First Item: I received a number of notes from potential stock models willing to take part. My thanks to everyone who considered it, noted me, and expressed interest. My thanks to those who have sent photos. Further, at least one of them is sticking it out and eager to get moving quickly enough that I'll have what I need for the Seventh Chapter, "Coils of Fate," which I should be starting around the New Year, or maybe before!

Second Item: Given that a number of stock models responded to my plea, I am going to try to use some of the others' photos to illustrate Valerin, Avora, and Maladyne in their past pages. No need to worry about me re-doing every page--the variety of faces in the potential stock models leads me to believe that I should be able to match a lot of what already exists and make only slight alterations here and there based on new stock photos. There are faces of Valerin in "Rats" and Avora in "Plot" that appear inconsistent with their general looks, and these are the ones I'm going to work on. Also, I will not be replacing the old files here in my DA gallery, although I will probably post the new versions as well.

Third Item: With the help of three fellow deviants, the following chapters' narratives are complete and in my hands: "Rats in the Cellar," "Twisted Plot," and "Vision Impaired." I just got "Vision Impaired" today (thirty minutes ago, actually), and it's wonderful! So fun to read someone else's take on events that I've outlined with pictures--especially when that take is well-written! I have it on good authority that "Fair Harvest" is also well-underway, and I believe I have a writer set up to do "Catcall" when the illustrations are done. Of course, there will be a bit of editing required at the end to make the narratives and illustrations consistent, but not too much, which can be chalked up to the good writing skills of those involved. I need to thank you three who have completed work, and you know who you are.

Fourth Item: I've got things set up pretty well to keep going until "Coils of Fate" is complete, which should be this coming February. Assuming that goes as planned, I should be putting together some kind of publication right after that. It will require some more writing, and so if any writers are inclined to tackle "Bare Necessities" and/or "Coils of Fate," please let me know. I have already spoken with a couple of people about it, and I'd just as soon they be allowed a stab at it, but one or more of them might not work out, so please note me if you have an interest. I'll catch up with the other hopefuls before anything is committed.

That ought to do for now.

I'm now officially working on and posting the "Catcall" series. More about that below. I do believe I once had a schedule of art projects to follow. That pretty much got blown away like a Dirty Harry criminal. However, anyone who has paid any attention to my work patterns knows that I will often get several months behind, but that I also generally come back and continue on with what I intended. So, for starters, here’s the finished mural.

I’ve done a bunch of commissions over the past few months, which is a fairly new idea for me and still requires some getting used to. I’ve mentioned my work on the Pulptoon site ( [link] ) which is very “adult” in nature (consider yourself warned—the themes and drawings are extremely, blatantly, unforgivingly erotic in nature). The first one posted here is definitely on the “harmless” side of the images, and the second one has been made subtly "less adult."

Also, for the last month I’ve been working on a lengthy series of illustrations for another short story called “Needles and Needs”—a collaboration with another fellow deviant who will remain nameless until he/she directs me otherwise. Suffice to say that those who like the “Demon’s Due” storyline should find this one much to their liking. The goal here is to publish/print this illustrated story as a trial run for the completed first part of “Demon’s Due.”

Stay tuned for other developments—I’m drawing my guts out, really, and I’m sure a lot of it will bleed onto DA (isn’t that a lovely image… ).

The time has come to jump back into “Demon’s Due” and get Part One printed up. I’ve got some great stock models lined up and providing references, and I’m overhauled my computer to handle the surge/push through the next two chapters. I’m way, way behind on comments, and I’ll probably go through and answer some of them now that the pages of “Catcall” are showing up. My thanks to all those who have waited for the continuation of this storyline.

The quickest, easiest way is to buy a print on DA (see below). I’ve been published in a few books, including Sword and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics by Bryan Baugh, and A Life of Ravens by Alex Ness. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com, and are full of awesome artwork and writing by some very talented people. I’ve recently done five commission pieces for the “Wayfarers” role-playing game [link] .

This is a collection of 42 ink drawings which I sell personally via Paypal or money order for $10 plus shipping. If y... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/27520216/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/27520216/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:55:26 PDT Latest News

Ahem. I do believe I once had a schedule of art projects to follow. That pretty much got blown away like a Dirty Harry criminal. However, anyone who has paid any attention to my work patterns knows that I will often get several months behind, but that I also generally come back and continue on with what I intended. So, for starters, here’s the finished mural.

I’ve done a bunch of commissions over the past few months, which is a fairly new idea for me and still requires some getting used to. I’ve mentioned my work on the Pulptoon site ( [link] ) which is very “adult” in nature (consider yourself warned—the themes and drawings are extremely, blatantly, unforgivingly erotic in nature). This one posted here is definitely on the “harmless” side of the images.

I’ve also done a series of digital drawings for a fellow deviant, ~harryharharr , which he has posted with his story called “Tough Love.” Be warned: The story contains adult material (most things I illustrate seem to… ). As adult stories go, this is a fun one, putting lots of good “image-pops” into my head. Here are some less-adult samples from it.

Also, for the last month I’ve been working on a lengthy series of illustrations for another short story called “Needles and Needs”—a collaboration with another fellow deviant who will remain nameless until he/she directs me otherwise. Suffice to say that those who like the “Demon’s Due” storyline should find this one much to their liking. The goal here is to publish/print this illustrated story as a trial run for the completed first part of “Demon’s Due.”

Stay tuned for other developments—I’m drawing my guts out, really, and I’m sure a lot of it will bleed onto DA (isn’t that a lovely image… ).

The time has come to jump back into “Demon’s Due” and get Part One printed up. I’ve got some great stock models lined up and providing references, and I’m overhauling my computer to handle the surge/push through the next two chapters. I’m way, way behind on comments, and I’ll probably go through and answer some of them when the pages of “Catcall” start showing up. In the meantime, I’ll post a few more sample images for the other collaborations of the past few months. My thanks to all those who have waited for the continuation of this storyline.

The quickest, easiest way is to buy a print on DA (see below). I’ve been published in a few books, including Sword and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics by Bryan Baugh, and A Life of Ravens by Alex Ness. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com, and are full of awesome artwork and writing by some very talented people. I’ve recently done five commission pieces for the “Wayfarers” role-playing game [link] .

Yes, I’m alive, but I’ve only been shadowing DA, answering a comment here, a reply there, faving a deviation here, adding a watch there. In the meantime, I’ve been working my tail off on the mural I mentioned a while back. It’s hitting the 80-hour mark, and it’s finally nearing completion. "Are you eager to have it done?" you ask. To quote my friend, ~john33 , “Is the Pope Catholic?”

In the meantime, a fellow Deviant and the admin of the Pulptoon site ( [link] ) has been paying me to post some of my digitally-colored inkworks. Now, these works are a lot like the “Demon’s Due” series and done in the style of the “Cave of Discipline” image I posted here (again and again and again… ) a few months back, with one large difference: They are extremely, blatantly, unforgivingly erotic in nature. I could post a few of them here on DA, and I probably will in the near future, but most of them are clear violations of DA’s “appropriate content” policy. So, if you want to see them, I suggest you pay the low monthly fee to get a premium membership at Pulptoon. My stuff there is called “Exiles in Avernus,” and the third sequence of images is almost finished right now.

Well, “Exiles in Avernus” and the mural more or less derailed my plans to jump into the next “Demon’s Due” chapter in April/May. So, I’m behind again. I don’t yet know how this is all going to work out. I’ll keep the journal posted so anyone interested can keep track of it and register any complaints about “Demon’s Due” not showing up (or exultation and relief over the same… ).

The quickest, easiest way is to buy a print on DA (see below). I’ve been published in a few books, including Sword and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics by Bryan Baugh, and A Life of Ravens by Alex Ness. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com, and are full of awesome artwork and writing by some very talented people. I’ve recently done five commission pieces for the “Wayfarers” role-playing game [link] .

This is a collection of 42 ink drawings which I sell personally via Paypal or money order for $10 plus shipping. If you’re interested in obtaining a copy, just send me a note. The thumbnail above is a glimpse at the pieces that the book contains, most of which can be found here in my dA gallery.

Here's my prints page. [link] I’ve got about 36 things available, but I’m trying to put more up. I think dA does a pretty good and fairly inexpensive job of printing and shipping things. I’ve purchased a bunch of prints here, myself, which I’ll show off in the next section.

Most of these things now decorate my home, and... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23840503/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23840503/ Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:26:52 PDT Latest News

At last, “Bare Necessities” is done. I’m taking March off to do a few projects that “Bare Necessities” forced onto the backburner. These projects include “Asterith,” an illustration with two versions ( [link] and [link] ) of a character from *dashinvaine ‘s illustrated stories, and “The Delivery,” a short, four-page illustrated story in a collaboration with Cindy, ~reacherfan . I’ve already posted both versions of “Asterith” and the first two pages of “The Delivery” ( [link] and [link] ), and the third and fourth pages of the latter will follow in the next two days.

During the next two weeks I will be doing another mural at a local school, which will take up most of my art time, so I’ll post the last few images I have yet to post from “Black Canvas I,” along with updates on the mural. After that, I’ve got two more collaborations including an ink drawing based on some classic poetry, and another multi-page story illustration for someone who’s doing great work on the “Demon’s Due” narratives. When that’s done, I just might try and do a couple of drawings for myself—whatever hits me at the time, but possibly another Norse drawing or a piece of movie fan art (I’ve been thinking about “Christine” for a long time… ). That ought to get me through to mid-April, at which point I’ll start back into…

...“Demon’s Due.” I’ll introduce the next chapter and start it sometime in April, with the intention of finishing it by the end of May. June will see the beginning of the final chapter of the first part of the storyline, and when that’s done, I’m going to figure out a way to get it printed up in hardcopy format. Maybe by the year’s end I’ll be able to send out some rather provocative Christmas presents…

Considering how I’ve been buried in “Bare Necessities” over the past six months, it seems like just a few weeks ago I noticed *Shane-01 ‘s work, but he’s been around for somewhat longer than that. Regardless, I was quite drawn to his powerful use of heavy dark tones to create gripping, moving compositions. It reminds me of all those times in my early teenage years when the art teachers would look at the stylized car drawn in the center of my paper, surrounded by blank white space—invariably they would shake their heads and say, “Why not try to use the full paper, Jeff? This is just a car, but it could be something special…” Shane forces so much value, contrast, and movement in each picture, his work really shouts at me when I view it. Definitely worth a look.

*milbisous has been posting wonderful artwork for as long as I’ve been on DA. My favorites from her gallery of drawings and paintings are the series of humorous animal cari... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23301036/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23301036/ Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:38:04 PST What a Point of View!

Here's one of the latest Bare Necessities pages.

Quick couple of points about this picture: (1) I don't normally draw genitalia (male or female) in so "blatant" a fashion--the only other time I can recall was the exposure of Valerin's breasts on "Rats" Page20 [link] where such a point of view was in order given what was happening, (2) the presentation of female genitalia here was intended more as a function of body-positioning to draw the viewer's eye up her figure to her neck and face, which is where the "event" is happening, (3) I designed the details and shading of her pubic mound and her breasts to support point #2, including some slight lessening of contrast and detailing where it was most-needed, (4) I hoped to make the journey up her figure to her face an enjoyable one, (5) I used one of Natalie Paquette's stock photos for the face only, and (6) after putting a LOT of thought and work into this, I'm quite pleased with but sensitive about the results, and I hope that we can dispense with a lot of "easy-target" comments on this one. I don't want to discourage anyone too much, but I'd ask that people try and curb their tongue just a bit...

"Curb their tongue." Good hell. Try to be respectful, and look where it gets you... Alright, we'll do it this way: Please don't get offended if I hide your comments--there are a few slang terms that I find personally distasteful because of their seemingly attached meaning of "filthy," "disgraceful," "disgusting," and even "sub-human," and this image is likely to spark them. I'd rather the comments stayed on the more "respectful" side of things. I don't normally make such a request, but I'm going to with this one. Deal with it.

NOTE: Years ago in a conversation about nudity in art, I once told a very good friend that I would never draw this point of view. Although many situations in my life have changed since I made that statement, my reverence for life and respect for women and female anatomy have not changed. In fact, they've only become stronger and deeper, if anything. For me, going back on such a decision has not been done lightly, but it has been done, and the reasons for it are all powerful and positive. I hope that helps clear up any misunderstandings about this image. You know who you are.

Finally, assuming that DA leaves this one up, we're almost finished with the chapter. If someone has an issue with it, please note me with your concerns. If the deviation gets pulled, I'm not likely to edit it and put it back up.

Just a note to inform you folks that I have now officially planned out the remaining pages for "Bare Necessities." I've had a pretty good idea of what types of images needed to be drawn, and a rough number of them in my head, but it's been hard to pin myself down on it all (as some of you have realized in comments and notes and such). But at this point I've taped out the paper, arranged and printed the stock-photo references, and begun penciling them out. I don't want to give anything away regarding how the last few pages are going to pan out (I think many of you have some idea anyway), so I won't reveal exactly how many pages there are to go outside of a personally-requested note. However, I will say that it's going to be a LOT of fun. In fact, I literally can't wait to get ripping these suckers out.

However, I've got a couple of family events taking up today and tomorrow, so my... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23146029/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/23146029/ Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:39:28 PST For Those Who Think She Should Be Slashing Jervil to Ribbons

Alright, Folks, I've been getting a lot of comments on the latest pages of "Bare Necessities" suggesting that as soon as Jervil's Witchwax and Runemotes went after her, Callista would be tearing into the Rat-man with hell-born fury. People think she'd be reaching immediately for that charmed knife on her leg sheath and giving Jervil a "very close shave."

Now hold on just a minute. I know it's been a while (two years, actually), but if you go back to "Fair Harvest" and last year's "Vision Impaired," you'll notice that Callista is not prone to jumping right into violent combat at first opportunity. The first time we meet her is actually on the last page of "Twisted Plot" (shown below), where she arrives at Maladyne's bidding to pick up the already-defeated and helpless Avora. She's got her weapons out, but that's out of caution, not because she's expecting a fight. Currently, my intention is to say that one of those weapons in that picture (the dagger) is, in fact, the charmed knife given to her by Maladyne (who is also pictured in the clouds on that page). SPOILER AHEAD: The dagger allows Callista to bypass the sorceries and guardians of Mitesceru Manor and thereby not fall prey to the monstrosities and spells that took down Avora. END SPOILER.

The next time we see Callista (the first page of "Fair Harvest," shown above), she's spying on the Magistrate through the Inn's window. If she's a trigger-happy, cold-blooded killer, why not stalk the Magistrate through the night and take her down right there? Whether or not she could do it, Callista is cautious. That was not the time nor the place for her to take on one of the bigger players like Drea, even if the Magistrate was without her magical spear and powered armor. No, instead, Callista sneaks in and pulls her blade for a surprise "attack" on someone else--the only time we've ever seen her do such a thing, and it's more-or-less as a joke on her "buddy," big Albert Fiskerne (shown below). Every other time we see Callista in action, she's either prudently spying, sneaking, stealing, watching, or fleeing, and letting others do the dirty business (evidenced by all the skulking pictures below).

Even in "Vision Impaired," Callista slips out through the window when Luther shows up (which is part of their ruse to throw him off the trail), and she lets Annalae and the Cat-shade rough him up instead of going at him herself. In the chapter's end, Callista merely ties up the entranced Madame Zirena, while it is Annalae the Cat Witch who burns the Seeress' wagon to hell.
http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/22266734/ Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:38:04 PST Latest News

My thanks to all those who commented thoughtfully on “My Thoughts on Christmas”—I don’t believe I’ll be responding to the comments, though. I’d rather draw with that time, if that’s alright. “Bare Necessities” is now hitting its “endgame” pages. In the artistic sphere of my life, that’s pretty much all I’m thinking about at the moment.

When “Bare Necessities” is finished, I’ll probably jump right into the next chapter, “Coils of Fate.” It’ll be a shorter chapter, with the same feel and pacing as “Rats in the Cellar” and “Twisted Plot.” The only thing getting in the way will be four digital pages I’ve been working on to accompany a gremlin-mobbing story written by ~reacherfan . Actually, the four digital pages will all be posted at the same time, and they’re already about half-done, so they shouldn’t cut into “Demon’s Due” too much. If you're interested, here's my past journal entry that contains the dirt on "Demon's Due." [link]

I can’t help but feature Owen Davis’ art again, considering the long run of beautiful additions he’s lately made to his gallery. *odavis I’ll summarize: Colored Pencils, Impressionist Color Theory, Beautiful Women, Wonderful Art. Check him out, if you haven’t already.

I’ve been a fan of =oesalces ‘ drawings of exotic women since I joined this community. The recent additions made to the artist’s gallery are worthy of being highlighted here for beauty, style, and character. Check them out.

The quickest, easiest way is to buy a print on DA (see below). Or, if prints aren't your thing, you can purchase my self-published book called Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows. See the next section for more about it. Beyond that, I’ve been published in a few books, including Sword and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics by Bryan Baugh, and... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/22195289/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/22195289/ Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:45:09 PST Point #1: Is it wrong to want something--some item or experience? For instance, is it wrong to want a new book to read, or a new CD to listen to, or even some candy or a plate of good food? While I can think of times and situations where ONLY wanting some item and voicing that desire might be a bad thing (“Dad, will you please take me to the hospital—my head’s bleeding and I’m getting light-headed…” “Yes, Son, but I WANT to see that last goal again in slow-motion, so hang on for a few minutes…” ), I’m not sure that I can endorse an ultra-ascetic life which promotes the denial of any kind of desire. In my book, to want something is not inherently bad or evil, though I also think it’s a good idea to monitor our wants and what it may cost us (and the world) to get them.

Point #2: Is it wrong to give something to someone—some item or opportunity? For instance, is it wrong to give someone a new book to read, or a new CD to listen to, or even some candy or a plate of good food? While I can think of times and situations where such a deed might be a bad thing (“Dad, my teacher said hemlock is poison, so should I drink this ‘hemlock punch’ you’ve given me…?” “Yes, Son, you’re teacher is a liar and an idiot, so ‘drink up’…” ), I’m not sure that I can honestly criticize someone for wanting to spend some of their livelihood on someone else’s interests and well-being. In my book, to want to give something to someone with their happiness and prosperity at heart is the very definition of “goodness” in our world, or very close to it, as long as the cost of doing so is not too high.

Consideration: So, “western culture” creates a "holiday" on which it is a tradition to indulge in the two aforementioned activities: wanting something, and giving something that is wanted. No matter the initial basis for naming and scheduling such a day on the calendar, no matter the inclusion or exclusion of religious symbolism and spiritual iconology, no matter the adherence to traditional or cultural activities that many folks historically attach to any scheduled “holiday of giving”—what the hell is wrong with having a day in which people give and get presents? So what if “Jesus” isn’t behind and inside every thought of a person who is giving a present to someone and getting some gift in return? So what if "Jesus" is?! The very act of giving to another and graciously receiving from someone else is, in my opinion, a very good thing, provided that such activities aren’t coming at too great a cost. And, no matter how much I wrack my brains and flip through pages, I don't recall any divine being in the New Testament saying, "Thou shalt call this particular day of the year after the name of 'Christ' and do on it only those things that remind you of 'Him.'" Nor do I remember/find anything that says, "Blessed are they who keep 'Christ' in 'Christmas.'" Where did all this hubbub come from?

Conclusion: Frankly, I just roll my eyes at people who rant about this whole “they’ve-taken-‘Christ'-out-of-‘Christmas’!” thing, saying that people are so “lost” and “terrible” and “selfish.” “Selfish”? Really? On a day they are thinking about what others would like or need as a gift, we’re calling it “selfish”? I know a little about how the holiday of “Christmas” came about, and I’ve read the New Testament a few times, and in all of this I’ve never been impressed that any God or Godlike being really cared that much about people giving presents to each other on December 25th. I have been impressed that such a “divine being” may be hurt/offended by someone being mean or cruel to another person on December 25th, but not more offended by it on that day than on any other day of the year. Good Lord, if “the World” sets up a tradition to give gifts on one day of the year, I say more power to it/them/us, “Christ” in “Christmas” or not! If religious folks want to complain about something, complain about evils of the world like intolerance and hatred—things that really hurt others, not just on one day of the year, but all year 'round. But making a big deal out of “they’ve taken ‘Christ’ out of ‘Christmas’?” seems pretty damn silly to me, especially when, as I understand it, any “Christ-like” being would, in truth, praise the practice of giving a gift to another at his personal expense, from a BB-gun to a doll to a piece of candy or a bottle of champagne.

Those are my thoughts on the matter. And, whatever anyone makes of this day, December 25th, I hope it’s a good and enjoyable 24 hours for you and all you care about.
<... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/21122443/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/21122443/ Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:38:23 PDT

Note that I probably won't respond to every single (i.e. "any") comment on these last two journal updates, though I greatly appreciate them. I'd rather use that energy to push the art a bit more, if you don't mind.

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(Previous Note) October 6th, 2008: Things are on the up. My thanks to all those who have expressed concern and support. It will still be a little while, but I think I've turned a corner and am getting stronger.
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(Previous Entry) Friends, my health has become a problem. I will post a few tinkerings in graphite, ink, and Photoshop I've been doing as part of a larger, deadline-less commission with a friend, but nothing really serious (which, unfortunately, includes "Demon's Due"). Sorry, folks, but I'm getting uncomfortably near the end of my rope, and I have to back off.

I hope all goes well with you all in the meantime.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/19985984/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/19985984/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:11:47 PDT

(Previous Entry) Friends, my health has become a problem. I will post a few tinkerings in graphite, ink, and Photoshop I've been doing as part of a larger, deadline-less commission with a friend, but nothing really serious (which, unfortunately, includes "Demon's Due"). Sorry, folks, but I'm getting uncomfortably near the end of my rope, and I have to back off.

I hope all goes well with you all in the meantime.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/19424632/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/19424632/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:15:19 PDT Latest News

“Bare Necessities” is approaching its “endgame” pages. In the artistic sphere of my life, that’s pretty much all I’m thinking about at the moment. Summer in our home and family is full of birthdays, get-togethers, and the like, but when that time ends...

When “Bare Necessities” is finished, I’ll probably jump right into the next chapter, “Coils of Fate.” It’ll be a shorter chapter, with the same feel and pacing as “Rats in the Cellar” and “Twisted Plot.” The only thing getting in the way will be the high school mural I’m scheduled to do in September.

Please forgive me, but I haven’t had much of a chance to look around dA for new and impressive work. So, I’m going to do a double feature in the “Old Friends” section.

Two years ago, two very special people made an effort to be welcoming, encouraging, and appreciative of me and my presence on dA. For me, they made dA a place where I could eagerly and comfortably share my artistic experience with other artists. There were others, some of whom I’ve featured, but I’m going to lump these two together here and now.

Jana, a.k.a. *Dyun , and Carole, a.k.a. *fagashlil , are wonderful artists and contributors to artistic pursuits. I have several prints of their artwork hanging in my home, and I have participated with them in some cool projects, including Jana’s “Artistportraits” group ( [link] ) in which I drew Jana ([link] ) and Carole drew me ([link] ).

Jana arranged a commission for me, because she’s really cool that way, and she has contributed a written narrative for the first two chapters of “Demon’s Due” which I hope to put together with all of the pictures in some kind of published format soon. Jana benefits/suffers from “image-pop” as I do, which essentially means that the complete image for any piece of art pops into her head on its own volition—it can’t be forced to show up, and making changes to it or drawing anything else in its place is very, very difficult. Jana translates complex ideas, questions, and issues into visual imagery with great flare, making insightful and often deliciously cynical comments about our odd little world, and then sharing them in her dA gallery (and scraps). Jana is very open to trying new media, has a great sense of composition, a wonderful eye for fantasy imagery, and is a fantastic illustrator. Her cars and horses kick my ass .

Here are some examples.

Carole eagerly takes on the most daunting artistic projects and outdoes herself every time. I... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/18671693/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/18671693/ Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:37:27 PDT Latest News

I've got a quick couple of commissions and art gifts to do during the month of June, although they shouldn't take all of my art time away from "Bare Necessities." I'm working on one of them right now, and I should post it some time this weekend. Then the chapter will proceed.

I'm working on "Bare Necessities" pages 27 - 30 now. The chapter should be wrapped up in mid-July, and I plan on working on the next chapter right after that. The next one will be called "Coils of Fate," and it should be pretty short--more like "Rats" and "Plot" than "Fair Harvest" and "Vision Impaired." The first week of July will be taken up by another giant wall mural project, but it shouldn't take as much time as the last one. [link]

I'm thinking about retitling this section "Re-found," since the deviants whose works I post here have all been in my watch for some time, slightly overlooked in the hustle and bustle of my life. ~odavis has a masterful approach with colored pencil--his drawings capture some of the qualities of Degas' colorful Impressionism and Da Vinci's good old "chiaroscuro" shading technique. The women he pictures are captured beautifully (Freudian Slip, maybe? ). He does some wonderful hat-tipping toward Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Edward Hopper, and others. Check out the thumbnails below to see what I mean.
Then go pay his gallery a visit.

Years ago, I had an uncle who lived far away but who would show up every now and then and tease me mercilessly. He sang songs like "I'd Rather Be a Mugwump Than a Jeffery," and "Jeff's Got a Boogie Hanging From His Nose." Although it angered and frustrated me to no end, it was also quite flattering--none of my siblings got this kind of attention from him. And, beyond that, it soon became apparent that he and I shared another interest/passion alone in our family: Art. My Uncle was the only person I knew personally who could draw better than I could. He encouraged me to push and follow the art when many others were discouraging. Now, of course, I know lots of people who can outdraw me, especially here on DA, but my uncle's work continues to astound and inspire me. He has been a fantastic friend to me since I was just a little tyke, and now that I'm a bigger tyke, I count him as one of my closest, dearest friends. He has mastered scratchboard, though you won't find it in his DA gallery. He prefers pastels, and loves Impressionism in the style of Degas (maybe that's the theme here today), although other influences are there, including Cezanne, Gaugin, and even Van Gogh, with perhaps a little Fauvism thrown in here and there. Uncle, you're tops.
Check out his stuff.

http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/18317415/ Wed, 14 May 2008 08:34:01 PDT Latest News

I'm thinking about retitling this section "Re-found," since the deviants whose works I post here have all been in my watch for some time, overlooked in the hustle and bustle of my life. ~atomsanddust does some amazing work with color and texture, her drawings show confidence and patience and a strong imagination. Check out the thumbnails below to see what I mean.
Then go pay her gallery a visit.

I have known John, a.k.a. *john33 for about 30 years. We played "kick the can" together before the neighborhood was filling up with VCRs and video game systems. I never knew he was so good at photography until just a few years ago. Frankly, I've never thought Utah was much to look at (too much sage brush), but John's photos prove me utterly wrong each time he posts something new. My wife favorites more of his work than she does of mine...
Check out his stuff.

The quickest, easiest way is to buy a print on DA (see below). Or, if prints aren't your thing, you can purchase my self-published book called Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows. See the next section for more about it. Beyond that, I’ve been published in a few books, including Sword and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics by Bryan Baugh, and A Life of Ravens by Alex Ness. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.com, and are full of awesome artwork and writing by some very talented people.

It’s been two years now that I’ve been on DeviantArt, and I’m still very happy to be here. To commemorate the event, I have another new avatar… Yes, I’ll probably make a tradition out of the annual “new avatar” thing.
Art is flowing steady again, for the time being. My “ Predator” fan-art piece is only half-done, and it’s going to stay that way until the next chapter or two of “Demon’s Due” is finished and posted. Chapter Five: Bare Necessities is well-underway, with pages 06, 07, and 08 currently on the drawing boards and nearing completion. I must thank the stock models who have provided some great tailor-made images to me for the project. They make it much easier, more fun, and give the whole thing a lot more depth than it would otherwise have. Thanks!
On a side note, I actually completed two commissions in the last few weeks (both for family members), and it was nice to be able to do that without a ton of confusion and resentment.

“Bare Necessities” is all I’m thinking about at the moment. If the chapter proceeds at its current pace and I can finish it up quickly, I’ll probably continue right on through the next one as well, pushing into mid-June before taking a break to do anything else of note. And I have lots of other things I want to do, including finishing up a bunch of the “On A Leash” paintings and doing a few more ink drawings. But “Demon’s Due” is where I’m at for now.

I actually added this deviant to my watch some time ago, but why I did that has really become apparent with some of her recent works. Her black and white compositions feel very familiar and appealing to me, and her impressions of mythological subject matter are quite enjoyable. She’s skilled with lots of traditional media (include crafts!), but definitely with ink and graphite.
Check out *IT-Hammar

Gordon, a.k.a. *dashinvaine is smart, skilled, prolific, and he prefers subject matter that is very appealing to me. He was one of the first people I got to know on DA (two years ago), and he’s given great feedback and insight since that time, as well as putting up lots of good stuff. I recently rediscovered his gallery and found it even more enjoyable than I previously thought. He’s also the founder and admin of the dA group: ~CollectiveFable
Check out his stuff.

http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/17776178/ Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:09:41 PDT Latest News

The past month has been full of things, but very little art. I did learn that a fantasy war game featuring some of my art is due to come out soon, and I’m pretty thrilled to see that. The game, named “Bellicose,” was designed in large part by a few of my former math students, some of whom are good artists in their own right. I’m proud of their accomplishment, excited to see this long-term project realized, and flattered that they’ve included me as much as they have. One of them is here on DA, with samples of his art on display. Check out Aaron’s stuff here: [link] . Way to go, guys!

I’ve got three projects currently in the works. The first is the final page of “Vision Impaired,” due out later today. Yes, I know. It’s about time. The second is a bit of “ Predator” fan art—I’m not a big fan of the movies, actually, but the image popped, and it was different from my normal fare, so I jumped at the chance to draw it. The third is the next chapter installment or two of “Demon’s Due.” Again, it’s about time. I’ve got two months to push through this thing, and the creative surge is just spilling over. So, for those who have been patiently (or “im-“ ) waiting, I appreciate you hanging in there. To those stock models who have all-but-given up hope of seeing their selfless and creative work ever amount to any real drawings in this project, I can only say, “Thanks for sticking around. It’ll all happen.” I will also say that, as I am wont to do, the story as I’ve outlined it previously is likely to change significantly as I draw it, so who knows what’s really going to happen?

I’ve always wanted to feature some of the dA art I like, and while I probably could have done it earlier, I told myself I’d do it as soon as I could get the CSS up and running. Well, I never did. In fact, it took my wife going through it to make sense of the whole thing, bless her heart. Regardless, here’s a find I made relatively recently. His art is enigmatic and creepy, with a heavy and powerful mood to it that I find quite impressive.
Check out ~panshadow

Scott Vaughn, a.k.a. “ *DocRedfield “ has been a long-term acquaintance, friend, and support here on dA, and he has highlighted my work so many times I’d be a real cad not to feature him. And, for those who like my rather kinky view of things, his artwork definitely shares a common ground. He’s versatile, too, with a wide range of interests that show up in his art. Above all, I must say that he’s an engaging and charismatic guy, with great style in clothing. And, lest we forget, he’s the founder and admin of my favorite dA group: *monstersandmaidens
Check out his stuff. http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/16543980/ Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:35:35 PST


I must thank everyone for checking out my art and leaving your gestures of approval, through comments, favorites, features, questions, and so forth. It took me 13 months to hit 100,000 views, but I hit 200,000 in just 8 months--my wife actually logged on and snatched the 200Kth view. Compared to some, 200K's a pittance, I know, but I'm quite pleased with my involvement here on DA. It makes me wonder what life was like before I had all of these people checking out my creations and commenting about how much they were shocking, odd, fun, wrong, annoying, missing-the-boat, disappointing, and whatnot. My life is definitely a richer place for that. And I've met so many very nice and cool people with great talent, insights, opinions, and skills in the field of art and creativity that I feel quite indebted to DA and a very long list of "Deviants."

Thanks, all!

I foresee having some drawing time at this Phoenix Comics Convention ( *DocRedfield and I are sharing a booth--stop by and say hi if you're around! [link] ), and I've got some long-promised projects in the works, including these four ink-drawings:

1. The long-awaited follow-up image to "The Mouse Trap."
2. My entry in the "Dragon's Domain" contest of *monstersandmaidens .
and
3. A picture inspired by the movie fanart drawings of *BryanBaugh , "A Gift for Groap."
4. A glimpse at a very influential string-puller soon to be making an appearance in the "Demon's Due" series, pictured in "The Pillars of Pain."

After that, we're looking at another week or two of waiting for "Demon's Due" to resume--I'm working on pages 8-12 of what I need to get done.

Thanks again! I'll return to the normal journal entry when I return, hopefully with an update.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15997740/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15997740/ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:40:29 PST Update Item #3. I'm working on the seventh, eighth, and ninth spoiler pages, but my scanner's not working. So, I'm struggling to post drawings here and on the spoiler group for a little bit. I'll try and post other things while I'm waiting, like Centaur Roundup 2. [link] In other news, early January has seen a nice little jaunt into "Errand Hell," which is one of my favorite places to visit... This "vacation" has sapped up a lot of my drawing time, leaving me to pass the little breaks by doing things like "Digital Doodling 01," so all is not a total loss.


Regardless, I will be in Phoenix, AZ with *DocRedfield for the comic convention going on there the weekend of January 25th. If any of you are going to be there, stop by the Vaughn-Media booth and say, "Hello!"

That's it for this update, I'm afraid, although I will post some more of these doodlings if people really want to see them.


Okay, friends, here's the scoop.

I have completed the first two "out-of-sync" pages for "Web of Eyes" and begun posting them online at a different location. In my projected storyline, these are about 1.5 chapters ahead of the end of "Vision Impaired."

My decision to do this is based on a couple of things.

1. The poll results were too evenly divided between the "spoiler crowd" (49%) and the "story crowd" (45%) for me to ignore either. A number of people suggested I post these spoiler pages in my scraps or at another online location, which I thought I'd try.

2. The models in question have waited a long time to see themselves showing up in this, and since they already know many of the spoilers, I need a place to give them an encouraging "peek."

So, if you want to see these pages before I post them on DA, you'll need to access the "demonsduespoilers" group in Yahoo Groups. [link]

(I believe I've it set up so that you have to register with Yahoo in order to see the pages--which is a very simple thing to do.)



Now I'm going to make a few requests of folks who are checking that stuff out.

1. Please send me comments and questions when you have them, either here on a DA Note, or in the messages on the group site (email: demonsduespoilers@yahoogroups.com ).

2. Try not to spoil things for the "story" crowd by spreading the news around too much--some of what you see might be kind of shocking in the storyline...



Finally, What is my time-frame for posting these pages and then getting the "story" crowd caught up on it all? Well, once I get about half of these 30 "out of sync" pages done, I'll start alternating between them and the ACTUAL pages. That should be sometime in January, I think, but it will probably get pushed back a bit to finish up an oil painting or two, and do a few more Black Canvas II pages and some works for artist groups I belong to here on DA. So, let's say that by the end of January I should be ready to resume the actual storyline (and I'll have a number of the future pages already finished). In addition, there are a couple other stock models whose appearance is well overdue at this point, and I want to encourage them as well with some pictures that offer sneak peeks of what's to come (I've got an oil painting or two in mind of the Harbinger, the Sorceress, the Iron Wagon, and the Big Guy himself--you know who you all are...).



My thanks to everyone for participating in that poll. It was enlightening for me in several ways. I'll put up a more normal journal entry in a few days after folks have digested this one (assuming anyone actually reads all of this gobbledeegook... ).

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15539613/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15539613/ Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:28:38 PST [link]

Essentially, I will be attending some themed conventions in the Winter and early Spring for which I want two sequences of "Demon's Due" complete and ready for display (and possible sale as prints). These sequences are from the "Web of Eyes" and "Chain of Events" chapters--the stock models in question will recognize the images I'm intending to use.

Displaying these images will mean putting up some major spoilers for the "Demon's Due" storyline, and before I go doing that, I'd like to know what you think about it. Regardless, I will continue to finish and post the "On A Leash" paintings while I work on these Demon's Due images, along with some of the other projects in my "Black Canvas II" and "Odds and Ends" categories.

Let me know what you think, first by poll, and second by comment there or here if you feel inclined. Thanks a ton!

Current Projects

"On A Leash" This is a series of oil paintings I started almost two years ago and with which I introduced myself to DA, but I abandoned it soon thereafter because of family health concerns. Now I'm taking some time to get back into it with a vengeance, finishing up some old ones and doing some new ones. Ultimately, I really hope to see these published/printed in some kind of collection, but there'll have to be a few more of them first. I expect to continue with these paintings through October and November, and finish up the current push in them in early December. If you want to know more about this series, you should check out the individual pieces and read the comments with each--I've organized my gallery with an "On A Leash" category, so you can see them all there. (Beware: Nudity) [link]

"Demon's Due" This forms the bulk of my DA gallery, a storyline that I started work on four years ago and just recently started hammering out with more dedication. The long ordeal of moving house really put a wrench in the gears of this machine, but I'm getting back into it now, finishing up the current chapter, "Vision Impaired." If you want to know more about this series, you should read the journal entry I have on it [link] , and/or start viewing and following the links on the four chapters, arranged by category in my gallery. (Beware: Nudity)
Rats in the Cellar Twisted Plot Fair Harvest Vision Impaired

"Black Canvas II" This is the follow-up to the first collection of 46 pen-and-ink drawings I put together a few years ago. [link] I sell Black Canvas I books online (note me if you're interested). Slowly, but surely, I am producing more images to eventually put together into a sequel. These are all pen and ink, some of which are done as part of other projects but which still find their way into this one. Currently, I'm about a third of the way there.

"Odds and Ends" Basically, this is everything else besides the first three, although some of these will definitely show up in Black Canvas II . Included in this is a 16'x12' wall mural [link] , drawings done for DocRedfield's *monstersandmaidens contests (those are great fun!), drawings for two stories running in the ~CollectiveFable project headed up by Dashinvaine, and portraits here and there for good folks like Dyun in her ~ArtistPortraits project. Other things that have been a real cool opportunity are working with Bob =giadrosich on the Life of Ravens book (on sale at Amazon.com --> [link] ), and with *BryanBaugh on a Swords and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15185249/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/15185249/ Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:10:32 PDT
Current Projects

"On A Leash" This is a series of oil paintings I started almost two years ago and with which I introduced myself to DA, but I abandoned it soon thereafter because of family health concerns. Now I'm taking some time to get back into it with a vengeance, finishing up some old ones and doing some new ones. Ultimately, I really hope to see these published/printed in some kind of collection, but there'll have to be a few more of them first. I expect to continue with these paintings through October and November, and finish up the current push in them in early December. If you want to know more about this series, you should check out the individual pieces and read the comments with each. (Beware: Nudity) [link] [link] [link] [link] [link] [link]

"Demon's Due" This forms the bulk of my DA gallery, a storyline that I started work on four years ago and just recently started hammering out with more dedication. The long ordeal of moving house really put a wrench in the gears of this machine, but I'm getting back into it now, finishing up the current chapter, "Vision Impaired." If you want to know more about this series, you should read the journal entry I have on it [link] , and/or start viewing and following the links on "Rats in the Cellar, Page 1." [link]

"Black Canvas II" This is the follow-up to the first collection of 46 pen-and-ink drawings I put together a few years ago. [link] I sell Black Canvas I books online (note me if you're interested). Slowly, but surely, I am producing more images to eventually put together into a sequel. These are all pen and ink, some of which are done as part of other projects but which still find their way into this one. Currently, I'm about a third of the way there.

"Odds and Ends" Basically, this is everything else besides the first two. Included in this is a 16'x12' wall mural [link] , drawings done for DocRedfield's *monstersandmaidens contests (those are great fun!), drawings for two stories running in the *CollectiveFable project headed up by Dashinvaine, and portraits here and there for good folks like Dyun in her ~ArtistPortraits project. Other things that have been a real cool opportunity are working with Bob =giadrosich on the Life of Ravens book (on sale at Amazon.com --> [link] ), and with *BryanBaugh on a Swords and Sorcery: How to Draw Fantastic Fantasy Adventure Comics book (also on sale at Amazon.com --> [link] ).

Good Heavens, this community is full of cool people! And it's full of amazing artists and fabulous works! I have tried to pick up prints of the pieces I highly admire and to hang them in my house. My compliments and thanks to these artists for such displays of skill and such diverse and inspiring images. To this date, here they are in my now-permanent journal feature.

Prints I've Purchased

*faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/14591585/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/14591585/ Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:26:28 PDT
We're almost done with the move, folks. What an ordeal. It's beyond profanity, really. I just don't have the words for it.



Prints I’ve Purchased

I’ve made use of my DA friends’ works to decorate my new home. My compliments and thanks to them for such displays of skill and such diverse and inspiring images. These are the prints I’ve purchased to date.

by
and by
by
by
by
(Okay, actually, this fantastic artist gave me the original… )

and and by
(Okay, actually Doc gave me a print of the last one… )

and *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13837218/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13837218/ Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:14:14 PDT How To Make Faile35 Happy
I just changed my feature deviation to "Kalkin on the Battlefield"
because a very good friend of mine wrote a short piece of narrative fiction to go with that picture.

Want to make me happy? Go read the well-written short story (about 4800 words) and give him some positive and constructive feedbacks/comments on it.
Here's the thumbnail for the story!

Thanks to all you friends of mine who take the time.

Where Did I Go?

Wait, didn't I just recently say that "Vision Impaired" should cruise along at a fairly consistent rate for the next few weeks? Well, yes, I did, and "Zero Pages Per Day" is pretty consistent, isn't it...?

San Diego Comic Con
I'm going to be there at the Wednesday night preview, and on Thursday and Friday. I think I'll check in with Bob =giadrosich at his Sharayah Press booth (and get the A Life of Ravens book), get to meet with *DocRedfield and ~tnkrbll and maybe another DA friend or two (I hope). I won't be checking in on DA during that time, though, so you'll hear/see nothing from me from Tuesday to Saturday, and when I get back, it'll be time to be...

Moving House

Okay, at long last, the specter of moving out of this old house into a new one has risen into the daylight of my life and lashed out with a vengeance. We've been preparing for it, putting it off, working to make it occur sooner, trying not to get too discouraged with the delays, and basically finding ourselves in that Purgatory of Uncertainty that we despise so much as we realized there was not a damn thing we could do other than wait for the builders to finish our new home.

And they haven't, still. However, the buyers of our current home need to move in. And that means we get to move twice.


No, I'm not thrilled. Especially since I am the kind of guy who doesn't like to ask folks to help--I feel that there are invisible strings attached in my community when something like that happens, and I'd rather not let those strings find purchase in the first place than to snip them with scissors later on. So, we're doing it all ourselves, though we do have a little help from some very good friends, and my dad. I really don't mind doing it ourselves, but it does mean that I'm not drawing right now. We'll be moved into a temporary home in another eight days--I'm heading to the San Diego Comic Convention this week, and when I return home, we'll finish the last bit and get the hell out of here.

I am not certain how long we'll be living/waiting in the next place before we get into our new house, but I think I'll probably take advantage o... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13614378/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13614378/ Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:29:46 PDT

"Demon's Due" is a dark fantasy story set in an imaginary world somewhat like Medieval Europe. Unlike Medieval Europe, however, most of the prominent roles are taken by women. Why? Because it's my story, and I like to draw women far more than I like to draw men. I am a man, after all, so, "alternative lifestyles" notwithstanding, that should come as no surprise to anyone.

"Demon's Due" is about a group of women struggling for and/or against each other and "the law," sometimes with the aid of male characters and sometimes in spite of it. Sexuality is a subject that comes up fairly regularly (in the form of nudity, intimacy, allusions, and as a plot device), and therefore "Demon's Due" has lots of adult themes and images, some of which could be offensive. So be cautioned before you go diving into it. Also, all of the characters represented in the nude are at least 18 years of age (in reality, and in the context of the story). Let me clarify here and now that, other than a few nicks and scratches and rope burns, no female character will be physically harmed in this storyline--the idea of a woman in real physical pain and peril sickens me, so the story is limited to bondage and nudity, and psychological peril (and there is plenty of that). Obviously, since this is DA, there will be no graphic sex, even if some sexual activity is implied beneath the covers.

"Demon's Due" is broken up into chapters, of which there will be 10 - 12. All told, the entire story will be pushing 350 pages when complete. Currently, I have about 270 of them done. At this time, the chapters are titled and ordered as follows:


Chapter One: Rats in the Cellar (31 pages)



Chapter Two: Twisted Plot (34 pages)



Chapter Three: Fair Harvest (58 pages)



Chapter Four: Vision Impaired (49 pages)



Chapter Five: Bare Necessities (98 pages)



Chapter Six: Catcall (18+ pages)


Chapter Seven: Coils of Fate
(Coming Soon)
Chapter Eight: Chain of Events*
(Coming Fairly Soon)
Chapter Nine: The Iron Wagon*
(Coming Later)
Chapters Ten - Eleven: Titles and Order are still uncertain, although a few names, characters, and events are decided, including "Web of Betrayal," and "Pillars of Pain."

*I suspect this is the right order for these chapters, but I'm not sure. They will each focus on one heroine and her specific stock model's work, but they will involve images from several different models.

I have used other non-DA photos and images for references for faces and body parts and such in several of the pictures in the first two chapters, while in Chapter... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13402702/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13402702/ Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:18:08 PDT
NO SPOILERS YET.
How do Zirena's visionary trances work? They are triggered when an important or familiar object stimulates all five of her senses in quick succession. Zirena will slip into a trance and “see” a cryptic series of images. Zirena can't choose to have a vision—they only occur when there is something that needs to be “seen.” Usually, what she sees is accurate and pretty bad. She does not like these visionary trances because she thinks once she sees something that it must come to pass.

SPOILERS AHEAD!
A couple of years ago in "Demon's Due," the city of Dernhem saw a rise in criminal activities. High Lady Drea and her aides feared that a spy was involved. Rumors said that Madame Zirena the Seeress was making lots of money from the corrupt elements of town. The Magistrate sent her shrewd and trusted agent, Luther, to investigate Madame Zirena for a possible connection to the trouble.

Within a few days, Luther determined that Zirena was mostly a fake, using costuming, light shows, and theatrics to impress her customers into thinking that she was doing something mystical, when in reality she was only giving them good, insightful answers that were too general to be of any specific assistance. He came to admire her creativity, mystery, and beauty, and he convinced the Magistrate that even if her efforts were being sought out by the criminal element, the Seeress did, in fact, perform some service for the innocent people who came to her. Thus, he convinced the Magistrate not to hold Zirena responsible for violating the law against "bearing false witness."

The Magistrate then ordered Luther to get Zirena's help in tracking down criminals. He recognized that Zirena was very close to the criminal world, and he worried for her safety. While he made use of her insight and wisdom and occasional trances, he tried to protect her as well. Over the next few months, their combined efforts rooted out thieves, thugs, and corrupt merchants. The more dangerous criminals were forced deeper underground.

In that time, Luther and Zirena fell in love. They both knew it would be complicated if they ever confessed their feelings and so kept silent. Their love grew during the year they collaborated until admitting their love aloud became a matter of fear and subtle dread.

I'M NOT KIDDING HERE: REAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

One year ago, their hidden passions erupted in a single, desperate night. During their intimacy, Zirena's senses were "activated" by her lover, and she slipped into a visionary trance. What she saw was disturbing, and the details that she mindlessly related while in the trance provided an important breakthrough in tracking an elusive assassin. When Zirena came to, Luther pressed her for details, but fear of the things she had seen prompted her to keep much of it to herself. Being a shrewd observer, Luther suspected her visions were triggered by proximity to an important object, but he mistakenly believed that the object in question this time was a perfume-laced letter he had recovered from a crime scene, instead of himself.

HOLY CRAP!! THE SPOILERS IN THIS NEXT SECTION WILL RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE!!!!

In her vision, Zirena saw Luther get stabbed and badly slashed by the shadowy assassin. The vision also included a clue to where the killer in question would be found, and Luther figured out that clue from Zirena's words--the courtesan named Annalae ("Anna" for short) was apparently going to be the next victim. Zirena begged Luther not to go, but his directive from the Magistrate sent him off anyway. Luther tracked the killer to the courtesan's "home" in the city, and inside the lair he found a handkerchief that he had seen in Zirena's possession shortly before. Luther took the handkerchief, while the assassin snuck up behind him in the dark. He turned and avoided being stabbed in the back, but the killer slashed him on the face, giving him the scar he wears on his left brow and cheek. He fought the black killer off, receiving several other wounds in the process. When the city watch showed up the killer fled. By that time, Luther was almost unconscious from loss of blood. Annalae the Courtesan disappeared from city life, and the assassin's trail vanished.

In his delirious recovery, Luther mumbled things about Zirena working against the Magistrate, and the High Lady Drea had the Seeress brought in for trial. There was no evidence to convict her for the crime against Luther so the High Lady Drea decided to imprison her for fraud. Healing from his wounds, Luther interceded out of love for the Seeress, privatel... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13294932/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/13294932/ Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:42:33 PDT
In the past week, we've had an anniversary (love you, Sweetie ), a birthday, a two-day swim meet (in which my wife and I were the official timer and scorer), a host of parties, two bouts with illness, and some good and necessary long talks with important people. This coming week we're heading to Denver, CO for a family wedding, and we'll be there for a few days. It's been all I could do to put together a couple of pages for "Demon's Due" (one of which was just an Upcoming Character Sketch [link] ), and to get myself to a safe plateau with digital art ( [link] ). Finally, although I've tried to respond here and there to comments, notes, and deviations posted by wonderful people, I'm over 200 behind now.

The Bottom Line: Art and DA are taking a hit.

If I rage against the machine and fight the trend, I'm only going to cause pain and trouble for the family and everyone else around me, so I'll just back off until after Denver. Things will go more smoothly for everyone, and I won't feel the pressure so badly.

I will post another picture from the book Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows tomorrow, so there's something new to gaze at. And I am going to put up a sketch or two of other upcoming characters for "Demon's Due" in the next week (even one from Denver, I think).

Regardless, I'll resume seriously when the pressures abate in another week or so, and I'll respond to comments in the meantime, too. So, hang in there.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12784913/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12784913/ Sun, 27 May 2007 21:05:33 PDT


"Vision Impaired," the new chapter series, has started ( [link] ), and as it begins I just want to say that I am quite pleased to be working with a group of cool stock models who have shared cool visions and ideas with me about the future of "Demon's Due."

I need to clarify this somewhere, so I can refer people to an explanation rather than repeating myself many times in comments. The story I am illustrating is called "Demon's Due." It is broken up into chapters, of which there will be roughly 10 or 11. At this time, the chapters are titled as follows:

Chapter One: Rats in the Cellar. [link]
Chapter Two: Twisted Plot. [link]
Chapter Three: Fair Harvest. [link]
Chapter Four: Vision Impaired. [link]
Chapters Five - Eleven: (Titles and Order are still uncertain, although a few names, characters, and events are decided, including "Chain of Events," "Web of Betrayal," "The Iron Wagon," and "Pillars of Pain".)

All told, the entire story will be pushing 300 pages when completed. Currently, I have about 140 of them done. DA Stock models whose images have shown up in the storyline include Natalie Paquette (a.k.a. "fetishfaerie-stock"), Emily Eshelman (a.k.a. "Whitefeather"), Rachel Jacobi, and Adeline Debaire (a.k.a. "perditax31").

and

I have used other non-DA photos and images for references for faces and body parts and such in several of the pictures in the first two chapters, while in Chapter Three the use of DA Stock Models begins to take over. Also, my wife has suggested that the Hellbinder [link] appears to have been based upon myself--I think she's referring to the way the wings resemble my hair when it's not trained and contained with a hairnet... And, numerous people have offered suggestions about the costumes and look of the characters involved, but elle-chan has gone above and beyond the call of duty and REALLY helped me out with the costumes, particularly that of Madame Zirena, for the time being. Thanks, Michelle!


"Demon's Due" has lots of adult themes and images, some of which could be offensive, so be cautioned before you go diving into it. Also, all of the characters represented in the nude are at least 18 years of age (in reality, and in the context of the story). Still, someone might be offended, so consider yourselves warned. Let me clarify here and now that, other than a few nicks and scratches and rope burns, no female character will be physically harmed in this storyline--the idea... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12444039/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12444039/ Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:13:46 PDT

April 3, 2007
Tomorrow morning at around 10:00 am my time, I will forego all other projects and responsibilities (including some sleeping and some eating) and embark on a "do or die" project, commissioned by the local high school swim-team coach.

Essentially, in as few hours as possible, I'll put
this on this wall

The section of wall that will be covered by the mural is currently covered by the center-two columns of sound-absorbing "baffles" (those squarish brick-things).

Here's the schedule.
At 10 am on Wednesday, the scaffolding will arrive, and I will be there to set it up (that way I know what I'm working on and exactly how sturdy it is...). Next, the baffles will come off, and the holes to which they are linked will be filled with latex caulk (which I need to go purchase today). Then the entire surface will be cleaned and dried (well, within reason--it IS a chlorinated indoor pool, after all). Finally, I hope to mask it and block in the basic shapes using the gridwork of the bricks as my guideline--something The Man (Michelangelo) didn't have, not to mention a flat surface on which to paint. Hopefully, by the time I come home late tomorrow night (by midnight, if all goes really well), I'll have all of that done and be ready to start applying paint.

Somewhere between 5 and 7 am on Thursday, I will get up on the scaffolding with my rollers, brushes, extensions, and $260 of quarts of paint and begin laying down some basic color schemes. The objective here will be to cover the entire section of the wall in some color close to what it should be in the final. I've painted homes and murals before, but I'm just hoping that within 5-8 hours that portion of the project will be completely done. Generally, I find that no matter how long I spend laying down the basic colors, it usually takes me 2-3 times that to complete the work from that point on.

That means that, best-case scenario, I'll spend all day Thursday and about half of Friday putting this monster together. Worst-case scenario (apart from that tragic potential of me falling off the scaffolding and into the pool, with the scaffold coming down on top of me and crushing and drowning me at the same time, and why not throw in some kind of electrocution by submerged power-tools to boot...), we're looking at all day Thursday, all day Friday, and all day Saturday, and possibly some time after that, too.

Finally, when the paint is all done and dried, I will apply the protective coat over it with rollers, and then a second coat, which should take me a couple more hours. And after that, it's merely a matter of cleaning up the work space and taking down the scaffolding.

So, what this means (if there is anyone out there who has been able to stave off that horrible sense of boredom and lethargy and actually reach this point in my projection) is that I have no idea what my online hours are going to be like for the next 4-6 days. And, before anyone asks--yes, I'm getting paid for this, although it is not as much as I could ask. I used to teach at this high school (mathematics and Art History), and so the 12' x 12' mural will be somewhat of a legacy for me to leave behind. And before anyone asks further--yes, I tried to figure out a way to get the female swimmers tied up in the mural and the male swimmers being consumed by some monstrous tentacled creature, but I just couldn't get it to work out, I'm afraid.

And, yes, the mural design is mine. *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12290630/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12290630/ Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:35:31 PDT

Well, it may look like I'm featuring my own stuff here, but I'm really just summing up the awesome input that Natalie Paquette (a.k.a. fetishfaerie) has provided for me to use in drawing the character of Callista. Here are a few of the more recognizable ones from her stock account, which is packed full of good stuff.


= [link]

= [link]

= [link]

= [link]

= [link]

= [link]

=

= [link]

= [link]

= AND http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12114210/ Fri, 09 Mar 2007 04:54:45 PST
1. Print Requests. I want to know which pieces from my gallery the dear dA folks want to see available as a print? I've already posted this and received some response, so don't feel you need to repeat yourself--I've kept a tally on what has already been said.

2. Female Stock Models. I want to work with a couple of stock models who are interested in having their face (at least) appear in the "Demon's Due" storyline (so far its three chapters are "Rats in the Cellar," "Twisted Plot," and "Fair Harvest," all of which are in my gallery). If you're interested, you must fill the following qualifications: (1) You are female, (2) you are 18+ years old, (3) you don't mind your image being involved in and associated with the kind of stuff this series involves, and (4) you have or can produce a significant variety and series of facial photographs and expressions. If you're interested, please Note me! I've had four parties express interest at this point, and I will look into their work and respond soon, but I'd like to get a few more options before I go committing anything to anyone. Thanks!

Finally, if you're interested in the Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows book of 46 of my ink drawings, send me a note. Here's what's in it.


Thanks, all!

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12069479/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12069479/ Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:15:05 PST
I probably won't respond to comments on this entry, either. Instead, I'll put my "Prints for Sale? House, too?" journal back up in a day or so, and Page46 within the next few minutes.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12018393/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/12018393/ Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:11:50 PST

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11854868/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11854868/ Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:34:41 PST
Of which of my works would you buy a print?

If I get enough response from this, I'll put up a bunch and see how it goes.

And if you're interested in the Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows book of 46 of my ink drawings, send me a note. Here's what's in it.

Finally, I'm in the process of selling/buying a home, so I'm a bit flighty in my responses at the moment, as well as in posting "Fair Harvest." Sorry for that, but it'll all show up over the next couple of weeks.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11556798/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11556798/ Sat, 03 Feb 2007 14:27:56 PST

Ugh. Folks, I guess it's my turn to be a bit under the weather. My family's been doing pretty well lately, but I've just had a killer headache today. I don't get headaches--I think I could count on two hands the number of times I've had a headache in my life, in fact, and on most of those occasions it was the precursor to something more seriously damaging, like chicken pox, a tri-systemic infection, or Junior High School...

I was going to post Page27 today, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow (hopefully)--I've got to scan it and such, and looking at the screen isn't doing good things for my eye-sockets. Sorry to those who are caught up in Valerin's, Avora's, and Deirdre's situation and were faithfully looking for today's installment. I promise that the last 16 pages of the chapter will provide you with the best "Fair Harvest" has to offer (well, if you like women struggling in chains and cages and the sight of gremlins being thrown around like kindling).

And my apologies to all those who have given me such wonderful comments on the last few pages. You guys are great! Hang in there--I'll respond.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11288046/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11288046/ Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:28:03 PST Art Book Auction Available on Request
by Jeff Fairbourn (back to the usual journal entry...)

I don't want to keep paying for an auction unless I know someone is looking for a book--more than the money being an issue, it's the time to set each auction up. So, here's how it'll work. You send me a note here at DA telling me you want to buy one, and I'll set the eBay auction up for "Buy It Now" at $12.50 U.S. plus shipping and handling to your destination, and you can have it all done that quickly.

For those of you who haven't read the last journal entry, here's the scoop. Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows is a 96-page book containing high-quality prints of 45 of my pen and ink drawings, and I'm selling it on eBay. If you're interested, just go to eBay [link] , type my name ("Jeff Fairbourn") in the search field, and it'll come up.

If you want to know what's in it, check out this deviation
Out of 1,000 books, I'm down to about 900 left. For those of you who have read the last journal entry, pardon this intrusion. It's not re-advertising as much as it is trying to get a system set up right. Sorry. Just ignore me and move on.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11231229/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/11231229/ Fri, 29 Dec 2006 22:08:47 PST )

A week ago, my wife and I packed the kids in the minivan and headed for Denver, Colorado to spend Christmas with her parents. Denver had just been pasted with one of the biggest snowstorms in their history--enough to shut down Denver International Airport and strand thousands of people there for the holidays. Since we were not pressed for time, we watched for an opening in the weather and made the trip in a beautiful, sunny window. Then we decided that we would watch for a similar window anytime in the latter portion of this week to return home.

Which is when another huge snowstorm blows in from the southwest and pastes Denver again. The highways are closing and opening erratically, and it's not looking good for getting back home any time soon. We're holding out for tomorrow (Saturday), but the way the satellite maps seem to keep magically producing clouds over Colorado, it may be Sunday or Monday before we get home.

So, we make the best of it. The kids are enjoying the time with their cousins, and the wife is enjoying the time off with her family, and I have all-but-completed another ink drawing as a Christmas present for a very special best friend of mine. I can't scan it here, however. I have a ton of comments on my gallery that I need to respond to, but I've held off because typing on this (my In-Laws') computer is not comfortable for me. I have the next few pages of "Fair Harvest" sitting at home, waiting to be polished, signed, scanned, and posted, so that's going to have to wait a bit, but I have some paper and pens here with me and I'll see if I can put a new Page08 together to post today.

So, that's where we stand/sit. My In-Laws are very nice folks, and not hard to get along with at all, so it's not bad, really. I am starting to feel a bit like a caged beast, though, which most likely means that as soon as I am let out, I'll take it out with a vengeance on the poor female victims of "Fair Harvest"...

Regardless, whatever holiday/celebration you are observing this season, I hope it is enjoyable.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10962832/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10962832/ Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:34:03 PST Art Book Auction Available on Request
by Jeff Fairbourn (back to the usual journal entry...)

I don't want to keep paying for an auction unless I know someone is looking for a book--more than the money being an issue, it's the time to set each auction up. So, here's how it'll work. You send me a note here at DA telling me you want to buy one, and I'll set the eBay auction up for "Buy It Now" at $12.50 U.S. plus shipping and handling to your destination, and you can have it all done that quickly.

For those of you who haven't read the last journal entry, here's the scoop. Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows is a 96-page book containing high-quality prints of 45 of my pen and ink drawings, and I'm selling it on eBay. If you're interested, just go to eBay [link] , type my name ("Jeff Fairbourn") in the search field, and it'll come up.

If you want to know what's in it, check out this deviation, here .

Out of 1,000 books, I'm down to about 900 left. For those of you who have read the last journal entry, pardon this intrusion. It's not re-advertising as much as it is trying to get a system set up right. Sorry. Just ignore me and move on.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10871343/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10871343/ Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:06:47 PST
I needed a new journal entry, and I keep reading these journal entries and comments about this copyright-violation issue. Don't get me wrong: I think it's important. If not, I wouldn't be writing this. Essentially, I'm just spitting out my understanding of it, and welcoming whatever anyone wants to share in this regard.

I must say that here I'm talking almost entirely about using a photographic reference to produce a drawing or painting.

"Simply" put, Copyright Law (U.S. and/or International) is FULL of gray area. This means any judgment about whether or not any drawn/painted/sculpted image done using a photo reference violates the Fair Use idea is largely open to the interpretation of whatever judge/jury happens to be sitting on any particular court case. Such issues as "purpose/motivation" and "amount of original used" and "marketing competition" play a huge role in such decisions, apparently.

However, looking at the artworks of people like Luis Royo ( here's a sample which I can BARELY say has "no nudity" ), I see supermodels and actresses and pornstars (not that I'd recognize them, of course... ) wind up regularly in his pieces. Sean Connery's face is unmistakeable, as is Rebecca Romijn's. Does this make him any less "legal" of an artist than Frank Frazetta, who works much less from such reference material? Did Luis Royo get Connery's and/or Romijn's approval to use their faces in his paintings?

How the Hell should I know?

However--and I think this is where a lot of problems are occurring (please correct me if I'm wrong )--having read just a little bit on the DA policy pages, I'm finding that being a part of this community means following some rules beyond mere Copyright Law. One of those rules is that the following will be considered by deviantART to be "image theft or plagiarism": "Use of non-stock photography, poetry, or a portion of another deviation without the original author's written authorization (to be included in a zip file for download)" (boldface added).

Ah, that clears it up. And--whaddya' know?!--it's all in the Etiquette page you can easily access by scrolling all the way to the bottom of every DA page I've seen. [link] Seems pretty cut and dried to me, even if it's a bit limiting. For the record, I think there are some fantastic photographers on this site, whose deviations would be lots of fun to work from to do drawings, paintings, and whatnot. But the rules say that posting such a thing on DA canNOT be done without that deviant's knowledge and approval. No problem.

I think people often don't realize there IS a rule until they've trampled it and perhaps been warned/yelled at over it.

Okay, now that I've cleared that up in my own head, I just want to say that "Fair Harvest" has been delayed about ten days for two reasons: (1) Health and Family concerns, which are a constant and irregular regularity of my life, and (2) I'm trying to get a few other necessary art projects done so I can jump back into it, like the Artist Portrait I did [link] for the Artist Portrait project. I have Chapter Three underway, however, and it will resume shortly. Hang in there, folks!

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10526003/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10526003/ Fri, 27 Oct 2006 09:46:29 PDT Art Book Auction Available on Request
by Jeff Fairbourn

I don't want to keep paying for an auction unless I know someone is looking for a book--more than the money being an issue, it's the time to set each auction up. So, here's how it'll work. You send me a note here at DA telling me you want to buy one, and I'll set the eBay auction up for "Buy It Now" at $12.50 U.S. plus shipping and handling to your destination, and you can have it all done that quickly.

For those of you who haven't read the last journal entry, here's the scoop. Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows is a 96-page book containing high-quality prints of 45 of my pen and ink drawings, and I'm selling it on eBay. If you're interested, just go to eBay [link] , type my name ("Jeff Fairbourn") in the search field, and it'll come up.

If you want to know what's in it, check out this deviation, here .

Out of 1,000 books, I'm down to about 900 left. For those of you who have read the last journal entry, pardon this intrusion. It's not re-advertising as much as it is trying to get a system set up right. Sorry. Just ignore me and move on.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10198765/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10198765/ Tue, 17 Oct 2006 07:50:29 PDT Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows
by Jeff Fairbourn

Apparently I had to sell one more book before I could set up a multiple listing on eBay. The new listing is for "Buy It Now" at $12.50 (U.S.), plus shipping and handling. No more auctions. No more waiting. If you want to know what's in it, check out this deviation, here . If you want one, go get one.

Black Canvas I: Art from the Shadows is a 96-page book containing high-quality prints of 45 of my pen and ink drawings, and I'm selling it on eBay. If you're interested, just go to eBay [link], type my name ("Jeff Fairbourn") in the search field, and it'll come up.

I printed up a thousand of these books, and I've sold a few, but I took the website down right before joining DA and am just now resuming the sale. At this moment in time I don't have plans to print any more, and if I did, I would put different things in it, so this edition is truly "limited."

And if you got this far, thanks for humoring me.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10170719/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10170719/ Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:40:39 PDT I drew "The Mouse Trap" almost seven years ago and have bounced it off of a few eyes and minds over that time, with mixed results. Some have laughed at the amount of obsessive details and attention to each individual pocket of activity, some have laughed at the barely suppressed kinky undertones, some have laughed at her outfit ("where are the leg-warmers?"), and some have given me the "You Are Odd" look. Mostly, however, folks have liked it, and have told me so.

My thanks to DocRedfield for referring this piece, and to oedalis for selecting it.

DocRedfield knows well how to condense a picture story into a delightful panelled page (something I really struggle with), and they usually have a hot chick in them, too. He has started a new DA Group, MonstersAndMaidens , to which I planned to submit "The Mouse Trap" this week. Rules submissions are that "monsters" and "maidens" are in each piece. While I think it a stretch that mice can be considered "monsters," I think the poor girl getting strapped to the floor by them here would argue that the mice are definitely monstrous little blighters...

oedalis has a way with color, and a variety of media, including some nice comic pages in her scraps that demand further attention on my part. Here's a link to one of them .

Again, my thanks to these two folks, and to those who've commented on "The Mouse Trap." You're all great.

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10052169/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/10052169/ Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:41:46 PDT Mood: A New Hope (Plan)

You know, I've had that Rats in the Cellar stuff sitting around untouched for three years, waiting and hoping for an opportunity to show it to someone who'd appreciate it and help me finish/visualize it to its full extent. Dyun and DocRedfield have really been encouraging and helpful in their notes and comments (and pictures). I think that very soon I'll be doing some new art, some of which will even be digital, and I'll be posting new stuff again.

*heaves a sigh of relief*

It's nice to feel creative energy again, and I owe it mainly to Dyun and DocRedfield, and to my wife (God bless her), and to my uncle, freya50 who put my wife and me up for a very nice weekend at his home a short time ago.

So, I intend to put about 3-4 Rats in the Cellar pics up each week over the next few months, but since I'm already about 18 pics ahead of where I'm posting, I'm quite open and eager to hear suggestions about what kinds of things should happen to our heroine and the other characters and creatures she's "associating" with. Dyun and I were discussing the possibility of linking the Rats series with some of the other ink drawings (partial series, too) I have already posted here, including Twisted Plot , The Sorceress at Work , and Ritual Girl , to name a few. Feel free to comment, and rest assured that any suggestion made based on the types of themes my artwork normally includes will be seriously considered... Check out my gallery if you're interested.

Questions to spark your comments/suggestions:
1. What else besides gremlins is down there?
2. How extensive is that underground warren connected to the cellar?
3. Should our heroine(s) win and/or escape in the end?
4. Is there a master-planner type of villain behind the scenes, controlling gremlins and other bad guys?
5. What do the bad guys want?
6. How many pictures should there be in this story? (Right now there are 40 - 50, depending upon whether or not any of the above-named drawings are linked into it somehow).

That oughtta' do it. Though I'm grateful to those who've commented on what I've written here in the past, I don't believe for a minute that lots of people read these journal entries that I write here. But in the odd case that a few of you creative people do read this (and you know who you are... ), and you have an idea to share, let me just say thanks. "Thanks!"

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/9768698/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/9768698/ Fri, 18 Aug 2006 07:01:28 PDT Mood: Oh well...

Of necessity I had to let art go for a few months--it was a miracle I squeezed "The World Serpent" in there in between my wife's surgeries. She's getting stronger now, but it is not without some loss. I'm pleased, relieved and happy that she's feeling better and stronger, but I am sorry to say that all ideas I was formerly working on are now dead and gone. I have all of these unfinished paintings of animal-headed creatures and damsels in thrall just sitting there staring back at me with no inkling of getting finished.

Frankly, it hurts.

So, I am taking the opportunity to get into digital painting, which I have avoided for some time, but which continues to impress and improve while I continue to just get older...

I will continue to put up older pieces of art, specifically pen and ink drawings and a few more finished (or nearly finished) oil paintings I have around, while I dive into the world of Photoshop CS2, stylus, and tablet. So far I feel like a very small fish a long ways out of the water...

I am also going to work like Hell to shake myself of the habit of signing every damn one of my comments. It was a habit, people--a habit that took me .5 seconds to accomplish and served as a crutch/capstone to my saying anything to anyone. Hopefully, with time, I will be able to let the computer do such work for me...

So, for all of those who were interested in seeing the many WIPs and ideas they inspired show up as completed deviations, I am sorry it turned out this way. I can almost guarantee they won't show up, since my mind basically froths at the mouth with ideas or is silent as the grave (like right now). I hate saying, "I'm sorry," not because I don't like disappointing or being at fault (I'm quite used to that, actually), but because it seems a woefully inadequate let-down. Throwing out $50 bills would be much better...

]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/9074299/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/9074299/ Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:20:37 PDT
[link]

dashinvaine's shark-guy (in your notes).

[link]
and its follow-ups (already done and here [link] )

A WIDOW one! Thanks, Carole!
[link] and my reply.

Not counting the above ideas, and to keep track of the progress on my previous journal entry's ideas in progress, I've only started/finished 7 out of the 19 ideas. My goal is to get about 15 of them done, which means I have to finish those of the 7 that are sitting unfinished in my cabinet, and then start and finish eight more. Question: But WHICH eight? Answer: The ones that scream the loudest and look the simplest to complete quickly. That HAS to be the answer.

Sheesh, the next time you start interacting with imaginative people about your artwork, make sure your wife isn't going into surgery for three months... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/8909584/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/8909584/ Thu, 08 Jun 2006 17:15:29 PDT
These last two months on deviantArt have been really nice for me. The time and effort to submit material and respond/comment have been so small and easy and even fun, leaving lots of time for doing more art.

And that "more art" has been there, actually. Most of my art comes to me as completed images simply popping into my head, usually when fueled by the speculations of others (read my first journal entry for a more thorough explanation). There has been a good amount of speculation, and it has resulted in a number of started pieces and a few finished ones.

Going back through the comments of the past two months, here are most of the inspiring results--if anyone reading this was acknowledged with inspiring an idea and has been forgotten here, please Note me and I'll edit you in...


*fagashlil's comments here inspired this drawing.
*fagashlil's comments here inspired a ton of things, some of which will definitely show up later.
*fagashlil's comments here inspired a drawing that, sadly, will not show up on dA due to... ahem... "ultra mature content..." Looking for another place to post it, though.
*fagashlil's comments here and her wonderful drawing "In the Company of Angels" (here ) inspired a drawing still to be photographed and put up.

*dashinvaine's comments here inspired a drawing still to be photographed and put up.
*dashinvaine's comments here inspired this WIP.
*dashinvaine's many crusader-oriented works (especially this drawing) inspired a painting still to be photographed and put up.

*CapnSkusting's comments here inspired a drawing still to be photographed and put up.

*Ricardofantasyart's comments here inspired a painting still to be photographed and put up.

*Sweets-B's comments here inspired this painting.
*Sweets-B's comments here inspired three paintings still to be photographed and put up (two are currently WIPs).

*Dyun's comments here inspired this painting.

*The-Silverlining's comments here inspired a painting still to be photographed and put up.
*The-Silverlining's comments here inspired a painting still to be photographed and put up.
*The-Silverlining's comments here inspired a TON of stuff!

*FreshwaterMermaid's comments here inspired a drawing and two paintings (one is a WIP) still to be photographed and put up.


Phew. That's a lot. You all have my gratitude, really. I hope that the artwork that does show up here can be some kind of minor reward for sharing your thoughts and ideas.

Now, the question is: Will all of the things inspired here actually end up being completed and posted? The answer: God willing. I'm only finding more time to paint and draw these days, and I am getting faster at it, so to be safe and conservative I'd say that 90% of the paintings I have started will be completed and posted. Of the ideas that I haven't started, 75% completion is a good estimate. So, I'd guess that most of the art I've mentioned/promised will be completed within the next few months.

Bottom Line: I need to go into working/hibernation mode now to get some of these cr... ]]> *faile35 http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/8518753/ http://faile35.deviantart.com/journal/8518753/ Fri, 05 May 2006 07:51:50 PDT
My mind is a mystery, especially to me--a mystery I'm dying to solve. Most of the images in my gallery simply "popped" into my head, complete in almost every detail, and then I just worked to match the finished product on paper or masonite. Frankly, I gave up years ago on asking a psychological "Why did this pop into my head?"--that's not the "why?" I'm trying to answer.

What I want to answer is: What is the story behind each piece of art? My art has an "illustration" feel to it, but what are the stories I'm illustrating? I have series of drawings and paintings that look and feel like windows into backgrounds and plots, but what are those backgrounds and plots? What would be the NEXT illustration in a particular storyline? Or what was the one before?

"It's the question that drives you..." Trinity would say to me. And she would be right. ANY comments in that regard will be like gold to me. Really. Sure, you can comment on the technique if you like, and I'm not above criticism of that kind, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to find out what what the story is behind each image.

Tell me the story. Please. Pretty please with sugar on it. Tell me what COULD be happening, what SHOULD be happening. What DID happen, and what WILL happen next? Who are the figures in the pictures? Why are they there, doing what they're doing? What are their goals? What are their fears? What is their past? What will be their fate?

Tell me what the characters in the stories should do; what YOU would do if you were those characters. Tell me what other stories these make you think of, and what windows into those stories I could create. Requests for more, suggestions for other works, questions about what might be occuring in any image, imaginations that you get from looking at these images, and explanations for what they mean--these are my oxygen, people. They are the air I breathe.

I hope to breathe deeply.

Thanks for reading.

Faile35 ]]> *faile35