Artist – Imps and Monsters

Posted on February 27, 2017January 5, 2018 by Justin Hillgrove

Imps and Monsters February Newsletter

Newsletter: Kickstarter ending Thursday, Imp Lands Issue 4 is out, and Emerald City Comicon Approaches!

Hi everyone,

I will no longer be using Constant Contact to send out newsletters but will instead be regularly updating my blog – so if you want to receive updates in your inbox just enter your email address in the “Subscribe to Blog via Email” field here on the right side.

Other than that, just a few updates (see below) – because this week is BUSY!

Thanks for all the support,
Justin Hillgrove

“By Order Of The Queen” Boardgame

Ends Thursday March 2nd @ 9pm PST

Just a few days left if you want to get in on the Kickstarter for our new game “By Order Of The Queen.” We have been working like mad on all the finishing touches, last minute stretch goals, and getting files ready to send to press. CLICK HERE to learn more about the game. Remember the Kickstarter copies come with extras not included in the retail version as well as being offered at a lower price than the MSRP. Thanks for all the support and sharing that has made the campaign so successful!

Also, Analog Games interviewed me about working on board games. CLICK HERE to read the interview on their blog.

Imp Lands 4

Imp Lands issue #4 is hot off the press! I’ll have some with me at Emerald City Comicon and they are available HERE on the website as well.

Emerald City Comicon

And speaking of Comicon, I will be at booth #412 near Steam Crow and The Oatmeal, so if you are attending be sure and drop by. I think tickets may already be sold out so be sure and check before coming down.

Emerald City Comicon – Seattle, WA

March 2 – 5, 2017
Washington State Convention Center
emeraldcitycomicon.com/

Posted on February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 by Justin Hillgrove

Miyazaki Totems

A Studio Ghibli / Hayao Miyazaki-themed group show opened at Spoke Art Gallery in San Francisco on February 2nd. My contributions to the show are two 8″ x 24″ original acrylic paintings on canvas (sold as a set). The “Miyazaki Totems” were a lot of fun to work on – It was an opportunity to re-visit my favorite Miyazaki films and put my spin on many of his beloved characters.

Prints can be ordered HERE on impsandmonsters.com

Spoke-Art Gallery
816 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 796-3774 * SF@spoke-art.com

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Justin Hillgrove

Daily Sketches Are Starting Up Again! Drawing 1 – 3.

Not-Quite-Daily Sketches Are Starting Up Again

It’s been awhile since I ended my sketch-a-day but I’ve been wanting to start it up again and it is finally happening now! I may post some of my new Daily Sketch feed here in the blog, but the best way to follow them is to follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I’ll most likely be posting 3-5 sketches a week but I’ll try to keep it up.

@impsandmonsters

@impsandmonsterspage

Posted on November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

Goldilocks “Just Right” Timelapse Video

Here’s another acrylic painting time-lapse video with voice over – I hope you like it.

YouTube video URL: https://youtu.be/HacZATcShG4

Posted on July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

Two New Miyazaki – Sendak Mash-ups by Justin Hillgrove

Its been a couple years since my last Miyazaki/Sendak crossover and I’d been itching do another these last few months, though I think what really sparked the desire was listening to “Howl’s Moving Castle” again on audiobook (for probably the seventh time). I finally sat down in June and started looking over my worn out copy of “Where The Wild Things Are” (easily my favorite Children’s Book of all time) and started roughing out what new spread I might use. There were two spreads in particular that I could not decide between, and in the end I decided to paint them both.

I started with rough pencil doodles to figure out what Miyazaki characters would best fit the roles they’d be playing, and then I spent three days cleaning up the drawings and inking them while in my booth at the Edmonds Arts Festival in June 2015. Afterwards I picked out a couple canvases (18″ x 36″ is probably my favorite size canvas to paint on) and then spent the next few weeks painting…

“Hungry And Homesick”

18″ x 36″ acrylics on canvas. 2015.

Another in my tribute series mashing up “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and some of my favorite Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki) characters: Kamaji, No Face (Spirited Away), Totoro and San (Princess Mononoke). There are a kodama and some soot sprites in there too.

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE

“We’ll Eat You Up – We Love You So”

18″ x 36″ acrylics on canvas. 2015.

Another in my tribute series mashing up “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and some of my favorite Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki) characters: San (Princess Mononoke), Totoro, No Face (Spirited Away), Ponyo, Turnip Head (Howl’s Moving Castle), Haku (Spirited Away), and an Ohmu (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind). There are kodama and some soot sprites in there too.

The title is part of the text from the page of “Where The Wild Things Are” that this painting is based on.

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE

Close up details…

Work in progress…

Posted on April 5, 2015May 9, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

JUNKING ON KICKSTARTER

Designed by David Gerrard • Art by Justin Hillgrove
Design and Layout by Travis Torgerson

Successfully Funded on Kickstarter and Arriving Fall 2015

The Game

JunKing is a 2-4 player strategy card game (UPDATE: 5-6 player expansion now included) set in a corner of artist Justin Hillgrove’s Imp Lands world called the “Junk Lands”. The Junk Lands are a place where old, lost and broken items collect into huge heaps and mounds. Scavenger Imps are the dominant creatures there and they love their home – to them the Junk Lands are full of endless riches and so their days are spent sifting, collecting and guarding their individual junk hoards. Scavenger Imp society is built on this and so those with the best junk hoards rise to the top of their tribe. That’s what “JunKing” is all about. Each player hoards valuable junk, while keeping an eye out for the most prestigious piece of junk in the Junk Lands… The Crown.

JunKing was designed with three goals in mind: It had to have simple mechanics, take as few as 15 minutes to play, and it had to have strong strategic layers interwoven into it.

During play, everyone draws off the same shuffled deck of cards in the center of play, called the Junkpile. On your turn, you draw a card, place a piece of junk into play from your hand, then activate one of the actions on your junk or use your character’s ability.

All junk is worth something. In the junkpile, there is one card that is the most coveted of items called The Crown. Once a player draws that card, the game is over and everyone adds up the points displayed on the pieces of junk they have found. You also have a Hoard of used junk that increases the value of your collection. The player with the most points wins the current round. The game only takes about 15 minutes to play, and is designed for multiple rounds of play.

Links

Downloadable Rules PDF

Junking On KickStarter

Board Game Geek

Interview with David Gerrard by Inquisitive Meeple

Posted on February 20, 2015April 2, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

New Beginnings

Justin’s Exhibition Preview Online – CLICK HERE

Jesse’s Exhibition Preview Online – CLICK HERE

NEW BEGINNINGS

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
6pm – 11pm

THE PIRANHA SHOP • 1022 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 • www.thepiranhashop.com

“New Beginnings” is an exhibition of new, original works by Justin Hillgrove and Jesse Link opening for 1 night only during First Thursday Art Walk at The Piranha Shop, located in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. Originals will become available during the show (6-11am PST) and if you cannot make it in person, don’t panic. You can check my back here a few hours before the show to preview Justin’s pieces and there will be a phone number listed that you can call during show hours for checking availability and purchasing originals.

See Jesse Link’s website for more info on Jesse and his pieces or email him at JESSELINK1@GMAIL.COM

Note: After the one night show, the remaining pieces will be hung at Bauhaus Coffee on Market Street in Ballard.
So, Jesse Link and I talked off and on about doing a show together for awhile last year and we are excited that it is finally happening. We both have very different but complimentary styles, and so one of the highlights of preparing for the show has been working on a large collaborative painting with him. We passed it back and forth, adding our own touches and style to the piece and we are both really happy with the result.

My pieces for “New Beginnings” are comprised mostly of scenes where the remnants of old robots are laying about like the leftovers from an old war, and nature and its creatures have reclaimed the land making their homes in or around the wreckage. It was so great to be working on a cohesive body of work again. It’s been 2 years since I’ve done that and it lends a sense of purpose and direction to the work. I’m really looking forward to the show and have really enjoyed planning this all out with Jesse, along with the help of our friend Sheri Hauser (United Creations), former owner of the gallery “Tasty” in Greenwood.

THE PIRANHA SHOP • 1022 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 • www.thepiranhashop.com

Produced by Sheri Hauser at United Creations

About Justin Hillgrove

Justin Hillgrove grew up in Snohomish, WA and has been enjoying artistic expression since he was old enough to color on the walls. Mostly self taught, he spent many years in the design industry before setting out on his own to spend his days paintings monsters, robots, and other such nonsense. In the last 15 years Justin has worked on everything from books and magazines to collectible card games and toys. His art can be found hanging in many locations and galleries in the USA and in homes all over the world. He currently lives in Washington with his wife, four kids, a host of chickens, and a dozen or so imaginary friends.

About Jesse Link

Jesse Link was born and raised in an small steel town outside of Pittsburgh P.A.. He graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Industrial Design and studied graphic design at West Liberty University. Jesse also fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom and spent a couple years in New Orleans helping the Post Katrina re-construction effort. In 2007, Jesse moved to Seattle, WA and to pursue Visual Art as a career. Since that time he has participated in numerous Solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout Washington and California, has been awarded two public projects from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and has been invited to participate in many juried Art festivals, including the Bellevue Festival of the Arts, Bumbershoot and Folklife. Jesse has also completed commission work for Target and Apptio.

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

Adventure Time Cover #36

Last year I painted a cover for the Adventure Time comic book (Kaboom Studios / Cartoon Network) and it is finally out in stores. Issue #36 (Main Cover A) can be purchased online direct here: http://www.boom-studios.com/adventure-time-36-cover-a.html or at your local comics shop.

Posted on January 7, 2015January 7, 2015 by Justin Hillgrove

New Posts via Instagram

You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting here on the blog as often as I used, instead I’ve been sharing via Instagram (which only shares to my Facebook Fan Page and my Twitter). This simplifies things for me and lets me focus on creating and makes sharing progress less time consuming. So to keep up on current work in progress, sketches, etc, be sure and follow me on one of the below:

instagram.com/impsandmonsters/

facebook.com/impsandmonsterspage

twitter.com/impsandmonsters

Also, you can see my Instagram feed in the right hand column –>

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Justin Hillgrove

Tag: Artist

Miyazaki Totems

Like this:

Daily Sketches Are Starting Up Again! Drawing 1 – 3.