Sneak Peak @ the Show (which is still nameless HINT HINT)

To quote a good friend, "While everyone else is graduating this is what I've been doing." The images for my BFA are printed and ready to go, courtesy of acrylic matte medium and my hubbins, who helped in the juggling of thin, wrinkled, and easily destroyed moist paper as I was getting them mounted on illustration board. I was going to show step by step progress, but got too caught up in pealing thick layers of matte medium off my skin to remember (by the end of the night, I even had it in my hair--that wasn't so fun to get out).

And at last, with roughly 20 workable days left till I have to be done, I have finally begun to paint. To stimulate dying brain cells back into semi-working state, I have been listening/watching the history of the English monarchy from the UK series aptly titled "Monarchy." I have made it from Aethelberht of Wessex (I can't remember where we started), to Albert the Great, to Cnut the Great, and am currently up to William the Conqueror, post-Hastings, 1044 AD. I encourage you to watch them, they are quite interesting.

Whilst I paint and delve into my historical nerdiness, I beg of you to pray, friends, and pray hard for me to finish. And come to the show!

Pictures for your perusal:

Blank board, pre-illustration. Check out my gallon of matte medium! That was full when I started.

The final part, after all the hassle of adhering them to the illustration board

This one printed out way too dark, and is going to be reprinted. Here is a brief size comparison to my, albeit, little hand; final image 17.5" x 35"

 Much yellower than it really is, due to tungsten lighting

To see the rest, you have to come to the show. Be there or be square!

Practically Mooing (and this one actually has some of MY art)

I like my steak pink, flavorful, juicy, and tender (and preferably FREE). In cooking the perfect steak, one doesn't want to under cook it, because (honestly) I can't do bleeding food. It should be dead when it is handed up to me.  Art is the same way. At least, it ought to be.

In the past I procrastinated assignments, then rushed myself, got fed up with the piece because I was tired of cramming it down my throat, then stopped caring altogether and once it was done enough to get an, "OK, fine," from a professor, it got put on the back burner with the all-too-familiar thoughts, "I never want to see it again," or "I'll finish it later. Much later." I have a huge issue finishing works that I have started! I was thinking the other day how I don't have any pieces of work I really care for in my portfolio and bemoaning my experimentalist self in college. However, looking through my ample collection of stuff, I realized I have a ton! Okay, well, several. Only none of it's done. The dirty truth: I am an over-achiever at never finishing. (Pray the BFA has better success.)

The good thing is, after being out of school almost a full year, looking back on some of these "rare" pieces I think, "Huh, I'd like to try that again. I can do that better," or, better yet, "Hey, that's not so bad, I really do want to finish that."

Here is a taste of some of my undercooked work:

The oldest. It's almost four years old.

A cover for a favorite book, The Perilous Gard (a gard is a castle). This depicts the main character, Kate, and in the background you can see the Fairy Queen, The Creature of the Well, and Christopher. Between 1.5-2 years old

I  had a hankering for an Indian-goddess type figure and her tiger. I forget what type of bird I drew, but it's a native species of India (I think)... also about 1.5-2 years old

And there's more than this! Eek.

The Search for WondLa = LOVE

If you haven't seen it on the shelves of Barnes & Noble, go find it. It's not only a wonderfully enthralling (and well-written, I might add) tale of alien nations, walking forests, giant telepathic water bears, and dangerous hunters, it is chalk FULL of beautiful illustrations. Dozens of them! Throughout the entire book! A REAL BOOK WITH LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS!!! That's how books ought to be. Tony DiTerlizzi, dear man, you outdid yourself on this one. Congratulations! You now have my deepest devotion.

Here is a preview of the main character, Eva Nine.

My one complaint, the story left a couple questions open that I am dying to know the answer to. I don't feel closure. I hope he makes another one to compliment WondLa. It really was a magnificent work of art, on so many levels.

'Kay, now go buy it. Seriously. Now. Right now. DO IT.