Experimentalizationism

I don't even know what that word would mean.

Anyway, I am trying to find productive ways to relax. I'm also trying to do more personal work. So now I'm combining those two things. This week anyway. By next week I'll have some other grand scheme worked out that I will think is the end all be all way to my personal happiness. Then I'll give that up and go drink beer. Then the cycle will start all over again. Such is my life.

Bored yet?

Here is the picture. I'm just trying other techniques and trying to find ways to complete images without resorting to my oh so comfortable "rendered filter" in Photoshop (or Painter). I'll drag away little parts that I think work and try to incorporate them into an actual piece. Most of the stuff I'll either discard or just keep hammering away at, until I find some way to make them work.

Ok. Here is the picture. I promise. This time I'll just show it instead of continuing to talk. Damn. I'm doing it again aren't I? Sorry. It's a disease I get from my father. Call him and complain. He's bored. He would love to talk to you.......What the hell am I talking about?

Ok. Jokes over. Here it is.

 

Warhammer 40k people doing stuff while holding weapons.

These are from the end of last year sometime for Fantasy Flight Games. I love drawing these character shots. It's just coming up with a cool silhouette, and making it look neat when you are done. I like trying to come up with ways to do these that aren't just static poses, yet still show the details of the armor, weapons, clothes etc.. I also apparently love making myself insane by coming up with ideas that involve weapons in extreme perspective. That can be maddening at times, but very rewarding in the end.

Ok. No more talking. Without further ado, here are people holding weapons and doing stuff.

Catachan Scout

Valhallan Ice Warrior

Verdure Guardian

Here is some recent work I did for Applibot's Legend of the Cryptids. For those of you that don't know, Every set for Legend of the Cryptids has a standard and advanced version of the same character.

Sorry, not much talkie talkie today. I just got back from Spectrum Art Live! yesterday. I'm still kind of out of it. There was so much great art there, so many great people, and so much alcohol. It was a great time, and I can't wait to do it again. Just not this week.

 

EXPOSÉ 11

Proud and honored to be included in Expose 11.

Three pieces were accepted. One of them is one I have never shared. So this is the first look.

Yeah, I know. It's almost as good as the sneak peak at the new summer blockbuster. Try to control yourself.

I need a sarcasm font.

 

Some shtuff....

Last year I got to do some cool Warhammer 40k stuff. These are a couple of the images. One of them is in my "gallery". The other one is just a character design shot. Character designs are fun as hell. It's almost going back to my childhood designing my own superheroes for those Marvel Universe Handbooks.

 

Defenders of Midgard

It's been a nice week. I found out that I was in ImagineFX. I got my "Prime Wars" card game in the mail from 3D Total, and I've found out I can start sharing a bunch of stuff that I've been working on for the last several months.

I'm under the weather today, so no stream of consciousness randomness.

This is a cover I did for OpenDesign LLC.

Promo cra....packets

Here is the quick sketch I did for my packets full of stuff that I was handing out to art directors at Illuxcon. I just sketched it out in photoshop/painter then printed it on the envelopes. It's completely a stolen idea, from Jeff Love, who stole it from Doug Chayka, who I'm sure got the idea from someone else. I won't accuse Doug of stealing. That just wouldn't be polite. I am above all, polite. (Nobody is going to believe that.)

I still have a few of these left that will be getting mailed out to the ones that weren't there.

Promo cra.....items.

I'm heading to Illuxcon in a couple of weeks. Besides organizing the new portfolio, I decided to put some promo materials together. I'll be packaging them all up neatly in some large envelopes and handing them out to a few Art Directors that are going to be at the convention.

Each package will have a book of my original portfolio, some postcards, a business card and a bookmark.

Bucket full of monsters

A few months ago, I started a project with Open Design LLC. A series of monsters for modules based on the 7 deadly sins. I showed a few of them in an older post. I just finished the last of the series. I started to loosen up and experiment a little with my process as time went on.

Here are a few of my favorites from the series.

Enjoy.

 

My name in lights!

Ok. There are no lights. My name isn't really even on the marquee. It's more like in the credits. After the stars. The stuff you aren't paying attention to. The stuff that scrolls by while you look for your wallet and deciding whether or not you are going to take the popcorn or leave it in the seat next to you.

By God, I'm in there though.

Wow. I go off the rails quickly.

Expose 10 is now available. I have 3 pieces in there. Don't let that discourage you though. There is a lot of good stuff too.

Expose 10

 

"Prime Wars"

I was just sent the image of what my card will look like in the 3DTotal Card game "Prime Wars".  Looks cool to me, but I may be a bit biased.

Shameless promotion

I have mentioned that I got some work into 3DTotal's Prime annual art book. It's coming out soon. So go buy a copy. Uhhh.....I mean......please take some time to check it out. That's the more polite way to say that.

Click the image dummy.

My image is also being used in their new card game. Prime Wars. It's a strategic card game using 50 of the artists from the annual.

They have a kickstarter for the game. Click the image. Please? I'm sorry I called you a dummy before. I didn't mean it. I swear. You know how I get. Please forgive me. I'll never do that again. Probably. It was kind of your fault though.

Monsters O' Sin

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Here are a couple of monsters I did for Open Design LLC. It's a series of modules for the Pathfinder setting, called the "Monsters of Sin".

It's been quite awhile since I've done flat black & white. I forgot how much I liked it. It's a whole new set of challenges.

There are quite a few of these. These are just a couple from each module.

Links to the modules are below.

Ok, enough talkie talkie. Here are the pics. Enjoy. Or don't.

Hoard Golem

Embodiment of Avarice

Echo Doppelganger

 

Embodiment of Envy

 

Monsters of Sin "Avarice"

Monsters of Sin "Envy"

How I spent my Independence Day vacation

I worked on paintings alot last week. I still have work to do. This is actually another productive (slightly) procrastination day. However, it is a holiday. Everyone's headed to the river, lake, or whatever thing they do outside to enjoy the day off. Much like my childhood, while those people were outside, I was inside drawing and watching Star Wars. It is Independence Day after all.

Anyway, this was my break from painting. Something different. Partly, to see if I could do it, partly to try some new techniques, partly a thinly veiled excuse to draw a semi-nude lady.

Whatever, I just wanted to zone out and have some fun.

For those that don't know (you should), this is Dr. Ms. The Monarch from the Venture Bros. I love that damn cartoon. Yep, I'm a fan boy.

Expose Annual

Expose is an annual art book by Ballistic Publishing.

"EXPOSÉ  showcases the world's best digital artists at a level of quality that only Ballistic Publishing can deliver. From established artists working in games, film and publishing to undiscovered artists showing their work for the first time"

I'm happy to say that I got 3 pieces in this years book. I've never submitted before, but I've been checking out the books for awhile. They are well done, look great and it's free to enter. Oh, and it's exposure too.

 

Productive Procrastination Once Again

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I'm in the middle of promotion. Lots of research, emails, typing, etc.... It's exciting and sometimes fun. I try to make it entertaining for myself. I've been at it for awhile now, so today I decided to take a break for a few hours. This is what happened.

Whenever I do these quick little portraits, I try to find something new to try out. A technique, palette, composition, etc.. This was an effort to try the watercolor brushes, in Painter.  I found some that I really enjoyed actually. Some.....not so much. I was trying to stylize my drawing a little too.

I've always been a fan of the Dragonlance world. This is Raistlin Majere. He was always my favorite character in the books (and everyone elses too). Don't worry, he's not jaundiced. It was some magic misfortune.

Ok, back to emails.

John Carter is busy!

This little painting is earning it's rent space in my portfolio. I created it for an ArtOrder.com competition. The contest was to do an image based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, A Princess of Mars. I didn't get to enter the actual contest, but I still wanted to do the piece.

Yay! #1- So now here we are in the present. I recently received my free audiobooks from Tantor Audiobooks. They include an ebook with the original text from the book, and several John Carter related images. Including..........wait for it........my John Carter painting.

Yay! #2- I was recently contacted by someone wanting to use Mr. Carter for their book cover. I can't give alot of info on it at this time, but well...yay!

Yay!#3- This is the big Yay! Yippeekayay!? No. That sounds weird. Anyway. Recently Mr. Carter was accepted into the Richmond Illustrators Club juried show.

I am completely honored to be accepted into the show. There are some amazing artists in the show. Including my studiomates Leslie Herman, Richie Pope, William Godwin, and a friend of the studio Jeremy Wilson

The preview opening is Thurs. night at Ghostprint Gallery in Richmond, followed by the opening on Friday night during First Friday.

It should be a great time. I will be there both nights hanging out, acting awkward in public, and wishing I had a beer. Feel free to come introduce yourself. It will be a welcome distraction from looking awkward.

Come out and see Mr. Carter in his sunday best. (mat and frame).

Ghostprint Gallery

220 WEST BROAD ST.

RICHMOND, VA 23220