Hello my friends. Above is a teaser of the Darc Karnivale. This is about a one inch square from the painting. I wanted to show you just how much detail you can into a small area via Painter. This is a background figure. Now I should have the whole painting done by Saturday, plus a dragon piece I am doing for a very special young lady.
If you will notice to the right, there are new features, including people that follow this blog. I would really appreciate if you would list yourself. I also added some links to my closest friends. Please check them out too.
Well, tonight is date night and I've got to run. See you this weekend. Peace and Blessings all.
She has the face of an Angel, does she not? In the next post I will have the cover of Darc Karnivale to show you in progress, but tonight, I just wanted you to see the face of the woman who made me believe in life again. Her name is Cheryl and she is for real. We are like two peas in a pod, we think alike, just everything. I always thought that love at first site was just a bunch of dreams of lonely people, but now I do believe it. After a very short time, I just can't imagine her not in my life. Like myself, she is gentle by nature, but on the other side of the coin, she has a dark nature just like me. I had a dream many years ago, and in the dream i saw my mate, but I could never see her face. But what I saw was a tattoo of a black rose on her arm. Guess what..........
Since i am being open tonight and just talking about life instead of art, i want to make a statement that may or may not upset some of you. But either way, I would really like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Before i start, I am not going to mention any names or even point this in any direction. It's just something I want to get off my chest and hopefully those of you reading this will offer your opinions as well.
I love Michigan, the place is awesome. The people I have meet here are just cool as hell. But I was introduced to a couple that are very religious. I mean Jesus freak religious. To me, my beliefs are personal, and like politics I think that they should not be a topic of conversation, unless you are looking for a conflict, because the problem is, every single person in this world believes that there views are right, and if you don't agree, then you are wrong.
When I meet this couple, and they where very nice folks, they judged me because i do "Satan" art, and started to pray for me so that I would see the light and change my evil ways. Now, this pissed me off. Why? Because they knew nothing about me. I did the church thing when i was young, I was saved and baptised. I pray every day, but I do have a problem with church. My faith is personal, and I do believe in higher powers. So why was I pissed off? Simply because I hate prejudice in any form. For instance, I am better than you because of my beliefs in God, politics, or my skin is this color and yours is not, or on and on. You get the picture.
I feel so sorry for anyone who thinks that way. I mean to make yourself feel good about yourself, you have to put someone down because they don't believe what you do, and of course because you believe it, that makes you right and everyone else wrong.
I watch the news and I see that every single day that people are killing each other because they believe that there beliefs are right and everyone Else's are wrong.. Remember the Crusades? You know when the Christians were massacring people all over Europe because they didn't believe in the Christian faith? Look at what's going on in the world today, same thing, different century.
I know me writing about this want change a damn thing but God, i can dream can't I? People, Jesus said that all we needed to do is love each other, and all would be good. Is it so hard to just accept your neighbor and love them instead of finding reasons to hate them? Big Frigging deal that they think different, that's there right as it is yours. If you feel like you have to find a way to feel better about yourself, then just work harder. Learn to love people without judging them, help the people down the road that need food. If you do these things, you will feel much better about yourself, and be proud of yourself as well. "All I am saying is, Give peace a chance" John Lennon wrote that, and I personally think that we should all listen to his music much more.
I love you all..... Peace out
Hello Friends. Above is the newest illustration for "Darc Karnivale" It is for a short story called "Cat's Eye" written by Jeani Rector.
Another wonderful story by a very talented writer.
This one I breezed through in only 2 days. In a way I hard time doing this one, simply because I love cats so much. But from the response I got on Facebook , people basically said that I had done a good job of getting their curiosity going, and that the image was disturbing. So, I was able to do what I set out to do, which was to create an image to rattle the viewer and make them curious to as what the story is about.
Next up is a story called "City of the Dead" written by friend David Byron. Some of you may know him as Iron Dave. This Illustration will involved neon lights, hookers and scary shadow shapes. I should be able to get this one started tomorrow, but tomorrow night I have a date with a lady I meet here in Michigan. We've really hit it off and I get the feeling she's a keeper. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with her.
A lot of wonderful things are happening in my life. I am very pleased with my art and it is becoming easier and easier for me to do, and It is just flowing out of me naturally. I have some solid roads opening before me and the future looks prosperise, and now I've meet a lady that seems to be just right for me. I will be housing hunting very soon now as well. Coming to Michigan has been my good luck charm and I am thrilled to call it home now. 'But, I will always be a Carolina Panthers fan.
Well, my neck and shoulders are killing me, so I am signing off. Peace and Blessings all. My best to you always!
I was going to show you this one in progress, but I started on it and now 3 days later it is done, and I'm loving it. My energy level has been so high these last 3 days, I just couldn't stop, and i pray to that the powers that be, I can paint like that from here on out. This one just exploded from me. I've been praying for that to happen for a very long time now. I hope that happens when I do the cover as well. I am really believing that these 17 paintings are going to take me to a much higher level.
I know this might be hard to understand, but when Daniel and Todd started training me, they where teaching me things way over my head, but finally, I am starting to get it, and I am so excited that in future paintings these things will become obvious. You also might have noticed that in the last few paintings i have signed them Nick Rose, no symbol. I'm ready for people to know who i am and that I WILL KICK ASS from here on till my days are up.
This is huge for me. If you remember I started my career as Gypsy Rose (It's tattooed on my right arm) and then to Nick Rose, and once I started training under the master I used my birth name, William Johns. But after much soul searching, I came back to Nick Rose, and that is who this artist is for now until the end of time.
In this blog I do my very best to talk about positive things and encourage other artist and just plain folks to let them know that if you believe in your dreams, THEY WILL COME TRUE. But you have to believe and work hard at it, and have much patience. As Ringo Starr sung, "It don't come easy"
What I am trying to say is this. Believe in your dreams, and don't give up. If you work at them and believe in yourself when no one else does, you will succeed. The keys here are work hard, believe, and don't settle for being a "Gimmick Artist" After all, if you want your work to be remembered, do it the right way. No shortcuts. Peace out and Love.
Hello Friends. I've been very busy. First up the sketches above. The top 2 where sketches I did for the "Darc Karnivale" book cover, and the 3rd one is the final approved layout for the book. Now I just have to paint it. Working in Corel Painter lets me do all my sketches separately and then put them together any way I want to with ease. Once I have each piece posistioned the way I want, I start adding more details, and continue to do so as the painting continues. I will keep you updated on this one as it goes, but I am working on it here and there as I am doing the other illustrations, but I have to have it turned in by the first week of May, so it want be long.
The bottom piece is the first sketch I did for a story called 'The Vampire Keeper" written by Laura Bickle. Also for "Darc Karnivale" I'm digging this one. It gives me a chance to do something sexy for a change. There will be a Naga in the illustration as well. I'll have the finished rough for you over the weekend.
Now for some good news. I recently had a stress test done on my heart, and I pasted with flying colors. All the treatments, changing my diet, and more exercise has really worked. An to be honest I feel better than I have since I was a young man. My career is going much better that I had ever dreamed of at this point, and In a few months I want have to lay carpet anymore. I'm going to get me a exercise machine to keep in my new home. That's right, I am buying a home, and it is perfect for me. It has everything I need, including a studio just for doing photography of models, and Lord since i have moved here I have models begging me to use them in my paintings. Even a Playboy playmate.
It blows my mind that just simply by moving up north all of these things have fell into my lap. But more later, I got to get busy now. Love you all! Peace out!
Hello Friends. Above is the re-do of "The Lynching of Jack Cutter" written by Ralan Conley for the book "Darc Karnivale. I just wasn't happy with the first version. I didn't believe it is the best way to put it. The model for Jack Cutter was just wrong, so I found this one instead, and now I like it. It feels more natrual and real to me.
I have started working on the cover for the book. I showed Dave some sketches with a rough of the idea I had in mind. In the next post I will share some of the sketches with you. I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter! Mine was cool. The Easter bunny brought me some goodies and then I worked all day. But you know what they say, "When your doing what you love, it isn't really work. Peace out everyone.
Hello friends. I hope all are having a wonderful and safe Easter Holiday. The above is the 3rd illustration for the "Darc Karnivale" book. The story is called "Teritum Squid" written by Jeremy C. Shipp. Another wonderful story. This one is a little bizarre and funny. A very good read.
A lot has changed in my life these last few months, for the good I might add. My work habits have improved. My day is like this. 10 hours painting and 2 hours networking, seven days a week. That leaves me about 4 hours for personal things and catching a few TV shows that I follow. But my work is improving in leaps and bounds.
I'm thinking that after I finish these 16 pieces and the cover that my skill level will be up a few notches. I am going back and redoing some of the painting I did for Ralan's story. I found a much better model for Jack Cutter and I should have that done and posted tomorrow.
This book is a big deal for me. All 16 writers are known writers and a few are personal friends, and I am having more fun doing this project that any other that I can remember. For one thing, the editor David Byron is just fantastic to work with, and one top of that we both have something in common, the carpet business. I install it, and he cleans it. lol But my carpet days are almost over. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it will happen some time over the summer.
I have nothing against working a hard job, but I am getting to old for that mess, and I've been worried to death that I am going to damage myself to the point I would be crippled once I retired from it. I really want to travel and see the world, and I don't want to have to do that on cruches.
Well, I need to get back to work. I hope you enjoy the new piece. Peace and Blessings all!
Wouldn't you know it. I got the 2 images above backwards, and I can't figure out how to reverse them. Oh well, onwards! The good thing is that in the 2nd image you can get an idea on how I paint. When I first starting using Corel Painter, Daniel told me to treat it just like i was doing a traditional painting. So when painting in oils, I lay in all my colors, side by side, and then I go back and blend them as in the top illustration.
The biggest cool thing about Painter is that you have all the mediums at your disposal and you can mix them. For instance I can use colored pencils over oils. I can also erase the painted area if I am not pleased with it. I can mix watercolor and oils, ect. You can not do most of these things traditional. But the point I am trying to make is that George recently pointed out a "speed painting" that a talented artist did for Utube. I'm not sure what program he was using, but it wasn't Painter. With Painter you can paint the way you always have.
Okay, creating air. Daniel taught me that Mother Nature is the best teacher to an artist. Everything you need to know is in Nature. Take a tree for instance. If you sit down and just study it, shape, values and the edges you will notice that on the edges, there really is no edge. An the further you are away from the tree, the edges fade even more. This is because of air. Air acts as a natural diffuser. To create this effect all you need to do is smooth out the edges that you drew or painted. With pencil you can use your finger or a stub. With oils, just take a clean brush and go over the edges. In the top illustration, you can see where I have done this. Remember, the further the object is , the more air.
When you create air around a object, it anchors the object into the painting, like it belongs there. When you don't create air, you just have a bunch of objects placed on a page, and it takes away from the realism of the piece.
I remember when the Big D told me to start doing this, I didn't realise what he meant until I studied his works. I didn't really get it to start with and it took me a few paintings before I got the hang of it. So, when your working, just keep the air thing on your mind. If it gives you trouble, email me the pic you are working on, and I will show you in more detail.
I don't know about where you folks are, but it's snowing here. The weather person says where going to get about 6 inches. I do love to watch it snow, but I'm ready for Spring!
On another note, tonight North Carolina plays Michigan ST. for the national championship. What are the odds? I'm not sure who to pull for. I mean NC was my home for many, many moons, but now I live in Michigan. I guess I will pull for both and may the best team.
I will be posting another blog, probably tomorrow showing you the rough idea I have for the "Darc Karnival" cover. I'm really loving this one too. Till then, peace out!!!
Hello friends, above is the finished version of "Food Of Love" written by Joseph D'Lacey for the book "Darc Karnivale" I hope you enjoy, but remember this is copyrighted to Nick Rose, if you want to use it for something, just write me and ask. I'm an easy going fellow, unless you steal from me. In that case, all hell will reign down on you.
The next blog I do will be about Creating Air in your art using this piece. Please understand I do not want to come across as a hardass about my art, but I have had plenty of so called artist steal my work and idea's, and I have drawn a line and say it ends now. I finally can afford a couple of high dollar lawyers and I will not put up with talentless artist trying to steal my idea's and art.
Tomorrow I will do the blog on air in art. Peace and Blessings all.
Hello everyone. The picture is coming together now. With the exception of the floor and some work on the brainburgers, the back ground is done. I've started painting on the cashier now. Hopefully by the end of the day I have him finished an at least one Patrons.
I think that one of the best things I like about Painter is that I can blow the image up to the size of a wall, allowing me to really good down to the fine details.
Over the weekend I will be working on an idea I have for the cover, playing on the name Darc Karnivale. Next time I post I will show you a sample of creating air around your subjects. Well that's it for this one, It's early and I'm still trying to wake up. lol I have a long day ahead of me. Peace and Blessings all.
