The Art of Currie

Coldfire

2012-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Aiko Mascot 2012

2012-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Winnipeg Anime con (Aikon) is notorious for selling out of artist alley tables in minutes, and I've only managed to get in last year by fluke- BUT if you win 1st or 2nd in the mascot contest, you are awarded a table.

plus- the theme this year was Sci Fi... I couldn't resist.

I'm going through Comic Con withdrawal right now... I've been filling out all my Artist alley forms these last couple weeks, getting my tables confirmed for the year, and am JUST itching to attend a show.

Also bought a banner stand :) cannot wait to get the banner printed! (pics will be posted as soon as I have it constructed)

Update 2012

2012-01-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

Coldfire is being rebuilt!

Here is a current shot of the piece, as well as the original design- still missing a background and fine tuning, but its coming along.

the background is just a squished jpeg I slapped in for testing- but I think I've got things figured out-should have final image in a couple days (video of the "making of" too... as soon as I can figure out what song to match with it)

original

The coldfire dragon was one of my first really big successful pieces accomplished with the Shattered vector painting style, so I've always been an especially big fan of the piece.

January so far-

Been spending a lot of my spare time on the upcoming "Quackers" children's book, we're trying to have ready for print at the end of the month. I'll post some snippets as soon as it hits printers.

Also had some artwork stolen last week, a European site was selling a piece of mine without permission, and when I emailed them about it, they claimed they had an artist responsible (the f*&^!!). I then showed them several things which proved I had original files, they still refused to take the piece down- so finally in frustration I posted the incident online and informed a couple art communities about the sites art-thievery. from what I hear, the site was soon after attacked with nasty emails+the such.

evil laugh.

The site has since removed my work, but expressed great displeasure concerning their reputation being tainted... easy fix: don't steal artwork. and on top of that, don't claim you didn't steal it when confronted by the artist.

Got interviewed by adobe couple weeks back as well :) very very cool.

The "Chasing Artwork 01" 60pg Artbook is coming along as well- but mostly in the sense that I'm constantly working on other projects which will eventually end up in the book, I still plan on hitting the printers late Feb/early March to have the 300 copies ready for all the 2012 comic cons I plan on attending. the con scedule is as follows:

Winnipeg Toy+comic Expo (confirmed)

March 3+4

Vancouver Fan Expo (papers filled out)

April 21-22

Calgary Expo (confirmed)

April 27-29

Anime North (I hear its hard to get a table at this one, but will try my best)

May 25-27

Winnipeg Aikon

July --

Chicago Wizard Con

August 9-12

Toronto Fan Expo (papers filled out)

August 23-26

Montreal Comic Con (confirmed)

Sept 17-18

Winnipeg C4

Nov 2-4

Hmm what else...

Resolution: I want to keep this blog updated a big more this year, I find one of my favorite features is just to look back a year or two back and see what I had going on then, and its frustrating when I'm super vague/sparse with my posts :p

Helped out my gf with social posters:

fun lil project, and fun event :)

chat later!

cheers :)

Lady of Pain

2011-12-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

We're Stardust.

2011-12-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

without a doubt, In my mind, this is the most beautiful and inspiring
knowledge that science has given us.

Full quote:

"The amazing thing is that every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements - the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution - weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way they could get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today."

Sneak Peek at a my upcoming book

2011-11-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

Lady of Pain commission progress

2011-11-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

class of vessel: Destroyer

2011-11-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

this is for a Star Trek AU

First Video of my process :)

2011-11-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Wolverine Progress from Chase on Vimeo.

WIP working on a moving castle

2011-11-08T17:05:00.001-08:00

tons to do yet, it needs more of a patchwork feel yet... stay tuned.

im off to play pool with some mates and have a couple drinks to help forget that im trying to tackle too many projects at once :)

Finally, a branding package

2011-11-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

this was far overdue.

Its been harder than I thought, trying to brand myself... the big problem is how quickly I'll start to critique and want to change my logo- I find designing logos for high profile mortgage companies or such clients far far easier than coming up with something for myself.

but I think this will work.

Initially, I had wanted a more illustrative logo, but this graphic will (90% of the time) be used in conjunction with my artwork, so something more simple and elegant was called for.

I needed this logo for my upcoming comic con Banner, as well as the cover for my 2012 Artbook

hope you cats approve!

Winnipeg Comic Con

2011-11-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Another Winnipeg comic con has come and gone, and I'm happy to report that I managed to double my print sales compared to last years show :) between that, all the great people I met, and the copious amount of other shenanigans I got up to this weekend, I'm placing this Halloween firmly into the the legendary category :)

Friday:
Set up my table at the con, the volunteers, of course, sent several artists to the wrong tables, so there was a bit of shuffling, but I've come to expect things like that at c4 :)

I had to duck out of the convention early in order to take off to Brandon for my eldest sis's wedding social. My friends and I managed to take home the group costume prize at the end of the night... as the group of sexy nurses.

Saturday:

The very good looking and talented James Gillespie was kind enough to work my table Saturday morning, giving me a chance to recover from the social and make my way back into Winnipeg.

After the frenzy that is Saturday at a con, there was a quick visit at Boston Pizza for a beer and perogi pizza (oh my god delicious) and then it was off to the Six Pines Haunted house, just outside of Winnipeg- it's worth checking out

Sunday:

Sunday at c4 was the very first time I've ever seen the biggest attendance on the last day of a show, thank you Will Shatner:) Sales were steady throughout the day, and as always, the end of the show, there was a rushed race to catch various artists before they packed up for art trades. got some good stuff.

Still mentally and physically exhausted from the show, but already getting excited about the prospect of the next big show, and have made a big long list of new pieces to get ready in time for it :)

Morning Scenery :)

2011-10-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

got to spend the morning creating a background scene for a new 2d scrolling game I'm working on :)

Chasing Artwork_the book.

2011-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

"An artist is always learning, always evolving, always growing. Your best piece of work will always the next one. Start chasing."

I have started putting together my first ever (limited run) Artbook, which will be published and available early 2012

I met with a printer and publisher/distributer last week, and have everything ready to roll other than building the actual book!

....small details...

This high quality book of awesome will include 60pages of artwork, a detailed description of my vector process , doodles, some of my meandering thoughts, and a bunch of new art (like exclusive never-will-be-posted online- paintings)

At this early stage of the book, I would love to hear any ideas or suggestions on what you guys (as you are a great, and good looking, example of my audience) would like to see or have me talk about in the book, any input would be greatly appreciated

cheers mates.

Launching My First book this Weekend :)

2011-10-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

after almost 3 years of work, my first book has been published!

From the author:

This 72 page illustrated book written by a passionate father trying to teach his two teenage children something about electricity. As an engineer I was surprised when looking through my son’s Grade 6 Science book to see the same material introducing the topic of electricity to my son that I saw when I was in Grade 6 back in the 1960s. It showed the basics of static charge like a balloon sticking to a wall and pictures of light bulbs and conventional wall light switches.

Today, in the 21st Century, we live in a different world. The advent of the microchip and computers made teaching the subject of electricity much more relevant and fascinating. My career has taken me along some amazing journeys and has allowed me to see things, which I thought incomprehensible, clearly in a different way.

I wanted to share what I know with my sons in such a way that any entry level or high school student can grasp. The concepts laid here are not complicated. All one needs is imagination. The heart of the digital information age involving computers, smart phones, jump drives, music, video, and cameras are explored through a young girl named Rachel. All this is explained in a non-technical pragmatic way through a strongly visual, picture book format.

I am hoping that in some way this work, inspired by the illustrations provided by Justin Currie, will spark further interest and study in Science and Engineering. I can tell you, it is one heck of a ride, and …… it is just beginning!

Check out all the info here for the book launch this weekend

go here for more info on the book, or to purchase

Deadpool

2011-10-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last piece before the c4 con happening next weekend! (SoO ExCIIttted!!)

This piece will be available sans word bubble, or with a blank one, so you can write in whatever you want :) bit of a custom piece, hopefully it sells well :)

Crazy productive weekend

2011-10-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

WIP: Almost done this Starship - its been a sweet commission to work on, looking forward to finishing it off and starting on another ship in the fleet .

From Monty Pythons "Holy Grail"

this beastie has to be my favorite part of the film

Below is a new childrens book project about a duck :) ... just tossing out a teaser for now

and then this is what my computer looks like on sunday night... chipping away on my last piece the upcoming C4 winnipeg con: A customizable Deadpool print.

The print will be available plain, or with a blank speech bubble for customers to have whatever they want written in :) I think it could be a big seller,

The Fett

2011-10-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

2011-09-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

A progression of a Airship I'm working on :) still lots to do yet,

but I think I'm starting to find the shape and style I want.

wallpaper version:

2011-09-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

had some requests for wallpaper versions... have at'er :)

no need for an umbrella

2011-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

I felt it was about time to do a piece without dragons or robots...

that, and its been like, 2 weeks since I painted something new for myself,
I was starting to get the shakes.

Toronto Fan Expo Aftermath

2011-08-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Boo-ya! the Toronto Fan Expo went right ahead and rocked my world.

So first off- unlike most con weekends, I actually got a chance to see a bit of the city:) the convention is right downtown, at the MTCC, right at the base of the CN tower. I rode a subway for the first time ever, got lost in a neighborhood or two, saw a bit of buskerfest... all kinds of good times :)

Onto the show!!

Before I even got on the plane- the security guard checking my bags flipped through my portfolio for bombs or w/e, loved my artwork- and so I ended up giving her 2 pieces to take home (she made sure I had been cleared for not having drugs/explosives before accepting) haha

The Fan Expo is huge... and awesome...

I did not get to meet Tom Felton myself (Draco from Harry Potter) but I did send my cousin in for 2 autographed pictures- as I had promised some important ppl back home some malfoy ink :) sounds like he's a pretty easy going guy, everyone seemed to have a lot of fun chatting with him.

I also chatted with Lance Henriksen- twice :D once when I went up for a signature on my "all hail the Queen" piece, and then a second time because he wanted a copy of the picture as well!!

I grabbed another print from Mike Boldt,

his childrenbook illustrations are all kinds of impressive and inspiring- nice guy to boot.

Also met Caanan, this guy has some sick style, most definitely be keeping an eye on his work from now on... very calvin+hobbes esq = im on board.

One of the artists responsible for the Iron Giant movie dropped by to grab a print and chatted :) The Iron Giant is inside my top 10 movies of all time list, so this was beyond cool for me.

an exhausting four days.... think that's about it for the weekend, it was a great show, Im already excited about heading back again next year :)

in other, non-fan-expo news:

I will be in Winnipegs Market square on Oct 1 for " Culture Days" , selling quick sketches and prints... I'm not expecting a huge turnout or profit, but I feel like im behind on my traditional mediums practice quota, and drawing live for kids and bystanders is great incentive/practice.

got interviewed here about the Royals comic hitting shelves

one of the coolest things happened the other day.... a FF fan from the UK has gotten a piece of my art Tattooed front and centre. damn.

ALSO! while were talking about this piece- its been downloaded 100-god-damn-thousand times from some wallpaper site... which is cool... but the fact that they upload their wallpapers without giving credit to the artists has me irked. I have had a dozens of people come up to me at comic cons who recognize the piece because they downloaded it from this site... super cool... but a bit not

Xmen and a tee

2011-08-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

Working on an X-Men piece- shes in the very early stages, but you get the general idea (wolverine is taking on a sentinel)

I had originally planed on having this piece ready for the fan expo- but life has been hitting me from all sides lately, in the best kind of summer-is-awesome-and-overly-hectic-kinda-way just didn't have the time to finish :S

catch you cats when I return from Toronto next week!

also- this past week I screen sprint 40 tees for this goofy idiot's annual kegger (you had the option of blue or yellow):

some new noise

2011-08-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

your first task: Go listen to this sad/awesome portal vid

and now for some ramblings:

Got featured on kotaku which means I received MAD internet attention for a couple days :) always nice

Got back from Chicago wizard con 2011- first off- thank you everyone who came to my booth and purchased work! this was my most succesful artists alley to date, and I am already excited to make the trip next year... (ive been hearing some great things about the Chicago C2E2 show, may have to make that con as well...)

I winged this wknd solo- so I was pretty much stuck behind my table the entire time, but I did manage to wander a bit and check out some of the other talent, this years con featured 500+ artists, and good lord was there some talent kicking around... I wish I had bought/traded far more artwork :S

also grabbed one of these bad boys:

My desk now looks proper-classy

also- did an interview with these guys: the first video just has a little blip of my work/table, but I think the full interview will be posted soon.

my hotel was also quite the wknd experience: I had breakfast a couple tables away from Felicia Day, rode an elevator with the Chewbacca actor, checked out at the same time as Lough Farigno, and took a shuttle back to the airport with one of the Boondock Saints... celebs just coming outa the woodwork

So now that my print inventory has been completely decimated by the classy cats of chicago- its time to rush to my printers for the Toronto Fan Expo in 2 weeks!!

also: if your curious about my adventures sans-drawing, you can check out my dads new video featuring my latest summer escapade

cheers mates!

August Long

2011-08-02T09:28:00.001-07:00

Just wrapped up August long weekend-and regardless of having no plans made whatsoever, it turned out to be a great one... im writing down what I did -more for me to remember, than for you guys.

Fri- sent off my print files for the upcoming chicago comic con, met up with my mates and went to the "Toad in the Hole" pub, met some random country people, followed them to the "Academy" Patio, after a drink or two there, we skipped over to the Australia bar "billabong" where our bartender working was Jermaine Clements (from flight of the conchords) doppelganger... im still not convinced he wasn't the real one.

From there, we set off on a trek for the "Taverns" rooftop patio-for whatever reason we ended up walking through a forest on the way... was a bit sketchy, there was randomly a mattress in there. The night eneded with a trip to the Poutinery (which is a place that exclusively sells big messy plates of fries+gravy+awesome)

Sat- finished off the above Metroid piece :) then BBQ and beers with some buds, followed by the famous BDI's ice cream and then off to a sports lounge for exotic beer. finished off the night with a marathon of "East Bound and Down"

Sun- went to Winnipegs Folarama Festival "Celtic Pavillion", followed by drinks at a buddies house, then off for pints at the kings head pub- which included a staggering loss at foos ball against some new friends. Im pretty sure they were AAA foos ball players in disguise.

Mon- hit a club for the first time in a while, and did all the things one does at a club. wait in line to get in, danced it up, waited in line to get a drink, dance, waited in line for the patio, rinse and repeat.

also:

found a stellar New song for the playlist

Comic Cons are Great :)

2011-07-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

My current job is awesome... "design anthropomorphic steampunk animals" was a task given to me the other day. success.

Commissioned Iron Man piece, should sell nicely at the upcoming comic cons.

STUFF update:

Recently I attended the AiKon anime convention here in winnipeg- which randomly turned out to be my most profitable wknd of selling artwork YET. awesome surprise. I think a big factor was: Anime artists are the shyest most socially awkward breed of artists out there, so the fact that I actually talked to people walking by helped me out greatly with sales.

My print supply is now decimated, so I'm currently in checklist/new piece mode in prep for my upcoming trips to Chicago Wizard con and Torontos Fan Expo. I expect both trips will be a blast, cannot wait :)

cheers

My current desktop

2011-07-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Fall

2011-07-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Fall updated

2011-07-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

My Angel Gabriel WIP

2011-06-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

WIP- just started this up, and I really should be working on other things- or getting ready for a weekend of camping. Annoying how i always produce my favorite stuff when I should be spending my time on 6 other things besides my own pieces :S

One of my current favorite songs at the moment is Gabriel by Lamb. Great tune, and as with all songs, i keep imagining my own little music video whilst listening- basicly an angel has done something, and is cast out of heaven. the fall to earth causes her halo to disentigrate, her angely power to dissipate, and her wings to burn off, by the time she lands, she completely mortal.

the final piece will have a lot more to look at, as well as some nifty verbage :) stay tuned

GlaDOS Wallpaper for da

2011-06-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

got a lot of requests for a wallpaper version of my previous portal piece- so voila!

2011-06-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

WIP Tree Guardian

I had originally planned to enter into a "Create A Collosus" contest, but ran out of time- I blame my little sis's wedding. very selfish of here not to adjust things to my schedule :)

I still plan on finishing the piece, the final will feature a group of horrified little woodsman whom just shopped down trees in the wrong woods.

On a side note: my little sis got married last weekend, it was a great event, copious amounts of pictures, family noise and festivities. I think i might be fully recovered sometime next week.

Portal Fanart:

Finally managed to play a bit of this game the other week, thought it would make a great addition to the print selection for the upcoming comic cons. (Ai-Kon, Toronto and Chicago, i'll blog about those soonish)

My new favorite trick: build your artwork in grayscale, then play with colours afterwards. It really allows you to experiment and come up with some nice looks.

was about time to update this beast... My lack of updates was due to a comic project with Bluewater productions- I'll have my first comic on shelves this August :)

Steamy ol Tony Stark

2011-06-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Commission for a friend, but i was happy for an excuse to work on a steampunk character.

Just signed up for both AiKon and Toronto Fan Expo Comin cons :)
now I just need to wrap up some freelance so I can get working on my own artwork!

In progress Iron Man

2011-05-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

lots of work to do to this, but its already been a ton of fun, very much looking forward to a finished product.

Portals: a great way to make new friends.

2011-05-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Fanart, based on Portal 2

still not sure about colour scheme...

2011-05-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

2011-04-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

a far better day at the beach

2011-04-22T01:53:00.001-07:00

Im starting to really like drawing full scenes and backgrounds, which is a relief, because 80% of my portfolio lacks a background, that needed to be fixed.

still a bunch to add, a rusty bot half buried on the beach, some kids playing, plants, etc.

In progress poster,

2011-04-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Cloak and Dagger

2011-04-05T00:11:00.000-07:00

ug its late, but I was on a roll with this piece, and if your work flow is flowing DO NOT STOP.

In-Progress commish

2011-04-04T23:23:00.001-07:00

got commissioned to do a "Cloak and Dagger" poster, not overly familiar with the characters, but Im a fan of their designs :)

this piece is fairly overdue... hope the client enjoys the final product

Toronto results!

2011-03-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

great wknd. like frosted flakes Greeeaaaat.

on friday, Aaron Douglas (the Chief from Battlestar Gallactica) did a double-take while walking by my booth, was very impressed by my work (I was overly ecstatic about this) so he ended up signing my halo print : "Fraken Badass", he Tweeted about my work, then grabbed a copy of the print for himself to have at his table the entire weekend, his mate:Toby Proctor (sailor moon's Tux Mask also picked up some pieces to show off while signing autographs. Fantastic guys to chat with, wish I hadn't had to fly back home so soon or I would have went out for some drinks with em. next time i'll miss the flippin flight.

My booth neighbors this weekend were the very talented "Red Letter Media" crew (the very same cats responsible for those hilariously scathing 70min Star Wars reviews) They were great guys to be sitting beside, although due to the nature of their fame, they did attract some very... "unique" individuals.

We were also right across from the "SuckerPunch" promotional booth, which had some nice eyecandy, however they also had the one minute trailer blaring and on loop allllll weekend. we almost went insane listening to it over and over again. (the booth girls were equally annoyed with the trailer, but did a great job hiding their frustration)

Got the chance to catch up with Lamin Martin again,

a phenomenal artist I had met last Oct. Huge fan of his work, this cat draws dragons and girls like they should be drawn. I hope/plan to get a colab piece rolling with him sometime in the near future.

Vids:
check out this guys video, I'm the first artist he shows :)

things for next con: (this list is here, just so I have it written in a place I'll be able to find a couple weeks from now)
- New Muse print
- no more stickers (too much effort, and my work does not make for good stickers)
- something similar to the venom print (spawn?)
- a DC piece (superman/batman Esq)
- redo Kerrigan/stracraft
- Star wars piece/prints
- better paper/stock for comissions
- New portfolio case
- re-tweak remnant 2.0

The Soul was Prologue

2011-03-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Heading to the Toronto Wizard con this wknd (couple hours from now, woot!) so getting this ready for print was my last hurdle :)

I also recieved an email a day two ago from the toronto con, saying that for an extra bit-o-cash, i can be upgraded to a small press booth rather than an artists alley table. I jumped on it- i suspect it will get me more attention... hopefully i'm right... i am a tad afraid I'm getting a deal on the booth because its stuck in a corner somewhere...

but location doesn't count for tooooo too much at a con right?
sure I'll do fine, non-the-less :)

cheers mates

Welcome to EMUD

2011-03-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is a screenshot (WIP, so things look a bit choppy) of an environment design for a video game Im currently working on for Complex Games, called EMUD. (pronounced E Mood). This game will be played primarily by kids with cancer, with the purpose of collecting important research data (the game has a Mood system, which tracks the mood of the player over time...? im not exactly sure how the programmers and researcher have it all set up, I just make it pretty)

Absolutely loving this project, and its even better to know that its for a great cause.

cheers mates.

My motto of late has been- "Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it"

2011-03-08T21:48:00.001-08:00

First little sneak peak at what I've been loosing all my sleep over lately- an upcoming issue of "Sinbad Rogue of Mars"

Im helping organize a local gallery show for the young upcoming artists of Winnipeg, really looking forward to the show!

for the current issue of KAYAK

This Pirate Spread was completed some time ago, but I had to hold off sharing until the book was published (i have another piece to show that will also have to wait)

It may take me a day or two more to collect my thoughts and write a proper entry regarding my activities of late... lots of artwork... stuff on its way out, and projects starting up. And an epic 10 day San Francisco trip for the Game Developers Conference. phew.

Musical Inspiration

2011-02-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

the only video I'll ever need to watch again

Chasing Artwork

2011-01-30T11:22:00.001-08:00

for those of you whom do not know- this is tribute to one of the most famous and heartbreaking scenes in video game history- as a character you’ve been building up and developing for dozens of hours gets actually killed off for the remainder of the story.

as i've said before: I credit the FF7 game for really getting me into artwork back in the day, owe the game a lot.

also- on my Deviant art Account, I kept getting questions about my training/background so I wrote a uber long journal detailing my artsy journey: thought I would post here as well :)

I have been asked about aspects of my training/art background on a number of occasions- so I figured I would just tell the whole story here and be done with it.

I grew up on a farm 10miles away from the closest town with a school, my family consisted of Mom, Dad, and 5 siblings (4sisters, 1 bro), a dog named Winston (after the ghost buster) and a cat named Garfield whom refused to die until he saw his 19th birthday.

When I was about 7yrs old a particularly nasty storm blew down our TV antenna, my dad, being my dad, announced that he liked how we could no longer vegetate in front of the tv, and thus never bothered to re-attach the thing, leaving us kids to grow up without actual tv. (scary I know)

this however resulted in an increase of drawing, reading and other such activities (lego especially, god yes the Lego. I built with lego 24/7). While we did not have any tv channels, we still had a physical TV to watch rented VHS movies on (lots of copied movies as well, shhh don't tell), and eventually a Sega Genisis, then a playstaion (Final Fantasy 7 had a lot to do with me practicing illustration in a serious way)

throughout school, one of my best friends also was a stellar illustrator- and it was a constant back and forth battle/competition about who could draw the best stuff- this epic war carried over from grade 2 all the way to 12, and without it, I doubt I would have gotten into a art school afterwards. (I credit a good chunk of my skill to the competition factor. Nothing gets me more productive and rearing to create than a friends artwork upping the ante over mine.)

During high school I took any and all art courses I could get my hands on, intro to drafting, a wednesday night portrait workshop, half credit intro to drawing course... and so on (my lil school boasted about 500+ students K-12, so we didn't have a ton of course variety)

upon graduation, I immediately applied for Red River Colleges Graphic Design Program (17yrs old at this point). A cousin of mine had took it, and upon seeing my work one day she convinced me that this was where i needed to go, rather than a fine arts, to carry out my work and advance my skills in the best way possible.

Graphic design kinda rubbed me the wrong way at first (was not a fan of all the design and lack of illustration they had me doing) but eventually I started to see how all they design theory was influencing and very much complementing my illustration work- i even started to really enjoy the typography, logo design, etc, after a time. it's fantastic stuff once you dive into it. Design also got me mastering the essential programs- like flash, photoshop, indesign and the almighty illustrator In the end, Graphic Design helped my improve my work quality 10X, I think every illustrator should take design training. I have been able to tackle so many more projects due to my design/illustration training mix

Red rivers program is a CONDENSED 2yr course load with an optional advanced 3rd year (this same course can be taken elsewhere over 4-5 years) I took the 3rd year- which got us improving upon our strengths, and more into the heavy programs like aftereffects, sound mixing etc.

Upon graduation from college, I worked in a Design firm from 2007-2009- it was a smaller place, I worked with great guys, and learned a god-awfully large amount about how to properly set up print files, pre-press procedure, good layout etc, etc. but this was by no means a "creative solution" kinda job, they wanted it done and out the door, then onto the next brochure (creativity took a back seat, and that slowly drove me into more and more freelance creative work/personal projects)
sadly enough, I feel that only a small precent of my skillset was being used at the firm, and so leaving that position was a bit of a relief.

Although- I will have to give that firm credit for my Shattered Vector Painting style. lol, the only way i could work on my own stuff during company time was to have my screen looking like I was just working on some illustrator file, so I would just have my painting stuck in the corner of a logo file and slowly chip away at it while working on the logo.

2008 I attended my first comic convention. I printed out about 10 things at Staples, had my sketchbook, and got my artists alley table (no idea what to expect) I HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME. I only sold a couple things, but got just hooked on the con scene. I also made contact with a ton of local talent, and a group of us started getting together once a week just to sketch jam (practice, that is, in my mind, the only flipping trick worth remembering: just keep drawing, painting, writing, learning,) and again, the competition factor between fellow artists also keeps me from slacking

Next year I rolled back to the con with a huge print selection and my A game- sold a ton of work, had even more fun. shortly after I started signing up for every convention within driving distance. Comic conventions got me inspired enough to keep improving my stuff, constantly getting new and better work ready for the next show

THUS the name and my philosophy: • Chasing Artwork •
its like a carrot on a stick, your next best piece is just out of reach, and the one after that is going to be even better. start chasing.

NOW
Currently I am working as a concept artists/designer at game company called "Complex Games" and it's becoming blatantly obvious how much quality of work improves when your truly passionate about your job. I am also working on a childrens book about electricity basics with a freelance client, as well as some comic pages for Bluwater's "Sinbad, Rouge of Mars" I also still attend a weekly sketchjam with friends, and get involved with every workshop and art show that comes my way.

wow. thats about me... let me know if you have any questions
cheers mates.

The almighty thumbnail sheet

2011-01-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

a how-i-work kinda post.

the very last thing that goes to the printer before a convention is my thumbnail sheet. (one thats not all marked up for my printing references)

the x'd out thumbnails are for prints that I currently have sufficient stock for a con- the red numbers are how many new ones I need to print.

These are SUPER helpful, since I attend a lot of conventions, this sheet really helps me keep track of what is really selling, what is sold out, etc.

Its also interesting how much of an attention grab this thing is, people almost seem to love looking at this more than flipping through my portfolio to find their favorite pieces.

Black Rock Shooter

2011-01-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

Heading to a small Anime Con this weekend, so I felt the need to build a new flashy fanart print :)

this may not be the final-final, as I am finishing this piece on a computer with horrendous colour calibration- I need to get back to my mac to double check everything before she goes to print :)

for those of you unfamiliar with this girlie: BRS

in progress work...

2011-01-10T20:54:00.001-08:00

I will do a full update soon...

going to a toronto con soonish,

I now own a cintiq

Have a new job at a gaming company

etc

cheers mates

Kella

2010-12-20T03:23:00.000-08:00

always liked the quote "I have Become Death, The destroyer of worlds"
took screenshots throughout the making of this :) will be building a how-to tutorial soonish

3rd Ward Open Call - Send Me to New York!

2010-12-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

Every couple of months I try to enter a contest/gallery with an entry fee (i enter every free contese/gallery I possibly can) This month, I signed up for a possible New York residency and gallery show. All im asking from you guys is 2 seconds of your time for a vote :) tell your friends as well! voting does not last too much longer.

VOTE FOR ME!
contest site: http://www.3rdwardopencall.com/

Donating the Moons

2010-12-12T01:07:00.000-08:00

1st Piece: "Can I have the Moon?"

2nd Piece: "Lost Strings"

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I present to you, after quite a long wait, The 3d and final piece the Moon series.

"The Last Eclipse "

The complete series will be donated to make it's public debut at the The Laurel Centre Art Auction
This January!

Iron Man joins the Game Grid

2010-12-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Iron man / tron crossover artwork. Built this one for a contest

Artemis

2010-12-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

The Greek Goddess "Artemis" of the wildland, Mistress of Animals.

Commission: Ice Creature

2010-11-30T02:07:00.000-08:00

Apparently i like orange/red schemes this week

2010-11-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

Commission I got throught DeviantArt of Isis (Egyption Goddess) and an Xmas present for my lil sis, the piece is of her two horses

Zbrush fish (i guess?)

2010-11-21T23:52:00.000-08:00

third session in zbrush, finally getting a handle on basic controls- this time I actually managed to make something that looked like thing. progress!!

speedpaint

2010-11-21T21:51:00.001-08:00

painting for the Vibe fest this weekend... which is some kind of art show at the academy bar- I have no idea what to expect, but i do like the idea of an art show at the bar :)

Walk Cycle

2010-11-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

preview of a flash animation I'm tackling over the next couple of months

better lich king

2010-11-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

when in doubt- texturize and play with your colours

Lich King and some 3d experimentation

2010-11-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Warcraft Fanart: The ol lich king ;)

Also- I'm starting to dive into zbrush and maya. lookout gaming industry. below is a screenshot or two of my first abominations/creations made while following the basics tutorial. hope to have a portfolio piece out of the program in a couple weeks :)

Winter roundhouse kicked winnipeg in the teeth last night

2010-11-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

earlyish morning sketch of frostbourne ona frosty day... full lich king to follow shortly. maybe his crazy blue dragon thrown into the background (depending on how long my coffee lasts)

A quick Preview of Misdirection, and a whale

2010-11-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

Above is the first leaked artwork for an upcoming comic strip of mine called "Misdirection". A personal project I have had on the back burner for over a year, finally got some strips built!
Telling a story with a comic strip is something I've always wanted to do:) the plan is: stockpile about 30 strips, set up a word press website, and release one a week. See what happens.

and for no apparent reason: a vector speed painting of a sky whale. just because.

Updated Remanants

2010-11-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Original.

2.0

Remnant 2

2010-11-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

"for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"

Inspired by: "Between Two Points" by the Glitch mob

Comic Con 2010, and some tron

2010-11-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Winnipeg's Comic Con 2010 was last weekend, went very very well for myself and my work. Think my next con will be Toronto's Wizard con in march, then hopefully I can attend something big in the states, perhaps new york :)

The new tron movie has me captivated. the visual style is just top notch. hope the actual film will be nearly as good as the art direction :)

Im calling this character "Aster"

art nights

2010-10-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

stuff I got upto while not doing other stuff.

2010-10-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

this illustration goes along with an article about religions targeting younger kids through music.
had a lot of fun drawing heartthrob Jesus and Buddha. eat your heart out beiber.

I am currently working on a comic (and getting paid for it! woot!) these are my first coloured tests for my pages
Was comissioned to make a shirt for a social/kegger held by my friends (the schotts)
the kegger went well. awesomely well.

Another illustration for a newspaper- this article was regarding the amount of new sushi restaurants opening up in Winnipeg

Quite possibly the last drawing I will do for my childrens book... exciting/sad

Wing Zero

2010-10-16T14:28:00.001-07:00

Commissioned piece of a Gundam.

Crazy Ninja Robot :)

2010-10-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

and then he ran into a big doggie...

October

2010-10-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

October is here! woot.
that means scary movies, sweet piles of leaves scattered willy nilly, and for us winnipeg artists: the big comic con

for jacky boy here- i tried to tie in some edward scissor hands influence, make him look more like the "king" of halloween :)

movie stuff: I ressomend checking out the new animated "Red Hood" batman flick, quality movie :) I strongly, strongly advice against watching "The Last Airbender"... I really really wish they had not screwed that movie up, but they did. they really screwed it up.

revision of a requiem

2010-09-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

revisions were in order... the client seems happy, but I may take another swipe or two before I'm completely done.

A Vilolet Requiem (progress)

2010-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

this piece is still in progress...
I have less than "zip" in the musical talent department, but hey, thats what drawing is for :)
this piece is for a good friend of mine, she just moved to a new place and needed something pretty and purple to go on her wall.

I could hardly say no to a project with peramiters such as “it needs to look pretty, and I want it to be purpely” this is what I'm working with :)

someday soon, this will be printed out large and hung on a wall, I’ll do my best to get shots of the final product for you cats :)

Fall.

2010-09-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Some women can just pull off a shaved head...
This was just an style experiment, I didn't really have a goal with this girl. just fooling around with a pretty face and some tech. Think i may come back to this later, maybe add some typography or such.

I don't know about you guys... but I find, that as the seasons change, it seems to throw me out of whack. that whole 1-3 weeks transition between summer/fall winter/spring etc, I never quite feel on top of my game. annoying.

Lifis

2010-09-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Lifis
She's short, fierce and more stubborn than you'd believe. On the plus side, shes completely loyal to her friends.

She lugs around a rather large cannon... well, because it looks terribly badass. (it also destroys whatever she points it at)

Girl and her Dragon

2010-09-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Metal Sonic

2010-09-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

commissioned pic :)

Sorcerers Apprentice

2010-09-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sorcerers apprentice!
Got commissioned to do a tribute scene from fantasia 1940s. Had a lot of fun doing research on this one, I hadn't watched the animation in years. Quality reaaaally holds up to the test of time

some upcoming stuff :)

2010-09-07T11:38:00.001-07:00

(in progress shot)
Got a commission to do a scene from Sorcerers Apprentice (fantasia 1940s). Had a lot of fun doing research on this one, I hadn't watched the animation in years. reaaaally holds up to the test of time

Megabyte!!

There is going to be a kid on this mountain conversing with the dragon...
still working on the kiddo.

The Legend of Wayward James.

2010-08-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

a sketch of past adventures... long story short: our friend james, armed with a homemade map, got us so completely lost that bards would likely sing the tale

Last post before Chicago.

2010-08-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

My big sis is coming along for the Chicago con- dressed as lois lane, here is her press pass! legit, no?

Tonight is my last night of work for the chicago con, after this, everything goes to the printers :)
wish me luck! I'll have a big post crammed with pictures afterwards!

The Oracle.

2010-08-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Continuing my series...

AVP

2010-07-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

an alien Empress Vs a Predator

AVP. progress

2010-07-29T08:37:00.001-07:00

saw the new predators movie the other day, and although it's far from perfect, I quite enjoyed. Its getting back to it's horror/action roots.

anyways, at my last comic con, my predator piece, and my queen print sold quite well, so I thought a predator vs queen would be a smart move... i'll keep ya posted on the progress

Soul Eater

2010-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

"Sonnet"

2010-07-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Introducing Coldfire's Architect: "Sonnet"

The Fight....

2010-07-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Blogger somewhat shrinks long pieces like this, click here for full version.

The Original Badass

2010-06-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

teaser...

2010-06-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Coldfire Hound

2010-06-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's a Mad Mad World

2010-06-13T22:48:00.001-07:00

The result of an awesomely lazy sunday :)

Star Eater

2010-06-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Had just read a comic about galactus, the world eater guy. I wanted to do a piece about something that colossal :)

for those cats with duel monitors...

2010-06-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Advent children

2010-06-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

These were done about a year apart.... I think I'm improving :)

Noir

2010-05-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Iron Giant

2010-05-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

This movie is one of my all-time favorites. the thing is a masterpiece. I really couldn't recommend it more.

other news:
Did a presentation at winnipegs Pecha Kucha the other night- was incredibly nerve racking to show my work to a full theatre of people, but a great experience non-the-less. I'll be able to post my video as soon as it's posted :)

I always find around this time of year, when summer is starting up and the weather really heats up, that I get more lazy and generally uninspired for a time. I always chalked it up to your body trying to adjust to the new weather pattern. Upon some research, I found that many of my friends also go through a blah-spell around this time. weird, and annoying.

I am a confirmed artist for Chicago Wizard Con! which is a 4day con in august (2nd biggest con in north america, second only to San Diego), so I have a bit of time to prep some new artwork... I am all kinds of excited.

some new stuff to tide you over

2010-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

A very late post... CALGARY

2010-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Calgey Comic Con Weekend!

THE BREAKDOWN:
THURSDAY: attended some friends (Charles and Crystal) going away party at triple Bs- they are moving back to the country for the summer... Me and my co-hort Barney ended up convincing them that a spur-of-the-moment Calgary trip would be all kinds of awesome. They agreed and promplety ran home to pack for the trip.

(Charles and crystal, not too sure what they just got themselves into)

FRIDAY!

The adventure starts! 5Am (ouch) we started the day with a 5hour energy shot... they friggen hurt when drank the second you wake up (and on an empty stomach)

managed to make it into calgary in just over 13h, fantastic time.

ps- alberta just loves their nikelback... we could not escape nikelback songs on the radio

After only a couple bewildering detours downtown calgary- we stopped off at the BMO roundup centre (where the con will be held) to register/pick up badges and do a bit of setup for the next day.

It was already easy to tell that this would be a absolute Sh!t storm when tomorrow rolled around, the sheer amount of booths, merch, and displays was staggering. It was a scary thought to see this setup+a couple thousand people.

Having all my stuff ready to transform and roll out for Sat/Sun, we headed to “brewsters” for a much needed pint and some food. And good lord did this place have Pints! “Brewsters” micro brews a whole whack of their own beer flavours, they all tasted fantastic, we made a point of heading here for supper the next 2 nights as well.

SATURDAY: time for a con!

Barney, warming up Mr Nemoys seat

the con tables were very narrow... it was defiantly a bit of a cramped artists alley- good thing I had awesome neighbours.

(Charles and I hanging out with some storm troopers)

9:00 rolls around, and a wave of geeks, nerds, trekkies and everything in between poured into the centre

I hear they topped over 20,000 attendance on Saturday alone! My day was a bit of a blur, I could only really leave my table for quick bathroom breaks, other than that, it was a constant stream of people asking questions about my artwork, processes, etc and buying prints. It was overwhelming in a really great way.

I managed to snag myself a spot in the 2010 Calgry Expo artbook. It was a HUGE honour to share page spreads with the truly amazing talents that fill the book.

First thing saturday morning I sent Charles and Crystal around with my book to get all the artists to sign their pages in it, think they only missed a couple

The Chief likes my artwork!! haha I got the chance to chat it up with both Helo and the Chief from Battlestar Gallactica,(made a funny little comic about them) both super chill guys, wish I made up some better fanart to give em. next time!

con is done for the day = BACK TO BREWSTERS FOR PINTS

Hanging out at our friend Bailey's place, sipping back some "Dude" beer. tasty stuff :)

SUNDAY:

got to sleep in a bit (woot) On our way in, we saw the cons lineup (we get to use a “celebrity entrance” lol) this flipping line was wrapping its way completely around the huge Roundup Centre, it was just massive. Then, once you get into the convention, if you wanted to meet spock, it was around a 3hour wait in line. Eep.

Enjoy some other pics of the wknd :)

ps(i didn't take the pics below, just wanted to give you an idea of the cool stuff there!)(these guys rock)

And of course when sunday rolled to a close: BACK TO BREWSTERS FOR PINTS

Things for next time:

Lots of ideas and feedback on new prints to make! Including: Metroid, Halo elite, Mortal Kombat etc..

I have plans to make a limited run poster of the “queen vs predator” in the shattered style specificity for cons. I am so excited to start into it, especially after the phenomenal amount of praise and support for the shattered vector style

This is an annual trip for me now, fantastic times!!
Cheers mates!

Avatar

2010-04-20T14:11:00.000-07:00