http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:TheEchoDragon&section=today deviantART RSS for by:TheEchoDragon en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:27:51 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/28308157/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/28308157/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:05:23 PST

Ok, so realistically it's not very impressive when compared to some artists on here who manage to get somewhere in the region of 100,000 page views per day but, to me at least, it means a great deal. Ever since I closed my personal website DA pretty much became my main portfolio and it's proving a very good move. The number of pageviews alone beat out what my personal site received in FOUR YEARS, by around 2500 people! Not only that but alot of the images have been viewed around 8000+ times with The Road to Mae'Estaa being viewed over 10,000 times! Again it might not seem alot but that beats out anything my personal site ever had by a rather impressive 9000 people....lol...

The Kiss remains in its top spot with over 500 people adding it to favourites.

So WOW! Thank you very much everyone, thank you my 119 watchers, thank you to my visitors, thank you to my favourite-ers, thank you to people featuring me and everyone else inbetween :3

Soppy entry is soppy XD

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
COMMISSION STATUS - OPEN
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Prices range from £70-£200+ and above depending on what you would like. Please email me echodragon@hotmail.co.uk with all the details and I'll get back to you with a price. To give you an idea of what you can expect it to cost:

CHARACTER RENDER £70-£80 -- A one off picture feature a character of your creation (I do not do fan art, sorry) with a moderately detailed background or none at all. Price largely depends on the complexity of the image.

LANDSCAPE RENDER £100-£150 -- Pic showing off a scene primarily focusing on an area of land within this world or another (See Vey'Ghan, Rydia, The Forgotten Shrine, The Sakura Groves). Price significantly depends on the complexity and detail required within the image.

HIGHLY DETAILED AND POLISHED FULL RENDER £200+ -- This can cover pretty much anything but is by far the most time consuming and delicate (See The Kiss, Onslaught, Aria Queen of Eve). The price is based largely on the complexity of the image and how long I think it will take. Tight and very short deadlines will significantly effect the price if I'm able to accept the commission.

FINAL NOTE -- Please do not add me to your friends list on msn or any other instant messenger. It will result in you being blocked. This is not me being nasty, I simply preffer to deal with online clients via email.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/26520270/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/26520270/ Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:08:39 PDT

Sorry I can't offer better prices, I clicked premium subscription instead of premium print account by acident >< DA doesn't offer refunds apparently so I can't afford the other at the moment. *sigh*

I've still not heard if it got into Exotique 5 yet but I'm guessing it didn't because according to the site the book is due to be published in little under 2 months. Still I haven't got an email either way, and they usually notify you if you've been accepted or not. So who knows! I'll update if I hear anything. It will, however, be appearing alongside some more of my work on the dvd that comes with the next issue of Imagine FX...at least I think it's the next issue...it'll be in a future issue at any rate

UPDATE (26/08/09): Well it's official, I got the email this morning. Sadly neither 'The Kiss' or 'Mark of the Geomancer' made it into Exotique 5. However with the email stating they had a whopping 5,200 entries you have to wonder if they ever stood a chance XD

- - - :: Commission Status :: - - -

Open as ever, prices range from £80-200+ depending on what you would like. Please email echodragon@hotmail.co.uk with the details.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE DO NOT JUST ADD ME TO YOUR FRIENDS LIST ON MSN, IT RESULTS IN YOU GETTING BLOCKED.

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/25979208/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/25979208/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:37:56 PDT
"Final Fantasy is Art."

Now being an avid fan of the series I'm biased here but, the more I thought about it, the more I realised how true this short statement really was. Not just of Final Fantasy either but most, if not all, computer games (the extremely consistently high presentation of the Final Fantasy series over the years just serves as an excellent example here).

Fair enough, where am I going with this? Well it got me to thinking and a wondering. All art starts with an idea seeded in the mind of an individual, is planted on a canvas and through creative care is nutured until the artist is happy to sit back and see it in full bloom. Then they set about sharing their creation with the world. This doesn't apply just to art, but to any creative outlet the human mind dared dream such as music, drama, writing etc.

Now I don't pretend to know exactly everything that goes into making a game but I have a rough idea. Surely though it is the exactly same process any individual goes through but on a much larger scale. Yet it is more than that, it's a coalation of many creative avenues all coming together to create an experience that anyone can be a part of. Is this not what any artist strives for, to produce work that can be enjoyed by all? Is managing to bring all of this together successfully not an example of an ultimate accomplishement in art?

The Final Fantasy series, among others, certainly inspired me to take my art more seriously simply in the hope that I could maybe, one day, be part of such a thing. Think about it for a second. Have you ever perhaps played guitar hero or rock band and come away wanting to try a real instrument? Have you ever played through an RPG an been so moved by the story that you wanted to create something in tribute to it? Has watching the animation on screen ever inspired you to try your hand at it? Has the voice acting ever made you want to prove to the world that you can do it better?

The Arts as a whole seem to be forever wrapped in controversy these days and usually not held in much regard among the general 'average joe'. As an artist it's somewhat humbling to think though that art has been quietly evolving out of the spotlight in the form of the computer games and that people of all ages have picked them up rather unsuspectingly in their living room, been inspired by them, worked hard to get into the industry, and gone on to continue to provide another generation with art.

Hmmm, food for thought indeed no?

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/25321429/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/25321429/ Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:36:44 PDT
In recent months, however, I have begun to lose alot of motivtion to continue on as I have been over the last few years. Don't misunderstand me, my passion for art isn't gone. Far from it in fact and I still dream of making the breakthrough one day. But it's becoming more apparent as the days go by that I simply no longer have the drive to turn out artwork after artwork when I seem to be reaching such a small audience, and there appears to be little interest in my style. There is also the fact that I can no longer afford to fund the hosting costs to keep it open.

So unfortunately I've took the decision to close Paleshadows. I'm not sure how long the process will take but from this point on there won't be anymore attempts to update the website. My livejournal, which is linked to the site, will also not be seeing any new entries either. I won't be deleting the journal though and may looks for something else to blog about because I do enjoy writing.

This DOES NOT mean my art is going to dissapear from the web and from now on Deviant Art will be my main portfolio site on the web and will see the most updates as and when I finish any new work. I'd like to thank everyone in the very small fan base I may have garnered for sticking with the site over the years and folks at Rydia.net for providing such an outstanding hosting service. I don't think my site has gone down since it went up and I've never had a problem with their servers. I thoroughly reccommend them

Maybe sometime in the future the website will see a reincarnation, but for now at least the end is nigh for Paleshadows.

- :: COMMISSIONS :: -

On a lighter note I'm still open for commissions. Prices range from £80-£200+ depending on what you would like done. Please contact me via email (echodragon@hotmail.co.uk) if you want to know more.

PLEASE DO NOT SIMPLY ADD ME TO YOUR MSN CONTACTS LIST AS YOU WILL GET BLOCKED. EMAIL ONLY PLEASE!

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/22898005/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/22898005/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:40:39 PST
--:: Prints ::--

Still working on making more of my portfolio available as prints so sorry if you are waiting for a certain piece to appear. In typical me fashion what was supposed to take only a few weeks has taken months ><;

That being said, if there is anything you would like me to give priority please let me know!

--:: Artwork ::--

New stuff incoming soon, can't really say more than that.

--:: Guardian Soul ::--

Chapter seven finally finished and moving on to chapter eight soon. Expect more artwork based around the story throughout the year

Finally a big thank you to everyone that has been browsing my portfolio, featuring me in journals and even policing the interwebs and informing me about art thefts involving my work. It is very, very much appreciated

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/21092778/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/21092778/ Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:07:50 PDT
I know the prices aren't the most brilliant on here but it just makes more sense for me to do it through Deviant Art at the moment. I can also offer a greater range of things this way. Unfortunately my position in the UK and the fact that I still haven't learnt to drive means it's difficult for me to hit the conventions. So after alot of thought I've decided to give this a proper look and see how it goes. The only thing it costs me to set up afterall is time, so any profit should hopefully be worth it at the end of the day!

So stay tuned!

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/19548709/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/19548709/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:51:15 PDT
It was also around the time I had first begun to develop the idea of Guardian Soul, so I wanted to put most of my focus there. Now that's all pretty much sorted and all that remains is to get off my lazy ass and finish it faster, I can finally sit down, become immersed in Richards world and hopefully develop both worlds side by side

I'm only five chapters in at the moment but it's a very gripping start and looks set to continue down a path that any sci-fi or fantasy lover will appreciate and enjoy. So I'm here to spread the word basically. As I'm trying a very similar thing with Guardian Soul I can appreciate how much effort he has put into this and would hate to see it go to waste.

If you're curious, bored or just out of things to read then why not give it a try! You can purchase it on the official website where you can also join in on bringing Erth to life if you're an artist.

Official Erth Chronicles Site

I have now also set up a blog devoted to the progression of Guardian Soul. After much consideration I've decided not to post the story on DA. If you're intrigued by this project as well then click the link below to learn more. I'm still finding the time to add content amongst everything else I have to do so bear with me!

The New Guardian Soul Blog

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/18301766/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/18301766/ Tue, 13 May 2008 08:22:16 PDT
I can quash the speculation that has arisen and tell you that Guardian Soul is neither an Anime, Manga, Comic book or computer game as some people have thought to me in various emails I've recieved. And I can confirm instead that it is, in fact, a story I have been writing in my spare time. Of course I consider myself as an artist much more than a writer and I found I couldn't help but draw locations and characters within the story how I saw them. That hopefully explains the artwork related to it that you may or may not have seen in my various portfolios.

Anyway, why the journal entry on it?

Simply put I'm considering putting the story up on Deviant Art for people to read along with an illustration or two to accompany each chapter. It's a mighty task but it combines two things I love to do and gives me a great excuse to do them. I'm am not confirming this will happen, only that I'm thinking about it. Afterall it would suck to have the mauscript stolen or copied in huge chunks and then published in another's name after spending so much time working on it.

So there you go, watch this space and thank you very much to everyone who has featured my work in their journals and collections. It's very much apreciated

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/16843035/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/16843035/ Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:28:36 PST
Ok I don't expect to have really big figures because I haven't been on DA that long but there seems to be a growing trend to now only comment on popular artist while us less popular people are left unnoticed and unloved. I have a reasonable amount of people commenting and adding stuff to favourites and I'm very greatful to everyone who has been doing that

But then I stumble across a picture that was uploaded just an hour before mine and has 8000 views and faves within 9 hours...compared to my 19 views 4 faves in 9 hours I'm left feeling somewhat cheated and bewildered. Fair enough this particular artist happens to be very skilled and deserving of such fans, in fact I'm a fan of him myself but you do tend to see pictures cropping up on the front page that leave you thinking "Why the hell is this junk here?" eg. the stick figure humping text reading 'Your Mom' ...god this isn't art ffs! It's not even good taste and they're probably not even the creator of said animation.

In otherwords I guess I'm trying to say that DA feels less like an art community and more like a popularity contest lately. It's just like being back at school again. Seems like unless you do some serious networking or don't quickly latch onto an ass kissing crowd on here you rapidly fall by the wayside and remain there stagnating while the cool kids continue to revel in their glory.

It a good job I have stuff posted on other sites else I'd never get anywhere. I'd urge other people to do the same if this is truely what can be expected of DA. Maybe I'm just getting unlucky or maybe DA is doing a piss poor job of exposing less popular and deserving artists.

/end rant

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/10898447/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/10898447/ Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:32:35 PST

I have a stupid amount of online portfolios and I do try to visit/update them all but you know how life is. I do eventually visit your portfolios and look at your art, I promise, it just takes awhile

So yea just to let you know I'm not ignoring anyone or being selfish. I do try and take the time to visit everyone who's visited me!

Cya around!

]]> ~TheEchoDragon http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/9016932/ http://TheEchoDragon.deviantart.com/journal/9016932/ Fri, 09 Jun 2006 09:25:53 PDT

I keep a LiveJournal and find it an impossibility to keep more than one XD Click Leviathan to go go go!

]]> ~TheEchoDragon