Subtle Epiphanies

It will never cease to amaze me, the ways in which we monkeys are inspired?  What makes us, "get it" or go that next level.  What is the combination of Content & Technique, if there is one?  Word association (although Fantasy Genesis has driven me for decades), quite often takes a seat to historical influence, or rather if I see what makes a great design, or texture, or series of marks behind a Cornwell, or Robinson, or Wyeth, I'll attempt to make a mash-up of those parameters in the next painting.  There's Comedy, Theatre, and facial expression, Mathematics and Natural geometries, all out one-up Hunger Games with other illustrators, and even hitting absolute bottom again and again can inspire me to go the distance and create something different and new.  Then sometimes it's an email from a fan, or a simple note telling you that you've changed someone's perspective with your work.. =)  They've reminded you of the things that have always been there, and perhaps you've momentarily forgotten?  This has been the case with the last couple of emails, and messages from the FaceBook page, and a nice note from Haley Johnson, who sent this wicked Fantasy Genesis creation; an Australian Frilled Lizard!  This chap reminds me a bit of my Auntie Rooster, but I can't say I've ever seen reptilian features on a rooster, which is saying something. =)  Thanks Haley, let all those creations spill out of that brilliant mind of yours, and thanks to ayebody for all the subtle epiphanies, keep em coming !!

I think comedy would had to have played a roll, when I rolled up Mudskipper : Plasma : Pinecone.. Could've made a cute creature, but I took the harder path.. They're kind of like Ducks, or Pandas or Frogs, hard to make menacing, but found a vid for Mudskippers and spent about 5 hours on a digital painting.. I dunno.. I was headed for a Leviathan, but the scene turned almost Lovecraftian in the end, with villagers blowing him oop and all.. =)  In any case, I hadn't done one of my own exercises for so long, I'd almost forgotten how fun it is !!  =)

If you're not already on it, please take a minute to sign up for my Mailing List.  What, what.. Free prizes are involved!?!  Indeed!  I straight up pick a raffle winner from my list every quarter, you pick one of my four charities that I give to, and I give away Magic the Gathering or Fantasy Genesis collectibles and swag.. =)  Stay Tuned!

Grimm Pilot - take two

Life goes by so quickly sometimes, I shiver with the thought of it.?  This small bit of work I did for the pilot of Grimm unfortunately didn't see too much screen time, but here's the rest of the story..  The show's been through a whole season, and picked up for another, but I've been so busy with teaching and freelance, moving my studio again, and acclimating to a new work flow, I've been completely delinquent in watching it..  Perhaps I can have a marathon when the new season starts and catch up on all the episodes missed?

©NBC/Universal

In any case, my students love the show, and every episode I've seen has been proper acting, and fast but extraordinarily creative effects and props.  Before I went into the Grimm lot studio to work, Elisabeth had me do a couple treatments of the directors chair logo (shown previously), and a couple sketches for pages what would appear in the book.  I was super geeked about this potential, as being the "guy who sketched the Grimm book" would've been the newest height of this thing I call a career?  Not having seen the graphics for any monsters, and going off the ideas of the show that were given to me,  I sketched these two characterizations; one of Rumpelstiltskin, and one of the Old Crone of Hansel & Gretel fame.  

©NBC/Universal

 The Crone character was actually in the pilot script and described to me a bit, but the Rumpelstiltskin was basically me spit-balling some ideas of how the mythos could be delivered in a new horrible way.  Then after my first day, I got a look at the script, a better idea of what they wanted, and they had me sketch up a couple mock ups of what the pages of the book might look like.. The script at the time said the book should be a sketched archive of the 2-3 monsters that would appear in the pilot; Wolf, Snake Guy, and Crone, wherein one page would be a likeness of the person in human form with something like a police form attached; stats, criminal encounters, notes, etc., and the other would be a likeness of the beast within, and what they look like to the Grimm. At first I thought this was something that, over the ages the Grimm Family would've developed, or perhaps a universal system of documenting in some way, where pages from 100 years ago, might look something like they did for the grandmother Grimm, but this changed, and a couple times. The nature of television perhaps.. =)

©NBC/Universal

©NBC/Universal

The book was a massive tome, so I did my samples actual size but in graphite at first. These two samples, with all the different "hands" of nonsense filler script I could think of, were shown to the director, and although the smoking guy was closer to what they wanted, the direction quickly started to change into a scrawled "untrained" hand and more primitive skills, rather than my "too illustrated" "too good" work.. So that day I tried my best to dumb down my skills, and perform on command, with the already "aged" paper they'd ordered for the book.  Bringing in thicker tools; pens, brush markers, graphite sticks, charcoal, conte' and fixative, I sketched about 6-10 sheets of characters, scrawled script and in every different way possible.

©NBC/Universal

I remember a beaked character with hooks, that turned out looking quite 40's nazi-ish, an orge, also this Blutbad in conte' that looked older, matching the paper quite nicely, but also the two portraits of a Blutbad, and Crone straight from the 3D models the design team had done at that point.  Neither made their way on to the screen, even after limiting myself to 10min. sketches, and really working at aping a less skilled approach.  Alas, I've not seen any of them appear in the pilot or show so far, and didn't get phone pics of them either.

Funny thing, being inadequate for anything you're truly geeked about, jobs, relationships, or otherwise.. but when what's needed is, loosing your skills and not developing new ones, it's especially odd?  I was basically trying to reverse my skill set, desperately scrawling to give them what I was used to doing when I was 12?  Hell, I probably didn't do an "untrained" look when I was 12?  I even tried sketching with my opposite hand, in a balled fist, and I couldn't imagine having my name attached to it, even if it was what they wanted? So, could be a blessing, could be a curse.?  I've a pretty impressive new client on my client list, and with some luck this won't be the last television has seen on this Lightpusher.. =)  Stay tuned !!

My Three Mentorships

I've found in the brief time I've been teaching, that the best stuff comes from individualized one-on-one tutoring.. When I can get straight to clearing a pathway to where that particular student wants to tread, and see almost instantaneous success in the areas they want to work on, I know I've done a decent job of it.. There are few things more awesome and striking than these wonderful instances, and I had the rare opportunity to serve in this way to three great 4th year thesis students this semester; Ven Locklear, Ley Hazard, and Addison Rankin.  I'm extraordinarily proud of all these young illustrators, and would encourage Editors and Art Directors to take a look at their work to see if they might fit any projects or internships on the horizon..

Ven (with a Fae picking his ear), myself, and Addison (with tiny staffs and arms protruding from our heads)

Addison Rankin is a digital painter, with about the most pleasant and agreeable personality that you're going to find, and with a skill set that's far outside his age.  His digital work holds an almost Flemish feel to the lighting and contrast, and his B&W ink drawings are brilliantly alive, filled with spastic movement, intriguing costumes and characterizations..  Addison's thesis was based on creating eight portfolio pieces for a Sword & Sorcery themed Tarot deck, and his presentation followed Uncle Joe Campbell's Hero's journey from the Fool card's perspective..  After seeing all the traditional and digital painting from the school recently, I can say the work done for his cards, stands as some of the best figurative work out of every department of the school, and is at a state of finish to begin competing in the SF&F market.. Definitely keep an eye out for Addison Rankin on your journeys, and give him a holler at his website if an opportunity or two arise..

Ley Hazard is a conciliatory, but wickedly skilled digital illustrator/comic artist.  Filled with articulate surprises, and gravitating toward serendipitous creative spurts, her work is quite meticulous and shows brilliant promise in being very tight in it's line quality, and expressive in it's characterizations and metaphor..  When she brings her work to the Light, it shines with a thoughtful polish that's well worth the wait..  Hazard's thesis was a pitch for a graphic novel series called, The Catastrophe Quartet..  The stage is set here in Portland, in a simultaneously real and fantasy world, that follows the heroine through personal tragedies, her redemption through compassion, and eventual elevation from it..  Do yourself a favor, bookmark and stay tuned to her Catastrophe Quartet Blog to see how the story and illustrations develop into the first book in this emotionally and socially charged series!

Ven Locklear, out of all my first mentorships this semester, has landed a gig in his chosen field, straight out of the gate!  I needn't really go on beyond that success so few folks in this business attain, but I will.. =)  I had Ven for an Independent Studies student a semester before last, guided him through some figurative struggles, and when chosen to be his mentor, tried to impart all the knowledge I've accumulated in terms of design and color, but also characterization and creature design..  Quite early on, he was asking the same questions I'd been long ago, curious and driven by our common genre', visually progressing from week to week, which is an amazing thing to behold with any student.. When he pitched his idea for a SciFi horror themed vid game called GLOOM, I thought; this work would make a great portfolio to pitch around conventions, enter into contests, and really grab a heads-up in terms of a freelance career, but little did I know it would be a bit more.. About 3/4 the way through the semester and his thesis project, Ven found a job opportunity online, and put together 2-3 art test pieces for a vid game company in TX, on top of the work done for his thesis..  Ven, amongst pretty rigid industry competition, and in an international arena, nailed the job down before his presentation day, and knocked the actual thesis presentation out of the park. So check out this new concept artist's work in upcoming games, but until then check out all the work done for GLOOM in the mean time..

Stay tuned.. =)

Dig Infinity !!

Fellow LightPusher from Portland, Jay Longfellow recently posted on AO about drawing games of the Surrealists, and it sparked up some thoughts on games and Creativity that, oddly enough I'd not really written about here on the FG Blog yet? Here's the awesome DeepSea Palm Fish Jay created, the bit on Infinity that he spurred, along with this semesters brilliant student contribution!!

"Whether it's a reliance on Serendipity, or drive to stay Creative no matter the cost, or stubborn pig-ignorance to avoid things done the "normal" way, I've always been fascinated with game "rules", breaking them, building them anew, breaking them again.. What's become apparent in the last couple years, after publishing a drawing game of my own, is the simplicity amongst complexity.. Like Jay said, "creativity within the constraints of the game’s rules".. Simplifying the Infinite, makes the "rules" of any game, make sense to me? When I graduated school, I was left with no rules, no more assignments.. I could do Anything.. Yet, that Anything shortly became daunting, and since no professional work was coming in at the time, (life-long struggle in fact) there was a need to have something external to me, to drive content.. So that I could create more effectively within boundaries of the Infinite.. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.. So, I started to play with my first couple creative games.. Like the Surrealist's games utilized free association, and the ever expanding, collaborative visual device to drive the works' content, we played with games in school as well.. Mine was a fairly complex free association word game created after seeing a performance of John Zorn's COBRA, wherein teams of musicians battle with complex musical variables to perform one off compositions.. Genius, I thought.. This could be done visually, in a very similar way.. My game was also influenced by, Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, which was used by the Talking Heads, and later became a sort of Hitchhiker's Guide or Magic 8 ball to Eno for awhile.. Musicians, Poets, Writers, Illustrators, Physicists, Sea-side Sand Castlers.. We all create in different materials and techniques, but most of us are awestruck by the Infinite in a way that we want to capture it in our Content. I love to talk about Creativity and the Brain, the reasons why we monkeys perceive the way we do, and how to work inside that Science.. Games are perfectly suited to both subjects, so forgive me the rant.. "

Here's the wicked creation one of my students contributed to the Fantasy Genesis docket this year.  Molly is a wonderfully skilled illustration major, that has some brilliant animation and cartooning chops as well..  I believe it was an Attacking Rodent Gator, but look at all of that movement!!  Great job as per usual Molly, and a scaly new addition to the FG mythology !!

Stay tuned, Folks!!  and don't forget to sign up to the mailing list!! It's about that time to choose who will pick my quarterly Charity give away!!

Next Volley of Fantasy Genesis Creations

For the time I've been teaching, I'll have my students play around with Fantasy Genesis for fun or extra-credit, and last term I was graced with a couple more funky creations from Alex Carmon, and Aimee Flom at FlomDrawn.

Both excellent young illustrators.. Aimee has a brilliant sense of design and detail, and Alex has a wonderful knack for textures and the anthropomorphic. 

There was also this awesome Parrot/Mantis from Lucas Puryear, teaching in Texas.  I really want to try this combo out!!  I mean, Parrot/Mantis is about as intriguing and idea as was Spider/Ducks..  That's a team I'd bet on.. =)

We all knew it.. from the stomping grounds of Illuxcon, great things were bound to be created!  A couple weeks back the young team of Zejan & Eric, from Altoona, PA of all places, asked if they could use some of my illustrations for their new Illustration Blog Sketch Round-Up.

Well, they not only used the illos I sent, but did a rather spectacular review and contribution to Fantasy Genesis as well!!  Zejan sketched these two rather cretinous looking Insectile and Reptile creatures, which are just 15 million kinds of awesome!!  So glad you enjoy creating with the game, guys!!

I'm sure there's some great things to come from these two, and I can't wait to see more as their blog progresses..  Stay tuned !!  =)

Grimm on NBC - Part I

A while back I had the pleasure of doing my first work in Television, for a great new NBC pilot called Grimm, which has just aired.  Filmed here in Portland, the story runs something like this; younger cop in a detective team finds out he can see monsters among us, and his daily criminals. He starts to see folks faces shift into hideous grotesques more often, and it's revealed to him that he's of the original Bros. Grimm family line, and Grimm's Fairy Tales turns out to be a group of case studies for these monsters across history.. The real book is passed down to the newest generation of Grimm seer, and as fate would have it, most of those monsters in the tales are not only real as life, but are after the Grimm's!

Logo I created for the directors chair, and lot
passes, along side a couple of the show's logos.

Watch the show for the action filled fantasy, as it's far cooler than I can describe.. =)  In my short couple of days working with Props Master Todd Ellis and his team (including Paul Eads, Elisabeth Burhop) I definitely learned some of the ways in which that world works, and what remains constant is that it works Fast.. They get some amazingly creative things done as effectively and quickly as you could imagine.  Didn't get to meet them, but David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) wrote this great script, and I can't wait to see the season of campy and bizarre ideas they come up with..  Everyone I did meet was brilliantly abuzz, a cacophony of phones constantly blowing off, and Stumptown coffee addled conversation about this movie or that shoot. It turns out that the insomnia of Freelance transcends all forms of creativity.. =)  

Concepts for the key shown above.  I thought either
the ideas of a maw opening to reveal the key, or perhaps
claws as the teeth of the key might look cool.

The most impressive thing is, that they work in a state of not knowing.. Let me try to explain..  There's so little time, that if someone's given a prop to start designing, they're simultaneously creating metaphors or a specific look or feel that no one really knows will fit yet?  Nor does the Prop Master know if that prop will be changed at any time during that day, or shoot or if it might be cut just after completion? (and no, "Cut After Completion" isn't a name I danced under =)  Perhaps this is the way all office situations work, but I found it fascinating!  Still don't know how they do it.? =)

Scythe blade (which actually sent the Props Master
in for stitches) started out a bit more proto-German
with animal symbols

The few things I contributed to Grimm were created in less than a week, and done alongside grading projects, and freelance.  I researched language, and mythology inasmuch was applicable, and as is the case for every project, I threw my back into getting them what they needed.  A macabre children's book feel, with some knowledge of Ancient scripts was what I was brought in for (I think), but needed changes in direction seemed to happen on the hour, along with script changes which unfortunately excluded most of the sketch work I did.  So, all the drawings you see in Grimm's pilot aren't mine, but I'm going to show you a couple of the things here that I thought were pretty good that we may see in future episodes.. =)  Stay tuned for Part II.. =)

Facebook Fantasy

 A couple months back, I received a FB message from Mark A. Nelson (legendary comic and SF&F illustrator) telling me a student of his brought Fantasy Genesis into his class for a drawing assignment.  Mark and I exchanged books, he gave me this brilliant chiaroscuro drawing of a beetle that will remain a treasure to me beyond words, but I gave his student a silly little sketch for bringing Mark and I together, for a potential tutorial book project.  In any case, Mark's student, Vi Nguyen not only rolled and sketched these beautiful couple of Creatures from Fantasy Genesis, but she took that silly sketch of mine and did a Brilliant digital piece from it!!

Gracious thanks Vi, so glad you were able to have fun with my Drawing Game, and with Maestro Nelson as your Professor, the world would do well to look out for you when graduation day comes around.. =) Stay Tuned !!

A good days Creating..

There are days when I'm sketching or painting, that I'm so caught up in the work, there's little that can distract me.  I'll look up at the clock, it's nearing 4am, and even though I'm desperate in wanting to finish alla prima (or alla weeka), I'll look down at the piece and reluctantly sigh at putting in a good day of creating..  Now that I'm teaching, it's a bit different, and a bit of the same..  Most of the sessions when I'm working with students interactively on their projects, things need to be done in that session, in order to give them enough time for final execution.  The other day after getting back to the apartment, shedding all the apparatus of modern life, thankful that I'm paying rent, and looking down at my day, I noticed the two Tombow pencils I'd brought with me staring up; Reliable, Trusty and blunted stubs.. I sighed at a good days creating, before I re-sharpened to start again..  and  no, "Trusty and Blunted" isn't a name I danced under.. =)  Stay tuned..

Shadowcore Illustration

Opportunity is an odd thing.. Rare, wonderful, but can hold a shock to it that takes a while to dissipate. This element of surprising opportunity has been crawling up the sides of me wig lately.  We're never quite sure when or if certain opportunities will be flipped our way, or whether or not we'll be able to flip them back to others, but there seems to be a constant of surprise when it does come around?  I like to think of this somewhat familiar sensation, a combo of both fear and joy, as Shunryu Suzuki's "Beginner's mind", like the very first time you ever experienced something..

There's yet another constant in that opportunity can snowball in sequence like big clumps of snowflakes that collect as they fall, Opportunity snowflakes.? Well, in any case, that's what has been happening this week!  Along with passing an opportunity from the PNCA on to my buddy Arkady Roytman, I've started contributing to a new Illustration Blog!  Mr. Craig Spearing; excellent digital SF&F illustrator, good friend, and creator of this wickedly rendered creature (influenced through Fantasy Genesis) has recently formed a team of illustrators for a blog called SHADOWCORE.  I'm proudly part of this wild group of talent, and encourage you all to check it on out !! Stay Tuned !!

Sketching Dragons

Dragons are somewhat of an anomaly to me. I love the Myth and the Art, and the Artists that develop them to their most beautiful and ferocious. So much so, that I can critique them quite harshly at times. When the true believability comes out in a piece, my highest praise is just to study the work incoherently, perhaps catching flies with my mouth. It's just like seeing one for the first time, beginner's dragon mind. There's just so many intricacies in their Mythos; Literary reference, Cultural differences, Habitats, behavioral and structural differences.. Dragons give us about as wide a range of play that any of us could ask for. On occasion, I get the opportunity to "talk Dragon" with fellow light pushers, and when I got my copy of Sketch Dragons in the mail today, it felt like one of those conversations!!

In 2007, I was lucky enough to hitch my wagon to the likes of Jim Pavelec, Chris Seaman, and Thomas Manning to create a tutorial called Wreaking Havoc. Recently, some of the step-by-steps I did for Havoc appear in a new tutorial from Impact, entitled Sketch Dragons! Low and behold it's filled with a ton of artists that take Dragons as seriously as I do; Maestro Tom Kidd (aka Gnemo), Dracopedia's Bill O'Connor, Dreamscapes, Myth, & Magic's' Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, and MechaForce's E J Su !!

Can't explain how cool it is to be amongst these illustrators, and let me be the first to say, this book is filled with great Dragon tutorials! Now that were done with lighting fireworks, (some of us) let's draw a Dragon lighting the night on fire !! Pick up a copy of Sketch Dragons !!

Norman Rockwell

This is a tin that my birth Mum gave to me long ago. It's been the place that I keep many of my miniature things, like a small coin & stamp collection, little plastic toys and random bits of my life, past and present.. It was the first Rockwell I'd ever seen.. It was also the first painted illustration, where in that magical pre-digital moment, begged my young mind to determine whether it'was a photograph or not as well.. It remains on my desk as encouragement to strive for my next level of skill.. Last month, on encouragement from Vinod & Emily, Pam and I had the pleasure of viewing a Norman Rockwell exhibit in Tacoma,WA. Over forty original Rockwell paintings, Prints of the famous Freedom Posters, and every cover Rockwell did for the Saturday Evening Post. I'm so very glad we went the distance, as after seeing these masterworks, I can't rightly say that I'll experience anything quite like it again? I've talked to other ADs and Artists who've seen Rockwell originals, and we're all a bit overwhelmed by it, we all share in that common sense of observing something of Greatness..

In terms of Technique :: I simply can't cover it all? There were points at which Rockwell pushed my digital mind so far back into my unconscious, that I was actually able to recollect the reason why I got into this odd business of illustration. Scale was of course at the forefront of every experience, as they are enormous canvases. Even the tiny B&W newspaper ad I saw for a brake pad company was around 28in. wide, approximately the width of my full color cover work?? I remember

Donato Giancola saying at a convention how much painting larger changed his perception, and now I can see why.. The use of type painted right on the illustration has all but gone the way of the dinosaur, so to see experimentation, and serendipity within the same piece was amazing.. I'm convinced Rockwell's eyes saw nothing but light and color, and he painted so deliberately with that light, it made me jaw sink more than a couple times. (they didn't make me wear a drool cup, which was nice on the curators part.) I saw underpaintings that ranged from dark blues to what looked like diluted india ink red. Some paintings came up from a series of washes, where others were so caked on, wet-on-wet that it looked as though Rockwell was painting with a roller.. Through most of his metallic surfaces, you'd see his sketch, letting the slight graphite glare add to it's shine.

Although, more than anything else that stood out that day was Rockwell's use of textural relief.. There's really no describing this, and they wouldn't let me take pictures (even after I offered to wash their car) so let me say that this element gave each illustration a "museum" feel..?? In "Christmas Eve in Bethlehem" detailed above, there was canvas left just bare so that the head dress and army uniforms would feel more like cloth.. The rippling aura of the electric light is created with 1/4in. thick titanium white that's been carved with a pallet knife.. Makes it look like the light is actually shimmering.. It's not perceptible on any print or pic because of the scale, but in just about every painting, Rockwell backs up his surface with textural elements coinciding with the material at hand.. The bubbles that form around the finger tips of the boy and girl being dunked under water are about an 1/8 inch on top of the canvas.. In the famous painting of the wall in "The Problem We All Live With", that grout line has actual sand inclusions scraped into it, making the original canvas as stone like as actual stone..

In terms of Content :: Rockwell's humor is both as subtle and deliberate as is the case with his technique. With so many amazing portraits; simple, complex, expressionistic, anthropomorphic and stretched as far as they'd go before looking inhuman, it's hard to imagine the man ever being fooled by someone's intentions. I'm positive Rockwell was the kind of observer who'd of read your face within the first three seconds of meeting you.

Unlike the way I tend to direct attention quite blatantly with levels of detail when I'm composing a painting, Rockwell instead kept a similar level of detail (insane amounts) on everything around the focal point, not forcing your eye, but letting it come around to it eventually, and leaving the individual to find favored areas of the painting on their own.

Although I'd always thought Rockwell and his photographers, were known for a certain squeaky clean portrayal of a sort of dreamed up, unachievable America. It turns out that he was more a realist and protesting old curmudgeon than I expected! The story of philosopher Will Durant, and Rockwell's Four Freedoms paintings shows us that Rockwell even fought the Military establishments ideology, and in many ways taught us more about the philosophy of Peace, Tolerance and Unity, than simple reminiscence of youth, humor and patriotism... far more..

If you get a chance to visit the Rockwell Museum, or if the traveling show is in a nearby town, do yourself a favor and go experience these masterworks.. Stay Tuned !! =)

Fabled Earth

Fellow SF&F illustrators, stalworth animal rights advocates, and good friends Vinod Rams & Emily Fiegenschuh, have

not only moved out to the beautiful PNW, but Emily has brought a brand new art tutorial to the Sphere. From Fantasy Genesis' publisher Impact books, Emily has written and illustrated, The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures! I couldn't be happier for her, as Emily's work has always been brilliantly rendered traditionally in gouache, and by the looks of the book so far, her style has grown into one somewhat reminiscent of the more detailed oil work of Patrick Woodruffe. With a number of years illustrating for D&D, Children's and Tween's series from Mirror Stone, I'm sure there is a ton to learn from in this tutorial, so by all means step to following Emily's Blog

Fabled Earth for updates and releases, and more importantly get your mitts on this brand new book, Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures!

Stay tuned !! =)

Another First Class Class!

Teaching at the PNCA has simply been one of the greatest things I've done so far in this odd career of mine, and a year of working with such skilled students has taughtme a lot about where I might be headed. I used Fantasy Genesis yet again for extra credit, and although not too many had the time for any extra amongst the harried final deadlines, the ones who did participate came up with some fantastic wig bubbles indeed!! Illustration student, Lily Drubetskaya's version of Ganesha, broken tusk, sacred syllable OM, and all ranked quite high. As did 3rd year Illustration student, Justin Hall's Insect/Mammalian creature roll. Check out both of their blog sites, both Justinand Lily are wildly skilled, and were a joy to see grow throughout the semester.

There's also been quite a lot of activity on the DeviantArt gallery page in the last couple of months, as well. Included in these

creations from Fantasy Genesis are; a Brilliant Gullaffe and Cuttle Turtle, by N.Moore, Earthworm Naga, by Kellygraybeal, BioMech Soldier and Crystal Gator by LionSilverWolf, OwlFlies by Wyrmaster, SeaElephant and Donkey by Steve Huczek, Hexapod by PostalNik,

HammerheadCrabWhale by BananazGorilla, and Dying Pineapple by way of All Swans Are White. Hope you find them all as creative and oddly spectacular as I do.. There are so many different pathways to our inner Creative, but they can be hard to find at times. I couldn't be a more Rippled Coral Sparrow to have found a couple more pathways to all these glorious wig bubbles.!! Just Beautiful.!!

Breaking NEWS :: There's been some good chat back and forth from a web designer who I'm currently working with to make a Fantasy Genesis "Random Roller" application for the near future! So, stay tuned for instantaneous fun word association at the click of button !!

Fantasy Genesis Game Sheet

I've been getting so much positive mail from across this beautiful Sphere, I think it's making the Sun come out here in the Portland! Gracious thanks to all of you for all the kind words, the massive amount of creations you've used Fantasy Genesis to draw and paint, and the helpful suggestions for a more compact and digital game sheet.. Ask and ye shall receive.. a blank Game Sheet! If you've no way to copy the individual game sheets provided in the book, here's an 8.5x11 sheet with all the games and their rolls in one. Don't forget to visit my FaceBook page for more art and updates, and look for another slew of FG born madness from readers coming soon! Stay tuned.. =)

Congratulations Raffle Winner :: Dan Kelly

The list was amassed, dice were rolled, the winner was contacted, and one of my charities was picked for me to give to! This quarter my prize for signing up to my mailing list and blog, goes to someone across the pond; Mr. Dan Kelly! Thanks Dan for following my illustration career, and picking the environmental protection group, Defenders of Wildlife as being worthy of a small contribution in 2010! You'll receive a print of my Werewolf, in honor of the hundreds of Gray Wolves recently put in jeopardy by short sited Republican influence and ranching lobbyists.. Taking the less than 2500 Yosemite Grays off the endangered species list after 30 years of protection is just short of genocide, when you conceder what little needs to be done to coexist throughout the mountainous regions of the West. Dan will receive a signed and sketched collectible Magic the Gathering whiteback card as well, and I can't thank each of you who've signed up for my mailing list enough as we enter this new year !! Tell your friends and family that they too can be eligible for free raffle prints and collectables, and I'll keep on picking winners!! Stay Tuned.. =)

First class Class

Here I am at the end of my first semester teaching at the PNCA, and I sigh with an air of guarded fulfillment.  I taught a materials class with an aim towards illustration, Experiments in Drawing for the Illustrator.  Such a bizarre cacophony of content, materials and technique crammed into a couple of months, and simply entering back into the college atmosphere has been a baptism of fire to say the least.

I would've never expected some of the mistiming and thinly spread states of fatigue over the semester, but the great group of focused students I had the pleasure of guiding for a short while, came over as unexpectedly as the Portland Sun on my face before the end of class today.

Fantasy Genesis played a roll as well, with an extra credit assignment.  I gave them the same roll that was used for the Cosmic Dragon to spring from, and here's a couple results coming from; Danny Frasier (a very focused junior with an eye towards editorial and expressive inks), and Sara Stanton (like many of my students, coming somewhat from both the worlds of Miyazaki and the Portland Comic scene I'm still discovering) Take a look at these offerings, and hopefully there will be a couple more to show before too long..  Stay tuned

Jim Pavelec's Witch Dog

When I got an email that contained a blog contribution from Jim Pavelec, I couldn't open the file quick enough..  Since meeting at conventions, co-authoring Wreaking Havoc, and working with many of the same games and clients over the years, I can say with all honesty, that Jim has shaped some of the best portions of my career..  He is not only one of the nicest and giving cats I've ever met, but he has tenaciously held on to time honored traditional materials and techniques to create his amazingly detailed style of Fantasy, something the likes of a death metal demon with a brush.. This sketch is a testament to what kind of Creatures and Humanoid conceptions can spring outta yah brain when using Fantasy Genesis, but it's also a testament to the mad skills of a very good friend and painter.

Jim and Chris Seaman's new book from Impact is called Ink Bloom, and I cannot sing it's praises enough..  Please do yourself a favor, and after checking out this brilliant Concept, check out his Art Tutorial that teaches, while it tells a wickedly cool story as well..  It's a celebration, Witches !!!

Stay Tuned..  =)

Oryctolagus Polypoda & Fire Drummer

This contribution comes from two W o n d e r f u l  British artists off Deviant Art; Calmllama (Joni), and Grinning-Goblin (Gavin).  I've not yet spent a whole lot of time on DA, but J&G along with Steve Huczek created a Fantasy Genesis Group page on DA, (of which there are more posts to come with other Deviants work) but they also painted these brilliant pieces with rolls from FG as well!  What beautiful creations these two have made, and I couldn't be more geeked in my brain game having played a small "roll" in the inspiration. (see what I've doon there, then.? Forgive.. =)

First two are Joni's watercolours based on a Humanoid roll; what I'm calling - Deer-Frog on a Unicycle ©2010. and a wonderfully odd Creature roll - "Oryctolagus Polypoda." "The Chimera Illusionists of Counter-Earth crash landed in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Laysan Island. Misunderstanding Earth's fauna they created the Oryctolagus polypoda in a misjudged attempt to blend in.." Joni ©2010  I couldn't be more pleased, and they both put a giant land-island sized grin on me jib.. =)  Thank you.

I guess what I can't get over is the combo of story and art, as we see here again in an amezin' illustration, and a whole tale based on a Humanoid roll! This is really something I was hoping for when I created the game years ago, as I certainly wrote stories based on my outcomes in the game, but this is the first I've seen in an international writing inspiration.

"It had taken young Kimokone of the Ash Tribe the whole night to climb the sacred mountain. It was a dangerous undertaking, for there were many predators that could gobble him up and numerous ridges to tumble from. But, most dangerous of all where the proud spirits of the four winds, they would, if given the chance pluck him from the mountain side and dash him to pieces on the crags below. Yet Kimokone was a dutiful apprentice and knew the secret chants and cantrips to placate the spirits of the four winds and had whispered them as he climbed.

Once at the summit, in the pre-dawn light he had gathered wood from the floating Hanom trees and built himself a fire, just as his master Paph the Sun-Greeter had instructed him to. Then he'd opened his Subechi bag and cast three bones next to the fire. Each one had been most favourable, so Kimokone began drumming the sinuous, spiralling rhythm of the fire spirits and became one with the music.

As Kimokone drummed, his soul drifted to the Otherlands, the place of the spirits. He had visited there many times with Paph the Sun-Greeter, but always as his master’s shadow, never on his own. But, this time was different, he was infused with a power he had, until recently, only felt burning within his master. Now it burned within him. Kimokone felt a kinship with the world of the spirits; he was, somehow, a connection between one world and the other. He had nothing to fear from the Thunder Dogs or the ever hungry Gomo Brothers now; he had earned his right to walk the shifting paths of the Otherlands. Kimokone altered the rhythm, very subtly making it his own. As he did so the power of the Otherlands welled up through his soul. This was the test, if he could not channel the power he would not be the tribes next Subechi-man, the power would destroy him utterly. As the energy intensified Kimokone thought he could contain no more, his soul felt as if it would be lost and swept away he saw it, the mighty Coal-Horn, the proud totem of the Ash Tribe. Kimokone shifted back into the lands of his people and the Hanom wood fire flared as the power of the Otherland swept through his soul and into the flames. The spirit of the Coal-Horn burst from the blaze and soared high into to morning sky. Suffused with the unadulterated joy of creation, KimoKone rocked back and roared with laughter."  ~The Grinning Goblin ©2010

I got a little choked up when I saw this, I must admit, but I think you'll agree, it's a very creative tale, and I'm sure Joni and Gav wouldn't mind any praise on Deviant Art that any of us can give.  Thanks for all the creativity you two..  More to come from the Deviants, stay tuned !!