GoodBye to 2006!

Dear IOTF friends,

It's finally time to say good bye to the old 2006!!!...
And time to remember all the blessings of this past year. It was a privilege being sharing among people like you. Remember the afternoons of creative sharing?
Always keep that passionate spirit and amazing work guys!
I wish you all the best of good fortune in this new year 2007!

Truly yours,
Alex Y. Torres

Dragon Rose

I am properly shamed, cause I'm completely burned out on Daemonfire illustrations. I've been working on stuff for 6 months. But my next novel I'm tackling is The Dragon Rose, which I plan to do in colored pencil. I' m hoping I can alternate between medias. But who knows? I've got a few scraps of Dragon Rose concept for ya'll though. Nothing too impressive.

Just to Drive the Point Home...

Booksignings probably are the best and most efficient methon of wasting time in which one can engage one's self. I was clocking in there at one book per hour for three hours. Apart from the awkward glances and painfully polite attempts to ignore my efforts, I did receive several interesting reactions. First, after pitching my sales attempt, one older guy bluntly declined to purchase anything and quickly proceeded to mention that I was attractive. It must be how Vanna White feels, I'd imagine. I was pretty much treated by the general public as an employee of Waldenbooks. People kept asking me where the bathroom was, where they could find their favorite author, if a certain book had been released yet, and so on. When I did get an interested party, they were pretty much dumbfounded that I was actually the person doing the work and not just selling it. Wow, girls can actually have talent? I had no idea we weren't living in the 1950's rural southern-Babtist bible belt. Hot Damn!

And then, of course, there was the issue of Scientology. One guy walked in, quickly refused to purchase anything and ran into the store. Later, the manager of the store came up to me and said the guy mentioned he was affraid to speak with me because he thought I was a recruiter for Scientology. He came back and appologized for being rude, but still didn't buy anything.

The only good thing that came of the experience was that several people I know, and who like my work, just happened to be shopping that day and bought some prints. I sold 6, which was enough to make up the printing cost. So, it really wasn't a complete waste of time.

Needless to say, I'm not chomping at the bit for the next event. People simply aren't interested in a book like this on a large enough scale to make a booksigning worthwhile. Unless, of course you are in California (hi, Miguel).

Collaboration with Ozzie: Pencils

So me and Ozzie are doing a collboration. I do pencils, he does ink. I got to do a bunch of crazy monsters. Ozzie was kind enough to let me do stuff from my fantasy world of Lustra. These are servants of the Old (on the right) and New (on the left) Gods fighting at the end of the world.
I'm a tad self-conscious to post this, because my pencils are notoriously messy. (Which is why I ink, but Ozzie's ink kicks my ink's ass and gives it a swirlie-noogie and sends it home sobbing.) My scanner also tends not to like things that need to be scanned in two pieces.
Anyway, collaborations are fun cause you only hafta do half the work. And I really can't wait to see how Ozzie makes this thing pop. I just hope my blurry pencil lines don't sabatoge him.

Fun for all ages

Hey kids, sorry I've been MIA recently. I have a show coming up the first week in January and I've been painting till my fingers bleed every night trying to finish my work. You'd be surprised how well congealed blood mixes with acrylic paint. Perhaps I will start a new trend? I included a few pics I've been working on. These aren't illustrations, but I'm desperately trying to make money at ANYTHING art related. My day job is increadingly becoming more irritating. You ever get that feeling that a homicidal rampage is only one crotchety floridian away?

Remember that pin up calendar thing? I didn't get chosen for a full page space, but I did get a thumbnail space. The layout is really cool and it should be printed soon. I finished up that RPG I was working on, and I'm also illustrating a technical theater book. Both of those projects should be published next year. After the show comes Spectrum, which I sill think everyone should enter. So, I've got a full schedule, especially when having to fend of the Galaxy Press people with a nail-studed two-by-four. I know those guys mean well, but no one in my backward hillbilly town gives a flying rat's ass about fantasy/sci-fi illutrators. I'm gearing up for my first book signing this weekend. I'm not sure what to expect, but I have a feeling most people will be too confused by a book with more than two words in the title. We'll see. I'll be sure to update. I hope everyone is doing well.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering. I have the pictures from San Diego, but my camera has taken them hostage. It's demanding a ransom of cottage cheese and twinkies in ungodly amounts. Until its demonic wrath has been quelled, I must inform you fine folks that the pictures are, at the moment, inaccessable.

Further Book Signing Mayhem

Well, perhaps not so much "mayhem" as "tomfoolery." I went to a book signing on Saturday at McChord Air Force Base's BX near Tacoma, WA, and I was told to bring artwork to sell as well as books. I was thinking, hey, air force guys fresh off of payday with money to burn! Easy targets! Not so much.

Last time I was in a PX, it was more like a trading post in the Northwest Territory, but this modern BX was like a mall with a Target tacked into the middle of it. There were lots of arts 'n crafts booths set up in the mall's main strip, but where did I get set up? Inside right by the door, like I was selling candy bars or Girl Scout cookies. Not conducive to browsing an artist's wares.

I did sell 7 books, and one portrait sketch of a passerby, but all that took seven hours. Seven! Hours! And it's cold out here, man!

Anyway, if anything, this last Saturday's experience has sent me running over to the camp of "No More Book Signings, Thank You." You were right, I was naive. I appreciate everything Galaxy Press has done for me, but the whole point of this thing was to get my career going, and that isn't happening at book signings.

So, just wanted to rant a bit here, sorry.

Oh, and where are Kim and James? We may need to launch a search and rescue op.

Finally, is anyone else planning something artistic for Christmas this year? If so, what?

Laters,
Naters

The House Project--Part 2

Hey guys. Here's another house illustration I did recently on commission for a friend. After seeing the last one I did, he thought having something similar done of his house would make a nice gift. So, here it is. But don't think I've found my new niche and this is all you'll be seeing...I'll have some "original" stuff up soon.