More Traditional Portraiture

The last of Team Free Will, or rather the actor that plays him. ;) It's fun to see them all together and extra special fun to work with traditional media. Once again, charcoal and white chalk on toned paper. Wee!

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!

Make a Wish...

Been a while since I updated diddly. I blame summer. And while I'm at it, I'll blame summer for this too:



Don't judge.

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 )

Conglomeration Nation!

I almost forgot about this poor thing! *pets blog*

Haven't been doing much lately except catching up with old client projects but I certainly hope this changes soon.

First con of the season! Con, being CONvention...Conglomeration, specifically. (www.conglomeration.info.com) If you're in the Louisville, KY area this upcoming weekend, stop by! It's seriously inexpensive and low-key, with a little art, a little gaming, a little larping, and shopping. Something for everyone! It always re-energizes me, this wee con.

Okay, off to oggle my prints (courtesy of Ellen Million Graphics) and decide what to frame. Ta!

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...