Illuxcon 2011 Wrap Up

Illuxcon 4 has finally passed and what an awesome convention it was. As always I was completely humbled by the amazing artwork I saw there, and of course also by all the feedback I received on my work. The good news though is it did give me much clarity on where my work needs to go and what level I am at. I feel like my work is right on the precipice and I just need to find a way to push it to the next level. Even Michael Hayes used the analogy of leveling up when talking about my work and he was amazingly helpful. I definitely got a lot of notes from him.

The feedback I got on my work all around was amazing though especially from the artists who I had met last year like Dan Dos Santos, Steve Prescott, Allen Williams, Justin Gerard, Donato, Mark Zug, Chris Moeller, Jeremy McHugh, Marc Scheff (who I really owe a lot to) and so many others. There feedback was truly invaluable.

I also had the pleasure of getting to meet some amazing artists who I did not get the chance to before. I had the pleasure of having some great conversations with Travis Lewis and got to watch him work which was amazing. As well as watching Alan Pollack paint at his booth (as can bee seen in the pic).

Another great person I got to talk to was Cynthia Sheppard (image at the top). Her feedback on my work and my portfolio was so helpful. She was definitely a big highlight of the convention this year. And I was fortunate enough to get one of her artist print magic cards. Which of course went right into the deck.

Also I had the pleasure to again meet up with Jon Schindehette and have him look over my work, which went really well. His critique was very insightful and from what I gather from him I am at least on the right track.

On the last day of the con I did get to do something truly awesome. I got to hang out with Chris Moeller at his booth and play some magic with him. I played my new vampire deck and my blue/white against his all Moeller deck. It was so much fun, I can not wait to do it again next year. 

Lastly I just want to say how awesome Jeanne and Pat are for holding Illuxcon. Everything was fantastic and it was a real pleasure to see them again. Especially watching Jeanne snipe everyone with her camera.

So here is looking forward to Illuxcon 5 2012.

Illuxcon 2011 + NYCC Wrap Up

With NY Comic Con done it is now Illuxcon that is on its way.

First though I should wrap up my trip to NYCC. It was really fantastic got to meet some great artists like Bobby Chiu, David Mack, Michelle Dickens, and Ebas. Even made some contacts with comic companies that will hopefully flesh out into full comic gigs. And the best part is a friend of mine  got an interview with DC while there. I am so excited over that.


But now that all of that is done it is time for me to leave for Illuxcon in a few hours. It should be amazing I have a portfolio review lined up with Jon Schindehette, I will be getting many magic cards signed, and will get the pleasure to see Pat and Jeannie Wilshire again as that is always a highlight.


But now I must finish preparing for my departure but expect lots of awesome pictures and hopefully some good news.


PS if you happen to be there and want to play some magic hit me up. I shall have my decks with me and would love to get down on a game.

NYCC 2011

Hey guys the day is almost upon us NYCC 2011 is nigh. This will be my first trip to NYCC and I will be there from Friday the 14th till Sunday the 16th wandering around checking out the show and making connections.

And as I had said in my last post I don't mind meeting anyone at the con so if you are there feel free to find me.  I always look forward to meeting new people.


Also expect a flood of updates after the con with of course con stuff and brand new art.

L5R Sneak Peek #5 PLUS UPDATE

Hello everyone it has been a long time sans an update. Things have been crazy here a lot of work being done. I shall be posting some new finished pieces soon so keep a look out but in the mean time here is my fifth sneak peek for my L5R work. 

The biggest news I have to share now though is I will be attending New York Comic Con this year. i do not have a booth but will wandering the show from Friday till Sunday. So if there is anyone who wishes to meet me feel free to hit me up on twitter or such I would gladly welcome it.

I hope you enjoy the sneak peek and keep a look out for more stuff very very soon.

Imagine FX Issue 72 DVD Feature

Today I got my copy of Imagine FX issue number 72 the issue in which I am on the dvd. This issue was released in the US on August 11th so I am a bit behind with letting everyone know. But I wanted to see the issue first to know for sure that I was in it. And low and behold I am.

So if you can I say go pick up this issue it has a lot of awesome stuff in it and of course the cover is done by the great Bobby Chiu.

Shadowrun - Spy Games: Instructions

This piece entitled Instructions is the other illustration I had done for Shadowrun's book Spy Games.

As I had said in a previous post this is my first ever professional Ork and it was so exciting to do.

I was really happy with this one and I hope you guys like it.

Shadowrun - Spy Games: Accident

This piece entitled Accident was done for the Shadowrun book Spy Games. It is one of two pieces I did for the book.

And as I had said before, I will now be uploading lots of new things and this is just the first part of it.

So expect a lot more soon.

Sorry I Have Been Gone so Long but Here's Why....

Hey everybody long time no see. I was planning on posting some new work awhile ago but out of nowhere I got hit with so much stuff. Some extremely good and others really REALLY bad.

First of all I went on a small vacation to Florida to visit that family. It was great got to spend a lot of time with friends and family that I rarely get to. In fact I spent ALL my time with them. Which while great left little time for much else. I was able to get sketches done on some assignments, but not much else, thus the lack of posting.

While in Florida my mom insisted on going to Busch Gardens and HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!!!!!! And by that I mean Islands of Adventure. Which the trip there was amazing. I got lots of souvenirs including my own fancy new wand. And as you can see from the picture here we all got some fancy wands. You can see my mom on the end there.

That was the "good" for my trip as far as the "bad" that happened on my return home. I was stricken with another bad stomach attack, bad enough even to send me to the hospital. Fortunately this time they figured out what was wrong. I had gallstones. And now I have to schedule a surgery to have my gallbladder removed. Not fun times especially considering my sudden change in diet. All in all though not too bad and this will cure my reoccurring attacks.

As you can see after all this hecticness it has been quite hard to get back in the posting rhythm. Fortunately I am back and do have all fun new goodies to share so expect them soon. And this time I mean it.

Shadowrun - Spy Games STUDIES PART 2

Here is the study for the second piece I did for Shadowrun's book Spy Games.

This piece is called Accident and well it isn't so much an accident as someone getting intentionally run over. Ahh vehicular homicide good times.

This is just the study so expect to see the finish for it posted here soon.

Shadowrun - Spy Games STUDIES PART 1

After a much long absence I can finally start showing some of my recent work. First up is the work I did for Catalyst Game Labs RPG Shadowrun. I did two pieces for their book Spy Games and this is the study for the first image I worked on (I want to have more stuff to show you guys so I will be uploading in parts, expect the finishes to come soon).

This piece is called instructions and it depicts an Ork receiving a note of instructions (get it? like the title of the piece) from a hidden compartment of a wall.

Also this was my first professional Ork and I was seriously geeking out about that it was awesome.

Expect a more in depth post when I get to the finish. Which WILL be along very very shortly. Hopefully though you shall enjoy seeing this bit.

ImagineFX Image of the Day

So apparently on April 6th my image The End of a Legend was selected as the image of the day on ImagineFX's website. Sadly I did not find out about this until just now. But either way this is so freaking awesome. I was so excited to hear the news. If you are interested in seeing the original piece on the ImagineFX website here is the link. The people at ImagineFX are truly awesome, I thank them so much for this great honor.

L5R Sneak Peek #4

Here is the forth installment of my studies for L5R. As per usual I can not reveal too much about the card itself but I can tell you that this one is for the next base set for Legend of the Five Rings.

This piece turned out really well. I went to an insane amount of detail compared to my norm. I can not wait for you guys to see this one I am really proud of it.

L5R Sneak Peek #3

After a bit of delay in posting this here it is the third installment of my studies for L5R. As per usual I can not reveal too much about the card itself but I can tell you that this one is for the next base set for Legend of the Five Rings.

Also since I was a bit delayed with posting this today there will be a special double sneak peek. So look out for that other one later today.

L5R Sneak Peek #2

This is my L5R sneak peek #2.

These are the studies I did for my second card for L5R. As before I can not give any more information than that. I will tell you I had a lot of fun painting the finish with this one. I played with some colors that I do not normally do.

I hope though that you enjoy seeing my studies and look forward to seeing my finishes once the cards are printed.

Also expect another batch of sneak peeks soon.

Imagine FX 68 FXpose Feature

After much waiting it is finally out. Issue 68 of Imagine FX where I was extremely fortunate enough to be featured in the FXpose section.

As you can see from the image the pieces that were depicted are Hell Hath No Fury and Wrapped Around Her Finger. And awesomely enough I don't think I have ever seen Hell Hath No Fury print that well.

Also in the article there was a fantastic crit of my work. Which was so awesome to see.

It was such an honor to be featured in IFX. I am still all giddy.

Spectrum Selections are in and........

illustration by
J. S. CHOI

The spectrum results are in and sadly I did not make it in this year. A bit depressing but just motivation for next year.

However awesomely my best buddy J. S. Choi was selected. It is so awesome that she did, I am extremely proud of her. I decided to attach one of her images so you guys can see how great her work is. This is her depiction of Sleeping Beauty.

I also encourage everyone to go check out her blog and her deviantART and see all the awesomeness yourself.

Well now I must get back to the grind stone for even better submissions for next year.

PREPARE!!! for More New Stuff

As I had said in a previous post things have been quite busy for me as of late. Getting new gigs and such. One of these gigs being for Catalyst Game Labs' RPG Shadowrun. It has been really awesome to work with them, I thoroughly enjoy Shadowrun.

Unfortunately I am not able to show anything nor give any details about what I am working on. Which does mean it will be awhile before I can update with new work. However be sure that as soon as the books come out in print I will let everyone know so you can see what I have done for Shadowrun.

I know I have not been able to show much of my work as of late but bear with me and soon I will be flooding you with all new work.

EDIT: After posting this Brent Evans the AD for Shadowrun had commented and I just wanted to share what he said. For it was quite awesome and really made my day.
"And just to keep all the suspense percolating I'll just jump in to add his work has been excellent and will be well worth the wait. :0)"

It is really great to hear something like that from your AD.

Frazetta Tribute Gallery Opens TODAY!!!

Today is the big opening for Gallery Provocateur's Frank Frazetta Tribute show. As some of you may already know I was fortunate enough to have my piece Warrior Atop the Snow Covered Peak selected for the exhibition.

Sadly though because of constraints I will not be able to make it to the opening. If anyone happens to be going please let me know how the show goes. And if you are going to be in Chicago for C2E2 you should take a break and stop by the gallery.

Also while there will be a large framed print of my piece for sale in the gallery I will also be selling extra signed prints through the gallery. More information on that can be found at the gallery itself.

I hope anyone who gets a chance to go has a wonderful time. I wish I could be there with you.

Super Special Sneak Peek (L5R)

As of late things have been really busy. I've had lots of different illustration gigs going on. One of these gigs has been for Alderac Entertainment Group's card game Legend of the 5 Rings or L5R.

While I can not show any finishes nor give any specific information as the sets have not yet been released. I am allowed to show you some of the studies I have been working on. Thus I shall be periodically posting new studies in the upcoming weeks.

The image here is the first set of studies that I did for L5R.

Hope you enjoy and keep a look out for more.

Worm Creature Preliminary Sketches

I have been extremely busy as of late and unfortunately have not been able to work on my worm illustration. Thus I figured this was a good opportunity to show some of my preliminary sketches and such that I worked up.

The sketch at the top of the sketch page was a simple drawing I did for fun in my sketchbook while I was watching my friend play Magna Carta. Which is an awesome game by the way. The sketch at the bottom is a more refined idea that went on to become the final drawing.

The other image is of a small sculpt I made for the final painting. As you can see in the picture I used a small flashlight to help me get the lighting that I will need for the fireball coming out of its mouth.

Hopefully I will get some time soon to finish up this piece. As soon as I do I will make sure to post it.

Expulsion THE FINAL CARD

I know I had linked to this before but I thought I would upload it anyway. This is the full version of the card that FFG had uploaded to their website.

Again check the flavor text it is pretty awesome.

Expulsion Studies

Normally I like to show my process before I show my finish but in this instance I was not able to. But I decided to show them anyhow.

These are some of the studies I worked up for the card Expulsion from the Order.

The top left is the value version and the rest are different color tests. As you can tell from the finish, the study that was chosen was the one on the bottom right.

Hope everyone enjoys seeing my studies.

Expulsion from the Order

This is a card I illustrated for FFG's Call of Cthulhu card game. It is entitled Expulsion from the Order. As usual it is painted using Corel Painter.

The card is for an upcoming card set. You can read a bit on the set on Fantasy Flight's website. The sample card they displayed for the article on the site just happened to be this one. Which was really awesome to see.

The card looks great and I really love the flavor text they gave the card. "We are no longer in need of your services...but you may still be of some value."

I hope everyone likes it and don't forget to pick up a copy when it is released.

Worm ATTACK

This is a personal project I have been working on for awhile. It's a fun monster destruction piece I haven't done one of those in awhile so I thought it was about time.

In between my projects I am working on some studies for this and I should have those done soon and will be able to post them.

Not to much to say about this piece mostly just that that guy is totally screwed. Ohh and when it is painted there will be a fire ball coming from the worm's mouth so yeah he is REALLY screwed.

Hope everyone enjoys.

Gallery Provocateur Frank Frazetta Tribute Exhibition

Hey everyone I have some great news my Frazetta tribute piece was accepted into the Frazetta Tribute show at the Gallery Provocateur. The show opens the weekend of March 18-20. The same weekend as C2E2 in Chicago. The show will be going on for three months so if you get a chance go check it out there will be lots of amazing paintings.

Also my buddy J. S. Choi got a piece into the gallery as well so make sure to check it out as well as the rest of the gallery.

I am not sure if I can personally make it out there for the opening but if anyone goes there please let me know how it is.

After the Kill

After the Kill is the third installment of my sci-fi fantasy pin-up series. This one depicts an Asian warrior sitting while holding her umbrella after a kill. (also featured is a detail shot)

I wanted to capture that very powerful feel of the character after a fierce battle while at the same time still being sexy.

I decided to only slightly hint at the idea of a battle so the hints I gave where the blood covered sword tip at the end of her umbrella and the silhouette of the defeated dragon in the background.

I am really happy with the way this one turned out. I am especially proud of the colors and the facial expression of the character.

I really hope everyone likes this and at some point expect more of the pin-up series to come.

A New Year and the return of the Pin-Up Series

Happy New Year I hope everyone had a good one. Well it is the start of a new year so I'm bringing it back old school. Here is the drawing for the latest addition to my sci-fi/fantasy pin-up series.

This piece has actually already been finished for about a month now just as per usual I didn't get around to posting it.

You may have noticed but this was not one of my original pin-ups planned but there have been a few changes since then. I didn't care for where some of them were going so I decided to rework them. You can see the updated list below.

That be all for now but expect to see the finish uploaded soon along with some drawings and studies for new work.

Galactic Temptress: COMPLETE "X Marks the Spot"
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: COMPLETE "Wrapped Around Her Finger"
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
Asian Dragon Slayer: COMPLETE "After the Kill"
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Elven Ladies: Reference Stage