Mt. Moriah Studios

Here’s the finished Illo.  Not totally how I wanted it, but it’s okay.  Let me know what you think.

Tomorrow I will update my comic site with Envy – Part 2.  I reworked a couple of things from my original story,   But that’s pretty typical for me.  I always do a lot of revision as I work.

This is a new illustration I am working on.  So far I have just worked out the details in pencil.  Let me know what you think.

I have started work on part 2 of Envy.  It has been more complicated to render than part 1, but it will be ready by Sunday.  Right now however, I am exhausted.  I have been maintaining a weird schedule the last couple of days dealing with some personal stuff.  So, I’ll talk to you all later this week.

Till then…

Because most of my illustrations and comics are fairly detailed, I always do a little research on the subjects that I will be drawing.  And Because “Envy” is going to be a five part series, I knew that I would need even more material than I normally would.  So, last week, I took my camera out and did a little bird watching, and photographed many birds standing and flying, so I could get a feel for how they naturally look.  Above is one of those pictures, which I used to model the main character.  It was a lot of fun which I hope to do more of.

As promised, here is the finished product.  It turned out essentially as I had envisioned it.  If you are interested in getting your hands on the original artwork, you can look at all the specs here.

As you may or may not know, I am going through a lot of personal issues with a loved one at the moment, so it has been a great comfort to take refuge in my watercolors.  I find the whole process of sketching and painting very therapeutic.  I don’t know if others of you feel this way, but for me it is the ultimate escape from all my worries and anxieties.

In other news, I am currently finishing up work on this week’s JTMM update.  It will be a bit different than my other updates because it will be broken into five parts.  The main character is a Robin who has a little adventure with one of the seven deadly sins – envy.  I hope you all will enjoy it.  It has definitely been fun working on a larger project.

I am trying to make a conscious effort to update this blog every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  So if you are interested, sign up for the RSS feed.  I’ll try to keep it interesting.

The wobbly skater painting that I have been working on is finished.  I’ll post the final version later this week.  In the mean time, I figured I would post a picture from my studio while the work was still in progress.  I many times work on multiple things at a time, that’s why you can see (on the right) some sketches that I am working and reference books for this week’s JTMM update.  It will be about birds.  It appears that I was also enjoying a libation (Miller Lite) while working.  Kind of an essential when working into the wee hours of the night.

I haven’t done a ton more work on this (just a little watercolor), but it’s coming along and I figured I’d show you all what’s been done so far.

I am working on an unusual update for this week’s JtMM.  I am experimenting with a short story that will come in five parts.  I’ve never done anything like that for JtMM, but I figured, what the hell.  I’ll post some sketches from the project later in the week (hopefully).

Till then…

Sorry about the non-post to my comic site on Sunday. I had a wicked cold this week, and simply could not finish the update. I promise there will be a new comic (watercolor) on Sunday June 15th.  And I will have all the contest information!

Now that the heat of summer has returned, I am already longing for the winter. I started work this morning on a watercolor (pictured above). It measures 3.5″x5″. I figured I would work on in through out the next week or so, and post the progress here. So far I have just penciled out the rough. Some artists can just dive right into painting, but I tend put in a lot of detail in the pencil portion of the creative process. I like to have a good idea where all the highlights and shadows will be before it start putting paint on paper.

There is a new member to the comic collective group that I belong to. Stendec is a pretty peculiar comic with a lot of strange images and subject matter. Exactly the kind of stuff that makes me smile. Check it out.