No need for sticks and torches!

Hi guys! Sorry for the interlude. I was caught between dayli life work and exhausting tryings to understand the blog tool. I have been working a a lot after the IOTF event. A few contests submissions and a whole new sculpture (I will include a few pics if I find how).
Here the submission for the warcraft Blizzard contests (thanks Mike for the info)
Also I had my first signing event last saturday. It was kind of slow but it was fun. Before this signing event I e-mailed to Ron, Val and Steve (our new mentors ;) and Val asked me if I can foward some advices from the info she gave me bout signing events.. so she said: "When our childrens' books came out, our signings were all different. Some did not advertise, and only a few people showed up. Some put us at a table, in the back corner in the dark - so to speak. But most were just nice folks, trying to earn a living with their love of running a book store. They want to share and sell books. Even a few the chains, had people who love what they're doing. So here is where you come in. Call the store and tell them you have a signing on (date ) and you have some questions. Ron reminded me : Tell them you would like to sell some Prints, and ask "What percentage do you take ". Also, tell them what Gallery you are in currently, and you would like to bring a sculpture. The more information you can give them - is useful for their advertising, A bookstore may give you a 4x4 or a 4x 8 table. Depending on space, just ask. You are making their jobs easier by asking, if you want to bring a few scuptures, that adds to their landscape. Be respectful though, and I know you are. In answer to what to bring, Bring your business cards, notebook, sketchbook, and on your first and every time, a support friend. The support friend, makes it easier the first time After that, it's just fun, because you have had that experience, and then you can say to each other, "Well,-- That Happened " Have a wonderful time at your signing ! Send me a post on your impressions. "---Val
Ah! and this is the sculpture i started after the workshops. It is made of clay and measures 7" tall aprox.

In these pictures it's unfinished so i will post the finished ones shorly.So don't you think guys that I was dealing businesses with the FL gators, gatorade creators like Nathan said (very clever indeed). everyone Take care, i will post more later...

Hope you're not sick of character designs...

I hate to post next to Mel, becuase mine are not meant to be realistic or well-proportioned, but rather cartoony and warped. These are some preliminary sketches of a few new characters for my book. They're still too detailed for use as is. The goal here is just to establish different faces-- it should look like a variety of ages, sizes, races. My book is comprised of many short comics loosely connected, and each character has his/her own story, ranging anywhere from 1-15 pages.

The weather is chilly in the book, which is why some of the girls are wearing scarves. Also, it's long been fashionable for Halifax hipster girls to wear scarves practically year-round. All of the faces are based on people I saw on the bus-- except you should see one familiar face in there. That's me at the top, I'm a minor character. I didn't want to draw myself too flattering, but my roommate rejected my initial sketches of myself, saying they were too ugly. Actually, what she said was, "You look like you just escaped from Dachau and you're jonesing for some heroin." Ha.

Intahview

Well, I got home yesterday and there was an email from my ma saying Galaxy had tried to call. I talked with Louie, our English accented camera guy, and Mr. Goodwin, on the payphone outside my apartment. They actually have a toll-free number, but that was balanced out every time a semi or a bus blew by and drowned out their drilling of interview questions.
The guy who interviewed me was pretty cool; he's an anchor named Evan Onstot and he does human interest stories every week. Naturally one his first questions was "So he's the Scientology guy?" Goodwin had prepared me for such questions, so I riposted with mention of Hubbard's romances and westerns! Touche'!
They're gonna try and set me up with some more interviews, but I know I looked like a toal skank after riding to campus on my bike in wind and a smattering rain. I'll settle for a book signing, I think. I really hope I can get a copy of the tape and stuff.
By the by, is anyone getting sound on their DVDs? If there's something wrong with minei'd like to know. So I can raise hell or something. I just can't remember what's being said in the clips.
I also have a Livejournal now, under the name Droemar, for all those interested. I'll be posting my big journal coverage and pictures of the Illustrators week in due course, in addition to Daemon Soul work. But Blake Hutchins kicked my short story in the nads, so it's undergoing a feverish rewrite.
We also need to hurt some of our Illustrator pals. Like James and Alex, for not posting at all, ever. Pitchforks and torches, anyone?

Press Kits

I got my press kit last night! While it didn't include the 12 free books, I suspect they're coming soon. The high point of the kit was the video footage with interview segments and video to give news stations (I'd imagine). I gotta say, I've never seen myself talking on video and it was a little disconcerting to see how I look when I talk. Also, I think it's time to start working out again! The still-picture CD was nice, but I was hoping for more shots. Oh, well. Anyways, post yar own comments when ya gets yar kits!

Be well, John Spartan.

Something New

Ok people. Here is a piece I have started since the infamous workshop. It's for a contest on ConceptArt.org. Basically, a bunch of girls got together and decided to publish a calender with pin-up images. Ironic, no? It just goes to show that chicks can draw chicks, too. I'm having fun with it and combined with my new powers of motivation I feel that I can procrastinate long enough to share this with you.

This is the graphite transfer with the beginning stages of the watercolor underpainting. Once I get all the color lightly blocked in, I will add darker values and then finish off the details with colored pencils. I'm working on hot-pressed watercolor paper on a block (which means the paper is gummed together along the edges to prevent buckling). I'll be sure to update as I move along.

The Executioner's Widow and Recent Sketches

This is an idea that I thought might have merit as a character, but I've been resisting the urge to develop a story around her in order to keep the design more....free. Clearly the stockiest woman I've ever drawn, but I wanted her to look like she could actually swing that sword with some efficiency.



Okay, the rest of these are just sketches I've been working on of comic characters and male musculature so Becky has something to oggle whilst I work.







I've also been trying to figure out some kind of mixed media thing combining colored pencil and acrylic/watercolor/marker, which is driving me nucking futs. Anyways, hope the rest of you are having as much fun as I am right now. Latah!

Nate

Tamara twisted my arm

Tamara told me I had to post some new art or she would mock my short story Tapestry without even reading it. Also, apparantly I was a complete ditzand din't attach the file tobig email I sent everyone. Sheesh ...



This is the first official illustration for my novel Daemonfire. He will be a chapter header, but right now he's a wallpaper. Enjoy.

My arm hurts.

what's the ugliest part of your body?

Alright, you people officially need to post more often :D I know you guys are working on stuff out there! But it's understandable if life is getting in the way, I'm just, hmm, impatient? I hope everyone is doing alright, then. Same old? Any news?

I suppose I'll throw something up here then.




These profiles of a handful of my personal characters have been causing me a great deal of insecurity lately. Curse you faces!

In addition, I have a painting in progress and also you can poke at my personal sketchblog that I post various things on, including some of the pictures from our trip!

The house project

Got a commission from this guy I used to work with before the event. He wanted an illustration done of his house and sent me a bunch of reference shots to do it. Not the most fun project but what the heck--at least I got to play around with a few things like leaves and shadows. 25+ hours later and here it is. Actual size is approx. 15" x 9", larger than what I usually do and I wanted to kill myself halfway through.

Kat's Tutorial WIPs

Kat has a Painter tablet tutorial that I thought I'd try outsince I'm scared to color anything that is not a line that has gone through a vector program. Here's the general first steps.





Here's the intermediate ones, although I'm not really sure when this is going to befinished. I'm doing some directional coloring, which I rarely do.



















Here's a jump. Metuo always looks different with his stars on. This actually really jumped up and ran away with me; I've never been so pleased with anything I've done 100% tablet before! This is gonna be a wallpaper. Woohoo!

DS Comp Sketch

This is probably the next thing I'm going to tackle since it turned out so well in sketch mode. As far as composition, I though, who better to crit it before I start in earnest? I figure it'll make a good splash page or wallpaper for the someday website.
Also, I'm doing a quick rewrite of Tapestry based on the feedback I got from my first reader, but I will send it out to everyone.

More wacky dream doodles

So, I had this crazy dream on Tuesday night, and I did some little sketches of it. I dreamed that I was being imprisoned in Laos for making incendiary comics. The queen of Laos was a panda bear. Here I am, begging her for mercy:


Despite my pleas, I was told I would be left in prison for an undetermined amount of time. My parents, of course, were devastated that I would be held prisoner in Laos for god-knows-how-long. My captors let me phone my parents, and I tried to console my mother:


The only reason I was able to escape was because the Prince of Laos (who was not a panda, but a half-man, half-unicycle) fell in love with me and helped me escape. (He fell in love with me, but I didn't fall in love with him...I'm not THAT weird.) Thus followed a very long dream segment where we zooming through tunnels beneath the Laotian palace, trying to escape the guards:


Incidentally, when I draw "myself" in dreams, I don't always try to make it look like me. That gets boring. Although I do tend to draw tall skinny girls.

Yeah, I have really strange dreams. Last night I dreamed I was house-sitting for Mel Gibson. I discovered that he had a secret room where he was doing experiments on Transformers. I accidentally woke up Omega Supreme (I think that's his name, you know the massive one that turns into a train?) Mel had changed him from an Autobot to a Decepticon, so he was evil and started rampaging through the city. I tried to stop him--he killed me almost straight away (I'm only a puny human after all!). Then, as a ghost, I possessed Optimus Prime and drove frantically around the city trying to warn people, "RUN AWAY! OMEGA SUPREME IS COMING!!" It was fun being Optimus Prime. I'd draw this one, but...too many trademarked characters.