space Bar, groove to the wild wavy sounds of the Funkisites, and party with a dancing banana!
•  Journey to alien worlds to see the future of social media, crypto banking, AI art, and chatbots!

With 90 pages of amazing B&W pixel illustrations and imaginative stories, 8-bit Cosmos is a must-read for anyone who loves science fiction and the unbelievable history of computers.

Written and illustrated by
Joe Lacey
Forward by
Demetrius P. Idle, PNG/UFO
 (Planetary Nebula Guide / United Future Oddballs)
Photo of author and illustrator Joe Lacey with his book
Joe Lacey reviews his book "8-bit Cosmos."
A two page story with pixel art illustrations of the Search Engine and a dancing banana used for space and time travel. From the book
Six 8-bit pixel illustrations of science fiction antagonists and villains from the book
Captain J. Peg, Ensign Joyce T'ck, Dr. Eplica, Mr. Chips, The GIF Renderer, and Harald Bluetooth.
A two page story with pixel art illustrations of the Followers who are weird aliens with clear empty dome heads. From the book
Six 8-bit pixel illustrations of science fiction antagonists and villains from the book
The evil robot zombie - Botnet and his army of Spambots, the Queen of 8-bit Space, Cryptobot, Kitkot, and Modem.

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
Photo of author and illustrator Joe Lacey with his book
"You don't want this book. You NEED this book!"
Simple pixel illustration of a CD disc with the number
I made my first book, 8-bit Kingdom: Medieval tales of computer technology  because of my love of classic arcade games of the 80s and my interest in mythology and folklore. When I completed the book, I knew I wanted to do another that would take place in outer space. Two years later, 8-bit Cosmos: Sci-Fi tales of computer technology was completed!  This book explores more deeply our modern-day social media and technological advancements (or setbacks depending on how you look at them.) It's also quite sarcastic and funny. If you've spent any time on social media, or interacted with an AI chatbot,  I think you'll enjoy this book. Believe it or not, I drew all the art by hand using a computer, but without the use any AI technology. Amazing, I know.

Simple pixel illustration of a man running away and a man with a spear.
There's something joyful in those little jagged edges and square circles moving around the screen. They have an innocence and are loaded with personality and often humor. When writing and illustrating 8-bit Cosmos, I strove to bring this personality and humor to each page.

I made the art board 160 x 160 pixels in order to preserve that classic arcade feel. It’s impressive just how much character and emotion can be expressed in even the smallest pixel art image. A great amount of information can be delivered just a few pixels. Thirty pixels can depict a heroic fighter or cowardly person. It all depends upon the exact placement of the pixels. A pixel placed high - the character is happy, a pixel placed low - the character is angry. The idea of simple pixel art is actually an oxymoron. It can can be quite a challenge placing the correct pixel in the correct location to achieve the correct effect.

So, zoom into the 8-bit Cosmos! A collection of tales that blend retro gaming, personal computing, and social media all illustrated in classic 8-bit b&w pixel art!


The book 8-bit Cosmos: Sci-Fi tales of computer technology
Click HERE to purchase 8-bit Cosmos: Sci-Fi tales of computer technology. Or at your choice of bookseller worldwide or special order at you local bookstore!
The book 8-bit kingdom: Medieval tales of computer technology
And while your there don't forget to, BUY 8-bit Kingdom: Medieval tales of computer technology! You can read more about 8-bit Kingdom HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pixel illustration of artist and illustrator Joe Lacey dressed in a sci-fi space suit.
Joe Lacey is an illustrator and graphic designer for toys and books. He's created 8-bit pixel art and animations for video game cartridges, toys, apps, and casino games. Despite his appreciation for computers, he does not want to talk to one.

Prior publications include 8-bit Kingdom: Medieval tales of computer technology, Famous Illustrators of the Golden Age Coloring Portfolio (Diner Mighty) and Lyrics by Lennon & McCartney Coloring Songbook (Crayola). He co-authored the award-nominated The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy with his wife Darlene. His work on the books Necco: An Epic Candy Tale and Necco:The Archive Collection received special recognition from the Cambridge Historical Commission for their historical and cultural importance.
0 Comments

Sports Casualties Collector Cards

4/26/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sports Casualties is a series of illustrated collector cards I made in college. The class featured different visiting faculty. These instructors would visit for four classes and have the students do an assignment that was similar to the instructor's style or real-life commissions.

The assignment was to create four sports themed posters. We had no choice of sports. Cricket, Polo, Tennis, and Golf. Ah, the sports of the elite. Everyone can relate. I was less than thrilled to do this, but I had to find a way to turn it into something I would enjoy. I knew everyone would be doing super-realistic watercolors and beautifully rendered ink drawings since that was the style of the instructor. Maybe that was the point? I'm not really sure. In any case, I was willing to be the fool and show up with something out of left field (pun intended).  I felt... no... I KNEW it was my obligation to to do something totally freaky.

I was, and still am, a huge fan of Wacky Packages by Topps and had collected them for many years. Pretty much anything Topps is cool in my book. Around this time, Topps' Garbage Pail Kids were really big and there were lots of gross-out stuff on the store shelves: booger candy, slime... so why not do something that mom will hate?

These were conceived and painted very quickly as I never intended to do anything with them beyond this class. I can't recall what grade I received, probably a "B", but I do remember the critique was very brief. The visiting professor said something along the lines of, "Ha, ha. Now here we have something very different. Perhaps some more of this, some less of that. Interesting"–YES! INTERESTING!

They're exceptionally strange, almost Dali-esque. As crazy and violent as they are, I tried to keep them funny. I'm sure that's debatable, but I'll defend it.
Humorous illustration of man being hit in neck with a cricket bat.
"Cricket" acrylic painting 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of man being hit in neck with a cricket bat.
"Cricket" pencil sketch 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of woman being hit in the head with a golf club and golf ball.
"Golf" acrylic painting 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of woman being hit in the head with a golf club and golf ball.
"Golf" pencil sketch 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of man riding horse and being hit in the head with a polo stick.
"Polo" acrylic painting 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of man riding horse and being hit in the head with a polo stick.
"Polo" pencil sketch 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of man being hit in the eye with a tennis ball.
"Tennis" acrylic painting 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
Humorous illustration of man being hit in the eye with a tennis ball.
"Tennis" pencil sketch 6" x 8" ©Joe Lacey
0 Comments

Time Off With Santa

10/25/2022

0 Comments

 
Coloring pages from the Crayola coloring book
Coloring pages from the Crayola coloring book "Time Off With Santa" illustrated and written by Joe Lacey.
Time Off With Santa
Crayola Coloring Book with:
• 64 Santa Coloring Pages
• Santa Stickers Sheet
• Metallic Foil Enhanced Cover!

Available at the Crayola website!


What does Santa do on his 364 days off each year? This cool coloring book uncovers what the big guy does with his free time. Kids will love decorating the 64 coloring pages with the included glitter stickers, and sharing them with friends. Perfect for any occasion, this kids coloring book makes a great birthday or holiday present.

​
Ideal for girls and boys, age 3 & up!

What does Santa do when he's not getting ready for Christmas? Why, he's finally getting some well deserved time off! And it's not just Santa who needs a break! His elves and reindeer have tagged along for all the fun! Check out all the wacky hijinks as they ride the wild surf, sing karaoke, play basketball, and party in a hot tub! You never know what will happen next!
Coloring pages from the Crayola coloring book
Coloring pages from the Crayola coloring book "Time Off With Santa" illustrated and written by Joe Lacey.
"Time Off With Santa" Crayola Coloring Book written and illustrated by Joe Lacey. Book cover with metallic foil effects.
"Time Off With Santa" Crayola Coloring Book written and illustrated by Joe Lacey. Coloring book back cover.
"Time Off With Santa" Crayola Coloring Book sticker sheet.
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Joe Lacey illustrator

    Joe Lacey

    I produce illustrations and creative idea solutions for toys, packaging, publishing and advertising.


    ON SALE NOW!

    ADULT COLORING BOOKS by Joe Lacey

    Picture
    8-bit Kingdom: Medieval tales of computer technology • BUY NOW!


    Famous Illustrators of the Golden Age Coloring Portfolio • BUY NOW!


    Categories

    All
    8 Bit Art
    8-bit Art
    Activities & Games
    Advertising
    Avon
    Awards
    Beatles
    Books
    Character Design
    Christmas
    College Art
    Coloring Books
    Crayola
    Crayola Kids
    Editorial
    Fisher Price
    Fisher-Price
    Food Industry
    Halloween
    High School Art
    Illustration
    Illustrators
    Magazines
    Monsters
    Package Design
    PEZ
    Premiums
    Product Design
    Publishing
    Robots
    Seinfeld
    Silly Putty
    Sports
    Toys
    Valentine's Day
    Vintage
    Wilton


    Illustrators

    • H.R. Geiger
    • Vernon Grant
    • Alex D. Palmer

    Links

    • Candy Wrapper Museum
    • Dan Howe - Artist
    • Dachshund Rescue

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    October 2022
    July 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • HOME
  • ILLUSTRATION
  • GRAPHIC DESIGN
  • PAINTINGS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT