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Another deadline slain. \o/.

This book took AGES to color. Or it felt like ages, anyway. For pencil/ink/color time I calculate sketches x 2, which usually gets me a pretty accurate estimate. This book sketched itself insanely fast, but I guess there's only so much time you can shave off the final work, and coloring is still largely gruntwork. But, it's done. All that's left is to do a continuity check in a day or so, and scan the whole bunch.

Now I have a whole week off (provided I don't catch the roomie's cold virus that's currently ricocheting off the walls of this apartment.) Tomorrow I'll go to the sauna first thing. And do some clothes shopping before the stuff I'm wearing starts falling apart at the seams. And clean the apartment which is in a state that's... well, right now I wouldn't let my dad visit, that's for sure. We're warning our friends before they enter. It's like several layers of chaos. I'm actually looking forward to cleaning up the mess - I like cleaning when I'm relaxed and got plenty of time. I think I will perform the Ritual Post-Deadline Cleaning of the Desk right now. :)

I have a few books coming out this month and next, so, picspam. Wild mix of topics. I still don't have my author's copies for most of these, so imagine text wherever there's a gaping void.

Illustrating the balming process in this style was my idea - I didn't really fancy drawing a realistic illustration of someone's brain drawn out of their nose...

This blog now returns to regular programming. I didn't get to do any fanart lately, but I hope I'll have something to post soonish.

linkage: Very Short Stories
33 writers. 5 designers. 6-word science fiction.
Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words ("For sale: baby shoes, never worn.") and is said to have called it his best work. So we asked sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers from the realms of books, TV, movies, and games to take a shot themselves.

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Illustrating the balming process in this style was my idea - I didn't really fancy drawing a realistic illustration of someone's brain drawn out of their nose...

Heh. But see, when I was a kid and into Ancient Egypt (like, I taught myself to "write" hieroglyphics and such, starting with the museum's booklet for kids that hooked me and then branching out into more complicated descriptions), the grossness was a major part of the appeal... I would have loved actual pictures of the brains being removed rather than just some stylized picture of the hook tool they used for it.

Ha. I know, kids get a kick out of that kind of stuff. Although this series is for kids aged 4-6, so I dunno. But *I* didn't want to draw it. I got, like, a really vivid imagination. Eep, I shudder just thinking about it.

When we were kids, we really were into Ancient Egypt as well. And Ancient Rome. My dad was a history teacher, and those were some of his favorite topics.

All very cool, as always.

As a visual artist, you need to check out YouTube link I posted at
http://newscaper.livejournal.com/52311.html

A handful of guys recreate D-Day on a microscopic budget. It gives me hope that SF and fantasy fans might be able to get their favorite written works someday visualized, with the video and editing technology, coupled with internet distribution, allowing story forms/lengths that the standard film & TV models can't accommodate.

Oh, thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

Some very interesting changes in the entertainment industry going on, due to the new tech. You hear more and more about people producing their one projects on a low budget and have them picked up by major networks.

Of course, sociologist here, so my preference is for Die kinder des Manitou. :-)

Beautiful illustrations - all of them. The last looks especially tricky to have complete.

Thanks for sharing these.

Of course, sociologist here, so my preference is for Die kinder des Manitou. :-)

Mine too. :) I'm really happy with how this one turned out. This has been so much fun to illustrate, I don't think there has been a moment where it actually felt like work, which is rare. Native American history has always been one of the subjects that have interested me the most, and I wanted to do something about North West coast tribes for ages.

This book covers three different cultures, I hope that won't keep people from buying it (it's awfully hard to veer off the trodden path, and most books are about plains tribes. This here... makes it a harder sell. But I'm glad they were going for it.)

Cute stuff, and I can see, that my German reading skill have not degenerated completely, huzzah! :)

Your ancient Egypt drawings, made me remember a comic serie by Sussi Bech, that I liked as a teenager. It's about a woman called Noferet and hers adventures around the area of ancient Egypt link to a pdf file with samples of Sussi Bech work (http://www.nofret.dk/pdf/foreign%20rights%20catalogue.pdf)

Dang, I could've used that. Thanks, cool link!

(How does one squeeze a typo into a one-line comment?)

Oh so gorgeous! I am particularly in love with the horses!

Thanks! It really helps to be able to draw horses, because that covers not just the horseback-riding books but a lot of the historical themes in one swoop. Plus, they're fun to draw.

Wonderful as always. Grossartig. (and thank you for not showing us the brain being sucked out through a straw *g*).

(and thank you for not showing us the brain being sucked out through a straw *g*)

My pleasure. ^^

I'm normally not squeamish but the brains thing... yuck, really.

These are fantastic. I particularly like your whale and your horses -- they have so much personality! And your coloring may be grunt work, but it looks great.

Thanks muchly!

The coloring... I can understand why comic many computer-colorists use flatters who lay down the flat colors for them. Sometimes I wish I could speed up the process and just concentrate on the fun parts. Ah well.

Wow, those illustrations are just gorgeous! I love your organic, water-colored style, and the way that you can subtly switch styles between projects.

Thanks so much. By the way, everything in here that looks like ink was done in that pencil/acetate technique I talked about the other day.

No, wait, the first set of horse illustrations are actual ink, IIRC. Ink on acetate, which is something of a pain in the ass because you have to be so careful not to smear the line. But all the rest, pencil.

I hadn't seen the Egyptian illustrations -- they're lovely!

Thanks. Ton of research, that one was...

I bet! That's what makes getting a research heavy book out of the house so sweet, at least to me: I get really sick of tripping over the piles of reference. It feels so good to clear it off and have a life again. :)

These illustrations are brilliant! I'll show these to my little sister, she's a huge horse fan and will be impressed with such realistic art.

Yay :). I hope she likes them. I'm not riding myself (took riding lessons for a year and realized it meant having no time for other hobbies) but fortunately my roommate is really into it, so I always have an instant-beta in the house to help with the detail.

She didn't only like them but was also very impressed that I have a friend who's so good at drawing - and who publishes her art *g*

Nice work as always. I love how you paint water.

Will you get a break to work on your own stuff? Maybe some new comic book stuff to show off at SDCC08?

Heee, not only Indians, but old Egyptians. Yay! The balming looks hilarious: "Let's pour some more stuff over the guy..." *lol*

I think the thing I like best is the horse eating from the table.