journal

Buy the Book

undefinedIt's out just in time for Elevenses!!!

Get your copy of
Starshipsofa's Stories Volume 3. I did an illustration for a James Morrow Story starring none other than John Wayne. http://www.starshipsofa.com/stories-volume-3/
Storie
s Volume 3 | StarShipSofa
www.star
shipsofa.com

 


New Art for SSS Stories V.III

I just handed in my artwork for StarShipSofa Stories Volume III. Another fun story to illustrate starring none other than the 'Duke', John Wayne.

You can see the art for it here. The book will be available in a few months from StarShipSofa.com

Community of Artists...in which I ramble incoherently

I was on the train today and met a young artist named Josh. It struck me how easily artists get along and how we announce ourselves so simply by removing our sketchbooks from our backpacks.

Have a great day everyone!

A Call for Artists

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Call for ARTISTS!

Every wanted to create a fantasy or science fiction cover to be adored by thousands of fans?

Contact me via the contact page or go to Starshipsofa.com and leave an email for the Host of this HUGO Award winning podcast.

 

Cheers,

Brian

StarShipSofa Volume II Promo

Video: Dee Cunniffe Music: David Bradshaw

Check out this weeks "HUGO Award Winning" podcast

meanwhile over at starshipsofa.com...

Aural Delights No 154 Ben Bova / Jack Dann

Sofanauts Awards

Jason Sanford Interzone

Coming Up This Week 00:48

Interview: Stephen R. Donaldson 03:50

Fact Article: Looking Back At SF History: Amy H. Sturgis 22:40

Main Fiction: The Man Who Hated Gravity by Ben Bova 38:20

Fact Article: DragonCon by Randal L. Schwartz 01:17:45

StarShipSofa Interrogations: Samuel R. Delany 01:33:45

Main Fiction: Cafe Culture by Jack Dann 02:10:30

Competition: H G Wells The Food of the Gods by Gollancz 02:31:00

Narrators: Mike Boris, Fred Himebaugh

The view from this morning

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Decided to take an early morning walk along Niagara Falls and remembered to bring my camera this time!

Locus 2010 Awards

I was surprised to see this year I had not read a single story, magazine article or anthology nominated for an award thisn year.I've been meaning to pick up The Windup Girl by  Paolo Bacigalup as I've great things about it as well as The City & The City by China Miéville.  I guess I better get to the bookstore ASAP.

Locus 2010 Finalists

More Sofa Art to come!

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I just signed up tp do another StarShipSofa Cover. I must be mad!

Look for it probably around the end of July maybe August. [Update: its done and you can find it here]

Meanwhile have look at the the cover art for Starshipsofa: The Captain's Logs by Dee Cunniffe.

 

The Captain's Log is the transcribed version of all the past shows put together by an entirely volunteer crew that spans the world.
Pretty amazing when you think about it.

StarShipSofa nominated for HUGO

Just a quick and very happy note to say StarShipSofa.com was nominated for a Hugo award in the BEST FANZINE category. I had the honour of doing a cover painting for issue 122 and I am not to proud to say I feel like I got nominated as well! Can't wait to finish the next  one.

Congrats to Tony C. Smith for creating such a fantastic vehicle!

Cheers!

Brian

 

This is how I'd like to spend my days...

Too cool!

Starshipsofa.com and on iTunes!

undefinedThis is another podcast I find myself listening to quite often while painting or working at the animation studio. Host Tony C. smith is the most energetic and enthusiastic host you'll ever run in to.

The podcast is a free download or stream from Starshipsofa.com as well as a free subscription from iTunes! There are occasional book reviews, non fiction pieces relating to science fiction, the odd movie review and much more. I really like this podcast. Its got character and charm. I'd hoist a pint with Tony any day!

There is a possibility some of my work may be featured on the StarShipSofa website in the near future as Tony has book cover art for each months Aural Delights episodes.

Another Day at the Park

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Taken from the Queenston Heights Park. I had a great day spending time

with some friends at the park using the old style pit Barbeques.

5 Must Read Books for Artists

k. So these are my top 5 must read books for artists. Or what to do when not drawing and painting. Answer: Read about drawing and painting.

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Imagine FX Magazine

So your first thought is "Hey, this isn't a book, it's a magazine!" True, but never mind that. What a great resource for anyone trying to figure out how to use their computer like a paint brush. In depth step-by-step tutorials on digital media with focuses on Photoshop and Painter. The website has past tutorials, or Workshops as they call them, to download for free as well.

 

 


Color Choices by Stephen Quiller: This book is great as a colour theory primer as it is. The theory of artistic colour is clearly explained with beautiful full colour pages. The interesting difference in this book is the Quiller Color Wheel. Imagine an artists colour wheel that, instead of all the usual suspects arranged around the circumference, has Windsor and Newton, Liquitex and a few others manufacturers labelled in their places.




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Painting Techniques of the Masters by Lester Cooke: A great resource if you can find a copy, it is out of print. I found mine at Amazon. This book analyzes Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Durer and many more. Great to flip through and remember what those before you have already figured out. Really this is centuries of hard found knowledge that nearly disappeared and has been rediscovered. The dissection of classical drawing and painting techniques is the most useful and interesting I have come across. Sadly, out of print, you can still find good copies out there.


 

 

How to Draw Comics the Marvel WayHow to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and Joe Buscema A book about comics? Are you serious? Never. Except this time. This easy read is a great book for a couple of reasons. One it's accessible for kids and adults. The lessons are presented in a slapstick manner taking away the pressure that can come from a blank page. I believe that everyone can develop the ability to draw just like most of us can write. Granted in seems unlikely that a doctor would make a good artist based on that comparison. This book focuses on the dynamic figure poses and layouts that made Marvel Comics famous. Lessons learned are the basics, literally what you need to know and why waste time on the others stuff! The book covers realism, perspective, figure studies, foreshortening, composition and a few comic specific chapters as well. The cool thing about this book is its like Stan is there talking to you in his usual enthusiastic voice.

 

 

Rendering in Pen & Ink: The Classic Book on Pen-&-Ink Techniques for Artists, Illustrators, Architects, & DesignersRendering in Pen and Ink by Arthur L. Guptill: Want to draw and sketch in black and white then this is the book for you. So many examples of techniques that will instantly improve your sketching. One of the more comprehensive books on pen and ink rendering.
So there you have it! My list. Do have any books that you feel deserve to be on list. Send me them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mighty Niagara River

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A view of the Niagara River from Queenston Heights, Ontario, Canada.

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