Hi everyone.

I did not fall off the face of the earth, it's just been one heck of a year and a half.

How has everyone been?

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I've entered in one of The Saatchi Gallery's 'Showdown's. I would really appreciate any and all high votes that are sent my way, as there is a potential cash prize that would be extraordinarily helpful with keeping me well-supplied and able to attend AAU. The piece I entered was 'Awaiting'. I'm not sure at this point if it's another daily voting thing or if it's one vote per ISP per 'Showdown'... Either way, I would really appreciate the help!

1's are the worst and 10's are the best.

[link]

Hope everyone's semesters are ending well and that things are not too chaotic!


Commission Prices:
[link]

Contests:
Check out my current contest: [link]

Basic Info:

Available for Commission: Yes, please send me a note or email.

Available for Art Trade: Trade with ~silverskydragon ~70% Complete

Available to create Gift Art: Possibly... Usually any gift art I create is for a family member or close friend, but I'm not against making exceptions


And even though I have not had a problem with this, I would still like to note: All images posted by me are my original creations. Unless I state otherwise, all images, characters, concepts, etc. are copyright to me. Please do not copy/redistribute/modify/STEAL any of my work.

If you are interested in using something of mine, whether it is for profit or not, please contact me and let me know. I'm sure we will be able to work something out.

Founder Of:



I am a member of:




Be sure to check them out!

Fun with Stamps!

:thumb77299089: :thumb29752098: :thumb29751983: :thumb29750786: :thumb29746151: :thumb24546857: :thumb41940890: :thumb37160819: :thumb37821304: :thumb74352618:


Most Importantly...

<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdev.gif\"/>
<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdeviation.gif\"/>

Wish List!

<img src=\"http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gifts/registries/wishlist/v2/web/wl-btn-74-b._V46774601_.gif\" width="74" alt="My Amazon.com Wish List" height="42" border="0" />

This past semester has definitely given me a lot more to think over in regards to my personal work. I have found that art is a lot easier for me when there are set parameters that I am following. Assignments, though not always as fun as my own work, are a lot more definitive as far as what is expected. I suppose that learning and relearning certain fundamentals and rules of art have been reason enough for me to give pause in regards to what I am trying to do on my own.

Slowly but surely I am creeping closer towards realism in my paintings. I want realism within my work, I crave it quite deeply. This semester has taught me so much in regards to several of my main weak spots, and I hope to implement that knowledge into future paintings, but the real issue lies with the fact that true realism and art oftentimes have very little to do with one another.

Obviously, people create insanely realistic, breathtaking drawings and paintings every day. But everything is, in a sense, staged. Lighting is carefully placed so that it accentuates the subject in a very specific way, composition is considered and reconsidered and tweaked until it works for the image. When drawing from photos that don’t have enough contrast to make a ‘good’ drawing the artist is supposed to use their own judgment in regards to how they can make it more dynamic.

My problem is that I generally do not dream in this artistic mindset. There are exceptions, of course, and if I really concentrate I can take something that I am imagining and attempt to ‘rein it in’ so to speak. But first and foremost, my mind works in realism, and my mind’s eye has a difficult time seeing my creations in anything but painfully ordinary realism. The realms within my mind are not lit with studio lighting. The scenery is not neatly cropped to fit a 24x36 canvas.

Unfortunately, this does not seem to mesh very well into the art world. I feel as though my choices are to stay true to what I actually ‘see’, or make it more ‘staged’, like a still life. The latter might make a prettier picture to my general audiences and show fellow artists that I am capable if implementing the rules of art into my work, but somehow it also fills me with a sense of unease. When does dramatizing something actually start to take away from it? If my goal is to show people exactly what I see, am I not undermining myself by doing this?

It’s definitely something I need to think about and something that I want to share with other people so that I can get opinions on it. I am just beginning to feel like I am at the technical level where I can put my personal work onto paper without cringing, and I don’t want to stall because of uncertainness in the actual execution of those images.

I would just go with whatever I want for my personal work, but I'm not exactly sure what that is. I don't want to deaden my own visions by adhering to the 'rules' 100%, but I don't want to shatter the impact of them by completely disregarding those rules. It's a lot to think about.

Commission Prices:
[link]

Contests:
Check out my current contest: [link]

Basic Info:

Available for Commission: Yes, please send me a note or email.

Available for Art Trade: Trade with ~silverskydragon ~70% Complete

Available to create Gift Art: Possibly... Usually any gift art I create is for a family member or close friend, but I'm not against making exceptions


And even though I have not had a problem with this, I would still like to note: All images posted by me are my original creations. Unless I state otherwise, all images, characters, concepts, etc. are copyright to me. Please do not copy/redistribute/modify/STEAL any of my work.

If you are interested in using something of mine, whether it is for profit or not, please contact me and let me know. I'm sure we will be able to work something out.

Founder Of:



I am a member of:




Be sure to check them out!

Fun with Stamps!

:thumb77299089: :thumb29752098: :thumb29751983: :thumb29750786: :thumb29746151: :thumb24546857: :thumb41940890: :thumb37160819: :thumb37821304: :thumb74352618:


Most Importantly...

<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdev.gif\"/>
<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdeviation.gif\"/>

Wish List!

<img src=\"http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gifts/registries/wishlist/v2/web/wl-btn-74-b._V46774601_.gif\" width="74" alt="My Amazon.com Wish List" height="42" border="0" />

I am currently looking for some good research/reference books on a couple of different topics, in the hopes of enriching my art and writing. I am planning on heading to a library and/or bookstore sometime in the near future to attempt to find some good material, but it can be pretty daunting to find what I'm really looking for. So if anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Architecture - I am mainly interested in ancient architecture, (though something with a focus on modern would be good to look at as well, I suppose) and would love to get my hands on any books that describe and show photos/illustrations of architecture from different areas of the world. What the styles were, and what the relevance of those styles was. Any books that give basic, 101 information on how to go about designing architectural structures so that they won't come crashing down on their occupants would also probably be good.

Nature - Again, trying to find resources on what different areas of the world look like. The different types of forests, rocks, soil, etc. What lives in different regions, and why. More interested in plant life and general information on terrain than animals at this point. Underwater environments would be great too!

Symbols/Symbolism - Images of and explanations behind the symbols used in different cultures. This can include anything from religious imagery to jewelry, sculptures, tattoos, piercings, etc. I want to know what was relevant, and why.

As great as searching the internet is, and even though I do so on a frequent basis, I really prefer having books on hand. The more photos and illustrations included, the better, though I also want detailed information on these topics.

I would definitely appreciate any recommendations that you guys have, as searching for decent books can be a pretty daunting task!


Commission Prices:
[link]

Contests:
Check out my current contest: [link]

Basic Info:

Available for Commission: Yes, please send me a note or email.

Available for Art Trade: Trade with ~silverskydragon ~70% Complete

Available to create Gift Art: Possibly... Usually any gift art I create is for a family member or close friend, but I'm not against making exceptions


And even though I have not had a problem with this, I would still like to note: All images posted by me are my original creations. Unless I state otherwise, all images, characters, concepts, etc. are copyright to me. Please do not copy/redistribute/modify/STEAL any of my work.

If you are interested in using something of mine, whether it is for profit or not, please contact me and let me know. I'm sure we will be able to work something out.

Founder Of:



I am a member of:




Be sure to check them out!

Fun with Stamps!

:thumb77299089: :thumb29752098: :thumb29751983: :thumb29750786: :thumb29746151: :thumb24546857: :thumb41940890: :thumb37160819: :thumb37821304: :thumb74352618:


Most Importantly...

<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdev.gif\"/>
<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdeviation.gif\"/>

Well, I don’t typically make posts in regards to my own birthday, but today is rather special for me. It is not only a milestone birthday, but it coincides with Easter, which I think is pretty cool! So, today I am 20, meaning I get to leave behind my teenager status. Looks like my days of reckless disregard for authority and responsibility are over. (It kind of makes me wish I actually had days where I recklessly disregarded said authority and responsibility, but no matter… )

So, Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it. And have a great day too, those who do not.

I’m going to go decorate a cake now

P.S.: Anyone here have Neverwinter Nights or Guild Wars? For the latter, I have the Factions and Nightfall campaigns.

Commission Prices:
[link]

Contests:
Check out my current contest: [link]

Basic Info:

Available for Commission: Yes, please send me a note or email.

Available for Art Trade: Trade with ~silverskydragon ~70% Complete

Available to create Gift Art: Possibly... Usually any gift art I create is for a family member or close friend, but I'm not against making exceptions


And even though I have not had a problem with this, I would still like to note: All images posted by me are my original creations. Unless I state otherwise, all images, characters, concepts, etc. are copyright to me. Please do not copy/redistribute/modify/STEAL any of my work.

If you are interested in using something of mine, whether it is for profit or not, please contact me and let me know. I'm sure we will be able to work something out.

Founder Of:



I am a member of:





Be sure to check them out!

Fun with Stamps!

:thumb77299089: :thumb29752098: :thumb29751983: :thumb29750786: :thumb29746151: :thumb24546857: :thumb41940890: :thumb37160819: :thumb37821304: :thumb74352618:


Most Importantly...

<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdev.gif\"/>
<img src=\"http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a29/cdaile/randomdeviation.gif\"/>