Westword Comics Winner

This is from the comic I submitted to the Westword second annual Comics issue:

 

So they chose it as a winning piece and you can read it online here: 

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2014/06/in_honor_of_our_second_annual_comics_issue_here_are_winning_entries.php?page=5

If you take the time to read mine, check out some of the other great entries.  There is a lot of talent in this town and it's been a good time learning about them all.

- J.

Platte River Settlers 1855

There's a brief story behind these paintings.

A month and a half back, or so, I was invited to take part in a "Ghost Hunt" with a crew of investigators such as you would see on tv.  It was from midnight to six am in a building which has been legendarily considered haunted for some time.  This was not a public event, and while they did have recording and EMF equipment, it was not filmed.

It ended up being really freaky by the end, and immediately after leaving there I started telling my painting friends from last summer all about how I was going to try and capture it in a painting.

Surreptitiously, that same week I was approached about making some new art for a Steampunk Art Exhibit in a nearby art gallery, based off (I assume) this piece on my portfolio.

Now, the ghost experience made me want to do dark, spooky pieces, however the history of the ghosts is reputedly tied up in the 1850s history of flooding and death from the gold and settler rushes of the Upper Platte River Valley.  I ride my bike down the Platte River a lot, it's not big but it is pretty.

These factors all came together in a mash up of my ideas for this piece... it was the concept of Steampunk Settlers on the Platte River, with a dirigible boat wagon for both scouting, and also emergency survival, and the horse which charges the batteries for the wagon.  The woman is viewing the landscape (and those lovely blue mountains) through her viewscope, and yes, she's armed with a lightbulb gun.

This was a lot of fun.  They are each 22" x 38" on stretched canvas with acrylics.

- J. 

ComicFest Commission

This was a real fun quick commission.

I won't go into the entire pitch for my services at the ComicFest Convention (I only tabled on the third day, thanks to Jay Sternitzky hooking me up with a last minute spot) but it was pretty cool.  

A young man was looking for conceptual art to help develop a flash animation game he was coding, based on two full pages of written description.  As pictured above.

It was... a pretty affordable purchase for him...it was fun for me though.  It was about 40 minutes turn around time with a break in the middle so that's good.  

I hope it helps him push his product.  At any rate, hiring an artist at his age was a savvy move.  I never would have thought of that at... what, 15 years old?

Fun stuff,

- J.

Maize Issue Two Online

Maize Issue Two Online is debuting today.

This is the first place to read this story, premiering ahead of the print version. 

You can check it out by following it here online.

- J.

Colorado Springs part 3

As always I like to put up a few pictures of cosplayers at work.  There were a lot more which were awesome, but I'm not the best photographer in the first place (as clearly evidenced by the Vader who's already walking away from the enormous man in the wookie costume... dude his feet were like two and a half feet long!)

- J.

Colorado Springs part 2

Here are a few of the commissions and show pieces I completed during this con...

Batman sticking out his tongue, which was fun.  A few years ago at Rose City Con (if I remember correctly) I was asked to draw Batman with a Beard in a sketchbook.  The page before me was Matt Wagner and a few pages behind me was Levi Skeen, who is a cool guy and talented who is from my hometown of Spokane back west.  He inked some of my pages for his comic when I was twenty, or twenty one.  Thereabouts.

The next one is Slenderman, from a game apparently called Slender.  When I took the commission I thought that maybe Slenderman was the protagonist character... but as I was drawing it out it became more obvious to me that he was probably chasing the player... ooooo beware.

Lastly an arctic black ops Turtle.  Which one is it, hmmmmm?  I think I'll be developing this into a large print eventually.  Too fun.

- J.

Colorado Springs 2014

The Colorado Springs Toy and Comic Con is held twice a year, and is a charity benefit each time.

This event always seems to be a nice, solid investment on my time in terms of sales, marketing, and of course, fun!

This last weekend, I definitely was able to experience the most lush and relaxing tabling position I have ever been in... it was such a treat to be under natural lighting and have a slight breeze carrying through to keep me focused.  Tabling at a show can normally be so weary due to white noise and artificial lighting... what a nice change.

- J.