2016 Plans

Well, next year is shaping up to be huge!

First, if all goes well, I'll be exhibiting artwork at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2016.  This is an event that has been held annually in Kansas City for the past three years or so, coordinated by the same folks who publish the annual Spectrum book featuring the best fantasy, science fiction, horror, and comic art being made today. 

And, many of these amazing artists will be there in person!

Second, Kansas City is hosting the 2016 World Science Fiction Convention!  It's been a while since I exhibited at a World Con (1997 in San Antonio!), and I did very well, selling seven or eight original paintings.  I also exhibited my stuff at the 1999 North American SF Con, in Anaheim, and sold several original paintings there, too.

It'll be really nice to be able to exhibit artwork at a WorldCon, without having to travel.  

I'm hoping to exhibit at least 8 new paintings, and a few of the "older" ones, as well.  (I might even show one or two of the "old" airbrushed pieces from the late '90s!)

So, from now 'til Spectrum, I'm going to mainly focus on creating original paintings, and worry much less about freelance stuff, teaching gigs, etc.

I'm already hard at work on a couple of new paintings, with two or three more at the planning stage.

I'm really looking forward to sharing lots of cool new art with you over the next few months.

Please, tell your friends, and thanks for reading!




  

Anatomy Reference Books.

I'm making plans to submit work to the Spectrum Art Annual next year, as well as exhibit at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live.

This means that I need to create some seriously impressive art over the next five months or so.  

No time like the present to create some of the paintings I've been dreaming of for the past several years...bringing figures--people--and the spiders together!

Drawing figures means looking at TONS of reference photos, and digging deep into my extensive collection of reference photos, reference books--and anatomy and figure drawing books.

I have a lot more than these, but these are the best of them, and the ones I use most often.

How many of these do you have?  Any favourites you don't see here?

Airbrush portrait of Johnny Cash...

the title pretty much says it all.  This is on metal, a motorcycle gas tank.  There will be another portrait on the other side.

New Paint! Willaimsburg Egyptian Violet

I bought a big (150ml) tube of Williamsburg Egyptian Violet yesterday, and thought I should write something about it here.

Many oil paint manufacturers call this colour Dioxazine Violet, and the chemical composition of Willaimsburg's is "Carbazole Dioxazine": PV 2 (Pigment Violet 23), listed on the back of the tube.

I haven't tried Dioxazine Violet by any other manufacturer, so I don't know if this is true of any other Dioxazines, but it is certainly the case with the Willaimsburg; it has a golden sheen!  Areas painted with this colour will show this rich gold undertone colour wherever there are highlights.

Anyway, it's a beautiful colour, and if you don't have a deep Violet in your collection, you ought to give Williamsburg's Egyptian Violet a try!