The Trapper Process

The full process GIF of The Trapper.

The Trapper, Part 5 - Finished!

There's The Trapper done!  Very happy with how the chainsaw, cockpit, and the pilots' helmets turned out.

The story accompanying The Trapper will, unfortunately, be delayed.  The Trapper's story and the two remaining stories will be written after the paintings are finished.

The Trapper, Part 4

It feels really, really good to paint again.

No Lines Mermaid

I did this in a couple hours, right out of my head.  No lineart, only an underdrawing.  The best part?  I actually like it!  Might finish this up, if I can get the time.

The Trapper, Part 3

Ink on The Trapper is finished.  Glad to have that done with; on to watercolor!

The Trapper, Part 2

The Trapper so far.  There has been lots of shading.  Lots and lots and lots of shading.

Sketches 11/20/14

Posting will be slow again, life is busy.  I will finish the Mercenary Mecha series done before 2014 ends, one way or another.

The Trapper, Part 1

Here we go!  Pencils for The Trapper, ink coming soon!

The Trapper Layout Progression

It took a multiple days, but the groundwork for The Trapper is laid down.  Next up are the pencils.

Sketches 11/16/14

The Trapper, Digital Roughs

Further explorations on the composition for The Trapper.

Chin Up

Sometimes your whole day is busy, and you get to the end, and there's been no time to relax.  You try to sketch for fun, it goes nowhere, you don't know what to draw, and you go to sleep feeling unfulfilled, unfinished, beset by all the worries that come in the dark.

Trust me, every artist–every person–has those dark, dry spells.  Keep your head up.  Night can be deceiving.  The sun will rise tomorrow.  Keep going.

Sketches 11/14/14

More characters from other stories.

The Trapper, Part 1

The composition for the third painting of the Mercenary Mecha series is under way.  This is "The Trapper", actual mech name undecided.  What I do have down is that the Trapper lays low and fights dirty.  Laying traps, attacking from ambush, and relying on a crippling first strike are its primary tactics.  Its crew salvage anything they can use or sell off.  Prisoners are taken only if they're worth something, the Trapper is not a merciful foe.

Trying to communicate all the ideas above through a single scene is something of a challenge.  I've been busy working up thumbnails, both on paper and in digital form.  The final piece will likely be the Trapper lurching out of the night to grab a recently trapped truck or scout mech.

The Trapper's character sheet.  It has the antennas on top for keeping track of its trap-sensors, a little fanny-basket for carrying salvage, and it will have various smoke/decoy launchers to aid in any potential escape.

"A Find" now on Society6

A Find, the header for my blog, is now available on Society6!

Magical, Strange, Glorious Land

Cinematic view of the city of New Reno, a technological megalopolis amid centuries-old, possibly magical forests.  Or it might be a snapshot of my overactive imagination.  One of those.

The Sniper Short Story

The Sniper short story is finished, you can read it here for free!

*Edit: Fixed the link.

Humble Details

See this little self-propelled artillery?  He's not the star of the image he's in, he won't be brightly colored, and his crew will probably have to abandon him, but he plays a critical part in the composition.  I spent about 40 minutes rendering him, and every moment was worth it.

Paper Airplane

Nostalgic paper airplane doodle, inspired by this song.

Second Cover in Progress

Process snapshot of The Sniper story cover.

The Sniper Process GIF

How The Sniper went from sketch to finished painting.

The Sniper, Finished!

And there we are!  The accompanying short story will follow shortly.

The Challenger, Now in Readable Form

Success!  Wrestling with Scrivener for an hour was worth it.  The Challenger's short story is available here in PDF format, completely free!  Here's the cover image, sans title.

Sketches 11/6/14

Hey, sorry for the delay in posting.  Between painting and working the day job, time is scarce.  A couple short stories and a painting are almost done, and should be appearing here by week's end.

The Sniper, Part 7

The end is in sight, only the final details remain!

Happy Halloween!