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Six Answers from Veronica V. Jones

Jeff — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:38:44 +0000

It’s the end of her convention season and Veronica V. Jones must be feeling introspective. After a decade of fantasy illustrations for the role playing and card game industry, she’s recently been expanding into the children’s illustration market.

What was one of your earliest fantasy experiences?

“When I was a girl, I read comics a LOT. My dad and I bonded over comics. He would pick them up for me and bring them home so I could read them. He’d also help me scrape together spare change so i could make the trip to the local 7-Eleven to buy my own comics. Anyway, I was obsessed with the idea of superheroes.

“I remember one day when I was about 10 or 11, I was walking home from a neighbor’s house after school. It was a crisp fall day that is a treasure to experience, and I remember vividly watching the wind whip the golden trees back and forth. I started to fantasize that I was able to direct the wind and I felt keenly that any second, a strong gust would come along and send me soaring.”

How did you become a professional artist?

“It’s a long story full of sighs….I’ve always been big into drawing ever since I was small, doodling characters and unicorns. However, I had it stuck in my head that it’s not something you can do as a profession to make money. So when the time came to go to college, even though art was my favorite class, I made the completely practical decision to go with a completely practical major. I actually enjoyed it very much, but I was missing art. I would go to scifi and fantasy conventions and do drawings for people, and actually get into high demand.

“When I graduated, I kept trying to bring art into my work – doing design of web sites and brochures. Finally I met a medical illustrator and had my eureka moment – people can be professional artists! I immediately started trying to get into this challenging field, taking classes in figure drawing, watercolor, colored pencil and acrylic painting to beef up my portfolio. As i was doing all of these classes however, I came to another realization. I didn’t want to limit myself to just medical illustration but wanted to explore as much as i could. It wasn’t long after this that I was able to find work as an in-house graphic artist and art director at a company that made sticker photo booths. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

“I try to find inspiration in the everyday. I try hard to keep my eyes open to the beautiful things that are right in my neighborhood – the people, places and things I see regularly. I see inspiration in the work of others, including the design work that shows up in ads, magazines and posters. I also take inspiration from nature. There is so much weird and wonderful out there!”

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

“Get to the story behind a picture. I try to imagine what may be going on behind the moment I’m trying to capture and I think that gives my pieces a bit of depth. Use expressive faces to help tell that story and ground it with detail.”

What has been your most challenging project?

“Years ago I was commissioned to create a piece for a company who had the license to create a game based on the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R. R. Martin. The company was going all out creating a deluxe version of the game book and was commissioning artists to create 2 page spreads based on scenes from the books. I’m a fan of the books and loved this opportunity. I also was quite a bit intimidated that I could do justice to a subject I loved so well. I had never before attempted such a massive project, not only in size but scope, as the scene I was given was very dense with 3 separate actions taking place.

“I spent days doing research, rereading section by section to get the characterization right and getting references to work from. I spent weeks on the painting, sometimes scrapping and repainting areas completely that I wasn’t happy with. Although I wasn’t thrilled with my work, I was able to get it in on time and eagerly looked forward to getting paid for my work. However, as happens too often in the hobby game industry, the client had bitten off more than it could chew and closed it’s doors before it could pay the artists it had contracted. I did get copies of the books though. :/”

What are you working on now?

“Right now I’m working on a piece for LFNE: Campfire Tales which is dark and spooky. I’m waiting on some CCG work for Legend of the Five Rings to come in and I have some private commissions I’m working on. While I continue to create work for role playing games and collectible card games, my main focus has shifted to the juvenile book market. I’m working on portfolio pieces and stories.”

Follow Veronica’s latest goings on via Twitter.

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Jeffrey Catherine Jones Remembered

Jeff — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:37:18 +0000

If ever there was a modern artist who broke more artistic barriers and transcended more artistic mediums than Jeffrey Catherine Jones, then they most certainly did so in secrecy. From comic strips and pulp covers to expressionistic paintings and somber watercolors, Ms. Jones explored the farthest reaches and wildest expressions of fantasy art.

With a body of work first established in the late sixties, Jeffrey is certainly responsible for influencing and defining many generations of artists. Rick Berry best captured this when he said “… I feel like Jeffrey suffered much of the hard work of making those choices for me and a generation of artists—without our having to pay the tuition.”

Fellow-master Frank Frazetta’s proclamation that Ms. Jones is “the greatest living painter” is no longer true, but thankfully her exceptional vision lives on in her phenomenal illustrations and the innumerable artists influenced by her insight.

Visit MaCab Films for news of their upcoming Jeffrey Catherine Jones documentary.

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Deception, Vengeance and Subterfuge

Jeff — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:48:38 +0000

Idealists paint the world in black and while, while pragmatists see only a thousand shades of gray. Subterfuge — the newly-completed future noir masterwork from Chris Pritchard — is a tale told in dark, wet strokes of lethal gunplay, political intrigue, and self-recrimination.

Homicide Detective Dean Sullivan is called to a crime scene late one night, only to discover they mayor’s daughter brutally slain by a terrorist organization known as the Sons of Liberty. Detective Sullivan begins working the case, but his best suspect turns up dead as well. The situation only gets worse when he and his partner are abducted by the suspect’s killers.

Mr. Pritchard’s hardboiled science fiction fable is set in a world very familiar to us. The differences, however, are profound, and are revealed to the reader gradually over the course of Sullivan’s riveting, determined pursuit of the truth behind the killings. His most heroic trait may be the desire to uncover the lies surrounding his case, whatever the cost.

It’s been said “the truth will set you free,” but whoever said that obviously didn’t know the whole story.

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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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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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Six Answers from Heather V. Kreiter

Jeff — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:38:02 +0000

Many of our friends are veterans of countless fantasy gaming and media conventions, and few have traveled farther or setup their table more often than Heather Kreiter. We wanted to know from whence her beautiful, twisted imagery comes.

What was one of your earliest fantasy experiences?

“I guess I have several actually. When I was 11 I was OBSESSED with Unicorns. If it had a unicorn on it, I had to have it. Yes, many young girls liked Unicorns at one point in time, but mine evolved from Unicorns to dragons when I was 14. Also at that same time a friend of mine gave me The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenburg to read. That book paved the way for The Dragonlance series and my love of Larry Elmore, Keith Parkinson, Fred Fields and Clyde Caldwell.”

How did you become a professional artist?

“Cuz I draw good. No, just kidding. It was kind of by sheer luck. I attended my very first Origins in Columbus, OH in June 2000. I had a table in the very small art show. One of the days I decided to take a break from my table and do some shameless self promotion in the dealers room. I brought my portfolio, business cards and pamphlets with me. I hit up every single booth that I could, just trying to get someone Art director-ish to talk to me. I finally happened upon the AEG booth. Their art director at the time, Jim Pinto, sat down with me and actually took the time to give me a real portfolio review….and it was harsh. During my review, one of the other AEG booth monkeys came over and told Jim, You’re not supposed to be doing portfolio reviews until Gen Con! He replied to her, I was told I could have a half hour of my time to do what I wanted, and I’m looking at her portfolio!! Luckily for me, he must have seen some sort of potential as he gave me my very first assignment a month later.”

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

“Inspiration is something that I’ve never run low on. At any given time I have at least two dozen ideas for projects floating around in my head. I draw inspiration from my Pagan/ Native American spirituality, from my crazy children, from dreams. I may see a face, pose or landscape in a magazine and have a whole idea spring from just that one visual.”

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

“Create what makes you happy, and everything else will fall into place. It took me a long time to realize that. I used to take on any project that would come my way, despite if I liked it or not. One day I made a conscious decision to ONLY work on projects that I wanted to, that I enjoyed. As soon as I made that decision, I began to get work that I really enjoyed working on.”

What has been your most challenging project?

“That’s an easy one. 5 years ago I was given my very first book cover by an independent author. It seemed like a fun project, but the author actually called me all the time bitching about the other artists that he was working with (there were 6 books that he needed covers for). After working on the project for about 4 weeks, I finally received my contract. Several days after receiving my contract, I finished the painting and emailed a copy to him to review. When he called me about it, he was less than enthusiastic about it. There was a section of “cells” in the painting that were supposed to be glowing. He never told me this, but apparently put it in the contract, which as I said, I received a month after starting the painting. I ended up repainting all of the cells. This took me an additional 1 hour/cell and there were at least two dozen that I had to repaint. In my opinion, this made the painting look worse/much less dramatic. When I sent him the revised painting, I never heard from him for three weeks! When I finally did get a hold of him, he told me that his lawyers had told him not to talk to me. What the…?? I ended up getting a puny kill fee and to this day have absolutely no idea why my project was canceled.”

What are you working on now?

“Right now I’m working on 4 cards for the L5R expansion that is coming out in Dec., several private commissions that include tattoos, My Little Pony/Demon personas, and a line of Zodiac Angels.”

Keep up with Heather’s projects at Shaman Soul Studios.

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Highlights from San Diego Comic Con 2009

Jeff — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:28:35 +0000

While no fan of mega media conventions, I still feel the small sharp sting of jealousy for those willing and able to brush elbows with hordes of costumed fanboys and self-published fanfic authors for the chance to glean the latest genre media gems.

Even though Comic Con’s track record for predicting mainstream success is questionable at best, there were more than a few projects that deserve to succeed:

Tron Legacy – If home is the greatest science fiction film of my childhood, It sure looks like you can go back again. in 3D.

James Cameron’s double feature of genre goodness Avatar and Battle Angel Alita might be a bit father off, but he’ll work his box office mojo on these high-concept spectacles. These films will also be produced in 3D.

Flash Forward – a simplified, televised version of Robert J. Sawyer’s compelling tale of a global premonition and resulting chaos will hopefully only be made close enough to Lost to guarantee a nice long run on ABC.

There were plenty of other properties that vied for our attentions, but the ones I’ve listed above are the projects that I’ll be watching with great anticipation. Have I missed anything important?

Just to be clear, I haven’t forgotten about District 9 or the wickedly cuddly 9, but I was well-informed of both of those awesome films well before last weekend.

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Origins 2009 Art Show Report

Jeff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:54:15 +0000

Once again, in a dark alcove of Columbus, Ohio, a secretive cabal of judges have cast their bones and divined the highlights of this year’s Origins Art Show:

“Sweeny Jack” by David Wong – Best Monochrome
“Stayin’ for Dinner Yet?” by Mike Bocianowski – Best Color
“Dragon Skull” by Brent Barrett – Best 3D/Mixed Media
“Dr. Who” by Jeff Carlisle – Best SciFi *
“Martini Fairy” by Alain Viesca – Best Fantasy
“Lady Britannia” by Jason Banditt Adams – Best Historical *
“Pie Cuthulu” by Echo Chernik – Best Contemporary *
“Ardent” by Chris Pritchard – Best Game

A wide variety of creative skills rounded out the gallery, including the works of: Andrew Bawidamann, Ed Beard Jr., Amanda Becher, Lydia Burris, Gina Canady-Adler, Heather Cornelius, Chris Curran, johnathan darkly, Ren Hastings, Andy Hopp, Veronica Jones, Robert A. Kraus, Heather Kreiter, Amul Kumar, Theresa Mather, Joshua David, Brian Miskelly, Steve Prescott, Nigel Sade, Tony Steele, Charles Urbach, Donna Waltz, Brent Woodside, and Cornelia Yoder.

A larger venue with plenty of ambiance and the able management of Thesser and Giggles helped make this year a show to remember!

* featured image

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BLITEOTW 2009: They Just Keep Coming

Jeff — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:24:37 +0000

Tomorrow heralds the return of a peculiar annual tradition that just won’t die: Blog Like its the End of the World 2009. Over two years ago, Steve Wilson started promoting an unusual idea of his that involved a global zombie pandemic that swept the globe on June 13th, midnight local time, to be acted out exclusively on blogs all over the world. It was wildly popular, and rightly so, but why do the zombies keep coming?

After two years of fighting zombies here in and around our nation’s capitol, I’ve taken steps to avoid the zombie jamboree that’s set to begin in a few hours time. These steps are magical in nature and arise from my complete and utter boredom of what will certainly be a “zombie threepeat”, as opposed to a glorious alien invasion, demonic uprising, robot rampage, or some other non-ambulatory-deceased catastrophe.

Zombies are so 2007.

Update: the closest thing to a compendium seems to be the BLITEOTW community at LiveJounal.

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Six Answers from Jeremy McHugh

Jeff — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:40:17 +0000

You would be hard pressed to find an artist with more irons in the fire than Jeremy McHugh. He’s a full-time RPG illustrator, podcast co-host, and tireless participant in sketch groups and art competitions. Sleep for Mr. McHugh seems a mathematical impossibility!

What was one of your earliest fantasy experiences?

Hmm…does the time I was sucked up into a space ship count? Actually, I can remember being two years old in the back of the family station wagon at the drive-in theater. A huge gray slice of pizza was crossing the screen…and that was my first impression of Star Wars in the opening moments of the film.

How did you become a professional artist?

It was something I chose to work towards when I realized that there are people who make a living drawing silly pictures! I put together a small portfolio and began contacting people. I suppose my first published work (that I was paid for) came from Ron Edwards over at Adept Press on his Sorcerer RPG. In my mind that would mark the true beginning of my career as a professional artist.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I think I find it where most working pros do (based on those I’ve spoken to). Books, film, other artists, music, being outside. Basically anything that gets my imagination going. A pretty standard answer I guess.

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

I like the theme of the ordinary person facing and overcoming extraordinary circumstances often by blessedly good luck and an adherence to principles and common sense. My favorite heroes fall into this theme snugly.

What has been your most challenging project?

Hmmm…I suppose it was one time when I was contracted to do a large batch of card illustrations and learned half-way through it (quite by accident), that I would not be hired for the next set because the owner of the intellectual property did not like my work for some reason.

I really had to dig deep to be a professional. In addition, the feedback from the intellectual property’s owner was often insulting and contradictory to the reference I was provided. Still, professionalism won out and I finished my assignments with the quality I was known for at the time. Hard to type when I am patting myself on the back… LOL.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I am working on a book cover for an RPG publisher. I am quite proud of the work so far. I feel it is among the best I’ve done to date so I am pretty excited to eventually see it in print. I’m also working on a small 4-page comic story which has been good fun so far.

Follow the frenetic pace of Jeremy’s career on his blog: McHugh’s Basement.

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Climb Ninja Mountain to Attain Artists’ Enlightenment

Veronica — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:34:23 +0000

Podcasts are great in that they are so specific. Do you like Brand X comics made from 1977 to the spring of 1981? Then you may be able to find a few like minded individuals to broadcast your devotion to the world via the magic of podcasting.

While the new show from Ninja Mountain isn’t quite that geeky, it does speak to a specific subset of illustrators – those who through misfortune and a love for the hobby paper gaming industry, have chosen to work in the specific field of fantasy and science fiction illustration for role playing and card games.

Having done quite a bit of work in this area myself, I found myself intensely listening to the show — giggling in agreement at times and of course jealous as all hell of the assembled talent on the show. The current cast includes Jon Hodgson, Patrick McEvoy, my friend Jeremy McHugh, and occasional guest artists. The hour long show is like listening in to a conversation between friends at an industry convention — the topics are wide ranging and scattershot but there are nuggets of gold for the aspiring freelancer.

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Six Answers from Doug Kovacs

Jeff — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:24:28 +0000

It’s only fitting that Doug Kovacs kick off our new interview format. Our multifaceted, deeply-considered conversations were the inspiration for this feature. His six answers here are, as thought-provoking as ever.

What was one of your earliest fantasy experiences?

“My mother read “The Chronicles of Narnia” to me when I was young, and …..there was the Bible. I could say quite a bit more about the distinction between fantasy and reality (or truth and falsehood for that matter) here, but I think the first sentence pretty much lays out where I stand on the matter.”

How did you become a professional artist?

“Professional? Artist? I guess, that is when a person does nothing else but art for money. Let’s take it apart.

“Artist. I’ve called myself an artist since I was a teenager so that made me one. Additionally, I’ve never got a very good argument out of anyone that I’m not an artist. If you don’t buy any of that, I also happen to spend the majority of my time producing art each day. How did that happen? Nobody managed to stop me.

“Professional. As opposed to a laborer? Maybe its just because I was born middle class, kept my hands and eyes intact through my childhood and have developed the ability to write notes to myself, show up at conventions and respond to email.”

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

“Ah. This question. I’m not entirely sure. Inspiration seems like a necessary component to the daily work of an artist. I’ve got all kinds of art books and music to get me going in the right direction, plus I’m literate. It’s hard to say if the individual little tricks I use to rally my morale are actually inspiration in the true sense. I could say “coffee” too. Overall though, I think I have generally never been comfortable going any period of time without doing something creative, so in that sense, I’m not sure what it’s really like not to be inspired.”

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

“No. There are a few, but I’m not sure about the hierarchy. Culture coexisting with nature is one for sure. Then there is the “ideal versus the real”. Mythology is ever present. I’m working on a third piece in a “red door” series,and they seem be about unknown roads, or possibly paths less taken.

“If we talk purely about my illustration work, the themes tend to come from those that commission the work, and frequently contain little desire for subtext in the art in and of itself. Rather, the art is seen more as a necessary appendage of a larger work. For instance, with a game illustration the theme or idea is often “the game”, and less a focus on the artists ideas as an individual. The message in a picture of a dwarf can really just be: this is what a dwarf looks like.

“Ideally there is room for both an aesthetic image and an idea in art beyond the most obvious. Unfortunately ideals are generally a place where you aim, and rarely the actual target hit. The pursuit of money often is driven by the fear of ideas. When it’s business versus art, somebody with a little power is going to have to champion the art …at least in the world in which I have lived. There are far too many unreflective sycophants, and gawking numbskulls flocking to oppose such champions, that good art prevails less often than I would like. Good art to me usually involves both craft and concept.”

What has been your most challenging project?

“Finding a place to exist in a culture that doesn’t necessarily seem to share my values. So far, I guess I’m doing okay with it, but I expect it will be a chore until die. It is like swimming through waters sometimes more, sometimes less viscous. Sometimes it’s downstream, and sometimes there is a ball and chain with manacles involved.”

What are you working on now?

“I’ve been working on many things at once for a while now. I’m always trying for a balance between accommodating deadlines for clients and producing creations that are an end in themselves. That is,images that would never be made unless I choose to make them. With a quick glance behind myself at the selves which hold works in progress, I can see: a couple of incomplete landscapes started during camping trips from my time in California, a ‘faerie’ piece involving a nest and a weird bird, the third in my red door series, a pin-up style erotic clown, and Green Man plate #16.

“As I write this I’m just taking a break from working on my 6th full set of interiors for Goodman Games, 4th edition Dungeon Crawl Classics. A couple of other things I’m developing are a type of card game, and a comic book, which I’ve been writing and Illustrating for a couple of years now. The later two are couple of many long term projects. Several crossover greenman / faerie vegetable women images are also in the works.”

Learn more about Doug’s inspirations and his process from his blog.

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Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Concludes Tomorrow

Jeff — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:47:08 +0000

Will Dr. Horrible do whatever it takes to join the Evil League of Evil? Will Penny succumb to the charms of handsome, but intensely cheesy Captain Hammer? Hopefully we’ll all know tomorrow, when the third and final act of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is unveiled.

If you’re not familiar with Joss Whedon’s latest exploration of musical fantasy, run — don’t walk — to this web-only event and catch acts one and two. Neil Patrick Harris plays the introverted but committedly evil scientist Dr. Horrible, and Nathan Fillion hams it up as the superheroic and superficial Captain Hammer. Felicia Day innocently shines as Penny, a homeless advocate for whom the Doctor pines, and who is “saved” and wooed by the Captain.

After this weekend, this comicbook musical will no longer be offered for free on the site, but never fear… it’s destined for DVD in the near future. So don’t forget to support this quirky endeavor when you can, but run go watch it now!

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Blog Like it’s the End of the World 2008

Jeff — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:14:11 +0000

After last year’s catastrophic events, bloggers of the world are keeping especially vigilant for any unusual signs of impending doom in the weeks leading up June 13th. It should come as a surprise to no one that this also happens to fall on what promises to be a very unlucky Friday.

Steve Wilson of My Elves are Different fame has set up a geographical registry to keep track of volunteer lookouts, should the improbable events of last year somehow recur. If you’re interested in telling the world what — if anything — happens on Friday, June 13th, put your pin in the BLITEOTW ’08 Frapper Map.

But honestly, what are the odds of apocalyptic lightning striking twice?

12 June 2008 - Blog Like It's the End of the World - Again!

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Origins 2007 Art Show Report

Jeff — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:44:22 +0000

The 2007 edition of the Origins Art Show was an explosion of fantasy and science fiction artistry, and everyone who missed it will have a slightly less fantastic life as a result. In an attempt to minimize — or even reverse — their slide into mundanity, here are some of the awards presented to the most compelling works:

“Bride of Davey Jones” by Robert Scott – Best Fantasy *
“Piper” by Andy Hopp – Best Fiction
“WWII Marine Girl” by Andrew Bawidamann – Best Color *
“Bloody Mary” by Heather Kreiter – Best Monochrome *
“Buccaneers & Pirates” by Jeff Menges – Best Historical
“Barrow of the Forgotten” by Steve Prescott – Best Game Related
“Come Hell or High Water” by Ren Hasting – Best 3D / Mixed Media
“Geisha Blossoms” by Heather Kreiter – Best Contemporary, two years running!

Others who lent their considerable talents to the event include: Ed Beard Jr., Jeff Carlisle, Jason Cole, Dan Cortopasti, johnathan darkly, Larry Elmore, Jason Engle, Minerva Inciong, Veronica V. Jones, Joe Kovach, Doug Kovacs, Robert Kraus, Tim Lantz, Theresa Mather, Jeremy McHugh, Brian Miskelly, Jeff Prescott, Chris Pritchard, Nigel Sade, Kay & Tony Steele, Charles Urbach, Daio Waltz, David K. Wong, and Cornelia Yoder.

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‘Zombie’ Pandemic Hits Washington DC

Jeff — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:35:54 +0000

While I work in our nation’s capital, I live in an extreme suburb over 30 miles away. This usually means a crowded commute of over one hour each way, but this morning started out a little light.

I dismissed this as good luck and VRE’d into the city. The big train, however, doesn’t take me quite where I need to be, so Metro is the last leg of my morning voyage. This is where things went askew.

There were far more police than normal, even for this paranoid city, and everyone seemed a little on edge. I only had to ride a few stops, but there were several people that seemed a bit more creepy than normal. I’d blame it on the flashmobbers, but they rarely wear suits… or are still acting up at 50-plus.

There’s nothing on the news sites but rail delay notices, but I’m only a few blocks from the White House, so I’m sure they’ll let us know if anything unusual or dangerous happens.

10:30 am

There’s still nothing about the walking wounded on the Metro this morning, so I suppose whatever was isn’t contagious. I don’t believe for a moment than the dead have risen.

It’s impossible to deny that something is happening, but it’s much more likely to be a weaponized virus or other kind of black bag hanky-panky than a b-movie monsterfest.

11:45 am

Local news is reporting police cording off Arlington Cemetery, while long motorcades have closed all the southbound bridges. They’re also beginning to confirm some of the riots and mayhem reported elsewhere. The paranoid voice in my head says all the fatcats are heading to their bunkers, but I haven’t heard any news to that effect… yet.

12:25 pm

Whatever they are, the carriers are causing trouble nearly everywhere now, including here in the states. The National Guard have set up shop on both corners I can see, and the normal lunchtime traffic has been replaced by streets filled with abandoned cars. There are still a few cars and delivery trucks moving outside, but it’s quiet enough to hear automatic fire in the distance.

I know a few folks up the road at Homeland, but they’re not answering the phones or IMs. Metro is certainly going to be useless now, but the big trains might still be running. Google maps says its about a mile to the station, but I’m staying put for the moment.

1:15 pm

The Guard put up a good fight, but the few stragglers that weren’t eaten beat a hasty retreat. Whatever the carriers are, they don’t seem to have much humanity left within them. The creatures are still shuffling around outside, and don’t seem to be interested in the buildings. The general wisdom seems to be simple: stay inside.

Other than a few vending machines, there’s not much food in the building. I’m going to have to leave before it gets dark. I hope DC fares better than London.

2:20 pm

It’s raining, but not enough to wash away the horrible stench from outside, even from the closed lobby doors downstairs. We can see smoke in every direction, but the sirens have stopped. The freaks outside have thinned bit, and there are a few of us here who are willing to slug south to find our families. I doubt anyone living is still holding the bridges, so the trick will be to find a vehicle and a clear path to the Potomac.

It’ll be rough, but I’ve had tougher commutes. Good luck, everyone!

Thursday, 12:30 am

Made it home a few hours ago. Everyone was safely barricaded in the basement. The carriers kept to the major population centers, so it got easier the further south we rode. I’ll never speak ill of DC Metrobus driver again — but I’ll still give them plenty of room on the roads. Once they’ve been rebuilt, that is.

It’s been quiet for the last hour, so I took a few minutes to check the news. If we’re very lucky, the trend will continue and we’ll just have to hold out ’till sometime before morning. If the situation takes a turn for the worse, we’ll head out west and take our chances in the mountains.

8:10 am

They all ‘died’ a few hours ago. Whatever was driving the carriers on stopped an hour or so before sunrise this morning. Hopefully everyone who’s posted — often using the darkly funny keyword ‘BLITEOTW’ — will check in to assess the damage. The biggest loss so far locally is the Pentagon, with the 9:30 club a close second. I’m certain we can and will rebuild, and I know it’s crazy, but can’t shake a nagging little concern: someone mentioned that next year June 13th is on a Friday. Do you feel lucky?

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