Fantasy Illustration Blog by Cynthia Sheppard

The Toy Hunter - Demo

2012-01-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

I did a demo with Awesome Horse Studios yesterday:

(click to enlarge)

The theme of the show was "Be Yourself," so each of the 4 cast members created our own interpretation of the same reference image during the 2 hour show.

New Cover Art, Isle of the Unknown

2011-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

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 "saturated" phase), which made it especially fun. If you're an RPG gamer, check out some of the discussion about the game, and enjoy.

Mourning the End of Google Wave

2011-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

(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.

Taking The Plunge: Full Time Freelance pt. 1

2011-12-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

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!)

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

2011-12-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

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!

Awesome Horse Drinking Game v.1.0

2011-12-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

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!)

Color Mixing from the Masters

2011-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

I don't use this technique for every oil painting, but if you're feeling lost on what hues to use, sampling from a master work can help guide your color choices.

In 2010, when I was working on Beautiful Grim, my inspiration was John Singer Sargent's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. I was privileged to see it at the National Gallery of Art in DC about a decade ago, and it's been one of my favorites by J.S.S. since. So while I let Lady Agnew set the mood for my piece, I also let it direct some of my color choices, particularly the skin tones.

No digital reproduction will ever be accurate to an original, but I was able to use colors sampled from Lady Agnew to create a skin palette that had a similar value range and close hues. By printing out the sampled colors on a card using a calibrated photo printer and photo paper, I'm able to easily mix paints next to the cards:

Awesome Horse Interviews from IlluXCon 2011

2011-11-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

It goes without saying that I had a great time at IlluXCon. :)

Instead of blogging at length about the experience, you should check out our video broadcast from the convention; Me and the Awesome Horse guys sat down for an informal interview with a dozen talented folks at the convention, including exhibiting artists, art directors, and even the creators of IlluXCon, Pat and Jeannie Wilshire!

Alternate title: Two Hours on a Bed at the Ramada

Visit http://www.awesomehorsestudios.com for more videos. Live demos and critiques every week (and the occasional interview special).

Medusa's Companion

2011-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Some progress pics

Medusa: work in progress

2011-10-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

With IlluXCon just around the corner, I can't help but feel like I haven't done enough traditional work this year (can you ever do too much?). So I'm making it a point to pack as much oil into October as I can, starting with this personal work-in-progress, of Medusa and her stony companion.

Start of the acrylic underpainting:

More progress, with my furry studio mate:

Live Webcast Saturday Oct. 8 at 12PM EST

2011-10-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

In just 25 minutes, I'll be doing a live broadcast with my talented colleagues Marc Scheff, Noah Bradley, and Aaron Miller

Together, under the banner of Awesome Horse Studios (someday we'll talk about the story behind that name, heh) we will be broadcasting art demos on a wide variety of topics. Today's episode features Noah Bradley painting, and the rest of us answering audience questions live - come interact with us at http://www.livestream.com/awesomehorsestudios from 12 PM EST - 2 PM EST.

B&W Interior Illustrations for Kobold Quarterly

2011-09-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

I received my copy of Red Eye of Azathoth from Kobold Quarterly, with five black & white interiors I did back in the Spring.

Click for a larger version:

Lessons from the 2011 Illustration Master Class

2011-06-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

The week-long Illustration Master Class came and went; While I was there it felt like maybe I'd always been there, but after arriving home and readjusting to daily life it seems almost like a dream.

For those of you who haven't heard of or experienced the wondrous event known as IMC, the basic concept is this: Take a group of hungry and dedicated fantasy illustrators, put them in a beautiful college campus environment with a dozen or so of the world's top working talent acting as faculty, stir for a week until magic happens. Between working on our paintings, watching incredible lectures, and surprise faculty demos, we all came together and celebrated the sense of family and community fantasy illustrators have, that I've mentioned many times.

Of the countless memories and information I'll take away from the experience, here's my top 5 list of lessons from IMC:

1. Good planning makes good paintings. Instead of doing 5 thumbnail sketches, make 50. Instead of shooting 10 reference photos, shoot 100. Doing more work in the planning stages will force you to think through all the challenges you'll face when painting, and come up with solutions before you start laying paint down.

2. Be meticulous about your reference photos. While I was modeling for another student's piece, faculty member Dan Dos Santos readjusted a light under my arm four times, for about 20 minutes, just to give the student exactly what her piece needed. You should take the same care when shooting. It's worth it to use the best equipment you can afford, to set up your lighting as close to what you want in your final image as you can, and to get models who understand your vision. Many of the faculty cited "getting great models" as a part of the success of their figurative work.

3. Copying Old Masters' paintings is a good way to build your painting skills. It might seem like a waste of time to stop what you're doing and reproduce an existing painting. After all, you won't get a portfolio piece out of a copy. But the exercise can affect the way you think about making your brushstrokes, blending and choosing your colors in your own art.

4. Practice constantly, but don't just practice what you know constantly. Your brain only builds new neural pathways through challenging practice, not repetition alone. If you do the same painting 50 times, you'll only improve at creating that one painting, so go a little bit outside your comfort zone when you can.

5. Make art for you. This was one of the hardest-hitting lessons at IMC for me. Find a way to inject something you love into every painting, whether it's an assignment with a strict style guide or a personal piece. If you're not sure, go through your portfolio and look at common themes you've chosen. Doing so will make it almost impossible to burn out on painting.

Mirror Maze Cover

2011-05-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Fun! I recently learned that Mirror Maze by Michaele Jordan is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Earlier this year I collaborated with Michaele and art director extraordinaire Lou Anders of Pyr Books to create this painting for the cover:

Early concept sketches:

Mirror Maze is the dark tale of Jacob Aldridge, who finds himself affected by a curse that runs in his family. Read the full synopsis and information about the author.

A Sketch from my Family Vacation

2011-04-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

I took the week off (a rare occasion) and my husband and I went out to Estherville, IA to visit 96-year-old Grandma Sheppard for Easter, because we rarely get to see her, and it's important to let her know we're thinking of her. She's sweet as can be for someone that's been alive since 1915, though her short term memory is very bad. By the time we landed back in Washington, DC, we knew she'd probably forgotten we visited.

But, thankfully, while we were there we had the brilliant idea of getting her engaged in a little painting, to challenge her mind, and so that she'd have some proof of our existence. My husband got her a small acrylic set on her 92nd birthday, but she forgets she has it, so she doesn't use it. Not the case this week.

So when we talk to her on the phone we can ask, "hey, is there a landscape with the pine trees on your wall?" And she replies "Oh, yes! Did I paint that?"

You sure did, Grandma.

Transferring a Digital Drawing to Illustration Board

2011-04-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

When I start an oil painting by sketching it digitally, I go through a process of transferring the digital image to the traditional surface. There are a few ways to accomplish this task; Some artists use a large format printer and mount the prints to a work surface, some people use a projector or light box, and some people (including a younger version of me) use the laborious grid method. There really isn't a wrong way to do it, but I prefer the very easy graphite transfer method, which I'll explain.

A quick note about my tools: For an oil work surface I most commonly I use Strathmore 500 Series illustration board. It's got a great smooth surface like masonite or sanded wood, but is easier to find at my local art store on short notice and lighter weight for easier framing and transport. The other items I use for this process are my printer, a 7B pencil, an HB pencil, and some acrylic matte medium.

Once I have the finished digital drawing the way I like it, I print it out; when my printer is smaller than my work surface, I print the drawing out in several pieces and reassemble it with clear tape. I work these drawings up at high resolution (450 dpi) at their actual size, so I have lots of detail in the prints.

Once the drawing is printed out and reassembled, I take a soft 7B pencil and make a light coating of graphite all over the back of the printed drawing. when I trace over the front side with a harder HB pencil, the graphite will be lightly transferred onto my work surface. If you're a little less cheap than I am, you can also use transfer paper which is sold in rolls or pads.

Typically the light traced lines by themselves feel a bit stiff or aren't dark enough, so I'll use my HB pencil to draw over the transferred image in areas I think need more emphasis or definition.

Lastly, since the illustration board by itself would absorb the oil in the paint and eventually degrade, I seal the surface with 3-4 coats of acrylic matte medium after the drawing is transferred. This helps keep the illustration board intact and seals the graphite drawing.

My Art Studio Workspace

2011-03-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

A few of my friends have made posts like this about their workspaces, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon.

(click to enlarge and view description)

An artists' studio is always evolving. I think back to 5 years ago when I worked in a huge loft space above a nightclub, and how much has changed since then. I've sacrificed a lot of floor space over the last couple studio iterations, but ended up with better equipment, so in many ways it's a fair trade. My next missions for my current studio are to get a better flex-arm light for my easel and a second bookcase that can support my overflowing art book and magazine collection.

This one time, at brand camp...

2011-03-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Sheppard-arts.com has received its yearly facelift for 2011, including a new mobile version for those of you who are bound by the confines of the modern smartphone.

I spent a little more time planning out this year's revisions than last, and more time thinking of myself as a brand. Some new features include:

-An official Cynthia Sheppard Illustration logo.

It's high time I had a single image that I can carry across all my promo items. I was inspired by some of my cohorts such as Sam Flegal who established his "Strange like Sam Flegal" brand last year.

-Bigger thumbnails.
1. I got a lot of comments like "make the thumbnails bigger!" hehe.
2. I still opt for a lightbox image viewer over a slideshow or full-page-scroll format because the proportions of my images are all different, so they look disorganized or don't read/resize well in a fixed window. One AD mentioned that using a lightbox can be cumbersome, especially if the window overlay doesn't allow you to right-click/save the pictures. So to make his life easier I chose a version that does allow people to save, and increased the thumbnail sizes so he and other ADs can better jog their memory of what a painting looked like without having to click on anything.

-A dropdown menu for external links/social media and to share the site on facebook.
I'll probably add some more sharing-via-social-media options later, but I want to test Facebook first to see what kind of traffic is generated.

-The removal of unnecessary sections.
My painting tutorials will still be available, but since I rarely had time to update them, having a whole page dedicated to them was dead weight. The majority of people that come to the site are there to see the artwork or to find out how to contact me, so I also nixed the Resume section in favor of a small and tidy client list on the homepage.

Enjoy!

The Illux-Chronicles

2010-11-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

A Personal Foreword:
I had a difficult year, artistically. I don't enjoy making excuses, but for the record, I felt a bit pathetic in my art efforts in 2010, especially after renovating the house and changing day jobs. I spent the better part of the Summer without much internet access at home, so my online community interactions flagged. I stopped freelancing completely for four months, between late May and September.

And while it really was necessary to get my life in order, the not painting part SUCKED!!!

Because of this, I was nervous about attending Illuxcon this year, obsessing over the fact that I didn't have much new work to show and my artistic "game" was somewhat rusty. But as I was packing up the last of my Showcase display three days before the show, I got a game-changing email from Jeannie Wilshire, who along with her husband Pat, runs the convention. Justin Sweet had to cancel at the last minute and I was next on the waiting list for a table in the main event. "Holy...!" I thought. I HAD to find a way to make it work. Failure to do so was not an option. Jeannie was incredibly comforting, and somehow her faith in me restored some of my lost confidence.

There were jokes among friends that Justin's shoes wouldn't be easy to fill, which is most certainly true (and I joked back that I hope he wears a ladies size 7). I felt like a kid who just got away with ordering a drink at the bar...

With very little time to prepare, I immediately sent my husband out on an emergency Dammar varnish run, ordered some frames to ship overnight, and started sketching out what pieces I'd put where on a 4x8 panel. I experienced about 8 different kinds of panic over the next 3 days. The good kinds.

Matting and framing my work the night before the show, 11/10/2010

In the end, Illuxcon 3 was wonderful. The table, the amazing art everywhere, the old and new friends, the conversations... all of it was more than I could hope for. For the first time in months I felt like I was awake again, in my own body - there was so much support that I can finally put 2010 behind me, and work toward a strong artistic year in 2011. I'm so motivated I could explode.

Thursday:
There's so much to take away from this event that it's hard to write it all down in one place. Like last year, I traveled up from Virginia to Pennsylvania with artist Laura Diehl and her fiance Chris Kozlowski. After helping me unload my artwork at the show (thank you again, guys!) we checked in at the Ramada, and headed out to our second annual kickoff dinner at the Altoona Red Lobster. Included in the group was Lauren K. Cannon, with whom I've shared a few Q&A pages in ImagineFX, Aaron Miller, Joe Wilson and Mike Sass, who are some of my best friends, as well as fantastic artists. And I met a couple new fellows, John Stanko, Chris Simmons, and Joe Slucher.

From L to R: Lauren Cannon, John Stanko, (me), Laura Diehl, Chris Kozlowski, Joe Slucher, Chris Simmons, Aaron Miller (behind Mike), and Mike Sass

Out of the three years the convention has been running, this was by far the busiest it's been on a Thursday night. It felt almost like the pace of Saturday from the 2008 exhibition. Throughout the whole event I had trouble sitting still at my table. I've gotten to know so many awesome artists who I consider to be my extended family, it seemed silly not to spend a lot of time hanging out with them. Thankfully my wanderlust was satiated at the artist's reception that evening. All the main event artists got to socialize and look at each others' work. As usual the display was amazing. I was certainly not the only one who felt humbled by the sight of it all.

Even though it doesn't have a "drinking party" reputation like some bigger cons, I did drink a lot this year, and almost every night (fun, but very exhausting!). At the bar I was able to get reacquainted with some of the artists I'd been out of touch with for a while, like Eric Fortune, Dan Dos Santos, and Michael C. Hayes who brought along his awesome artist table-assistant Thomas Babbey. Yes, Thursday definitely set the tone for great things to come.

Friday:
Friday was insane. I spent most of the day at the Heritage Center either at my table or at Le Bistro. Most of my friends either had tables of their own to watch, or went over to the Devorris Center to watch lectures (which I unfortunately missed out on this year). I may not have been there, but I heard many a joke about Donato's "hand commissions." (good one, D!)

While the artists in the Showcase were setting up, I grabbed dinner at the hotel with Daniel de Leon, Kyle Thomas, Jean Scrocco, and (the legendary) Greg Hildebrandt. Jean (who is not only Greg's partner but also his agent) recounted stories about the art trade and how some of Greg's work was devalued in an estate sale when a collector died unexpectedly without leaving a will. Among other things (including a great rant about how modern art is the biggest joke ever played on society), Greg talked about his foray into pin-up art, and how he loves working with the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

After dinner I toured the Showcase a bit, but it was so packed with people I could barely see the art! (How cool is that??!) Read more about the Showcase at my pal Laura's blog.

I also had a portfolio review with Jeremy Jarvis, Senior Art Director for Magic: The Gathering, that night. It was a good review. Jeremy's cool, and very easy to talk to. He made some keen observations about my work, like the fact that it's mostly figurative, but I rely mainly on environment for narrative. Very interesting - really made me think about my approach. Best of all, I'm looking forward to doing some work for Magic next month.

Friday night culminated in what was possibly the best hotel party I've ever been to, thrown by Grant "The Apparatus" Cooley, our resident p(ART)y animal. ;) I left around 3 AM, and there were still people going strong.

"Where did she go?" "I'll bet she's out drinking with those weirdos again."

Saturday:
I think it goes without saying that I was a complete zombie on Saturday. Breakfast was fun, but my head hurt increasingly as the group I was sitting with started waxing philosophical about politics... I digress. I spent more time at my table on Saturday, and it was a bit more fun with the increased amount of students in attendance. I love talking to students. I had a wonderful opportunity to review two student portfolios, and I think I was able to offer sound advice, despite the sleep deficit.

Saturday night we went out to a brewpub and chased our dinner with the first annual Illuxcon Art Jam! featuring multi-talented artists performing live music.

The Musical Stylings of Harchar and Zug

I'm not *entirely* sure how I was still upright long enough to go hang out at the Ramada bar yet again, but I had the pleasure of learning to speak Irish with the spry and infamous Patrick Jones, and sipping some Irish whiskey and bourbon with new acquaintance Tim Winkler.

Sunday:
Sunday had a mildly somber tone to it, mostly because we all knew we had to leave soon. (I waited to break into a full cry till I got home). Still I enjoyed the last day at the Heritage Center, minding my table, signing books, selling prints, and talking to curious onlookers. The show was open to the public on Sunday, so there's an interesting (or boring) shift in the questions people ask. You get a lot of "how long did that take you?" and "Where do you get your ideas?" etc. etc. Not that people shouldn't ask these questions necessarily, but sometimes I think people just talk for the sake of talking.

I still couldn't sit still, so me and Eric, along with Laura and Chris, hiked over to Sheetz to buy Dan a giant can of Red Bull.

At around 3:00 I took down my booth. Poor Lauren was waiting on me to go to lunch, yet I had forsaken her, and she lamented as she ate a stale pop tart to keep from starving. ;)

I did have a chance to thank Pat before rolling out, but it never feels like enough. I didn't make a whole lot of money (almost sold an original oil but the couple decided to buy another painting instead), but what I did make on print sales I used to buy other artists' prints (Hooray! I can finally add to my growing collection of Lucas Graciano prints hanging in my studio) and donated the rest to next year's Illuxcon scholarship fund.

Afterword:
It's ridiculous how much I haven't mentioned here. There just isn't enough room in my brain or on a page to recount everything in one go. If you have a memory we shared, or of something else cool, please write it down and send it to me.

To The Continued Success Of The Fantasy Artist Community.

Illuxcon 3 - Another Amazing Convention!!!

2010-11-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

The fantasy illustrator family is alive and well, and for the third year in a row IlluXCon was a magical place to be. We all shared our images, techniques, critiques, and the vast amount of inspiration that comes naturally when you put a bunch of creative people together.

Photo by Laura Diehl

A very special THANK YOU to Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire for being so wonderful and accommodating to all of us. You outdid yourselves again this year!!!

Illuxcon 3 UPDATE

2010-11-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Due to a last-minute cancellation, I will be participating in this year's main show! This is an incredible and exciting opportunity, and I owe many thanks to Pat and Jeannie for their consideration!!

Since I was originally going to participate in the Showcase, I have a lot of prints already made, but am currently scurrying around trying to find/make bigger work to hang. This should be lots of fun, and a whirlwind two days in preparation... Here goes! :)

Portrait of Joe & Cassie Graus

2010-10-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

On request, Joe is wearing modified Dawn of War scout armor, and his wife Cassie wears a purple and green "space fur" stole. The portrait also features their 4 cats (of Animal Planet's CATS 101 fame), from L to R: Templeton, Caruthers, Walnut, and Fergie.

Oil on illustration board, 22 x 30 inches.

D&D Character Portrait (just for fun)

2010-08-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

There's a lot to be said about experiencing art from the perspective of a consumer. So it's not surprising to learn that a lot of sf/f cover artists are also avid readers of the genre. Or that video game artists like to play video games.

Well, this Friday I'm taking the plunge back into something I haven't done since I was 15. My friend Chris will be leading our group of six in a real paper-and-dice Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

Here's a quick portrait of my half-elf rogue character I did last night, just for fun ;)

Now to check on the order status of my Player's Handbook and dice...

MOVING DAY

2010-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

After a year of renovations and repairs, a hefty loan, all of our savings, and months of schlepping, hauling, and backbreaking labor, we are FINALLY moved into our new house.

Some before and after shots, taken before we painted and moved our stuff in:

Aaron Sikstrom in DPI Magazine

2010-08-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Taiwanese publication DPI Magazine featured Aaron Sikstrom & his delicious collaborations with me and other artists:

Quick Weekend Design Project

2010-07-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I do little design projects at home. Today I made some business cards for my husband, who's recently started his career as an ASL interpreter.

The typical interpreter's card that I've witnessed is not heavily designed, meaning it's probably one-sided, plain white with black text, perhaps with little hand glyphs spelling out A-S-L or the professional's name or something. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's telling that the terping field and the design field don't often intersect.

I wanted to give Brendan a card that would stand out in the pile, that showed a little more vibrancy and motion; both qualities that sign language has in spades. On a personal note, I thought it was also pretty hilarious that his initials in fingerspelling look like a karate chop and a punch. Awesome. Perhaps this version is a little too informal for some tastes, so I printed a small run of 100 to test, and in a couple months we'll see if we need to revise it or if it performs well.

Thoughts On Creative Burnout

2010-07-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

I randomly clicked a link to an online company called ReCourses (http://www.recourses.com) whose aim is to provide helpful content to creative businesses.

The first position paper I downloaded was titled Creative Burnout, which stuck out since it's a subject I've become too familiar with lately. The writing overall is a bit purple in places, but there was a passage in there that I feel is worth sharing over and over again. It's a concept I've thought about many times but never heard put so simply:

"There is no such thing as creative burnout... Creativity is what happens when everything else is okay. In other words, when you aren’t creative it’s because other things are wrong. Unbound, creativity is inevitable."

The last line of the paper is cute and to the point: "Make them okay."

That's what this month is about for me. By next month I will finally be finished moving into the new house. My studio will be set up and not in boxes and half-moved disarray. I'm saving up to purchase some better-working equipment and my own internet connection. I have a few other fresh starts planned that should (hopefully) reduce some of the stress that's made 2010 a very slow year for me so far, artistically. It's worth it to stop and take stock every once in a while, and figure out what's hindering your progress toward your creative goals. And when you find them, fix them!

LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Cover Art

2010-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just released on the client's blog today: Cover artwork for the Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Game.

But wait, there's more! See the full version over on the LotFP blog.

2011 Art Calendar in the Works

2010-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've been wrapped up in so much non-disclosable proprietary client work since 2010 started that I haven't really done anything personal since Beautiful Grim offered me the opportunity to do something "me-ish."

A month or so ago, 3 of my colleagues at Wavelength Studios and I decided to do a calendar project together, which I started my first of three paintings for last night. The theme is "Beauties & Beasts," possibly with a mythological twist. It's pretty open-ended, and totally classic, but since the four of us are specifically trying to add more Capital-F Fantasy work to our portfolios, we thought this would be a great opportunity to put our own style to work on the genre.

No matter how much extra burden it puts on me time-wise to have yet another project on top of other projects, I find that personal pieces act the opposite way of art orders, actually relaxing me and helping me work on my work-work more efficiently.

First up: Dragon Summoner.

Q&A Topic suggestions?

2010-03-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've got the opportunity to do a couple more Q&As for the upcoming ImagineFX, and this time I've been given the task of finding some good questions for it on my own. If anyone has suggestions or a topic you'd like me to cover, ask away! I'm aiming to have the questions in to the editor by tomorrow. Thanks in advance. :)

Time for some sketching on a piece that's getting increasingly exciting...

Spectrum 17

2010-03-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

I just received word yesterday that my work has been accepted to Spectrum 17. I'm thrilled and extremely honored by this, and it will be a long few weeks waiting to find out which piece(s) will be in the book. Congrats to all who made it, and all who entered!

For a little back-story, Spectrum is important to me not just on a professional level, but on a personal level. I've told the story a few times. My granddad (who loved sci-fi novels, D&D, etc.) bought me a copy of Spectrum when I was a teenager, and that act turned out to be the single biggest turning point in my artistic focus; I had always wanted to be an artist, but until reading that book, I didn't realize I had such a passion for fantastic art. Exactly 10 years later, I got to tell him the good news that one of my pieces had been accepted to Spectrum 15, just before he passed away. So the publication itself brings back good memories of growing up, and serves as a reminder of things coming full circle.

Getting it together

2010-03-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about giving this blog more of a 'for up and coming artists' twist for a while now. I have a short list of topics to cover, but I keep coming back to time management, partially because it's something I've gotten much better about over the years, and partially because I feel I still have so much room to grow there.

Two weeks ago an old friend was shot and killed. It was an epic event that ground all gears to a halt among my circle of friends, as everyone mourned and put together an absolutely unforgettable wake and funeral, and we all supported each other.

While it was great that the tragedy brought so many people together, I couldn't help but notice how badly my art schedule was suffering. Two weeks is a VERY long time, especially in the illustration world. Normally I could have 1 or 2 finished pieces in that span, even with my full-time day job to contend with, but instead I've got a backlog, and nothing to show for that time.

So I'm determined not to let it overwhelm me in March! Here's my step-by-step plan for getting back in action:

Step 1. Purchase several cans of strong coffee. I drink Cafe Du Monde original New Orleans Coffee & Chicory because it's cheap, strong and awesome.
Step 2. Give updates to all clients, even if they're small updates. One of the worst feelings in the world for a client is thinking their illustrator has fallen off the face of the earth.
Step 3. Make a to-do list, and prioritize it. Know it like a mantra: The portfolio pieces I didn't get to do last month CAN and WILL still happen. I WILL get everything done.
Step 4. Update my @#$%# blog. I'll let you know if all this works.

I'll write more about time management later... when I have more time. Ha.

As a side note, I found one of my character illos for Dragon #384 on the Wizards site: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drcact/20100219

From ArtOrder- "Can I be a Cover Artist?"

2010-02-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

http://artorder.blogspot.com/2010/02/can-i-be-cover-artist.html

Another great post by Jon Schindehette in his ArtOrder "Ask the Art Director" series; every up-and-coming fantasy illustrator should read it.

January in review

2010-02-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it to February! Artistically, January was the busiest month I've EVER had... So far.

One project that was ongoing between December & January finally got released last Friday: I switched up my style a bit for the oil-painted cover of issue #1 of the UK startup Thru The Portal magazine.

[link]
[process pics]

I also finished up the Peter Pan collab with Aaron Sikstrom (http://seethrou.deviantart.com. He titled the piece "Trust," which is remarkably appropriate, considering collaboration relies on trust to work, and it's something I've been getting very well acquainted with lately.

I still have at least 4 other pieces from January I can think of off the top of my head that are under NDA until later this month. This month is already getting booked quickly- a couple ImagineFX Q&As on the horizon as well as a really awesome piece for a game box set cover. I'm going to try to make time for a personal piece as well... hopefully.

Beautiful Grim, final artwork

2010-01-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

As Mike Sass suggested I'll probably hit the dress with one more coat of glaze to pop the color, but otherwise this is finished. Read about the progress in this previous entry.

Forward! Deadlines approaching!

2010-01-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

Will our hero be able to go from sketch to finish on two orcs in the next 5-6 hours?? Stay tuned for the exciting and dramatic conclusion!

Ahhh. There's nothing like a good deadline to keep the blood pumping. Tomorrow is d-day for three pieces for Wizards, and I'm pretty happy with how they've turned out. Getting used to working within the constraints of the D&D brand has been an amazingly cool experience in itself. Being a tall slender creature, visualizing the stocky ideals of D&D weaponry and armor came slowly, though I've internalized that if there's any question at all whether or not it's in-brand, the weapons are probably not big enough. ;)

I also got a sneak preview of the cover layout and artist profile for new UK publication Thru The Portal. This zine focuses on casual gaming... it's for those folks (like me for example) whose XBox gamerscores are still in the triple-digits, or who have major addictions to Scrabble. The content focuses on card games, board games, miniatures, and RPGs, all of which are pictured on the very elaborate oil painted cover (hint hint). Its first issue arrives online January 29th.

I've been a bad bad blogger...

2010-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

It's a little late for a New Years post, I guess!

I've been bad, letting my blogging lapse for almost two weeks. I can only imagine there's a prison for people like me somewhere...

Needless to say I'm swimming in what I like to call "deadline soup," and while I'd LOVE to show off some of the work I've been doing for Dragon Magazine, a new character illo for Sinister, and a large-scale oil magazine cover, I simply can't. Soon enough, my friends!

Instead of waiting around, go play Dragon Age. No, seriously. That game OWNS.

Painting in progress for Beautiful Grim

2009-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

Visit beautifulgrim.org for information about the Beautiful Grim art auction; hosted by fellow Northern Virginian Daarken and his friend Leif Jeffers, proceeds will go to helping pay medical bills for Daarken's girlfriend, Cat, after her treatments for breast cancer, and any remainder will go toward breast cancer charities.

**UPDATE, session 2**

Since the underlying theme of the auction is human endurance, I decided to stem off of a theme from my Trial by Water series; to me, water's effect on its surroundings represents the trials of everyday life, and is frequently a vision in my nightmares. But more than fear, these paintings are about being resilient and learning to live with conflict and hardship put upon you by outside forces you cannot control.

I think the idea of Beautiful Grim is incredible, and is not only going to benefit Cat, but is bringing the whole fantasy/game artist community together for a good cause. Above is the start of my entry into the auction/show. Started just this weekend, I'm about 12 hours into the actual painting (not counting the 9 hours for sketching, shooting reference, more sketching, prepping the surface, etc.) The final size is 24"W x 18"H, oil on illustration board.

The "Virtual Studio" Concept Using Google Technology

2009-12-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

A very exciting and useful thing happened last week: A small critique group got kicked off when my long-time friend and fellow illustrator Joe Wilson decided to use Google's new technology, Wave, to follow in the footsteps of the mega-pros, and create what they call a "virtual studio."

I was going to make a lengthy post about it, but my fellow Wave-er Mike Sass beat me to it: http://sassart.blogspot.com/ His post sums up what I'm sure all of us are feeling.

Aside from the technology coming in very handy for a critique format, the specific blend of people we have at the moment has a uniquely awesome chemistry. We have folks from lots of different areas of illustration, including books, games, and comics, and with varying levels of experience, as well as different strengths. We all have a couple of things in common, too: We're all very driven and talented, and above all else: we're so much fun.

I like the fact that I can give advice on texture and lighting, and in the same keystroke get help on poses and composition. I'm very excited to see how all of our work will collectively improve over the next several months. You can't get an education this good in school.

New Website: The Evolution of Sheppard-arts.com

2009-12-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

New look, same great taste. www.sheppard-arts.com

I've used my online portfolio as an excuse to tinker with web design for several years, before doing web design as my day job. I put up my first art site in 2005 under the domain cynthiarimmer.com (my maiden name). Unfortunately there was a random DNS error coupled with a hard drive crash, and the site was only up a mere three weeks before plunging into web limbo. If I remember correctly, the layout was mostly greys with some curly-cues around the edges (to cover for the fact that I didn't have much work to show yet). Despite the design blunders, the real issue it had was that it was trying to accomplish too much. There was a separate page for illustration, design, photography, and music (don't ask). People would ask, "so, what is it you do, exactly?"

Moving right along to 2006, I designed the first illustration website I wasn't embarrassed to show anyone, mostly. I had only done a couple of table sites at this point, using what was popular in band sites at the time as my guide... remember the days of teeny tiny websites that floated in the center of a black page. Yes, that.

Well, for the first time I had what seemed like enough art to call a portfolio, however no one could find what they were looking for with the little 50x50 px icons. We live and learn.

Next up is the site I put live January 1, 2008, which is what I've used to represent my art on the web until earlier this afternoon.

While definitely stronger than the 2006 iteration, I've always felt it was a little too much. Too wordy all over, for starters. I realized I don't need a bio, so much as I need a PR statement. If people are interested in my life story, they can read my blog, but most people visit a portfolio site to look at the portfolio. Also it was a royal pain to update without a CMS.

And finally, we have the new 2010 edition of Sheppard-Arts.com! I always tell people web design is an organic process, as websites grow and change over time. So for 2010 I lumped together all my knowledge from my design job, my former art sites, and advice from art directors and artists, and came up with a very clean, simple layout that will hopefully do what I need it to do.

My portfolio hadn't been pruned since 2007, so I did get rid of a lot of older work (maybe a bit too much, but I'll start here). My ideology is that an online portfolio should reflect the leather book you showing to people at reviews. Blogs and external portfolio sites are a great dumping ground for everything you've ever done, and your portfolio site should reflect your best work.

Another thing this site doesn't have that the last one did is a place to buy prints of my work. People did sometimes contact me about prints, but everyone seemed to want custom sizes or surfaces, so offering up the standard sizes ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth.

I'm keeping the tutorials section in hopes of adding to it over time, and because enough people have told me it's a useful resource. The blog feed is now condensed into titles in the lefthand column, but there's also a link to my physical blog in the main navigation, and an RSS subscription button for the google reader types.

I'm very curious to see how this new site performs over the last one, because I'll undoubtedly want to upgrade it again before long.

New painting & other news

2009-11-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

Just to catch up on some non-Illuxcon related news, I'm honored to have received word that four of my pieces have been selected for inclusion in UK-based Art Squared's book, Digital Painters 2, offered through Rage Publishing. The book features fine color reproductions of the work, as well as inspirational commentary from the artists.

Also, the cool kids over at Ninja Mountain put up a podcast wherein Jeremy McHugh interviewed a bunch of artists from the con including myself, and (in no discernable order) William O'Connor, Larry Elmore, Matthew Stewart, Michael Whelan, Joe Wilson, Laura Diehl, Chris Burdett, Piya Wannchaiwong,
Ryan Yee, and Aaron B Miller.

Currently on the easel, "Watchful Ranger" work in progress:

Illuxcon 2009 - Friday Evening, the 13th

2009-11-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Friday night was awesome.

I remember coming back to our hotel room at 2 AM and saying to Laura, "That. THAT is Illuxcon."

The evening began (after our naptime and sketchbook run) at Le Bistro, which was a new addition to the 'campus' since last year. I thought originally that no one in Altoona ate food, because last year it was impossible to find a restaurant in the whole downtown area... but really they're just hidden, and it was kind of Pat and Jeannie to reserve one.

We had some coffee and had good conversation with Scott Greig and Mike Sass- two very nice guys formerly from BioWare, who were visiting all the way from Canada. They told us stories about making video games back in the Baldur's Gate era (which admittedly was an awesome time for PC games). My favorite was the description of how models were textured in the days of yore; often they were limited to four textures per character, so an eyeball texture was sometimes stretched out over the limbs to simulate muscle.

We didn't really do much sketching, but judging from the crowd's fervor in the other room it was very very fun.

Afterward we crowded outside for Vincent Villafranca's live bronze pour:

Joe Wilson made the comment, "man, I can't even pour gravy that accurately."

The next part is always my favorite: the bar.
No, I'm not a huge drinker, but there's a lot to be said about meeting people with a drink in your hand. Fantasy artists are ridiculously nice people, and approaching them isn't hard anyway, though it's always nice to have a little extra bit of social lubrication.

Laura and I had a couple 'DS duels' where we traded her NintendoDS back and forth, making little paintings on the program Colors. Not so much a duel as a collaboration, but everything sounds better with 'Versus.' Eventually this ritual involved other artists. Laura even posted some of them on her blog!

I think the biggest significance about what Pat and Jeannie have done with Illuxcon, is that these events serve as a reminder to all of us that the community is still strong. You have the formal show and lectures, but you also have an open-format window of time to just talk to people- something you don't get every day in such a small field.

Illuxcon 2009 - Thursday the 12th/ Friday the 13th

2009-11-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

Although it was fun going solo to the first Illuxcon, I think I prefer traveling with a group. This time I brought not only my husband, Brendan, but my illustrator pal Laura and her b/f Koz. We all shared a room at the Ramada to cut down on cost a bit, and used Laura's truck to load all our artwork.

(Koz & Laura in our hotel room, Thurs, Nov 11)

I knew it was going to be a great weekend going into it, but I was also excited about some of the new programming and artists. After getting into town, we stopped by the show, and wow. It was a bit overwhelming, honestly - it's not a show you can do in just an hour. You have to take it in in pieces, or else you'll miss a lot.
So we retreated to the bar. There weren't a whole lot of people there on Thursday night yet, but it was relaxing to grab a drink before turning in.

We woke up early on Friday and ate complimentary breakfast at the hotel so we could get down to the Heritage Center early. Our first stop of the day was the Art of Self Promotion roundtable discussion, with Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell, Donato Giancola, Ruth Sanderson, and Jeremy Caniglia. I agree with Boris that the audience-led conversation careened into tangential territory (talking about rights management and contracts) instead of focusing purely on getting your foot in the door, but there was a lot of useful information nonetheless.

One of the more notable parts of the discussion was Donato's demonstration of how 50% of your marketing will typically be for naught, while the other half might get the attention you're after; he demonstrated this concept by showing the audience two dollar bills, then tearing one into smaller and smaller pieces, representing how no matter how much you spend you'll get about half a return on your investment. He also brought along a portfolio he made out of two heavy steel dinner platters, which was... totally fun.

One of the more surprising things to hear was how much LuLu.com was mentioned, since previously I'd been under the impression that their printing was slipshod. Ruth and at least two others during the convention mentioned it as a cheap alternative to fancy offset printing for producing show books.

After that we sped over to room 003 and listened to Caniglia's History of Fantasy Art talk. This program was less interactive, but very informative. I felt bad bringing Brendan to this one since art history isn't easy to relate to if you don't have an art background, but he was a trooper. I thought the speech started out very strong, with Jeremy giving background on himself and tying Renaissance & Romantic art into modern fantasy themes. I wish that there had been a little more variety in the contemporary art parallels made, but after all there are time limits, and he did a great job for the time allotted.

After that, (ok this is mildly embarrassing) we all went back to the room to take a nap. At least the others did. My heart was moving at hummingbird speed from all the excitement, so while I tried to rest a little I couldn't stop fidgeting. After that was over, Laura, Koz, and I headed over to Target to buy sketchbooks (I told you this was embarrassing!) and then to Le Bistro for the Reception, Sketching, and live bronze pour...

To be continued...

Illuxcon 2009 - A (very) Brief Overview

2009-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

It's good to be home, but I have to say that this year's Illuxcon was one of the best weekends I've had in my life. A huge thanks to Patrick & Jeannie Wilshire for hosting yet another amazing event.

I'll probably map out my whole experience day-by-day, but overall, I learned (or reaffirmed) a few important lessons:

1. Carry your portfolio with you at all times, including to restaurants and the bar. Illux is full of opportunities to look at amazing work both in- and outside the actual show, so take full advantage of every opportunity to make yours available. Likewise, if an illustrator does NOT have his or her portfolio, it's ok to scowl at them disapprovingly.

2. Buy a portfolio with removable pages (or bring an Xacto knife with you). Chances are your book will need surgery after the first several reviews, and there's nothing worse than playing doctor using the wrong tools.

3. Charge your camera battery. One of my biggest hopes for next year's con is that someone else will take over my photo-snapping responsibilities. I do like taking photos, but it's kind of frustrating to break character while waiting for a prosumer Nikon to FOCUS. Also, everyone seems to have a better camera than me... hmm...

4. Go to as many lectures as possible. Bonus points if you can somehow be in 3 places at once!

5. did I mention that thing about bringing your portfolio everywhere?
...

Now I mentioned to a few folks that I was thinking of creating a Flickr account for people to post up their post-con artwork (or rather, the paintings inspired by the 'Illuxcon experience'). And so I actually did! Come join here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1262041@N20/
My studio floor is a mess with business cards, so if I met you you'll be getting an email from me to that effect.

More details to come- Back to work!!!!

(my silly mug @ the Saturday showcase... good times)

Finished DragonLord cover!

2009-11-10T11:28:00.001-08:00

At long last, the DragonLord cover is finished! Here's the final proof:

Meanwhile, I took a little snapshot of the pile of stuff I'm bringing to Illuxcon this weekend:

I have to give a shout out to clearbags.com (recommended to me by Laura) - they make every kind of display bag imaginable, for a good price, and their delivery is great. I'm always experimenting with different ways to display/show work, and a plastic protector is both cheaper and lighter than framing. Great for print shows you have to travel some distance to.

Also, as usual I used OvernightPrints.com for my biz cards & postcards and UPrinting.com for my posters.

Illuxcon 2 is NEXT WEEK!!!!

2009-11-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

SO EXCITED. I even made a little postcard holder out of scrap moulding. :)

Hope to see even more folks there than last year! I'll be there the full four days this time, so come find me at the Ramada hotel bar any evening and we'll talk art.

Eyes & Expressions

2009-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Another quickie for ImagineFX - This time the subject was eyes. I grew up loving portraiture, thinking someday I'd like to be a portrait artist before I discovered the versatility of the fantasy & sci fi genre. So I kept this a very simple composition, to demonstrate how making eyes slightly larger than is natural is a fun way of unnerving your viewers into a subconscious interest in your piece. I also created one of those sketchy eye expression tables to accompany some text about how the facial muscles work with certain emotions and how they affect the shape of eyes.

Underwater - quickie

2009-10-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Another quickie for IFX Q&A, started and finished last night.

Meanwhile, preparation for IlluXcon 2 continues... only 3 WEEKS left!! I've got a massive amount of prints ready to order, and it was confirmed this week that Laura Diehl and I will have adjacent tables at the Saturday Evening Showcase, at the Altoona Ramada on the 14th of November.

In the Mirror...

2009-10-05T06:09:00.001-07:00

A quickie I did yesterday for Imagine FX Q&As, upcoming issue 51:

I'm always amazed by how long it takes me to write tutorials and answers to art questions. It almost takes me longer than doing the work itself. I guess it's sort of like typing or playing piano - you do it for so long you can't remember where the keys are unless you're touching them.

Close up #1: [link]
Close up #2: [link]

More Progress on the DL Cover

2009-09-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

Since I have a family obligation tomorrow, I spent about 12 hours on this today, getting it ready for a web preview. It's only about halfway there (just wait until I start adding beasties!) but it's still going smoothly.

---

I've been getting a lot of questions recently about time management- people asking how I manage to balance a day job, illustration job, and a social life. Honestly it's tough, and I don't balance things very well. I try to reserve whole days or large blocks of time for painting, and I don't go out as often as some. To those who have asked, I'm working on it!

In other news, I've got a couple of ImagineFX articles coming up over the next couple months, including some tips and a Q&A that I'm currently working on. Always happy to contribute to such a fine pub.

More later...

"Cruciata Navaar" for Sinister Adventures

2009-09-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

This one was SO much fun. Read more about the character here at the SA website: http://sinisteradventures.com/index.php/sneak-peeks. The character designer and art director Nick Logue's ultra-descriptive character studies are some of my favorites to work from - in fact, he does half my work for me by creating such vivid imagery with his writing. We did a few snippets together last year, and I hope to have the pleasure of painting many more.

Dragonlord cover, painting progress

2009-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

I snapped a couple progress shots of the Dragonlord cover last night (underpainting + first session).

Also over this long weekend, I've got some board game artwork to finish up and a 1/4 page vampire illo for one of my favorite returning customers. Groovy.

Return to Neverland WIP - collaboration with Aaron Sikstrom

2009-08-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

Pan? Wendy? A jealous mermaid? What could possibly be cooler subject matter for a collaborative effort? A few weeks back I got a very nice email from Aaron Sikstrom (http://seethrou.deviantart.com) asking if I'd be interested in doing a piece with him. At the time neither of us knew the other had an affinity for Peter Pan mythology, so it was quite a nice surprise when I first saw the sketch he provided for me: [link].

As the painter/colorist, I thought the otherworldly lagoon-light would make a great contribution to bring out the magic of the story. There's still a fair bit of work left to be done, but it's really shaping up.

Dragonlord cover, more progress

2009-08-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest digital sketch for the Dragonlord cover. As I mentioned earlier, this is purely a digital sketch for a full-blown oil painting. In some ways it's developing its own personality as a digital painting, but the super cool author in this case prefers the look and feel of real paint, and I have a lot of respect for that. A few key changes were made here from the original b&w sketch I posted in July, my favorite being the main male character; he's taken on a bit more of a cro-magnon appeal. I had originally misread (or missed) a vital descriptive part of the story and made him too human at the start. This is one of those cases where working directly with an author is truly a worthwhile experience.

Exotique 5 & Getting back in the saddle...

2009-08-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

I got the good news this morning that Half her Heart made the cut for Exotique 5!! This is not just "everyday cool" but also gratifying since I very much had Exotique in mind when creating the piece.

As for my absence lately, my father in law passed away at the end of July, so it's been very hectic at home. I'm just now getting my artistic affairs back in order from the brief hiatus (including road trips to Iowa and North Carolina). As I get older I realize that interruptions in my workflow are harder to bounce back from. I think tonight I'll require extra coffee to get something done for a Friday deadline!! It's good to be back.

Dragonlord, in progress

2009-07-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

First compositional draft of a cover for CJ Henderson's upcoming Dragonlord novel. This illo will probably change quite a bit as I get comments back, and I hope it does. The author's writing style is more conversational and verb-driven than visually descriptive, so I'm really looking forward to hearing back about how close I got the characters (or not). I'll probably send it off to some of my favorite artists for critique too, just cuz.

The final will be a larger oil painting. I am excited.

Week In Review...

2009-07-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Thus concludes another busy week! On Monday I learned that Half Her Heart has made it to the final judging for possible inclusion in Exotique 5... fingers are crossed on that one. I'd really like to make the cut for at least one book this year. I finished up a logo project on Wednesday, which will be followed up by a set of illustrations starting this weekend.

Last night I spent a totally awesome 40 minutes on the phone with a cool author about his swords & sorcery book cover while he simultaneously basted a chicken. Normally I'm apprehensive about working directly with authors, but this is one of those unique match-ups that (so far) almost seems too functional to be true. Needless to say, I'm excited about reading the chapters he sent over and starting on the sketches.

During my down time, I've been overcoming some frustrations and personal challenges with the client-artist relationship schema. For example, I work for a marketing company all day, so I have an engrained urge to marketing-direct my clients, sometimes without them asking. I need to stop doing that, unless they ask. While some people are completely open to it, some people aren't. And at the end of the day it's their project and they'll do what they want with it, even if their aesthetic choices aren't what my training would call the 'best' choices. Sometimes you just have to separate yourself a few degrees from the work to stay sane. There's a mantra in there somewhere... hopefully I'll be able to elaborate when I've put all my thoughts in order.

Signing off. Have a great weekend! -CS

Character Sketch, complete

2009-07-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the finish of the 3-hr sketch I posted back on 6/14. I enjoy combining different style influences; it's like a fighting bellydance costume... I think. I do know that ever since my husband bought his Samurai sword I haven't been able to get enough of drawing it.

Happy 4th of July! Remember, after tomorrow all those fireworks will be on sale.

Rockin' Kid

2009-06-29T10:05:00.001-07:00

There's a lot going on at my desk right now - for starters, I just finished up a portrait of an 18-month old rock star yesterday:

Yes, sometimes I do take breaks from drawing dark stuff. I have another new large-scale project going on that I can't talk about (strict NDA) but it's fun so far. Also continuing to hack away at character design for a book...

We just got word at the design office that we're absorbing the 5 designers from our satellite office, and I think this is a good thing.

ImagineFX Magazine #46 - coming next week!

2009-06-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Tune in next week for IFX #46, and check out my "grunge" workshop! I've even put some DVD assets out there for everyone to share. The whole issue has "gone goth," so I think I might make a pot of ultra-black coffee and puff on a clove while enjoying this issue...

Read Beren's post, via the iFX forums

Speaking of grunge, I took some great photographs of my father-in-law's house last weekend. It's reminiscent of what I imagine a nuclear test site would look like after 30 years of nature taking over. No doubt some of those textures will be showing up in new artwork.

ArtOrder Vampires Challenge

2009-06-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't normally work in pure black & white, but that was the nature of the "Vampire Challenge" recently posted on ArtOrder. It's been a while since I've participated in a short-term challenge, too. And winning isn't everything; I entered more for my own edification and practice. I'm looking forward to seeing the other artists' renditions. Enjoy.

3-hour character sketch

2009-06-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Another work in progress. My husband has been dying to see me create a character with a robot arm for years. This one's for you, baby.

Doors Opening, in progress

2009-06-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite part of designing characters is introducing them to their environment. In this case, we have a samurai-sword wielding ultramodern schoolgirl mercenary. Normally I wouldn't show a character from the back, but who can resist looking at a metro train as it whizzes past? She's probably too cool to look you straight in the eye anyway (unless she's threatening your life).

Characters are one thing, environment is another. What kind of town would spawn this girl?

Still got some work to do, but it's coming along.

Via David Palumbo's blog...

2009-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Via David Palumbo's blog, RECENT PAINTINGS AND SKETCHES BY DAVID PALUMBO, I've just preordered a copy of his new ltd edition book, QUICKIE: 58 Erotic Portraits. I've been a huge fan of his fantasy work for a while, and this showcase of his figure paintings and studies is sure to be maximum eye candy.

Meanwhile, on my desk, I'm doing character studies in between work on other paintings. Why? Because I'm hoping to try out for some concept work soon, and the dearth of legitimate character concept art in my portfolio has become a large gaping hole in the center of my field of vision.

Here's a cellphone snap from my doodling of a gal in a decrepit underground tunnel from yesterday:

What you can't see is the sword she's wielding. Yes, sometimes it's ok to wallow in clichés (or iconic images, depending how you see it). Especially when you've been obsessively playing Fallout 3 for weeks, and all you can think about is how sweet it would be to walk around the post-apocalyptic DC metro system with a FLAMING SWORD. What was all that about erotica...?

2D Artist Magazine #41

2009-06-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late on this one, but Half Her Heart's Duet is available at higher-than-normal resolution in the Gallery section of 2D Artist Magazine's May issue! There's some awesome artwork and content in this e-zine. I particularly enjoyed Ivan Kashubo's sketchbook, and the speedpainting article...

You can purchase the mag through the 2dartistmag.com website, or download a free "lite" version as a .zip file.

Donato's

2009-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

About two years ago, Dan Dos Santos invited me to a party in Brooklyn at Donato Giancola's house. It was an experience that changed my life, not just in terms of networking with veterans of the fantasy/sci-fi illustration field, but because when I walked in that door, I didn't know I wanted to be an illustrator yet, and walking out I was certain that's what I wanted to do. I'd admired a lot of these guys since I was a teenager, but my artistic plans had been all over the map. Until I discovered there really IS a group of people out there who are like me, and they showed me what I needed to do.

Last week I got an email from Scott Grimando about this year's gathering, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

It was great to reconnect with folks I hadn't seen in a while - Kristina Carroll (www.kristinacarrollart.com) is an awesome up-and-coming illustrator and total sweetheart. Also Zelda Devon and Kurt Huggins (www.teeteringbulb.com) who I met at Illuxcon last year. I also got a chance to meet some new folks like Ruth Kim (www.ruthkim.com) and Robert Brown (www.bobbrownart.com). All great stuff worth checking out!

One of the highlights of the evening was having a conversation with Gregory Manchess about his current re-working of an illustration featuring a certain famous (or infamous?) pirate.

So in conclusion, it was another awesome night. And totally worth braving bus travel. It also made me realize how far I've come in 2 years. I'm hoping I can keep up that pace in the next two.

W.T. Woodson Alumni Art Show - June 2

2009-05-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yep, next week I'm showing work at my high school's Alumni Show. According to one of the art teachers, I'll be the oldest one showing. Ack! If you're a Woodson grad or just want to come for the heck of it there will probably be free food, and the new art wing they built is a friggin huge and amazing sight to behold.

Art Remixes

2009-05-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

(Click to enlarge)

I just had to redo the mer-people! I got a lot of good critique on the original version of this piece, and decided to act on it. Honestly the original was done as figure practice— not sure why I took it seriously enough to ever post it anywhere, but by putting the mer-folk in a new context I think I really made this work. I've gotten even more good input on this in the cgsociety.org and conceptart.org crit forums since yesterday, which I'll carry on into my next onslaught of work.

Also last week I reworked the 2007 painting Shall we Count His Rings?):

(Click to enlarge)

Digital Art lecture & demo at WT Woodson High

2009-05-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I got a great opportunity to visit the digital art/animation/AP portfolio prep classes at WT Woodson (my old high school) and give a slide presentation and digital painting demo to the students.

The first part of the lecture was focused on how I got started; My teacher, Donna, even had some [embarrassing] examples of digital artwork I did when I was in her classes for effect. Then I talked about some of my methods, and about the business side of it all. We're business card-carrying members of society too! Tell your parents we're like lawyers and executives, only way more fun.

I think the demo was much more interesting. I let the students pick the subject and they said "people!" so I borrowed one of the students.

This is the 10 minute portrait doodle that ensued:

Meanwhile, I've got all my tips turned in for an upcoming Imagine FX article, along with my bio, headshot, 5 pieces of recent work. Their latest issue is on the gaming industry, and I have a business card in my pocket which Donna gave me for the game studio EA/Mythic. It's down the street from our apartment. I'm thinking of calling them and scheduling a review or something, if they're interested in working with contract artists.

I've got to draw line art for a "Professor Gizmo" today at the office, who I imagine is a steampunk wizard chemist guy. We'll see what the client actually says.

And lastly, here are some macros of me reaching for my coffee mug during the school presentation, courtesy of Livejournal user oldsmobile_mike.

Publihed/Unpublished

2009-04-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I'll start with the bum news.
-My inclination about Spectrum this year was correct - I didn't make it in. But I'm not at all surprised by that. I wasn't really feeling like the work I submitted from '08 was on par with what I could have accomplished, or what came immediately after the deadline. So, I will try again this year. Won't hear about Exotique until June or July. It would be nice to get into just one book this year.

-------
Now, on to the awesome stuff!
-First, I just got an email from ImagineFX (best fantasy/digital arts magazine ever) asking me to contribute some work & artist tips. I'm extremely excited about this!

-Also, on May 4th I'm taking a blast into the past— I'm going back to my high school to talk to my old art teacher's AP Studio & Digital Arts classes. Has it really been 8 years since I graduated? There's a lot I want to talk about. I love inspiring young artists, as hard as it can be to reach them sometimes.

-And speaking of high school, I've been invited to participate in WT Woodson's first annual Alumni Art Show in their new Gallery wing. Kids these days don't know how good they've got it; gone are the days of two stuffy art rooms competing for space in the chorus & band hall.

-Last week I was asked to submit a "Making of" tutorial for the latest piece to It's Art Magazine, which I did, and they're including me in their upcoming Masters Edition.

So all in all things are going smoothly with exposure at the moment. I need to get back to the drawing board, though.

Daily Deviation

2009-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Half Her Heart's Duet has also just received a Daily Deviation on deviantart.com. Woo hoo!

2009-04-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

In addition to a Choice Award on cgsociety.org, Half Her Heart's Duet is also a front page feature for the next week on It's Art Magazine and they're going to have a tutorial for it I'm creating available online. :) I'm really excited about all the fervor this one's generating; it feels like a few very important doors have been opened in terms of artistic exposure.

I didn't realize until I physically wrote out my to-do list just how much I have on my plate right now, so it was good to spend some downtime last night sketching out thumbnails for new projects.

CG Choice Award

2009-04-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

My newest piece Half Her Heart's Duet won a CG Choice Award late last night! I'm absolutely thrilled, and very grateful for all the positive response.

Shortly after that news, I received a very nice note from Paul Hellard (from Ballistic Media) encouraging me to submit this piece to their book, Exotique, which focuses on digital character art. Aside from the story, the thought of creating something better for a Ballistic publication was A HUGE part of what drove me to do this piece, especially after hearing I'd missed the boat on Exposé 7 last week. When you fall off the horse, you get back on, right?

I think this is all a good sign...

Half Her Heart's Duet

2009-03-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

There's so much I could say about this piece. I'm really satisfied by it. I feel like in the end there's a rich story that comes through, and makes me want to see more of what's beyond the fence.

My husband was responsible for some of the symbolism, like the burning sheet music, and the shape of the instrument - he saw what I was working on at the start when it was just a lass and an amorphous instrument, and I was kinda stuck on where it was going and asking around for ideas. He sent me an excited email detailing the life and times of our red-haired protagonist, and some of the imagery really stood out for me - "...she's an only child, no older brother to take over the farm when her dad dies, or to keep the family name. She's been trying to adapt for so long, and in this moment she's wandered off to have a moment to herself, in her nice dress instead of her daily farm clothes." I changed some things around, then he'd make new suggestions, and in terms of idea exchange it was a really fun process.

Technically I think this one is worth a look, too. I took much longer to consider certain elements than I normally do, and I switched up references a couple times. For example, the hands I originally had drawn in looked too stiff to be holding an instrument properly, so I had to change that. I'm really trying to get better about making decisions like that that benefit the final image, especially because when you work with photo references there tends to be an instinct to let the photo dictate what ends up in the final piece.

[link to wallpaper/close-up]

Enjoy!

Exposé 7 - the Verdict

2009-03-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

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Well, even though One For The Past made it to the final round of judging, I got the word today that it won't be appearing in the book.

Back to the drawing board.

Escapism

2009-03-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

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A continuation of my Trial by Water series.

Detail 1

Detail 2

OZ Collectible Card Game update

2009-02-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

Orion's Bell sent out a letter to the artists today letting us know the project is on hold indefinitely for budget reasons.

Damn.

Exposé 7

2009-02-01T10:13:00.000-08:00

I decided to submit a couple of my newest pieces to Exposé 7, which is a lot like Spectrum but entirely digital art. I'm kicking myself for finishing Hollow Where We Wandered AFTER the Spectrum deadline - it kills me to think that I have to wait another year for that chance with it, but I also trust that I can make some even better work in the interim. I'm feeling pretty inspired right now, maybe even a little on the crazy side.

Hollow Where We Wandered

2009-01-31T22:37:00.000-08:00

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Back Story: There's this place that's magical; it doesn't matter what your particular experience may have been there, but to the folks who felt it at one point or another it was undeniable. When I heard it might be (or was) getting bulldozed for construction, I had a vivid and very emotional nightmare about it. It was like watching someone's heart beating slower and slower, the pulse of the ground and the trees and the blue flowers slowly dying off. Hollowed.

I went back there last year because I had to know if it was true, and while I'm still told that a portion of the woods was cut down, the place that was closest to my heart and strongest in my memory was alive and well. Still, the thought of that being gone -permanently gone- is devastating.

I guess the moral is to beware of taking for granted that what you love will always be there.

Illuxcon 2 Video Trailer

2009-01-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

I am SO going again next year, and will actually make it a point to stay the whole 4 days, instead of the abbreviated 'hey I have to go to work on Friday and leave from there because I don't have any paid leave left' malarkey.

Digital Canvas Printing-on-demand

2009-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

In preparation for SheVaCon 17in February, I ordered my first gallery-wrapped canvas giclée print for the show, via uprinting.com. The ink quality and canvas quality are both ok; I'm a bit concerned about some banding in the midtones (especially the red) but I think it could be that the particular piece was highly saturated. I'm just about to order two more that are less so.

One For The Past

2009-01-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Download as 1280 x 1024 Desktop Wallpaper

Download as 1600 x 1200 Desktop Wallpaper

A Palace Affair - finished

2009-01-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

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A Palace Affair - work in progress

2008-12-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Work-in-progress photos of the latest in my studio: Yes, real paint! A slight change from the usual.

Illuxcon 2008

2008-11-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

I had an absolutely incredible weekend.

Me and Scott Grimando @ his table

Got to say a very quick hello to Boris & Julie

Dave Seeley's table - awesome dude, awesome art.

View of the exhibition from upstairs

View more pics from IlluXcon '08 in my MySpace Gallery