Spectrum coming up
Most years, when I can spare a little extra money, I try to enter a couple of competitions. First on the list is always the annual Spectrum competition, for the best of the current year’s fantasy/genre art. I was lucky enough to have been chosen for Spectrum 9 many years Read more…
Digital/Published: The Attic
The Attic;
Digital; cover of the published short comic The Attic by Russell Dickerson and Marc Shemmans (Horror Express)
The Golden Ratio or Fibonacci Spiral
Now, before we begin, let’s just say that my years of being an engineering student are way, WAY behind me. But I was looking at a couple of sites today that discussed the Golden Ratio or the Fibonacci Spiral, a quasi-magical scientific idea (let that roll around in your head Read more…
Back to the beginning
I think it’s good for all artists to look back at where they’ve been, to see how they’ve improved.
Galleries I’m in Part 1: The Gallery Underground
Last night was my first night in The Gallery Underground, an alternative art gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado.
From start to finish: The Cover of Brian Keene’s Scratch
I like seeing how art evolves, from the beginning of the thumbnail sketches all the way through the final product. I think you can literally see an artist’s though processes as they work through issues, try new things, and complete what their vision is. In my case, it might be Read more…
Approaching art from all angles
I never just charge into a piece for the sake of doing art, I always let it mull around in my head some first. Sometimes I have a pretty good idea and I just need to smooth things out. Other times, there’s a lot of thought in what the scene Read more…
My current Apex Magazine blogs
Since January of 2010, Jason Sizemore and MG Ellington over at Apex Magazine have given me the opportunity to talk on their blog each month about art, and how I create it. Now, so far, it’s been mostly rants about the things I see wrong with art and with the Read more…
My art for Brian Keene’s novella Scratch
I’ve been very anxious to show everyone this, and now, upon the release of the novella, I can do just that. Below I’ve attached a number of pieces of art that I did for author Brian Keene’s book Scratch, just released from Cemetery Dance Publications.
Scratch, if you don’t follow Keene’s work (and his followers are Legion), is the story of a giant snake. One that gives our characters quite a bad time.
I have to say, working on such an in-depth and extensive project was a daunting idea at first. But working with an author like Brian, who is so open to ideas and so helpful with the ones I came up with, was just fantastic. All the fine folks at Cemetery Dance are very supportive and wonderful to work with as well, and overall this was a great experience.
Now, the art itself is spread quite thoroughly throughout the book, and while the esteemed Mr. Keene doesn’t think that the art alone gives away the story, it’s certainly a possibility.
So, fair warning. The art is chock full of spoilers.
One more time, for those Keene fans (and others) who haven’t read it:
SPOILERS!!!!
If you’d just like to see what the art looks like, please enjoy the full gallery below. Every image in Scratch is there, please let me know what you think.
[nggallery id=6]
If, however, you’d like a bit more “meat” with it, follow along below this (and to the next page) for comments on how I created the art, thoughts on it, and so forth. REALLY spoiled then, and I mean it.
After this, there’s no going back, because the rest below contains
SO MANY SPOILERS!!! NOT KIDDING!!!
Without further ado, follow along to the next page for my insights.
Now at the gallery
I’ve been a part of a local gallery for several months now, and it’s been a great experience. Having been an illustrator for so many years, it’s been interesting to explore the prints and fine art side of things. Luckily, the On Display Gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado (just up Read more…
New Art: My first acrylic – no giggling
Sometimes, I shudder to post new ideas or new techniques that I try. I never know if they really work out, if they are ok but just need work, or if they are so awful that the sun will shrivel up and we’ll all die. But, I also think that Read more…
Technology can actually be fun sometimes
QR codes are images, much like bar codes on most things you buy in a store, that can contain information.
Behold! The mighty Moleskine!
Last year, a couple of friends (Mike Oliveri, Cullen Bunn, and a few others) were really talking up using a small writing or sketching book to jot down quick ideas. I’ve carried a larger sketchpad in my backpack for a long time, but I’d considered something smaller to compliment it. Read more…
Seeing it in real life: Church’s The Icebergs
Awhile back (and by “awhile back” I mean “over a year ago”) I wrote an art blog of Frederic Edwin Church’s beautiful painting called The Icebergs (check out the blog here… I”ll wait.) I won’t bore you with the specs again (I’ll be boring you with other ways now), but Read more…