MOVING DAY

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

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

Thoughts On Creative Burnout

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

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.

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.

Getting it Together

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?"

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

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

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.

Painting in progress for Beautiful Grim

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.