Feature in Illustrators Quarterly issue #10

I recently received contributor copies of Illustrators Quarterly spring 2015 issue, which includes a 21-page feature about me & my art.

I'm still surprised I had enough art to fill that many pages (have I been at this for that long??). The chosen images range from 2009-2015, which was a little scary to think about publishing all together since I believe my work has changed drastically over that time, but editor Peter Richardson and his team did a good job presenting it as a cohesive whole.

Here's a peek at a couple of the interior spreads:

I was also interviewed by writer Jennifer Gori about my work, life as an artist, and some of my plans for the future. It's a great pleasure to be a part of such a lovely magazine.

Copies are available online here, and via subscription: http://illustratorsquarterly.com/art/Issue-10.html

"Karen Memory" | Tor.com Book Cover Reveal!

"Karen Memory" | Digital painting, 2014
Cover for novel by Elizabeth Bear
Art director: Irene Gallo

It's with immense pleasure that I get to show you my latest illustration: the cover artwork for Elizabeth Bear's novel Karen Memory, published by Tor Books. This was actually my second time working with the inimitable and talented Irene Gallo. I don't know if she knew how badly I've wanted professional excuses to paint Steampunk-oriented stuff, but let's just say this was one of those dream jobs you spend years hoping for.

See the official post via Tor.com

Prints available in my INPRNT store: http://www.inprnt.com/gallery/sheppardarts/karen-memory/

"Athena" cover for ImagineFX Magazine, issue #110

I'm honored that I get so many amazing opportunities in the illustration world, and this is no exception. Some of you who follow my work know that I've been creating workshops and tutorials for ImagineFX Magazine since 2009 (June 2009, to be exact). Here we are exactly five years later, and I get to show you my very first COVER for the illustrious publication!


ImagineFX Issue #110 "Athena" Cover

The subject was Athena for their Myths & Legends issue- the magazine features a step-by-step workshop on the process of creating the image. No spoilers here... go buy the issue! You can also see the full painting without the text on my portfolio website.


Proud moment when my copy arrived in the mail today! via Instagram

Mirror Maze Cover

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.

Aaron Sikstrom in DPI Magazine

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

Spectrum 17

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.

January in review

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.

Exotique 5 & Getting back in the saddle...

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.

ImagineFX Magazine #46 - coming next week!

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.

2D Artist Magazine #41

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.

Publihed/Unpublished

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.

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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

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

New Painting Featured in It's Art Magazine

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

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...

Exposé 7 - the Verdict

(click to enlarge)

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.

OZ Collectible Card Game update

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

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.