Today’s warm-up. A Samurai type fellow in green. Good fun.
I am also assembling an interesting segment of the Ninja Mountain Podcast this weekend.
We’ll be talking about “old-school” Dungeons and Dragons art with some of its practitioners.
To learn more about the show, head over to www.ninjamountain.blogspot.com

It’s ape lizard time! I love me some weird critters.

Now to work!

—Jeremy

Ghostly Gal

Here is today’s daily warm-up.

I should state  that I seldom have an idea as I set out on one of these. I just start making little digital marks and forms start to suggest themselves to me and I press on from there. It is pretty free form. It is not unlike what happens in my sketchbook really. 

These daily sketches could just as easily be labeled “visual wanderings” and it would still be an accurate description.

They get my imagination going and my hand is good and ready for some painting when I’m through.

I would recommend it to anyone who does this for a living to do some warm-up doodles.

It does a body good.

Today’s sketch was laid in with purposely light washes. I love these light applications of color and value. It lends a certain atmosphere that I wanted to play with. Hence, the ghostly gal we see here today.

Hope you enjoy it and I hope you will experiment with some daily playtime as well.

See you tomorrow!

Woodsman

Here is today’s daily warm-up sketch. I am now ready to get cracking at the day’s work.

Another Monday is here. A new warm-up sketch has come along with it.

I’ve even played around with a different signature for yucks.

I am back in the studio and in my regular work environment which is actually pretty nice. Everything is in its proper place and hopefully my mind will follow suit.

Now onto the day’s work!

Here is today’s warm-up exercise. I enjoy this type of loose digital sketching with larger brushes. It keeps me from getting too niggling with the detail and keeps things moving.

I’m playing around with building up forms with brush work rather than building up contours with digital pencil lines. It helps me to think in terms of shape and shadow for these exercises.

I hope you enjoy it and will check back often. I will have more on the way

I am out of the studio and am currently house/baby/pet-sitting.

It began last Saturday and continues through tomorrow evening. 

My responsibilities include 3 awesome kids, 3 dogs, 4 cats, some house flies, and a basement filed with spiders. 

The internet connection here is spotty as all get-out, hence my relative lack of posts. Y’know–those posts I promised would be more forthcoming? Ugh.

I did manage to bring my iMac with me along with my art supplies, though it has been hard to get any meaningful work done. As it turns out, I am slightly allergic to the zoo-ful of critters that reside here in every known crevice of the home. It has made concentrating a rather difficult task.

 I am set up in a corner of the family dining room on a folding table with a bare-bones computer set-up. Just my iMac and a Wacom tablet. As a drawing surface I brought along a big ol’ hunk o’board to rest in my lap and prop up on the dining table. Not that much drawing has been going on due to the before-mentioned allergies.

 On a more interesting note, the head of the graphic arts department at a local college is preparing a new curriculum focused on 3D computer game design. If this new course track comes to fruition, he would like me to teach a course on character/concept design. I am pretty excited at the prospect. I actually enjoy teaching.

 Also, I am going to try something new with the blog.

I’ll start posting regular warm-up sketches. Digital bits and bobs to get the ol’ drawing hand limbered up for the day’s work.

Here is the first of many such rough exercises. I hope you enjoy it.

If things go as planned, then many more are to come!

Hey all,

I’m back in the saddle again! Last I wrote was around GenCon  time back in August.

Much of my time leading up to and following the show was gobbled up in professional assignments and prep for the Ninja Mountain Podcast.

I interviewed a fair number of artists along with Jon Schindehette of www.artorder.blogspot.com and most of the recordings made it into a pair of epiosodes. Check out episodes 30 and 31 of the Ninja Mountain Podcast to listen in.

Radio gold, I tell you! There are even a few pictures.

Episode 3o GenCon Special !

Episode 31 More GenCon!

I’ve been busy with work for Paizo Publishing. A couple of pieces have even been released in preview on Paizo’s blog !

Woot! Check’em out. Both were done for the book entitled “Dwarves of Golarion” for the Pathfinder RPG.

I just completed a series of cards for the WarLord CCG and I had a blast doing them. One new development is that I am now performing some of my work with acrylics rather than strictly digital.

While initially it is taking a bit longer to complete an assignment, I am enjoying my time spent painting in the studio . 

As soon as I can, I will post new acrylic paintings. In the meantime, I have a newish digital piece that I created as a portfolio assignment. It is called “The Dragon Feeder”.

I’ll try to be far more active in the blog from here on and I hope you will continue to join me.

‘Til next time!

Alas, My Drow Vs Mind Flayer cover contest entry, the subject of my recent Work-In-Progress tutorial, is getting no love.

Sadness. 

It is not a no-win situation, though. The entries that won the judges’ hearts received excellent comments that give real insight into their thought processes and I have found it very useful as I pursue future projects.

I got to learn more about what makes a successful book cover and to produce a useful tutorial for those interested in digital painting. All around a terrific experience!

For those interested in viewing the winners and the useful commentary provided by the judges, head on over to Art Order !

I just learned that Ellie Frazetta, wife to artist Frank Frazetta, has recently passed away.  As a fan of the artist, reading about the man and his work also included becoming acquainted with the dynamic lady behind the artist.

I am genuinely saddened for his loss and I hope that Mr Frazetta is finding comfort in his family and in her memory.

Our prayers are with the Frazettas in this sad time.