Damn, it's been a while....some thanks, and a bit of an announcement.

I'm incredibly grateful for all of the offers of projects and commissions that I'm being solicited for. Thanks, you guys, so very much! I also want to thank my clientele who have been so incredibly patient with me through all of the medical problems that have plagued me over the course of the last year and a half. I promise that those long-awaited pieces are forthcoming!

I had a really great talk with my wife after the con was all said and done, about this path that I'm embarking on again. I've read the horror stories from long time industry pros that I respect, talking about the lack of medical insurance or consideration from a company that they've slaved for for years, only to be pushed to the wayside in the wake of younger, "hot" talent. Guys getting sued by multinational corporations over making a tiny bit of profit for themselves, off the characters that they themselves created. The face of the business isn't terribly pretty, and that's for the pros. God help the freelancers like me. I wanted her on board with full knowledge of what would be in store for the near future if I went this direction. Luckily enough for me, she was kind enough to give me her support.

I know how tough it is to be a professional starving artist. I've already been through one studio collapse, and burned through a nice nest egg in order to make ends meet, but also I've learned a lot from the experience. I feel like I'm ready to tackle it again, but in a smart manner, with more hard work and determination this time around. The last time around was a lot of fun, but when it really comes down to it, I don't think we were really serious about making it a success as a business. I don't regret it, and I'm not bitching, but I'm in a place where I can look at it honestly without my ego getting in the way. My partner was also a convenient crutch for me to lean on to cover my weaknesses as an artist, and it allowed me to not have to learn how to do some key things the right way. This time around, there can't be any shortcuts or crutches. Just bootstraps and a whole lot of pulling.

Right now, I know things are going slow. This last flare-up really knocked me for a loop both mentally and physically and I've never been a very quick artist to begin with (I think "plodding" is about right...). I feel, though, like I've been slowly awakening from a bad dream, and I'm in a good headspace for the first time in a long while. My mental processes are flexing, and I'm knocking the ring rust off my body bit by bit. 

If a few irons in the fire go our way in the next few months, we'll be in a position where I'll be able to leave my M-F day job and pursue this again full time, as opposed to sneaking in those moments I can spare, when my brain isn't near-dead from dealing with the Morgue. Just the thought of that makes me smile, even if it's just a tiny bit at the corners. =)

My first new anything in a looong while. Took me a few days on and off, as I was feeling up to it. Wearing the wrist brace all the time seems to have helped a bit with the carpal tunnel and the new med is doing nicely to filter out a lot of the white noise in my nervous system. Still not fixed yet though, but working on it. =)

Didn't want to bugger up a paid piece in my long suffering to-do list, so this is up for grabs. Drop me a message if you're interested in this piece adorning a wall near you! Papa's been out of commission for a while and needs to start a Cintiq fund. ;)

"Recovery time makes Batman angry! Then again, so does pretty much everything else..."

There's some rough pencils and ballpoint under there, finished with Copic multiliner & sketch markers. Highlights with gel pen. 9"x12"

Special thank you gift for my 2000th visitor..

I checked out the ol' blog today, and saw that I was at a whopping 1750 pageviews! If you happen to be my 2000th visitor and send me a screenshot as proof, I'll take your request for a quick thank you sketch in your honor! Thanks a million for coming back to take a look at my stuff. As always, it's much appreciated. =D

Sketch o' the Day - Sinestro Corps Iron Man!

I really like mashups. I'm not even really sure what it was that brought me in this direction, but I thought it was pretty cool. Sometimes with these sketches, I just sit down and let the drawing take me where it wants to go.

For my friend, Brian

A buddy of my is leaving for Istanbul in under a month, for an extended period of time, and he asked me if I'd do a Quicksilver sketch for him. The first thing that pops into my mind when it come to Quicksilver is "haughty, contemptuous asshole", and I think I was able to get that across, which is ALWAYS a bonus. Here's to hoping that he digs it! =)

What is it with Magneto's children and a pathological lack of a sense of humor?

Bad movie night inspires the best stuff. LOL

Bad movie night at the Friendhole. Zardoz. What more needs to be said?? (except that for some perverse reason, I really like drawing Sean Connery in a man-thong LOL!) It's a WIP at the moment and yes, the gun is buggered. I'll fix it once I get a chance to sit down with some reference, and I'll post the finish here, as usual. =)

Sketch o' the Day - End of week wrapup 4/17/12

Knocked out a few more this week, usually on impromptu requests, or based on something that inspired me at the time. Enjoy! =)

Barry Allen Flash

Doc Manhattan in mid-teleport

Red Lantern Hal Jordan