Clearly some updating is in order

So I moved to a new apt at the end of last month. It's pretty swell, honestly. It's actually in the same building as my last one (because I have that kind of awesome luck that one out of my six neighbors were moving out the same time I was looking and they just so happened to have the one two bedroom apt in the building). Anyways it's REALLY neat. I really loved my last apt but this one is truly even cooler. I'll show pictures later. I just got the livingroom set up over the 4th of July weekend.

Anyways... even though there was a move and I've had a few commissions. I ummm well I never actually posted any of my other art since about June. So I thought I would post it now.

Well In my long list of projects I have a project that is really a present to my best friend/roommate.

He is a HUGE World of Warcraft player. So much so that he knows the world and lore inside and out. He started writing short stories for each of his characters. From what he's done, I must say that he's brilliant. Even though he had told me about some of the backgrounds while he was working on them... nothing beats actually reading them. They are both informative and stylish. He wrote them as biographical events with a bronze dragon narrator (which you even become attached to the narrator when you read it). It's written in a way that explains the individual events and situations PLUS the lore of the world for even those whom don't know can follow. Even a WOW player tends not to know the DEPTH which is WOW. The world is HUGE... the races are PLENTY... and they all have their subgroups, wars, and ways. As a WOW casual player, I could see the world I love and even viewing for people whom know nothing of the world... this is a REALLY entertaining read to discover it. He's only gone through about half of his 30 characters but seriously, I love them so much. I've planned on making a visual spin off... making illustrations for each story.
He may be my best friend... and has been for 6 years... but this isn't some bias that all friends have for each other. I'm a fantasy geek and his writing style is really amazing. So what I've done is created my own "visual narrator". Sort of as if she follows him on his journey (hero and sidekick like we are in person) and visually documents these characters as she meets them or as the story's told to her. So it will be compiled of the characters and a few joke drawings of inside jokes or of the narrators. It's a large project but when I have down time or are practicing or trying something new, I'll work on these.

Other than that I have... well I'm hoping that next years school theme show will be involving the end of the world. Either way I've had an idea for this piece for a long time and wanted to do it. "Out to Play" sort of representing the natural disasters. Basically Gaia is upset for our over usage and is basically seeking revenge with the help of her "child" (wind, drought/fire, earth, and water); and our cities are their play grounds.

Well this is all for now... more to come later!!!

Rán the Goddess of the Sea

I did this piece of years ago. Inspired by the stories of Rán.

Rán is a Norse Goddess (sea)... Rán also means "Robbery". The story of Rán is that she'd capture men as they sailed out to sea. She (by the story) had nine daughters... but for the piece I want to make her more terrifying. Since she isn't out there to be a sincere merfolk.

Well that was YEARS ago (I mean about 4-6 years ago). I wasn't happy with the end results but I liked the concept so this time I made her both beautiful and terrifying. So yes she is threatening and has FAR more than 9 children; but there is an aspect of beauty about her.

*yes I know blue spotted octopi or yellow bellied sea snakes aren't from that region of water but it's fantasy here...

Illustration Friday: Safari

Every child likes to explore and has a great imagination!!!

Animals

So... that wonderland project is almost complete. Actually the cards themselves are complete... just need to finish putting it together. Since Tory's not familiar with the template program, I've been doing it for her. Buttt these are a the other cards I did for the deck. Now I'm not a furry... so I think I did alright for someone who isn't one. Let just home the buyers like it.

Japan Relief Effort Art Auction

Some of the Montserrat Alumni are putting an art auction to raise money to donate to the Redcross Japan Earthquake Relief Effort. We are donating art pieces which we will then have a show and auction off pieces that night. A company has offered to match what we can raise so I'm hoping that we have a good turn out. I know that we are all really excited to do this. And a few of use have strong ties to Japan (remember I went in 2004 and was apart of the club when I was in school). This is my larger piece that I will be donating. I'll have two small pieces to donate as well (which will be a break down of this one... one will be a geisha and the other will be of the koi). I wanted to play on the the Japanese flag and notable images that people think of when they think of traditional Japan. So I wanted it to look grainy like parchment. I applied the single red dot in the three images. I may add some text characters but if not it shall remain as this. Along with this I'll be making 5 dozen apple pastries. Sooo I've planned to take a half a day then to get to work and help.

Get well little Zoe

Also since January, one of my little cousins were sent to the hospital with a staff infection that infected her leg and foot. Her mother is well... a step from a complete failure (and I'm not being snotty... it's one of those cases of where she only wants custody for the child support). But anyways... she's only 10... she may be a mature 10 but still 10 none the less. So I wanted to draw her something that would make her smile and let her know that there are people out there hoping that she gets well.

Lost in Wonderland (art updating)

Wow it's been a while since I've posted... I guess it's time I play catch up. Since we last spoke I've been working on a series of project. I wrote another children's book (forlittle kids). I worked on a collaborative project with my best friend, John. I worked and still am working on a collaborative project with Tory (a wonderland themed deck of playing cards for furries). And I made a piece to donate to a charity fund raiser. I've probably done more but I can't remember everything at the moment. So I guess I should post my work and then see where things go from there.

The first four pieces are of commissions I did for the wonderland deck. We have an engineer, a royal court's man, a hunter, and a soldier for hire. The wonderland deck is made up of major Alice in Wonderland characters and just general characters to go with the world or era. We asked people for references of their characters and a chosen role in which they want to play. Roles ranged from labor worker to court royal.