Getting ready!

The flight has been booked.  The hotel has been reserved.  And I got my transport, a little Kia Rio, waiting.  Come mid-May, I'm taking a trip to Kansas City, MO.  What's in KC, you ask?  Well, one, the greatest BBQ in the world.  Two, Hallmark Cards (and the great friends I met when I interned there). And, three, the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 fantasy illustration convention.  Chowing down BBQ'd burnt ends and seeing some old friends will be great, but the purpose of the trip is #3.

I've never been to a convention like this!  I'm very excited and nervous at the same time (but mostly the former)!  For those that don't know, Spectrum Fantastical Art is a juried annual publication that showcases some of the best illustrators in the scifi/fantasy industry.  It's been around for many years and their books are always a source of inspiration for me.  Well, last year they created a very successful convention that brings all the greatest talents together in one place for a weekend.  I wasn't able to make it last year, but I decided I couldn't miss this one.  Looking through the list of exhibitors is crazy!  All the fantasy artists that I've loved for years will be there.  And I can go and chat with them.  There will be seminars, demos, and even portfolio reviews (I was lucky to secure three interviews Saturday morning!).  Should be a great time and I'll let you know how it turns out after it's over.  In the meantime, here's the promo card I got printed for the occasion.  I'll probably do a process post of this illustration later.

Hope it goes well!  Thanks for stopping by!

Great Artists I Wish I Could Paint Like or GAIWICPL #1: Adam Rex

I can't remember how I was first introduced to Adam Rex' work.  But as soon as I saw it, I immediately told everyone else about him.  Fantasy artist, children's book illustrator, writer, poet!  He does it all!  One of the things that stood out to me right away about his work is the way he bridges the gap between children's lit and fantasy work.  His work seems equally appropriate for both genres.  I love children's books and fantasy illustration and struggle to pick a genre to focus on.  Looking at Adam's stuff makes me think it might be possible to entertain both sides of my art and be successful at it too.  I even had the chance to meet him (though he'd never remember) several years back when he was on a book tour, here in Raleigh, promoting one of his award winning books, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich.  My son and I sat in as he made up a story for a group of kids and, afterward, he was kind enough to give me some valuable industry insight.

 His art and stories are beautifully created but also have a strangeness to them that I love.  Superhero Abraham Lincoln fighting a giant squid on the moon (as seen on his blog), for example.  Need I say more?  No.  I don't.

 Adam is also a fantastic blogger and a really funny guy!  He knows his readers and cares about them. He answers people's questions, challenges his readers to write poetry, and will even pour chocolate syrup over his head for his readers, under the right circumstances.

Anyway!  Check out his art, news about his books, and his bio on his site.  To catch a glimpse at his process and other random cool stuff, check out his blog!  Enjoy!

It's time for a change!

Alright.  I've been wanting to do something more with my blog for a long time.  But I wasn't sure what.  For those of you that currently follow this blog, you know that I'm not the most consistent blogger.  And I appreciate your patience with me.  But I'm feeling a change in the wind!  I'm motivated!  I'm excited!  And I've got a plan!

So, moving forward, my goal is to post every Monday. But instead of posting finished illustrations or concept work (which can be found on my portfolio site), I want share the things that are inspiring me.  Other artists.  New techniques.  And a lot of the crazy ideas running around in my head.  Hopefully this blog can become a new source of info and inspiration for you!  If you like what you see, please let someone else know about it!  And please comment!  I'd like to get to know y'all better!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

I'm famous now...

No, not really.  So I'm a fan of cghub and gather tons of inspiration reference every week from the great artists that are showcased there.  I started a profile a while back, but only posted 4 or 5 images.  To be expected, I had no traffic.  But recently I decided to add more of my stuff in hopes that it might get my work out to more people.  Well, yesterday I was totally surprised to see one of my pieces show up on the "Popular Now" mosaic on the cghub homepage.  A tiny little square with a tiny little thumbnail of one of my pieces.  I was totally stoked! 

Anyway, I had a hard time finding that thumbnail again, so I took a screenshot to document the moment...

Feel free to visit my profile on cghub.com and if you're on there already, please send me a note.  Happy to exchange contacts.