New Work Published: Lovecraft EZine # 29

Up now, you can read issue #29 of the the ever worthwhile Lovecraft EZine. This issue, as always, features some great Lovecraftian fiction, as well as a nonfiction article by the worldly and wise scholar Robert M. Price, all wrapped up in an incredible cover by Lee Copeland. 

For this outing, I have illustrated "The Groaner in the Glen", a piece of historical Mythos fiction by Eric Ian Steele, concerning a possible of fate of a lost Roman legion.  For this one, I tried to evoke some of the style of the Roman era mosaics I remember seeing during a visit to Germany a few years back.  This was also an opportunity to try out Corel Painter, to which I am newly arrived.  You will shortly (I hope) be seeing work from a couple more projects I have created using that program.

For now, go read "The Groaner in the Glen" and the other amusing, entertaining and edifying pieces that make up the latest issue of Lovecraft EZine.  While you're there, be aware that the magazine is now available in a print edition, guaranteed to look great in your library.

Meanwhile, here's my "portrait" of Willem H. Pugmire from issue #28, the Pugmire tribute issue.  It's a composite of an old photo of WHP from an issue of Famous Monsters and a photo of HPL himself, amongst other things.  Just a little bit of creepy, staring madness to send you on your way...

Upcoming Appearance: East Coast Comic Expo!

I've been pondering this for a while now, but I've just made it official...I will have an artist table at the East Coast Comic Expo in Moncton, NB on May 17.

From their webpage:
"East Coast Comic Expo is an all-ages, day-long convention organized by dedicated Fanboys and Fangirls to celebrate comic books and comic book culture. We'll have industry professional writers & artists joining us to celebrate, along with local vendors and many talented local creators and artisans as well."

I will have a table offering sketches for a small fee (hey, got to cover the cost of traveling, right?) as well as a sampling of AIM Comics products. 
This will be my first con as anything other than an attendee since Hal-Con a couple of years ago, so I'm really looking forward to getting out there again and  meeting some people.  Time to work on those quick sketching skills!

If you're in the area, drop by and say hello, get a sketch and chat with me about all things comics.

See you at the expo!

Old Work Published: Self Publisher Magazine #59

Doing a bit of vanity surfing, I turned up this product at DriveThru Comics: Self Publisher Magazine #59.  Apparently they reused my cover art for Sky Pirates of Valendor, Vol. 2, Issue 6.  I don't remember ever getting an email from them about this, so I'm assuming that the folks over at Jolly Rogue Studios gave them permission to use it.  I've got not problem with that, but it would have been nice to know so I could have helped promote them.
The irony of this is really that I got more credit for their reuse of the art than I did from Jolly Rogue Studios themselves, who "commissioned" the art from me.  Their listing for the issue of Sky Pirates doesn't even mention the cover artist.  
In any case, the product is free over at DriveThru, so go ahead and check it out.  It looks like an interesting magazine.

New Work Published: Believable Illusions

At the time of writing, it's the end of the first full week of January, so to all my visitors, Happy New Year!  I'm kicking this one off with a fun little project I hope you'll enjoy.

I sort of did a soft launch on this one just before Xmas, but that was mainly so I could print some copies for vanity press purposes.  Plus, I didn't want to jump all over the attention that belonged to "Bruno the Bandit A Card Game".  Now, though, it's time to introduce you to my latest book, "Believable Illusions".  This is a portfolio of some of my best work to date, including a lot of work I've published both online and off, as well as some pieces that have never seen print before. 
With separate sections for Color, Black & White, Comics, Character Design and a special section of work used for the Whitechapel forums, all of which is annotated with my commentary.  It's a book that's literally been years in the making.  The best thing is, it's still a work in progress!  I plan to update this from time to time with new work as it becomes available, at least until I consider this collection "finished".
Until I put this volume together, I didn't realize how many places I'd been published in the last few years.  From my early color work on Bruno the Bandit to the most recent illustrations for thrash metal group Brain Dead, with a lot of interesting stops in between, it's been a fantastic ride that shows no signs of stopping!

"Believable Illusions" is only available through DriveThruComics.com.  What's really great about that is that thanks to DriveThru's new print on demand service, you can get this book in a glorious, full-color hardcover as well as in digital form.  In fact, if you buy the hardcover, you get the pdf version for free!  The hardcover is a meagre 10 bucks, while the pdf version is only $1.99.

If you like my work, and would like an affordable way to help me keep doing it, this would be a great way to show your support.  Plus, I think I've put enough pretty pictures in there that even if you just want some eye candy this ought to make a good addition to your library.

Check it out, and see what goes into making "Believable Illusions".

Update 01/15/14:  Oops...just realized I hadn't made the hardcover active for sale.  Fixed now.  Buy it in droves, you will.

New Work Published: Indoctrinator by Brain Dead!

One of the things that made me want to get into the art business in the first place was the art on '80's rock albums.  Richard Corben blew my doors off with his cover for Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell", and Derek Riggs made sure they stayed blown off with his art for the various Iron Maiden albums.  Ever since, I've been fascinated by the art and design of album covers, especially for the heavier styles of music, as they seem to have more fantastic elements.
I still have, somewhere in my sketch archives, a few of the pencil reproductions I've done of some of Derek Riggs's work,, as well as variations of pieces of art I've done for local bands like Urgent, Innocence and Marshal Law.  Somewhere in there, there's also a few pages for a very early comic book called "Warriors of the Metal World" that did fantasy/horror comic adaptations of heavy metal songs.  The less said about that the better.
All that is but preamble to tell you why I'm so proud to be part of this current project.  A while back, the thrash band "Brain Dead" invited me to design a piece of art for their demo CD and T-shirts.  This led to me designing their mascot, "Billy Brains" (no Iron Maiden influence there...nope, no sir), and later to the current project, the cover for their debut album "Indoctrinator".
I've been keeping the full version of this under wraps until the band was ready to release it themselves.  Now, as of midnight last night, they've released the art along with the first track from the album, "High Value Target".  The track, indeed the entire album was funded through a Kickstarter project to bring producer Bill Metoyer on board.  If you'll take a look at Bill's website, you'll see that his credentials read like a who's who of heavy metal.  With those kind of productions values and talent like Brain Dead's at the wheel, you know that "Indoctrinator" is going to one wild ride!
You can hear "High Value Target" right now over at ReverbNation.  Crank those speakers up and rock out with some of the best new metal tearing up the net.  And while you're there, be sure to check out the eye candy on that cover.
Thanks to Adam and Rez and all the rest of Brain Dead for inviting me to be part of this project, and I hope (wink wink) we get the chance to work together again.

Update:  The full album "Indoctrinator" has now been released.  You can find it at their BandCamp page or search it on iTunes.  Go get it now!

New Work Published: Lovecraft EZine #28

Available online right now is issue # 28 of the Lovecraft EZine.  This one's a bit of special issue, in that it's a tribute to Lovecraftian author Willum H. Pugmire.  Pugmire is an author and personality who has been active in the genre since the early 70's.  From Wikipedia:

"Pugmire is a self-proclaimed eccentric recluse, "the Queen of Eldritch Horror, "^[13] as well as a self-identified "punk rock queen and street transvestite".^[9] He has worked in various theatrical capacities, sometimes appearing at parties as characters including 'Count Pugsly', a vampire.^[14] In the documentary film, The AckerMonster Chronicles!, about Forrest J Ackerman, Pugmire describes how he was influenced by Ackerman's magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland and shows the audience the issue in which his photo appears in 'Count Pugsly' makeup."

 My piece for this current issue uses that "Count Pugsly" photo as a springboard to illustrate a poem by none other than Jessica Amanda Salmonson, an author whom I've long admired, and whose work I am thrilled to have a chance to decorate with my doodlings.  

Head over to the 'zine's page to read the current issue today.  It's free to read online, and as always, will be available later in mobile and audio formats.  It's time well spent.

And in the meantime, here's my illustration from Issue #27's story "He Knew Not the Month Was October" by Zach Shepherd, possibly the only existing portrait of a kangaroo of the apocalypse.  If this one strikes your fancy, you should know it's available in various printed sizes and formats from my DeviantArt print store. Enjoy!

The Journals of Simon Pariah: Now in Audio!

As I've mentioned here a time or two, I'm a huge fan of podcasting.  There's not a day goes by that I don't indulge in several episodes from a wide variety of podcasts, from the literary to the humorous.  Previously, I've had some of my own comedic work podcast, thanks to (sadly podfaded) Air Out My Shorts.

A while back, I thought it would be interesting to hear some of my more serious work read in podcast format.  With that in mind, I did a slight rework of my comic book story, "God of the Cave" from the first issue of "The Journals of Simon Pariah", and submitted it to one of my current favorite podcasts, Marshal Latham's "Journey Into...".  This show specializes in running genre fiction stories with a pulp flavor to them, and I thought it might be the perfect home for Simon Pariah's first foray into the audio realm.
This week, I was thrilled to find that Marshal had decided to run "God of the Cave" as part of his month-long Superhero Marathon Spectacular.  While not directly superhero-related, readers or listeners to this story will see that there is an obvious influence from comics that makes it fit nicely into his theme.
Not only did Marshal have the story read, he had it read by Christopher Munroe,  a voice actor whose work I have enjoyed on another fine podcast, the Dunesteef Audio Fiction magazine.  To it, he added some fine instrumental work by Kevin MacLeod, whose work I have used myself in past projects. 
All in all, it was a masterful job that not only presented the work well, but gave it a new dimension that even I, as the author, can appreciate.
So thanks, Marshal, for choosing to run the story.  I hope it serves you well.  Thanks Christopher, for doing such a fine reading.  And thanks Kevin, for the music that added some swash to my buckles. 
Go over to "Journey Into...", won't you, and give a listen to Superhero Marathon Day 24: The God of the Cave.  Then be sure to drop a line to any of the people involved and let them know what you think. 
As Marshal Latham would say, journey on!