This is my latest ink for the Alphabeasts project, and hopefully the last one I need to catch up on. I started with “C” (here), coming in a little late, so this one catches me up to the current letter. An algul is a mythical/legendary vampire woman, in Arabian mythology, Read more…
For my Alphabeasts entry this week, being still in an “experimental” mood after that last painting (here), I went with a different effect than I normally have. Usually, I have quite a lot of crosshatch marks on my inks. I decided this time to try something with far less lines, Read more…
Being an artist, to me anyway, involves taking chances. Though I value consistency, there’s something to be said for experimentation. Experimenting with techniques and styles gives me a chance to explore areas I haven’t tried before, and really challenge the concepts of art. Not just in how I make things Read more…
For this week’s Alphabeasts entry, I decided to stick with Valve’s games, albeit a slightly older one. From the Half Life series, there are these little creatures called “headcrabs”, which I thought would be fun. Headcrabs like to throw themselves at you, and can be pretty annoying. With the trusty Read more…
For many years, coming from both illustration and graphic design, I’ve heard different discussions about what people charge to do their work. Sometimes it even sounds like a big, secret mystery, as if you aren’t supposed to talk about it in front of anyone. Which, as all of you who Read more…
Here’s my new entry for Alphabeasts, G is for Gremlin. It’s one of those films I grew up with, and now my own children have seen it and are growing up with it. In fact, it’s on my daughter’s suggestion that I’ve created this ink art, of the vicious Stripe. Read more…
I missed the opening couple of rounds of Alphabeasts this time, so I’m gradually catching up with “A” and “B”. Today, I managed to get “B” out of the way, with an ink I’ve wanted to do for some time. One of the films that has always inspired me (from Read more…
Once again, I’ve created a new ink for the Alphabeasts project (alphabeasts.tumblr.com). This time, I had a bit of a quandary, since there are a few creatures that start with “F” that I thought might be interesting. Of course, there’s the faun from El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth). But Read more…
A few months ago, a former graphic design client of mine asked me to do a traditional painting for her, something she could give away as a present. She had been on a long trip to the Mediterranean, and wanted to repay her hosts with something more than just a Read more…
I’m having fun with the Alphabeasts project (visit http://alphabeasts.tumblr.com/ for more info), it’s making me really think about what I want to do for it. The creatures are all different as well, so it’s a good challenge to come up with different textures and ideas. On top of that, getting away from Read more…
My second entry into the great Alphabeasts project (visit http://alphabeasts.tumblr.com/ for more info) is based on the race of beings called “The Deep Ones”, from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. I’m getting more comfortable working on inks without photo reference, and this one didn’t have any at all (other than a quick google Read more…
A great new collaborative project is online, called “Alphabeasts”. The idea is that artists each week have a letter, and they must create a piece of art of a fictional creature starting with that letter. I’ve been looking for a nice, regular sketch sort of thing to do each week, Read more…
My children tell me that they love that I’m an artist, and that I have a vast knowledge of how to pull things off for Halloween. Now, of course, they just tell me that so I’ll let them stay up late to watch movies. But I have to admit, I Read more…
My good friend Patrick Douglas has a new book coming soon, and I created a new art piece for him to use as a signature sheet. The book itself is great, and tells the story of an outcast girl who has stumbled into a lost tribe in a cave system. Read more…
A good friend of mine, Weston Ochse, just released a fantastic collection of stories, called Multiplex Fandango. Published by Dark Regions Press, Multiplex Fandango is filled with great stories, and I highly recommend picking one up as soon as you possibly can. Go here to do so. Now, you might Read more…
I’ve been trying lately to get on a schedule of having regular, smaller works completed. The last month has proven instead to confound that plan, but I’m still hoping to get that worked out. Case in point, my new painting for today. It’s meant to be a smaller, less involved Read more…
I’m fascinated by creatures of all sorts, especially those that are a bit on the creepy side. Case in point, “The Mouth of Sauron”, featured in the extended edition of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In case you haven’t seen the extended versions Read more…
While working on a far larger painting, one that’s taking much longer, I decided to do a smaller painting. I had to wait for the larger one to dry anyway, so slipping in a small one was something I could work out. I’ve been thinking of doing continual, small paintings Read more…
I’ve been itching to do more ink work lately, and I decided over the weekend that H.P. Lovecraft’s birthday was a great chance to work something in. The trick, of course, in doing art of a recognizable character (or person) is that you just have to get it right. Sure, Read more…
In the last few years, I’ve done something regularly that I hadn’t in the previous years. I’ve started to complete full sketchbooks, with some kind of art on every page. I’ve noticed that it’s a good time to go back and look through it, to see how things went over Read more…