Some More from Paizo

-Images © 2010 Paizo Publishing

What, another update you ask? Yes, and from the recently released Pathfinder supplement, Classic Horrors Revisited!

This was the first time I was asked to do both full characters and scenes for Paizo, and as such, holds a special place in my illustration memories. That, and this also appears to be the start of me being tasked with making sexy undead ladies in many of my art briefs. Not exactly a bad thing to be known for, but definitely challenging at times :D

This was also the first assignment I worked on coming back from SD Comic Con (and the head spinning I received there), and so I was delving into a new painting method that is still evolving and being used today. Many thanks go to Todd Lockwood for all the advise he gave and continues to give to this very moment. Really, a shining example of just how giving the artists in this industry are...

Enjoy!

*Note: the grey backgrounds do not appear in the printed versions. Oh, and it seems in a pinch I make a good reference for tomb banditry... :P

Space Marine In C Minor

I haven't done a speed paint in long while, and I figured it would be a good habit to pick back up. So, I spend 2-3 hours noodling away while listening to the sound track of The Man in the Iron Mask...

...so, of course I painted a space marine. This probably means I should consider working for GamesWorkshop. :)

Enjoy!

Christmas Samurai (elf thing) Redux

As promised, here's the "final" of the Samurai Elf. Above, is the internet sized version of the digital final for the painting that was then printed on the canvas which leads to the below...



...to the scanned version (the actual was much more saturated and detailed...sigh) of the final final. Despite what the good person at the art shop told me, I should have gotten a clear fixer to apply to the print before the paint, but alas, I didn't, and now I know better. Tricky stuff, this printable canvas.



For completeness's sake, here's a photo of the painting mounted. I swear, it took me longer to cut out and build the mounting than it did to paint the silly thing. Please forgive the fish bowling of the image. There's a good reason I didn't become a photographer... :)

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Samurai (elf thing)...

Not too much say other than this is a personal piece I'm working on at the moment. I'll be printing this on canvas later and finishing it with paint (a technique I've recently become acquainted with.)

Happy Holidays!

Painting with Dirt...

What, another update so soon!?! Yes, folks, it is, and one in actual physical get-messy paints to boot!

Anyhoo, found myself doing a quick floral study the other day, and felt like sharing. I came away with two paramount realizations: 1). Acrylics are not my strong suit, and 2). Real paints require drying time...

Thanks!

What Lies in Dust...

© 2009 Paizo Publishing

Hey all. First and always (it seems) I need to apologize for the appalling lack of updates, and I hope greatly rectify that in the near future (fingers crossed). Recently, Paizo Publishing has released one of their newest adventure paths (What Lies in Dust) for their Pathfinder CS. As it so happens, this is an especially, well, special supplement for me as it was the very first Paizo and DnD product I had the pleasure to work on! In fact, my complementary copy just arrived in the post today, and is it spiffy!

Now, I could bore you all with another ear(eye)full of older work not representing current blah, blah, blah, but instead, I thought it would just be more enjoyable to share the artwork I contributed and leave it at that.

Oh, and if the mood takes you, please think about taking a gander at the Book itself as such luminaries as Scott Purdy and Keiran Yanner also worked on it, and (in my opinion) greatly overshadowed my own humble contributions. Seriously, those guys are just too damn talented!

Thanks!

Talisman: Frostmarch & Some Thoughts...

-Snow Goblin Copyright Fantasy Flight Games


-Treasure Map Copyright Fantasy Flight Games

Hey all! Several long, long months ago I was fortunate enough to do some art work for Fantasy Flight on their now released Frostmarch expansion to Talisman. Besides just being a fun assignment, Frostmarch holds a particularly warm and fuzzy place in my heart as it was the first Card Art I had every done and my first freelance illustration gig. Crazy.

...and boy, does the whole "first" vibe show through. One of the many and prevalent obstacles facing any illustrator is the notorious NDA and the concomitant fact that it will be several months to over a full year before you're legally allowed to display your work publicly. What makes this an obstacle is that by that time, usually, your previous work is no way near the level of your current skill set and a certain reticence to show said work tends to set in.

Certainly, after I received my comp copy of Frostmarch (which was awesome!), I took a look at these images on my computer, and I couldn't help but think, "hmmm..." with a noticeable wince. This, of course, is one of the oldest stories in the long saga of artistic neurosis replete with doubts of quality, relevance, and representation. Is this the best piece I've done? No. Does it represent either my current skill level or artistic style? Hell, no. But.

But...did I do a good job? Was the client happy? Well, I believe, honestly, yes to both, and that, in the end, might be the best way to look at any assignment ultimately. True, you are only as good as your next piece, should always strive to be better today than yesterday, but should such thoughts be your only concerns? No, because though today's piece may not have been better than yesterday's, if you did a good job and your client is happy, then you have a good shot at making tomorrow's something really special.

At the very least, you'll be a little saner.

Oh, and if you'd like to see some really kick ass art, here's a link to the Cover Illustration done by the very, very talented Ralph Horsley. Seriously, treat yourself, you deserve it...

What Could This Be?

Copyright Kid Combat 2009

Hmmm...A cover without the type...where oh where could that type be...?

:)

The Work of Magic Elves...

Licensed to Catastrophe Games

So, the magic night painting elves apparently paid me a visit, the above being the result (well, not exactly the above as that's a reduced sized version but...you get the idea...)

I'd say it's certainly a step up from making shoes at night.

The illustration will actually be appearing on a white page, but for the purpose of presentation, I prefer something a little less...bright for my mounting.

Or something like that.

Fox Three!

Just a quick speed paint. Started as a sweeping fantasy roof that I thought to make into a spaceship...thing. As I've been doing almost exclusively fantasy work in an oil style lately, it just seemed logical to do this one as a science fiction piece with acrylic aspirations.

Or something like that.