What's this? Real paint?!?!?

Yep! It's an acrylic painting by yours truly. Currently sitting on my Bob Ross brand table easel. Can you believe it? I actually started this some time ago, as a personal challenge to break out the "natural media" paints again. I am pretty happy with the results, but have some issues with it as well. But this could be the start of a whole new series of analog paintings, what do you think?

I have updated the image. I re-took the photo and adjusted it to be more accurate to the actual colors of the piece....

PEN & INK MADNESS!!!!

So, I went to IlluXCon last weekend and met some of my favorite artists and got to hang out with a few of em too! Highest on my list was my absolute favorite illustrator of all time, IAN MILLER!!! You really should check out his work, it's amazing... I mean, look at THIS!


Unfortunately, the picture I had someone take of me with Ian Miller somehow got erased from my stupid iPhone, so I have no hard proof, EXCEPT for the Ian Miller original I bought and have in my posession..... my first of (hopefully) many Ian Miller originals. Here it is... with my cat....



















Coolest thing of all is that he seemed to really dig my work too, which is awesome, seeing as how his work has been a huge inspiration to me since seeing it in the pages of Warhammer books back in High School.

Anyways, one of the things I showed him was the piece below, which I just finished inking. Next will be to start painting it up in Photoshop. Once again I think I want to try to retain as much of the linework in the final image as possible.

Spectrum Errors, Hector the Kitty, and Screaming Bunny Monsters.

So, Spectrum 15 came out this weekend! There's yours truly's piece on page 173, and fellow BHG'ers Sang Han and McLean Kendree are in there too! It's really awesome to finally have a piece grace the hallowed pages of Spectrum. A minor gripe though: They got the name of the piece wrong.... d'oh! The name they have it listed as is "Skullneck", which is the OTHER piece I entered but did not get in. Oh well, not a biggie. Now I just have to get into Spectrum 16 so that people don't think it was just a fluke.

Anyways, my friend Unkie Dev and I have been collecting art found in the trash for many years. We have built up quite a collection, which includes pieces with such amazing names as "Boob Cave", and "Nature's Bounty". Now, my wife Kathleen has gotten into the act... she rescued this gem from certain oblivion... enjoy:

Finally, this is what is on my drawing table at the moment.... I have no idea what it is, or why it is, but let me know what you think of it so far....

Skull-Totems!

Took this piece from my sketchbook. I used micron pens over the pencil drawing. Originally I was going to paint over the lines, but then I decided I liked the linework enough to keep it. I also changed the color scheme since the last time i posted this as a WIP. i think I like this better. What say you?

Why I Have Been a Deliquent Blogger

OK, ok, so I know a real "blogger" doesn't let things stand in his/her way of blogging once every few days, but walk a mile in my shoes.... and you can keep the shoes..... I don't know what that means. Basically, for the past month or so, Kathleen and I have been moving into our new house in downtown Baltimore and unpacking and settling in. My studio still has a long way to go (pictures need to go on the wall, and more shelving must be built for additional books, etc.) But i figured I would show you what my new setup looks like anyways, plus a pic of the front of the house too. Below that is the skull-totem island piece again, this time I am thinking of going with a new color scheme, and keeping the colorization fairly simple.... I almost started going in there and painting in details and such, but i think i need to let the drawing really sing in this case and just use color to back up the mood. Anyways.... more stuff soon.

Done at last!

At long last this one is finished. I am fairly happy with it. What say YOU?

Flight Delay = Sketch-o-rama! Part 2

More airport scribbles.

Flight Delay = Sketch-o-rama! Part 1

On my way back from Syracuse, my connecting flight from Philadelphia to Baltimore was delayed by a couple of hours, so that's prime sketch-time! I also met a couple of guys coming back from the Ron Paul anti-convention in Minneapolis. They liked my art.... maybe Ron Paul would too?

Crushing Dreams

Ten years after I left the hallowed halls of that institution known as Syracuse University, they had me back to talk to the media arts (illustration, design, etc) students about life as a video game concept artist. I went there with the intention of warning them about the difficulty of breaking into the business, the long hours you have to work, the lack of recognition....

But as I stared at the students' faces, and thought back to how only a little over a decade ago I too sat in those chairs praying for some glimmer of hope for my future, I softened.... a little.

In all seriousness, it was a blast. I enjoyed talking to the students, and I was happy to see that they are very eager to learn everything they can about concept art, digital illustration, etc. I told them they need to fight to have the best equipment if they want to be prepared for the reality of the business, which is that digital illustration is basically industry standard.

I also did a quick painting demo of a creature from my sketchbook, which unfortunately was very low res, so I don't think I will be keeping him.

Hopefully they will invite me back some day... even though I did an impression of one of my professors, Roger DeMuth (that's him all blurry in the nosebleed section with the blue shirt).

Light at the end of the Digital Easel

Progress on these pieces. My wife thinks they have a similar color scheme, and I think she is right. She thinks maybe there is some deep inner meaning behind the color choices.... I think she's a loon-bat! These colors mean nothing to me....NOTHING! I HATE these colors.... they beat me as a child.

Anyways. The Smoking guy is almost done except for the background and some other small details, but I was thinking about adding some wallpaper back there... what do you think?

Some news - I will be teaching a Fantasy Art class at Maryland Institute College of Art starting in the Spring semester of 09. I am excited about it, but nervous too... this will be my first real class that I have taught on my own... but what an exciting thing to teach! There is so much to think about! Let me know if you have any ideas about how I should approach it.. I want it to be an intelligent class that encourages the students to break new ground with Fantasy Art, and not just tread the same old tired ground....

Other news - I just finished 4 freelance pieces for Wizards of the Coast. When I am able to post them, I will.

More Transmissions From Planet Sketch...

What's On My (Digital) Easel?

Once again, a smoking alien/creature. This guy, though, loves his c-cat (?), and is contemplating all of the horrible things he has done as VP of Explosions for Planet Crushers Intergalactic, Inc. His (Cat) doesn't judge him though, it loves him unconditionally. Ah, the love of a pet.

Taking the same approach to this piece as the Globe Chaser one. Digital inking first.

Some real people, and some not so real.

Occasionally I like to draw actual people (I know, crazy, right?). Especially when I am waiting in line at the DMV, or hangin' at Barnes and Noble.

But not to worry, below are plenty of drawings of people that YOU will recognize as non-real people, although only I know the truth, for I can see things that no other man can see..... especially when I am drinking heavily.

My new publicity photo

With all the fame and fortune* I am experiencing this year, I figure it's time to update my publicity photo**.
In so doing, I came across this gem, which was taken in the Spring while picking strawberries with my nephews. That's when i discovered this very strange looking strawberry, twisted and knobbly....like my soul.




* - Fame = 11th place in Dominance War 2D / Fortune = a check for $200.

** - I never really had a publicity photo before this....

Also, below are some sketches from the sketchbook. Enjoy.

P.S. That's my wife in the reflection of my glasses. She is my PR specialist and official Muttonhead Industries Photographer.

If I press my face up against it, I can almost entirely escape from reality....

I recently purchased a new, 24" Samsung monitor, pictured on the left (No that is not my permanent setup, just the temporary digs while the wife and I look for a house in Baltimore). I had once thought I would save up for my very own Cintiq, but I ultimately decided to wait and just get a huge-ass monitor to go with my huge-ass tablet instead (besides, i get to use a Cintiq at work, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both).

So anyways, below is the first thing I drew on the new monitor, sans color for now (still working out the color and brightness settings), but what was neat about this was I drew it with the monitor turned vertically. Now, many of you are probably saying: Sean, this is all old news to us, I have been rotating my monitor for years, get with the program, we are not impressed. But what you don't know is I have, up until now, been working on 19" CRT monitors. Why so late to the game? I have no idea. Leave me alone.

Thumbnail Sandwich

More sketches, including a couple pages of random thumbnails.... mmmmmm....thumbnails.....

Can you feel the sting?

Jam it!

Been a while since my last update. Here are some sketchees from me sketchboooooook... AARRRR!

Dominance War entry finished!

So, I actually DID finish my Dominance War pieces on time. Here are the final illustration, and the model sheet. Wish me luck! I can SMELL the Cintiq!