Lessons from Gen Con

The print you didn't make is the one everyone wants.

Seriously, I got, like, thirty requests for prints of this painting of The Living Island from The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures. I would be slightly more wealthy today had I realized it was going to be so popular. Not to worry, though-I will be creating some 13 x 19 prints of this illustration soon, and when I do, it will be available for purchase online or in person at conventions next year.

The Living Island

I have been planning to write some convention wrap up posts, especially to share some exciting news from Gen Con, but I had to jump back into the projects I was working on immediately upon returning home. I will do my best to post about this summer's con experiences if I can find room for some breaks!

GeekGirlCon Floor Map

GeekGirlCon Artist Alley map

GeekGirlCon is less than a week away! I will be at table number 412 in Artist Alley, which is located in the exhibitor hall, rooms 304 and 305 on the third floor of The Conference Center.

I will be signing and selling copies of The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures, prints, self-published sketchbooks collecting my sketches and drawings, and original RPG and fantasy paintings. If you'll be at the convention, please stop by to say hello!

Help an Artist Bring a Dragon to Life

Between working on projects that are under non-disclosure agreements (which means I currently can't share them) and my preparations for GeekGirlCon and Gen Con, I haven't had much time to devote to my blog in the past few weeks. But I do have time to bring the cool artwork of a fellow artist to your attention!

Gunter Reimnitz is a talented sculptor we met during our trip to Vashon Island earlier this year. He's hoping to raise the funds to turn his fantasy of building a one-ton fire-breathing metal dragon sculpture into a reality. Wouldn't you like to help him solve the riddle of steel by contributing to his Kickstarter campaign?
Check it out!

The Bumpy Landscape of a Typical Comic Con

David Apatoff of the blog Illustration Art describes the variety of art that was on display at San Diego Comic Con this year.

Gen Con 2012 Floor Map

Gen Con is only 40 days away, and I still have a lot to do before the convention begins. Posting may be sporadic until I return from both Gen Con and GeekGirlCon.

So, while you're waiting, look at this floor map! I will be somewhere in that big, aptly named block that says "Art Show."

Click to embiggen!

Spectrum 19 Part 2

In April I discovered that some of my work had been selected for inclusion in Spectrum 19. I'm happy to announce that two pieces were chosen from The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures: The Crowned Ibak and the book's wraparound cover. The full list of artists that will appear in the book can be found here. Spectrum 19: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art will be published in November.

The Crowned Ibak

The Cavern Rat

The cavern rat, with scale comparison graphic.

Cavern rats dwell within the depths of caves. With a tail that secretes a sticky mucous they affix themselves to cavern ceilings and walls where they dangle, waiting silently for unfortunate creatures to make their way past. These reclusive mammals move sluggishly most of the time, but can strike with lighting fast reflexes to snatch insects, crustaceans, and small bats that venture too close to their long, deadly arms. They can capture prey almost as large as they are, using a venomous bite that immobilizes their victims so that they can be more easily devoured.

Cavern rats are almost completely blind and rely on their ears and sensitive hairs to perceive their surroundings. Large, bony plates along their back offer protection from larger predators and camouflage them against craggy cavern walls. Cavern rats may be active at any time of day. To them, deep within the caverns, it is always night.

The cavern rat drawing demo is an online supplement to The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures which can be downloaded here after signing up for the IMPACT Books online mailing list.

First Anniversary of Fabled Earth!

I just realized last night that Wednesday marked the first anniversary of Fabled Earth! Thanks to all of you who have visited, followed, commented and otherwise supported this blog and my artwork over the past year!

Peryton

I made this drawing of a peryton (a mythical creature that had somehow flown under my radar despite my longtime interest in creatures) as part of the prize for the The Shadows that Rush Past contest I held on my blog earlier this year.

For paper-space and aesthetic reasons, the wings are relatively small. They certainly could not realistically lift a powerful creature like this, especially with his heavy antlers. I think he should get a pass, though, since he's a magical creature.

For a great exercise in imagining how a winged fantasy animal like this would need to look in order to achieve flight, check out Terryl Whitlatch's drawing of a pegasus with massive wings. The discussion that follows is also worth a read.

The Artists of Vashon Island

One of the ferries to Vashon Island.

Last month Vinod and I took a weekend trip to Vashon Island (twenty minutes from Seattle by ferry) to experience the bi-annual Vashon Island Art Studio Tours. Creative people are well represented among the island's population of 11,000. In addition to stores and galleries that carry artwork by Vashon Island artists, the island also has its own art association, movie theater and community theater.

A view of Puget Sound from Point Robinson.

Point Robinson Lighthouse

We stayed in a little cottage that sits on peaceful garden grounds at a B&B called The Artist's Studio Loft. The property is nestled between art studios, homes, and farmlands dotted with unoccupied vegetable stands that operate on the honor system.

On the afternoon we arrived we watched birds waddle after a horse, hoping to find the bugs she stirred up as she grazed in the pasture next door. In the evenings we listened to the pleasant chirping of frogs.

Our weekend cottage.

We made it to just over half of the twenty art studios on the list. We would have liked to see them all, but for us two days wasn't enough. We spent too much time chatting with the artists and admiring their work (and their beautiful homes and gardens). We were impressed by the talent and craftsmanship possessed by every artist we visited during our tour. The thought of buying a piece from each one was very tempting, but unfortunately, being artists ourselves, we couldn't afford to. 

How would you like a view like this from your yard?

Or this?

One of Gunter Reimnitz's ravens guards Gordon R. Barnett's balcony.

We visited the following artists and studios:
Empty Nest Studio
Brian Benno Blown Glass
Barnworks
Liz Lewis Pottery
Brian Fisher Studio
Penny Grist and Larry Muir
Reimnitz Studio
Mary Hosick Pottery
Pam Ingalls
Kristen Reitz-Green
GRB Bells

I encourage you to check out their websites and the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour website to learn more about these artists as well as those we did not have the opportunity to meet this time around.

One of Gordon R. Barnett's beautiful bell designs, the Crocus Bell.

Gordon R. Barnett's work space.

We were envious of many artists' beautiful work spaces. I hope to someday have a special studio to work in rather than a disorganized bedroom awkwardly retrofitted for the purpose, crammed with flat files and tabourets. We would have liked to take more pictures, but it was hard to avoid the feeling that we were intruding in the artists' intimate studio spaces.

It was one of the more relaxing and inspirational little vacations in recent memory. We have to go baaaaaack (for the winter tour)!

Edited to fix the link to Pam Ingalls's website, which was previously not working.