IlluXCon 4 - attending in 2011

IlluXCon's popularity continues to grow exponentially, and to such an extent that this coming year the exhibiting artists have been selected through a jury peer review. The judges were Jon Schindehette (AD for Dungeons & Dragons), Jeremy Jarvis (AD for Magic: the Gathering), Todd Lockwood, Robh Ruppel, and Donato Giancola.

I am happy to announce that I made the cut and will be attending alongside an impressive list of fellow artists.

Already looking forward to it.

D&D ImagineFX

D&D Revisited:

Part of the ImagineFX article.

The Christmas issue of ImagineFX, No. 64, has a special article on the history of the art of Dungeons & Dragons. I was very happy to be asked to contribute to the article, and it is very gratifying to see myself arrayed alongside an amazing peer group of fantasy artists that have worked on D&D.

My passion for fantasy art was spurred on and inspired by playing D&D; to have seen those childhood dreams transform into a career still humbles me.

IlluXCon 2010 - A Review, or, I'm Back.

At My Stand.

Just over a week has passed since I returned from IlluXCon, and whilst the fatigue of the travel and socialising has faded, I still feel the absorption of the experience is only just beginning. In this review I am not going to try and list all the goings on, but rather give a narrow perspective based on my own approach to attending a show.

All credit should be given to Pat and Jeannie Wilshire for organising  a unique convention. It was a thrilling experience to see so many fantasy artists gathered in such great number, and says something about the desire amongst us to participate in our community. A number of other shows provide artist's alleys, or art shows, but none other caters for us in such a direct and focused way. So often we work alone in our studios, and that can easily become somewhat isolating, so it's great to engage in such a direct way with other artists and their work.

A Panoramic View.

Prior to deciding whether or not to attend a show I attempt to assess it through three criteria:

Sales: Is the trip going to be profitable, or would I make more money staying at home?

Business: Am I going to reinforce and/or expand my existing client base?

Community: This is more nebulous, and is about connecting with my fellow artists, getting out of that aforementioned 'studio bubble', but also about being inspired, and learning from my peers' work.

The Centre Was A Great Space.

If I feel I can successfully tick two out of the three categories then I judge the show to be worthwhile. For this trip I already knew that a transatlantic journey with it's correpsonding overheads was a poor starting point to plan for this as a 'Sales' trip. However I was right to feel optimistic about the other criteria.

I can have had email correspondance with an art director for a number of years, and yet find that relationship improved immeasurably with a half hour chat. This show was no exception as I caught up with a number of clients I work for, oh, and it was very gratifying to be offered work from a new client I was wanting to meet even as I was still setting up my stand.

I had Some Interesting Neighbours:

Jordu Schell's Awesome Masks.

However the show scored biggest in my last category. Not only did I catch up with  a lot of established friends, but also made some good new ones. There already exists a commonality between all the artists through the shared work we do, and it always feels very easy to build upon this. I was also impressed by the number of artists attending the show who weren't even exhibiting (primarily because of their digital backgrounds, in what is oestensibly a traditional art show), this goes back to what I said at the start of the blog.

On Both Sides:

Tom Taggart's Mantrap.

I also couldn't fail to be massively inspired, and motivated by the overwhelming quality, and diversity of the work on display. I was also gratified by the positive feedback I received on my own work; it is  very informative to observe what aspects other artist's pick up on in one's work. In particular I was happy at the number of people who commented on my colour use, an area I hadn't necessarily thought of as one of my strongest qualities.

I had a very stimulating and engaging time at the show. I want to thank everyone who stopped by and said hi. I welcomed the fact that I had a proper opportunity to talk with those who did, but also to visit other artists at their stands and discuss their work and developments. I am already looking forward to next year!

Lastly I wanted to say thanks to Christopher Burdett for his help at the show, oh, and I lifted the first photo in this blog from his own , which give a much more thorough overview of the show, and which I recommend reading.

Illuxcon 2010

This time next week I will be on a plane speeding over the Atlantic as I head towards Illuxcon.

I hope to see many of you there.

Fightback! -Dragon #392 Cover.

Fightback!

Acrylic, Approx 26" x 23"

©Wizards of the Coast

Original artwork for sale. £1500.

I had the great pleasure of working on the lastest Dragon magazine cover. A piece which had lots of fun elements to work with, but which also presented a challenge with the composition.

One of the key aspects I enjoy about illustration is the storytelling, and this brief had a compelling narrative. An Elf, battered and beaten, is cornered by a fearsome War Troll, when a Dwarf Cleric intervenes by throwing up a defensive ring of  obsidian spikes, then fighting back with her earth's grasp power. Oh, and of course this needed to work in two formats, the full one above, and a second cropped version for use internally, as below.

The cropped value study.

I decided to emphasise the cornered predicament of our heroes by using the Troll as the framing device, and also to elevate our point of view. Looking down upon someone helps make them appear more vulnerable. Whilst placing the Troll in the foreground like this gives him that imposing mass and big silhouette.

The Trolls body and sword provide a neat triangular window through which to see our protagonists. I combined this with stronger 'spot' lighting upon them to really make the beleagured heroes our focus. The white Elf shield also aids in letting the Dwarf head stand out clearly. Important as she is the source of the action with her spell going off.

The earth's grasp presented the biggest challenge. An illustration is a 'frozen moment', yet the spell required some clarification, and a sense of movement. The Dwarf seizes a handful of dirt, throws it into the air, where it transforms into a grasping stone hand that grabs, and starts to crush, the Troll's face. The trailing dust cloud allowed me to cover both those bases. Plus the swirling 's-shape' is given energy by breaking the frame set up by the Troll, and is further emphasised by the contrasting, saturated, red of it's magical effect.

Initially this might give the impression of a final stand, but really it is just the start of the Fightback!

Portfolio Theft

I have been very saddened to learn that Scott Altmann had a portfolio of his work stolen from his booth at last weekend's New York Comic Con.I don't need to say what I think about this. Instead check out his blog
where he is beginning to post images from the stolen collection, if you see any of these pieces anywhere you know what to do.

Rules Compendium - Focal Points.

Taunting Memory

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 22"

©Wizards of the Coast.

Original artwork for sale.

The Dungeons & Dragons supplement Rules Compendium has just been released, and I am very happy to have a couple of pieces in the book. Whilst showcasing them I am also going to discuss how I try to bring focus into my work.

Taunting Memory was great fun as for once it depicts a group of characters socialising after the fight. Usually I find myself showing a combat in progress, but this time we get to see how the Dark Elf behaved when faced with a Beholder - although I also like the fact you could interpret this as a prophecy of events yet to happen - either way he doesn't look too happy about the telling.

The viewers first attention is drawn to the Dark Elf by the strong contrast of his skin and hair. Something further reinforced by his clear profile and the framing element of the light coloured picture on the wall behind him. The row of heads helps keep our attention in the upper part of the picture, whilst various lines, the Elven staff, Dark Elf's sword and scroll case, Dwarf's arm and roof beams, help draw the eye towards the conjured memory. This in turn is more saturated than the surrounding elements, again, hopefully, getting our attention.

Healing Hand

Acrylic, Approx 16" x 12.5"

©Wizards of the Coast.

Original artwork for sale.

Healing Hand has another appearance from Falon  (I'm getting quite familiar with this guy now), this time helping out Shara, who nearly bit off more than she could handle by taking on that Troll.

Shara's red clothing helps provide the colour contrast to make her and Falon the focal point, with the nice glowing hand provide the pinpoint. The softened, light. background, also helps pull our eye that way, whilst strengthening Shara's silhouette. It also allowed me to lose the edges around Falon, adding to the mystical feel.