Odds, Ends and Moving On

Now that the school year has come to an end a lot of catching up and moving around is happening for me. I will be moving my studio at school this summer, where I end up or if I end up with a studio in school again is up in the air at the moment. I was not happy with my studio assignment for my last year, or the choices offered me. In any regard I need to be thinking beyond school anyway, beyond Philly too in galleries and contests, etc. being rejected from all four plein air events I entered this year was a little surprising I suppose on one hand, and then not on the other. I don't think quality is always an issue but content or style and subject. I also think you have to be rejected for a number of years, then once maybe you've entered enough times maybe they will let you squeeze in. I think if you like urban settings that puts you at odds with the Sunday painter taste of the mostly white, middle-upper class tastes of most of these events. My buddy William Wray told me he was turned down for years when he tried to get in, he's having great success in recent years--so head down and paint on!

I will be carting home a lot of stuff from school in any regard. I think as much as I love the place at times I do get burned out on the gravity there and need to get away. It's a good time to recharge my batteries away from school and the school mindset and all of the other minds and opinions and just deal with my artistic needs. I was pretty crunchy by the end of the semester and I couldn't wait for it to all be over. I cruised through the ASE this year, but just didn't feel the same level of excitement about it as in past years. I've been in school a long time now, since 2007 and maybe I just need a vacation.

I have been trying to line up other models to continue on with the covered or umbilical series. Model mayhem has really not been of much use and seems just hard to search for models in general. I have found 2-3 models who have said yes so I hope at least one will work out.

I painted a lot last summer and want to this summer as well and plan a landscape painting trip in Arizona. Plein air painting recharges me the most of anything I do painting wise, and my battery is kinda' low right now. I did get out 2 weeks ago to do an afternoon with friends painting in the city, and that was fun.

Now that the weather is nice I want to get back out and start plein air painting again here in PA as well. Last year I had a good group that went out a few times, but I might be going solo more this summer,  the need of the one outweighs the need of the many this time around I think. I'll see. I need to get some new gear like waders for getting out near rivers and streams--they also help keep the ticks away which are very bad around here in southeast PA. I might try an new easel and i need to compact my painting rig as I end up taking too much crap with me.

I have a new Robin Hood cover illo to start this week, my third and I guess last in the series. They have been fun to do and ever garnered me an award a few years back. The next issue of Draw! is on its way to China as it will now be in FULL COLOR! I want to increase the amount of illustrators in te magazine as comics is mostly a black and white medium. We've hit 25 issues now, maybe we can make it to 50! Joe Jusko will be the featured artist in the next issue and I'm lining up interviews for the next few issues.

As always I am working every week on Judge Parker , its the one constant in my universe. The shot below is from an upcoming week before I put the blacks on. It was inked all with Pigma markers as I sat on my sofa watching Game of Thrones.