This will likely be my final blog post for 2025. I always enjoy the Art vs Artist posts, so I am thrilled to share mine for 2025. 2025 marked a
That's all for another year on the blog! See you back here next year. Until then...
I am thrilled to announce a convention that I will be attending in 2026! Notices went out last week, and I can now announce that I will be returning to the main show of Illuxcon in Reading, PA, in October 2026. We love IX, and it is a truly unique experience to attend and be a part of. I will share more once we get closer to October. And with the crazy year ahead of me, come
That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here soon! Until then...
I have been sharing these posts, looking back at older work, for a while now, and they will become a more common occurrence on the blog in the new year as I transition away from art creation to writing on my next book.
Today, I am sharing a miniature design that I did for the now long-dead miniatures game, Dreamblade. Dreamblade will always be near and dear to me, as it was the first game I ever worked on and one of the times I felt most free as an artist working in the gaming industry. This is the "Executioner" design for an unproduced set of the game.
For the original design, I held back a little bit, and I was asked for more detail, and more of everything. Save one thing. In my original design, the Executioner's head was in a half hood, so you could see an open mouth yelling and eyes in the eye holes of the hood. I was asked to remove all of that and give him a full-faced hood. I was told that one of the reasons for more detail was that this was a common mini and would have few paint passes, and his clothes would likely be just black, or black with a little wash or dry brushing. Not sure why I gave him such little feet. A mystery for the ages.
That's all for another exciting Friday on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...
During Gen Con 2022, I had an excellent opportunity to speak with the folks behind the upcoming documentary about Magic the Gathering, The Gathering is the Magic. It was a lot of fun and always a good time to talk about art, monsters, and more. I eventually was a part of a follow-up interview where I spoke about my work on the game in greater detail, as well as other topics. Another clip from the more recent interview has been shared, so I am now sharing it with you.
That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia! This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle and is the next chapter art in the book. The hero has returned! Older, wiser(?), changed, and different, he is no longer the farmhand we once knew. He is bolder, more violent, and seems to relish
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...
I have been sharing these posts, looking back at older work, for a while now, and they will become a more common occurrence on the blog in the new year as I transition away from art creation to writing on my next book.
Today, I am sharing a miniature design that I did for the now long-dead miniatures game, Dreamblade. Dreamblade will always be near and dear to me, as it was the first game I ever worked on and one of the times I felt most free as an artist working in the gaming industry. This is the "Damsel in Distress" design for an unproduced set of the game.
This was one that was outside my wheelhouse, but I ended up still liking it in the long run. It did go through some revisions early on, but in the end, it came together quickly. I always enjoyed the details and design of the garment. Not a fan of the trope of the distressed damsel, but the game mechanics would have likely flipped those expectations on their ear.
That's all for another exciting Friday on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...
Strangely, I, apparently, have only ever mentioned the project that launched my entire career here on the blog. I shared the trailer and a few thoughts and details in 2017. To catch you up to speed: In the summer of 1999, which was also the
Jump ahead twenty-six years, and over the weekend, two copies of the local newspaper's coverage of the film's production came into my possession. I swore I had one around here somewhere, but I haven't seen this in many, many years. A strange time capsule and a reminder of the unlikely beginning of over two decades of making monsters. While I was not mentioned in the article (because why would I be?), the face next to the title of the article is the very first piece of makeup effects I ever created. The face cast was brought from LA as a raw foam cast. I added details, texture, paint, and finish to the face, and I think that I may have made it into the film. Which, by the way, I finally saw, for the very first time, earlier this year. Andy gave me a copy of the movie in 2017 after we reconnected online after I tracked down his YouTube account. Eleven days after he gave me the movie, he passed away suddenly. Needless to say, it took a little while to get around to finally watching it. It was an amazing time capsule and reminder of that wild summer. I am so glad to have finally watched the results of all of our work.
I often wonder where everyone who worked on Vampire Rock ended up. How many are living the LA dream still? Who have we lost? What new adventures did they make for themselves in the last twenty-six years? I know the answers to a few from that summer of vampires. I hope everyone found what they were looking for, because I know I did. It just took a few twists and turns to get there.
That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia! This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle and is the next chapter art in the book. We find ourselves reunited with the once mighty Woofettes that fly through the skies in an airship. Now, he is bound and chained deep under the lair of the Basilisk in the Warren. How did such a fate befall this once mighty being? Will anyone, CAN anyone, lend aid and rescue this tortured soul? But you must remember one thing: The Woofettes are known for the loud outbursts and volatile nature, but it is when they are still and quiet that you know your life is likely nearly over.
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...
Today, I have for you a miniature based on one of my illustrations. I updated and painted the Star Spawn Seer for Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. I have been
This one looks great and is nice and awkward and gross. You can't go wrong with that. I always find it interesting to see what had to be changed and what comes directly from my painting. Here are a pair of images of the miniature so that you can compare them to the illustration.
That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here on Monday! Until then...
Today, I have a recent Magic
That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
