September post!

Yay, autumn! The weather is turning cool, leaves slipping into Technicolor ochres and reds. I love Ohio. Oh, and have an art dump, babies! Yeah, yeah, still SPN junk but hey, that's where my head's at these days. There will be other projects in the offing because, well, nothing gold stays. And a girl's gotta earn her keep. *ahem* Anywho, el dumpo.

More SPNishness!

It's rather befuddling to me how infatuated I became with this fandom. Why? God only knows, and He's not telling. Maybe I'll save this rumination for my writing blog. Annnnyway, more Supernatural fanart. Okay, so I can't sell it. But it has coaxed me into arting and writing far more passionately than I have in years. Again I say, befuddling.


There is a detail shot at my dA gallery: http://quickreaver.deviantart.com/art/On-a-Clear-Day-detail-252837888

Welcome back to school, kids!

Here Comes the Sun, Doot'n Do Do...

Summer is right around the corner, thank gawd! LOVE the heat; I'd far sooner sweat than shiver. Makes me miss Florida. BUT! We'll be heading for the beach in early July, so I fully intend to soak up as much sun and sweat as possible, get sand in places sand was never meant to be, and drink copious amounts of fruited beer. And hopefully, get a little writing and doodling in.

And speaking of doodles, my Supernatural Summer gets a kick-off today. Here's a piece I posted all over DA and LJ, so I figure I'll slap it here too. I tried to be more stylized, less literal. Gotta work on that, honestly. Anywho, enjoy, my babies...paint on!



(For attribution--the lovely monicawoe--and other versions of this image, check out my LJ Supernatural SummerShack: http://quickreaver.livejournal.com/7424.html )

In praise of giving the Muse full run of the house...

First, my latest bit of Art For Me. Doesn't happen often enough, truly.


(For the full 411, you can read all about it on my DA page.

This was interesting for me on about 19 different fronts. I haven't felt truly joyful doing art in a loooong time. Why? Because it hasn't been my own passion, my own baby. It's been someone else's. You never love someone else's kid as much as your own, right? Art is a conundrum. You get into it to bring your own visions to life, but we all want to get paid to do what we're good at. It's a love/hate relationship. I think I need a little more 'love' in my life.

This was also a tasty opportunity to explore a style/technique I haven't used before, and it was AWE.SOME. I've always loved Drew Struzan's movie posters. He works traditionally but with some cagey PS brushes, I aped his style to decent effect. I'm gonna work this way more often. It was a stone blast, but I never would've tried it had I not been working on my own project.

Most clients don't want Something New. They want More Of The Same. Hate to say it, but it's true. Now, this isn't a bad thing, per se! You know you're doing something right if lots of folks request it, but...still...you know where I'm going with this. An artist stagnates if he does the same thing, over and over and over. He becomes something of an artisan. Bob Ross-ish. Formulaic. A charicature of himself. Static. And stasis is one step away from atrophy. (The previous statement was brought to you by Arrogant Artist Is Arrogant. Feel free to ignore at your own druthers.)

I make the bulk of my money these days at my dayjob, not to mention I get bennies that insure me and my fam. Freelancing is woefully underfunding me. I'm 46. It's time to pursue my own creative yakkity-smack because if not now, when? I know, I know. I've said it all before. It just takes me a loooong time to commit to putting my money where my mouth is. But now is the day. I feel brave and stupid, all at once. Welcome to my world...

What is it about me and storms?

I just realized the last two pieces of art I worked on were very storm-themed. Could it be something wicked this way coming? Or just a reflection of Ohio's lovely weather? Bah. Either way, seems I'm only happy when it rains these days...


(The above is my entry for ArtOrder's 'Fantasy Pin-up' Challenge. She's a genasi. Anyone know how that's pronounced? Jen-ah-see? Jen-ah-sigh?)

And here's something I just submitted to DeviantArt for the club FantasyHunk's May project:



And now, I'm out of town to sneak a little surprise gardening in for my Ma's 70th birthday while she's in Atlantic City *teehee!* Oooh, hope it DOESN'T rain this weekend, come to think of it!

Long time, no post!

I've been doing a ton of e-covers lately and little else. Boo. (Not "Boo, covers" but "Boo, no time for practice and self-indulgent artstuffs".) Gotta steal a few minutes to get prints and framing together for a con this weekend, though. So here's a recent cover, sans text, to keep this poor blog alive and kicking. Handsome feller, eh? Oh, and Happy Egg Day, peeps. (HAR!)

Fickle, they name is Quickreaver...

There are so many sketch/inspiration groups around, I could do a different one every day. A new one is the Crimson Daggers, spearheaded (HAR!) by Dave Rapoza, digital wunderkind. It's nice to get the art blood pumping in the morning. Oh, yeah, linkage: http://cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1704

(Photoshop7, 2-ish hours)

She's Come Undone

I lieu of actual work, I opted to do an Illustration Friday thing. More and more I'm looking at my age, and my life, and saying to myself "Self, why aren't you doing what you truly want to do with your stinkin' art?" No more commissions. When I get finished with this last, rather weighty batch of assignments, I'm done. Finito. I'm breaking out the traditional media, and putting on my beret, and tripping the art fantastic. (Ya think because I've put it into words it'll happen this time? We shall see...)

Anywho, Illustration Friday's topic is 'Cracked'. Funny, that.