Since yesterday’s art was more on the horror side of things, and I’m working on a horror book cover, I think my brain wanted to play nice with this new ink card. This one is back to what I have been doing, 5″ x 7″ ink on 140 lb. Cold Press. I also added just a touch of ink wash to this one, and I let the larger brush play it a bit loose. I’m Read more…
I decided I was getting too comfortable with my new inks, and I thought I’d try a new experiment. I think it’s important as an artist not to get too comfortable with what you are doing, as complacency can often lead to boring art. So, what I would tell all artists is to try something unique and different sometimes. Not all the time, because, frankly, I do have to feed the family on my work. Read more…
Sometimes when I’m thinking of doing some art, I get a good idea going. Some concept, or some particular scene grabs me and I want to get art made of it. Today was no different, as I’d had an idea for another ink work based on some old noir films. I thought that not only would it be fun to try, but there would also be the challenge of texture again like the Lorre/M piece. Read more…
I decided that it might not be a bad idea to take a step back and look at the inks I’ve been working on. For those that haven’t been following (I know, I know, no one has been), I started doing ink cards and ink works late last year as a way to learn more from photos and film. I wanted to learn more about lighting, about texture, and about things that I can’t just Read more…
I decided that I should take a break from inking monsters, and try something that has less texture to it. Texture is fun with characters, but I want to challenge myself by working with images that don’t necessarily have a lot of texture in the important areas. Case in point, this new ink that I’ve now completed. It’s based on Peter Lorre’s character from the film M, and, though there is certainly a lot of Read more…
Last year, when I was working on the cover for author Brian Keene’s A Gathering of Crows for Thunderstorm Books, I was asked if I could do a design for the foil imprint that was to go on the cover. Easy enough. It’s a point at which my graphic design production background and my art met, as one could not live without the other. The concept we came up with was easy. To represent things Read more…
I had fun digitally coloring The Pale Man ink that I did (see it here!), and I thought I’d try it again. I’ve been away from inking for a couple of weeks, due both to the job search and some paying gigs, but I created a new one today for sale. I have numerous ink ideas, based on various creatures and characters, that I want to do. Their purpose has been, since the beginning last Read more…
This is sort of an old story, since the three Maelstrom books, two by Brian Keene and one by Kelli Owen, have been out for a few months now. But, as with many things, life managed to get in the way of posting the art that I did for the run. I decided to post them all again, save for the two I already posted (here and here, go check them out). I’m happy with Read more…
Today has been an experiment in not only a larger format for an ink work, but also in the idea of not letting a problem in the art end the day. When I started doing art today, I just grabbed my 12″ x 18″ watercolor stock and went to work. I had a decent idea for a larger piece, but one that was still consistent with the other cards that I have been doing. I Read more…
I was recently looking around my office for a reference for a piece I’m working on, and after a short search I came up with what I was looking for. But when I was done I came to an interesting conclusion. I sure do have a lot of stuff. Now, I’m sure many artists, writers, and in general creators, have large collections of various items. In that, I’m no different. Many of the items I Read more…
While I’m working on these ink cards, I’m trying a few different ideas out. Of course, one idea is purely commerce driven, I’m unemployed and selling things keeps food on the table. But artistically, there are a few things at play here. First, I’m trying to relearn what I knew about inks so many years ago. Ink art can be a challenge, using a few lines to create a reality. There are certain methods to Read more…
Now, I’m not sure how many will know who Aknot is, but let’s just say I enjoyed making the ink card (5″ x 7″, ink on 140 lb. Cold Press as usual) and leave it at that. Ok, I guess I can let you know. Aknot is a warrior/creature that appears in the wildly underrated film The Fifth Element. I thought he would be a fun creature to try, and one that’s a bit more Read more…
Ok, technically I’m not breaking a book. But I am being rude to it. Some time ago, I started getting an idea that it might be fun to take one of my contributor copies, of some of the books I’ve created art for, and add new ink art throughout. The idea came about because one of my most known books, Night Visions 12, did not end up with the interior art inside it. Ever since Read more…
So, February ends, and with it the end of my day job. Yes, believe it or not, artists have to eat, and often have day jobs. Or their families have to eat, that sometimes happens too. In my case, I was the Creative Technologies Director for a nonprofit organization. As happens sometimes with nonprofits, the money runs out, and they can no longer afford to have a full staff. That’s what happened to me. They Read more…
While I was at the con, I was able to complete one ink card and two ink sketches. It was very interesting, working on art in front of people. I don’t get to do that very often, and it was interesting to see how people reacted while I was creating the works. The first one is an inked card, like the others I’ve been doing (5″ x 7″, 140 lb. Cold Press). This one I’d Read more…
Much of the time, I get an idea for a piece of art and I start in on it. But every so often, I have the start of an idea, and I let it take off from there and it ends up wherever it feels like. This is one of those paintings. Now, to be fair, with all of the acrylics, I’ve tried to lay off forcing it to go into a specific direction. It’s Read more…
At the end of this week, I’ll be a guest at VisionCon in Springfield, Missouri. This is only the second time I’ve been a guest at a convention (though I’d love to be in more of them), but after the first time I realized how great it can be. We’ll set aside the part for now that they help pay for things, though as an “about to be unemployed” designer/artist that’s really helpful. Being a Read more…
As a designer (not just an artist!), I run into all sorts of different projects. Everything from very simple designs up to extremely complex ones. Sometimes it’s web design, and other times it’s graphic design. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, it’s graphic art and illustration. A few years ago, my freelance client asked me to design a t-shirt for the construction company she was working with. I’ve done plenty of t-shirts for her, and plenty of Read more…
I’ll be a guest at VisionCon next week in Springfield, Missouri, and I’m trying to create more art to show (and sell there). I’m also having fun doing these ink cards, it gives me more confidence going into larger pieces. I’m also getting good practice working from a photograph (or a series of them), which I haven’t done much in the past. Most of the time, I’ve just pulled things from my head. But I Read more…
I’ve been thinking of doing more monsters in ink, for sale while I’m a guest at VisionCon 2011. Here’s the newest one, one of the ghosts from The Devil’s Backbone. It’s like the previous ones, 5″ x 7″, ink, on 140 lb,. Cold Press. It has just a hint of red too near the top, and those who have seen the film know what that means.