"The Final Catch" by Joy Ang

I just found this hilarious comic by artist Joy Ang.  Though, I should tell you that my brother Matthew thinks it's creepy.  You can "read" the comic here. 

Do you think it's creepy or funny?  Let me know!

An Artist You Should Know About

From Scott Robertson's Mecanimal Sketches

Scott Robertson is a designer and a teacher at Art Center College of Design. He also publishes a lot of really cool books through Design Studio Press.

I think I've talked about his book The Skillful Huntsman before, where he takes three of his student through the entire process of conceptualizing a story for a game or movie.  It's been a huge inspiration for some of what I am doing with The Robin Hood Project.  

He has a lot of awesome (FREE!) tutorials on YouTube that you should totally go check out.  You can also check out his website or his blog here.

An Artist You Should Know About

I stumbled upon Sandra Flood recently - quite accidentally.  But I really like her work, there's a narrative/character study aspect to her work that sparks my imagination.     And I love the loose application of paint; how she lets the underpainting show through.

She's self taught, working in oils and lives in New Jersey.  You can see more of her work on her website here.

An Artist You Should Know About

Frank Duveneck was a Kentucky born painter of German descent.  I can't find a lot of art by him or even tell you exactly what it is that attracts me to is work, but I thought I'd share and let you decide for yourself.

An Artist You Should Know About

Edgar Alwin Payne was an American painter and muralist.  His landscape paintings capture the grandeur and  majesty of the West. In some ways he reminds me a lot of N.C. Wyeth.  You can find more examples of his work here.

An Artist You Should Know About

Illustration from The Dark Fiddler: the Life 

and Times of Nicolo Paganini by Aaron Frisch

Gary Kelley is an illustrator who has worked in all areas of illustration, editorial, books, advertising, etc.  You've probably seen his work if you've ever stepped into a Barnes & Noble; he's the one who did that great mural you see over the coffee shop area of all the authors.  He also teaches with the Illustration Academy.  I met him once when I was in school and he's a really cool guy.  Loves jazz.  As far as I can tell, he still lives in Iowa.  He works in oils and pastels.  And he's awesome.  There's a lot of his work on his website.

An Artist You Should Know About

Dan Dos Santos is a Cincinnati-based illustrator working mainly in oils.  He heads up the Muddy Colors blog and we love him for that - for other things, too (see above), but Muddy Colors is a big deal.  You can find more of his work here.

An Artist You Should Know About

Sam Weber is a New York based illustrator working in watercolor and acrylic.  I love his work.  I know I say that a lot, but it's really true.  You can find more of his work here on his website.

An Artist You Should Know About

Alex Alice is one of my heroes.  His interpretation of The Ring of the Nibelung (which can be found here) is perfect in every way - except that it has been TOO FREAKING SLOW BEING TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.  Aside from that it's beautiful and awesome and it makes me happy.  The rest of his work is fantastic, too.  He is a French artist.  His blog can be found here.

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A lot of people don't realize that Alphonse Mucha was a fantastic, classical oil painter as well as a fabulous commercial artist.  Honestly his oil paintings are among some of my favorite paintings of all time.  

Artsy has a page that shares some of his work and like Mucha with different artist who's work is similar: https://www.artsy.net/artist/alphonse-mucha

An Artist You Should Know About

Jean-Baptiste Monge is a illustrator/concept designer/character developer/vis-dev artist based in Montreal.  I look at his work and wonder what I'm doing with my life.  I strive for the life, character and storytelling he achieves in his work.  You can find him on Behance, or on his website.

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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.

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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.

An Artist You Should Know About

Edward Kinsella is a Missouri-based illustrator working in  . . . well, I think whatever the heck he wants to work in at the moment.  Check him out here at his website.

An Artist You Should Know About

So, this is Anne Yvonne Gilbert.  I just discovered her work myself via Tumblr.  There are days when Tumblr can be a gold mine.  And then there are days when it is definitely not a gold mine.  But that's neither here nor there.  

Gilbert is a British illustrator residing in Canada.  She  works mainly in colored pencil.  And she works with it really well - which is unusual.  A lot of colored pencilists are really bad.  I'd love to be able to see some of her works in person some day.  She works with publishers all over the world which I am very curious to know how she accomplished that, as well as how she managed the logistics.  

This is her home page, but you can also find her on Behance and here on the Good Illustration Agency page.   And here's an interview where she talks a little about her process as well as the publishing industry which I found interesting.  There are also a lot of little blurbs about her all over the internet: search for her on Google.  

Also, I have bought that version of Robin Hood up there (did you catch the homage in the second piece to N.C. Wyeth?  Though that painting was for The Black Arrow, if we're going to be accurate).  And The Wild Swans.  (The Wild Swans and East of the Sun, West of the Moon are my two favorite fairy tales.)  SO EXCITED.  But then I see that they're not getting here till January and I weep.  If I could find this version of Snow White I would be even more excited, but it was done for a Japanese publisher, I think.  If anyone finds it, please let me know!  

Actually, maybe you shouldn't.  I don't think I have any more room on my bookshelves . . . 

Merry Christmas, everyone!  God bless!