28 February 2013

"Captain Justice Saves the Day" in Mad Scientist's Guide!

Today marks the birthday of The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, an anthology of stories that take a second look at the "mad scientist" label, in one way or another.



My contribution to the anthology is "Captain Justice Saves the Day," which features very little of Captain Justice (spoilers?) and quite a bit of Dr. Methuselah Mason and his administrative assistant, Brenda Bryce, who's trying to deal with an IT department who cruelly stalks the night, among other very particular office-management requirements.



This is definitely not a story that reflects any of my day jobs, because why would it be, why would you even say that, I can't even begin with you. It might, however, happen be a story that reflects some of your own day jobs, and in that case, all I can say is: I hope you enjoy, and also I’m sorry to hear it.



Brenda had been working for Dr. Methuselah Mason for two years the day he mentioned strapping her to the doomsday device.



“It’s a brilliant idea,” he said. “Captain Justice can never resist the prospect of some helpless civilian. He’ll stop to save you, and by the time he realizes the mechanism is unstoppable . . . ” He sighed. “I’ll be rid of him forever.”



Brenda hit Mute on the speakerphone. “Beg pardon?”



“Don’t worry,” he said. “He always gets there before the timer runs out. I’ll leave some clues for him like usual. You shouldn’t be there long, and you don’t have to really do anything.”



“He said he wanted birch,” came the lumberyard service rep through the speaker. “Birch isn’t mothproof. He never told me the place was at risk from moths.”



“Of course it’s at risk from moths,” snapped Dr. Mason, “it’s an abandoned farmhouse lair.”



Brenda said, “You told me not to tell him that. Also, he can’t hear you.”



“Look, I’d pay you overtime for the doomsday stuff,” Dr. Mason said with a trace of disdain for time-clocking. “I don’t see why we have to have a big I’m-having-feelings meeting about everything I suggest.”



“I’m not giving your boss a pass on something he bought free and clear,” the lumber rep said.



Dr. Mason slammed his hand on the Mute button. “You listen here, you’ll give me that refund or I’ll send some radioactive geese to your house at night, you lying—”



“Dave, let me call you right back,” Brenda said, and hung up.





WILL the Doomsday Device hold the city in its thrall? WILL Brenda get insurance? WILL she have to remind her boss about the pizza-sauce protocols of various restaurants until maybe the Doomsday Device part doesn't sound so bad? FIND OUT, when CAPTAIN JUSTICE SAVES THE DAY, out now!



via Genevieve Valentine (author unknown) http://glvalentine.livejournal.com/363991.html

Faux Book Cover 2 - Twelve Thrilling Tales of Terror



Here's the next installment of my experiment in hand drawn type and book cover illustration.



This one is watercolor and pen and ink, assembled in Photoshop.



via ArtGhost Liz Wong http://artghost.blogspot.com/2013/01/faux-book-cover-2-twelve-thrilling.html

26 February 2013

Daryl Dixon cat… about to kick some zombie cat ass.





Daryl Dixon cat… about to kick some zombie cat ass.






via Jenny Parks Illustration (author unknown) http://jennyparks.tumblr.com/post/44078743794/daryl-dixon-cat-about-to-kick-some-zombie-cat

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

24 February 2013

Stephen Gilpin

Stephen Gilpin

Stephen Gilpin is a Kansas based illustrator whose clients include Harper Collins, Random House, Simon and Schuster, Scholastic and the Wall Street Journal.


He has a fresh, crisp, cartoon illustration style well suited to his work in children’s book illustration.


He strikes a nice balance between rendering and flatter areas of color, while keeping the jaunty feeling of his lively linework.


You can see Gilpin’s work on his blog and the Flickr stream that serves as his portfolio, as well as his “Billy the Squid” Etsy store.


The best sampling of his work, however, is the portfolio on the site of his artists’ rep, Shannon Associates.






via lines and colors :: a blog about drawing, painting, illustration, comics, concept art and other visual arts Charley Parker http://www.linesandcolors.com/2013/02/18/stephen-gilpin/

Durer’s Melencolia I

Melelcolia I, Albrecht Durer

Meloncolia I , Albrecht Dürer.


One of the most iconic engravings by one of art’s great printmakers, Melelcolia (an archaic spelling of melancholia) is filled with symbols of alchemy and carpentry (architecture), along with various measuring tools, an hourglass, a polyhedron and a “magic square” — the rows of which add up to 34 in all directions.


The middle two numbers in the bottom row of the magic square are the date of the engraving, 1514. It has been pointed out that 34 is a number in the Fibonacci sequence (associated with the “golden section”).


The title’s “I”, as announced in the banner-like wings of a bat/rat/snake thing as it flies out of a burst of light under the arch of a rainbow, indicates that this may have been intended as the first of a series of representations of the “four temperaments”: melencolic, phlegmatic, choleric and sanguine.


If you dig, you will find many interpretations and discussions of this work, filled as it is with symbols and enigmas perhaps known only to Durer himself — like the vague skull or phantom face many see in the leading face of the polyhedron.


This example of the engraving, in its second state, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use the “Fullscreen” link below the image and then the zoom controls or download arrow. Spend some time with it; if nothing else it is beautifully drawn and rendered.


One of many possible interpretations suggests that the apparently brooding figure, accompanied by a cherub-like genius (in the ancient meaning of an attending spirit), might be a symbol of the artist.


Is there a relationship between the artist and the melancholic? Does art spring from a troubled mind? Must you “pay the dues to sing the blues”, as the song suggests? Maybe this is Durer’s meditation on those questions.


I think it’s interesting, however, to note that the face of the main figure, on close inspection, looks more pensive than what we usually think of as melancholy.






via lines and colors :: a blog about drawing, painting, illustration, comics, concept art and other visual arts Charley Parker http://www.linesandcolors.com/2013/02/23/durers-melencolia-i/

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

23 February 2013

wilhelm m.busch 33

WILHELM M.BUSCH illustrated in 1969 THE YEAR OF THE CATS ( das jahr der katzen ) written by ANNA-MARIE RADKE.


busch cats col

busch cats 1

busch cats 3

busch cats 2


© wilhelm m.busch / johannes asmus verlag hamburg / bertelsmann








via One1more2time3's Weblog one1more2time3 http://one1more2time3.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/wilhelm-m-busch/

The Battle for WondLa

For my loyal readers following the adventures of Eva Nine and company, I can finally reveal the title of the third and final book in the WondLa trilogy.


The Battle for WondLa plot picks up shortly after the end of the second story, A Hero for WondLa. The story has been outlined thoroughly and I am in the process of writing the first draft, which I hope to complete this spring. In all, the writing and illustrating will take most of this year putting the release date for Battle early in 2014.


desk


That’s a long wait, I know. But I want this finale to be exciting and deliver what has been promised in the first two installments. You will see a return of most of the main characters from both books. This includes fleshing out of smaller characters that were introduced already in the previous stories, like Caruncle from book 1:


“A grotesque, lump-faced, heavyset character strolled over to Eva. Striking cobalt blue wattles hung near its tusked snout in front of large mustard eyes. Its heavy natty jacket was worn and frayed, and it dragged on the ground, concealing most of the creature.”


The Search for WondLa, page 361


Yes, the adjectives do go on a bit here. That is because I didn’t have time (or the page space) to add an illustration of Caruncle. I had sketched him out early on and used the sketch as my point of reference when I was writing him in.


Caruncle


Besides revisiting some familiar faces, there will be a new character introduced as well. And sadly, there will also be a some characters that don’t make it to the end of Eva’s story. Hopefully in the end, it will make for some entertaining and imaginative reading.


Thank you all for your kind praise, interest and words of encouragement. It keeps me going. Look for more WondLa news here soon!






via Tony DiTerlizzi, Never Abandon Imagination Tony D http://diterlizzi.com/home/the-battle-for-wondla/

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

Sweater vests, it turns out, were pretty much the rage in the...

Albert Dorne studies



via Emergent Ideas Albert Dorne studies

18 February 2013

Waltzing Into The New Year

Summary: I don't believe that anyone get's anywhere without help from the people around them. It is through this network of mutual support that beautiful things can emerge. This is the tale of just such a project.



via Studio Bowes Art Blog at http://studiobowesart.com/2012/03/29/waltzing-into-the-new-year/