Blue Moon Rising

Mark Winters

Jeff — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:12:23 +0000

Those unfamiliar with fantasy and science fiction works may have the impression that these genres offer a simplistic escape from a world of complexity, but Mark Winters‘ compelling, yet conflicted characterizations tell a different tale.

What at first might seem to be simple warriors and wizards, reveal themselves to the patient viewer as somber, nuanced expressions of archetypal heroes and villains. Rendered in rich colors and deep shadows, Mr Winters reveals high fantasy and science fiction settings dominated by introspective, thoughtful souls.

These war-worn men and women engage in epic battles and dramatic confrontations seemingly as a byproduct of their fierce inner struggles. Whatever their intentions and actions, each seems convinced that their battles are just. Mark does not appear to judge their intentions, leaving that to the viewer alone.

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Eric Braddock

Jeff — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:31:45 +0000

The only true distinction between accounts of historical events and the great works of literature are that scholars believe the former are truthful, where the latter are merely stories. After witnessing the works of Eric Braddock, you may come to understand that the true history of civilization lies somewhere between fact and fable.

With characters and concepts that live both in the Middle Ages and Middle Earth, Mr. Braddock’s vibrant, moody characters are at once both powerfully epic and fallibly human. Here, warriors from many epochs marshal their courage and ply their trade with cunning and ferocity. Even his learned sorcerers seem particularly well-versed in the arts of combat, with magical spells more than a match for any man-made weapon.

Vibrant colors and lush landscapes are in clear conflict with the somber, even dire circumstances faced by these mighty figures. It’s almost as if these environments are directly influenced by the inner strength that radiates from Eric’s characters. When you visit his gallery, you’ll most certainly feel the power for yourself.

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2010 Origins and Dragon-Con Await

Jeff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:12:54 +0000

It is time once again when a young man’s or woman’s fancy turns to huge crowds of roleplayers, cosplayers and genre media groupies: Convention season is in full bloom.

Next week, Veronica and her faithful minion travel to scenic Columbus for the venerable Origins Game Fair. When not sketching and catching up on her deadlines at her booth, she’ll be holding one of her digital artistry classes for those who want to see how her illustrative magic is made.

In September, Dragon Con descends on Atlanta like fantasy pop-culture typhoon, and Ms. Jones will riding out the storm in the art show for the second year running. The art show is fairly gigantic, but we’re working on a pair of elemental banners to help guide the way to her booth.

We’ll be seeing you!

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Howard Lyon

Jeff — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:32:02 +0000

From the first roll of the die around a paper dungeon, fantasy roleplaying has transported participants to far away lands to pursue magic and adventure. In keeping with this fine tradition, Howard Lyon adeptly illustrates these fantastic feats of noble heroes and mighty foes.

With the fierce gazes of valiant warriors and the introspective faces of disciplined sorcerers, Mr. Lyon deftly captures the elusive spirit of high fantasy combat. A myriad of races and classes can be found in his portfolio, but they all share the determination and skill to complete their quests.

That a few of Howard’s most stalwart combatants stand no more than a few inches high should be no cause for concern, for even these adventuresome rodents clearly have the blood of heroes coursing through their tiny hearts.

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Just What the Doctor Ordered

Jeff — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:17:18 +0000

The UK’s most venerable science fiction superhero is returning to the States with a brand new look. The new season of Doctor Who starts tonight on BBC America, introducing a new cast of time traveling adventurers. In the premiere episode “The Eleventh Hour,” an alien prisoner takes refuge in a young girl’s home, and the freshly-regenerated Doctor is strangely drawn to both.

Matt Smith’s Doctor is as erratic and quirky as any have ever been, due to the chaotic nature of the character’s physical and mental transformation, as well as the actor’s gleeful experimentation with the iconic role. That both were dangerously energetic and occasionally deranged seems expected — perhaps even mandatory — to help establish the Doctor’s new incarnation.

When an out-of-control TARDIS lands in Amy Pond’s garden, its shapes the child’s life in unexpected ways. When the Doctor next meets a very grown up Amy — played with a slightly edgy wide-eyed innocence by Karen Gillan — she rises to the challenges that only global destruction can bring.

Doctor Who can only ever be as good as the Doctor himself, but the chemistry that forms between he and his companions is also a critical aspect of the show’s popularity. Thankfully Mr. Smith and Ms. Gillan seem more than capable to guide us thought a universe of adventures, with more than their fair share of grace and wit.

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Jeff Himmelman

Jeff — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:54:06 +0000

Fantasy has been called an escapist genre, but the escape route illuminated by Jeff Himmelman is fraught with danger at every turn. His alternate realities are not filled with idyllic scenes of pastoral beauty, but of garishly illuminated cityscapes, foreboding forests and war-torn battlefields.

Mr Himmelman’s gallery presents many clear visions of incredible unhistories and fantastic futures, each highlighting a stalwart hero at odds with an indifferent or hostile environment. With grim determination, fiery sorceresses cast incendiary spells, and grizzled warriors contend with menacing metropolises.

However dire the situation, Jeff’s protagonists seem well prepared for victory… whatever the cost.

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SheVaCon 2010 Art Report

Jeff — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:37:09 +0000

Stormtroopers and Klingons descended en masse upon Roanoke last weekend to attend the 18th annual celebration of all that is unreal in southwest Virginia, namely SheVaCon.

The show’s Artist guest of honor was Stephen Hickman, with additional guest artists Seth Bennet, Amanda L. Carruba, Kristy Gilbert, our own Veronica V. Jones, Beck Kramer, Malak, Ron Miller, Chris Range, and Daniel Trout.

Others illustrators and craftspeople in the art show included Gina Canady Adler, Sarah Clemens, Jennifer D. DePaola, Margit Elland Schmitt, and Tiffany Toland.

Our own Johnathan Darkly had been told there was no room for his “digital” artwork in the gallery, so we were surprised to see more than a few empty panels at the show. We were told scheduled artists didn’t show up, but Jon’s still not speaking to us.

Veronica’s prints were featured prominently in the art show, as well as a winged pig sculpture. She also demonstrated her digital art prowess in one early panel, and shared her freelancing experiences and portfolio tips in two others.

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David Palumbo

Jeff — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:45:09 +0000

A certain kind of fantasy aficionado is constantly on guard for the telltale signs of sudden intrusions of mischievous magic, mythological monsters, or other extradimensional mayhem. It seems that David Palumbo also waits patiently for such otherworldly occurrences with a keen eye, ready to capture every detail in his illustrations.

From dragons and detectives to punks with pistols, Mr. Palumbo has a knack for realistically depicting the decidedly unreal. Each of his subjects are given life through the expert application of detail and lighting, daring the viewer to disbelieve what is so clearly seen to be true.

Nearly all of David’s fanciful creations exemplify the warrior spirit, and wield a wide variety of lethal items. Swords are far and away the weapon of choice, but more than a few firearms can be found at the ready. Raw energy itself is at the beck and call of mighty mages. Whatever the adversary, these compelling characters certainly come well equipped.

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Six Answers from Jeff Carlisle

Jeff — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:32:10 +0000

It is ironic that we now feature Jeff Carlisle, for if you’ve ever been within a mile from a Star Wars convention in the last few years, not only must you already be quite familiar with his colorful renditions of Mr Lucas’ characters, you will have also surely talked to him in-depth about his storied career.

What was one of your earliest fantasy/sf experiences?

I would have to say it was the barrage of SF in 1977. Star Wars and Close Encounters changed my life (as it did everyone else’s) — I was only four when they came out. I distinctly remember seeing the TV commercial for Star Wars and freaking out when the Sand Person shot up. I also remember a local radio station playing the entire “Story of Star Wars” record on-air. Add into the mix Lost in Space re-runs and WUAB (out of Cleveland) showing SuperHost and Star Trek reruns with Space:1999 every Saturday evening… and it pretty much warped my mind. The Incredible Hulk was my first comic book and it tied nicely into the TV show–and I found the exact issue I used to have at half-Price Books a few years ago. Totally worth the money.

How did you become a professional artist?

Well, I decided I was going to be an artist in High School, but didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do — so I went to Art School for college. I was lucky enough to live in Columbus, where CCAD (the Columbus College of Art and Design) was — and Robert McCall, one of the great space illustrators of all time graduated from there, so i decided it would be the place for me.

At the time I thought I would become a Science Fiction Cover Illustrator (little did I know that Illustrated covers were a dying breed), and during school I thought I was going to be a monster sculptor and movie concept artist.

It was only after graduating that I realized that I couldn’t do that in Columbus, then I started thinking about illustration again. After being out of school for about three years and working as an Office Temp, I met my friends Heather Kreiter and Tony DiTerlizzi at a gaming convention, and thought it might be a good market for my work.

Tony told me to go to GenCon… which I did… and luck was on my side since they were launching the Star Wars RPG from WOTC. Since I was a Star Wars geek and liked to draw spaceships, and they needed spaceships, I started getting work, which led to Star Wars Gamer magazine and then Dungeon magazine and Dragon magazine and work with both WOTC and Paizo.

Because of all my WOTC work on Star Wars projects, I also started getting work from Lucasfilm directly…which made me more noticeable to other markets. And here we are today!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Well, having to pay a mortgage inspires you to work! But seriously, almost all the work I do is based upon art orders from Art Directors, so they have a plan and I try to follow it as best I can. I am a detail freak, so it seems to lend itself to more technical illustrations, but I can change it up when needed. As to what inspires me when i design things for my illustrations — it all comes down to research. If I have to draw a group in a Star Wars illustration, I research who is in the group, what other artistic interpretations have existed, what the clothes, weapons and such are — and then try to present it in an illustration that combines all those things without copying too much of the inspiration.

Is there a single message that you find yourself most drawn to?

Self-reliance and discovering the value in yourself is very important to me. So many people think that only other people can do great or good things — they completely lack the ability to see what is inside themselves. I am a humanist at heart, and believe that the ability to succeed exists in everyone and has only to be nurtured to develop. I don’t really believe in luck or fate or anything metaphysical — but I do believe that success is opportunity meeting talent and preparation. When those opportunities come along you have to act on them — even if failure is an option. Failure is an opportunity to learn as well.

What has been your most challenging project?

Every new thing I work on always feels like the most challenging. I do have to say that Comics are an overwhelming amount of work — anyone who can do issue after issue of comics are heroes in my eyes — and in Concept Design, it is challenging to be true to whatever world you are working in, but not just re-hash what has already been designed.

And of course, portraits are amazingly hard — because people can tell instantly if there is a problem in your proportions when you draw a human face — and you try to also find a little look that feels individual to the person you are drawing. Very hard Stuff!

What are you working on now?

Well, since October I have been working on WebComics to tie into the Star Wars Clone Wars TV show on Cartoon Network. Three other artists and myself do all the art for stories that tie into each episode of the show — and the deadlines and art are very challenging. We just finished the season and hope to return for more adventures next season.

On top of that, I have been doing a lot of spot illustrations for the Star Wars RPG and graphic/typographic design and concept design for Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG — as well as working on a number of newer projects I can’t talk about yet. One highlight was that I got to design the Production Company Logo for Knights of Good Productions, who produce the award-winning (and very funny) Webshow “The Guild”. It has been a real treat to see them end every episode with that Logo, let me tell you!

Follow Jeff’s artistic ascension at jeffcarlisle.com!

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Brenda Lyons

Jeff — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:51:46 +0000

For those intimately familiar with the complexities of the natural world, it is only a small step into the realm of mythological fantasy. Brenda Lyons takes obvious delight in imbuing exotic, wondrous creatures of the mundane world with magical abilities, and honoring their rich mythological traditions.

Gryphons and unicorns feature prominently in Ms. Lyons’ gallery, as do terrestrial birds of prey. Each of these creatures, however, seem equally enchanted in her colorful visions. Almost all of her humanoid figures are given animal aspects as well. While winged women are no stranger to fantasy, angels and fairies here are far more grounded and naturalistic that would otherwise be expected.

Expect a lush, verdant landscape and flights of feathered fantasy when visiting Brenda’s gallery, with spiritual creatures of all shapes and sizes.. and species.

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Visual Wizardry Elevates Avatar Above its Collective Clichés

Jeff — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:12:09 +0000

Heralded as the harbinger of cinema’s new age of enlightenment, James Cameron’s 3D extravaganza Avatar is a feast for the eyes and a light snack for the spirit. The script’s primary ingredients of corporate greed, military zealousness, indigenous spirituality, and flawed heroes going native are nothing new, but this thematic skeleton is given flesh and blood through the masterwork of over ten visual effect studios that have made the tall blue aliens and the fantastic flora and fauna of their world Pandora come alive.

The understated 3D effect was a subtle boost to immersion, but the meticulously detailed, flawlessly animated Na’vi and Na’vi-Human hybrids were the true saving grace of this otherwise lackluster story. The creature designs were also exceptional, but the effects studios long ago mastered the art of providing convincing critters.

Early concerns that the vivid computer-generated characters would not blend well with the “real life” cast were completely unfounded. In fact, the subtle stylistic unrealities are what saved the Na’vi from the uncanny valley, and allowed moviegoers to fully appreciate their alien beauty and intricate expressions without an overly critical eye.

Laundry list of tired tropes aside, Avatar is an engaging, entertaining experience, that may only afterwords pose a few thorny questions: Do blue half-human clones — self-aware or otherwise — have no rights in the future? Has Ripley’s great-granddaughter atoned for Sigourney Weaver’s hand in the death of Hicks and Newt?

Only time can tell, as a sequel is certainly in our future.

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Jon Foster

Jeff — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:09:09 +0000

In a world so oppressively dominated by gravity, it is so surprising that our dreams are filled with sensations of flying, floating, and falling? Jon Foster molds the raw stuff of these dreams into haunting images of disturbing clarity and dark mystery.

Within Mr. Foster’s powerful compositions, figure and environment interact in empowering, unsettling ways. Deceptively familiar settings are torn asunder by the sudden appearance of malevolent forces or seeming fluctuations in gravity itself. Valiant hero and unwitting victim alike struggle bravely in the face of such unrelenting elemental chaos.

Truly the only constant in Jon’s works seems to be change itself, and the guarantee of another thrilling glimpse into the mind of a slightly mad artistic genius.

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