Tome of the Level20Artist

MAGIC! The Gathering, the Comic... the Colorist

2012-02-01T21:12:00.003-05:00

Well the day is finally here the release of IDW's Magic the Gathering comic and the big news..... I was the colorist for this.

This project has been amazing, not only did I get to work with such talented people, but also with a product I love so much. Even when I first started to read the script for this I was like; "I know what that is and I know this plane" I was geeking out to the fullest extent. And as amazing fantasy illustrator Chris Moeller (who did illustrate a variant cover for this issue) told me "it's through IDW, but you know Magic's got to approve it all, so it does touch hallowed ground at some point.' Which just the thought of that makes me smile.

Getting past all the geeking outness the project itself is amazing, the story by Matt Forbeck is awesome, and the linework by Martin Coccolo is just sublime. I mean the second I saw the way he penciled the comic I was thrilled. Especially the way he lets the texture of the pencil show it allows me to bring the colors through the dark shadow areas which is something I love to do. I just hope I did his fantastic linework justice.

The images attached are one of the covers by illustrator Aleksi Briclot and a few of my favorite pages in this issue. Which include our hero running away from a fight, getting into a fight, and about to get into another fight. Needless to say it is action packed.

This has all been really fantastic and I just wanted to thank my editor Carlos Guzman for being so amazing and bringing me in on this. It is a magic nerd's dream.

I hope everyone likes the comic. But make sure to go out there and buy it make it a best seller.

Apologies for the Serious Lack of Updates but Here is Why...

2012-01-31T23:37:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone. It has been a long time indeed between updates. Much longer than I would have liked but many a thing has kept me away. So, here is a synopsis of what I have been doing these past few months.

One of the unfortunate things that has delayed me is the surgery I had to undertake. It was nothing major just had to have my gallbladder removed but still put me behind on work and caused issues. However, I am successfully recovering and now can eat the fatty food that I so desperately missed.

There was some better news that I was also given. I am now finished with graduate school. I attained my MFA degree in illustration from Syracuse University. And I must say thank you to all the great professors there who helped me truly grow as an artist.

I have also been involved in some very interesting jobs as of late one of which you may be more familiar with if you follow me on facebook. But if not expect a nice long update on that tomorrow.

That is all for now it is great to be back and can not wait to share all the latest news with all those who follow.

Illuxcon 2011 Wrap Up

2011-11-15T21:26:00.001-05:00

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

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

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

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

Also I hadthe 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 gatherfrom him I am at least on the right track.

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

LastlyI 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.

Sohere is looking forward to Illuxcon 5 2012.

Illuxcon 2011 + NYCC Wrap Up

2011-11-03T04:15:00.002-04:00

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

2011-10-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-11T21:22:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-24T15:12:00.004-04:00

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

2011-08-04T06:27:00.004-04:00

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

2011-08-02T01:46:00.004-04:00

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....

2011-07-29T23:24:00.005-04:00

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

2011-06-26T13:37:00.003-04:00

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

2011-06-20T17:13:00.005-04:00

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

2011-05-18T04:08:00.004-04:00

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

2011-04-30T16:07:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-30T15:39:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-14T11:48:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-07T22:04:00.004-04:00

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........

2011-03-31T10:13:00.003-04:00

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

2011-03-23T21:50:00.006-04:00

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!!!

2011-03-19T13:56:00.004-04:00

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)

2011-03-16T20:58:00.006-04:00

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

2011-02-28T21:46:00.006-05:00

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

2011-02-21T20:19:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-14T20:17:00.008-05:00

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

2011-02-11T17:10:00.008-05:00

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

2011-01-29T03:52:00.004-05:00

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

2011-01-26T08:48:00.002-05:00

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

2011-01-12T22:41:00.007-05:00

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

2011-01-06T01:23:00.008-05:00

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

2010 The Year in Review

2010-12-31T18:29:00.005-05:00

2010 has been quite an interesting year, hell it has been an amazing year. I was very fortunate to start getting some really nice jobs, got into ImagineFX (although you won't see me in there till next year), and I won one of the Illuxcon scholarships. It has truly been an amazing year.

In fact I remember talking with a friend of mine Mike Burns about how 2010 was our year. See he as well as my other friend J. S. Choi have all started to get some great jobs this year, things for all of us have really picked up. And if you are not familiar with their work please make sure to check them out.

It feels like our careers are really taking off. Now I am eagerly looking forward to 2011. I have some really cool gigs coming up that I can not wait to share with you guys, and I also have some really awesome personal projects and samples that will be done soon. Also expect the third installment of my pin-up series to be posted soon. It is finished I just have to actually post it.

Hopefully 2011 can be just as exciting as 2010. So cheers to a great new year to you and yours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jack the Ripper

2010-12-22T20:28:00.005-05:00

About a few months ago my friend and fellow artist J. S. Choi and I were talking to author Doug Brode and we were offered a job working on his graphic novel about Jack the Ripper. This is the test image that we did together for the project. J. S. is the line artist while I do the painting.

The company that is publicizing this seemed to really like the work we did for them. Right now we are finishing up the first few pages and then we should finalize the contract.

Once we get confirmation about everything i will let everyone know. The book will take awhile to illustrate being the fact it is over 150 pages, but once it comes out make sure you pick up a copy of it.

Warrior Atop the Snow Covered Peak (Frazetta Tribute)

2010-11-30T23:40:00.005-05:00

After much procrastination with posting here it is my Frazetta tribute piece entitled Warrior Atop the Snow Covered Peak. I have had this done for awhile and already have new sketches to show, so expect those soon.

I think the painting turned out well I really liked where my color palette went, and of course that is all thanks to great Frazetta. I think I will try and play around with these more colorful palettes in the future.

The judging for the gallery that I submitted this to should occur sometime in December, I will make sure to let everyone knows if it gets in the show.

Hopefully i did proper in honor of the great Frazetta.

Illuxcon Wrap Up

2010-11-19T01:42:00.009-05:00

Illuxcon was the coolest event ever. I got so much stuff, met so many great artists, and saw lots of awesome presentations, had 34 magic cards signed and bought 10 art books.

I uploaded some pictures one is of myself, J. S Choi, Mike Burns, Brandon, and first ever Illie award winner Mark Zug. Who by the way can rock a guitar. They had a jam night there and it was awesome.

The next has me, J. S. Choi, Mark Nelson and Jon Schindehette. Apparently there was caution, for groping was occurring. But seriously though Mark was great I ended up doing an art book trade with him which was awesome. And Jon was a great guy he looked through my work and gave me some really positive feedback. Hopefully I will be working for him at some point (knocks on wood).

Another picture is of Greg Hildebrandt working on a painting of Smaug. A really cool thing had happened when I had the chance to talk to him. I asked him if he could sign some of my magic cards and he did cause he is a really cool guy. Then I gave him some of my postcards in return. And when he looked at my work he told me it was beautiful and asked ME if I would sign them for him. That was such a magnificent experience it was a huge highlight of the convention.

There are a million other stories of awesome that happened that weekend but I will not bore you with the details. I most definitely plan on going back next year. So on a final note.

Jeannie and Pat are amazing and I thank them and those who donated art to the scholarship so much. It is an experience I will treasure forever.

ILLUXCON WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

2010-11-11T16:48:00.001-05:00

Currently I am sitting in my hotel room just waiting to head over to Illuxcon. It is going to be intense so much stuff to do. I am so excited.

I am sure I will have tons of new pictures and new stuff to share soon but until then I shall share my excitement.....

ILLUXCON WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Frazetta Tribute DRAWING

2010-11-01T16:34:00.002-04:00

I know I have been way past posting this but here it is the finished drawing to my Frazetta Tribute piece. The funny thing is I am already done with the painting so expect to see that posted soon. I have just been caught up by many things the past few weeks. In fact, I am currently posting this from the airport as I am waiting to head to Florida for my cousin's wedding.

As far as the drawing goes I reworked her anatomy a bit and played around with the gesture of the cats. I think it turned out well and the finish painting I am really proud of.

Expect to see the finish for this as well as some brand new stuff for my sci-fi/fantasy pin-up series, and some special new awesomeness.

That is all for now, as I am leaving on a jet plane.

P.S. a belated Happy Halloween I hope everyone had a good time.

Imagine FX AWESOMENESS!!!!

2010-10-06T22:12:00.008-04:00

About a month and a half ago I was informed that I am scheduled to be in issue 67 of Imagine FX, (however the specific issue is subject to change). Imagine FX is a fantasy digital art magazine based out of the UK. I am set to be featured in the FXpose section.

Some of the art you'll see will be pieces from my sci-fi/fantasy pin-up series as well as my Beowulf series.

This is the first time I will be in Imagine FX so I am extremely excited. The issue itself will be released in the UK on February 8th and then between 3 to 4 week later here in the states. It will be awhile before it's out but I will make sure to keep everyone informed between now and then. Make sure you go pick up a copy.

Frazetta Tribute

2010-10-05T02:11:00.008-04:00

I am currently working on a Frank Fraztta tribute piece. It is my submission for a gallery that is putting together a full tribute exhibition. They already have uploaded some work in progress and finished work at there site here.

With this piece I wanted to get the essence of Frazetta's work, thus naked woman with big cats. At the same time I tried to pay special attention to the composition as well as the style of facial features.

I actually took a lot of influence from some Frazetta pieces that are not women with big cats. One such piece is Frazetta's snow giants. I used that as the basis for color as well as the environment. As well as his cover to Dark Crusade. I was greatly influenced by the symmetrical composition that is balanced on each side by cliff faces.

This piece while very much a pin up is not a part of my ongoing pin up series. That I will however be continuing very shortly so expect to see some new progress on those. I should have this finished soon so keep a look out for it.

Fantasy Flight Games

2010-09-24T11:39:00.005-04:00

So I have been meaning to give this update for awhile but I keep forgetting. Over the summer I was extremely fortunate to get work with Fantasy Flight Games. They had me illustrate for one of their trading card games. I just wanted to express how great of an experience it was. Zoe and Mike were great to work with, it was really a lot of fun. Hopefully I will work with them again soon.

The product I worked on should be released sometime in December so expect to see the art and everything around then. Be sure to keep a look out for it.

Beowulf Step by Step Part 3

2010-09-19T12:25:00.002-04:00

This is the final part in my Beowulf step by step series. The process for this one is the same as my previous pieces so first off I will re-quote myself; "I treat my digital work the same as I do a traditional painting. I start with a finished drawing then do a flat color wash as an underpainting. I also change the actual color of the linework as well, this I do in my traditional by tracing my drawing with colored pencils, or by printing out the drawing in a different color before mounting.

After that I roughly block in my colors and values, colorpicking from my original studies, it helps save lots of time.

Then I re-work and refine everything, make any appropriate changes until I finish. That is a very rough summation of my process but I figure it helps."

There are a few things that were unique to this piece. Mostly as you can see I had to pay particular attention to the edges of certain parts such as the wings of the crows. While I start off blocking them in roughly I then go in and create specific hard edges to them. Since in the end I do not want hard edges I go back in and repaint and soften them. This may seem like extra effort for no reason but I find that it helps me more specifically control my shapes.

So this is a run down of my process as always if you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

Beowulf Step by Step Part 2

2010-09-15T08:21:00.006-04:00

Man it has been a busy few weeks. Writing can really consume your time. I am sorry for the delay but here is part 2 of my step by step pieces.

My process here is pretty much the same as before, with some slight changes. Such as you can see between steps 6 and 7 I altered the colors from what I originally had. I used a colorize layer in Painter for this, I really really love the way it works. It allows me to change any color I want without altering the value. The only other significant difference that is seen is in the early steps where you can see I started off by planning out the highlight shapes. This helped me figure out how much contrast I would need in certain areas for focus.

Since the rest of the process is the same I will just quote myself for the rough explanation.
"I treat my digital work the same as I do a traditional painting. I start with a finished drawing then do a flat color wash as an underpainting. I also change the actual color of the linework as well, this I do in my traditional by tracing my drawing with colored pencils, or by printing out the drawing in a different color before mounting.

After that I roughly block in my colors and values, colorpicking from my original studies, it helps save lots of time.

Then I re-work and refine everything, make any appropriate changes until I finish. That is a very rough summation of my process but I figure it helps.

But if anyone has any questions about my process I will gladly answer them. I hope you find this informative."

I hope you enjoyed my process.

Hey Look I Made a LinkedIn

2010-09-05T06:49:00.001-04:00

Hey.... I made a LinkedIn, so go check it out. If you happen to have one feel free to connect with me.

Yesterday Must Have Been My Birthday!!!

2010-08-21T04:16:00.003-04:00

Yeah it is almost 4:30 in the morning and I am greeting you all at the end of a fun birthday. A few friends and I went to Olive Garden (unlimited soup, salad, and bread-sticks are VERY good) and then we hung out, watched House, and played cards all night. All in all it was a good day.

Since I am still up now I figured I would give an update on what you should expect in the next few weeks. I will have some more step by steps up soon of the rest of my Beowulf series, I should also have a finished drawing of a portrait I have been working on, as well as a very old drawing of a giant flying turtle done soon.

I hope you are looking forward to my new stuff and I hope you enjoy them. Well I am off to bed now to get some rest for a D&D packed day.

Also remember today the 21st of August is Worldwide D&D Game Day, so get a group friends together, a bag of dice, Mountain Dew, Cheetos, and get NERDY.

Ask Away!

2010-08-19T18:33:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody. I have recently made a Formspring account. So if you have any questions at all feel free to ask me. I love helping out and giving advice so please do not hesitate to ask anything you wish, just so long as it isn't inappropriate.

Beowulf Step by Step Part 1

2010-08-10T05:18:00.006-04:00

This is a step by step for the first piece in my Beowulf series. I had never posted a step by step before but thought some might be interested in my process.

I treat my digital work the same as I do a traditional painting. I start with a finished drawing then do a flat color wash as an underpainting. I also change the actual color of the linework as well, this I do in my traditional by tracing my drawing with colored pencils, or by printing out the drawing in a different color before mounting.

After that I roughly block in my colors and values, colorpicking from my original studies, it helps save lots of time.

Then I re-work and refine everything, make any appropriate changes until I finish. That is a very rough summation of my process but I figure it helps.

But if anyone has any questions about my process I will gladly answer them. I hope you find this informative.

PLEASE HELP ME WIN!!!

2010-07-12T19:28:00.004-04:00

I just entered my piece The End of a Legend for a chance to win prizes from Corel. Please if you would vote for my piece. All you have to do is sign in and then vote. You can also vote everyday so any help you can give would be extremely appreciated. You can vote for my piece here.

ILLUXCON 2010

2010-07-02T05:32:00.001-04:00

I just got some awesome news. I won an all expenses paid scholarship to go to Illuxcon this year. I am so excited about it. For those of you who don't know Illuxcon is a convention for fantasy illustration. So many great artists will be there like; Justin Sweet, Daren Bader, Dan Dos Santos, and even Donato. And that is just a very small amount.

I got in on the submission of my The End of a Legend piece.

If you want to know more about Illuxcon check it out here. Illuxcon 2010

I am so excited for this it is a great honor, I am very thankful to have been chosen.

The End of a Legend (Beowulf Series image 3 of 3)

2010-07-02T02:34:00.002-04:00

The final image in my Beowulf series entitled The End of a Legend. This one depicts the final battle between Beowulf and the dragon. Unlike his previous battles this one takes place years later after Beowulf is made king. A dragon begins to terrify Beowulf's land setting fire to all he sees. Beowulf with a group of thanes then faces off against the dragon. When the battle begins all of Beowulf's men except for Wiglaf abandon him. At the end of the fight Beowulf and the dragon both lie dead and Wiglaf sees to him. Wiglaf being Beowulf's only relative becomes the next king.

To contrast with my other pieces I wanted this one to depict the end of the battle, the aftermath of the carnage. I thought a nice way to show this was through the use of an above view so we could see the crows looking down upon the feast before them. I thought this quite appropriate as crows are very symbolic of death.

With the design of the dragon I wanted to keep with the same mammalian and aquatic fusion that Grendel and his mother had. I decided to give him a mane down his whole neck. I figured that any creature who lives in such a cold environment would need to have some form of warmth. He has the similar fin nature to his ear that Grendel and his mother does, but the main aquatic feature I gave him was to base his design off an eel.

I was really proud of how this piece turned out, I hope all of you enjoy it as well.

ArtOrder Feature

2010-06-25T21:52:00.002-04:00

ArtOrder is a great site hosted by Jon Schindehette Art Director for D&D. On his latest post he was nice enough to feature one of my images. I was very flattered to say the least. If you do not know the site please check it out it is well worth the visit.

ArtOrder Priorities: Making TIme

ArtOrder

Mother of Grendel Grief-Wracked and Ravenous (Beowulf Series image 2 of 3)

2010-06-25T04:41:00.008-04:00

Part two of my Beowulf series. This is the second battle Beowulf has in the epic, where he faces off against the mother of Grendel. Unlike the first piece, I wanted this one to depict the heat of the battle. I wanted Beowulf struggling to fight to show that even he can not handle the wrath of Grendel's mother.

I also really wanted to get that fierce emotion across of Grendel's mother. To show how much she loved her son as her love was turned into unmitigated rage against his killer.

Unlike Grendel I wanted to depict his mother with a slightly more humanistic appearance to make her a bit more sympathetic. For even Beowulf says that unlike the beast Grendel he can understand that Grendel's mother had to do what she did to avenge her kinsman.

Since Grendel's mother is said to look like that of a water demon I thought what if I combined a naga or serpent creature with that of a merrow and have a serpentine tail but with a fish fin. I figured this would work for how she travels on land and sea. The text also describes her as a sea-wolf and I wanted to play up that fusion. So I gave her aquatic features such as; fins, hand-webbing, and gills. I then also gave her the wolf-like features of her wolfen eyes, fur covered hands, and large mane.

This was really fun to create, I really enjoyed playing with the design Grendel's mother.

As always this was created in Corel Painter.

The Son of Cain Hunts in Heorot (Beowulf Series image 1 of 3 )

2010-06-14T18:53:00.007-04:00

This is the first piece in my Beowulf series entitled "The Son of Cain Hunts in Heorot". I wanted each of the three pieces in the series to depict a battle with the three monsters Beowulf faces. This one shows Beowulf as he begins his epic fight with the beast Grendel.

I wanted this piece to depict the beginning of the battle as the first punches are thrown. Where Beowulf shows great confidence before this supposed threat, as his loyal men cheer him on against the demonic descendant of Cain.

The design of Grendel comes from specific parts of the original text. I show Grendel as this ominous shadowy figure that is almost completely silhouetted. I got this idea from a really interesting part of the book where Grendel is described as a dark shadow that lurks beneath the clouds.

Besides being a giant, Grendel is also said to have been disturbed by the noise of the great hall, thus why I designed him with the large ears. The rest of his physical appearance actually comes from descriptions of his mother. She is said to be a demonic sea creature who is refereed to as a sea-wolf. When I read that I wanted to play up that idea of fusing mammalian and aquatic creature aspects. So Grendel's ears were based upon a wolf but then enlarged to gain a more bat like quality. To incorporate the aquatic aspects I gave Grendel webbing that can be seen in between his fingers.

The piece was drawn out on paper and then painted in Corel Painter. I enjoyed painting it and hope you all like it as well.

We Now Return You to Your Regular Broadcast

2010-06-14T02:09:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone I am back. Computer is back and operational and as you can see the blog got a bit of a make-over. I have lots of artwork to post so make sure you stay tuned. I also have some exciting new gigs coming up, once I can give you the specifics I will. I hope you're as excited as me.

We Apologize for the Technical Difficulties

2010-05-20T01:52:00.002-04:00

Well recently I have been having trouble with the disc drive on my laptop. It now appears that my comp needs to be shipped to a far away land to be fixed. So long as they can fix it otherwise I will be apparently given a brand new computer. Got to love that Geek Squad coverage. What this means is that I will be offline for the next two weeks or so. However when I get back I will have my full Beowulf illustrations to upload. Sorry that has taken so long but they are finished and all I need to do is actually post them.

That is all for now, I shall see everyone in two weeks.

Goodbye Mr. Frazetta

2010-05-10T23:38:00.006-04:00

If you are unaware, today we lost a great pioneer to the realm of fantasy art, Frank Frazetta. He was a legend, an icon, and an artistic genius. Frazetta revolutionized the fantasy genre, it is thanks to him that the fantasy/sci-fi genre is what it is today. If it not for him fantasy would still be an underground movement and not the massively appreciated genre it is today. His paintings have been a great inspiration to me, from their subject matter, composition, to the sophisticated painting style they had. His artwork has continued to influence me since the day I saw it. He was a great pioneer who without his inspiration I am not sure I would be the artist I am today. If you are not familiar with his work look it up right now. And don't just google a few images, find a book of his and look I mean really look at it only then can you truly appreciate it.

So to Mr. Frazetta I want to say thank you for everything you will be missed. Cheers.

NOTE* to see some of Frank Frazetta's work go here frankfrazetta.org the unofficial website.

More information about his passing can be seen here Frank Frazetta dies at 82, NY Times.

Beowulf the Complete Series DRAWINGS

2010-05-06T05:00:00.003-04:00

This a compilation image that depicts all three pieces of my Beowulf project.

Beowulf Faces the Dragon, The Final Battle DRAWING

2010-05-06T04:58:00.002-04:00

This is the third and final image to my Beowulf series. This piece depicts the ending of his final battle against the dragon.

Beowulf Faces Grendel's Mother DRAWING

2010-05-06T04:56:00.003-04:00

This is the second piece in the Beowulf Series. This one depicts the awesome underwater battle between the hero Beowulf and the vengeful mother of Grendel.

Beowulf Faces Grendel DRAWING

2010-05-06T04:51:00.004-04:00

I meant to upload my drawings much sooner but better late than never. I have actually already finished the paintings for the whole series but one step at a time.

This is the first piece in my Beowulf series. Beowulf braces himself for the epic fight with the beast Grendel while his men cheer him on.

So How Would You Train Your Dragon?

2010-04-25T00:46:00.001-04:00

Finally got to see How to Train You Dragon last night, and frankly it was amazing. I loved the story, the characters, the animation, the style, the music; I loved it all. It is definitely going on the DVD list. The best part though was that it was inspiring. I was currently fighting with some ideas on my Beowulf project, and all the issues I was wondering about, the movie helped me solve. So now I feel re-energized and ready to paint.

Also I am finished with the drawings to my Beowulf pieces and I am deep in the paintings. I do not really have the time to upload them all now but in a week or so expect to see a lot.

Rapture of a Maenad

2010-04-16T18:39:00.003-04:00

This is a sketch I did to represent the Hellenistic god Dionysus. This piece depicts a maenad (or female devotee who was in a frenzy) of the god Dionysus as she is enthralled by his presence.

I wanted to show the sexual nature of the maenad via her gesture and her revealing outfit, as well as the sensual manner the wine is pouring on her.

I also wanted to convey the dualistic nature of Dionysus himself. One way I did this was by having him wear a split almost yin-yang like mask. However, the main way I wanted to convey his duality was in a more hermaphroditic way. While he is a man with broad shoulders, I added feminine features to him. You can see that he has not male pecs but female like breasts as well as very voluptuous hips.

This was a fun sketch, I normally don't do this kind of surrealistic imagery but I think I may do it more often.

Figure Painting in the New Age

2010-04-11T11:16:00.003-04:00

A few weeks back I did something interesting with the digital painting class I teach. I had a model come in and we did some live digital painting from the model. I figured it was a nice relaxing class to have just before spring break.

The model was great, the students did a great job, and I think they really enjoyed it.

The REAL Beowulf

2010-04-06T09:58:00.005-04:00

I know it has been a bit since my last post but I assure you I will have a lot to show you soon. I wanted to upload this to start off. It is from my reference shoot with my model Wil for the Beowulf project.

Since I generally like to show my process on this blog I figured I should show some of my reference shots for once, and I figured since this shoot turned out particularly well I would show something from it.

I am actually quite far on the project as of right now I am working on the third and final finish drawing for the project. Expect to see some finish drawings soon as well as some other posts.

The Cosmic Web

2010-03-25T22:50:00.007-04:00

This is a simple sketch I did recently. It is based upon the meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Being a Stoic philosopher he had belief that everyone was connected via the celestial whole by a kind of cosmic web. Any slight change to the web affects everyone and everything in some form.

Simple drawing but I had fun playing with webs, I rarely get a chance to do that.

Now in COLOR

2010-03-25T22:39:00.003-04:00

I have been a bit busy as of late so I have neglected my posting. I do however have many things to post. This one is the color studies for my Beowulf project.

I think I will end up going with the bottom ones for the first two projects and then a combination of the 2 for the third one, with it being dominantly the green one. It does seem to give a more eerie vibe which I like.

I have already shot my reference and even finished some of the drawings so expect to see those soon.

and........ FENCE!

2010-03-06T04:50:00.006-05:00

This is a quick illustration I had done recently. After taking a fencing class I wanted to incorporate my new found knowledge of proper fencing stances into my sci-fi/fantasy work. The female fighter is striking at the male opponent with a lunge while he defends with parry #8.

I decided to apply this new knowledge to what the future Olympics would be like. Which obviously would be involve jet pack feet and matches in the sky. I also based their new full body armor upon the current fencing uniforms. While there are some significant changes you can see great similarities in the torso armor, as well as gloves and masks.

You may also notice that the fighters are from German and Italy respectively. I did this as homage to the 2008 Olympic games. For they represent the female individual epee winner Britta Heidemann and men's individual epee winner Matteo Tagliariol.

Just a simple painting, but more to come soon, expect some process on my Beowulf project.

BEOWULF value studies

2010-02-28T08:49:00.004-05:00

Here is some WIP for my upcoming Beowulf project. Each image represents a battle Beowulf has. First the battle with Grendel, then Grendel's mother, and finally the dragon. I have some color studies in the work as well and will post those soon.

Also later today is the big photo shoot for this project. Perhaps I will show some of the shots as well.

The Salvation of Lucius

2010-02-25T06:10:00.006-05:00

A quick drawing I did. It is the climactic scene from the story The Golden Ass by Apuleius. It is a Hellenistic story that depicts the adventures of Lucius who through his own stupidity gets turned into a donkey.

He then goes on a series of adventures until at the end he is visited by the goddess Isis. She then gives him the means to turn back to his former self just this time a bit more enlightened.

I threw in a lot of symbolism to this. Such as the ribbons of fabric around Isis which represent mummification fabric. This being symbolic of Isis' husband Osiris. This is important as it symbolized Lucius' rebirth as well as its shape reflects that of the roads. I did this to symbolize the wandering of Lucius as well as that of the goddess herself.

There are many more instances of symbolism but I won't bore you with all the details.

That is all for now, later.

Tweet Tweet ... Tweety Deet

2010-02-14T20:09:00.003-05:00

Made a twitter account so everyone can follow all my activities there. Name of course Level20Atrist.

Wrapped Around Her Finger

2010-01-22T23:56:00.003-05:00

The second one is done. Here it is the second in my pin-up series called Wrapped Around Her Finger. With this one I wanted to harp back to the classical styles of Frank Frazetta, with the sensual women in the wild with mythical serpents. However, I wanted to get a more fantastical ideal across with her, instead of just a woman with snakes. Thus I wanted to convey her as this mythic creature who herself is very serpentine-like.

As always the finish is done in Corel Painter.

I may not have time to work on the pin-up series for a little bit. However, the next piece will be my angelic beauty one.

Galactic Temptress: COMPLETE "X Marks the Spot"
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: COMPLETE "Wrapped Around Her Finger"
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

......Like a Woman Scorned

2010-01-16T20:26:00.004-05:00

Here is the finish piece of my lightning goddess "Hell Hath No Fury" done in Corel painter. As I have said in previous posts this is a depiction of my character Irreidia from my mythology as she battles against a horde of wraiths.

Currently I am making the finishing touches upon my serpent mistress and will have that piece posted soon.

That be all for now as I must return to painting.

A New Beginning

2010-01-06T01:46:00.004-05:00

A Happy New Year and happy holidays to you all. I know I have been neglecting updating as of late but that's what happens when you visit family and are low on internet. I did however, want to give everyone an update on what images and work in general you can be seeing in the new year.

I shall have the finished image of my lightning goddess soon, I just want to make a couple of tweaks.

My second pin-up the serpent mistress will be finished soon.

I will also start showing some samples of the collaborative projects I have in the work.

And finally I will for fun be illustrating a classical story. I feel taking a classic a placing my own twist on it will be fun. I have not yet fully decided which I shall choose so I will just let that stay a secret for now.

That's all I have to say for now but expect more updates within the next two weeks once I get out of the boiling pot of Florida and I am back in New York.

Until then.

A Drawing Not Jusssssst a Ssssssketch

2009-12-03T00:34:00.004-05:00

I finally had time to scan in the drawing for my serpent mistress piece. And thus here it is. I plan on working up some value and color studies later today, so perhaps I will be able to post those sometime soon. If all goes well I should have this piece done soon, thus updates should come faster than normal.

Currently I am extremely swamped with work so I shall get back to it. I hope you enjoyed the drawing.

Hell Hath No Fury...

2009-12-01T08:39:00.006-05:00

This is the sketch to one of the other pieces I am working on that is not part of my pin-up series. It showcases one of the characters I had created for my mythology. Basically she is a lightning goddess and all that fun stuff. I had an old drawing I did of her posted in an old post as well. I actually have a great deal of stories planned out for her since she is one of my favorite characters in my world. Eventually I plan on making a comic about one of her stories and this scene is partially depicting a part of that epic. I know I basically summed her up as a lightning goddess but trust me there is much much more to her than just that. Well once I can get some of the stories fleshed out a bit more I'll get around to posting them as well.

As far as the images go, I attached the original drawing I did as well as a desaturated version. I gave the desaturated version because I feel it tightens up the drawing a bit and can better convey some of what I am trying to get across in the piece.

That is all I have for this update but look for the final drawing and studies to my serpent mistress to be uploaded soon.

Laters.

ILL 400 Digital Painting with Corel Painter...HELLS YEAH

2009-11-23T05:47:00.004-05:00

It is official, my digital painting class is a go. I will be teaching an illustration class at Syracuse University that focuses on digital painting. The class will be similar to that of an illustration class just with the assignments being done in Painter.

The class will meet Friday mornings starting this fall semester. I am quite excited about it and I can not wait to start teaching.

I also attached a copy of the poster I made to promote the class. It shows some of the process steps to my Zombie Cannon piece.

A Sssssimple Ssssssketch.

2009-11-22T17:02:00.005-05:00

I have been meaning to post this sketch for awhile now but life has been so hectic I have only just now got around to it. It is the sketch for my second pin-up piece my serpent mistress. The process for this piece is much further along than this post would make it seem. I have already finished the final drawing and now I am working on some value and color roughs.

As soon as I get the finished drawing scanned in I will make sure to post it. A bit sooner than this one I hope.

I have been working on some other projects as well not only my pin-up series. Expect to see a new sketch for quite an epic piece soon.

Well, that is all for now, until later.

Galactic Temptress: COMPLETE "X Marks the Spot"
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Value/Color Studies
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

At Donato's Studio

2009-11-16T04:46:00.011-05:00

I recently took a trip to NYC with some friends to visit the sci-fi/fantasy illustrator Donato at his studio in Brooklyn. He shared some of his knowledge, we got to watch him work, and even got some great posters to take with us. Some of the pics I uploaded were; a group shot of us (top), Donato working on his latest illustration commission (middle), and Donato when he was lecturing about color, composition, and how he first got into the business (bottom).

Donato is a great artist and a very welcoming guy. If you ever get the chance to meet him I highly recommend it.

Until next time.

X Marks the Spot

2009-10-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone finally finished my first pin-up. My galactic temptress who has now become a space pirate. I entitled the piece "X Marks the Spot".

I am quite pleased with how it turned out I think I learned a lot about where I want my style to go. Also I think It is very successful as my first ever sci-fi piece.

As always the finish was done in Corel Painter. I hope everyone likes this piece as much as I do. Expect my updates on my snake lady very soon.

Galactic Temptress: COMPLETE "X Marks the Spot"
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Final Drawing
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

A Taste of Painter

2009-10-12T04:59:00.003-04:00

As luck would have it I was recently asked to teach a Corel Painter workshop at Syracuse University. It will be on two consecutive Saturdays Oct 17th and 24th, from Noon -3:00 PM. As you can see by the poster I uploaded.

The workshop will consist of a tutorial of the program followed by a demo. The students will then practice the first day painting a still life or portrait to familiarize themselves with the program.

They will then have the next week to create a full finished piece, with time to work on it on the 24th. We will then finish up the day with a class critique.

I am really looking forward to this workshop. I think the students will create some great images. If possible, after the workshop I'll see about uploading some of my students work to share with everyone what they did.

HOIST THE COLORS!!!

2009-10-12T04:47:00.009-04:00

I worked out some colors for my space pirate in Corel painter. I ended up testing out both warm and cool palettes. While I do love some areas in the cool palette, especially the purple nebulae and the turquoise glow at the bottom of the planet, I ended up choosing the warm study. The warm one gives a nice contrast against her green skin and there are areas where I find it easier to move colors around, more so than the cool palette.

I have already started the finish and it should be done by this week.

I hope everyone is enjoying the process of this piece. I really enjoyed the feedback that I have been receiving. I got a lot of great comments via Facebook.

Also I have been meaning to scan in my sketches for my other piece, but fear not it's moving along I am currently working on the final drawing.

Galactic Temptress: Finish
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Final Drawing
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

Aye Avast! Ye Advice Be Requested.

2009-09-30T21:51:00.004-04:00

I decided to do some more value studies for my space pirate image. And thus here they are.

There are parts in different ones that I like more than others so I am having a bit of trouble deciding which way I should go.

If you wish to share your opinion, please go right ahead and comment. Your feedback will be quite welcome.

YARRRR Me Mateys

2009-09-28T23:53:00.006-04:00

My galactic temptress piece has changed quite a bit. I nixed the iron work-like windows and just went with a larger planet behind a moon, while she just rests on a free floating plate. I also turned the steps to give more movement to the piece.

Also, instead of just being an alien she has become a space pirate. So I added some appropriate accessories like pirate boots, and eye patch, and a Jolly Roger tattoo.

The image at the top is the finished drawing and the one at the bottom is a rough value study I did. I also have some color sketches but since the composition changed so much I basically had to scrap them and start over. However, they did help give me some ideas of where I want my palette to go. I should have the color sketch uploaded soon.

I have also been working on my serpent mistress piece and will scan in some sketches of it soon.

That is all for now.

Galactic Temptress: Color Rough/ Finish
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Sketch Stage
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

Pin-Ups, First Sketch for GALACTIC TEMPTRESS

2009-09-14T01:39:00.008-04:00

I did the first rough sketch for my Galactic Temptress piece. The bottom image is the full drawing I did. While I liked all the environmental components there are, I realized the image would be much better cropped, thus the top image. It brings the attention fully to the figure while I believe still keeping the elegance of the full image. However even though the proportions work better now it will still need some slight modifications for the final i.e. a third step, more of the planet, the metal work needs to be smaller, and I want to add in some more space ships so they can create a curve to help move your eye through the piece.

Currently I started to work on some color studies for this piece which when I get done I will post.

I have also been sketching out some ideas for my Serpent Mistress piece. I'll probably have those scanned in to post about the same time as the color studies for this one.

Those be the updates for now, keep a look out for updates soon.

Galactic Temptress: Color Studies
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Sketch Stage
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

Elf Girl Full Version

2009-09-14T01:30:00.005-04:00

Finally got a chance to upload the scanned in version of my elf girl drawing. That's it for now, short post this time.

UPCOMMING PROJECT: the SEVEN Sci-Fi Fantasy Pin-Ups

2009-08-24T02:48:00.003-04:00

As of late I have had a great desire to do some pin-up art. I decided to do an extended project consisting of seven thematically different sci-fi fantasy pin-up images. This may take me awhile so I will systematically update the progress. I have already started collecting inspiration and taking reference photos.

Following is a list of the different images done in my usual progress fashion.

Galactic Seductress: Reference Stage
Steam Punk Apocalypse: Reference Stage
Serpent Mistress: Reference Stage
Cyborg Ferocity: Reference Stage
An Elegant Universe: Reference Stage
Angelic Beauty: Reference Stage
Punkish Self-indulgence: Reference Stage

These names are more of placeholders for now, just used for description. I have become more interested in this project so yes some of my older ones will wait a bit longer than intended. However, I think this project will turn out amazingly.

That is all for now, but be on the look out for the first sketches.

More Sites and also MERCHANDISING!

2009-08-24T02:37:00.004-04:00

Yeah so I made another site even though I said I wouldn't, but like a friend of mine said we artists do need all the exposure we can get. So I made a gallery page at Concept Art. There are only a few images there now but I will update it like all my other sites.

Also, I did open something else today. I started a cafe press account. Once I get some time I will start making merchandise. So look forward to some fun things like mugs, posters, and possibly t-shirts. I will make sure to inform everyone of that as soon as I get it going.

Little Sketch and ANOTHER NEW LINK (I swear this is the last one)

2009-07-12T04:09:00.004-04:00

Sadly, I don't have access to a good scanner right now so I can not really show most of what I have been doing. I did however decide to take a photo of my latest sketch, this way I can at least show everyone a small piece of what I have been up to.

I used a friend of mine, Jen, as the model. Instead of just doing a straight up portrait I decided to make her an Elven type creature. Yay Elves, fun times. Other than that the image is self explanatory. I will upload a better quality image once I get to a good scanner.

Also, I know I said I wouldn't do this again but I made another portfolio site. This one is at Imagine Fx's site. Same deal as always this link will be added to the top of my blog in case you want to see.

That would be all for tonight, but I shall have more sketchbook goodness soon.

ONE MORE TIME!

2009-07-08T23:52:00.002-04:00

Well I went ahead and made ANOTHER gallery site. This time at CG Hub. So if you happen to have one you can now find me there as well. And as per usual it's level20artist.cghub.com.

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-07-03T01:03:00.011-04:00

As of late I have been hitting the books hard. I decided to do a bit of figure studying as well as some exploration into new digital techniques. So Picked up some interesting digital books. One by Don Seegmiller, The DIGITAL PAINTING BIBLE, and one compilation of workshops released by ImagineFX. I have only begun to scratch the surface, but so far they have been quite helpful.

I also got some figure books. Good old Bridgeman and one by Robert Barrett.

As you can see I also got a fun new toy. I got an Intuos 4 tablet. This tablet is a thing of beauty. A lot better then my old Graphire 3. I've been experimenting with some new brushes and techniques in Painter, which has been quite fun.

Since I am spending time trying to learn new things, some of the stuff I have done I don't believe is worthy yet to show everyone out there in the webbernet. But as soon as I get comfortable with some of these new techniques expect bigger and better things.

Also in the last image you can see my baby and my tablet. The image I have for my wallpaper is a piece by Stanley Lau, the wallpaper itself is thanks to ImagineFX.

That's it for now but have faith in a bright future.

And Then There Was Yet Another

2009-06-29T01:34:00.004-04:00

So I have made another site for my work. I made a Deviant Art account. I plan on using it for a special set of drawings that I will have just there. It will be unique to my other art sites. So go forth link, fav, follow, watch, and other things of that nature. That is if you wish. I would greatly appreciate it.

That is all for now but look forward to some new art very soon.

And Then There Were 4 - ALSO UPDATES

2009-06-13T04:17:00.006-04:00

Hey everybody. I have been quite busy on the interweb today. If you look at the top right of the page you can see all my new links. Three new and one old, which yes does indeed mean 4.

There is of course my website in which I just updated my gallery today, so it is now current.

My new portfolio page at CG Society. Which is a great art site so check it out.

The interview I mentioned the other day.

And finally, yes my brand new facebook. It took me this long to make one but there it is. So if you wish, become my friend.

I am now done with all my late posts. So, now back to the grind for more art. I'll post again soon with an updated list of my projects once I get them organized.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The City

2009-06-12T04:01:00.010-04:00

Well I finally got a chance to put these pics up. These are from my trip to New York City. When I was there I got to meet up with a few well known artists Donato and William Seccombe.

Donato (the one in the bottom picture) is an extremely successful fantasy artist. If you aren't familiar with his work I recommend clicking his name and seeing it, it is fantastic. I hopefully will be able to visit his studio sometime soon. Unfortunately my trip was too short and event filled for me to do it then, but next time.

William (the one in the top picture) is a great figurative painter and graphic designer. He also has a great blog wseccombe.blogspot.com. So go check it out, read his stuff and follow his blog. Believe me it is worth it. He updates often and shows some great demos.

Well that be it for now, I shall bid thee farewell. Goodnight to some and good morning to the rest.

Interview with an Illustrator

2009-06-12T03:38:00.005-04:00

Hey there folks. Awhile ago I was contacted by a website called whohub.com. It is apparently a site where professionals answer interview questions. They wanted me to answer questions related to illustration. It seemed like good fun so I decided to do it. I figure it lets me answer specific questions that don't get brought up here. So if you are interested check it out and enjoy.

http://www.whohub.com/level20artist

That Guy in the Chair

2009-06-11T05:00:00.004-04:00

Yet another oil painting I did awhile back. This one is of a guy who works at the local music store. This was his first time modeling and despite his issues remaining still and answering his phone while modeling, the painting turned out quite well. I wanted to get a feeling of loneliness and solitude in the piece. Originally the background was empty but I added the windows to help activate the space. For a simple portrait I think it turned out well. I do especially like the blue lighting in the area around his shoulder.

And fun note I actually painted this on masonite. I did a drawing of him first then scanned it into the computer. Placed a flat neutral brown under painting behind the drawing in Photoshop. I then printed it out at a height of about 44 inches. Finally I matte mediumed it to the masonite and then started painting.

Well I have posted quite a bit today. I think I may get some sleep now but I still may post more later today. Look forward to my picks from my trip to NYC, the interview I am doing, and some new fun website things. Night for now..... or morning.

Ahh the Lovely Lovely Snow

2009-06-11T04:10:00.008-04:00

Here is one of my latest self-ports. It is done in my water based oils. I was trying to capture my joy of finally being back in the north where there is snow. as opposed to Florida were they do not even have seasons.

I liked what I did with this, especially the slight color variations in the hair and on the face.

I had shown this to the well known fine artist Jerome Witkin, and he had given me possibly one of the best compliments I have ever received. When he saw this piece he told me he quite liked it. That it was very poetic and that it reminded him of a Victorian Age painter Arthur Rackham. Mind you Rackham is one of my favorite illustrators of all time, and for an artist of Jerome's caliber to compare a piece of mine to him was a truly great honor.

That's it for this post, still only halfway done with the stuff I need to post.

The Good, The Bad, and the...... well that's pretty much it.

2009-06-11T03:56:00.003-04:00

NOT MY ART

Well I finally found sometime to finish my movie review. It's been awhile since I went and saw DBE and my anger of the movie has died down so this won't be as extensive of a rant as I had before. This could also be due to the fact that it was exactly as terrible as I expected.

However, I did just recently see Star Trek for the second time, and for how bad DBE was Star Trek was that good. So I decided to talk of that as well.

And for note I wanted to repeat my stance on my review; "Now, is my opinion one that should be held in high regard? Are my views so eye-opening that anyone who reads this will regard my comments as genius?.... HELL NO. However, I do wish to express my opinion, as this is my blog I want to add a bit of personal flare and insight into my tastes."

I do give warning now this will CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Where to start with DBE? How about the characters? Chichi, she was at best bland. She just didn't matter, she was the stereotypical love interest who is there just for the sake of, well, being a love interest. She added nothing and had almost no personality. The Chichi from the old show, while on many occasions irritated me greatly at least was unique, the one in DBE could have been easily replaced with a card board cut out.

Bulma, Yamcha, and Piccolo were pretty bad as well but I want to try and make this review not too long. So lets look at Goku....ohh dear God Goku. It was as predicted he was a dumb angsty teen. He actually asked his grandfather if he could teach him something useful like how to get girls. Are you kidding me? What made Goku so endearing in the old show was that he was blissfully ignorant to the outside world and just cared about training. They took the uniqueness of the character and made him the same crappy-cookie-cutter-cutout as every modern day lead male role. Ha I think I like that crappy-cookie-cutter-cutout.

At least Roshi had moments of perversion, so that was a nice touch.

Lets see story/writing issues. Kind of vague I basically am just going to vent on what I found...... unpleasant. First of all the main part of the story takes place in 2 weeks. During this time the moon changes phases about 12 times. Apparently whoever made this movie never bothered too look out side their window too see that the moon takes a bit longer than that. Considering the moon is SUPPOSED to be important you think someone would look it up.

There was also this scene with what I assume were supposed to be saiba men in an underground lava pit. These creatures for some reason are almost invincible but fortunately can be destroyed in lava, boy that sure is convenient. Since the dragonball they were trying to get to was surrounded by lava and unreachable I thought this is where Goku would be able to fly, however, instead he makes a bridge out of Saiba men bodies and hops across the lava. I assume how dumb this is needs no further explanation.

Then there is Piccolo, most of his issues I find are in his story. He was captured and sealed in some artifact blah blah blah but the he escapes. Nice and typical. But wait how did he escape? I have no f'ing clue. They don't ever bother to mention which I guess normally wouldn't be relevant except for the fact that they were making a new artifact jar and planned on trapping him...... does anyone see the flaw in this? Perhaps he may ESCAPE again.

There is also the graphics. Dear god the end with the flying car was so badly green screened, it made 15 year old Sci-Fi channel original movies look like Lord of the Rings by comparison.

And finally Goku's abilities. He for some reason is the Avatar for he is an air-bender. He learned to use the Kamehameha which is an air-bending technique???? Which he is learning to use to light candles, as part of his training. Wait what? Why does an ability that uses air light things on fire? At least it's not like someone used it later as a form of CPR to bring someone back to life... ohh wait yeah they did. Hooray logic.

Then in the end Goku learns he was an evil minion of Piccolo as a giant monkey. And now the big finale, he transforms because of the solar eclipse... won't even get into how wrong that is. So, this must be where that large budget went right, huge gorilla? Yeah about that. He transforms and is a terrifying enormous.... 7 foot gorrilla, Ok? Then to top it off when he transforms back his clothes are perfectly intact. Wow, just wow has no one ever seen the hulk when clothes rip they stay ripped... arrggg the amateurish nature of this film is painful.

And with the wish of the dragonballs Goku wishes to bring back to life his Master Roshi who was killed by Piccolo. Yeah that makes sense he brings back the random pervert he knew for 2 weeks instead of his grandfather, who was all the family he had, yeah that makes sense.

Well fortunately after the abortion of a film that was DBE i got to see the glory that is Star Trek.

STAR TREK
warning this will CONTAIN SPOILERS

Since my rant on DBE went a bit long I'll cut this one down a bit, that is of course if anyone is still reading at this point.

Wow this movie was amazing. The cast was great great. Sylar was a perfect Spock and Simon Peg was hilarious, as well as who ever it was that played Chekov. Every character was true to their original self, it was a thing of beauty.

The plot basically was about some angry Romulan workers who travel back in time and mess up the universe. Now what this did was create some large differences between this continuity and the original. In this world Planet Vulcan is destroyed, Kirk's father is dead, oh and yeah there are two Spocks, one being the great Leonard Nimoy.

What this does is create a universe with characters that are so true to their original intent but set up more movies for brand new stories and adventures. I wouldn't be surprised if in one or two sequels we get to see borg. Something that the original story did not have.

So as remakes go these two films are on polar opposite sides of the spectrum. While one was poorly made with lack of faith to the original or any sense of creativity the other went above and beyond to create a truly fantastic piece of cinema.

As I said before these rants are just my opinion please do not take it seriously or with any malice.

Well that's all for now look forward to more posts coming very very shortly.

Back Up in Your *** with the Resurrection

2009-06-11T02:07:00.003-04:00

This post will be short and sweet. I am back. After the long absence of my computer I have it back and thus the posting shall resume in great amount. First up my silly movie review.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-05-16T18:45:00.004-04:00

Two days ago I had quite an unpleasant day. It was a very windy day and I was waiting for a bus. I was carrying a bag and a drawing pad with some loose drawings in it. So I knew I had to be careful considering the strength of the wind. Unfortunately I was not careful enough. As I lifted the drawing pad the wind decided to open it. I dropped my bag and chased after my papers unfortunately I had lost all the work I did the previous day.

Sadly this was not the bad part. As I said I had dropped my bag...... it contained my computer. When I checked on it I realized my screen was damaged. I took it to Best Buy and now it is shipped off to get fixed. Luckily I have the three year total coverage. This does mean however that I will probably be without my computer for a month.

This means the new digital work I had wanted to do will be on hold. Including my Gothic Vampire. I had finished it and sent it to the client, however, I wanted to make some changes and try something new. So it will be awhile before I will be able to.

I will have some limited Internet access in the upcoming week so I will try and post as much as I can in that time. Including my movie review, a new self port, a figure painting, an interview I am doing, and my recent trip to New York.

So here is the update on some of my projects.

Goth Vampire: Postponed
Squid vs Shark: On the Back Burner
Mythology Character Designs: On the Back Burner

I should have some new posts soon if I do not I'll make sure I get back to you as soon as my baby gets out of the hospital, until then.

COMIC WARS RARRRRR

2009-04-15T04:52:00.007-04:00

Yes yet again another RARRR. Well not really. However, some other loud unintelligible sound may be appropriate. As I do recall making a few of them as I was working on this. It took me awhile, but now it is done and overall I am quite pleased with my finish.

There's a lot of little areas that I enjoyed painting like the smoke out of the bazooka and Iron Man.

I hope everyone enjoyed seeing my process through this piece. I thought it would be nice to show everyone how I work.

I should get a copy of the magazine when it gets printed. I'll make sure to post it.

Not much time to talk too much work to do. Next up is my Vampire piece which should be finished soon as it is due Thursday. So yeah I will be stressing just a bit the next few days.....joy. Well that's all for now so I will bid you good night and give you my updated project list.

Goth Vampire: Final Painting
Squid vs Shark: On the Back Burner
Mythology Character Designs: On the Back Burner

Gothic Alure

2009-04-14T05:19:00.004-04:00

After many revisions I finally had the drawing finished for my vampire image. I like the direction it is going in. I think the colors I use on this will really be what makes this piece sing. I am currently working on the finish to this. I was a bit late in posting the drawing, I've been a little busy. Well sadly not much to say today so here is an update on my upcoming projects.

Comic book heroes (mag cover): COMPLETE
Goth Vampire: Final Painting
Squid vs Shark: On the Back Burner
Mythology Character Designs: On the Back Burner

As you can see my comic book inspired magazine cover is finished. I shall get it posted later this week.

That's all for now I bid you all good night.

More Comic Wars in Progress

2009-04-09T01:59:00.010-04:00

Well i said I wanted to post more in progress work so here it is. I have the final drawing to the piece as well as a color rough.

After I finished the drawing I scanned it in and started my color rough in Painter. Basically in this stage I just work out all my value and color issues. The lovely thing about working digitally is that i end up just taking the rough and using it as an under painting. So I will go in with more layers and flesh it out for the finish. Saves time when you can seamlessly move from rough to finish.

I really like the color I'm using for this illustration. I wanted to go with a simple orange and blue complimentary color scheme. I usually tend to cooler colors so having such a warm environment feels quite refreshing to me.

And now progress updates:

Comic book heroes (mag cover): Final Painting
Goth Vampire: Color Rough
Squid vs Shark: On the Back Burner
Mythology Character Designs: On the Back Burner

As you can tell I have finished the tight drawing for the goth vampire piece I plan on scanning that in tomorrow so keep a look out for that in the next few days.

Sorry i have no silly rant or random commentary (that is if anyone actually finds that amusing) but i am tired so i shall just bid you all a fond farewell.

................ fish sticks....... sorry I couldn't resist.

ZOMBIE DES

2009-03-24T05:13:00.006-04:00

Hooray for zombies. Here is a two page spread from the short comic I was working on that I called Zombie Cannon, which features my friend Sujin (she's the one kicking ass). I know it seems just like crazy fighting, but It does have many humorous moments. I have included my friends as well as myself in it. However, when I'm in it, I am either getting chased by zombies or getting beaten up by Sujin. It's like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

However, I am not just making this comic for fun, it's also being done for preparation. Preparation for the day when THE ZOMBIES RISE UP AND ATTACK. You know it's gonna happen.

I wanted to get a lot more of this done but this single spread took a lot more time than I anticipated. Although I am very proud with how this turned out.

I think my favorite part is all the inside jokes that are hidden in it. I'd say there about five of them, most in the graffiti. Can you tell which they are? That is if I haven't told you already.

I'm not sure why but zombies seem to be so popular nowadays. Even within my circle of friends. One of my friends Jebus plans on writing a zombie romance novel, which will be amazing. And another friend has started his own zombie comic called Dead Line.

Please check out their stuff.

And now here is an update on my current projects:

Comic book heroes (mag cover): Rough Sketch
Goth Vampire: Rough Sketch
Squid vs Shark: On the Back Burner
Mythology Character Designs: On the Back Burner

Well that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed.