The Great Outdoors

Part of the reason I haven't posted in a while is because I took a vacation, hiking around Bryce Canyon in Utah. Maybe another cowboy painting on the horizon? I'll have to see how good my photo reference is ...

I feel the power ...

New cards! One "Uncommon" and one "Rare."

Larger Mind Control

Larger Leyline of Sanctity

Oil sketch

Going on vacation for a week. I really need a vacation. Here's an oil sketch that I did in preparation for this piece. It served to loosen me up and eliminate bad color choices.

Reality TV

Whew! After about a month and a half of being completely swamped, I'm back. I was coaching high school track for a while, which definitely put me behind. Since that responsibility ended in mid-June, I have jumped nose-first into paints and canvas and haven't come up for air since. Now, I have just one more Magic card to get done by the middle of July and I can take a vacation for a couple days. I probably should be concerned that I have nothing else lined up in terms of work, but right now I'm so tired I don't care.

I was watching tv on Wednesday night and decided to watch Work of Art, Bravo's new show. A handful of contestants, artists all, compete to see who is the "best" artist. This week, the artists were assigned a classic novel to illustrate. They were given a day to complete the art. The winner got published by Penguin books.

I almost fell out of my chair. I wanted to jump right into the TV and show these chumps what-for. Most of the episode was difficult to watch, considering many contestants were butchering an easy assignment. However, I was happy to see that they showed the artists working, including sketches, reference photography and buying supplies. If anyone watches this show, they will at least learn that images don't simply emerge from the ether, but in fact must be crafted by a specific process.

The results were mixed; reminiscent of college critiques. Some artists knew they blew it. Some tried their best to B.S. their way out a complete train wreck. And some actually created something interesting. The winner was an illustration of The Time Machine. It had a retro pop feel to it that reminded me of some of the old 1960 - 1970 Society of Illustrators annuals I have in my possession. It was whimsical and I liked it.

Not sure if I'll watch it this week.

Oh, who am I kidding. Of course I will.

John & Mary

My good friend, fellow runner and fellow illustrator John Tomac married his beautiful wife Mary yesterday. It was a great ceremony and ended with a reception overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. It fit perfectly with the graphic design of the entire wedding and their own story as a couple. The blue lights on the bridge and the gold lights in the reception hall even fit in with their color scheme.

Please wish the happy couple well by donating to John's fight against Leukemia.

Mind Control

Looks like one of my new cards was slipped into a new Magic deck a couple of months before I expected it to show up. For the Magic players out there, it's not a new card. Illustrator Mark Tedin did the previous illustration for the same card, and this is a new spin on the art.

But the best part is that one of my cards is finally sparking discussion:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=248892

Is the humanoid figure a Magic character called Jace? Some players say "yes," some say "no." Is the beast something that has appeared before, or something new? I know the answer, but I'll let the mystery continue ...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My nose has been pressed to canvas for weeks now. I'm taking a coffee break right now, so I decided to do a quick post.

Busy month!

May was the busiest month in my professional career. A cover illustration for Metal, Magic and Lore, two spot illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, and two Magic cards. My last deadline was today, so the finals were shipped yesterday. Whew!

I have two big jobs in June. One book cover for Sourcebooks, and one book cover for Night Shade Books, both in the historical fantasy genre. Dave Palumbo hired me for the Night Shade job. Apparently, in addition to being a fantastic illustrator, he works as an AD. I won't say much, but I'll certainly be using my collection of historical costumes. Stay tuned, because I'll post new work as soon as I am contractually allowed.

But today, it's about time I catch up on everything. Invoicing, banking, cleaning, priming canvases, blogging ...