A Reality Check

So, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'll just say it straight out: I'm a little OCD.  And a little bit of a perfectionist.  And a wee bit of an over-thinker.

In the interest of combining all of these personality . . . let's say "quirks" - "Quirks" is a nicer word - I have calculated (with much effort and a great deal of mistakes, I'm sure) out how I've spent my time over the past 3 or 4 months.  And also in the interest of full disclosure, I have decided to share it with you.

Average Time Spent

32%  -  Work+Transportation
25%  -  Sleep
10%  -  Art
3%  -  Church
2%  -  Class

And, finally:

28%  -  Unknown

Holy crows.  I mean, some of that time is little things like eating and showering, but still - is that normal??  I have no idea how I spend almost 30% of my time per month!  That's like 8 days a month that I'm piddling around doing who knows what! Well, actually, that's probably time I spent watching Alias . . . Dear Lord.

My goal for the end of July is to be able to bump up that 10% of time spent on art to 20%.  At least then that means I'm only spending 4 days piddling . . .

Some Truth for Today

I've been collecting some art quotes on Tumblr and thought I would start a new post series here to share them with you.

“Treat a work of art like a prince: let it speak to you first.” 

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Owl + Goldfish = Dragon?

Here's what I am (still) working on.  Dragons, dragons and more dragons.  I was looking at snakes, eels, alligators and lizards for reference, but I have since moved on to owls, seahorses, horses and turtles, and I'm not quite sure what else.  Maybe goldfish.  But it's good prep for my next super secret project (already in the works, I've started the 'required reading' and stuff).  You wont see much of the process for a while; it's a surprise gift for someone and I'm not sure how often they check up on me here.  But Dragon Tamer gets done first, and as you can see, the prep-work has been much more substantial than I anticipated (as well as holiday festivities throwing off my groove).  I've still got a maquette in progress.  And the rest of the plot outline to write.  And the painting to finish.  By the eighteenth. Oh, dear . . . 

2013 Illustrations

I just finished my project list for 2013, I think.  I have about 8 pieces outlined.  Subject to change of course.  Those of you who have been anxiously awaiting more Chronicles of Prydain will not be disappointed, I hope.  I've left a few slots for pieces from The Hobbit, too.

I'm going to push my portfolio to more middle-grade/young adult.  Also working on some more drawing centered pieces as well as black and white line-work for spot illustration samples.  We'll see how this all goes.

Prints are up in the store, if you're interested.  They're nice giclee prints on high quality cotton rag paper.

Happy New Year, everyone!

An Artist You Should Know About

William Russell Flint is an artist who worked in both watercolor and oil.  I LOVE his stuff.  There's no specific site I've found that has a good variety of his work, but you can start here. I've done a few posts on him before, as well.

Happy New Year!

"Gabriel was not very good at magic.  His parents told him and their friends that he was only "struggling a little".  His older brothers were more blunt (they usually were) and said that there hadn't been a Prendergast so uniformly bad at magic for ten generations."

Next piece in the works.  This is just a sketch - no his arms are not deformed, I just drew them poorly.

Stay tuned for a story summary!

An Artist You Should Know About

I'm mixing it up a bit with some dead guys, now.

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) was an English oil painter. He was a part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.  Which was basically a bunch of artists getting together and rejecting another artist so that they could have an excuse to make the kind of art they wanted and call it a movement.  Because that makes it legit.  But no matter how you look at it, Waterhouse is da'bomb.  Check out more of his work here.