Eboracvm Cover Update

An update for the Eboracvm cover... More painting yet to do, but progress is being made.

Eboracvm, The Fortress

I've got progress images to share from one of my current projects. This is a book cover for Eboracvm, The Fortress by Graham Clews. You can visit his site at: graham-clews.com to learn more about the book.

The next step is the actual painting part.

New Site Design Launched!

If you've visited my site in the past few days you may have seen some very curious things. Not to mention upheaval, mayhem and madness! Many many hours on my part (and I was wondering why I don't do this more often)... At any rate, I think it is now working well enough to announce a MAJOR redesign. Please take a moment to click through the new site and let me know if you encounter any funny business.

Also, I've updated my "Children's Fantasy" portfolio with a new image. It's a book cover for Anne Droyd and the House of Shadows by Will Hadcroft.

Rigs and Covers

I'm juggling three projects at the moment, two books covers and the card one. I'm also very excited about finally coming up with a nice new website design, which I am in the process of implementing. This one has MUCH more flavor to it, and I feel it better reflects my art style without stealing the show or looking too graphic design-y.

I updated my rig photo. I was quite amused to see that my last one was made on April 23rd of last year, exactly a year and a day ago.

Today also happens to be my birthday. A quarter of a century, yikes! I prefer to think of 25 as the new 15 ;)

New Computer Ordered

There is the kind of blog silence that means nothing is happening and the kind that means everything is -this is the later sort.

I've been doing a lot of good art since my last update, which unfortunately I can't share until publication. ;) But lets just say I've been putting my 8 hours in most every day.

My biggest news: COMPUTER! That's right, I'm readying for a major upgrade in the form of a completely new custom built system. I just ordered the last component yesterday and I received the motherboard in the mail today. This thing is going to be super sweet. Here are the technical goodies:

- Lian Li PC-B25B Case (ohhh... the glowing blue circle!)
- ASUS P5E WS Motherboard
- Intel Quad Core Q6600 Processor
- ATI FireGL v3600 Graphics Card
- 8GB of CORSAIR XMS2 DHX RAM
- x2 1TB Western Digital Caviar RE2 Hard Drive (for a RAID config, art and data)
- 500GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 Hard Drive (for programs and OS)
- 36GB Western Digital Raptor Hard Drive(solely for Photoshop scratch disk)
- FreeAgent Pro 1TB External Hard Drive (I already have a FreeAgent 500GB for backing up the program drive)
- x2 SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD combo drive
- CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX Power Supply
- Vista Business 64-bit

I'm going to have the shop that built my current PC assemble this one for me. I can't wait!

Going Going

It's slightly frustrating working so long on art I won't be able to show ya'll for a good year. But I am enjoying it all the same. :) After a year and a half, this is really starting to feel like a full-time job.

Things are still coming along with the picture book dummy too. I just got all of the shipping supplies via the men in brown today. I'm still awaiting the order of printed spiral-bound dummies and need to get all the the shipping labels and cover letters / query letters filled out and saved.

In other random news, I just bought Casey Stratton's newest CD called Orbit and I am really enjoying it. At the moment I am obsessed with "Your Ghost Passing By."

Not Dead, Just Highly Occupied

Don't let the fact that I've been suspiciously quite since Christmas fool you. I've been quite occupied. Mainly on that picture book I started a year ago. I've been working both on an updated 40 page dummy and the text... Which may end up as a very long poem.

Also in the works are a myriad of projects for clients, including a huge one for a fellow in Holland (and I can say no more). This secrecy stuff is rather enjoyable ;)

Oh yes, I've also just finished a brand-new logo for my Illustration business, which I plan to incorporate into my new website design.