Wow, I have been so busy, I almost forgot to blog again. lol. I promise after "Confusion" I will start taking things at a normal pace, although I just signed on to do work with 2 Large publishers on a regular basis. It's it funny how when you decide that you don't want to do something, it then falls in your lap? The good news is that I have enough clot now to ask for benefits, such as I will still own all the rights to make prints and posters of the work commissioned. I also can show it on my blog and for video lessons as well. A year ago a large publisher would have laughed at me for asking such things, but my mindset now is, "I don't care if I do it or not, I make plenty of money either way" It seems that just thinking this way has made all the difference in the world, or is it that now that i have returned to oils, my work has REALLY gotten noticed?
I was finally able to scan 'Dragon Mystress" It takes paintings so long to dry in the cold damp environment here in Michigan. So here is is. (If I am in a hurry I throw them in the over, but Madison freaks when she see's me doing that. lol)
You can see there is a big difference over the photo's I showed before. Also here is a logo I designed for the agency that represents me now, although that don't really kick off until March when Andie and Tilly are coming to visit me. I am going to take a zillion pictures of Tilly, because my guess this will be the last time she will be modeling. She has already made her millions from modeling and writing, but fortunately for me, she loves my work and is a very close and dear friend. How many artist do you know get to paint one of the all time top models in the world on a regular basis? lol Yes, I am bragging, and you would be to!
Hello my friends and Merry Christmas! Above it the 90% almost done version of "Cerberus". It is a photo and a bad one. I decided not to show it again until I can scan it, so that should be in about 2 weeks. I was hoping "Dragon Mystress" would be dry, but the varnish is still a little tacky to the touch, but I will have it next week for sure. At the moment I am working on a portrait of the kids for one of Madison's Christmas presents. I am going to make this a annual tradition and make prints to give to their Dad and Grandparents. I love doing portraits, but I wouldn't want to do them all the time. The really good thing about doing portraits is that it is a good way to measure your skills as an artist and how well trained your eye is. For years I wouldn't do them mainly because I wasn't good enough to get it right. If you want to know where your drawing skills are, do a portrait.
Christmas is finally only two days away, and I have to tell you, I am glad. No, I am not the Grinch or anything of the sort. What it is, at least in my case, is that I get all worked up the weeks before. This year has been very good to me financially and It is going to be the best Christmas since Clinton's last year as President. I don't remember if I told you in the last blog or not, but I am not having to depend on Disability anymore and can now give back instead of being a statistic. It is good to know that I can get help if I need it, but now I can work at home and make a good living. With a top notch agent to represent me now, I am guessing the income is going to get better and better. I guess as far as Christmas goes, I'll just be glad to get back to the normal grind.
I know this, the kids are going to have a heck of a lot better Christmas than last year. We got them everything on their "wishlist" Mostly because last year, money was a lot tighter and the only income at the time was what Madison made. I am so glad that I am able to carry my share now and much more now. Knowing that my art is making this possible is one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life. Madison is also having a great Christmas too. We are officially engaged now and plan to wed next December. So she got a very nice shiny rock. That thing is huge and cost a bundle, but honestly, nothing is to good for my girl. She took a lot of burden to bear to get me to the point I am at now. My next goal is that she can be a full time writer. She got a ton of other cool stuff too, but I can't say just yet, because she don't know about them. lol
Although I'll be glad to get past it, this has been the coolest Christmas ever. I get some of the bizarre Christmas cards you have ever seen. lol Think about who my friends are. Most of my artist friends make their own cards, and I love them. I am going to start doing that next year, but this end of the year I have been busting my fanny on getting ready for Confusion.
But the main reason I am doing this blog tonight is that I wanted to tell you all that I appreciate you all, and I hope that each of you have the most wonderful Christmas you have ever had. May it be filled with Love, Joy, and may you get at least one present that your heart desires. I pray that you all will all be safe during your travels for the Holiday as well.
Next week, I will have new art, hopefully some more tips for you and we'll recap this year. Much love and Hugs everyone. "May the Darkness Comfort You."
Hello my friends. I hope the holiday season is a wonderful one for you. I finished my shopping last week, I hope. Now I am trying to focus on a lot of business things going on, and that includes redoing the website. If you go there, you will see a big red note saying it is being revamped, and I have cut off all links. I am hoping to have it back up on Dec 23, because on the 24th I am putting the Imac in the shop for upgrades. So for the week between Christmas and New year, i will not be on line much except to check for business mail on Madison's laptop.
I will be so glad once we get through January. There is so much to do to get ready for traveling to the conventions and art shows. We are making a large inventory of prints, T-shirts, Trading Cards, Post cards, and lord knows what else. There is also a ton of framing to be done, along with Matting a ton of prints as well. We also have to figure out a way to decorate our space, prepare signs and banners.
Another big deal that is going on right now and I will announce all of the information involved once all the contracts are signed. This month, this interview is also out with me at Horrornet.com, and I am doing a new one with another on line Magazine called Liquid Imagination. Tilly also told me that she wanted to do a follow up interview on Main Street magazine in the near future. Working with Tilly has just been one of the most awesome privilege's I have ever had. I will be starting on a new painting featuring her in January.
Here is some photo's of the new painting in progress. I had to take a couple days off from painting because I was starting to feel burnout. But I am much better now! lol
In the one above, you can see since the last blog, I put a layer of orange acrylic paint over the whole drawing and then I start going over the drawing with oil paint.
Here I have started the background. It is supposed to be Hades, so I figure it needs to look hot. lol
and here you can see the foreground painted, so I will start painting the beast and adding little details here and there to the foreground as I go.
I know a lot of you are wanting to see lessons, but right now with all that is going on, I just haven't had time of the brain power to work one up. I am on the verge of panic because of all the things I am trying to do between now and Confusion. After that, I am hoping I can focus on other things again, so please be patient with me please.
Where we live the snow is really piling up outside, and is not supposed to stop until Tuesday. Such is life in Michigan. lol I wonder how bad it is for my friends in Canada? Wherever you are, I hope you are managing to stay warm. It is 10 degrees here today with windchill of 20 minus, so you know this southern boy isn't leaving the house. lol The bad thing about working in the basement is that it gets colder down here that the rest of the house, so I have to wear 2 layers of clothes to stay warm. But on a up note, I am much more use to the cold now than when I was 2 years ago when I came to Michigan.
I had a friend send me a box of books the other day on cooking for a diabetic, I was very touched that someone would go to that much trouble for me. Thank you Lisa, that was very sweet and big hearted of you. Another thing I have been getting alot of is audio books. Ever since i said I like to listen to them I have gotten huge collections of them to listen too, including I think everything that Stephen King has ever wrote, including the "Bachman" books. It just blows me away. Right now I am listening to Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" which makes the movie blow chunks. I have listened to the first four "Harry Potter" books, and they are so much better than the movies. I will go back to them in the new year. I still have "Half Blood Prince" and "The Deadly Hallows" to go.
When I was younger, I used to read all the time. I love books. But the older I have gotten, I have found I have little time to read. My friends always want me to read their new books, and I wish I had time. But hey, when it is out on audio, I will listen to it while I work. I know one thing, I have been blessed in so many ways since I came to Michigan. I would have never dreamed my life would be my dream come true when I came here. I bought Madison a very expensive Diamond ring, and we plan on getting married next December. I have even been able to get off of disability now. I know now that as long as I can paint, I can make plenty of money. I'm not bragging, I'm just saying.... It sure beats the heck out of the years I had to sell my Plasma just to buy art supplies( the scars from the large needles are craved into my arms as a constant reminder of what it took for me to be where I am now.), and my main diet was dried beans and rice.
I do have a game plan for the lessons when we continue. First we are going to learn to draw, step by step and how to train your eye to see better. Then on to painting, but we need to start with the basic's first and your drawing skills transfer over to your paintbrush.
After the "Cerberus" painting is done, I am doing a romantic steampunk sorta thing with Madeline and Darius. That will be very different, but after that back to the Dark Side! lol Much Love my friends. Stay warm and safe! "May the Darkness Comfort You"
Hello my friends. Much love and blessings to you all. As always, I am very happy to have you join me again, and please don't forget to click on the advertisement to the right under the visitors map. I say this every week, because on average we get 50 new readers each week. Each time you click on it, one cent goes to the Shriner's Children Hospital.
Here is a photo of the finished "Dragon Mystress" painting. I will have a finished scan of it for you next week. The newspapers where talking about this painting before I even finished it. Here is one of the articles. I thought I was getting a lot of press before, but now that Tilly and I are working with each other, her international fame is getting me noticed in really big ways. I want to thank Jake Roberts and the "Canada News Now" for writing about me again. I appreciate the kind words and all the interest. This is the first of a series of 4 paintings based on the Dragon Mystress theme, and I promise you I will be painting Tilly Rivers for years to come.
Next up is the private commission of "Cerberus." Here is the pencil work for it. I will start painting on it later today. I will have some in progress photo's for you next week.
I haven't added a lot of details yet or wont until I start the under painting, hopefully today, but i am very sick with a bug. That is why the blog is a day late. The background will be very hellish with hellfire and all, or "Hades" fire. lol I know, I'm easily amused.
I still have 2 other paintings to be done with by the time we attend "Confusion" in January. After "Cerberus" will be a steampunk love thing featuring Madeline Frost and Darius. Both will be in attendance with me at Confusion. An interesting fact about Darius is that he was the personal bodyguard to a General while serving his country in Iraq. A very impressive young man indeed.
After that will be the 2nd Tilly painting. It will be a much darker piece than "Dragon Mystress" It is about a Dark Fairy. It is really going to dive into the dark side again. I've noticed here lately since I have amassed a huge library of audio books and that I am becoming much more interested in magical creatures. I am loving this Cerberus painting and have an ideal for a dark unicorn painting featuring Tilly also. But I am also getting into all the creatures that Lovecraft created in his stories, so look for a lot of them in the future as well.
I am really happy about acquiring all the Dragonlance audio books as well, including all 7 of the Deathgate Cycle novels which I read years ago. Life is so amazing right now. I cannot believe all the good fortune that has come to me. I got some more major news this morning, and it means I have going to have pic up the pace a little more now. Even more work, but I couldn't turn it down. It's another dream come true.
Okay, I really need to not have to think now, and just try to do motor actions, lol. I love you all, oh did I tell you I bought Madison a diamond so big that I had to buy a wheelbarrow too just to move here hand around in? lmao. Not that big, but for a starving artist type, it is a big deal to me. Peace and Blessings. "May the Darkness Comfort you"
