What I'm Baking

I like to bake. It's probably my favorite hobby that is not art related. (Some people say baking is like an art form, so I say this is still relevant to my blog!) And with what other hobby can you eat the tasty results?!

Since moving to Seattle, I've participated in several vegan bake sales that help raise money for a local animal rescue, Pigs Peace Sanctuary. For this weekend's sale I made pumpkin chip muffins, brownies, and I tried out a new recipe for chocolate pumpkin bread.

Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies (from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

Ingredients:
3 ounces firm silken tofu (1/4 package of Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup almond milk (any non-dairy milk can be used)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 handful of walnuts, chopped

*I like to use a mixture of "regular" and dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa has a deep, rich chocolate flavor, so if you like dark chocolate things, I recommend trying it out. You can even use all dutch-processed cocoa if you want to.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch brownie pan with parchment paper, making sure it covers the bottom and the sides.

2. Puree the tofu, almond milk, and canola oil in a blender or food processor until smooth and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure you get everything.

3. Transfer tofu mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and use a fork to vigorously mix them together until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix.

4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Use the rubber spatula to fold and mix the batter until smooth. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the top. You may need to spread it a little towards the edges of the pan, but it will spread when baking if you don't get it into all the corners perfectly, so don't worry. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes. (The original recipe called for 30 to 32, but I like gooey brownies so I bake them a little less. I'd rather have gooey brownies than cake-like brownies.) Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

For Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf photos and recipe click here.

Wizards and Warriors Invade the Indiana Convention Center!

Anyone living in a town with a convention center that hosts a decent-sized comic book, anime, or gaming convention has probably seen the excited yet slightly bemused coverage on the local evening news of all the ghosts, goblins, and "weirdos" dressed up to attend the con. I saw one of these reports repeated on both the evening and nightly news while at our hotel during Gen Con. (They were very interested in talking about all of the money we nerds were bringing into the city.) I always get a kick out of the stuff they focus on and their taglines about the costumed heroes! and warlocks!!

Anyway, I have been meaning to share more of the costume photos we took at Gen Con Indy 2011. In honor of Halloween, here they are!

Drow costume. Great armor!

Wayne Reynolds poses with a fan (center) dressed as a Pathfinder character he designed.

"You wanna get outta hea'? Talk to me."

Steampunky!

Cool costume and awesome steampunk'd wheelchair!

This was one of my favorite costumes of the convention. So beautifully done!

More steampunky goodness.

Abraham Supertallincoln

Happy Halloween!

Don't Make Her Angry

One of the fun parts of meeting people at conventions like Gen Con is doing personal commissions. I usually only take a small number and sometimes have to finish the art at home. Frequently, due to the nature of Gen Con (it's a gaming convention heavily focused on role playing games), artists are asked to draw pictures of people's characters. Receiving a description from an art enthusiast is much like receiving a description from an art director. The artist has to conjure up an image of the character that will satisfy both the artist's creative impulse and the customer's hopes of getting a cool drawing that captures the essence of their character.

For much of my published work, I'm frequently asked to do more wispy creatures and characters like faeries, and animals and dragons (all of which I love to do, don't get me wrong) so it was a refreshing break to do a tough half-orc warrior woman with big muscles. I usually try to draw interesting looking armor that appears practical and, of course, sticks to the description–gotta please the client! I like to avoid stuff like chain mail bikinis as much as humanly possible.

Interview at Fantasy Literature

I recently had the opportunity to chat with the fantasy and science fiction book review website, Fantasy Literature, about The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures, and a little bit about my approach to art in general.

Check out the interview here.

If you leave a comment on the Fantasy Literature article, you will be entered in a contest for a chance to win a copy of the book!

Another sketch of a creature from the book.

Explorer's Guide Previews

Parka Blogs was kind enough to give The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures a mention on Monday. If you haven't visited Parka Blogs before and you like art and art books, go there now! The blog features detailed reviews and helpful information about art books ranging from fine art, to illustration, to concept art.
In addition to the preview pages offered on Parka Blogs, click on the image to the left or visit my website's splash page for an in-depth sampling of the interior pages of The Explorer's Guide. It rotates, I say!

Maurice Sendak Interview

Terry Gross interviewed award-winning children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak on Fresh Air. The interview is incredibly moving and well worth listening to.
  
This Pig Wants To Party: Maurice Sendak's Latest
It really is touching; you might need to have some tissues nearby.

Crowned Ibak Sketch

I apologize for the long hiatus from posting.

I drew the above sketch in a copy of The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures for my friend Chuck Lukacs. Chuck is a fellow sci-fi and fantasy illustrator and IMPACT Books author. He collaborated with artists Jim Pavelec, Chris Seaman and Thomas Manning on the fantasy warrior how-to book Wreaking Havoc, and his latest book is Fantasy Genesis: A Creativity Game for Fantasy Artists.

Gen Con Wrap Up (Part One)

Okay, I'm finally sitting down to post my wrap up for Gen Con! So much happened, I'm not sure I know where to start.

Vinod drawing at our booth.

It always takes a few days for me to recover from the hustle and bustle and late nights of a convention, if you could call sitting down talking to people hustling and bustling. By the end of the fourth day, when it's time to dismantle the show and the panels surrounding us that once held art seem to suddenly disappear into thin air as we're packing up all our stuff, exhaustion has set in. If only I had pictures of how quickly the convention center is transformed from "Gen Con" into empty tables, rolled up carpets, and piles of cardboard boxes.


Gen Con Day Two
Friday was off to a good start when, early on in the day, I sold an original painting from the D&D book Savage Species, which was one of the first projects I worked on as a freelance artist. If I'd had a blog six years ago when I did my first convention, Wizard World Chicago, and sold my very first print, I would have talked about how astonishing it was to me that someone liked my work enough that they wanted to buy an image of it to keep and maybe even display in their home. Selling an original piece of art still gives me that feeling, maybe times 10. I can't say enough how much it means to an artist to have people respond positively to your work.

Another panel of my work on display at the art show.

Later on in the day, I had the pleasure of meeting Susan J. Morris, author of A Practical Guide to Faeries, A Practical Guide to Wizardry, A Practical Guide to Dragon Magic, and The Faerie Locket. It's rare to have the opportunity to personally meet the authors of the books I illustrate, so I was very happy to talk with her and hear that she liked the work I had done for her books.

Meeting Christina at Gen Con.

On Friday afternoon I also met my editor for The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures, Christina Richards! I was very grateful for her patience and guidance throughout the process of creating my book and it was a real treat to finally meet her in person. I'm incredibly pleased to say that by the end of the convention, The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures turned out to be a favorite at my table.


The day wrapped up with the annual Gen Con Art Show artists' reception, where something completely unexpected happened: I was honored with the 1st Place prize for original art for the work I had done for my book! Vinod was honored to receive the Juror's Choice Award. Best in Show went to Scott Murphy. Congrats to everyone who won awards, and many thanks to Art Show Guest of Honor Jeff Miracola and fellow judges Chris Rahn, Wayne Reynolds, and Barbara Fisher, our fabulous art show coordinator. 

I forgot to take a picture of our table with the ribbons, so I swiped this one from the awesome Betty Edwards. Thanks!!

Gen Con Day Three

Day three of Gen Con was on Saturday, and like most convention Saturdays it was super busy! While I had sold a few copies of The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures here and there on Thursday and Friday, Saturday was the day that the book's popularity seemed to explode! By the end of the day I had sold every book but the display copy, and while I was incredibly excited about the book's warm reception, I was kicking myself for not bringing more with me. Hopefully anyone who missed out on a copy will pick one up at the store or online. *hint, hint* ;)

Some budding art enthusiasts peruse our work.

Vinod made a big sale of an original to an art collector and fan who had bought our sketchbooks in the past.

I wish we had found the time to walk the exhibit hall and take more pictures of the many displays as well as more of the other artists' booths. We usually try to make it to the show before it opens (one of the perks of carrying an exhibitor's badge) and walk the aisles before the crowds pour in, but this year we couldn't seem to get ourselves there early enough.

Our neighbor, Dan Scott, feverishly signs Magic Cards for fans.

Ralph Horsley and his piles of original art.

Fellow IMPACT artist and author Chris Seaman at what might be the nicest booth in the show!

I'm realizing this post has become a little cumbersome, so I'll finish the Gen Con 2011 wrap up with an additional post soon. To be continued...

Gen Con Indy 2011

Just trollin'.

We had a super awesome time at Gen Con this year! We were so busy I wasn't able to write the daily updates I had planned. As soon as we get home, I'll post my full report!

Gen Con Day One

Our booth at Gen Con

Vinod and I arrived safely at Gen Con on Wednesday evening, after a Tuesday of frantic last minute preparations, no sleep, and a only a couple of Mighty O donuts and an apple to sustain us. Almost immediately upon arriving, we got to work setting up our booth and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. There was a lot to carry and unpack, and fortunately our artwork and goods made it in decent condition.

This year, the art show was moved into the center of the newly expanded convention hall with the rest of the exhibitors. We were given a very nice spot on an aisle corner. We had a fun-filled Thursday chatting with fans and checking out the amazing work of the many talented artists at the show.  And, as always, there were some great costumes!

Nothing? Nothing? Tra la la!

Some excellently dressed friends that have been great supporters of my art over the years. Thank you!

I promise to post more news (and cool costumes!) from day two soon. I've stayed up far too late working on commissions whilst watching Kindergarten Cop and Aliens on the hotel TV.