Star Wars, Dragons, Books, Site Update, Oh My!

I look back and see my last update here was 2 years ago…Something that needs remedying. I suppose that’s the mark of a busy person, but it can also seem lazy or that there is something wrong if you vanish from social media as well. None of these are the case! I’ve actually been deep into project work and staying focused on that for most of the year, doing what I consider the best work I’ve produced to date and on properties and subjects I consider bucket list. I will be posting here more regularly though, and have a big site update I’ve made and will be making soon, adding new sections of artwork, once released.

A few notable projects that have been wrapping up or are ongoing: Star Wars original art set cards for Topps! Here are a few of my favorites with more to come!

Another project dear to my heart is the Naomi Novik Temeraire omnibuses for Grim Oak Press! The first of 3 have been completed and work is underway on the second and third volumes comprising 9 books total. I’ll be doing covers and interiors on all 3, and here’s a peek at some of the first in the series I’m incredibly proud of:

Much more to come, but keep an eye out as a big site update is underway, with a lot of new art to share along with news on upcoming books!

All Topps Star Wars © & ™ 2022 Lucasfilm ltd.

Art Book and Tuskers

In May, 2 books, Tuskers and Daily Sketches 1 will be available! I spent most of last year working on Tuskers, the 144 page graphic novel that shines a light on elephant poaching in the South Sudan. The book is a thrilling story set in present day Africa, written by New Amsterdam writer Marc Gaffen and Javier Barrios. The hardcover graphic novel can be purchased here and begins shipping in June.

Shipping the end of May, is my 200 page hardcover art book, Daily Sketches 1, This comprises some of my favorite daily warmups over the last 4 years presented in a 1:1 format, The book is 8x8 and weighs 2lbs! You can order it here and there are two remarque sketched versions available as well.

Both should be available at upcoming conventions this year.

Remarquable

This holiday season has been crazy busy since convention season ended. The bulk of my time has been spent doing remarques in our children’s book Mr. Trunk Builds A Wall, and finishing commissions still on my list (my goal is to have my list clear by January 5th in case you are one waiting on a piece.) Remarques have become something I really enjoy. It provides a stream of conscience 15-20 minute sketch of something personal and individual, and makes a book more important to the receiver. My partner in crime on the book, Heather Bay, has been including really smart quotes and personal messages when she signs the books, and my sketches often accompany her words. below are a few select favorites from the 240 or so I’ve done over the last 3 months.

You can pick up a remarqued copy of the book via my store link above using the drop down.

A Day In the Life 2: Creativity

This is going to be one of those posts that's primarily for other artists and aspiring artists. Being a creative and staying creative are two vastly different things. In this part I kind of mention some of the stuff I address on a daily basis that play to an artist's creativity.

Part 2: Creativity

An artist of my type, (Illustration/Comics/Concept), typically has to wear a few different hats and each hat has an impact on creativity - positive and negative. For myself I find keeping an artistic mantra or an artist statement of a sorts in mind at all times, is critical to staying creative. I find whenever I have deviated from this, I see periods of lapsed creativity.

Some influences on creativity:

Stagnation - In my opinion, the number one killer of creativity. No one likes doing the same thing over and over - especially when it comes to art. We are just not copy machines, and replicating something like a copier is akin to pouring a bucket of water on the creative spark. If you find yourself drawing the same thing over and over, stop. Make a change. I have quit jobs and changed careers because of this. 

Overcommitting - With an almost 3yr old son, I've learned I just can't commit to the number of things I used to be able to (though it's getting better as he gets older). Still, this is one I run into from time to time. I do my very best to say no to projects when I think the work may suffer due to previous commitments, and to know my limitations.

Environment  - This can play a big role. I find stagnation of environment to be kind of stifling and I try to change up my environment when I feel like I'm trying too hard to be creative. I play a sort of ping pong between crowded places (like coffee shops), with bustling people moving around me, and my solitary studio with little to no noise. For some folks the state of the environment is an issue - cluttered vs orderly. I've found this really depends on the artist though, as I've seen some amazing stuff come from the most cluttered, messy places of work.

Deadlines - Deadlines and juggling projects tend to impact the time one can spend on anything, and as an artist, keeping clients apprised of your schedule helps immensely. Some timelines and project types warrant that creativity is sacrificed to a certain degree for speed. In other situations personal schedules, children, travel, and other items can both hurt and aid in creativity, and a lot of this is due to mindset. Staying creative in any situation can be tough.

Stress - How an artist handles stress is kind of unique to each person. I've seen some artists do their very best work under incredible pressure, and others fall apart completely. How each artist handles stress is key in how creative they can be during these times. This can be both mental and physical. I know I push myself physically to meet deadlines

Collaborators - In many (most) projects artists work with others in various capacities. Sometimes they are co-artists with others (authors, colorists, inkers, etc), and other times there are collaborators who oversee their work (editors, publishers, ADs, CDs, etc.) Over the years I've seen good and bad relationships in regard to creativity, and probably the best take away I can offer, is to find and nurture good people to work with - those that want to bring out your best work. In many ways artists must put their trust in the collaborators to steer the work to being as fantastic as it can be, just as collaborators trust artists to take their feedback and bring their A-game.

Muses - These don't necessarily have to be people. They can be pets, other artists (though I caution against this), places, emotions - so many different things. I've had them all at one time or another, and I find they come and go quite often. Ride them while you can, but it's risky for professional artists to depend on these. We can't wait for inspiration, and have to be able to draw on ideas and concepts without a lot of notice. For myself, life experience beats a muse.

Social Media - We all need this in this ultra-connected world, but it can be both a blessing and a curse if an artist doesn't understand how to manage the use of the various networks. I could write a whole book about this section alone and it's impact on creativity, but the short and skinny - a best practice is to limit one's time on these. Some pitfalls: Internet rabbit holes when searching for reference material, getting lost in another artist's work, and it's easy to have one's ego get the better of them with works receiving thousands of likes. I've seen many an artist stagnate at a taste of web-fame. On the blessing side: I've found and discovered many of my favorite and most inspiring items randomly through social media; Perspectives and techniques I'd never thought of that I could apply to my own work. Again though - moderation. It's easy to loose an art day online.

Routines - Some artists have specific routines to help combat creativity breakdown. For others, a routine becomes part of the problem. For me, I have a couple of general rules I go by each day, and in some cases each month to ensure my creativity doesn't falter. Some of mine include:

• travel (I do this at least once a month)
• draw something for me every day. (this sometimes gets put aside to draw something for my son)
• if I ever get the "I've drawn this before" vibe, redo it.
• take a break and go outside every couple hours. (good for fitness sake as well)
• make time for family, even if it means staying up late to art later.
• share what you do to aid creativity with other artists

What sort of challenges do you all have to your creative sides? What are some of the positive influences to your creativity on a day-to-day basis? Nurture those pluses and keep moving forward :)

Holiday Commissions!

My commission slots have been closed for some time, but I've opened 10 slots for Holiday originals, if folks want to give the gift of original art. I have made a number readily available via my shop link. If interested in something larger, please contact me directly to set something up. All art requested as a holiday piece, is guaranteed delivery before Dec 15th.

I also offer "Commission Cards". These are pre-paid original art pieces that may be given as gifts; the art to be discussed and requested by the bearer of the card. These should be available for sale in the shop on Monday 10/23/2017. 

A Day In the Life 1: Time

Illustration, be it sequential comic art, covers, concept work, etc. is a tough business to make a living at. I just finished my taxes and came up with some interesting numbers for the year. I'm a self-employed guy with a young son, lady, pets, and a home we own. Making ends meet is not necessarily a struggle for us, as it's an exercise in time management and juggling. My incredibly kind colleagues and art pals comment at my speed and the truth is, I cringe at how slow I think I am at times. I tend to work insanely late hours lately, though this fluctuates when needs must. I also juggle multiple projects and commissions in a delicate balance. Three Days a week I don't work; I'm a stay-at-home dad to my 2 yr old son. All of this (and taxes) got me to thinking it may be interesting to break down what it is to be an artist of my type in a few parts. Note that these are meant to just be a glimpse into things people don't really thin about when they think of art - The making of the sausage, so-to-speak. And I am super happy with my life. Sure there are times of struggle, but that's all part of life. 

Part 1: Time

Time is a friend to no one. There's Just never enough. Below is an average breakdown of my usual workday. On the good days I grab something legitimate for lunch, or have dinner with the lady and son without bringing something to work on or plan out to the table. Multi-tasking, I hear, is a bad thing, but on my best days I tend to juggle and manage 4 or 5 pieces at a time. The typical work day is below - note that I didn't get to eat lunch. I've learned to make it a point to have breakfast at the very least and snack when you can through the day as healthy as possible. 

Note: Time such as writing blog's like this, scanning, packaging and mailing artwork to commissioners, purchasing supplies, registering/applying for conventions, etc is not listed at all but are all tasks I tend to manage semi-daily.

Conventions are even worse when it comes to time. During the large conventions I tend to wake up around 6 or 7am, and begin to work on commissions on my list for that day. Generally I need to be at the convention around 10am, though I usually need about 30 minutes to setup and get water for watercolors, as well as stock up on drinks and snack foods. I will likely not eat until 8 or 9 PM, so I do my best to get a big breakfast each day of the con. It really is the most important meal of the day. Throughout the convention day, I will be talking to table visitors, signing autographs on work I've done that they've brought with them, or signing and selling prints and sketchbooks as well as originals. On top of that I am setting up convention sketches and any tie I am not talking to someone, (and even when I am), I am drawing and painting sketches folks have already set up with me. In the evenings at conventions, after dinner, there is really important shmooze time that is required. It's part of every industry, but there is a necessary 2 or so hours of drinks and talking to editors, writers, and fellow artists. It's where everything from industry news to potential projects are discussed. After this, I tend to head back to work on easier convention sketches (the trickier ones are best done sans alcohol). I usually crash around 3 most con nights and begin it all over again the next day for 3 days straight.

On my non-work days I tend to work from the hours of 10pm-3am as I usually have one or two projects to catch up on or a commission I need to finish up.

Preliminary Layouts

For my 12x16 or larger pieces, I tend to do at least a couple of layouts prior to committing to the actual paper. For all cover and sequential work, layouts are critical, and it just makes sense to carry the practice over to commission work. In the layout phase, things like composition, lighting, juxtaposition, sight lines, etc can be easily figured out before getting into the weeds of a piece. A piece can become very flawed if these things aren't worked out ahead of time - and on even a thumbnail size image. Take the two images above; Each in my opinion has merit and often if I like both pieces, I give the choice of which to take to final to the client or commissioner. It gives them a chance to be part of the process, and makes the piece that much more personal to them.

Sometimes the client doesn't choose the one you expect, so make sure you enjoy both layouts if you give them the option. This Gotham by Gaslight Batman was the one the client didn't choose. It also helps to explain the layouts sometimes - to clarify if your layouts are extremely loose. I do this often with my layouts for comic work in particular. See below my layouts for an issue of Lovercraft:

You'll notice aside from just notes, I have color coding to make things easier to read quickly and understand who is talking to who. My comics layouts tend to be very loose and quick as I do an entire comic's layouts in a day or two, and when you get into a rythmn pf working with a particular writer it becomes easier to understand what's being conveyed. These layouts are about 2.5x4 roughly. Also notice my little overhead layout scribbling to the left of page 4. Stuff like that is how I work out character movements in an environment.

Watercolor and Texture

One of the reasons I love working with watercolor is the variety of techniques for creating textures. The above image is a collaborative piece I've been working on with one of my talented friends and artist, Nen. This is after a couple of rough salt texture passes which we're using as a base to build on with watercolor, gouache, and some acrylic. 

alt has some interesting properties and through some experimentation I've found different salt types to affect watercolor washes differently. For the above image, a mixture of 3 or 4 salt types was used with a heavy amount of water in the color washes. Once it set, the heavy salt was scraped away and another wash was put down with a lighter salt wash this time. The resulting layered texture will form detail elements for veiny wing membranes, and hard scale textures. 

For my spacescapes I also use a base salt texture. See the below WIP:

Another useful tool is a stiff brush or squirt bottle. Spraying pure water on a darkened wash, or a watery oily mixture, even a color can also add a resist effect where droplets fall - great for glows around stars.

​Other textures can be easily created without the use of anything but color, water, and brushes. One technique I like to use, is a long thin lining brush and rolling the brush on it's side at an extreme angle to create a flame effect.  The long brush fans out with color and contracts as you pull it laying color down organically.

The same technique but with a broader brush can be used for swirling clouds. For larger fluffier clouds it's. eat to start with a wet paper and lightly dab color in areas. The bleeds can be brushed out and blended as you go creating a smoother cloud gradient. 

Weapons of Choice

Pens/Inks: There are a few others but these are my go-tos and what I travel with. @kuretakejapan no 40 x2 (I keep one that is running out of ink slightly for dry brushing texture.) various pencils, gold and silver @sakuraofamerica pens for signing prints, @sakuraofamericamicrons for line work - I keep a brown set for red hair and skin tone outlines,@uniball_pen signo white pens,@pentelofamerica pocket brushes, carbon platinum ink for the Kuretake pens, and @finetec golds.

Watercolor and Gouache:  primarily M.Graham brand. I've tried others and use one or two pigments from other brands - Daniel Smith and Qor in particular have some unique colors and high pigment content, but I like the feel, lightfastness, and pigment content of M.Graham. They bind their paints in the traditional way using honey, causing their paints to always appear tacky and slightly wet and requires little to no rewetting. I have close to every color but piece to piece I tend to only use 1/3-1/2 of the colors - sometimes less sometimes more. I also make individual limited palettes for larger projects.

Paper: arches watercolor sealed blocks hot press (pink blocks) 140lb 100% cotton. I use sizes 9x12, 12x16, 14x20, and 18x24, though I also use larger sheets for big work that is typically on the 300lb hot press paper and from time to time I use Fabriano hot press paper as well. Both are the best possible brands in my opinion and both give slightly different broad spectrum wash textures. I very rarely use the cold press or rougher texture paper because it's tough to do ink work on.