Thursday, December 15, 2011

New Cover Art, Isle of the Unknown

I just found a great image on the LotFP Blog of my latest wraparound cover for their new title Isle of the Unknown:


Image by LotFP

Click to enlarge:


This piece presented some special challenges, including painting a harp made out of rainbow colored light. It's also possibly also the most colorful image I've ever done (since 2008 at least, when I was going through a rainbow phase), which made it especially fun. If you're an RPG gamer, check out some of the discussion about the game, and enjoy.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Mourning the End of Google Wave


(Image by me)

Perhaps it's a bit premature, but before I send Google a pleading letter in an envelope sealed with my tears, I wanted to take a minute to aimlessly rant about lament the imminent demise of Google Wave on my blog. For almost exactly two years, Wave has been the primary way that my artist pals and I collaborate, share work for critique, and talk to each other. And considering that I spend most of my social life online with my artist pals, that's pretty significant.

Alas, dearest Wave, your time is about to end at the end of January 2012, and my pals and I are in search of alternatives to you, but will it ever be quite the same? Think of all the good times we had. I will miss you.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Taking The Plunge: Full Time Freelance pt. 1

Taking the Plunge

It's been just over a month since I resigned from my day job to pursue illustration full time, and I'm still alive! Actually, if someone had told me two years ago that there would come a day I'd wake up and think, "What should I paint today... Magic or Star Wars?" I'd have made them pinch me to make sure I wasn't dreaming... or dead.

Of course, the biggest worry about switching from a well-paid full time office job to freelance illustration was money. That's why I hesitated for so long, and I think that's what artists fear the most about the transition. For me personally, having the extra time has been well worth it. I'm seeing a vast improvement in the quality of my artwork so far. Even better, I've been able to take on more work, which is helping to close the financial gap a little bit. Going on a budget is never fun or easy, but I'd prefer to give up some luxuries and turn the heat down a few degrees than continue to kill myself working two jobs. Period. And hey, I'm saving on gas money by not spending 2 hours in traffic every day. ;)

The biggest day-to-day challenge so far has been keeping track of what day/time it is, so I've been relying on my calendars and digital alarms a lot more. December has turned into a very busy month- so busy that I couldn't have handled all the art orders on evenings and weekends alone. But I'm working at a comfortable fast pace, and in the extra time between assignments I've been able to start some personal work, and do things I've neglected for a long time (like updating my blog!)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Don't miss the Season Finale of Awesome Horse Studios!



Come join me and my fabulous cohorts for Episode 10 -the season finale- of Awesome Horse Studios, this Saturday, December 10th at 1:00 PM EST! All season long we've been doing live demos and critiques, and on this 3-hour long special, we'll be talking character costume design, and having a critique frenzy. Be sure to bookmark our Livestream Channel, where we broadcast every week.

Click here to view the Facebook Event, and come say hi!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Awesome Horse Drinking Game v.1.0

Sometimes during the show, people ask us if we paint from our imagination (without using references). The answer is "yes" but, as you can see below with my ridiculous horse painting, sometimes it's to a frightening end...



I'm sure the rules will change over time, so keep an eye out. If you haven't caught one of our shows yet, visit http://www.awesomehorsestudios.com for our show schedule and to download past episodes.

(Oh, and please participate responsibly, or don't, lest ye pickle yer liver!)