I've been doing these monthly auctions on Ebay, sketching on the backs of Artist's Proofs. (An Artist's Proof is a Magic card without the corporate logo on one side. Only the artists get 'em and we don't get very many. Turns out the surface is really fun to draw on!) Here's an example of the sorts of sketches I do. This one was drawn with a gold gel pen on a ground made using warm grey Char-Pak markers.
apeking.jpg - 2004-06-03
A creature illustration for an article in Polyhedron Magazine. Photoshop.
ark.jpg - 2004-04-20
Illustration provided for the 3rd Edition Monster Manual. Painter.
aw-rakshasa.jpg - 2004-04-20
Another Artist's Proof sketch for you here. I did this one with Trias and Faber-Castell pens.
beastnkid.jpg - 2004-07-13
Here's that wacky pic I uploaded back when I was a Yerf greenhorn. It's for the same Polyhedron article that involved the Ark. Photoshop and Painter. This puppy also made it into Spectrum 10. ©2001 TSR.
bulette.jpg - 2004-05-27
This was for Green Ronin's the Secret College of Necromancy d20 book. You've got your basic undead dragon, with escort. Painted in Photoshop. (©2001 Green Ronin)
dragonengine.jpg - 2004-05-18
Well, the cheat sheet's up at Wizards.com, so I think it's safe to post a pic or two from Champions of Kamigawa. Those who know who the girl is win a cookie. ;) Mostly Photoshop with touches of Painter. Copyright 2004 WOTC.
energizespirit.jpg - 2004-09-21
Here's a critter for the Monster Manual II, a thingus that's supposed to be constantly writhing in pain. Why that makes it more dangerous I can't recall. Harrumph. Painter 7.1; ©2001 TSR.
fiendwurm.jpg - 2004-06-02
A few years ago I got to do illustrations for an article in Dragon called "Legends of the Lost Vale". It was all about sentient dino-things. (This made the Anthony-creature very, very happy.) Painter 7.1, ©2001TSR.
finhead.jpg - 2004-06-04
Here's another illoed Artist's Proof. Same technique for the ground, green gel pen for the character.
fishywords.jpg - 2004-06-03
Now THIS one's going back in time. When I worked at WOTC as a concept artist, I ended up doing a lot of the critters and environments. One locale, Yavimaya, was supposed to be an island with a Gaia-like sentience. This power busied herself manufacturing living defenses, from insects right on through elves and such. This was a long-legged Gavial variant I created for the Styleguides. © 1998 WOTC.
gavialhed.jpg - 2004-06-10
Here's another Green Ronin illustration for the Secret School of Necromancy book. Big, bad, long-necked wolf-hyena things. Yup. Photoshop 6. © 2001 Green Ronin.
ghostdog.jpg - 2004-06-10
Here's the third of five illos I did for the Polyhedron Magazine article on "Omega World", their updated version of Gamma World. (Anybody remember Gamma World??) I got to take Tom Baxa's Gray Render and make him all funky. Mostly Photoshop, a little Painter. ©2001 TSR.
grayrender.jpg - 2004-05-27
My first official TSR work, done for the D3 version of the Monster Manual! Painter 6.1, following Todd Lockwood's design.
gryphon.jpg - 2004-05-22
Here's another critter from the Kamigawa Styleguide! A smaller version can be seen on the Wizards site. Our AD wrote an article about the whole development process for the deck. It's worth checking out for all the concept goodies decorating the article. Copyright 2004, WOTC.
halfspiderclr01.jpg - 2004-09-27
Here's one of my roughs, from the very beginning of the development process for Kamigawa. Weird critter, inspired by one of the greatest critter designers in the world Keita Amemiya. ©2004 WOTC.
havoconi.jpg - 2004-09-27
Here's a piece I've been meaning to upload for a while. This was done for the back cover of BMI issue no. 8. I thuroughly enjoyed Christina Hanson's comic, so it was a treat to get the chance to paint one of the key characters. Holly's a medium. She's been possessed five times over the course of her life. This experience with the "enemy" gives her an empathy normally lacking in such storylines. Thus the five eyes--the possessed in this world manifest the state as having a demon eye in the center of the forehead.
hollyfin.jpg - 2004-06-04
Here's something a lil' different: a sketch made on the back of a Pro Tour badge. These are badges handed out to judges and also as awards at Magic PT events. They also happen to be great for sketchin'. Did this one with Tria Pantones.
howler.jpg - 2004-07-13
Another Magic card for you! Kamahl (a good guy, I think) summons up a pair of giant bear-spirits made of forest detritus. Painter 6.0 or 7.0, I can't remember. © 2001 Wizards of the Coast.
krosanbeckoning.jpg - 2004-07-13
Here's a Magic card for the Onslaught deck--going back to '02. I think the final name for the card was "Hystrodon". Sort of a Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom moment on Dominaria. Painter, agin.
lashingraxis.jpg - 2004-05-22
More monkey junky. It's another sketch on the back of an Artist's Proof! Black ground made with Char-Pak markers, sketch drawn with gold and green gel pens.
monkeyking.jpg - 2004-07-13
Big, nasty critter spawned from lava. This was a learning experience in what colors translate best from digital to print....and those that don't. :/ Painter 7.1, ©2002 TSR.
phaethon.jpg - 2004-06-02
And yet another Magic card, done with real stuff! This one's all watercolor. That's the first painting media I really fell in love with. It's still my default when I go to paint. This was for the Alliances card deck, from about a zillion years ago. Apes are friggin' cool, that's all I have to say. ©1996 WOTC.
primitivejustice.jpg - 2004-06-04
Hey! It's the underdrawing for my one and only Rage card. I did this in trade for a wonderful resin-cast Werewolf skull made by Lex Nakashima. The pup that's getting her tail pummeled is Freida, Lex's sweet husky. Lex now owns the painting.
ragecardud.jpg - 2004-05-18
Here's a critter from the Scourge deck, last year? Year before last? Something like that. For a while there I was Elemental Boy. That had me feeling finer'n frog's hair. This card was sent to me as "Fungal Friend"; most of the textures on the creatures started out as scans of Portabello mushroom caps. Painter and Photoshop; ©2002 WOTC.
rootelemental.jpg - 2004-05-27
We were encouraged to "go wild" during the inital design phase of Kamigawa. I got the dubious distinction of being the weirdest guy. That's good for something, I 'spoze. ©2004 WOTC.
seadragon.jpg - 2004-09-27
Hey All! 'tis another Magic Card, back from my Real Paint days. This was for Portal III, a stripped-down version of Magic that flopped, I think. Executed in gouache. ©1998 WOTC.
seaeagle.jpg - 2004-06-10
This was a personal piece, also the cover for ZonieCon 2001. It's dedicated to the memory of Scott "McMoo" McMurry.
sky_pilot.jpg - 2004-04-20
And here's another from Champions of Kamigawa, a warrior maiden of the Hebi-Bito, or snakefolk. Design kudos go to Ittoku Seta; the painting's my fault. :) Photoshop. Copyright WOTC, 2004.
snakewarrior.jpg - 2004-09-21
Another Magic card and another gouache painting! This was my second, Lex's Rage card being the first attempt at finished gouache work. There's some watercolor in this one, too, mostly as underpainting. ©1997 WOTC.
spindriftdrake.jpg - 2004-06-04