Amanda Makepeace is an award winning illustrator inspired by nature, mythology, magical beings, and distant worlds. She is the co-founder of the Bird Whisperer Project, a monthly art challenge focused on spreading the the love of birds and art making for everyone. Her art has appeared in ENnie award-winning games and on the covers popular independant novels and anthologies. Her latest project is the cover art for the Long List Anthology Volume 4, a book featuring Hugo nominated stories. Amanda is a regular at Fantasy and SciFi conventions in the southeast, and an award winner at JordanCon, DragonCon, ChattaCon, and LibertyCon.
http://www.amandamakepeace.com
In 2010, I created my first digital painting in Photoshop CS4, with only a mouse. The painting began as pencil sketches I meant to refine and then use for a watercolor, but everything was put on hold when I needed surgery to remove my gall bladder. As oftentimes happens, my gall bladder woes were sudden and severe. I went to the doctor in pain on a Thursday and ended up in surgery on Monday. Let me say too, just because it’s a simple surgery doesn’t mean you’re ready to run a marathon afterward. Surgery is mega painful. Maybe more so in my case because I cannot take those wonderful pain medications everyone loves. Hydrocodone and anything similar to it or more strong triggers intense nausea, dizziness and vertigo. The day of my surgery they nearly kept me overnight because I was sick–from the damn pills. I convinced them I was okay, that I could go home and of course they gave me a prescription for the pills. But I didn’t take them. So the day after my surgery and the weeks after were difficult (that’s an understatement if you weren’t sure). I couldn’t take anything but Tylenol. I spent a lot of time in my recliner and that’s where I created this painting for the EBSQ Spam and Trout Show.
After a long day of chasing leads, all P.I. Terry Trout wants is his green ham! Did the Seuss Lounge really think they could disguise Spam with a green sauce and nobody would know?
My determination pushed me to finish this painting in time for the online exhibit and that hard work paid off. My painting, Green Eggs and Spam?, won Member’s Choice. Looking at this painting, I can’t help but snicker. I’ve come along way with my digital skills since 2010.
Looking for an original you don’t see in my shop? I don’t always list my large framed paintings online. Get in touch, let me know what you’re interested in buying (payment plans available!).
One of the highlights from Dragon Con 2014 (besides being in the art show!) was taking some time out to enjoy the Dragon Con Independent Film Festival. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t even know there was a film festival. Dark Origins is from the Horror track (Demons, Ghosts, Aliens, & Monsters). This 12+ minute film was one of my top three.
A psychologist discovers the terrifying trauma haunting her young patient may in fact lurk beyond the girl’s fractured mind.
Directed by Evan Randall Green; Produced by Evan Randall Green; Written by Evan Randall Green
I’ve met more than a few amazing creative people via Twitter. One of those is Michael Blackbourn, an author and illustrator (just for starters). He agreed to let me shine a spotlight on his creative endeavors this week!
Tell us about yourself, where you’re from and your journey to being a published author and illustrator.
Thanks for this interview and thanks for asking. My journey on the road of published author and illustrator is really just beginning. I’ve had a creative inclination for a long time and It’s only recently that I’ve channeled it directly into telling my own stories. After finishing high school I spent a few years jumping out of planes blowing stuff up in the army. The idea of combining camping with guns seemed attractive and I was fortunate to have been stationed in Italy while I was enlisted.
I didn’t really want to wake up one day and realize I was forty and still sleeping in a puddle. So I used my time wearing camo face-paint to figure out what I wanted to do next. Since I’d already tried the combination of camping and guns I figured I would take two other passions and see how they worked together. Art and computers were up next. I went to a 3d animation school and am now employed as a 3d visual effects supervisor, I’ve been lucky to work on films like Iron Man, District 9, Mocking Jay and many others.
Have you always loved both writing and illustration?
I’ve always loved drawing. Telling a visual story is what drew me into 3d animation and effects. The writing is more recent. It’s a way to communicate the storytelling in my head without needed things like the huge budget needed for film. It’s definitely been the hardest part for me to learn. As a voracious reader I could have always told you what novels I liked, but its so much harder as a writer to craft those words into something someone else may want to read.
Can you tell us a little about your process and your choice of medium?
My process for my first book was a mess. It was a single idea, What if you were small and lived on a beach, what would that world look like. From there it took a couple years to turn sketches and notes into a narrative and art that was a finished product. Along the way I learned so much about books, publishing, ebooks, art, and writing. In the end most of the art was done with pencil and paper and then finished using a digital paint program. The cover of my kids book, Cindercast, was a fully digital oil painting. From my feature film work I’ve become accustomed to having an ‘undo’ to rely on.
Are there themes and/or subjects you find yourself drawn to again and again in both your art and writing?
I’m not sure yet. I’ve completed a kids illustrated adventure book and I’m putting the finishing touches on a sci-fi short story (non illustrated). One is a journey of a tiny girl having to survive on the beach between the tides and the other is about the madness triggered by an AI researcher about to launch a super intelligent thinking machine. The similarity between them is that I like to transport the reader somewhere and challenge their thinking on a subject. Both stories show the world from a perspective that isn’t our usual experience.
What are you working on now? Where can we go to view/purchase your work?
My sci-fi short story is in progress. It needs another month or so of editing and then I’ll put it up on Amazon for sale at 99 cents. My kids book is available here: http://amzn.com/B00T2T9PYW
You can get it as a paperback or as a kindle ebook. I put in a lot of effort to make sure the formatting of the art would look great as an ebook and in paper. Also please check out my website www.michaelblackbourn.com or www.cindercast.com for other news about me or my work or my art.
We all have our own path to follow, but the rate at which we reach various checkpoints in our lives is influenced by our determination, perseverance, and sometimes events we cannot control. I’ll be honest. I’m not where I’d like to be in my life. I try my best not to dwell on that, instead I focus on pushing forward. But here are the facts:
Cancer at 17 (and the fallout after) was out of my control. The health issues that followed after were and are out of my control. They set me back. When I was a senior in high school I didn’t have time to focus on applying to colleges. I was fighting for my life. With or without those obstacles, there are some pieces of advice I wish I could have told my younger self.
1. Don’t let one bad experience stop you from learning and growing.
I had an awful teacher for art in middle school. This woman should not have been teaching, let alone spreading her ugliness to impressionable minds. The experience soured me to art classes. I loved art, but stayed away from classes till my senior year high school, when I needed an easy class I could take while on chemotherapy. When I graduated, that teacher lectured me on not taking art all 4 years–not what I needed either. But it was my choice to let those experiences stop me from growing as an artist. I did eventually get over that chip on my shoulder.
2. Don’t avoid drawing the things that scare you, tackle them head first.
When I was a kid I loved drawing horses and after that any and all animals. I avoided drawing people like it was the plague. I recall thinking, I’ll never be able to drawing a human face. Never. So I avoided doing it and then I took drawing in college and was faced with a self-portrait a week (on top of our regular assignments). I did it and realized it wasn’t the nightmare I thought it would be. I could have saved myself a lot of stress and anxiety if I’d just given it a try earlier.
3. Don’t paint from just the surface of yourself, but from your entire soul.
I’ve always had a passion for nature, fantasy and horror. I grew up on Star Wars, Labyrinth, The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit (animated) as well as, Alien, Terminator and old Vampire films. I spent a lot of time riding horses and wandering the woods in our neighborhood. I kept snakes, salamanders and toads for a day in my aquarium. I loved all these things but for many years my art rarely touched anything fantastic. I’m still not quite sure why fantasy was not part of the equation, but once it was, I felt complete and my art began to be something more. Don’t limit yourself!
4. Don’t listen to people that know nothing about art.
We’ve all come across the person on Facebook who feels they have to inject their unqualified opinion into a conversation. Those people exist offline too. Always be careful who you let sway your path. Are they giving you a valid critique or are they toxic? Good advice from a professional is invaluable, but bad advice you didn’t even ask for can set you back.
5. Don’t ever think it’s too late and don’t make the mistake the comparing yourself to other artists.
Everyone seems to be in a race these days. I’m 39 and there are times when I feel anxious that I’m not farther along. But I know a few artists in their 20’s that feel this way too. We spend too much time comparing our art and our careers to our peers. Don’t fall into this trap. It’s never to late to make art your career. Keep pushing ahead. Keep growing. Keep creating.
My first Kickstarter has come to a close. All of the books have been printed and shipped out to my amazing backers. My friends even threw me a book release party. What a ride! I’ve put together a list of 10 tips you may find useful if you’re thinking of running a Kickstarter.
1. Have a fan base. Seriously. It’s going to be that fan base that shares your campaign on their social media accounts. This is incredibly important. I’m certain if I had tried to run my campaign a year ago, it probably would have failed. What changed in a year? I was in the DragonCon Art Show.
2. Look at other campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful. I browsed and took notes for various art kickstarters and specifically those campaigns for sketchbooks. I looked at the type of rewards they offered, prices, and how they structured their descriptions. You can learn a lot this way!
3. Videos are important–more than you may think. The Youtube culture has exploded in the last few years. It’s taken a while for it to grow on me. I must be getting old! Everything I’d read reiterated how important it was to have a Kickstarter video. So I researched the videos of successful campaigns and 90% of the time those videos included either the artist talking in the background or the artist in the video. It needs to be personal. Backers are giving you their money, they are putting their trust in you and your product.
A lot of folks watched my video. This may not be a phenomenal number, but it’s more than I imagined.
3. Quality graphics to show off your rewards. People want to see what they’re going to get if they support your campaign. Take the time to create the graphics. You can then use them in your social media promotion too.
4. A complete profile, with links to your website and social media. This might seem like common sense, but I’ve seen more than a few campaigns with no link to a website. Or their link goes to a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in over a month. That’s not a good way to make an impression.
5. Read the entire Creator Handbook and then also read the FAQ pages and the Rules. Read everything Kickstarter makes available to you. They have specific rules but they also give you an enormous amount of information to help you build your campaign.
6. Pre-promotion. You have to start talking about it online months beforehand. I probably could have done a bit more of this. Share teaser images, talk about your rewards, anything to start peaking the interest of your fans and their friends.
7. Think about your fans when it comes time to schedule your campaign. December might not be the best month to run a Kickstarter. It’s a holiday season for several religions. Even November might be risky if people are beginning to buy gifts for December.
8. Don’t underestimate your goal. You need to know in advance how much it’s going to cost to ship your rewards. Either add shipping to your goal or add it to the rewards. I chose to include US shipping in my goal and add a flat rate shipping fee for intentional backers.
9. Promotion during the campaign–to the point you fear people will starting ignoring you. Truly, you need to share your campaign every day. Work out a schedule and make sure you’re not posting about it at the same time. It doesn’t hurt to ask other artists to share your campaign too.
10. Keep your backers updated! During the campaign you need their support more than ever. I recommend composing an update once a week to let backers now how the campaign is proceeding, to remind them to share with their friends, and for making announcements (stretch goals, new rewards, etc.). But don’t let it end there. If you’re campaign is successful then it’s even more important to let your backers now how things are progressing, so they know without a doubt you are holding up your end the agreement. I had a lot of fun sharing the arrival of my sketchbook with my backers. They made my book possible!
One might think drawing is the first step toward a painting, but for me at least, the first step is a ton of thinking. I’ve always been a thinker. Looking back, I think some of my thinking as a child was misinterpreted as shyness. I wasn’t always quiet because I was shy. I was quiet because I was thinking, observing, mulling, and creating. These days I do have my moments, especially if I’m with family or friends, but for the most part I’m still a quiet person. It may not be best habit in the world, but while other artists are working on a gazillion thumbnails on paper, I’m mapping them out in my head. Like I said, not the best habit.
This week I’ve been getting back to work on a personal piece I’ve had planned for months. I took the reference photo for the painting in February, but I’d been mapping it out in my head months before I finally had my daughter pose for the shot. In March, I created a quick sketch to include in my sketchbook Daydreams & Wanderings. Yesterday, I began work on the drawing I will later scan for the painting.
I don’t recall how the idea developed. So many of my painting ideas come from fleeting thoughts or things I’ve seen. I’ll jot down an idea in words first, which seems to lock the image in my head for later. Initially I named this idea Her Bones. What you can’t see in any of these images (because it’s in my head!) are the bones surrounding and laying beneath this young woman.
These bones are her tools of divination. She is The Bone Oracle.
The drawing is still in the early phase. I have a lot to develop before I have her where I want her. Follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on her progress!
Another great short from my personal archive… Spoiler.
The zombie apocalypse happened — and we won.
But though society has recovered, the threat of infection is always there — and Los Angeles coroner Tommy Rossman is the man they call when things go wrong.
Spielberg’s classic The Goonies turned 30 this year. I was 9 years old when the movie was released. I can’t tell you whether I saw that movie on the big screen or not, but regardless of whether I did or did not, it left an impression. I wanted to be a Goonie.
There were many Saturday’s spent in the woods around our Maryland home, exploring and discovering. We called them our Goonie Adventures. We’d make pack lunches, hop on our bikes, and be gone most of the day. Some days it was a trip to a playground that was much farther than we should have been traveling by bike. Other days we played in the creek, walked across fallen trees, and made up our own adventure stories.
Looking back now, it’s amazing we came away from that time unscathed. I also wonder now, how many of kids from my generation had their own Goonie adventures? Were you a Goonie too?
I’m out of the studio this week. I’m out of the state too!
Every artist needs to recharge their creative battery from time to time. The world around us is where we find our inspiration, so it’s important to get out of the studio.
Chances are you’ve heard the phrase, Steal like an Artist (it’s a book by Austin Kleon) and chance are you’ve heard the Picasso quote, Good artists copy, great artists steal. But do you understand them? Seems there are a great many people who don’t. Earlier in the month Todd Lockwood discovered portions of his paintings had been stolen by artist Frederico Combi. Yesterday a friend of a friend, Vladimir Chopine discovered several of his paintings had been stolen by Rick Wooten. The public support from friends and fans of both artists has been an amazing sight. The thing to remember, especially those of you who steal other artists work, if you’re ever discovered you will be publicly shamed. The tsunami of disgust that hits you will be devastating to your credibility and your art. Instead of a wearing a red A, you’ll have a black T branded on your forehead. Chances are you will be discovered. If it’s on the internet, someone will see it and know.
So what does Steal like an Artist mean? A couple years back, The Atlantic published an article on Austin Kleon’s book – Steal Like an Artist: Creativity in the Age of the Remix. I not going to discuss the entire article, just one graphic (from the book I believe). This says it all.
Steal like an Artist does not mean take one artist’s painting, run it through a Photoshop filter, and it’s yours. That’s theft and that makes you a bad artist.
A Word to Honest Artists
You can’t stop people from stealing your art. If it’s on the web somewhere it could happen. Do NOT let this stop you from creating and sharing. You should be focusing on painting and becoming your best, not worrying about how to stop people from downloading your images or putting them up on free avatar sites (this happened to me recently). Save your energy and time for the idiots that take it to the next level, but don’t let it consume you. Keep creating and building a relationship with your fans. They’ll have your back if the need arises.
There are a plethora of amazing short films these days. I thought I’d share one of my favorites, one I wrote about a few years back on a now defunct blog. Feast your eyes on Ruin.
I had an idea to take my sketches and drawings and create a new work of art, a small book of ideas and creative visions. Several months were spent bringing this little work of art to life. I created a cover that would mimic an old, worn sketchbook. I scanned pencil sketches and collected my favorite digital drawings, then arranged them inside pages that looked as aged as the cover.
It’s an amazing feeling when you finally get to hold that creation in your hand.
I thought it was about time I had a sale to celebrate my new shop. I’ve been slowly moving away from Etsy in favor of a shop through Storenvy. Etsy has been great over the years, but my needs have changed. Here are a few things I love about Storenvy:
I have a theme I edited to mimic the look of my website.
There are no upfront fees. I only pay a small fee when something sells and my listings never expire.
I can have ‘Coming Soon’ and ‘Pre-order’ items in my shop.
Ultimately, I wanted a shop that cost me less money and less time. I’m more focused on selling art offline than online, but for those that can’t buy from me direct my shop is the next best thing. For the entire month of May everything is 20% off when you use the code MagicalMay at checkout.
Did you miss out on my Kickstarter? My first sketchbook is bring printed now. You can pre-order a book in my shop!
Didn’t have a chance to buy my art at JordanCon this year? I have a section just for Art Show prints!
Next week, prints of Renascentia will be available to order!
This guy is super cool. I love all sorts of objects, from natural objects like feathers, stones, and nests to random antique bottles and keys. I have a horse bit from the Civil War. Why? Why not? More often than not, objects from my collection do end up in my paintings. When I saw this TEDTalk from Adam Savage on his obsession with objects and the stories they tell I couldn’t resist sharing!
I’m one of those people that believes in Karma–cause and effect. I believe that our Dharma plays a huge role in how we confront life’s challenges. I also believe there is a balance to everything. The world around us is always attempting to balance itself, to keep things in check, and when we live as close to this balance as we can life is good to us. I’m using words associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, but I’m not affiliated with either. This is something I’ve believed and thought about for the last 20+ years. It’s my brand of common sense. Is my life always stress free, full of serenity and enlightenment? Ha! I wish.
But there are moments when I see the dominoes falling into place and I know why. My gut tells me this was meant to be.
Last week I received word that I did not pass the DragonCon Art Show Jury. Was I upset? Not at all. I know that may sound crazy, but I had been giving some thought to not applying this year. What????
I’d just finished a painting called Renascentia (Latin for Rebirth). This painting… THIS painting.
I began working on this painting in 2014. I sketched her out over the course of a week and then set her aside while I worked on a commission. Then the Christmas holiday season hit, my daughter was home from school, and not a whole lot got done. But even so, each time I returned to the first stages of the painting my heart would beat a little faster. It was clear not everyone was as thrilled by this work in progress as I was, but I couldn’t let her go. Before the painting was even finished I had decided she would be on the cover of my sketchbook, Daydreams and Wanderings.
It was in the weeks just before JordanCon, when my Kickstarter funded, that I knew Renascentia was the start of something new in my creative path. She is the beginning. So when the call came from DragonCon, I was not crushed because I’d already begun thinking that I wanted to focus on painting this summer, to follow this new path and see where it takes me. If I’d passed the jury, preparing for the art show would have consumed everything. It’s a lot of work! Plus, I was already going to JordanCon; where I would have to chance to meet some artists I admire, sell some of my own art and make some new connections.
However, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a tiny voice in the back of my head saying, “You suck. You got into DragonCon last year but not this year because you suck.” LOL
And then, Renascentia was awarded Judges’ Choice for JordanCon 2015.
I wrote a blog post on my website about my JordanCon experiences. If you want the full scoop, click through! But I will share the comment Todd Lockwood wrote in response to that post:
The pleasure was all mine, Amanda! I don’t often get the opportunity to influence the choice of “Best in Show” or “Judges’ Choice,” but when I do, it’s the one painting in the show that I most wish -I- might have painted. That was yours. It was unexpected and compelling. Most worthy.
Tomorrow is the start of JordanCon 7, a fantasy convention founded in honor of Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time series. I’m excited to be a part of this year’s Art Show and I hope it’s the start of many more to come. As you might suspect, Jordan Con features many Wheel of Time panels and events, but it’s not solely focused on Jordan’s fantasy world. If you love Fantasy Fiction, Art, Cosplay and Gaming you should come and join the fun!
I have large gallery space in the Art Show, with original art and limited edition matted prints for sale. I’m also going to have a small spot in this year’s first Print Shop! Here’s a taste of what I’m bringing to the Art Show.
The Alchemist – Limited Edition
Fly Fast Original Framed
Heart of the Forest Original Framed
Dragon Stones Original Framed
I will be attending JordanCon, so if you see me and want to chat come say, hi! Since this is my first year, I decided not to lead a panel or have a dealer table. I’m there to have fun, meet some other artists and make some new friends.
I’ve been looking forward to this interview for the last several weeks. Bekah Shambrook, daughter of author (and friend) Lisa Shambrook, is an amazing artist. AMAZING. Often times, she is her own canvas.
Tell us about yourself, where you’re from and what you love.
I’m Bekah from Carmarthen, West Wales and I love art, I always have. In school I was the art nerd, you could find me in the art rooms in every spare moment. I loved it. It was only natural for that to follow into my life, I now work part time as a freelance make up artist and spend every spare moment making cosplay costumes.
How did you get started in makeup artistry and cosplay?
I always loved art but it took a while for me to work out what aspect of it was truly me. Throughout school I tried photography, pencil drawing, digital art, sculpture… I enjoyed them all but they were never quite me. When I started my GSCE’s at the age of fifteen I decided to recreate Salvador Dali’s Mae West on my own face (I’m afraid I don’t have the photo any more), and that was the beginning. I branched out in the same course and used my family to recreate the amazing looks from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and, for the first time, tried my hand at prosthetics turning my sister into a zombie in the name of art. Much to her dismay, I had never actually learned what to use, and used PVA glue and tissue paper (don’t try that a home). Once I left school, I started a face painting business (www.masterpiecefacepainting.co.uk) which I still run and love, but I quickly decided to expand into makeup artistry and I’ve worked with photographers to create wonderful pieces of work.
The cosplay is more recent but it all ties in. I didn’t take fashion or textiles at school, I didn’t know how to sew, I wasn’t great at sculpture, but I’m nothing if not ambitious! A few of the models I know through the makeup work also did cosplay, and I love watching the cosplay music videos on youtube so I thought, why not? My first cosplay was November 2014, I decided to cosplay Thranduil from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. I had no idea where to start, but I managed it!
My second, and most recent, was this March. I decided to cosplay Maleficent from the recent Angelina Jolie film, but I didn’t want to cosplay her later costumes, the leather and staff… Oh no, I wanted to cosplay her Queen of the Moors costume, y’know, the one with the wings! So off I went, and 100 hours later I had made her dress, horns, armour, and fully articulated wings! (I even won Cardiff Film and Comic Con’s open Masquerade!)
Are there themes and/or subjects you find yourself drawn to again and again?
When it comes to makeup I love to create extreme looks, I love to challenge myself. My favourite looks are the ones where I have complete freedom, when there are no constraints.
As for cosplay, I have a list as long as my arm of cosplays I want to make! Although there are characters I love that have simple costumes I tend to steer away from them for cosplaying, as I said earlier, I love a good challenge. Cosplay is a learning tool for me, I will never know it all. I learn something new every costume I make. So I guess to answer your question, I’d have to say, anything with a challenge.
What are your goals and aspirations?
My goals are small ones, in terms of cosplay I would be honoured to be invited to guest at a convention. Big, small, anything, I think that would be wonderful. I also aspire to have the confidence to enter a big cosplay contest like London Super Comic Convention’s Championship. At the moment, the goal isn’t to place, but just to have the confidence to enter.
One day I’d love to visit San Diego Comic Con too…
What are you working on now? Can you give us a peek?
Right now, I’m working on Toothless from How to Train your Dragon, but with a twist. I’m making it a humanoid, armoured Toothless. I’m hoping to have it ready by London MCM Comic Con in May, but I have only just started so wish me luck!
You can see all my making of photos on my facebook page linked below, but for now, here’s a sneak peak of the armour design.
All artists have a list like this right? It’s a list comprised of things they just don’t care for, have no innate ability to create, or something they feel strongly about–in my case the representation of women. These are my big five. Sorry (not sorry) if you were planning to ask me to paint one of these. 😉
1. Manga/Anime – I love the style, but it’s just not in my bones. Can’t do it. Not going to try. But like said, I do love the style and much to the horror of a few of my friends I love Anime. Yes, I’m one of those Studio Ghibli fans and I passed this love onto my daughter.
Howls Moving Castle
2. Caricatures – I don’t like them. Some people find caricatures amusing. I’ve always found them disturbing and in some cases scary. They make my insides cringe. However, I can acknowledge the skill behind them. Artists who can pull this off are amazing. I’m not one of them.
George Lucas by Jason Seiler
3. Women with enormous breasts and slender figures. – Need I elaborate? Add sexy armor to this too, because it’s ridiculous. If that’s your thing then there are other artists who will fulfill your warped dream. Damn… Did I just type that? Yeah. I did.
Imagine an image here….. You all know what I’m talking about.
4. Your favorite superhero. – Sorry. Not going to happen. Sure, I might draw and paint my favorite Marvel villain occasionally, when the urge hits, but that’s something I do for me. Good or bad, it’s fan art. Now, if you’re an art director or just someone with a lot of money that wants to commission a painting from me, that’s a different story. 😉
2013
Mischief Maker
Out of the Flames
5. Space Ships, Cars, Mechanized Vehicles – Really not my thing. I could paint them (with a ton of practice) but I prefer focusing on fauna, flora, faces– flesh and bone. The clouds are so much cooler than the airship in this painting, don’t you think?
We’ve all been shaped by our experiences in life, our past and our present. We probably don’t think about it enough, but as creative individuals those experiences play an important role in what we create. Though I’m conscious of this fact, I’m not sure how closely I’ve ever explored the little bits that have shaped me. Artist Meredith Dillman invited me and other artists to create an Influence Map. If you’re a member of deviantART, you’ve probably seen one of these:
The creator mentions in his description that, you might discover some things about yourself doing this, and he’s right! I’ve decided I’m going to make two Influence Maps. This first map (below) contains my pre-2006 (when I turned 30 years old) influences that clearly still play a role.
Art Inspired by Fantasy, Nature and Myth — that’s what I have printed on my business cards and it’s no lie. If I had to add anything I’d say there’s also a touch of darkness.
From the top (left to right):
Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory by Georgia O’Keeffe
O’Keeffe is the first artist I remember from childhood. My mother kept a book of her art on our coffee table. The cover of the book features one of her skull paintings. Skulls. I don’t think I need elaborate any further.
American Crow
I decided to feature the crow, but let’s just say he represents all birds and nature.
The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse
Again, let’s just assume all the Pre-Raphaelite painters. Magic, Fantasy, Nature…. But also the tone of the paintings, the introspection, the colors.
H.R. Giger
Everyone close to me knows my quiet obsession with his xenomorphs, but all of his art was (and still is) mesmerizing. The darkness!
The Black Unicorn by Michael Parkes
I’ve been a fan of Parkes’ paintings since my early 20’s and I have a few prints rolled up in my closet still. His dream worlds infused with myths and fairy tales are a delight.
The Unicorn Tapestries
I’ve loved these for a long time, longer than I even realized. It wasn’t until last year, when I saw a special screening of Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn did it become clear. When I traveled to Paris in 2004 seeing the tapestries was on my list, but the museum was closed for maintenance.
Beauty and the Beast (with Laura Hamilton and Ron Perlman)
I’m not embarrassed at all to say I was obsessed with this tv show. There were many teenage tears shed when this show came to an end. I’ve been consumed with many television characters over the years, but only a few brought me a tears when the networks cancelled them. But hysterical fangirling aside, I loved the underground world in this story and the rich costumes. I wanted to live there!
Natural History
That’s a photo of just a few things in my collection today. I’ve always loved collecting feathers, nests, rocks, bones, shells, etc. I had an impressive collection as a child and it’s still something I do today and incorporate into my art.
Jareth, the Goblin King
There are several movies I identify with from my childhood, movies that I would obsessively watch over and over again. Labyrinth is just one, but out of all of those I feel as if it left the most obvious mark. The movie even has a barn owl! Fantasy with a touch of darkness. I really wanted Sarah to stay with Jareth.
I’d been thinking a lot about where I’m going with my personal work, what makes my heart sing, even before making this influence map. I feel as if much of what I’ve been painting the last two years are just starter paintings. I’ve been exploring and learning a new medium, opening up my creativity–giving myself permission to be myself.
I think having a style is not something you discover, it’s more about being true to your self when you paint.
The end is nigh! Get your copy of Daydreams and Wanderings at the special Kickstarter only price while you can. There are only hours remaining in my campaign now.
Daydreams and Wanderings is a collection of my favorite sketches and drawings I’ve created over the past two years, as well as a glimpse into my creative process.
“The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. If you can change the way people think. The way they see themselves. The way they see the world. You can change the way people live their lives. That’s the only lasting thing you can create.” ~ Chuck Palahniuk
Whatnot is code for Amanda doesn’t have a blog post today. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Whatnot usually means I’m busy in the studio and that’s a good thing! Here’s a run down of everything keeping me busy inside and outside the studio.
1. Preparing for the Jordan Con Art Show probably counts for at least three slots on this list. I’ll be displaying a mix of original works and matted prints. Yesterday I ordered a bunch of prints for their Print Shop. I’m working on three originals that I want to take with me next month. Here’s a peek at one I finished yesterday–Heart of the Forest in a beautiful frame.
2. There are 12 days left in my Kickstarter campaign for Daydreams and Wanderings. I’ve promoted more online this month than I have for my Etsy shop in the last 6 months. At this point I feel like I’m spamming everyone, but my artists friends say keep doing it! I’m so close at this point. There are 12 days left and I’m 91% funded. I’m terrified I won’t reach my goal.
3. Drusilla. She’s nearly 11 months old now and still a handful. Lately she’s become obsessed with carrots. I kid you not. I can’t open the veggie drawer in the fridge without her getting excited. She loves playing with the end of a baby carrot. She carries it all over the house, batting and playing. She also likes to hide them in boots, pockets and plastic bags. Carrot time is usually in the evenings so I can keep her occupied while we eat dinner. The rest of the day is a mixed bag. Earlier this week I caught her gnawing on Loki’s shoulder. She acts out when she wants attention or food. Here she is looking innocent. Don’t be fooled.
4. I’m also in the early stages of a new commission for a book cover. That’s all I can say about that. 😉
5. I’ve also been working on various drawings, sketches and ideas for paintings to come. Some are ideas I’m returning to and rethinking. This has led to me really evaluate my art–where I want to go and what I want to paint. Many of the pieces I’ve created in the last two years were part of a learning journey, but though I tried to branch out and create specific types of fantasy art for my portfolio I kept being pulled to what moves me–the face. I’m not certain where I’m going, but I know it’s no use to fight the current.
6. Reciprocal. It’s a funny story. Over the holidays I met a fiber artist at a UGA alumni event. She talked me into joining OCAF, which is less than a mile from my house. OCAF – Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation – is an arts organization located in downtown Watkinsville, GA. Oconee County is a rural county. I was hesitant to join because I didn’t think my art would be a good fit. I still believe that. Soon after joining there was a call for entries for a juried exhibit at UNG (University of North Georgia) only for OCAF members. There was no entry fee, so I said, what the hell. I entered my painting Electryone. Sixty artists entered and only 15 were selected, including me! I was blown away. The exhibit is on display till April 2nd. Check it out if you’re in the area, it’s only 15 minutes from Athens.
7. Women in Fantastical Art. I recently joined a secret group on Facebook for Women in Fantasy Illustration. It goes on a short list of the best things I’ve done. I needed this group and I have a feeling the benefits will continue to follow in the months and I hope years to come. I’ve made new friends and I’ve touched base with another artist in the Jordan Con Art Show. Yay! I’ve gained support that I honestly can’t get from anyone else but artists who can relate. I’ve gained knowledge! And I’ve been included in an amazing gallery, the one I linked to at the start–Women in Fantastical Art:
The best contemporary female illustrators & concept artists working in fantasy & science fiction
Wow… Yeah. My art is included in this new website built by Leesha Hannigan. To top things off, 24 hours after we made our debut to the world, the web gallery was featured on Tor.com. Wowsers!!
I could probably add a few more things to this Whatnot post, but I think I’ll stop here. March has been an incredible month. INCREDIBLE. I really I hope I haven’t jinxed April…
Rebecca Guay, an amazing artist and inspiring woman, began a movement on Facebook to highlight to extraordinary talent of women in the arts. Equal > Art is about all women and all genres of art, but I do feel women artists of the fantastic art (fantasy, scifi, horror) are often overlooked. Chances are, one (or more!) of the fantasy or science fiction books on your shelf was painted by woman. Have you ever looked? The point is we should all be equal in art but there is a tendency to only hear about the amazing men in illustration–there are many! Since March is Women’s History Month I thought I’d share art from my Equal > Art posts on Facebook.
Hydroponic by Marcela Bolivar
Little Dragon by Marta Emilia
Nixie by Valerie Meijer
Pisces by Kimberly Kincaid
Salome by Lauren K. Cannon
Check out this new site on Tumblr too! It’s still a work in progress, but already it features some stellar talent.
Those three words sum up life in my studio right now. If I thought I was busy last year, this year is blowing 2014 out of the water. Here’s a snapshot of my creative life this month.
Painting:
I’m working on three pieces. They are in various stages of completion and they will all be finished before the end of the month.
Digital Painting in Progress
Preparing to Mount
Mounted, Acrylics in Progress
Prepping:
Jordan Con 2015 is next month! I’m in the Art Show this year. Need I say more? Prepping paintings. Prepping prints. Prepping business cards.
I’m also preparing to apply to the Dragon Con Art Show again this year.
Promoting:
Two big events this month!
Reciprocal – a juried exhibit at the University of North Georgia Art Gallery (Oconee). Opening reception is tonight. I will be there!
Daydreams & Wanderings Kickstarter – You all know about this right? I’m 70% of the way to my goal. Unlike other crowdfunding sites, if I don’t reach my goal, the kickstarter fails and I don’t get any of the funds raised. So help me reach 100% by sharing my campaign with your friends and family!
After months of tedious, but also fun work, I’m pleased to announce the pages for my first sketchbook volume, Daydreams & Wanderings, are finished and ready for the printer! I’m running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for printing. Supporters of the campaign have the opportunity to purchase the book at a special KS only price of $15. Essentially, you’re pre-ordering the book at a sale price! Outside of Kickstarter the book will be $20, available from my online shop and conventions.
This is only one of the KS Reward Levels. There are several, including budget levels of $5 and $10. Levels $25 and up include a sketch on the inside title page. I hope you’ll help me make this dream a reality!
You’ve listened to the playlist and you’ve seen the cover, now you can feast your eyes on the full painting behind J Edward Neill’s Nether Kingdom. You’re going to want to click on the image below…
They move from star to star, swallowing every planet in darkness, building black towers on every surface, and turning oceans to deathly broth.
I think it surprises people when I create a piece of dark art (literal in this instance). I’m known for my love of nature and animals, but those that truly know me are aware of my fascination with the dark. From about the age of 9 I would scour the tv guide for classic horror movies. And as someone who’s survived cancer, I’m no stranger to darkness. Here are several more examples from my childhood (pre-teens) if you’re not convinced!
1. The Labyrinth – My favorite character was Jareth, The Goblin King, of course. I wanted Sarah to stay with him, to hell with the crying baby!
2. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – I was secretly thrilled by the possibility that Luke would join his father.
3. Giger’s Xenomorph – I’ve talked about this obsession numerous times. I have movies, comics, and my own fan art.
I love monsters and villains. I have a life-size God of Mischief hanging out in my studio. So, yeah. When J Edward asked me if I was up to the challenge, I needed only to look within, find that inner darkness and breathe it into my painting.
I’m making a book. This shouldn’t be confused with writing a book. However, whether you’re writing or making, it’s a monumental project. For the last several months I’ve been working on something called a sketchbook. It’s a collection of sketches from the past few years and it’s close to making its debut.
Daydreams & Wanderings Cover
Assuming everything goes as planned, I will be launching a Kickstarter campaign the first week of March. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds for the printing of my book, Daydreams & Wanderings. Here’s two key facts about the campaign and the books:
1. There will be a special Kickstarter price for the sketchbook. Normally, the sketchbook will cost $20, but if you buy it through the campaign it will be $15.
2. There will also be an option to buy the book with a sketch drawn on the inside cover page for $25. This will only be available through the Kickstarter campaign.
My hope is to print 200 books. Here are some facts about the book and a few sample pages too!
The book measures 6×9 inches and contains 40 pages of blood, sweat, and tears cool art.
It’s a perfect bound book, all color pages.
Each book will be autographed, whether bought through the campaign or later from my shop.
I like to think of the book like a field guide to my creative passions.
The pages below are still a work in progress.
Inside Title Page
Skulls
Mythological Creatures
I hope you’ll help me make this small dream a reality!
Follow me on Facebook and you’ll be the first to know when my Kickstarter campaign goes live.
Art post! Yeah, I couldn’t think up something clever to write this week, so here’s a magical tree I painted for an online art challenge – Colour and Texture ArtOrder Challenge.
The glowing symbol in the middle of the tree comes from the Ogham alphabet. It’s the name for Oak and means Strength. I imagine this to be an old, moss covered tree–the heart of a magical forest. I’ve ordered a cotton rag print that I’ll be embellishing, mounting, and framing. If you’re going to Jordan Con 2015 you’ll see it in the Art Show!
I’ve lived with a cat in my art studio since 2006 when Shadow was still shy of a year old and we lived near the Dorset coast in England. Initially, I tried to keep her out of the studio, but her cries were relentless. Over the years I’ve come to learn some valuable lessons and hard truths.
1. Cats love to be involved in the creative process.
Yessss, these are the colors.
2. If you can’t find that certain pad of paper chances are, they are sitting on it.
I haven’t seen your watercolor paper.
3. Never leave works in progress unattended. Remember, they like to be involved.
It needs my special touch.
4. Learn to incorporate cat hair into your paintings. Chances are there are more than a few strands of fur in this painting. It is what it is.
Sticking with the theme…
5. Cats will attempt to sway your creative decisions.
Are you sure you want to draw that?
6. Everything is for climbing. Everything.
Mom, look what I can do!
7. A warm lap must be made available at all times, no matter what you’re doing.
Oh, you’re painting?
8. They are never too young to begin disrupting learning what you do.
I want to try!
9. You may feel like working through lunch, but they won’t. Ever.
Are you done working yet?
10. All of the above rules apply both inside and outside the studio.
I’m going to sit on your art till you pay attention to me.
4. Don’t listen to people that know nothing about art.
I’ve been looking forward to this interview for the last several weeks. Bekah Shambrook, daughter of author (and friend) 
