State of the Artist 10/28/2013

View halloo, all!

Sorry about the lack of update last week, Monday was spent mostly driving back from Tampa, and once home, dealing with home maintenance irritations like the A/C and a leaky dishwasher. Oi. If South Florida actually HAD an autumn, the A/C wouldn't have been such a big deal, but as it was 90+* inside the house... that definitely needed to be taken care of!

Can you believe this is the last post for October already?! We're almost at the end of the year! O.o



Weekly Words

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.

- Henry David Thoreau, 1817 - 1862


Current Project

Well, as I mentioned earlier, last weekend was spent in Tampa, FL at Necronomicon with author and long-time soul-sister, MCA Hogarth. Necro is more of a social con for me, as it is *very* small and *very* quiet. I spent 4 lovely days with MCA Hogarth and her family, along with other very good friends I don't get to see often.

I did a few Inktober pieces over the weekend, and, unfortunately, I haven't done any since! >.<
* * * *

TOP LEFT: Inktober 18 = A little coffee dragon warming in the cup. As you can see, he is not a fan of decaf! :)

TOP CENTER: Inktober 19 = Skull island! I had originally planned to put a ghostly pirate ship on the horizon, but I neglected to pencil it in, so once I started laying down the inks, I ended up forgetting all about it! Oops! (Although, it's certainly not too late to put it in in white pencil.... )

TOP RIGHT: Inktober 21 = DRÜL!! *hee* I started doodling him at the table during Necro, but had no clear plan. I ended up finishing up while MCA Hogarth and I enjoyed a leisurely Monday afternoon art session at a local cafe before I left Tampa on Monday. He was supposed to be for Inktober, but I got a little carried away. I'm definitely going to have to do something with him! :)



Near Future

That's it! I am officially DONE with convention appearances for 2013!

From here until January 1, 2014, the Near Future will consist of completing the November and December Monthly Postcard originals, the 2013 Holiday Card, and a few random new, original pieces. I may be opening up a few commission slots, so if you're interested, please keep watching this space. (IF you are interested in commissions, please feel free to let me know what type of project you have in mind... I've gotten some kraft brown cover Moleskine notebooks lying around that I will probably offer before the end of the year.)

Be on the lookout for the upcoming Holiday Card Request post, that should go up around next week's State of the Artist post, too!


Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 10/14/2013

View halloo, all!


It's been a rather crazy week here on Planet Kit, so many Real Life interruptions! But, it's Monday again, so that means it's time for another State of the Artist update!


Weekly Words

A good night's sleep, or a ten minute bawl, or a pint of chocolate ice cream, or all three together, is good medicine.
- Ray Bradbury, 1920 - 2012



Current Project

There's not much to share on the Inktober front this week. As I said above, there have been a number of crazy Real Life events going on, but what little I've gotten done this week, I will definitely share!

* * *

TOP LEFT: Every now and then I'll go on a dragon drawing binge, where I'll just doodle dragons for days. They're usually very serious, regal-looking dragons. So, a comment from a friend prompted this cheerier little guy!

TOP RIGHT: My second sketch cover ever! This one for The Walking Dead issue #109. I've never drawn zombies, and they're pretty far outside my comfort zone, but So Much FUN! I've also discovered that doing stylized portraiture is so much harder than full-detail, hyper-realistic portraiture. >.<

The Walking Dead sketch cover is for sale for $30USD + shipping. If interested, please contact silvertales[at]gmail.[dot]com with "Walking Dead sketch cover" in the subject line.



Monthly Postcard Project

October's postcards arrived in the mail Saturday afternoon, so they'll be shipping out Tuesday, as today is a postal holiday.

If you'd like to receive original artwork postcards in the mail every month, or just learn more about the project, please visit the info page, here: Postcard FAQ.



Shop Silvertales

I just couldn't help myself, so I put my Walking Dead zombies on a mug for the extreme coffee lovers amongst us! Introducing Coffee Zombies!

COFFEEee... zombies Mug by silvertales
Create unique personalized coffee cups at Zazzle

Zazzle's current promotion celebrates Columbus Day by taking 14.92% off all orders all day Monday, October 14th! Use COLUMBUSSAVE at check out to redeem this offer.

Shop Silvertales



Near Future

This weekend sees me sharing a table with MCA Hogarth at Necronomicon in Tampa, FL. Come say hi, pick up a book, or some prints, or commission some original artwork!

Necro will be my last convention appearance for 2013. Once it's over, I'll be in the planning stages for convention appearances for 2014, hoping to add a few new cons to the schedule.

I'm also planning for the Holiday Card Project Request Post, so stay tuned if you'd like to receive a holiday card in the mail this year!

The next set of Comic Nouveau pieces (Marvel's Phoenix, Gambit, Wolverine, and Storm) are also on the schedule for completion, along with a new original piece!

Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 10/7/2013

View halloo, all!

It was an overcast day here on Planet!Kit, but a productive one! It's Monday, and that means it's time for the State of the Artist update, so, let's get to it!



Weekly Words

I am, as I am; whether hideous, or handsome, depends upon who is made judge.

-Herman Melville, 1819 - 1891

And, I will always be my harshest judge.



Current Project

So, I've embarked upon Inktober this year (well, sort of...) The Inktober Project "officially" has 2 options: The Long Run (one inked drawing every day for the month of October,) or The 5K Plan (one inked drawing a week for the month of October.) I'm not doing either of those options. I'm sort of making it up as I go. I know, typical Kit. :)

I'm working on the "whenever I have the time/inclination/impetus/inspiration to churn out an inked doodle" plan. Out of the 7 days of October so far, I've done 4... so, I figure I'm ahead of the curve for the 5K Plan, so I'm in good shape.

I'm sort of hacking these out in between working on the 2nd set of Comics Nouveau pieces, setting up a new 11x17" personal piece I hope to have done soon, the October Monthly Postcard Project artwork (which is technically an Inktober piece, but you won't see it until November unless you're a Monthly Postcard subscriber,) the plans for the 2013 Holiday Card Project, and prepping for Necronomicon next weekend.

But, enough blabber... the four completed Inktober pieces:

* * *

TOP LEFT: Inktober #1 is just a simple 3/4 ink doodle of a woman in a bustle dress.

TOP RIGHT: Inktober #2, a Baron Samedi-painted VooDoo priestess.

***

* * *

TOP LEFT: The oddly popular "Polar Bears in SPAAACE" that was prompted by a comment on my FB page over the weekend. (By popular demand, this image is available in my Zazzle store on t-shirts, cards, and laptop skins. If you'd like to see this, or other designs, on other merchandise, please let me know!)

TOP RIGHT: Random DRAGONS! Who doesn't love dragons, right?

***



Shop Silvertales

As mentioned above, the Polar Bears in SPAAACE is available in the store:

Tees:

http://www.zazzle.com/polar_bears_in_space_shirt-235763135769617108


Cards:

http://www.zazzle.com/polar_bears_in_space_greeting_cards-137525469958405193


Laptop Skins:

http://www.zazzle.com/polar_bears_in_space_decals_for_13_laptops-134839244334652541



Near Future

Near Future sees more work on the second set of Comic Nouveau pieces. I've got the enlargements done, so they're sitting at 11x17" ready to go!

I'm sure there will be more Inktober stuff this month.

The Holiday Card Project is approaching, so I'll be opening up the request list for cards soon, along with details about this year's project.

Next weekend (October 18-20) sees me in Tampa, FL, sharing a table with MCA Hogarth at Necronomicon on campus at USF!



Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 9/30/2013

View halloo, all!

Wow, this will be the last State of the Artist update for September... where does the time go?!

Be that as it may, it is actually a SUNNY Monday here on Planet Kit, for a change! It's definitely a good thing, as I was starting to feel rather waterlogged here. Anywhoodles, on with the update!



Weekly Words

The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.
- Eric Hoffer, 1902 - 1983



Current Project

It's on to Round Two of the Comic Nouveau Project, and so, the first batch of Marvel characters are on the drawing board!

***

*

TOP LEFT: Storm. Ororo Munroe, resident weather goddess. This is her Earth-616 costume and 'hawk hair.Storm has been through a boatload of costume/hair changes over the years, but if I wasn't going to do the 90's cartoon costume this is the one that appealed to me the most. There still needs a little tweaking before I'm 100% satisfied, but these are early stage sketches for the finished pencils.

TOP RIGHt: Phoenix. Jean Grey, telepath and telekinetic. I haven't decided on whether this will be the red-and-gold costume or the green-and-gold... either way, she was a much stronger character from a development and storytelling standpoint as Phoenix than as her otherwise perpetual second-fiddle role as Cyclops' wife.

***

*

TOP LEFT: Wolverine. Logan, adamantium-fused skeleton, short, grumpy, and chain smokes cigars like they're going out of style. Resident Canadian. I struggled with Wolverine a great deal. I've long been a fan of the X-Men (well, certain incarnations of the title) and, as such, had a concrete headcannon regarding Wolverine and none of the sketches I was playing with were making me happy. I think I went through 7 iterations of Wolverine before I ended up here (which is actually the FIRST sketch of Wolverine I produced, with a handful of tweaks.) I'm still working on refining the costume, so this rough sketch is no where near ready to be cleaned up for final pencils.

TOP RIGHT: Gambit. Remy LeBeau, resident Ragin' Cajun. Out of the plethora of Marvel characters, Gambit is my absolute favorite (another character TPTB insist on %*%&$ing around with... mostly with regards to the disastrous relationship with Rogue they keep insisting on pushing. It's truly painful and keeps messing with his characterization.) This is the second sketch for Gambit. The first one was ok, but just didn't have that Gambit *feel* for me.



Monthly Postcard Project

The Monthly Postcard Project is still going strong, new artwork produced every month for delivery to people's mailboxes! The August Monthly Postcard Project original is available for sale to the general public!



This piece is 5.5x8.8" on toned art paper completed in ink, white ink, and marker. The original is available for $30USD + $6USD for domestic US shipping or $9USD for international shipping.

Please reply here, or send an email to silvertales[at]gmail[dot]com with "August Monthly Postcard original" in the subject line if interested.


Near Future

Aside from working on October's Monthly Postcard Project original, the 2013 Holiday Card Project original, and round 2 of the Comic Nouveau Project, the near future sees me preparing for a convnetion appearance at Necronomicon in Tampa, FL October 18-20 with MCA Hogarth!

Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 9/23/2013

View halloo, all!

Yet *another* soggy Monday here on Planet Kit... I swear, there *have* been a handful of sunny days between last Monday and today, really! I know that July-September is the rainy season in south Florida, but this has just been nuts....

But, it's Monday, and so, it's time for a new State of the Artist update!



Weekly Words

He who builds walls to create exclusion for others builds walls across his own freedom.
- Rabindranath Tagore, 1861 - 1941



Current Project

I am DONE with the first set of characters for the Comic Nouveau Project as it has come to be called. Yay! *much Muppet-flailing*

* * *

TOP LEFT: Batman. I went with a cool-toned background of the Batcave, layering tones to create the illusion of depth, and pulled the yellow from his belt for the text banner arching over his head.
Final: 11x17" ink and marker on bristol
Original: $300 + shipping
Print: $15 + shipping

TOP RIGHT: Nightwing: the Original Recipe Robin, Dick Grayson (and my personal favorite comic canon character, regardless of how badly DC screws around.) Given the acrobatic nature of the pose, I went with a flattened, almost more deco-leaning cityscape background, again in cool blues, pulling the deepest red from his costume accents for his text banner.
Final: 11x17" ink and marker on bristol
Original: $300 + shipping
Print: $15 + shipping

***

* * *

TOP LEFT: Superman. I asked for suggestions for the background for this piece, and a cityscape of Metropolis, with a visible Daily Planet, was the overwhelming response, and so, here it is! I used a series of mid-toned yellows for the deco-leaning cityscape for a sunrise-over-mirrored-buildings kind of feel. I pulled the deepest reds from his costume for the banner over his head.
Final: 11x17" ink and marker on bristol
Original: $300 + shipping
Print: $15 + shipping

TOP RIGHT: Wonder Woman. For this piece, I went with a warm-toned Themyscira background to highlight her origins. The banner uses the lightest of the red tones from her costume, so it is a few shades lighter than the reds used for Nightwing and Superman.
Final: 11x17" ink and marker on bristol
Original: $300 + shipping
Print: $15 + shipping

***

Inquiries about purchasing the originals and/or prints can be sent to silvertales[at]gmail[dot]com.

Shipping rates will vary depending on location, so a flat rate is not provided, but will be quoted upon inquiry. Originals will be shipped flat, while prints will be shipped rolled.

Up next will be the first 4 of the Marvel series: Gambit, Wolverine, Storm, and Jean Grey.

I have taken down so many character suggestions for this project, and I'll be working on this series in batches.



Shop Silvertales

Zazzle has been having a series of rather impressive sale offers on products site-wide over the last week. The latest offer is 30% off t-shirts by using code FALLSTYLES30 at checkout. Any shirt from any store in the Zazzle arrays of store is now 30% off now through September 30th!

So, check out the Gentlecephalopod:

A Perfect Gentlephalopod T-shirts by silvertales
Look at more Octopus T-Shirts at zazzle

or, the Kitten Line

Kitten Line Shirt by silvertales
Create one-of-a-kind custom tee shirts on zazzle.

and many more, all available in mens, womens, and kids cuts!

Shop Silvertales



Near Future

I have one more convention appearance for 2013, and that is Necronomcon in Tampa, FL October 18-20 where I will be sharing a table with the awesomely multi-talented MCA Hogarth!

Around the same time, I'll be opening up the Holiday Card Request post for this year's cards, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested in holiday cards. I'm not sure if there will be a change to the project just yet, as every year finds me paying more and more out of pocket for the surprising sudden increase in interest and requests, but I'll definitely post about it when and if I do make changes.


Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist: 9/9/2013

View halloo, all!

Posting late, I know (but, it's still Monday!) It's been a rather busy day on Planet Kit. My great aunt celebrated her 101st birthday today, and as such, there was much food, much music, much crazy Cuban chatter and arm-waving... it was all good. :)

But, it's time now for the State of the Artist update, so let's get to it!



Weekly Words

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, or a new country.
- Anaïs Nin, 1903 - 1977



Current Project

Yay! Today, I'm posting the WIP series of images for the book covers completed for author MCA Hogarth's Jokka trilogy completed during the month of August! This was another abstract acrylic project, and very exciting for me! Maggie and I have known each other a long time, and I was thrilled to be asked to produce new covers for her expansive Jokka universe trilogy.

* * *

TOP LEFT: Stage 1 - freshly-primed canvases with heavy gel medium for texture. The concept behind the covers was to have a textured "keyhole" design on each cover (for a medallion to be placed in each cover's center) with a textured streak to indicate where in the series the book falls: book one has one streak, book two has two, etc.

TOP RIGHT: Stage 2- Adding depth and tone by applying a thick layer of flat black acrylic paint over the top 1/3rd of the canvas and the (now dry) texture medium and thinning with a light application of water from the very top of the canvas, letting it run down the length. This method thins the black paint unevenly, which is what I'm going for here.

***

* * *

TOP LEFT: This is known as the "Royal Mess" stage... when the paintings are looking their most dubious. The first applications of color. Book One: yellows, oranges, reds. Book Two: blues, greens, yellow. Book Three: greens, yellows. I'm keeping my brush strokes broad and messy to preserve texture as I continue to apply thin layers of paint, both to build up color coverage and intensity.

TOP RIGHT: Building up the color. Most of the tonal variations under the bright colors are getting lost as I keep building the acrylic layers, except for where I've placed my textures. I'm building up layers to deepen out from the keyhole design elements.

***

* * *

TOP LEFT: Adding brighter, deeper, more intense yellows to the center of each keyhole.

TOP RIGHT: I realized what I'd originally planned for these covers wasn't going to work unless the textured areas were the same bright yellows as the center of the keyholes. So, I obliterated my tonal tinting and covered the texture with the same bright, flat yellow... which I fine-tuned in the next stage. (This project actually went through a few "Royal Mess" stages... but, that's kind of the joy/frustration of traditional media!

***

* * *

TOP LEFT: Yay! Tonal tinting restored to the textured areas, to provide depth, pulled the deeper colors from the lower corners of the paintings in closer to help set off the yellow poured element on each textured streak, elongating them through the body of the painting.

TOP RIGHT: To give the paintings a bit more expansion, I edged each canvas in the darkest shade used all the way around. There are least 6 different, independent, colors of paint in each painting, plus adding Dioxazine Purple or Payne's Grey (depending on the canvas) to deepen the darkest edges. (This picture was taken before increasing the yellows to the textured areas on the canvases.)

***

* * *


TOP LEFT: The Jokka medallions for the keyhole element on the paintings. I did these independently of the paintings to allow Maggie to align the paintings whichever way she felt worked best for her covers, instead of restricting her to any specific layout in case the initial idea (keyhole on the front, streaks wrapping around to the back) didn't end up feeling right. Good thing, too, since that's not what ended up happening!

TOP RIGHT: (Photo courtesy of MCA Hogarth) the completed, printed, ready for purchase covers! Cover layout is 100% MCA Hogarth and she ended up flipping the paintings "upside down" (if abstracts ever really have a right side up,) which put the keyholes at the bottom! Given her text arrangement, this ended up working beautifully!

There is something viscerally satisfying about seeing your work on the cover of a book.... This project was a wonderful collaboration, and working with Maggie is never like work, it's always a fun exchange of ideas that feed off each other. I got terrific and enthusiastic feedback from Maggie as I set her the progress photos from my kitchen table at all hours of the night over the course of the project. I was very happy I managed to complete the paintings in time to deliver them in person when I saw her for a short visit after AFO.



Near Future

The Near Future sees me continuing work on the Comics Nouveau series I posted the line work for in last week's State of the Artist update. I've started scribbling out the lines for the second set of Marvel's Storm, Wolverine, and Gambit, but I hope to have the first four (Batman, Nightwing, Wonder Woman, and Superman) done in time for PalmCon on Sept. 21.

After PalmCon, I'll be sharing a table with MCA Hogarth at Necronomicon in Tampa, FL October 18-20.

Necro should be my last convention appearance for 2013... and while I'm already set for MegaCon (March 21-23) in Orlando, FL, I'm hoping to add Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, WA (March 28-30) to my convention roster... and possibly Chicago Comicon and Entertainment Expo in Chicago, IL (April 25-27,) but I'm not 100% sold on C2E2 just yet.


Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!