More Concept

I'm not dithering, I swear I'm not. I have one of the full illustrations already inked and ready to go. I'm trying to prepare for when I go home for Christmas and have no Photoshop. So I'm trying to get my concept hammered out afore I go home. I have 4 more to go! These are just as crappy as the last lot, but they work very well when it comes to transferring compositional elements to the bristol I work on. As always, if any crit can be given, please do so.
Also, the next novel I'm going to start working on will require illustrations in colored pencil. Is anyone here well-versed in them? I really need any tips I can get. And what's the best kind of paper to work on?

ADHD & You

Hey all. Here's a piece I worked on at my last agency that just won an "Award of Excellence" at the 2006 RX Club Awards, a healthcare industry only show. A little background on this--we needed to create a premium item that would be left with docs to illustrate that ADHD is a genetic disorder. Using these nesting dolls, a sales rep would show that everyone in the family could be affected by this hereditary disorder (thanks Mom and Dad!). At the same time, we'd be covering the age indications of the drug--pediatrics, adults, and, new at the time, for teens. Anyway, these dolls were all hand-painted based on my illustrations and done in the branding colors of the drug. Not a bad translation from the originals. Wish I had them to show you, but they're buried somewhere at home. I know this work stuff isn't really exciting, but it's been pretty quiet on here. More stuff to come soon...keep posting!

sup illustrators?

How are you all doing? :)


I just got the wonderful news I am going to be studying illustration in Germany next semester!
I'm so excited I could vomit! :D
The best thing about German universities is that they are very self-driven and very individualistic. No real 'classes', it's all up to you to complete the work you want. It's like I hoped college always would be!

I'm glad you all seem to be doing fairly well in terms of art-business. I had a gallery show a few weeks ago and it went really well, surprisingly, for showing mostly illustrative art.

Anyway, I see that we are all here finally! Except Olga, though, who I invited and she joined, but has not posted. It's ok though. Maybe Eldar, you could help her if she wants?

Also, I made links to personal websites on the sidebar, if you can see it. If I have forgotten one for you, please comment and let me know! So we can get a series of links going!

I am not too happy about having to do book signings, though.

Anyway, I felt like I needed to remind all of you how absolutely amazing you all are, and how I still really miss you guys and whenever this place gets slow it kinda makes my chest hurt a little bit. I'm not going to let you guys get away that easily :( Keep up the awesomeness you guys, you know how amazing you really are.

Concept Crap (Literally!)

Okay, these are the first 3 extended sketches for my illustrations for Daemonfire. I'm well aware of just how crappy these are, but I hope folks will be able to get the general idea so I can get critique. I'm looking to make sure that balance and dynamic and composition all work, cause I don't want the final pieces to be completely shredded.

All of the drawings are to be vertically oriented on 11 x 17 bristol, for what that's worth. DOn't be shy!

Recent Work - For no apparent reason

It's been a while since I made a post o' me own, and I just want to throw a couple pics to show that I have indeed been working on more than just my comic! Enjoi!
(They're in-progress, by the way)




Oh, and one last thing and I apologize because I totally feel like a lackey for the Man, passing along messages like this. Sarah asked me to remind everyone that she absolutely loves to hear about our successes and jobs and accomplishments so they can boost the book/contest.

World Fantasy Con

Well, I went home for a few days to rendevous with TIm Powers at the World Fantasy Convention in Austin. 12 hour bus ride down there! (I also got to go home, veg, and relax.) Kind of a mixed bag of results.

First of all, I "ghosted", because it was like $150 just to come. No one was checking badges, tho, so I was able to get into places I technically wasn't allowed into. Lots of writers and agents and publishers there. Diane, who wrote "Shroedinger's Hummingbird", was there, and she introduced me to a lot of people. Tim Powers was very gracious, but it was pretty impossible to have uninterrupted conversation with him for more than 40 seconds.

I also kind of have a really hard time talking with strangers, and I also kind of felt like some folks were frowning a little at my sneaking it. (Sneaking is a relative termm; I walked in because I didn't know where the registration desk was at.) KD Wentworth was there, and I got scolded by Jay Lake for sitting by myself. Everyone acted like they were age old friends of high school days, when in reality they have probably spent less then a total of 10 minutes ever talking to each other. Introducing yourself to an agent or a publisher took 30 seconds, and then you moved on.

I also met HOLLY BLACK! She wrote Tithe and Valiant and The Spiderwick Chronicles. I was able to talk to her for a good 20 minutes. She's probably the top favorite author of mine right now, and to meet her made me feel like a squealing, nerdy fangirl. She asked what I was working on, and gave me her agent's name, but she looked a litlte blank when I tried to pitch Daemonfire to her. Le sigh.

It was kind of weird to get all of this pretension and false self-effacement crammed in your face. And you were surrounded by lots of folks who were reminding you how hard it is to break into print. Marketers are apprantly nuerotic, stupid people who will butcher your book with cliche and dumbing-down before it reaches the bookshelves. All I can think is someone saying "Yeah, we can't do a book with good demons; it'd just confuse people. This will never sell." And it's also hard for me to act like I had any "street cred" with one award under my belt.

For all the time I spent there, I think for all the names I got I could've spent half of it. We went to the Tor publisher's party on an upper floor, but it was so packed folks couldn't even hear themselves. I think I saw more of the industry than I think I wanted to, so I'm very relieved to scuttle back to my keyboard, where I can make reality instead of having to deal with it.

Tim Powers was very kind, and I'm sure I clung to him like a whimpering puppy. I have some names, so I'm going to try to send out Daemonfire to a few folks. I hope it was worth it to go.