Clouds Parting

Hello everyone!

The last month and a half have been rough. Between the sickness and death of a close family member, dim job prospects, printing disasters, and loosing some self esteem I've managed to start picking things up again and moving on with projects. I now have portfolios printed for new prospective art jobs, I've got a really good commission going, an Illustration contest entry to work on, some possible job opportunities opening up, and a small press table for VA Comicon this September to look forward to. Things are finally looking up and moving along.

As such I have finally finished a 3 page update for Or Maybe Not that I've been fretting over for the last month. So enjoy! There will be more to come. I'm not sure if I'll stick to Friday updates or move to Monday but we'll see. I'll spread the word when I make a decision.

As always I'll be posting sketches and drawings at my art tumblr and my Nabyn page. I might slide things over to my Deviantart too but I don't use it as much. I'm trying to be a little more active on it lately but tumblr and Nabyn are good for me so far. I also keep my portfolio site updated with all my best work and previews of comics. Speaking of which, I will be posting a few pages from my newest Alencia story "Noble Deed" soon as I prepare to print the story as a mini comic for VA Comicon this September. Keep an eye out for it!

Offering

Hello all!

I have returned from my emergency trip to my Uncle's funeral and started back at work. I've been busy with that, trying to get portfolios printed for job applications and things are feeling stressful and at times overwhelming. To combat this I treated myself by picking up a copy of Skyrim that was on sale (Don't worry, I will be limiting my playing time). So as an offering of being absent and artless while I sort things out, here is a portrait of my character, Ciel DreadHawk.

Done with non-photo blue pencil, Pocket pentel brush pen, and PhotoShop CS5.5

News

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately. I've had a lot going on and I'm still finding my bearings.

News!

+Kale: Lost & Found issue #1 is now available at Mad Arts in Madison, VA! A lovely establishment that has recently opened its doors to me. If you ever find yourself in the area, or even in C-ville, I highly suggest taking a drive down to check out this cute little house brimming full of handmade art, jewelry, discounted books (like really good art books and books from local artists), workshops, classes, and baked goods!

+OMN has been on a temporary hiatus but I'm currently working through the update. Hoping to have it ready by the end of the week, permitting no more unexpected hurdles get in the way (story of my month).

+I'm also currently finishing up my current Alencia mini comic. All that's left is the cover to finish. I've also been contacting local printers to get prices for printing books, so look out for more news soon! I'll be posting the books to my Etsy when they are printed.

In the mean time, here are some recent warm up/cool down sketches.

Alencia pouring over some research while being bothered by a strangely concerned looking demon. (I still haven't named him, it's the same guy from his post.)

Graphite portrait of my Steampunk character Layla Von Gedge. I invented the dress design and decided to put more effort into a detailed background. I plan on coloring the sketch later. The scan ate up the line work and values so much I think it needs color to save it :/ Or to at least give it some of its lost softness back.

I'll be back as soon as possible with comics and artwork! Stay tuned!

Updates Galore~

A little news, my comic "Kale: Lost & Found" issue #1 is now available at Atlas Comics in Charlottesville, VA!

Work for issue #2 is still going on with plenty of rewriting and reworking. I've even got some new character designs cooking up! Between work, Or Maybe Not updates, and other obligations I'm still working on this story and making it the best that I can, and I'm really excited for what's coming up!

-----------

Also, as some of you may have seen at the OMN webpage, I have a family emergency going on right now so I'm burring myself in work until it is resolved. It's a situation where a family member is very ill and there a lot going on, so this Friday's update will be moved to next week. However it will be a multiple page update so I hope that helps. I just need a few days to sort things out and I will be back with more work to show.

See you all next week!

OMN Episode 3

Update at "Or Maybe Not."

Watercolor Practice

A small watercolor painting I’ve been working on and off since the holidays. My character Alice from a comic that me and Ryan want to work on in the future. It’s not hugely important for us to get done soon so it might pop up in the next few years. Otherwise I’ll just keep drawing her for fun. I tweaked the colors to be brighter and more vibrant since my scanner ate them. I also forgot when I painted it that I wasnt' going to give her a pink nose anymore. Awell. It was fun to work on and I learned a lot from it.

Cold Press Illustration board, Mechanical Pencil, Watercolors, Colored Pencil, (8 3/4”x5 1/8”) 2011-2012.

Goat Steed

So during my senior year in college me and friends started all going to the gym together as motivation to get healthy. One day we went the weather ended up being so nice we couldn't bare to stay inside so we hoped in my friend's car and drove to Maymont. Maymont is a beautiful estate with parks, a petting zoo, animal inclosures, ponds, and lovely Victorian buildings (and horse drawn carriages!). We had a great time walking around (those hills make a good workout) and took loads of reference photos. While walking around I took lots of photos of goats and a great appreciation of them was born. As was the in-joke that if I could have a mighty steed to ride around on I would want a giant goat. References to Thor's goats were also made.

This comic page is pretty much word for word a story I made up as we walked around that day. My friends featured in the last panel are Reach and Seir.

This is pretty much the result of having too much fun with comics, and friends. No regrets. And I really do suggest everyone go visit Maymont if they ever find themselves in Richmond, VA.