ON THE FRONT

Chattacon 37 Wrapup

2012-01-25T21:01:00.003-06:00

Back from Chattacon in Chattanooga, TN this past weekend. Was a Guest of Honor there, along with Rachel Caine, Laura Anne Gilman, Mark Van Name, Sharon Lee, and Steve Miller. Had a blast with all of them.

Top five things I’ll remember from this con:

1. The Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel: Sf/f conventions and old railway stations are a match made in geek heaven. LOVED this site. Can’t imagine a cooler place to have a convention. Was it the most state-of-the-art facility with mega-soundproofing and swank finishouts in every room? No, but sometimes, you have to trade a few things for vintage cool. And in this case, it was hella worth it. Aging train cars and flaming torches lining the route from your hotel room to the Art Show is made of win, every time.

2. The parties: Chattacon loves its cosplay and loves its parties. Saturday night, there was a moment in the Building 3 courtyard that felt like a Piranesi drawing layered with party on all levels. If you don’t know who Sean O’ Shea is, know this – he throws a very mean party. And the DeepSouthCon party on Saturday night was always just right – great people, great drinks, full of energy, and yet never claustrophobic. Good times with Mark Van Name, Jennie Faries, Tara Smith, Tina Worley, Tony Gowell, Toni Weisskopf, Lee Martindale, Grant Cooley, Everette Beach, Brenda Tackett, Paul & Mike Bielaczyc (which I now know how to pronounce: buh-LAH-chik), Andy Hendee, Ann Robards, Lee Sessoms, and more.

3. The people: Thanks to the hard-working Art Show staff – Ann Robards, Christine Chapin, John Chapin, Faelan, and all who busted their tails to make this show happen. Chattacon joins the list of cons that cut Art Show checks to their artists as they check out. Way to go, Ann and company. ‘Appreciated. Thanks to the entire con com and staff.

4. Regina Kirby: There’s one name I saved for last here. I could mention the first-class way all GoHs were treated, thanks to her. I could mention how she did the work of three con com positions, and then some. I could mention how skillfully she rebooked my return flight home when the first was cancelled (and drove me two hours to Atlanta to do so). All of that is surface detail. The true picture requires a wider vision. If you ever find yourself in a foxhole with enemy fire all around, you’d better have a Regina Kirby with you. She’s a warrior who fights for her friends, her causes, her con, and her people. I would fight for her.

5. #1 Highlight of the weekend: a US soldier thanked me for creating the cover artwork of Mark Van Name’s NO GOING BACK (releasing from Baen / May 2012). He said the artwork expressed how he and many of his brothers-in-arms feel everyday while battling PTSD, after returning home from war. The truth is he (and they) deserve all of the thanks. Baen’s Toni Weisskopf gave Chattacon the permission to use the artwork on the front of the program book (see above). I’m glad she did.

Goodbye, 2011

2011-12-30T09:45:00.006-06:00

I hear you knocking, 2012. Anyone else feel like 2011 was a zooming blur, even more than most years? From my humble corner of the art universe, this year was a helluva ride. I started it completing artwork for the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendar and I'm ending it conceiving work for projects that are even more ambitious. The calendar was one of the greatest adventures of my life so far -- exhilarating, grueling, enlightening -- and in the end, amongst the most rewarding too.

Thanks to George, Parris, Bantam editor Anne Groell, and Bantam art director Dave Stevenson for sharing the journey. Thanks to all of the Brotherhood Without Banners and all of the GRRM fans worldwide who have been so emotional about the art, and championed it, since the July debut.

A note to the legions of ASoIaF and GAME OF THRONES fans, and especially my friends in the BWB -- I didn't know how you'd react to my artwork when I was busy drawing and painting. I didn't expect the worldwide roar that followed the artwork's debut. It meant the world to me, and I appreciate that the work connected with so many of you, even though the calendar was technically only available in North America. I spent a year in Westeros creating the art and I'd go back again in a heartbeat. Many of you have become my friends. We're all on the same team. The 2012 Calendar was the highlight of my 2011.

And yes, I did plenty of cover artworks too this year. Many of them won't be released until 2012. However, the highlights that were published in 2011 include ADMIRALTY: THE COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF POUL ANDERSON (NESFA Press); the amazing YA debut from Ian McDonald, PLANESRUNNER (Pyr); and TIMES THREE by Robert Silverberg (Subterranean Press).

Karen Haber's MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ART released in June and featured galleries and interviews with some of the world's best sf/f artists, and yup, I was amongst 'em. If that cover art looks familiar, that's me too. Ditto the UK cover of SCI-FI ART NOW, edited by John Freeman, which featured my artwork for FAST FORWARD 2 (Pyr).

Grateful to meet so many new friends and fans on the road this year: Capricon (Chicago), Baycon (Santa Clara), Leprecon (Tempe), Worldcon (Reno), Bubonicon (Albuquerque), San Diego Comic Con, and World Fantasy Con (San Diego, again) -- you were terrific and I appreciated your hospitality and good times. Don't be strangers in the New Year.

Was nominated again for the Hugo Award this year in the Best Professional Artist category. Seven consecutive years nominated -- zero wins so far. Still no luck there. Very grateful to be nominated. We'll see what happens in 2012.

Grateful as well to be nominated for the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and three Chesley Awards -- all in 2011, based on my 2010 published works. No wins this time, but I'm pretty proud of my 2011 body of published work. We'll see how it stacks up in the New Year.

And what about that New Year? Besides more sf/f covers, I'm working on two major(!), mega-illustration projects that will likely be unveiled in the coming months. I'm grateful to have a terrific wife and fabulous, 17-month-old daughter. 2011 was one of my most successful career years, despite the publishing industry experiencing seismic shifts. I've seen this coming and been discussing it with friends for the last 2 or 3 years. This was a transition year toward my art appearing in more places than just book covers. The 2012 George R. R. Martin Calendar was the first step toward expanding the venues where my art lives. Thanks to that success, I'll be pushing that envelope even more. I don't plan to stop doing sf/f book covers but you'll see my work in more places than just this field.

I've always thought artists worth their salt adapted and responded to their times. That's what I'm currently doing with my 2012 works. Don't be strangers and let me know what you think whether it's here, on Twitter or via Facebook. Very best to you and your families, and I'll see you online or on the road very soon. Happy 2012!

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for 2011

2011-11-14T06:23:00.011-06:00

Already time to start holiday shopping? Here are ten art-centric ideas for you.

THE MAGIC OF REALITY
by Richard Dawkins / Illustrated by Dave McKean
(The Free Press)

This book's a welcome sight in a time when science takes a daily beating from dogma and delusions. The blurb on the back says it all: "THE MAGIC OF REALITY provides a beautiful, accessible and wide-ranging volume that addresses the questions that all of us have about the universe, separating often too-little-known facts from too-frequently-believed fictions." Can we please make this book required reading in elementary schools? (Note: US print cover differs from above.)

BLUE COLLAR • WHITE COLLAR
by Sterling Hundley
(Adhouse Books)

Sterling Hundley has created some of my favorite illustrations in recent years. This is his first art book. It's a compact little volume -- 6.25" x 9.25" -- and yet the artwork doesn't suffer from scale but feels all the more personal because of it. Nice job by Adhouse Books, especially with the little process booklet inserts containing Hundley's thoughts on making art and being an artist. Inspiring.

REBUS
by James Jean
(Chronicle Books)

Is it any surprise that a James Jean art book produced by Chronicle Books is one of the most beautiful volumes of 2011?

MASTERS OF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION: 41 ILLUSTRATORS AND HOW THEY WORKED
by Fred Taraba
(Illustrated Press)

Traci, if you're reading this -- I want this book for Christmas. Joe DeMers, Franklin Booth, Robert Fawcett, Andrew Loomis, Coles Phillips, Jon Whitcomb, Coby Whitmore -- those are only a few that caught my eye when I saw this book at a con. Not just another big book of pictures, it's an intensive discussion about these vintage masters' working processes. Yes, please.

3-day membership to Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!

If you know anyone who doesn't know the Spectrum Annuals, please wake them from their 18-year nap. Spectrum collects a yearly survey of some of the best art in books, comics, concept art, and more. For the first time, the editors of the Spectrum Annual are organizing Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!, a three-day convention event celebrating the best in fantastic art. It happens in Kansas City next May. Artists from around the globe will be attending to display, sell, create, discuss and marinate in all things drawn, painted, sculpted and otherwise, both traditionally and digitally. Three-day memberships cost a fan-friendly price of $40 right now.

Squid Ornaments
by Tom Taggart

What says 'home for the holidays' more than squid? Nothing. Tom Taggart's an artist and object-maker, and he's terrific. My wife proudly displays a Tom Taggart Pumpkinhead ornament when Fall arrives. This holiday season, Tom has unleashed new hand-crafted Squid Ornaments. They're made of durable cold cast resin, spun-cast to be hollow and lightweight, hand-painted in acrylics, and sealed with spray varnish.

Tom says he'll have the ornaments up on his Etsy shop page within a week or so. Until then, you can order direct from him. They're $45.00 each plus $5.00 shipping. And he takes Paypal. Inquire at squirrelboy@optonline.net.

Alien Menagerie Original Art
by Bruce Jensen

For my money, Bruce has always been one of the most provocative American sf artists. Remember his classic Del Rey cover for Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? His cover art is cerebral, memorable and always resonant. It's impressive to see the latest wave of his work -- an ongoing series called "Alien Menagerie" -- which is decidedly whimsical, but just as memorable as ever. Own an "Alien Menagerie" original (acrylics on Rives BFK, 8"x10") for around $100 plus shipping. And in a ridiculous stroke of genius, Bruce is offering 3"x3" original acrylics on Post-It Notes for around $10 plus shipping. Get both here.

MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ART
by Karen Haber
(Rockport)

MASTERS is a fantastic art book edited by art critic and reviewer Karen Haber. There seemed to be almost no marketing/advertising for it so a lot of aficionados may be surprised to know it exists. I love books like this -- contains full-color galleries, interviews and art tips from 28 leading sf/f/ art professionals including Donato Giancola, Gregory Manchess, Dave Seeley, Brom, Bob Eggleton, Todd Lockwood, Bruce Jensen and more. Two notable things about this artbook -- unlike similar US or UK-produced volumes, this one includes a worldwide gamut of artists (i.e. not just US and UK artists) such as Shaun Tan, Pavel Mikhailenko, Tomasz Maronski, Marta Dahlig and more. And the jacket folds into a full color poster containing imagery from all of the book's featured artists. (Yup -- that cover art is by me and I'm one of the 28 featured artists too.)

2012 George R.R. Martin / A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendar
Illustrated by John Picacio
(Bantam)

I couldn't resist including this one for the George R. R. Martin / ASoIaF / GAME OF THRONES fans out there. This calendar is twelve months of my artwork inspired by George R. R. Martin's epic A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE novels. And yes -- the calendar has been selling like hotcakes since it debuted in July. As with most collectible calendars, once January 1st arrives, it'll be out-of-print and hard-to-find. Get 'em before they're gone. :)

2012 Literary Pin-Up Calendar
by Lee Moyer

And for those that want fantasies of a more female persuasion, Lee Moyer has twelve answers for you for 2012. These are available from Patrick Rothfuss' The Tinker's Packs.

Standard calendars are $20. A signed, limited edition is also available at $75. Sales of the calendar benefits funding of the Heifer International organization.

NO GOING BACK Cover Art

2011-09-23T07:30:00.006-05:00

Baen has posted the cover for Mark Van Name's NO GOING BACK, the next book in his Jon and Lobo series. I did the cover art for this one. The book doesn't release until May 2012, but Amazon is already taking preorders. Since Baen has posted the full cover there, I figure it's OK to let you folks see the full cover art sans typography too.

Over the years, Baen has been well-known for a definitive brand of graphic design and cover art, but in recent months, they've been gradually expanding the look of their lineup, thanks to publisher Toni Weisskopf and designer Jennie Faries.

I'll post about the process of this cover art closer to the release date next year.

Bubonicon 43

2011-08-29T18:51:00.005-05:00

Back home from Bubonicon 43 in Albuquerque, NM. Was Artist Guest of Honor there along with Stephen Leigh and Ian Tregillis. Bigtime regional sf/f literary con with as much major-league talent as any, including George R. R. Martin, Paul Cornell, Mario Acevedo, Connie Willis, Melinda Snodgrass, Daniel Abraham, Sam Sykes, Diana Gaboldon, Carrie Vaughn, Walter Jon Williams, Ty Franck, Steven Gould, Jane Lindskold, Suzy Mckee Charnas, S.M. Stirling, and more. Had quality time with friends Stephen Boucher, Janice Gelb, Parris McBride, Vincent Docherty, Anne Grey, Caroline Symcox, Harry O. Morris, and Derek Paret. Got to visit three Albuquerque eateries -- the Flying Star Cafe, Los Equipales, and the Pope Room at Buca di Beppo, where GRRM traditionally brings Bubonicon guests for a big Saturday night Italian feast. That was a great evening, and a lot of laughs.

Terrific weekend all around -- had big audiences for the 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar panel conducted by GRRM and me; for the State of the Art panel conducted by Tregillis, Abraham, Snodgrass, Acevedo, Sykes, and me; and for my Artist GoH slideshow. Bubonicon fans go all out on costumes and with Steampunk as the theme this year, there was a lot of quality in the house.

Attendance this year topped last year’s. The t-shirts featuring my artwork of their Perry Rodent mascot sold out. All of the 2012 AsoIaF Calendars in the Dealers Room sold out. Well done, Bubonicon. :)

Craig Chrissinger and Kristen Dorland were the co-chairs and they ran a terrific con. All of the pros I know have always spoken well of it. I now understand why. Was it a perfect con? No con ever is. But the measure of a good one is the energy and buzz during the events and after. This show had it in spades. Bubonicon is vibrant, vital and full of passionate people who care about sf/f books and arts. Hats off to the entire con com for a job very well done, and thanks to everyone who was there! :)

Worldcon 2011 Wrapup

2011-08-24T12:00:00.007-05:00

Been slammed here since I returned from Worldcon. Reno's in the rearview mirror. Bubonicon looms ahead.

A few thoughts about the 2011 Worldcon:

1. Congrats to the Renovation concom: This was amongst the most dynamic and diverse Worldcon programming schedules I've seen at a Worldcon. So much good stuff. Jim Mann, Laurie Mann, and Ian Stockdale deserve so much credit along with their hard-working programming team. They were a well-oiled machine. Patty Wells was the chair and ran a top-notch Worldcon operation.

2. Huge congrats to Colin Harris, Anne Grey, Patty Wells and all who made Art Night and the art programming a major success. I think there's room to grow and improve upon what they have started, but it's a MAJOR victory on their part to plant a much-improved seed for art to build around at Worldcon. Giant applause for their victory. For the first time ever, the Art Show had a beautiful program book representing all of the artists in the Art Show. If you missed it, you missed a beautiful object that will be a collectible down the road. They put a lot of work into the art effort, and Worldcon is better for it. I think some of the organizers were disappointed that more artists and more audience weren't in attendance to appreciate how good this convention handled its artists and art, but that comes with time. It doesn't happen overnight. Artists have to make hard choices when it comes to conventions because of huge expenses and limited resources. So hopefully Worldcon will continue to earn status as a major art destination. Renovation took a huge positive step in that direction.

3. Whomever was responsible for doing the big banners in the Exhibit Hall -- major applause to you. I'm thinking Patty Wells and Colin Harris were involved once again. Having the Artist Guest of Honor's artwork used in that way rallies the entire convention to feel like Worldcon "owns" that giant space. It raises spirits and shrinks the scale of an otherwise cavernous hall space. It makes art central to the Worldcon conversation, and it celebrates Boris Vallejo (in this case) the way he deserves to be celebrated as Artist GoH. It was a great move. Well done, Renovation.

4. Ditto the airport banners welcoming Worldcon attendees to Worldcon. Nice one.

5. As for myself -- I was everywhere. Because I needed to be. I did 13 official events for Worldcon and many more unlisted obligations. Highlights included the Art of Game of Thrones panel with George R. R. Martin and Martina Pilcerova, and my own slideshow where I talked about my process and recent works. I had to spend the first 30 minutes of that slideshow doing Q&A and thinking fast on my feet because the techs were trying to fix the projector, and yet the audience hung in, asked great questions, and by the end of the hour, I think we all came out ahead. The big applause said it went well after I blitzed through 60 minutes of slideshow in 20 minutes.

6. Artists Alley -- first time for Worldcon to do an Artists Alley in recent memory. I signed a lot of books and calendars. Had good talks with fans. It was a great idea and I hope Worldcon continues to build upon what they started here.

7. Art Show -- Personally, I did very well. A number of works went to good homes, and I won an Art Show Award for Best B/W for my Ned Stark underdrawing.

8. ASFA's Chesley Awards -- Congrats to all of the winners including Boris Vallejo who won a Lifetime Achievement Award. Well-earned, Boris! And congrats to Jon Schindehette who won Best Art Director. I was glad Jon was at Worldcon, and it was a richer experience because of him and all of the great, diverse lineup of artists and art directors who were there this year, including Lou Anders and Irene Gallo.

9. Hugo Awards -- Huge congrats to many of my friends who won on Saturday night. Lou Anders finally broke through and won. His victory was the highlight of my entire con. This man deserved this recognition long before Saturday night. I've told him congrats a million times, but again, huge congrats to him and all of the winners, including my very good friends Mary Robinette Kowal, Christopher J. Garcia, Sheila Williams, and Lev Grossman. Well-earned by all.

10. Shaun Tan -- Have to single out Shaun as he won Best Professional Artist again this year. Well-earned, Shaun. If you haven't experienced his work, your world will be better when you do.

11. 0 for 7 -- What can I say? This was my 7th consecutive Hugo nomination and 7th loss. The strange part is explaining to people that indeed I have never won a Hugo because they get confused and think I already have. One friend hugged me at the Losers Party because she thought I'd just won a Hugo. I had to calmly explain that I hadn't and never have. Very honored to be amongst the nominees as always. This loss was a tough one, no doubt.

For those that have never been nominated for a Hugo -- every year, it's a little harder to be nominated than the previous. Critics and grandstanders do what they do in the blogosphere. Agenda-pushers push their agendas. Competition gets tougher and tougher because talent gets better and better (and hooray for that!). All I, or anyone, can do is get better each year -- and just work. So the best thing from here is to move on and come back with a bigger, better body of work for 2012. Next year, my artwork for the entire 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar will be eligible for awards consideration because it was published this July. We'll see what happens then. In the meantime, it's a long year ahead. I have many opportunities and a lot of decisions to make.

Thanks to John Scalzi, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Liza Trombi, Lauren Beukes, Steven Silver, Bob Eggleton and others for smart words.

13. The Brotherhood Without Banners -- thanks to everyone with the BWB that I met in Reno. They welcomed me and my work with open arms at Worldcon. My conversations with them are amongst my favorite memories of this Worldcon. Shoutouts to Stego, Lodey, Lord Mountain Goat, Xray & Mr. X, Chataya, Blackfyre, Katie, Yagathai, Leigh, Andi, Boiled Leather, RaceBannon, KSC, Secret Tarth, Whitefish, Hedgerow, RedWoman, Lacy and too many more to name in one list. I feel like I joined a family at this con. Holler anytime.

14. Lastly -- congrats to George and Parris on their amazing nuptials ceremony which Traci and I were honored to attend. And special shout to John Joseph Adams and Christie Yant on their wedding event as well.

Here are a few phone pics from my 2011 Worldcon.

Time to get back to work here!

Sidebar Nation: The Interview

2011-08-15T08:30:00.003-05:00

Sidebar Nation is my favorite podcast because it talks art, and nothing but art, and the interviews deliver the goods every time. Swain, Dwight and Adrian run the show, and they're brilliant. They KNOW their stuff and they tell it like it is. I love the chemistry between these guys and often listen to their shows when I'm working. Sidebar has featured stellar interviews with Drew Struzan, Gregory Manchess, Brad Holland, James Jean, George Pratt, Mark Chiarello, Sterling Hundley, Stephan Martiniere and many, many more.

Well, it's my turn in the chair this time around. Episode 162 features an interview with me. I had a short but very fun chat with the fellas at Dragon*Con last year (episode 136), but #162 is the most extensive podcast interview I've ever done.

When time allows (which isn't often), I'm always happy to grant interview requests, but this one was a real honor because it felt like I was just talking to friends. Except it was being recorded for the whole world to hear. LOL

Check it out. Do me a favor -- if you dig what you hear, holler at the fellas and leave a comment in the interview's comment section. Let 'em know you're out there.

Long live Sidebar Nation!

2012 ASoIaF Calendar Release Day

2011-07-19T00:03:00.004-05:00

Today’s a big day. The 2012 A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendar releases across North America, courtesy of Bantam. I created all twelve months’ worth of artwork. When Bantam hired me, they said they wanted my vision of George’s A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE books. Meanwhile, HBO was creating a TV series based on the books, and production had begun. I made a conscious effort to not look at what they were doing, so I could keep my vision independent. George himself felt strongly that these Bantam calendars should reflect the artist’s vision of his books, and should be their own entity, completely separate from the TV series. I’m grateful for that.

All of my artworks in this calendar are a hybrid of traditional pencil drawing and traditional paint, digitally composited together. I love drawing with pencils on a piece of good Strathmore illustration board. Working up those original underdrawings, through the buildups of color, and on to the final layerings, was a labor of love.

I lived in Westeros for many months while doing this work. It was one of the greatest trips of my life, to date. I learned a lot. I would return again in a heartbeat. Thanks to the family members and friends who were my reference models and helped me channel my visions into better drawings and paintings.

Today’s a day to celebrate. Feast your eyes on all twelve calendar images below – revealed for the first time -- along with my brief thoughts about inspirations, insights, and makings. Enjoy!

Bran Stark (January)

I love when I see artists illustrate an unwritten moment in a story, or an unspoken beat between sentences. For this artwork, Bran Stark is completely at peace, at the blind side of the First Keep, high above Winterfell.

Jon Snow and Ghost (February)

It's hard to say which one I enjoyed drawing more -- Jon Snow or Ghost. They're two of my very favorites in the series. Night’s Watch black, albino direwolf, and powder white snow – those elements never fail to reward simple picture-making.

Daenerys Targaryen (March)

The key challenge to drawing Dany is combining naivete and compassion with pride and strength. That’s a fine line to balance. For me, one of her most resonant scenes is what happens at the city of Yunkai.

Robb Stark (April)

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is one of my all-time favorite films. I love the way David Lean could make a closeup feel both intimate and epic at the same time. I thought about that a lot when I was drawing this picture.

Arya Stark (May)

“Stick ‘em with the pointy end!” My daughter, Samantha Kate, was born during the making of this calendar. Her feistiness was my inspiration while drawing Arya. This one is dedicated to my 1-year-old little beastie, and to all fierce daughters everywhere.

Tyrion Lannister (June)

Tyrion’s my other favorite besides Jon Snow and Ghost. When I turned in my rough sketches, George noted that Tyrion’s beard and long hair were missing. He reminded that, by the time of the Battle of the Blackwater, Tyrion has not only grown out a scraggly beard, but has shaggy hair. Strangely, my reading had never pictured him that way, but it was true. Once I revised that, the important thing to me was conveying the inner Tyrion, not just his outer form. Tywin Lannister may not believe him a lion of Lannister, but I do.

Melisandre (July)

A tip of the hat to Gustav Klimt and Robert McGinnis -- two very different painters, but I’ve always admired the way both of them paint women. Those paintings have timeless soul and power. I wasn’t interested in this picture looking like their work, but that strength of character was an aspiration.

Jaime Lannister (August)

The zodiac symbol for Leos is the lion. I couldn’t resist featuring a Lannister for this month. If you search the books for specific passages featuring Jaime in battle, there aren’t many. And yet, in our mind’s eye, we always know what a brash and fearsome warrior he is. If I was Eddard Karstark or Daryn Hornwood at the battle of Riverrun, I imagine this is what they saw.

The Mountain vs. The Red Viper (September)

Once I had assembled my initial grocery list of characters and ideas, George then contributed his own small wish list. The Mountain vs. the Red Viper was one of several good calls on his part. Thanks, George.

Sansa Stark and The Hound (October)

Beauty and the Beast! This one is for all of the fans who are passionate about these two. The Battle of the Blackwater is raging outside, and with the strange light of those wildfires, and this ghoulish face, what better time to feature the Hound than a season of fall leaves and Halloween?

The Others (November)

Not many artists have tackled the Others yet. Some versions tend to depict them almost like Tolkien’s Ringwraiths, which never matched the images George’s words conjured in my head. Instead I saw them as more ghostly and ethereal. I knew I was on the right track when George asked the comic book artist for GAME OF THRONES to seek out my version for inspiration.

Eddard Stark (December)

Winter is coming. ‘Nuff said.

George and I will be appearing all weekend at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. We'll be appearing at AA21 from 3p-5p on Friday. Calendars will be available at my booth #4600 all weekend, as well as Random House's booth #1515. All ASoIaF and Game of Thrones fans should stop by and visit.

My Comic-Con 2011 Schedule

2011-07-15T06:41:00.005-05:00

San Diego Comic-Con 2011 is almost upon us. I'll be boothing along with fellow artist Dave Seeley at #4600 all weekend at the show. On Wednesday, July 20th (Preview Night), I'll be at the booth from 7pm to 9pm only. From Thursday onward, I'll be there most hours from open to close. At the start of each day, I'll post on Twitter and Facebook the detailed daily hours you can find me there.

Dave Seeley will have a full arsenal of his big, beautiful archival prints for sale.

As for my own goodies, I'll have the following merchandise:

* 2011 Limited Edition 4-panel accordion booklets: Brand-new items debuting at SDCC! Only $2 each, or free with purchase.

* 2012 George R. R. Martin / A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendars! Debuting next week. I'll have a limited supply. Get 'em before they're gone!

* MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ART: A beautiful new art book featuring galleries and interviews with artists such as Donato Giancola, Charles Vess, Brom, Shaun Tan, Greg Manchess, Stephan Martiniere, Dave Seeley and myself. Limited supply! Get yours signed, as many of the artists in the book will be at the show. :)

* COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO: A few remaining warehouse copies of my 2006 Hugo-nominated art book.

* Archival prints of my artwork on thick Hahnemuhle paper

* Original interior artworks for sale from ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS and ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES

Mark #4600 on your SDCC survival map. (Diagram below is last year's floor plan, but we're in the exact same location next to the SPECTRUM booth.) We'll see you there!

New! 2011 Limited Edition for Comic-Con

2011-07-13T08:52:00.003-05:00

Just got these in this week, hot off the press -- a 4-panel accordion fold-out that will debut at Booth #4600 at San Diego Comic-Con next week. It's 14" unfolded and folds neatly into 3.5" x 5.25" booklet, containing all of the above -- front, back, and interior. Price? Tiny. Only $2 each, or one free with purchase. Come and get 'em, while they last.

And what else will I have for you? I'll have limited supplies of the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar. You'll also find limited supplies of the brand-new MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ART, which includes interviews and galleries with stellar artist Dave Seeley (my boothmate at #4600), and Yours Truly. I'll have archival prints of recent works for sale, as well as some of the last warehouse copies of my 2006 art book COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO. I'm planning to bring some original Elric interior artwork for sale too.

Take note -- Dave and I will be offering discounts on Preview Night. I'm offering 25% on the MASTERS and COVER STORY books. During those select hours, Dave will be discounting much of his merch, including his gorgeous giant prints. Swing by #4600 on Preview Night and save money.

FYI -- my merchandise will be available at the booth from 7p to 9p on Preview Night. I won't be there between 5:30p to 7p, as I'll be taking my teenage nephew around his first SDCC. I'll post my Thursday thru Sunday schedule once I get there, but I'll be around the entire weekend.

Shoutout here if you're gonna be at SDCC, so I don't miss you! See you there! :)

2012 ASOIAF Calendar / Melisandre Preview

2011-06-29T09:18:00.002-05:00

Melisandre fans -- today's your lucky day. Here's a cropped, closeup detail from my 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar art featuring the priestess of R'hllor.

And for those who missed the previous ones, here's a detail from the Arya Stark art. Here's a cropped detail of Bran Stark. And The Hound. And of course, the cover features Ned Stark. Only three more weeks 'til the calendar releases! It'll be available the week of San Diego Comic Con.

George R. R. Martin and I will be signing calendars at SDCC. I've heard rumor that we might both be signing Friday in the autograph area, but I haven't heard confirmation yet. I'll have calendars for sale at my own booth (#4600) that I'll be sharing with Star Wars artist Dave Seeley. If you can't make it to SDCC, no problem -- Amazon is already taking preorders.

Alright, Melisandre fans -- what do you think?

Artists: Don't Miss This Year's Worldcon

2011-06-23T09:18:00.007-05:00

(Art by Worldcon Artist GoH Boris Vallejo.)

I'm stoked about this year's World Science Fiction Convention in Reno. Kudos to Colin Harris, Anne Gray, Laurie Mann, Jannie Shea, Laura Domitz, Joni Dashoff, Patti Wells and company for working overtime to make this the best Worldcon for sf/f artists in years.

If you're an established pro, an aspiring pro, or anywhere in between, this is the year to do Worldcon. Don't wait 'til next year. Don't wait 'til the year after. This one. Why? Because Worldcon is offering new opportunities for registered, participating Worldcon artists and there's zero guarantee these features will be carried on in future years.

Check 'em out:

1. FREE Artist Tables in the Dealers' Room: Worldcon has reserved two free tables in the Dealer's Room for artists to interact with fans and the con at-large. Artists can chat, sign and sell artwork (other than what has been placed in the Art Show), sculpt, sketch, or whatever. This space will be in the section of the Dealers' Room closest to the Art Show, which will be set up as an Artist Alley. Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell and others will have tables there; details here. ONLY Art Show participants are being offered this opportunity to reserve an Artist Alley table for two hours at a time to promote their work - at no cost to the artists (although Nevada sales tax rules apply). Email art@renovationsf.org to schedule a time slot or two at these special tables in Artist Alley.

2. 'Meet the Artist' Events: There will be two Meet The Artist events in the Art Show during the convention. The first is part of Art Night and runs from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Thursday. Some artists will be scheduled to do demos and panels at 8:00 PM. The second event will be Saturday morning at 11:00 AM. Should be a lot of fun as it gives Art Show artists and art lovers a chance to visit and hang out.

3. Artist Showcase Booklet: For the first time, Worldcon will print a full-color collectible booklet for sale at the convention, featuring artist info and galleries. Only registered Art Show artists will be featured. Brilliant move by this year's Worldcon art committee folks. I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

4. Illustration Masterclass taught by Richard Hescox: Learn from a Chesley Award-winning painting master. This opportunity is worth the price of admission by itself for aspiring artists. Spread the word about this one. I think this is a very cool opportunity on the part of Richard and Worldcon. Space is limited. Don't miss out!

5. Art Portfolio Reviews: Another invaluable opportunity for all job-seeking artists. Portfolio reviews by Guest of Honor Boris Vallejo and a range of industry Art Directors including Jon Schindehette, Lou Anders and David Palumbo. Again, space is limited. Tell your friends, but if I were you, I'd apply as soon as possible.

6. The Chesley Awards: Of course, the Chesleys are not new to the Worldcon effort. They're a tradition, especially when Worldcon is stateside. And they'll be the highlight of Worldcon's Art Night festivities on Thursday evening. The Chesleys are the awards administered by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists and ASFA will again host the Chesleys this year.

I love what Worldcon is doing this year. Amongst the art stars attending: Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Dave Palumbo, Bob Eggleton, Richard Hescox, Lee Moyer, Vincent Villafranca, Martina Pilcerova, Alan Beck, Anthony Palumbo, Winona Nelson, Irene Gallo, Lou Anders, and Jon Schindehette. And many more besides them. Not too late to join the fun. This is gonna be an amazing show. :)

Original ELRIC Artwork / For Sale

2011-06-16T07:41:00.004-05:00

(pictured: ELRIC AND STORMBRINGER: REVENGE / full-page interior illustration for Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES. Pencil, acrylic and wash on illustration board. 11"x17". $1000.)

My pal Sean Lackey has been kind enough to help me post some of my original Elric artwork available for sale. These are my original interior drawings for Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS and ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES. Thanks to all at Moorcock's Miscellany and elsewhere who have already inquired about, and acquired, pieces. Feel free to comment here if you're interested or send me an email directly. Thanks very much!

2012 ASOIAF Calendar / Arya Stark Preview

2011-06-14T09:53:00.002-05:00

Arya fans -- you've been clamoring for this. Here you go. You're looking at a closeup detail from my 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar art featuring Arya Stark.

And for those who missed the previous sneak peeks, here's a cropped detail of Bran Stark. And The Hound. And of course, the cover features Ned Stark. The calendar will be available the week of San Diego Comic Con. George R. R. Martin and I will be signing calendars at SDCC and I'll have some for sale at my own booth (#4600) that I'll be sharing with Star Wars artist Dave Seeley. If you can't make it to SDCC, no problem -- Amazon is already taking preorders for it.

Alright, Arya Stark fans -- let me know what you think. :)

DANGEROUS VISIONS / For Sale

2011-06-07T09:27:00.002-05:00

Was cleaning up the studio and sorting through some Elric artworks for future sale, and found this.

My artwork for Harlan Ellison's 35th Anniversary of DANGEROUS VISIONS first appeared way back in 2002. Seems like a lifetime ago. Back then, I was still experimenting with photography and collage combinations for my final illustration results. These days, I don't use photography in my finals but instead rely on drawings and paintings for all of my work.

The piece was selected for inclusion in SPECTRUM: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART #10, and in fact was included in the first Spectrum Exhibition. The framed print you're looking at it here was a one-of-a-kind that was exhibited in that show.

It's an archival print, professionally framed with UV-resistant museum glass. Signed and dated on the back, with the SPECTRUM Exhibition tag still attached.

I don't really have a use for this piece as it doesn't even feel like what I do anymore. Willing to part with it for a mere $325 to the first taker, shipping included if you live in the continental United States. Either email me or comment here. Have at it. :)

MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY ART

2011-06-06T00:12:00.002-05:00

Attention sf/f art lovers: there's a new feast of fabulous art for you in stores now. It's called MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ART by Hugo-nominated sf/f art critic, journalist and author Karen Haber. It's loaded cover to cover with amazing artists, genius art tips, techniques, insights, and of course, brilliant artwork. Here's the list of artists featured inside:

Combined Traditional & Digital Tools (Hybrids)

Jim Burns
Shaun Tan
Dave Seeley
Avi Katz
John Picacio
Pavel Mikhailenko
Ken Wong
Brom
Greg Spalenka
Bruce Jensen
Scott M. Fischer
Todd Lockwood

Digital Tools and Techniques

Stephan Martiniere
Tomasz Maronski
Camille Kuo
Galan Pang
Marta Dahlig

Traditional Tools and Techniques

James Gurney
Kinuko Y. Craft
Charles Vess
Donato Giancola
Rebecca Guay
Dan Dos Santos
Petar Meseldzija
Terese Nielsen
Bob Eggleton
Don Maitz
Gregory Manchess

There's a lot to love, but one of my favorite things is that this book's perhaps the first sf/f art volume to cohesively document the dynamic combinations of traditional and digital methods. It doesn't treat them as an 'either/or' proposition. Some of the most fertile ground in today's art is found in those combinations and experiments.

This is a book to savor slowly page by page. Very honored to be one of the twenty-eight featured, and especially honored that my artwork was chosen for the cover. :)

2012 ASOIAF Calendar / The Hound Preview

2011-06-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

Behold Sandor Clegane -- the Hound! You're looking at a closeup detail from my 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar art featuring him with Sansa Stark (not pictured here). This sneak peek's for the legions of rabid Sandor Clegane fans. The Hound beat out Arya and Melisandre in this past weekend's fan poll, but fans of the latter shouldn't fret. I think there's an excellent chance you may see sneak peeks of both before the end of June. Keep your eyes peeled to my Twitter feed for when that might happen.

And for those who missed last week's preview of Bran Stark, here it is. And of course, the cover features Ned Stark. The calendar will be available the week of San Diego Comic Con. George R. R. Martin and I will be signing calendars at the Bantam booth at SDCC and I'll have some for sale at my own booth (#4600) that I'll be sharing with Star Wars artist Dave Seeley. If you can't make it to SDCC, no problem -- Amazon is already taking preorders for it.

Can anyone guess what month Sansa and the Hound will be in the calendar?

Can anyone guess why the green and orange light on his face?

Lemme know what you think of Sandor here!

BayCon, Leprecon, Capricon....oh my!

2011-06-01T11:26:00.010-05:00

Wanted to give a belated shoutout to a few cons, and hard-working con teams. I've been the Artist GoH at all three of these this year. While I've been able to thank each of them privately, I haven't had a chance to thank them publicly (thanks to tiny pesky things like Juggling Multiple Major Deadlines, Putting Out Fires, and Working 18-Hour Days). ;) LOL

CAPRICON 2011

Back in February, I was Artist GoH at Capricon, which was chaired by Erik Olson. John Scalzi was Author Guest of Honor and packed the rooms wherever he went. Janice Gelb and Stephen Boucher are two of the coolest fans you will ever meet. Helen Montgomery ran a phenomenal slate of programming for all of us. Panels were well-attended and well-executed. Tammy Coxen ran the Green Room like a four-star gourmet kitchen (not kidding). I regret not spending more time there. Steven Silver and Samantha King took care of me as Guest Liaisons. Dave McCarty was terrific and turned me on to the greatness of Chicago-style Italian roast beef sandwiches. He'll also be chairing the 2012 Worldcon. I have very high hopes for that show because of Big Dave's enthusiasm and fresh ideas, and because of Helen. I signed up for that Worldcon onsite, almost purely because I believe in them.

And last but not least, I am a Kerry Kuhn fan. She ran the Art Show at Capricon, and took care of her artists as well as any Art Show director I've ever seen. When Kerry runs an Art Show, the show scratches the Artists' checks onsite, and the artists are handed their check as they walk out the door. Brilliant. Kerry is amongst the few that manages this detail perfectly. Capricon's Art Show was a big success. She ensured that traffic kept pouring through the doors and that big money was spent. Big applause for her, and for all of the Capricon team.

LEPRECON 2011

I was Artist GoH at Leprecon one month ago, and it was located at one of my favorite con hotels ever, the Tempe Mission Palms. It's very hard to have a bad con when you have a great locale like this one. Lee Whiteside chaired. Mike Willmoth was Treasurer and Guest Liaison. There seemed to always be 17 Mike Willmoths doing 17 jobs simultaneously. He's very good at that. So is Lee. Kate Moor looked out for me as well, while Cathy Book ran programming. Had a blast with the Darrell K. Sweet family, Ellen Klages, Chris Merle, Glenn Glazer, and Tina Worley. Mad shoutout to the hard-working Dave Gish and Niels McLellan. Both were terrific and took good care of the artists in the Art Show. Dave's father Ray Gish was a long-time beloved Art Show director in the Southwest and Dave continues the tradition of excellence. Very grateful for everyone's efforts and hard work.

BAYCON 2011

Just got back yesterday from BayCon in Santa Clara, CA. The printing on their program book cover may be amongst the finest I've ever seen. Made me do a double-take when I first saw it. I think chairman Robert Toland had a big hand in this, and that was one of many things he got right. He's also hilarious. Wish we would've had more time to hang out, but we both had our duties and they were many. Big thanks to Michael Siladi, Alison Stern, Tycho Petersen, Cruz Arellanes, Albert Baker, Sally Rose, and all of the Art Show and Tech heads and teams that worked with me.

When I walked into the Art Show room, there was a super-high ceiling that would've defeated most cons, but not Baycon. Thanks to the Art Show and Tech teams combined efforts, they rigged a drop ceiling grid of lights that was genius and well-done. Big applause to all of them and the gofers for pulling that off. It was literally the difference between night and day.

BayCon also had one of the coolest con t-shirts I've yet seen using my artwork. Very well done, thanks to Scott Dennis.

I loved the bar area at this con, and the way it circulated into an outer seating area toward the pool. It's a near-perfect diagram for a social bar, and again, Tycho was brilliant as Hotel Liaison.

2011 Hugo nominee Christopher J. Garcia was in the house and is quite frankly one of my favorite people on the planet. The big family-style Chinese dinner we had with his girlfriend Linda, Author Guest of Honor Mary Robinette Kowal, Sandra Tayler, Marty & Diane Halpern, and Jacob & Rina Weisman was one of my con highlights.

I previewed some sneak peeks of a few 2012 A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendar artworks and was gratified to hear cheers and applause from the audiences that got to see them. Thanks, folks!

Shoutouts to Dani and Eytan Kollin, Jaym Gates, Josephine Gray, Glen Barrett, Kent Brewster, Anders Hudson, Jeremy Lassen, and Francesca Myman.

Last but not least though -- mad shoutout to Tobi Schneider who completely rocked this con. She was the MVP because she joined as Guest Liaison less than a month before con, and worked tirelessly to make everything right. There was nothing she couldn't do, and she never lost her cool. Her hard work and efforts will be one of my enduring memories of this con. Tobi -- take a bow!!

Bay Area science fiction/fantasy fans have the reputation of being amongst the sharpest and most literate sf/f fans anywhere in the US. They are. They know their stuff backwards and forwards, and it was an honor to be amongst them. Bartenders extraordinaire Kevin Roche and Andy Trembley invited Mary and I to a BASFA meeting on the last night of the con, and it was a good cap to the weekend. Thanks to the BASFAns for their kindness and hospitality.

Back home now and time to get back to work. And again -- huge thanks to all at Capricon, Leprecon and BayCon for their hard work and great efforts. Very honored and grateful that we're all in this community together. Looking forward to seeing many of the above at Worldcon in Reno.:)

2011 Chesley Awards Finalist x 3!

2011-05-31T14:25:00.006-05:00

Wow! I'm a 2011 Chesley Awards finalist! Just landed home from BayCon 2011. Thanks to Dani Kollin, I just discovered that I'm a finalist in three Chesley categories this year. Wow, wow, wow. Thanks to all ASFA voters for these noms. I'm very grateful to be amongst this year's stellar list of works. Here are my three nominated works, followed by this year's complete list of nominees.

Finalist for Best Paperback Cover Illustration:

John Picacio
Elric: Swords and Roses
by Michael Moorcock
Del Rey
December 2010

************

Finalist for Best Hardcover Illustration:

John Picacio
The Waters Rising
by Sheri S. Tepper
Harper Voyager
August 2010

************

Finalist for Best Interior Illustration:

John Picacio
Elric: Swords and Roses
by Michael Moorcock
Del Rey, December 2010

************

Big thanks to my art directors on the above works -- David Stevenson (Del Rey), Richard Aquan (HarperCollins), and Betsy Mitchell (Ballantine/Del Rey).

Here's the complete list of 2011 Chesley Awards nominees. Congrats to all! Very honored and grateful to be in your company!

***Paperback

Volkan Baga, for The Zombies of Oz by Christian Endres; Atlantis, November 2010

Jason Chan, for Geist by Phillipa Ballantine; Ace, November 2010

Jon Foster, for Dreadnought by Cherie Priest; Tor, September 2010

Todd Lockwood, for The Ragged Man by Tom Lloyd; Pyr, August 2010

Stephan Martiniere, for Ares Express by Ian McDonald; Pyr, August 2010

Anthony Palumbo, for Yarn by Jon Armstrong; Night Shade Books, 12/2010

John Picacio, for Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock; Del Rey, December 2010

Dan Dos Santos, for Alien Tango by Gini Koch; DAW, December 2010

***Hardcover

Kinuko Y. Craft, for Midsummer Night by Freda Warrington; Tor, November 2010

Don Maitz, for Blasphemy by Mike Resnick Golden Gryphon Press, 08/2010

Gregory Manchess, for Spectrum 17 edited by Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner;Underwood Books, Nov. 2010

John Picacio, for The Waters Risingby Sheri S. Tepper; Harper Voyager, August 2010

Michael Whelan, for The Way of the Kings by Brandon Sanderson; Tor, August 2010

***Magazine

Julie Dillon, for Clarkesworld #48; September 2010

Nick Greenwood, for Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show #17; June 2010

David A. Hardy, forAnalog; April 2010

Audrey Lazarev, forClarkesworld #50; November 2010

Sergio Rebolledo, forClarkesworld #40; January 2010

James Ryman, for Heavy Metal; January 2010

***Three-Dimensional

Thomas S. Kuebler, Scream Queen; mixed media

David Meng, Amphibiana; mixed media

Mark Newman, Eel Walker; bronze

Michael Parkes, The Letter; bronze

Jordu Schell, Ixana; mixed media

Vincent Villafranca, The Dogs of War; bronze

***Interior Illustration

Jason Chan, Vilcabamba by Harry Turtledove; Tor.com, 2010

Jon Foster, Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure by Richard Parks; Tor.com, April 2010

Donato Giancola, Middle Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth by Donato Giancola; Underwood Books, 10/2010

John Picacio, Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock; Del Rey, December 2010

Keith Thompson, Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld; Simon Pulse, October 2010

***Unpublished Color

Daren Bader, Isis; oil

Julie Dillon, Planetary Alignment; digital

David A. Hardy, Portals to Infinity; acrylic

Omar Rayyan, The Favorite; oil

Matthew Stewart, Waterfall Dragons; oil

Raoul Vitale, Torin's Quest; oil

***Unpublished Monochrome

Eric Braddock, Highborne; graphite & white charcoal on toned paper

Anthony Francisco, Tikbalang; digital

Ed Ko, Drawing for Beautiful Grim; pencil

Petar Meseldžija, UNK!; pencil

Ian Miller, Triptych; ink

David Palumbo, Zombie Girl; acrylic

***Product

Bob Eggleton, Dragon's Domain: The Ultimate Dragon Painting Workshop; Impact, September 2010

Donato Giancola, St. George and the Dragon, promo art for Dragon*Con 2010

Lars Grant-West, Pact of the Blind, promo art for IlluXCon 3

David Palumbo, Transcend (aka Judgment), Heavy Metal tarot card; 2010

Sam Weber, Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, promo art for Tor ebook; January 2010

***Gaming

Daarken, Harbor Serpent (Magic card, Magic 2011 core set); WotC, July 2010

Lucas Graciano, Amorphous Drake (Legends of Norrath); Sony Online Entertainment, 2010

Kekai Kotaki, Gaea's Revenge (Magic card, Magic 2011 core set); WotC, July 2010

Howard Lyon, Eel Umbra (Magic card, “Rise of the Eldrazi” set); WotC, April 2010

Matthew Stewart, Bloodshot Trainee (Magic card, “Scars of Mirrodin” set); WotC, October 2010

L. A. Williams, Maritime Guard (Magic card, Magic 2011 core set); WotC, July 2010

***Art Director

Lou Anders — Pyr Books

Irene Gallo — Tor

William Schafer — Subterranean Press

Jon Schindehette — Wizards of the Coast

David Stevenson — Ballantine / Del Rey

***Lifetime Artistic Acheivement

Brom

Jeffrey / Catherine Jones

Ian Miller

Moebius/Jean Giraud

Darrell K. Sweet

Boris Vallejo

ASFA has full galleries of all of the nominated works! Check 'em out!

On to Baycon

2011-05-26T06:50:00.004-05:00

I'm Artist Guest of Honor at BayCon this weekend, along with Author GoH & 2011 Hugo Award finalist Mary Robinette Kowal as well as Fan GoH Bobbie DuFault & Toastmaster Martin Young. Highlights of my schedule include:

**** Saturday 2:30p: Artist GoH Interview

As acquiring editor for Golden Gryphon Press from 1999 through 2007, Marty Halpern acquired eleven book covers from artist John Picacio. Some of these covers were for books by such well-known authors as Jeffrey Ford, George Alec Effinger, and Lucius Shepard. This talk will be about the process of developing covers for books from the perspective of an artist working with an editor.
Marty Halpern, John Picacio

**** Saturday 4:00p: The Worlds of George R. R. Martin

Artist John Picacio, who has done the artwork for the 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar, speaks about his work in that universe, and Kevin Andrew Murphy talks about writing in the Wild Card universe.
Kevin Andrew Murphy, John Picacio (M)

(Note to GRRM / Game of Thrones / 2012 Calendar fans -- I highly recommend you show up at this panel. You'll be glad you did. That's all I'm sayin'...:))

**** Sunday 4:00p: The Art of John Picacio

Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio presents a slideshow and question-&-answer session discussing recent artworks from his Hugo Award-nominated body of book cover and institutional work, and the process and ideas behind their making.
John Picacio

(Again, GRRM & ASOIAF fans -- same note as above. :))

***********

I'll be on several other panels as well, plus I'll have plenty of work hanging in the Art Show. Don't be a stranger!

2012 ASOIAF Calendar / Bran Stark Preview

2011-05-25T09:20:00.003-05:00

This is for all of you good and persistent folks who have been emailing and messaging me to show you something... ANYTHING... from inside the 2012 A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Calendar.

Ask and ye shall receive. Give thanks to Bantam's Anne Groell (GRRM's editor) and George himself for giving the nod on this as well.

Presenting, a cropped sneak peek of my artwork for Bran Stark. He's January of the 2012 Calendar. There's more to this image than what you're seeing here, but hey -- that's why they call 'em sneak peeks, rather than the whole enchilada. :)

Most of you have already seen the cover featuring Ned Stark, but if not, here you go. Again, the calendar will debut at San Diego Comic Con this July. You can already preorder it right now (which still amazes me considering we're not even halfway to 2012 yet).

Multiple choice question for you. Of the following, if Bantam greenlights more sneak peeks like this, who would you most want to see next?

A. Arya Stark
B. Melisandre
C. Sandor Clegane, The Hound

Winter Is Coming...

2011-05-24T09:47:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe because it's May in South Texas, but I think Winter isn't just coming but in fact, has arrived. Behold the advance copies of the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar, featuring Ned Stark on the cover.

I flipped through the whole, beautiful, finished printed thing last night for the first time. Whew. Still processing it all, but needless to say, I'm extremely proud of it. I hope you folks out there dig it too. I'll have MUCH, MUCH more on this in the coming days and weeks, including (I hope) some sneak peeks.

The calendar will first go on sale at San Diego Comic Con this July where George and I will be signing them at the Bantam booth. I'll also have calendars available at my own booth too (#4600, I believe?). And then shortly thereafter, I expect the calendars will be available in bookstores everywhere. If you can't make it to SDCC, Amazon will have it in your hands as soon as it releases in July.

10

2011-04-26T08:24:00.005-05:00

Today's my tenth anniversary. April 26, 2001 was the day that I began life as a fulltime freelance illustrator in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror publishing. That was my last day of what many would call a promising and safe professional career in architecture, and pursued what many would call an extremely risky career as a fulltime freelancer. Why do something so boneheaded? Pure and simple, I wanted to be a fulltime professional artist more than anything in the whole world. That simple. Still do.

I always say that I'm an illustrator trying his best every day to be an artist. I don't think you get to be an artist just because you can paint or draw well. It also takes years of seeing and shaping a fresh vision of the world that others can share too. It's more than just mechanical skill. And I never believed the stereotype that all artists are flakes. Some of the savviest, strongest people I know are pro artists. It takes guts to take chances, which is what the best ones do. And it takes time and experience to build a life like that.

Being a fulltime pro artist is my world. Back on April 26, 2001, I had a mortgage, car payment, credit card debt, and the needs of adult survival. The chances of living in a town like San Antonio, Texas while all of my clients were in New York City, and trying to build a client list, on the fly, while not losing my livelihood was...daunting. Understatement of a decade. Advice for those trying to emulate the same? Have a strong stomach, and if not, get one fast. :)

I'm not interested in reminiscing here about these past ten years. I'd prefer my last ten years of work to do the talking. Hopefully it's done some already. I could list the trusted friends and associates I've grown up with in this field, but they know who they are. And yup, I've been fortunate to win a few awards and recognitions along the way. Grateful for all, and actually THAT might be the understatement of the decade. :)

But here's a hard truth I can proudly say today that I couldn't until now -- at last count, over this last ten years, I've produced over 120 cover illustrations for major science fiction, fantasy and horror books. In other words, I've averaged one major published piece of cover art in sf/f/h for every single month of the last ten years. I don't know how many pro artists can match that book cover ratio in that span, but I suspect the number is....tiny. And by the way, that's not counting the piles of magazine covers and interior artworks and dozens of book interior illos that I did while producing those 120+ covers in ten years.

What that number means to me is I came to work every single day, blue-collar all the way, and never quit for even a day. Nothing more, nothing less. And yeah, that may be the thing I'm most proud of.

What happens in the next ten years? No idea. I didn't go into the previous ten with 120+ sf/f/h covers as a goal. I hope I can continue to make art, and continue to get better at it. I want to be a great artist. That's what I wanted more than anything in the world on April 26, 2001. That's what I want today.

2011 Hugo Award Finalist!

2011-04-25T09:10:00.004-05:00

Great news announced yesterday: I'm a 2011 Hugo Award finalist in the Best Professional Artist category. Huge thanks to all who nominated me. Deeply appreciated! :) Heard a few questions yesterday from people who couldn't remember if I'd won one of these already, and in one case, believed that I already had. LOL

For the record, this is my seventh consecutive Hugo nomination for Best Pro Artist, but no, I have not previously won a Hugo. I've finished in second place the last three years. Will this be the magic year? I have no idea, and no say in the matter. That's up to you, the voters.

My 2010 published work can be found here and includes cover art and over 20 interior illustrations for ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES (pictured here, pub. by Ballantine/Del Rey); cover art for Lauren Beukes' Clarke Award-finalist ZOO CITY (Angry Robot); and covers for Mark Chadbourn's DARK AGE trilogy (such as THE DEVIL IN GREEN), amongst several more.

Very grateful and honored to be in the esteemed company of fellow Pro Artist nominees Daniel Dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, Stephan Martiniere, and Shaun Tan.

The full list of 2011 Hugo nominees is here. Congrats to all! I'll be in Reno for Renovation: the 2011 World Science Fiction Convention this August. Will be a great time and hope to see many of you out there.

Worldcon 2011: Good Year For The Artists?

2011-04-22T11:36:00.006-05:00

Wow, it's been a while since I touched base here (smooths off the blog dust). Good news: I'll soon be able to start showing all of the art I've recently made while not blogging. Been quite a push these last few months, but I've got a lot to show for it, so I'm happy.

Today, I've got a few words to share rather than pictures.

Wanted to give a shoutout to several people who are working very hard to make this year's World Science Fiction Convention a potentially great convention for sf/f artists. For those that haven't been to Worldcon (same show, shorter moniker), you're probably asking, "Isn't Worldcon always potentially great for sf/f artists?" Answer = some Worldcons more than others for the art crowd.

I'm especially excited about this year's show in Reno in August, from an art standpoint.

Five reasons:

1. Art Night: for the first time, Worldcon is designating the second evening of the convention as 'Art Night' to celebrate the visual arts in sf/f. They're featuring events and activities spread across the exhibit hall and program rooms. Activities will range from extended hours in the Art Show to featured artist demonstrations and interactive maker activities. For artists, every night is 'Art Night' but I think it's exciting that the con has realized that if it wants to attract the best pro sf/f talent, then it should celebrate the sf/f arts in a concerted way. Will be very fun and hopefully they've created a new Worldcon tradition.

2. Meet The Artist: Kaffeeklatches are a long-standing tradition at Worldcons and better sf/f cons. They're little gatherings between a single author and/or artist and a small gathering of his/her fans. There's usually a signup sheet involved and they're scheduled programming items. I don't think this year's Worldcon intends these 'Meet The Artist' hours as kaffeeklatches in the usual sense, but perhaps in similar spirit. It sounds like it'll be designated hours when artists are encouraged to visit with art fans and collectors in the Art Show which I think is good for driving traffic and energy there. I've seen conventions where the Art Show becomes a forgotten zone because Worldcons tend to place all of their heavy emphasis on literary functions. It's good to see this year's Worldcon making sure that the Art Show will be vital and vibrant.

3. Artist Showcase Book: A very cool idea. I believe Worldcon is adopting this idea from the success seen at IlluXCon with their artist souvenir book. This will be a full-color book available to Worldcon members featuring bios and art from all of the artists exhibiting in the Art Show. This is separate from the usual Program Book seen at most Worldcons, and gives featured exposure to the Art Show's artists.

Worldcons cost significant money in order to attend: registration fees, hotel, airfare and spending money, whether they be authors, agents, editors, publishers, retailers, fans, or yes, artists. On top of all of that, no one spends more to attend a Worldcon than an Art Show artist (except for possibly retailers in the dealers room). Think about the very expensive framing and shipping costs for the art, and in some cases, insurance for same. And that prep time is valuable time spent away from professional gigs for the pro artists. And then they have to ship and insure the art to get it home again as well. This makes it tough for us professional artists to justify the cost of a Worldcon every year.

Considering that, I'm surprised an Artist Showcase Book hasn't been ventured sooner to draw attention to the artists that make an Art Show viable and vital, but kudos to this year's Worldcon for doing so. It's a great move in the right direction.

4. All-Star team of showrunners: No successful convention happens without people behind the scenes doing the heavy lifting to carry it off. Every year Worldcon changes cities. Different organizing committees run it each time -- a new animal from year to year. That said, this year's organizing committee is like the NBA All-Star team of conrunners. Only they know the strange brew of circumstance that brought them together but if you've attended successful sf/f cons, the sharp-eyed will recognize common denominators like Ian Stockdale, Vincent Docherty, Laurie and Jim Mann, Patty Wells, Ben Yalow, John Lorentz, Deb Geisler, Geri Sullivan, Karen Meschke, and several other bright lights in the committee listings over the years. They're people who come from different parts of the US, and even different parts of the globe, and work hard on these cons for nothing more than the love of the game. This year's Worldcon features a group of the very best of the best conrunners in fandom, working behind-the-scenes. That's not normal. I'm not gonna jinx these people by saying this year's Worldcon will be a perfectly-tuned, flawless con, but we can all expect it will be as expertly produced as there's been in recent memory. If you're a professional artist sitting on the fence wondering when is a good year to do Worldcon, this would be one of those years where the stars align in your favor because the talent behind-the-scenes is as good as the talent in the limelight (art stars such as Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Bob Eggleton, Richard Hescox, Dave Palumbo, along with leading art directors such as Lou Anders, Irene Gallo and more).

5. Anne Gray and Colin Harris: If you're a pro artist, these are two names you should remember. When you get to Worldcon, give 'em thanks if you see them. Along with Jannie Shea, they're the ones that have really spearheaded the effort to make this year's Worldcon an attractive and compelling event for the visual arts. They've developed the ideas above and have consulted artists and art directors such as Lou Anders, Bob Eggleton (and even me) in order to raise Worldcon's game for artists. I think they're gonna be successful. All they want now is for the pro artists to attend and bring their art and talent to this year's show. I'll be there, and I can't wait to see how this turns out. If you're a pro artist, have a look at the show's website. This could be a very good year for us artists. Let's make this year's Worldcon a memorable one for sf/f art.

My 2010 Published Work

2011-01-03T05:29:00.012-06:00

Happy New Year: here's a look back at my 2010 published output. Included are three of the 22(!) interior illustrations published in Michael Moorcock’s ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES (Ballantine/Del Rey). As noted by Tor.com and Locus Magazine, the awards nomination season is upon us again (Hugos and otherwise). If you wish to reference this list for future consideration this year, this link will come in handy. Enjoy! :)

(above)
Cover illustration for
ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES
by Michael Moorcock
Ballantine/Del Rey
December 2010

(above)
One of 22 interior illustrations for
ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES
by Michael Moorcock
"Elric: Of Battle and Exile"

(above)
One of 22 interior illustrations for
ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES
by Michael Moorcock
"Elric and Stormbringer: Pieta"

(above)
One of 22 interior illustrations for
ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES
by Michael Moorcock
"Elric vs. The Black Anemone"

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE DARK AGE: THE DEVIL IN GREEN
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
May 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE DARK AGE: THE QUEEN OF SINISTER
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
June 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE DARK AGE: THE HOUNDS OF AVALON
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
July 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
ZOO CITY
by Lauren Beukes
Angry Robot Books
December 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE WATERS RISING
by Sheri S. Tepper
HarperCollins/Eos
August 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
JUMP GATE TWIST
by Mark Van Name
Baen
July 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
ROBOTS & MAGIC
edited by Steven Silver
NESFA Press
February 2010

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE BEST OF JOE R. LANSDALE
edited by Joe R. Lansdale
Tachyon Publications
February 2010

ImagineFX #64!

2010-11-23T08:48:00.003-06:00

Just arrived yesterday in my mailbox -- the December issue of ImagineFX Magazine, #64. Inside is a deluxe six-page interview featuring Yours Truly. Above is the opening spread.

I'm still trying to figure out how the editorial staff crammed so much art and text onto six pages and made it flow so naturally. There's a LOT of info in this interview, and although I give plenty of interviews these days, this one was a special pleasure.

ImagineFX is the best English-language magazine about sf/f art because quite frankly, it treats sf/f art with the most scrutiny and respect. It's a UK-based mag, and I first encountered it several years ago at a Borders bookstore. The cover price was daunting ($16!!!). I gave it a try. Overall, I was impressed, but the mag skewed toward technical know-how for Photoshop purists and pixelpushers. Not so much for me, as my work was a hybrid between traditional and digital media, and I very much enjoyed interviews and insights from traditional media artists as much as digital ones. In other words, it was an exciting mag, but the scope seemed a bit limited and incomplete.

As the years have gone along, the mag has expanded its scope and diversity, becoming richer and more balanced across all media and geography. It's maintained the early digital purist roots but there's much more coverage of the entire artist spectrum of sf/f -- traditional, digital, and in-between. One of ImagineFX's great strengths is its international flavor as it spotlights artists around the globe -- US, UK, Australia, Thailand, China, France, Germany, and round and round. So good, and so eye-opening. So much so, that I started subscribing last year, and it's become the only industry magazine that I take time to read anymore. Frankly, while there are several better-known sf/f magazines that cover the sf/f field, none of them treat sf/f art with the columnspace and critical insight that ImagineFX does. I love reading about the writers of sf/f and there are tons of publications and venues to find that stuff, but when I want to see inside the head of a particular sf/f artist, very few print venues regularly offer insightful interviews about the current scene. ImagineFX tackles that task month after month, and that's why I keep coming back (ditto to Sidebar Nation, which is also the Real Deal for sf/f art interviews, but in podcast form).

At any rate, I'm honored to be profiled in the pages of this latest issue, which is packed with great stuff, including an overview of the history of Dungeons & Dragons Art. US readers -- the issue should appear on your newsstands within the next couple of weeks. Definitely worth your hard-earned nickels this Xmas season. :)

SPECTRUM 17

2010-11-18T09:49:00.002-06:00

Happy day here: just received SPECTRUM 17: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART. This is one of the year's big art celebrations -- a juried competition that annually selects the best in sf/f art and compiles the selections into one breathtaking collection.

The cover illustration this year is by one of my favorite artists, Gregory Manchess, and of course, the book is edited by its founders, Cathy and Arnie Fenner. I have two pieces included in this year's annual, both in the Book category. The first is my alternate artwork for James Dashner's THE 13TH REALITY: THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin), art directed by Lisa Vega (above). The second is my cover artwork for Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: WORLD'S END (Pyr), art directed by the incomparable Lou Anders.

Thanks to these two art directors for making these illustration assignments possible, and huge thanks to the Fenners and the SPECTRUM jury for including me in this year's magnum opus. It's a phenomenal set of art and artists. I'll spend the next week carefully savoring each page on my work breaks, absorbing it all for the first time, which has become a favorite November tradition.

Word to the wise: the hardcover editions of these books sell out remarkably fast, so if you're a hardcover hound like I am, you should get yours now. No joke. :)

Fencon 2010

2010-09-24T10:32:00.006-05:00

(Photos, clockwise from top: My Art Show display at FenCon; Vincent Villafranca's work-in-progress THE DOGS OF WAR; Rie Sheridan Rose in full Victorian regalia) Took me a few days to post this, but before this week disappears, I wanted to say a few words about this year’s Fencon in Dallas, TX (Addison, TX, to be specific). In short -- take a bow, Fencon. You came, you saw and you rocked this past weekend. I had a blast from start to finish. Plenty of highlights, including:

Rhonda Eudaly – First-class. She conducted guest relations as well as any con can, anywhere. She made every guest feel like family. She stopped at nothing to ensure every guest received A-list treatment. How can anyone not be happy when their complimentary goodie bag contains beer and rock-em, sock-em robot rings?

Jimmy Simpson – Rock-solid. This man knows his art and knows how to run a quality art show. When you’re an artist deciding whether or not to invest time and labor in an art show, the show director is often the difference-maker. Jimmy’s one of the best in the business, and I already look forward to when I can again participate in a Jimmy Simpson show.

Andy Trembley & Kevin Roche – Fan GoHs, and extremely cool guys. These guys know costuming like nobody’s business, and they know their premium alcohols. Had a terrific time with them and look forward to any con where they’re around.

Opening Ceremonies – Spider Robinson GoHed via Skype. He didn’t physically attend the con as Author GoH, but was very much a virtual presence throughout.

Vincent Villafranca – As always, more phenomenal work from one of the best sculptors in the field. He unveiled a work-in-progress called 'The Dogs of War' that blew me away.

Jessica Wade -- Ace/Roc editor extraordinaire. How cool is she? She's so cool that a mere autographed headshot of her brought money in an auction. She's so cool that she can make the phrase "for reals" ring in my head for days and I'm amused. For reals. :)

The Lansdales -- Joe, Kasey, and Karen. Always a pleasure with them. Saturday night, we dined at the Clay Pit along with Jessica and my pal Sanford Allen. It was one of my favorite meals in a while. Best company, conversations, and great Indian food all in one. On Sunday, Kasey belted out a one-hour singing performance at FenCon and if I didn't have a simultaneous panel commitment, I would've seen more. Fortunately, I was able to catch a few minutes at the end and she was awesome.

(Photos clockwise from top: (l to r): Sanford Allen, Andy Trembley (back), Kevin Roche, Stina Leicht; Guest of Honor goodie bag contents (note the Rock-em, Sock-em Robot Rings); Andy Trembley with smooth rocket fuel)

Enjoyed seeing the great Robert J. Sawyer, P.N. Elrod, Chris Merle, Mel Tatum, Caroline Spector, Cat Conrad, Rachel Caine, Shanna Swendson, Karen Meschke, Brad Foster, David Lee Anderson, Rocky Kelley, Stina Leicht, Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff, John Randall, and many, many more whom I wish I could remember in my current deadline-frenzied state.

Special shoutout to Jay – he’s been an Elric fan for over 30 years and gave one of the best compliments ever. Said he walked in the Art Show, saw my 5-foot tall vinyl print of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS and felt that the image embodied the Elric he’d always seen in his head but never seen until then. Really made me feel good to hear that.

If you're a pro or fan and you've never experienced FenCon, these folks know what they’re doing and their attendees know how to have a great time. It's a very fun show and this won't be my last. I was honored to be there. Huge thanks to the whole con staff including the aforementioned Rhonda and Jimmy, Tim Miller, Tim Morgan, Julie Barrett, Bobb Waller, Ed Dravecky, Becky Demonja and everyone who made the show great.

ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES this December

2010-09-10T09:51:00.001-05:00

Here's one of my interior illustrations from Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES, forthcoming in December from Del Rey. This original is pencil on illustration board, with a bit of white acrylic for good measure. It debuted at Dragon*Con this past weekend and will be on display at Fencon in Dallas next week, along with several other Elric originals. The cover art for ELRIC: SWORDS AND ROSES has received so much enthusiastic reaction, and I'm grateful and pleased to hear that. Many Dragon*Con attendees told me how much they're looking forward to the book because of the art, and that's terrific. Michael Moorcock is The Man.

This will be the sixth book in Del Rey's Elric omnibus series. I did the cover and interiors for the first volume, ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS, and it's been an honor to be associated with the art for this series along with Michael Kaluta and Justin Sweet. I look forward to seeing the finished book when it debuts in December!

THE WATERS RISING

2010-09-09T10:23:00.003-05:00

Here's my cover illustration for Sheri S. Tepper's THE WATERS RISING, which recently released in hardcover from HarperCollins/Eos. This cover art has surprised me with the amount of enthusiasm expressed for it by readers and booksellers. Thanks to all for saying so before I even had a chance to post. Much appreciated. :)

Dragon*Con 2010

2010-09-08T11:17:00.008-05:00

Dragon*Con 2010 is a wrap. What a show. I'm still assessing it. This show's definitely on my radar from here on. This was my first Dragon*Con as an exhibitor and guest artist, and I was massively impressed. Huge turnouts at panels, a thriving art show, great energy, great people, terrific marketing, superior guest services from the D*C staff -- they've really got their act together. The audience is here, no question about it.

Best of times with Lou Anders, Irene Gallo, Vincent & Michelle Villafranca, Donato Giancola, Todd Lockwood, Marc Scheff, Jim Minz, Jennifer Heddle, Deanna Hoak, Mary Robinette Kowal, Cherie Priest, Farah Mendlesohn, Kate Baker, Stu & Stephen Segal, Mike Resnick, David Alastair Hayden, great artists, authors (shoutout to all of the Pyr authors), fans, and friends new and old -- too many for my bleary memory to remember on the fly here.

Really enjoyed meeting the mighty Sidebar Nation crew for the first time. Terrific cats. Love listening to their podcasts. They're the real deal and know their stuff. Did a short fun interview with them. Hopefully down the road, we'll chat again at greater length.

I exhibited in the D*C Art Show and of all of my pieces for sale, only one will be coming home. Everything else on the walls sold out. Plenty of small prints sold and I sold out of all of my art books before the last day even began.

Shoutout to Stu Segal for coordinating the Hugo Awards Breakfast and Stroll with the Stars. The man is tireless. Special thanks to all who make Dragon*Con run so smoothly, including John and Anne Parise who ran the Art Show. Congrats on a huge success and an amazing weekend.

Here's a link to a Flickr set of photos from this year's D*C.

Dragon*Con 2010: Where & When To Find Me

2010-08-26T10:06:00.010-05:00

Here's a map showing where you can find me at this year's Dragon*Con. I'll be featured in the Art Show at the Hyatt Regency, with a full art display plus art books, prints and limited edition sets for sale. You can find me at a table in front of my display for at least a few hours each day. Hours will be posted once I get there. I'm not bringing a ton of extra merchandise, so please be sure to visit the Art Show early.

For all fans of Dan Simmons' DROOD -- amongst my various originals and prints on display, I'll have a 44" x 60" vinyl banner for sale featuring the DROOD limited edition artwork. I have only one, but for a mere $100, it can be yours if you're the first to snag it at Dragon*Con. I'll also have Elric prints & originals plus plenty of other works.

In addition, here's my appearance schedule when outside the Art Show. I'm especially excited about the Sunday 11:30am panel "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" because we'll be talking book cover art with Irene Gallo, Lou Anders, Mike Resnick, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Jim Butcher. Dragon*Con is expecting a large crowd for that one, so you might want to get there a few minutes early for best seating.

From what I gather, Dragon*Con is a huge place. I'll be around. If you see me, don't be a stranger. See you there. :)

Art Show Awards
Time: Sat 08:30 pm Location: Grand Hall West - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Judge for panel
Description: Come to the art show awards ceremony and see who won. Juried awards, Charity Contest winners as well as attendee voted awards will be presented.

Live Hugo Awards Results Breakfast
Time: Sun 6am Location: Kafe Köbenhavn @ Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Length: 2)
Description: A number of this years' Hugo Award nominees will be at Dragon*Con. Join them at the Kafe Köbenhavn to listen to the results come in live! Direct from the Hugo Ceremony in Melbourne, Australia! The Kafe Köbenhavn has both a buffet and an a la carte menu (you are responsible for your own breakfast).

Attending are:
LOU ANDERS - 4-time Hugo nominee, 2010 nominee for Best Editor, Long form
KATE BAKER - podcast director for Clarkesworld, 2010 nominee for Best Semiprozine
EUGIE FOSTER - Nebula Award Winner, 2010 nominee for Best Novelette
FARAH MENDLESOHN - 2005 Hugo winner, 2010 nominee for Best Related Work
JOHN PICACIO - Winner of the World Fantasy, Chesley and Int'l Horror Guild Awards, 6-time Hugo nominee, 2010 nominee for Best Professional Artist
STEPHEN H. SEGAL - 2009 Hugo winner, 2010 nominee for Best Semiprozine
Also joining us will be Campbell Award winner, SFWA Vice President MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL.

Stroll With The Stars
Time: Sun 9am Location: In front of the Hyatt Regency (Peachtree St. entrance) (Length: 1)
Description: Walking stroll / kaffeeklatsch / meet & greet featuring Lou Anders, James Enge, Laura Anne Gilman, Clay & Susan Griffith, Erin Hoffman, Ari Marmell, Andrew P. Mayer, Farah Mendlesohn, John Picacio, Jon Sprunk, & Sam Sykes

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Time: Sun 11:30 am Location: Hanover C - E - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Moderator / MC for panel
Description: A roundtable discussion about science fiction and fantasy book covers by industry pros, discussing what's good, bad and could be better.

Art Show Jury Discussion
Time: Sun 02:30 pm Location: Hanover G - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: Past & present jury members discuss applying to juried art shows. Find out what these members were looking for in submitted works.

Breaking into the Art Field
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Hanover G - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: As an artist, breaking into the field can be an arduous task. Join us for a few suggestions and lively discussion.

2010 Chesley Award!

2010-08-15T10:44:00.004-05:00

Apologies. It's been a while since I stopped by to update here. Good news: on August 6th, I was awarded a Chesley Award for Best Magazine Cover Illustration for my cover art for the September 2009 issue of ASIMOV'S (pictured here). The awards were announced by ASFA in Raleigh, NC at the North American Science Fiction Convention. Unfortunately, things have been so hectic here that I was unable to attend the ceremony. Jim Minz, senior editor at Baen Books, accepted on my behalf and was kind enough to ship my award to me. I'm grateful and honored to be a Chesley Award winner and it means a lot to me as these awards are voted on by artist peers and art fans. Congrats to all fellow nominees and winners.

Here's what this year's trophy looks like, next to last year's. Note that the marble base on this year's award seems to be on steroids. The award weighs in at a bone-crushing 16.4 lbs.

And here's a better shot where you can see how amazing that Milky Way center is. ASFA redesigned the award a few years back, and wow, these things are spectacular-looking. Again, very honored and grateful to receive this. Thanks very much! :)

2010 San Diego Comic-Con

2010-07-29T10:49:00.003-05:00

(clockwise from top left: Michael Sheen & me; the art of Dave Seeley; my booth at #4600 of SDCC) This was my first time ever as a booth exhibitor at a San Diego Comic-Con. I expected it to be grueling. I hoped it would be a learning experience, as well as successful. It was all of that. I've attended several SDCCs as a pro attendee, and I've exhibited in Artists Alley before, but this year I shared a booth with artist Dave Seeley. He was a great teammate. I've always admired him and his work, but now maybe even moreso after going through this experience together, and spending time with his family. Patrick Heffernan of Mysterious Galaxy and artist Erik Gist were invaluable, assisting me and Dave in making this booth happen. Couldn't have done it without them.

Dave and I purchased the construction materials for our booth the morning of Preview Night from a Home Depot run. Erik was there the whole way and was a real friend throughout. We built the booth with wood, aluminum studs, and MDF. We hung a 52" HDTV from it and ran slideshows of our portfolios all weekend long. Dave sketched out the design for the booth and I thought it worked out brilliantly. Great job by Steve Brand of SSA Graphics who printed the banners I designed for my booth. I can see things I would do again when exhibiting at SDCC and things I would modify the next time. It was a huge learning experience.

I sold out all of my copies of COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO. I sold out of most of my 11x14 prints. Old friends visited, and new ones were made. The booth did well enough that I'm considering doing it again.

(clockwise from top left: Jamil Moledina, Stephan Martiniere & Lou Anders; two fans with very cool Justice League costumes; Diana Gill & Richard Kadrey at the Eos Party)

Aside from the experience of boothing with Dave, a few highlights of the show for me included:

* Rooming with old friends Lou Anders, Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox.

* Late-night drinks & chat with China Mieville, Lev Grossman, Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders and Lou Anders

* Fun lunch with EA's Jamil Moledina and Lou Anders. I'll be working on cover art for Jamil's debut novel in the coming days.

* Meeting Matt Gagnon of Boom! for the first time. He's a dynamo.

* Podcast interview with Shaun Farrell of Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing

* Quickie interviews with the Kollin Bros. & Joe McCabe

* HarperCollins/Eos Happy Hour: Eos editor Diana Gill threw a great event as ever. (Her 2004 Worldcon party at the Boston Aquarium is still my fave.) Met Richard Kadrey, Merrie Destefano, Jocelynn Drake, and Rachel Marks. Fun visiting with Mario Acevedo, Craig Engler, Ann Vandermeer, and Scott Edelman.

* Meals and good talk with friends including Dave Seeley, Linda Seeley and son Griffin; Erik Gist; Lucas Graciano; Lou Anders; (thanks to Jeremy Cranford); big thanks and big ups to one of my favorite people, Jim Minz, as always; Stephan Martiniere; Madelynn Martiniere; Jeremy Lassen; Amelia Beamer; David and Sharon Weber; Matt Gagnon of Boom!; great breakfast with Paul Cornell & Caroline Symcox; dinner with Dave Palumbo, Anthony Palumbo; Lana Crooks and Winona Nelson.

* Visiting with friends new and old including Claire Howlett; Joe McCabe & Sophia Quach; Chris Roberson & Allison Baker; Dave Justus; Marjorie Liu; Bryce Carlson; Karen Jones; Jen Heddle; Morgan Burns; Mark Finn; Brandon Sanderson; Lauren Panepinto; Jaime Levine; Maryelizabeth Hart; Jeff Mariotte; Jon Schindehette; Diana Rowland; Kat Richardson; Alex Irvine; Arnie & Cathy Fenner; Arlo Burnett; Donato Giancola; Todd Lockwood; Allen Williams; Jimmy Simpson; Kristina Carroll; Daren Bader; Mike Mignola; Charlie Athanas; Greg Spalenka; Sean Williams; and I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of people...

* Bill Willingham's Empty Pen Party on Sunday night -- I was exhausted, but that was good times. Thanks, Bill. (Shoutout to Brad Thomte.)

Want more pics? Here's a Flickr set of what SDCC 2010 looked like to me, complete with capsule comments.

Thanks to all who made it a great show. Thanks again to Dave for sharing a booth with me. It's Thursday and I still haven't unpacked my suitcase. That's how fast things are moving here. Time to get to that....

New! 2010 Limited Edition for Comic-Con

2010-07-19T09:36:00.002-05:00

I've got a brand-new art item debuting at Booth #4600 at San Diego Comic-Con this week. It's called JOHN PICACIO / 2010 LIMITED EDITION and it's a 5"x7" set of archival prints featuring some of my recent works, printed on thick Hahnemuhle archival paper. Each set contains a unique 5"x7" original drawing on heavy Strathmore illustration board. A custom-made, self-enclosed jacket houses the whole thing. Only 50 sets will be made for sale, so visit early. Each will sell for only $60.

In addition to these new items, I'll have plenty of medium and large-size prints. Artist extraordinaire Dave Seeley will be sharing the booth with me. He's created fan-favorite cover art for a number of STAR WARS novels and a who's who of major clients including Tor Books, Random House, Del Rey, Midway Games, Wizards of the Coast, TSR, Hasbro, Fox Interactive and more. He'll be stocking loads of eyecandy and giant-size prints. See you there!

Samantha Kate Picacio

2010-07-12T09:24:00.003-05:00

Samantha Kate Picacio was born July 5, 2010 at 2:57pm to her proud parents, John and Traci Picacio. Mother and child are both doing well.

This is the first child for Traci and me. Samantha drove the express train into this rough-and-tumble world and arrived earlier than expected. We couldn't be prouder of her and her fighting spirit. She's truly a Picacio, and my wife is a hero for her toughness and fortitude all along. We're all doing fine and I hope I can give both of them the very best this life can offer.

San Diego Comic Con

2010-07-01T23:56:00.005-05:00

Been a while since I logged in here. Sorry 'bout that. However, there's plenty of good stuff to share over the course of this month.

First bit of good news: I'll be exhibiting at this year's San Diego Comic Con International. My booth is #4600 and artist extraordinaire Dave Seeley and I will be sharing the space. We'll both have tons of signed prints for sale, and I'll have a few remaining copies of COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO for sale as well, along with promo cards.

If you have particular images you'd like me to bring as prints to the show, now's the time to speak up. Lemme know and I'll do my best to bring the most popular requests. See you there!

Free Hugo Nominee Wallpaper!

2010-05-27T18:31:00.003-05:00

Today the good folks at Tor.com posted a free wallpaper of my cover art for Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: WORLD'S END. They've got lots of formats to choose from, so go get it while it's there. They're doing a series of free wallpapers all week along from all five of the 2010 Hugo Award nominees for Best Professional Artist. Shaun Tan, Stephan Martiniere, and Dan Dos Santos have already been featured this week. Bob Eggleton is tomorrow. Thanks to Tor's art director supreme Irene Gallo for coordinating this effort. Enjoy! :)

Updates & Good News

2010-05-17T07:27:00.004-05:00

Yikes! Did not realize it's been so long since I've updated here. Sorry 'bout that, folks. As usual, it's nuts here. Been working on several deadlines as well as continuing my work on the 2012 George R. R. Martin Calendar for A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.

Good news to share:

1. This blog and my website is currently being redesigned by Paul Vaughn and I'll have a more organized cyber home this summer. Looking forward to that. Thanks for everyone's patience.

2. I'm a Hugo Awards finalist for the sixth consecutive year! Could not be more grateful and I'm excited to be on such an amazing ballot. You can decide this year's Hugo Awards winners by voting. It's easy. Here's how.

3. I'm a Locus Awards finalist this year in the Artist category -- my fifth consecutive year as a top-5 finalist. I won the award in 2007. Very grateful to be amongst this year's nominees!

4. Just announced this weekend -- I won this year's Asimov's Readers Award in the Cover Artist category! My September 2009 cover art was the one that did it. Lisa Goldstein's story "Away From Here" inspired the illustration (cover pictured here). It's my second consecutive year as winner in the category (tied last year with Tomasz Maronski). Again, thanks to all of the Asimov's readers for their kind consideration! Full list of winners here.

Thanks again to all voters who considered me for these recognitions. I'm extremely appreciative and will keep working hard to get better.

Good news from SPECTRUM 17

2010-04-19T11:12:00.004-05:00

SPECTRUM 17: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART last month announced its list of artists selected for inclusion in the forthcoming annual. SPECTRUM is a much-anticipated, juried volume compiling the finest works from the worlds of books, comics, advertising, editorial, 3D and concept art in the previous year. This weekend, I was notified that two of my 2009 works were selected. They are my cover illustration for Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 1 -- WORLD'S END (pictured here), and my cover illustration for James Dashner's THE 13TH REALITY: THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS.

Lou Anders was the art director for the MISRULE illustration and I thank him for once again being a superlative collaborator, allowing the room to roam and find this image. Lisa Vega was the designer that commissioned THE 13TH REALITY illustration. I'm especially gratified the SPECTRUM jury selected this one. THE 13TH REALITY: THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS released last year in paperback, and the publisher rejected this image in favor of a much less potent, color version of the artwork for publication. I'll be pleased when my preferred version debuts in SPECTRUM's pages this November.

THE QUEEN OF SINISTER

2010-04-07T13:24:00.006-05:00

Here's my final cover illustration for the forthcoming Pyr edition of Mark Chadbourn's THE DARK AGE: BOOK 2 / THE QUEEN OF SINISTER. It's the second book of the trilogy that follows Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE. Folks with long memories will likely notice that this cover is radically improved and modified from the catalog version.

I believe the book releases in June. Pyr unveiled the cover yesterday via their blog, and I was encouraged to see so many instant comments across Twitter and social media. The world really is a smaller place these days. :) And below, you can see how the finished cover will look when it hits US shelves later this summer.

GRRM Calendar Update

2010-03-26T16:48:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update here for the curious.

Earlier this month, Bantam notified me that my illustration work for a forthcoming George R. R. Martin calendar for A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE will be released as a 2012 calendar, not a 2011, as first announced.

The good news is I'm cranking away on the work and it's coming along. As GRRM fans know, HBO is producing a TV series based on the ASOIAF books. Basically, I was assigned a deadline and was rushing to get the calendar work done by that date. When the HBO series became official, Bantam decided they wanted a 2011 calendar even earlier than first assigned. They decided they now want the fans to have a calendar in time for San Diego Comic Con in July, which seems to make business sense, considering the new TV buzz, but I'm not sure that release date was their intention when they first hired me in late 2009.

So Bantam made a smart move and said "take your time and do a great calendar for 2012." Ted Naismith had painted a set of illustrations that were waiting for a forthcoming GRRM project. My understanding is that those have been waiting to be officially published for a while. So Bantam has made the 2011 calendar a Naismith calendar that allows those illos to see the light of day, which is a good thing for Ted, I would think.

So in summary -- Ted's illos will be the 2011 calendar. Mine will be unveiled for the 2012 calendar. Bantam wins. The fans win. It's good all around.

Now back to work on my 2012 calendar illos. :)

This blog has moved

2010-03-23T00:51:00.001-05:00

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THE DEVIL IN GREEN

2010-03-09T08:22:00.005-06:00

Here's my final cover illustration for the forthcoming Pyr edition of Mark Chadbourn's THE DARK AGE: BOOK 1 / THE DEVIL IN GREEN. It's the first book of the trilogy that follows Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE. The nice thing about THE DARK AGE is that the trilogy can be read as a standalone and doesn't require reading AGE OF MISRULE in order to follow the story. However, reading MISRULE certainly enhances the experience. :) I'm glad I was able to improve the cover art from its initial catalog version. And below, you can see how the finished cover will look when it hits US shelves later this summer.

Dragon*Con 2010: Good News!

2010-03-02T11:26:00.004-06:00

The folks at Dragon*Con have made the official 2010 Art Show announcement, so I can now share it here. Donato Giancola, Vincent Villafranca, and myself have been invited to be the Guest Jurors for the 2010 Dragon*Con Art Show.

Feel free to spread the word: Dragon*Con is now accepting applications and images for their Art Show and cordially invites all artists to participate. Dragon*Con is a massive event, and according to their website, it's "the largest science fiction, fantasy, and pop-culture convention of its type in the world, with an attendance of over 35,000 people." The buzz for this convention is extraordinary, and I've noticed the literary and art world flocking to this convention in the last couple of years. I suspect this year's attendance might end up being their biggest ever. The Art Show, headed by John and Anne Parise, is reputed as a "hugely diverse event with thousands of art buyers from around the world coming to the show every year to purchase many of the great works exhibited."

I'm honored to be a part of the process, and really looking forward to the experience! :)

Full entry details here.

Boskone 47: An Amazing Con

2010-02-16T06:47:00.007-06:00

Boskone 47 -- what can I say? As I said Saturday night to the NESFAns, Boskone is still the grande dame of regional sf/f literary-centric cons, and proved once again why it's one of the measuring sticks (along with Armadillocon and a couple of others) by which similar cons are measured. It was an amazing weekend, and one of the best cons I've ever experienced. I was the Official Artist for the con. Alastair Reynolds was the Author Guest of Honor. Michael Whelan was the NESFA Press Guest along with Lois McMaster Bujold. Vernor Vinge, Tom Shippey and Mary Crowell completed the lineup of featured guests. That's a helluva lineup! :)

I spent quality time with Michael, and got to visit with Al while we signed stacks of his new DEEP NAVIGATION story collection (cover art by me). As with most cons, it's not the GoHs that do the heavy lifting; it's the volunteers. And when you're talking about Boskone, those volunteers are largely made up of members of the New England Science Fiction Association. I can't possibly thank all of them by name, but I'll single out a few of them as I run through a few personal Boskone 47 highlights.

* Valentine's Meal: Traci and I arrived in Boston late afternoon, Thursday, Feb. 11. Valentine's Day was Sunday, but we opted to celebrate Thursday night because we were certain Sunday was gonna be tough because of my GoH responsibilities. A great night -- we did a three-course dinner tour in Boston's North End. First stop: clam chowder and beer at Union Oyster House; next, a giant Giambotta pizza at Regina Pizzeria; and then the capper: Modern Pastry for chocolate rumcake and a miniature key lime pie. We were stuffed. We had lots of leftovers to take to our room and needless to say, we had a ball.

* Art Show: Boskone's art shows have a reputation for annually being amongst the best in sf/f. This one was no different with a high-quality lineup that included Bob Eggleton, Rick Berry, Omar & Sheila Rayyan, Jean Pierre Normand, Gary Lippincott, Marianne Plumridge-Eggleton, Rick Sardinha, Kelly Kotulak, Marc Robinson, and Marc Scheff, amongst many others. Michael Whelan was NESFA's Special Guest and he celebrated with a giant 40-year retrospective of works that included his original paintings for Michael Moorcock's STORMBRINGER, Stephen King's DARK TOWER and Joan Vinge's THE SNOW QUEEN. Michael brought one painting for each of his 40 years in the business. It was an awesome display. So with all of that greatness in the room, and with me as the Official Artist, needless to say, I brought my best. Two items that really seemed to get a lot of audience attention -- a giant backlit print of my cover illustration for Dan Simmons' DROOD (see first image) and the final convention appearance (at least for a very long, long time) of my mixed-media shadowbox assemblage for Jeffrey Ford's WELL-BUILT CITY trilogy (pictured directly above). I was amazed to walk in to the Art Show on Sunday morning and discover that the latter won "Best of Show". With so much amazing art in the room, I kept staring at the ribbon to make sure it was real. Very appreciated!

A few Art Show shoutouts: Gay Ellen Dennett -- if you're an artist and you ever see her name as the person running an art show, you're in the best of hands. She ran a dynamite art show from beginning to end. Huge thanks, Gay Ellen. She had help from folks like Joni Dashoff, Ira Donewitz, Andrea Senchy, the Atwoods and others, but she ran the show and did a stellar job. Chip Hitchcock -- thanks for being Superman when it was time to get that lightbox up and glowing -- you're clutch and appreciated; and Filthy Pierre -- same to you. These two guys are examples of the kind of first-class people who are the heart of any great con, and my hat's off to them.

* Michael Whelan / John Picacio Conversation: Thanks to the excellent work of Priscilla Olson and JoAnn Cox, the programming was amazing. All of my program items went off without a hitch, and from the overwhelming audience reaction afterward, it seems that the Whelan/Picacio conversation was an especially big homerun. It's hard to tell from my side of the table, but I'm really glad this one connected with so many people. From where I was, it could have gone on for another hour because Michael and I were in a groove, exchanging back and forth unscripted. He's not only one of the greatest artists ever in sf/f, but one of my favorite people in the field as well. We don't cross paths often, but when we do, we seem to click for some reason. This was my favorite hour of the whole con. It went by too fast.

* Joe Siclari / Mark Olson: More programming highlights. Siclari and Olson are veteran NESFAns, as well as notable sf/f art historians and collectors. I really enjoyed their panels about the history of sf/f art ("Absent Artists" and "Who Painted That?"). The latter was especially cool. They put together slideshows of old-time sf/f imagery and Eggleton, Whelan, and me had to guess who illustrated the art. I love that stuff. Picked up a couple of names I didn't know that I'll research this week. I usually prefer programming panels that talk about the present state and future of sf/f art, but these guys really put together enjoyable programs about the venerable past, and I love that stuff too.

* NESFA Press Book Debuts -- ROBOTS & MAGIC, the second volume of NESFA Press' Lester Del Rey short story collections, debuted at the show along with DEEP NAVIGATION, a terrific collection of Alastair Reynolds' short stories. Steven H. Silver edited ROBOTS & MAGIC and Ann Broomhead did the honors for the Reynolds. Both are terrific, and I provided the cover art for both volumes. Special shoutout to Alice N.S. Lewis who did the design for both books and most of the Boskone publication work for this year. She's a gifted designer and I really dug her solutions.

* Friends Old and New -- That's why conventions are great. Too many people to name them all, but I had a blast with Irene Gallo, Dave Seeley, Audrey Price, Pablo Defendini, Marc Scheff, William Lexner and wife Maureen, Kelly Kotulak, Marc Robinson, Robert Weiner, Karl Schroeder, Stacy Hague-Hill and Sarah Beth Durst. The most unexpected new acquaintance I made at Boskone happened on Saturday night. Traci and I were seated for Boskone's Saturday Night Awards Presentations and I just happened to be seated next to the legendary Jane Yolen. This was good enough by itself, but to find out that Jane knew who I was and knew my work caught me off-guard in the best of ways. She's terrific and hilarious, and it was an honor to meet her.

* Rick Berry Studio Visit -- I've long admired Rick's work, and he was kind enough to invite a number of folks out to his studio on Sunday night. I learned a lot that night, and I suspect a couple of bits of that experience will affect how I work later this year. Irene had told me that it would be hugely inspiring to visit his studio, and she was right. Thanks to Rick and his wife Sheila, as well as Robert Weiner, for the food, drink, and good times.

Cons are often judged by their GoHs and guests, but I often judge them by the volunteers that run them. NESFA, you did an incredible job. Thanks to Jim Mann (this year's Boskone chairman -- take a bow), Laurie Mann, Ben Yalow, Tim Szczesuil (thanks for receiving my boxes, man!!), Ian Stockdale (new owner of the MUSE OF FIRE original underdrawing, and I'm honored to be in his collection), Mary Kay Kare (thanks for looking out), Tony & Suford Lewis, Ann Broomhead, Geri Sullivan, and Robert Luoma (thanks for the projection help...went off without a hitch). Great job, Boskone!

For more photos, see my Flickr set.

These are for you, Boskone.

2010-02-05T08:03:00.003-06:00

Hot off the press -- three new promo postcards featuring my cover art for (l to r) Dan Simmons' DROOD (Subterranean Press ltd. ed.); Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK ONE -- WORLD'S END (Pyr); and Dan Simmons' MUSE OF FIRE (Subterranean Press). These postcards will be freebies for all who attend my Guest of Honor Slideshow at Boskone, February 13th (Sat.), at 11am. Spread the word. Sound off below if you're attending the con. 'Hope to see you there. :)

ROBOTS & MAGIC

2010-02-03T12:29:00.003-06:00

NESFA Press' ROBOTS & MAGIC: SELECTED SHORT STORIES OF LESTER DEL REY, Vol. 2 will debut at Boskone next week, but it looks like it's now available for purchase online. It's got an intro by Terry Brooks and it's edited by Steven H. Silver. Alice N.S. Lewis did the design. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished books next week. :)

Goodbye, Melbourne. Hello, Atlanta.

2010-01-14T09:34:00.002-06:00

Bad news, good news.

First, the bad: I won't be attending the World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne this summer. I wanted to be there. Traci and I bought attending memberships back in 2008, and it's been her dream to visit Australia. In the end, we decided that we'll be better prepared to afford the trip and have a longer visit, at a later date. We still intend to buy supporting memberships for the con, and we're gonna miss seeing our friends out there, and especially the Aussies that will no doubt put on a killer show. Believe me -- we tried, folks. It just wasn't in the cards at this time (even with the current Qantas airfare sale). Best wishes to all Aussiecon organizers.

A friend has already claimed one of our two attending memberships for transfer, and we have the other available at this time. That attending membership is available for $155 USD and Aussiecon's Clare McDonald will soon have the transfer forms available at the Aussiecon website. Contact me if you're interested in purchasing it. (The current con rate for attending membership is $225 USD, so our price is a pretty significant savings.)

I'll definitely be at Worldcon in Reno in 2011.

Big sigh.

Now the good news: although I'm disappointed that I won't be able to attend Worldcon this year, I'm very pleased to say that I'll be attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta over the Labor Day Weekend! Lou Anders spoke highly about last year's show and I'm gonna give it a shot this year. From what Lou says, the con has become more diverse, more literate, and more art-friendly over recent years. I'm really excited to be part of this year's guest lineup. They're still announcing who will be there, and still ironing out the site updates, but I see that Donato Giancola, Cherie Priest, and Brandon Sanderson are amongst the early names announced. Should be great times. Really looking forward to the action this summer.

Next month -- Boskone!! I can't wait. :)

ZOO CITY

2010-01-12T07:28:00.005-06:00

Here's my final cover illustration for Lauren Beukes' forthcoming novel ZOO CITY. It'll be an Angry Robot mass market paperback, coming this May. Lauren is the author of one of 2009's breakout hits, MOXYLAND. She describes ZOO CITY as an urban fantasy -- "a muti noir set in a re-imagined Johannesburg. It's the story of a girl with a sloth on her back, a dirty 419 habit and the magical ability to find lost things who gets drawn into a case to find a missing pop star."

Here's my initial thumbnail doodle for the cover. I even drew in a first stab at the typography, just to get some sense of how that might work (or not). I knew I was only responsible for the cover art, but I factor in the type placement when I sketch thumbnails for covers. Sometimes I draw it in, even if I'm not designing the final type, and sometimes I just leave space for it. It's always a consideration though. The final type design is by Argh! Nottingham (see below), and I dig it. It's a simple, strong solution, and says "noir" without being cliche.

As for the art, I was given a solid brief from Angry Robot that described what they wanted on the cover. They wanted three main characters, and their pets, to be the focus, and offered a fairly specific way to handle it. I saw the cover a completely different way, but made sure to include all of the elements (main characters, pets, setting, mood, attitude). They were terrific and said "go for it!"

Relevant note here -- it's not often that authors have input during the process of making a cover. There are lots of reasons for this, and that could be a whole blog post by itself. The point is it doesn't happen often. In this case, Lauren was very involved, and she and Marc Gascoigne (publishing director) were fun collaborators. It was my first time working with Angry Robot, and a pleasure. They're building a terrific line of books. I'm really excited about ZOO CITY, and am already looking forward to its release in May.

My 2009 Published Work

2010-01-01T12:47:00.016-06:00

First post of the New Year: here's a one-stop visual list of my 2009 published works. As noted here and here, the awards nomination season is upon us again (Hugos and otherwise). If you wish to reference the list below for future consideration this year, please bookmark. FYI: in addition, my blog sidebar displays my 2009 work in abbreviated form. Onward...

(above)
Cover illustration for
MUSE OF FIRE
by Dan Simmons
Subterranean Press
January 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
the limited edition of
DROOD
by Dan Simmons
Subterranean Press
April 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 1
WORLD'S END
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
May 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 2
DARKEST HOUR
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
June 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 3
ALWAYS FOREVER
by Mark Chadbourn
Pyr
July 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
WAR & SPACE: THE BEST OF
LESTER DEL REY
Edited by Steven H. Silver
NESFA Press
August 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION
September 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
ARE YOU THERE AND OTHER STORIES
by Jack Skillingstead
Golden Gryphon Press
October 2009

(above)
Interior illustration for
KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED
BY STEPHEN KING
Edited by Jerad Walters
Centipede Press
November 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
the limited edition of
THE TERROR
by Dan Simmons
Subterranean Press
December 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
STARSHIP: FLAGSHIP
by Mike Resnick
Pyr
December 2009

(above)
Cover illustration for
THE 13TH REALITY:
THE JOURNAL OF
CURIOUS LETTERS
by James Dashner
Simon & Schuster / Aladdin
December 2009
(alternate cover version)

THE 13TH REALITY

2009-12-24T11:42:00.003-06:00

Here's my cover art for James Dashner's THE 13TH REALITY: THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS, just released this week in a fresh new edition from Aladdin. When you see the book on the shelf, you'll notice it's got a different color scheme. Although I did both versions, the one pictured left is my preferred version.

Why two versions? When the job came to me, it was noted that the book was targeted toward "independent readers" which is defined as 9-12 year-olds. It was also noted that the cover would be printed on silver foil. Early in the process, I went to the bookstore and stared at the shelves of books that this cover would compete against. It was immediately obvious that this market uses a LOT of color and flash to grab eyeballs. Every cover seemed to be trying to out-flash the one next to it. That's not unlike the adult sf/f section, but the tendency was perhaps a little more aggressive throughout the independent reader shelves. That's what inspired the color scheme you see here -- a direct counterpoint to the book's competition -- spare and ultra-restrained, where one key element (the scarf) calls out, and the rest of the art plays off the shimmer of the foil material. It seemed like a surefire strategy to help the book stand out and sell, and I was excited to see the final result. Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men....;)

The version you see here was deemed "too sophisticated for 9-12 year-olds". Oy. Anyone have any 9-12 year olds in their family? If you do, you know that one thing you can count on is they're extremely visually sophisticated, and probably more so than most of us adults.:) Best wishes to all at Aladdin and to Mr. Dashner himself, who seems to be having a heckuva year thanks to THE MAZE RUNNER's steamrolling success.

Time to wrap some presents over here. Happy Holidays to all!

The Magazine of the SF/F Field

2009-12-16T10:37:00.005-06:00

That's what LOCUS MAGAZINE's masthead says at the top of every issue. Over the last year or so, I've been wondering if that's really true. Or should the word "Field" be replaced with the word "Writer"? Reason: virtually every LOCUS interview for the past decade has been writer-centric. I mentioned on Twitter and Facebook today that I wondered if subscribers would stop buying if LOCUS did full-length interviews with illustrators as frequently as they do with writers. There's already been several comments and I thought I'd bring the discussion over here where it's open to everyone and comments don't have to be limited. A few points:

1. I'm currently a subscriber to LOCUS MAGAZINE. Have been for the last several years.

2. The people that publish LOCUS are amongst my favorites in this business. They're fun, smart, insightful, and amongst the hardest-working folks in our field.

3. They've had a tough year with the death of LOCUS founder Charles N. Brown. It's a credit to Liza, Amelia, Kirsten, Tim and everyone over there that the magazine has not missed a beat. LOCUS is clearly in the best hands possible.

4. Here's what bothers me though -- if LOCUS is indeed the magazine of our field (the sf/f field), then why do virtually all of its regular interviews focus on writers? Doesn't "the field" encompass more than just writers? What about illustrators, editors, and art directors as well? Aren't their processes and opinions also an integral part of what advances our field? And if so, then why don't we see more interviews with those folks in LOCUS? In the last decade, to the best of my recollection, the only illustrators interviewed for LOCUS are Shaun Tan, Bob Eggleton, and Kinuko Craft. If LOCUS runs two full-length interviews per issue, then that's 240 interviews over a decade, and only three artists (or so) represented in the last ten years. Fair to say that those are three excellent choices, but three out of 240 possible interviews is a staggeringly low figure, to say the least.

5. In fairness, I've spoken to editor-in-chief Liza Trombi twice this year about this very subject, and without disclosing private details, I think it's fair to say that LOCUS is in a tough position. Think about this question from their standpoint -- they're a business, and quite frankly, these tough financial times aren't easy for ANY print magazine business. Change is especially risky right now. LOCUS only has so many pages and adding page count is expensive, if not prohibitively so. They're used to being a writer-centric magazine and have been lauded for it time after time (see their 29 Hugo Awards). Under those circumstances, I think I can understand their position to "hold the line" and not change their formula. At the same time, they are a print magazine that (like all print magazines) is always looking to increase its subscription base, especially in these challenging times.

6. Thus my question -- if LOCUS were to publish more full-length interviews with illustrators, editors, and art directors in addition to their already-outstanding writer interviews, would they diminish their base? Or possibly grow it?

7. Here's another question -- I wonder if perhaps LOCUS is completely justified to continue as they have (except perhaps change their masthead to "The Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer"). Perhaps I've been slow to understand that I'm NOT the audience for this mag because I'm not a writer? Perhaps their magazine is purely a magazine about the sf/f writer and for the fans of those writers, and that's the way it always has been and should be? Maybe LOCUS and I disagree that the art of sf/f is a significant part of "the field" and therefore of genuine interview interest to its readers? If so, then I'd have no problem wishing them continued success, and subscribing instead to another magazine like ImagineFX, where I would learn more about my sf/f art peers and their craft, in the same way that writers learn the same from LOCUS' interviews.

Last thought -- LOCUS doesn't exist to make artists, editors, or art directors happy. They're a business, and if indeed their audience doesn't want interview coverage of those communities, I'm fine with that. But I'm curious to hear people say that's true or not. For LOCUS' sake, please keep comments productive here. If you're getting ready to launch slings and arrows at them, don't even think about it. I don't have time for that. This post is not about that. For the time being though -- I'm just curious if I'm alone in my observations. Remember -- it's their magazine. They're the ones doing the heavy lifting. :)

SMOFCon 27 Final Thoughts

2009-12-06T10:08:00.007-06:00

Made a quick visit to SMOFCon 27 in Austin, TX yesterday afternoon. Quick thoughts:

1. Thanks to Karen Meschke for graciously inviting me to participate on a panel called "Artists -- What They Need and Expect From Conventions". Scott Zrubek, Laura Domitz, Rocky Kelley, and Vincent Villafranca were my fellow panelists. Scott did a tremendous job moderating a 1.5 hour, frenetic, and highly-energized room of opinions and exchanges. I learned A LOT from this panel, and I hope the audience did as well.

2. Props to Craig (last name unknown) who sat in the back row and had a treasure trove of articulate knowledge about the pricing and ease with which future Worldcons can create banners of the Artist Guest of Honor's work in order to provide a massive visual beacon for the show, build pride in its attending membership, herald the show's arrival to the host city, and increase artists' desire to attend Worldcon. I've been championing this idea for the last year-and-a-half. When I raised the point, he had a wealth of info to corroborate. It never occurred to me that extra banners could also be produced and sold to membership as a collectible, but that's a fantastic idea for another revenue stream for future Worldcons. Very smart.

3. I'd love to see Worldcon increase their outreach toward art directors. Writers attend Worldcon for the sake of one thing -- jobs. It's no different for artists. I suspect most writers are less concerned about discussing their past work, as much as they are about promoting their current work, and most importantly, planting the business seeds with editors and publishers for their next gigs. It's no different for artists. Art directors hire artists, just as editors call the shots for writers. I advocated an expansion of programming mindset toward artists where Worldcon doesn't just do a good art show and call it a day, but in fact, expands the job networking possibilities for artists via increased outreach to art directors in books, gaming, film, and media (perhaps Art Director Guests of Honor?). Add to this expanded opportunities for portfolio reviews for young artists. Right now, Irene Gallo and Lou Anders are the only art directors who have consistently attended Worldcon in recent years. Artist attendance at Worldcon has declined in large part because the vast majority feel the show doesn't promote enough job opportunity and career advancement for artists. Worldcon would gain amazing vibrancy and energy from an ongoing effort toward this one major move. It would lift the whole con to another level.

4. Lighting, lighting, lighting at art shows. Much talk about this and how to establish and improve standards. Good stuff. I don't know enough about lumens to be an expert, but hopefully some of us will start looking at this and gains will be made for the overall.

5. SMOFCon -- I'd like to just give a heartfelt thank-you to all of you for being gracious to me, and especially to all who attended that panel. On the drive home, my wife Traci and I talked about how fortunate science fiction is to have people who give so much of themselves to make these cons happen. That goes for all of the SMOFs in the house. I tip my hat to all of you, who attended from around the world. You have my utmost respect. Happy Holidays. See you at Boskone and around the continent in 2010. :)

THE TERROR Is Upon Us.

2009-12-01T10:01:00.005-06:00

Subterranean Press has announced that their limited edition of Dan Simmons' epic novel THE TERROR is all done and ready to ship. I did the cover art for this one. It's my third Simmons limited edition cover. The first two Simmons books that I cover-illustrated sold out their first editions (MUSE OF FIRE and DROOD). Here's what awaits readers in THE TERROR (text courtesy of Sub Press' website):

In the spring of 1845, Sir John Franklin leads a company of two ships and 130 men on a hazardous voyage to the remote, uncharted Arctic. His goal: to locate and map the legendary Northwest Passage. Two years later, the expedition, which began in a spirit of optimism and high purpose, faces disaster. Franklin is dead. The two ships -- the Erebus and the Terror -- are hopelessly trapped by gigantic, shifting ice floes. Supplies are dwindling, and the crews struggle daily against lethal, unimaginably frigid conditions. And something -- some Thing -- is stalking the survivors, spreading death, suffering, and chaos in its remorseless wake.

THE TERROR is both a rigorously researched historical novel and a compelling homage to one of the seminal SF/Horror films of the 1950s. It is popular fiction of the highest order, the kind of intense, wholly absorbing epic only Dan Simmons could have written.

Subterranean still has copies available, but I don't know how much longer they will. If you're interested, you might want to order very soon. :)

Renovation Steps Up

2009-11-23T08:54:00.003-06:00

The Montreal Worldcon's recent payment fiasco to Anticipation art show participants makes the following news from the 2011 Worldcon in Reno all the more refreshing. According to Colin Harris of the 2011 Renovation team, his Worldcon compatriots are willing to make the ironclad guarantee that they will pay the artists within 30 days of the Worldcon art show.

My thoughts: I certainly understand my fellow artists' cynicism about this news. Is this more ironclad than when the 2009 Montreal Worldcon said in writing that it would pay within sixty days (which was an abnormally protracted wait for artists to receive payment) and then proceeded to take more than ninety, which was absurd? Why should this proclamation matter, when Worldcon receives no monetary penalty for tardy payment to artists, and they've already proven they don't always adhere to their own rules in this regard? Both are good points.

My feeling is that paying artists within thirty days of the Worldcon Art Show is a fair and reasonable turnaround, and really any well-organized con should be able to adhere to such a standard. It's early in the game for the 2011 Reno Worldcon but here's why I think they'll make good on their word.

1. Colin Harris is a longtime sf/f art afficionado and is a veteran Worldcon organizer. He co-chaired the 2005 Worldcon, and has already been a strong voice for a better art show in 2011, and better usage of participating artists' talents.

2. Several of the Reno organizers attended the recent IlluXCon. They distributed flyers, socialized with artists, and threw a party for IlluXCon participants. All of these folks were there first and foremost because they genuinely love the visual arts of sf/f. I think they want to see Worldcon produce a better art show than it has in recent years, and they're willing to examine their own methods in order to do so.

3. Elayne Pelz is the Art Show director for the 2011 effort. She was the Art Show director for the 2007 Worldcon in Japan, and artists' payments were smooth sailing at that one.

4. Finally -- the Reno Worldcon committee members are a super-veteran crew of people who have either served as division heads or chaired Worldcons past. I think this recently-announced policy is something they probably had in place before the Worldcon Montreal payment fiasco. I think it's good news for artists that they want to make it clear they won't repeat the same mistakes.

Hat's off to the 2011 Reno bid. Artists -- what do you think? Thoughts?

Memo to Worldcon Artists

2009-11-18T20:40:00.006-06:00

If you're an artist who participated in this year's World Science Fiction Convention Art Show, or plan to participate in a future Worldcon Art Show, then the following is for you.

The good news is that this year's Worldcon in Montreal is supposedly getting ready to pay its artists their Art Show revenues. The bad news is these checks were, by Worldcon's own rules, due to the artists within 60 days of the show. 60 days to pay a check is a lenient turnaround by any reasonable measure and by that standard, the artists should have been paid by mid-October. End of story. It's now mid-November and this is still not the case.

American artists were in fact mailed checks well after the 60-day period. However, those checks were drafted with questionable routing number information that were subsequently denied by many American financial institutions. A letter accompanied those checks stating that the checks provided a legitimate US routing number, when in fact, they didn't. They were effectively foreign checks that would necessitate gross collections fees and punitive processing delays of up to eight additional weeks. Not acceptable. When this was communicated to the con, its response was "the checks are fine; it must be your bank."

Wrong answer, Worldcon.

There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on Worldcon's part. Don't get that idea. However, there's plenty of evidence of miscommunication, defensiveness, finger-pointing, and he-said, she-said. I had hoped that the matter would resolve itself in a reasonable amount of time, and therefore, I originally refrained from making the matter public, out of respect to the con and its volunteers.

Here's why I decided to post this -- I'm a fan of Worldcon. As a whole, I very much like the people that run them. I want to see Worldcon live long and prosper. However, I'm first and foremost a working pro illustrator, and sf/fantasy art is my business. I don't like being screwed. I don't like being patronized, and I don't like my fellow artists being shafted. If I stay quiet about this, then I'm in effect endorsing that it's OK for this kind of behavior to occur again. I can't do that. Worldcon is better than this.

Artists -- should we continue to participate in Worldcon Art Shows? Good question. Many have already migrated to other shows that attract larger audiences, and better marketing than Worldcon affords its artists. That was certainly evident at this year's Worldcon when you looked at the artist roster. And for something like this to occur, it doesn't help future Worldcons. I chose to participate in this year's Worldcon Art Show, but I wouldn't if I knew it would treat its artists' payments this poorly. Will I participate in future ones? I'd like to hope for the best, and hope that future shows will see this, and take measures to not repeat the same.

I'm disappointed that this happened. I hate that it did. Let's hope for better days ahead, Worldcon.

IlluXCon 2

2009-11-16T21:25:00.006-06:00

(top left: Jordu Schell's Werewolf sculpture / top right: Julie Bell paints. / Bottom: A view of IlluXCon 2.)

Remember that FIELD OF DREAMS line "Build it and they will come"? Pat and Jeannie Wilshire have done just that -- built the best annual sf/fantasy art event in their hometown of tiny Altoona, PA, and lo, the artists came. IlluxCon 2 happened this past weekend, and it was a blast. It's a gathering of some of the best sf/fantasy artists in the world for a four-day weekend, exhibiting their art and hanging out with hardcore collectors, art directors, and sf/fantasy art afficionados -- and unlike most sf/fantasy cons, this one's all about celebrating the visual arts.

I was honored to be amongst the select list of invited artists who exhibited their work and talked shop -- and it was definitely a diverse all-star list including Michael Whelan, Dave Seeley, Vincent Villafranca, Bob Eggleton, Eric Fortune, Bruce Jensen, Daren Bader, Donato Giancola, Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, John Jude Palencar, Brom, Jordu Schell, Justin Gerard, Justin Sweet, Lucas Graciano, Michael Hayes, and many more. Pyr's Lou Anders and Wizards of the Coast's Jon Schindehette were amongst the art directors present to review student portfolios.

Like most art shows, the exhibition and selling of original art and merchandise is a big focus of the show, but what I liked about this one was the energy and camaraderie. The programming was terrific and art-centric ranging from demos to virtual studio discussions to art director q&a's. IlluxCon was a first-class affair. Pat and Jeannie organized this from scratch. They're passionate about sf/fantasy art and they've got a progressive can-do spirit. I think that makes all the difference in the world. They've presented a stellar case study for how to run a first-class art show, how to properly market a first-class art show, and they did it without the infrastructure and resources of larger sf/fantasy conventions.

I had a blast and I'm strongly considering returning for next year's show. Here's a Flickr set of iPhone shots to give you a taste of the action.

World Fantasy Con 2009

2009-11-03T09:39:00.004-06:00

Wow. WFC'09, you were a blast. I had a terrific time as I always do at WFC. Hats off to the con com for a dynamite show. Although the Art Show was definitely not a highlight (low sales and poor turnout), I managed to sell my small display of work (hooray!) and enjoyed the work of several of the artists such as GoH Lisa Snellings, Vincent Villafranca, Erik Gist, Lee Moyer, and Lucas Graciano.

I conducted a one-man slideshow/q&a about cover illustration and design, and was amazed to see how well-attended it was -- easily 200+ attendees in that room, and some say as high as 250. Along with Chris Roberson, I did a 45-min. interview with a prospective TV book-centric TV pilot series called MARGINS. I signed a ton of books. Saw Jerad Walters of Centipede Press unveil the massive Stephen King artbook KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED BY STEPHEN KING. It's a beautiful book (pictured above) and I'm in awe. All Stephen King fans will covet this book. Had many drinks, conversations, and meals with old friends and new. It was the typical WFC, which is to say that it was packed from beginning to end with fun and inspiration. Here's a small set of photos from my iPhone -- check it out. :)

MileHiCon 41 Wrapup

2009-11-03T09:13:00.004-06:00

Thanks to everyone at MileHiCon 41 for a terrific time! I went straight from there to the World Fantasy Con so I'm only now getting to blog about it. I was Artist Guest of Honor over the weekend of October 23-25 and the MHC folks know how to put on a first class show. Artists -- if you ever see Bruce Miller as the Art Show Director for a show, you're in good hands. Along with Randy Cleary, he's one of the most efficient show directors I've ever seen. Besides running great art shows, they're great with details such as paying the artists on-site for their art show sales rather than having them wait weeks for payment. :)

MileHiCon has outstanding programming, terrific fans, and great costumes. I had a great time with folks such as Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Hightower, Mario Acevedo, Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead, Marc Gunn, Kelli Meyer, Corry Lee, Carrie Vaughn, Brandon Sanderson, the Lickiss family and many more. The con com was terrific. Special shoutouts to Linda Nelson, Rose Beetem, Cheryl Sundseth, and especially Ryan Marshall for taking great care of all of the GoHs. I was proud to be a part of the effort, and now I know why this is one of the most well-regarded regional sf cons in the country.

MileHiCon Schedule

2009-10-21T22:16:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been a busy month -- so busy that I haven't been logging much time here at my blog. MileHiCon 41 is here -- and here's where I'll be in the Mile High City. Because I'm the Artist Guest of Honor at this weekend's show, you can expect that I'll have a large art show display with plenty of work for sale. If you're at the show or living in the Denver area, don't be a stranger! :)

FRIDAY

OPENING CEREMONIES
7-7:45pm
Grand Mesa B/C
M. Gunn, B. Hambly, N. Kress,
J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

AUTOGRAPH ALLEY
8-9pm

SATURDAY

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER
10-11am
Grand Mesa A
M. Carroll, L. Givens, W. Hodgson,
J. Picacio, S. Tefoe

FUTURE ARTS
11am-12noon
Mesa Verde A
D. Bates, M. Gunn, S. Lickiss, J. Mills, J. Picacio

THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO
2pm-3pm
Grand Mesa A
(slideshow + q&a about my recent illustration & design work)

ART SHOW TOUR / DEMO
4pm
(I'm not sure whether the con has me doing a demo
or an art show tour, but I'll be doing one of those.)

SUNDAY

KAFFEEKLATSCH
9am
Con Suite
B. Hambly, N. Kress, J. Picacio, C. Willis

GoH SPEECHES & AWARDS
11am-1pm
Mesa Verde B
M. Gunn, B. Hambly, N. Kress, J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

CLOSING CEREMONY
5pm-6pm
Mesa Verde B
M. Gunn, J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

WAR AND SPACE is here!

2009-09-23T08:38:00.003-05:00

NESFA Press, the publishing imprint of the New England Science Fiction Association, has just released WAR AND SPACE: SELECTED SHORT STORIES OF LESTER DEL REY, VOL. 1. The book is the first of a two-volume hardcover set of the best of Del Rey’s short stories. The book was edited by Steven H. Silver and designed by Alice N.S. Lewis. The cover art is by me. :)

Del Rey was a seminal science fiction author and editor in the 1930’s through the 50’s. His short stories appeared in many of the leading sf magazines of the era, including John W. Campbell’s ASTOUNDING STORIES. Along with Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton, Campbell was one of a handful of early sf writers who also wrote stories targeted toward adolescent readers. He was awarded the 1990 Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.

He and his wife Judy-Lynn Del Rey co-edited a line of books within the Ballantine publishing umbrella, and this imprint became what is known as Del Rey Books, one of the leading science fiction/fantasy publishing imprints in America.

I'm scheduled to do the cover art for the second volume of this collection, and NESFA Press will release it next year.

The Essential Jack Skillingstead

2009-09-03T06:22:00.006-05:00

I'm now looking at an advance copy of one of the 2009 hardcovers I've most wanted. It's ARE YOU THERE AND OTHER STORIES by Jack Skillingstead (Golden Gryphon Press). Yes, I illustrated the cover art for this story collection, but that's not why I've been looking forward to it. Quite simply, I envy the rest of the world that hasn't read this one. The major editors of sf/f, such as Gardner Dozois, Gordon Van Gelder, and Lou Anders, know how special Skillingstead is. They're the ones that first commissioned his stories. Beyond them, I suspect Skillingstead is still a relative unknown to many, but perhaps not for much longer. Skillingstead is one of my new favorite writers, and even better, he's one of the rare ones that seeks big questions rather than big answers. As 2009 World Fantasy Award nominee Daryl Gregory says, "Jack Skillingstead is fearless. No one in SF writes about death, sex, loneliness, and love with such searing honesty." Well said.

I was hired for this gig back in '08, and was privileged to read the manuscript back then. I suspected this might be one of the very best sf books of 2009. That's how good it is. I want to know what you think. This book is not for everyone. I envy anyone reading these stories for the first time. This is my favorite kind of sf -- the kind that inevitably make me see the world a little more clearly, with all of the shades of love, hurt, and hope illuminated a little richer and deeper than the day before. Golden Gryphon has it available right now, and Amazon will start selling it on September 6th. (Note that Amazon's cover image is a mockup, not the final. The one you see above is the final.)

A final note about the cover art -- gosh, this was a hard book to cover-illustrate. This book demanded a personal response, rather than a literal one, which is the way I prefer to work, but it wasn't easy. I originally thought the cover might be a man trying to hug a ghost (if you catch that Amazon image before they change it) and I cobbled together a rough assemblage image using a piece of a previous cover to try to grasp the basic image, in hopes of reshaping and refining. The publisher liked it. Jack liked it. I liked it, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it seemed awfully heavy-handed. It just wasn't the iconic image this cover demanded. The final cover art sprung from one of my alternate ideas, and as it turned out, it was the right one. Thanks to Matt Fulcher and Sanford Allen for helping me find my way. I wish there were more books like this.

13 Days On The Road (Part 5)

2009-08-13T14:58:00.003-05:00

Otherwise known as my 2009 Worldcon Report. And the final installment of my 13 Days On The Road series. Good news, bad news. The bad is that Blogger is currently cranky and having trouble uploading photos. The good is that you can see my complete report on the MISSIONS UNKNOWN blog (a Word Press blog), and if you just want the photos, you can go here to my 1st Flickr set. It was an amazing trip. Until next time, Montreal...

13 Days On The Road (Part 4)

2009-08-12T17:58:00.003-05:00

Otherwise known as "The Hugos: Faraway So Close". It's an honor to be nominated for the Hugo Award and I've been graced with that recognition five consecutive years for Best Professional Artist. It's rarified air to be on the Hugo ballot any year. I've been fortunate to breathe it in these five years. However, I've never reached the Hugo mountaintop and won the shiny rocketship trophy. I lost again this past Sunday night, finishing in second place. This year, according to the final numbers, I came achingly close, but that doesn't matter. Donato Giancola won the prize, and it's his third Hugo Award in four years. Donato knows how much I respect him and his work, and let me take this opportunity to publicly salute him and offer my heartfelt congrats. He's a friend, a class act all the way, and one of the all-time greats. You earned it, man.

Big congrats out to John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, David Anthony Durham, Stephen Segal, Ann Vandermeer, Cheryl Morgan, John Klima and all who earned their Hugos this past Sunday night.

As for me, back to the art life. Back to trying to get better as an artist and back to pushing myself a little further every day. Thanks to all who nominated and voted for me this year. I'm deeply honored and very much appreciate it. Many of you came to me with well wishes before and after the process took its course. Thank you. With hard work and luck, perhaps my work will prove worthy of your consideration again in 2010, and if so, we'll see what happens then. Back to work.

13 Days On The Road (Part 3)

2009-08-12T14:49:00.004-05:00

Otherwise known as "Hooray! I won a Chesley Award!" This one's been well-documented on Twitter since the results were announced at the Chesley Awards Ceremony Friday, August 7th at Worldcon, but since I'm just getting to post it here, here's a photo and here's a detail of my trophy plugged in and aglow. That's right -- I said "plugged in". Not many trophies are a self-contained light show, but this one is -- and wow, it's a beauty. I won for Best Paperback Cover Illustration for my cover art for FAST FORWARD 2 (pictured here), edited by Lou Anders (Pyr). Lou won his very first Chesley Award (Best Art Director), which is an amazing thing considering that Lou's official title is Editorial Director of Pyr. However, everyone in the art community knows that he's Pyr's Art Director because he's carried that role from Day 1, even if it wasn't officially in his job description. Very honored to be amongst the full list of Chesley Awards winners. Pure joy.

13 Days On The Road (Part 2)

2009-08-12T14:07:00.007-05:00

Otherwise known as "Holy Cow! I'm a 2009 World Fantasy Award nominee!" This post is hugely belated because I was on the road between SpoCon and Worldcon when this was first announced on August 4th. I immediately Tweeted and Facebooked it, but didn't have the ability to update this blog, until now. Again -- very honored to be a finalist on an insanely terrific ballot. And congrats to fellow nominees Kinuko Y. Craft, Janet Chui, Stephan Martiniere, and Shaun Tan. Proud to be in your company!

13 Days On The Road (Part 1)

2009-08-12T09:30:00.005-05:00

I've been on the road so long that I'm not sure if my own blog recognizes me now that I'm home. In future, I need to integrate this blog with my Twitter and Facebook updates and that'll happen when the great Paul Vaughn soon redesigns my website and blog from the bottom up. For now, I need to catch up here with everything that's happened in the last thirteen days while I've been gone. WOW. SO much has happened. Let the recap begin.

Here are some words and pics from my Artist GoH stint at SpoCon 2009, in Spokane, WA, July 30 to August 2, 2009.

The September '09 ASIMOV'S Is Here!

2009-07-29T11:53:00.003-05:00

I mentioned this over at MISSIONS UNKNOWN yesterday, but didn't have time until just now to mention it here. The September issue of ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION went on sale yesterday and it features my cover art for Lisa Goldstein's story "Away From Here." Despite these days being stormy ones for the magazine publishing world as a whole, ASIMOV'S is still going strong with 44 Hugo Awards and 24 Nebula Awards to its credit to date. This month's issue is loaded with phenomenal authors and content, and I'm proud to be associated it.

An Open Letter to Adam Roberts

2009-07-21T00:26:00.008-05:00

Hi, Adam --

I'm pleased you're a working science fiction author because as a driveby art critic, you're a mess. In your July 17th post about the Hugo Awards, you labelled the work of four of the five Best Professional Artist Hugo nominees as dull and mediocre, and not deserving of Hugo recognition. You're entitled to your opinion, just as all fans are. Being one of the five Hugo nominees in this category, I can safely speak for myself and all of the pro artist nominees in that we all relish good criticism. It's part of being a pro.

That said, hopefully you and I will someday sit down at a con and have a beer together. We have a shared love for science fiction. Both of us wish the best for its progressive growth. We have mutual friends. Many of them speak highly of your ability as an sf author. I hear that you're the kind of challenging author that I love to cover-illustrate. That said, even if I just have the pleasure of reading one of your books someday, I hope I'll actually be able to find one.

I applaud your self-appointed stance as a champion of literary excellence and that you demand excellence of the rest of the sf world. However, in doing so, it's only fair that you live up to the same. As an art critic, you fail miserably, sir. Two statements you make in your post that betray you as a poseur in this regard:

1. Of the work of Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos, Bob Eggleton and myself, you claim that the work is "conventional; all surface technique and no soul; artworks exactly like and in not one quarter-degree superior to pretty much every SFF novel or magazine cover printed since 1966."

Response: Since 1966, you say? "Pretty much every", you say? Sounds like you worked overtime to calculate that one. Since you've so conveniently couched your opinion as fact, I'm sure you'll be willing to enlighten us with your well-researched thesis about 43 years of sf art from which your conclusion no doubt originates (maybe somewhere within your labyrinthine HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION?). Pardon me if I don't hold my breath waiting.

2. A second excerpt from your blogpost: "Remember, Fandom, my question is not: are these artists competent, because clearly they all are. But are they the best? What are they doing that is new? That stands out? That shakes or moves or inspires us? The moleskin-notebook doodlers on Skine-art produce more interesting art than this in their spare time every day. We can do better. Or—and this is the angle that worries me, Fandom: or (sic) you really think that these images are the best that visual art can be?"

Response: It's up to me to make the decisions within my own work. It's up to the audience to judge how it assimilates into the culture stream. It's up to me to make my work the best I can, and once done, I leave the value judgments to the audience, and to history. That said, I'll leave you and the rest of the world to judge my work, but as a working professional artist, I'm qualified to make the case for three very worthy 2009 Hugo Award Professional Artist nominees, Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos and Bob Eggleton. You say that "the moleskin-notebook doodlers on Skine-art produce more interesting art than this in their spare time every day." I took a look through this site which you claim is more "interesting". I encourage all to do the same and make their own judgments. Meanwhile, I offer the following personal opinions on Giancola, Dos Santos, and Eggleton. (Readers please note that I'm also a huge admirer of Shaun Tan's work and he's equally Hugo-worthy, but he wasn't a target of clumsy generalization and therefore, not relevant to present discussion.)

Why I believe Donato Giancola is Hugo-worthy:

This is Donato's cover art for THE GOLDEN ROSE. It not only displays a masterful command of oil paint but packs an emotional wallop. Technically, it's one of the richest oil paintings I've seen on an sf/f cover in 2008. Note the rocks vs. the foamy tide; the undertones of the fish skin vs. those of the human skin; the textures of the tentacles vs. those of the neighboring seaweed; the triangular shapes of the tide echoing the triangular shapes of the rocks. All of this interplay is happening within a simple but dynamic birds-eye composition that frames the forms and drama in perfect measure. The body language of the figures is gut-wrenching and engrossing. To call this "soulless art" signals character flaws within the accuser, not within the art or the artist. If this is "mediocre art" that shows sf/f in a poor light, then go talk to the Society of Illustrators New York who are very much NOT a genre association and recognized this painting with their highest 2008 honor -- the Hamilton King Award, awarded to the outstanding illustration of the year by a peer group of some of the most respected American artists.

Why I believe Dan Dos Santos is Hugo-worthy:

This is Dan's cover for POISON SLEEP. What I love about this one is it's an ingenious and unconventional compositional solution that doesn't succumb to the formulas of a standard mass-market paperback. The color scheme is restrained and smart. It stands out versus its adjacent competitors on a given bookstore shelf. There's an economy of form here, and a delicacy in the skin tones, expressions and gestures. It does what only the very best book cover art does -- draws the reader across the store to pick up the book, while standing on its own as a compelling piece of visual storytelling.

Why I believe Bob Eggleton is Hugo-worthy:

Bob will never be confused for artists pushing the envelope of genre art, but in fact, that's his super power. He's unapologetically in love with pulp, and while that may not be my personal cup of tea, his work regularly seduces my eyes, unlike any other living pulp-loving painter. That's a pretty neat trick when pulp is not my primary interest and yet I enjoy it when Bob does it. Paintings like this one are why his work connects so powerfully with the sf audience. They transport viewers time after time, and his brushwork is some of the most emotional that we currently have in the sf field. Some may argue that Bob's thematic wellspring doesn't speak to the present time, but I think that's precisely his point. I think he's consciously trying to use the fantastic to remind us of simpler times past and future, and and he does it as well as anyone ever has in sf art.

Adam: You attempted to make the case for sweeping change in the Hugos (which is very much your right), but you utterly failed to make a convincing case why one form of visual art is more desirable than the current nominated choices in the Best Professional Artist category.

Instead, you displayed that it's much easier for you to wield poorly-crafted generalizations, a familiar trademark of amateur writers. Again, your opinions are your right, just as they're the right of any fan, but it's a working professional's equal right to call you out when you pound your chest, demanding excellence, and yet don't expect the same of yourself in this conversation. I'm disappointed that someone of your regard prefers to be just another intellectual bully trying to look oh-so-cool and above reproach, lobbing cheap shots, while trading on his reputation. Science fiction is my field too, and it deserves better than that.

Again, I hope we can have a beer together someday. It would be a sincere pleasure, and I mean that with no sarcasm. And one last thing -- should you again decide to take potshots at Giancola, Dos Santos, or Eggleton, please bring your A-game next time.

Very best,
John Picacio

Cheryl Morgan & Convention Reporter

2009-07-16T08:10:00.004-05:00

Cheryl Morgan has unveiled her latest creation -- Convention Reporter. Ever spent big chunks of time trolling the internet searching for threads and reports about an sf/fantasy convention that's currently happening? Well, this website is the answer to your prayers (and just in time for the upcoming World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal). First, a quick word about Cheryl -- she's one of the nominees this year for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer, and it's not just because she generates some of the best fan reporting and discussion found anywhere. It's just as much for her commitment and vision, creating sites like Convention Reporter and the well-regarded Science Fiction Awards Watch. For my money, she's one of the essential voices of today's sf community, and when she talks, smart people listen.

Have a look at some of the folks that will be joining me as "con reporters" in this new effort -- Lou Anders, Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Cory Doctorow, and more. Decent company, I'd say.

So how does this work? Cheryl explains: "This is what you might call a 'mashup'. That is, it is an online service that works by collating information from a variety of other online services and presenting it in an single, simple interface.

Science fiction conventions are very well reported on these days. Convention attendees write reports on their blogs, and on web sites such as LiveJournal and Facebook. They upload photos. They may even tweet live from the convention. Modern smart phone hardware is starting to allow direct creation and uploading of YouTube video. The potential is endless.

But how do you find these reports? Hashtags are one solution; this is another. Very simply, we ask people who are planning to cover a convention to register with us, and we make all of their reports easily accessible in one place."

Should be a lot of fun being a part of this effort in Montreal, and beyond. :) Thanks, Cheryl!

THE TERROR Final Art

2009-07-13T10:31:00.002-05:00

Been busy, busy over here. Just noticed that this weekend, Subterranean Press unveiled the final cover for their limited edition of Dan Simmons' THE TERROR. I did the cover art for this one and Subterranean is now accepting preorders for the book. The previous two covers I've done for Subterranean Press were also for Dan Simmons limited editions (MUSE OF FIRE and DROOD). Both of those books have completely sold out. I would expect that THE TERROR will likely do the same, so you might consider ordering yours soon before they're gone. :)

Locus Awards Results + Odds & Ends

2009-07-09T11:45:00.005-05:00

Can't believe it's already been a week since I last posted here! Some odds and ends that I haven't had time to post, until now:

1. The full Locus Awards results have been published in the print edition of this month's LOCUS MAGAZINE. I'm pleased to see that I finished #3 in the poll. Many thanks to all who considered me on their ballots. As most folks know, Michael Whelan finished #1, and Bob Eggleton finished #2. It's a heckuva list and I'm honored to be included.

2. Enjoyed this short Lev Grossman TIME MAGAZINE/Nerd World Q&A with the great Michael Moorcock. In it, Lev pimps Tachyon's terrific new book THE BEST OF MICHAEL MOORCOCK.

3. Jeff Vandermeer recently posted about Mark Chadbourn and the AGE OF MISRULE trilogy over at Omnivoracious. Solid piece -- check it out. :)

4. Been working on several illustration fronts here -- mostly drawings for the 6th Del Rey ELRIC book! Will hopefully be sharing some of it here when the publisher gives the greenlight. :)

5. If you happen to be on Twitter, or are considering it, I seem to be dropping by there at least once a day to offer a thought or comment. Here's my Twitter feed if you'd like to follow it. (And by the way, no plan to abandon this blog! In fact, Paul Vaughn is currently working on revamping it and my website with a brand-new look! Stay tuned.) :)

WAR AND SPACE next month!

2009-07-02T10:39:00.002-05:00

Editor Steven Silver sent me this the other day -- the final jacket layout for NESFA Press' forthcoming WAR AND SPACE: THE BEST OF LESTER DEL REY, VOL. 1. NESFA's website says the book is slated for release next month, so I'm guessing that means they'll have copies available at the World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal. Can't wait to see how it turns out....should be a winner. :) Cover illustration by me, and jacket design by Alice N.S. Lewis. Alice is also the designer responsible for the cool Boskone poster that's been distributed recently. Way to go, Alice!

Boskone 47 Mini Poster

2009-06-29T16:46:00.003-05:00

Man, the NESFAns are like clockwork with their newsletters. The latest one includes this cool little full-color flyer pimping next year's Boskone 47 in February. They used my cover illustration for George Zebrowski's MACROLIFE and I couldn't help but smile when I saw it. Whomever is responsible for designing this flyer -- great job! :) I dig it and I'll hang up mine here in my studio. You can download your very own right here.

ALWAYS FOREVER is here!

2009-06-25T13:54:00.005-05:00

Crazy good news for Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 3 -- ALWAYS FOREVER! The book has sold out its first printing before it even hits the stores! Here's what that means -- bookstores liked what they saw from the first two books in the trilogy and they have confidence this third book is a solid bet to sell equally well, if not better. So they upped their orders and effectively bought up the entire first printing. What that means to you is this: if you want a first-edition copy of ALWAYS FOREVER, they should be at your local bookstore right now and it's best to buy soon because the distributors don't have any more in their warehouses. :)

My comp copies of Mark Chadbourn's ALWAYS FOREVER arrived the other day and the printing turned out great! I illustrated the cover for this one, as well as the previous two books in the series, WORLD'S END and DARKEST HOUR. It's fun to see the three books lined up, side by side.

Meantime, I'll soon be back to working on the covers for the next books in this story arc. Congrats to Mark and to Pyr!

2009 Chesley Award Noms!

2009-06-18T08:40:00.005-05:00

Received fabulous news late yesterday! I'm nominated for four 2009 Chesley Awards. Wow!! Here's the complete list of nominees. And boy, what a list it is -- there will be some heavyweight decisions in several categories. Here are my four nominated works:

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Hardcover
VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL: SELECTED STORIES
Author: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Publisher: Tor

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Paperback
FAST FORWARD 2
Edited by: Lou Anders
Publisher: Pyr

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Magazine
ASIMOV'S
September 2008

(Above)
Best Interior Illustration
ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS
Author: Michael Moorcock
Publisher: Del Rey
(This selection is one of 20+ interior illustrations I did for the book, but I'd have to say this is my personal favorite. Here's an extensive gallery of some my other interiors from the book.)

And finally, shoutouts to Lou Anders -- a 2009 Hugo Award nominee for Best Editor, and a 2009 Chesley Award nominee for Best Art Director (a very rare feat) -- and also fellow Texan Vincent Villafranca for his well-earned 3D nomination. Congrats to all fellow nominees. I'm proud and honored to be amongst you!

My Interview with China's FANTASY ART

2009-06-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, you saw the May 2009 cover of China's FANTASY ART Magazine. This morning, I received a PDF of my interview pages inside the mag. Above are four of the feature's eight pages. FANTASY ART says it'll be about three months before I see a physical copy of the mag. That's a mighty slow boat, but I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Too bad I can't read Chinese, but the spreads are so beautifully done that they're still a pleasure. Huge thanks to Lizzy Carft and all at FANTASY ART for making this possible. :)

Wow! On the cover of FANTASY ART in China!

2009-06-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

My illustration for Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS is featured on the May 2009 cover of China's FANTASY ART Magazine, the country's leading pro magazine celebrating fantasy art and design. Earlier this year, Lizzy Carft conducted an interview with me, which is reportedly inside this issue. I say "reportedly" because I've yet to see the actual magazine itself. I'm sure the good people of FANTASY ART will be sending a few to me and I can't wait to see how it looks. When they do, I'll likely need the mighty Xin to translate the read. :) Very cool!

The Little Antho That Could

2009-06-16T09:59:00.003-05:00

Seems like FAST FORWARD 2 is the critical darling that just won't die, well over a year after initial release! :) Here's two more extensive reviews courtesy of SFSite (reviewed by Derek Johnson) and Fantasy Book Critic (reviewed by Fabio Fernandes). Happy to see this, as it's always been tough for anthologies to survive, even at the best of times. I've said this before, but I'm extremely proud to have illustrated this cover because books this good don't grow on trees, to say the least. If you love great sf, and wish to see anthos like FF2 continue, please consider buying one, if you haven't already. Your purchase doesn't affect me one way or the other. I certainly don't make any money from the sale, but literature is best when it's diverse. The sf field needs books like FF2 just as it needs its ubiquitous best-sellers.

What If? Jeff Ford & John Picacio Book?

2009-06-14T07:55:00.004-05:00

No secret that Jeff Ford is one of my favorite authors. I've done covers for several of his books, including the wraparound cover art for THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM (pictured above). For years, we've talked about collaborating on a lush, illustrated book of his much-loved, Fountain Award-winning story "The Annals of Eelin-Ok". I'd love to illustrate this story, but so far, it's proved impossible to shoehorn a major project like that, on-spec, into my busy cover art schedule.

Well -- check this out: Jeff's story centers around the mythology of the Twilmish, a race of fairies who live in sand castles. Later this month, there will be a festival celebrating the Twilmish in Fairfield, CT. Big deal, right? Well, to the best of Jeff's knowledge, he made this mythology up, completely out of his imagination, and was shocked when he found that he was being invited to a celebration like this. The festival organizers believed his story so whole-heartedly that they were sure he was referencing an existing Celtic mythology. And they've now built a festival around it! Awesome!

So, back to this dream book -- he's a World-Fantasy Award-winning writer who's busy, busy writing, and I'm a World Fantasy Award-winning illustrator who's busy, busy illustrating. We both want to illustrate a beautiful hardcover edition of his story "The Annals of Eelin-Ok." Currently, there's no publisher for this book.

If an entire festival can be inspired from this simple short story, then how successful would an illustrated book be?

Moorcock Q&A at Mallozzi's

2009-06-14T07:28:00.003-05:00

Over at Joseph Mallozzi's blog last week, Michael Moorcock answered an extensive battery of questions from Joe's fans, mostly about Elric and ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS). It's fabulous stuff. Joe's blog is terrific because he's so well-read and makes every effort to help others be the same. He's the executive producer of the STARGATE: ATLANTIS series as well as the forthcoming STARGATE UNIVERSE series, and he's a mensch.

Picacio Wallpaper at Tor.com!

2009-06-10T06:45:00.006-05:00

Free stuff, folks -- courtesy of the good people at Tor.com. They've just posted my artwork for George Alec Effinger's A THOUSAND DEATHS as a wallpaper -- part of their week-long celebration of the Hugo Professional Artist nominees. Go grab it while it's there. Available in several formats for your convenience. And if you haven't voted in the Hugos, what are you waiting for? :) Worldcon supporting memberships are only $50 and not only give you the right to vote in the Hugos, but you receive the Hugo Voter Packet, a ton of free Hugo-nominated reading and art. Memberships available here, and here's the Hugo online ballot. Voting deadline is July 3rd.

'SALEM'S LOT

2009-06-08T07:18:00.007-05:00

Here's my new illustration for Stephen King's 'SALEM'S LOT. It'll be featured in the forthcoming massive art book KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED BY STEPHEN KING. 'SALEM'S LOT is one of the seminal vampire novels of the modern era, and a book this famous comes "pre-loaded" in the audience's imagination with a lot of vampire visual tropes. I wanted to avoid those because we've seen them enough. It seems to me the book is much more than just a vampire novel. So no fangs or blood spatters here. Instead, my picture is simply about a house and a small, mundane town.

As for the book itself, it's gonna be an amazing volume. Contributing artists include Michael Whelan, Bob Eggleton, Bernie Wrightson, Don Maitz, Les Edwards, Drew Struzan, David Ho, Douglas Smith, and a ton of others. Essentially, this will contain the vast majority of King book cover art ever produced, as well as new works created especially for this edition. Centipede Press is the publisher, and if you remember the jaw-dropping LOVECRAFT art book they released last year, then you know the production values are gonna be gorgeous for this book. They're taking pre-orders right now. It's a limited edition, so definitely check it out! :)

Three

2009-06-06T07:26:00.003-05:00

Whoa. Just realized my blog is three years old today! Launched 6/6/06. Where did the time go?

The Art of Michael Moorcock's ELRIC

2009-06-05T10:04:00.009-05:00

(Top left: Art by Michael Whelan / Top right: Art by P. Craig Russell / Bottom left: Art by Kent Williams / Bottom right: Art by Walt Simonson)

Sounds cool, doesn't it? Is this a lush, hardcover art book that you're missing? No, it's not missing. It doesn't exist. As far as I know, no publisher has seriously approached Mike Moorcock about it. But wouldn't it be an amazing art book if it did? Think about the greats that have illustrated Elric over the years.... Michael Whelan, Yoshitaka Amano, Brom, Walt Simonson, P. Craig Russell, and Robert Gould, just to name a few of the legions of artists in Elric art history. And speaking of legions, think about the armies of Moorcock fans worldwide. What Moorcock fan wouldn't covet a book like this? Heck, what fantasy art fan wouldn't? Sounds to me like a smash hit waiting to happen. :)

Dave Nalle Talks Valdemar & AGE OF MISRULE!

2009-06-03T01:38:00.006-05:00

The cover of AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK ONE -- WORLD'S END recently received love from no less than font god Dave Nalle, owner of one of the coolest font sites anywhere, The Scriptorium. He designed the font Valdemar which is used in the cover's type design. He gave a shoutout to designer Nicole Sommer-Lecht, and offered the following:

"The overall result is excellent, and it’s just the kind of book Valdemar was designed for. I also quite like the cover art by John Picacio, which is surprisingly conceptually reminiscent of the cover Howard David Johnson did for my Ysgarth RPG. Special kudos also go to Lou Anders of Pyr for putting such a good design team together."

I've never heard of Howard David Johnson or seen the Ysgarth RPG, but thought that was strange and amazing. Dave's full text even offers an impromptu review of the book to boot! After seeing this, I emailed him and asked if we could do a mini-interview. He graciously accepted.

What inspired the creation of the Valdemar font?

Dave: I was actually on vacation with my family in England when I started working on it in 2000. There was a hand-lettered title on the cover of a horror-themed puzzle book which I bought for my daughter and after looking at it for several days I gave in to a compulsion to design a font which would be a better title font for a book like that. Because my computer access was limited while traveling I drew the characters by hand, starting with a set of rough-looking serif characters and then adding somewhat ominous, magical elements to create alternate versions of each character. The font ended up being very successful and was picked as the signature font for the Harry Potter merchandising campaign so it appeared all over the place on packaging for action figures and toys. The result was that it became overexposed, so a few years later I designed Valdemar Alternate so that there would be more variant characters, giving designers more options and giving the font a longer shelf-life.

What are some of the decisions you face when designing a font like this? Any surprises in the making of this one?

Dave: The challenge on Valdemar was coming up with elements to add to the basic characters which looked mystical and yet were visually appealing. Most of them worked, but I really hate the "L" in the Valdemar Alternate character set with the short, rather weak looking spike going through it. But the biggest challenge was to come up with enough little quirks for 26 and ultimately 52 characters while not duplicating ideas I'd used in a couple of past conceptually similar fonts like Necromantic and Ironworks. The main surprise is how popular Valdemar has been. There are other fonts I've put enormously more work and thought into which haven't been anywhere near as popular. When I made it I was just kind of playing around, but clearly the idea resonated with people.

You've designed some amazing fonts. At this moment, what are three of your all-time faves you've designed?

Dave: I like Hadrianus because although it's derived from Roman inscriptory lettering, it's still basically an original design and it's the first traditional text font I did which works really well. Earlier text fonts I designed were either too derivative of other fonts or awkward looking, but Hadrianus works. I rather like Newgrange because I took the basic elements of Celtic calligraphy and took them to an interesting extreme and I think the result is very effective. Another favorite is Orpheus, because like a lot of my fonts it came from looking at someone else's work -- in this case the overly popular Morpheus font -- and deciding that I could do the same concept and make it better. With Orpheus it really worked. Now we just need the world to realize that they should be using it.

Much appreciated, Dave! Thanks for the time. Long live Scriptorium!

Twitter's Working. For Now.

2009-06-03T01:34:00.003-05:00

Looks like I have a face at Twitter now. Been tweeting a bit in the last 12 hours or so, and seems to be running smoothly. Let's hope it stays that way. :)

Twitter = Big Fail

2009-06-02T06:44:00.002-05:00

So far at least. After much ballyhooing from friends, I joined Twitter yesterday. Bad move. For months I've heard "Twitter will change your life" and "humankind will never again be able to function without Twitter" (although I seemed to be just fine without it). So I join, and find that the system has such massive dysfunction that it can't even upload a tiny avatar picture properly. And apparently, Twitter's been having this ongoing problem for at least three consecutive months, and still can't get a grip. I'd normally blame myself and assume user error, but when I click the empty avatar box that has a question mark in it, I see my photo so I know it's in the system. It's Twitter's problem, not mine.

To add to the fun, I'm getting emails from friends saying that they know I'm on Twitter, but can't find me. And on top of that, after the initial photo upload failed and I couldn't get back into my page, I redid my password and created a new one, just to be sure. So now my account oscillates between recognizing and not recognizing two different passwords. Yeah -- Twitter sux in a big way.

If anyone knows an avatar fix, gimme a holler.

Don't Get Me Started

2009-06-01T09:09:00.005-05:00

(left, art by Alphonse Mucha, 1905)

I'll get to Mucha in a moment, but I'd like to say that David Apatoff's Illustration Art blog has been one of my faves the last couple of years. I don't always agree with everything he says, but I respect his views, which are genuine and well-said. His most recent post is about Peter Max. Although I'm not a fan of Max's pop art work, David eloquently makes a point near and dear to my heart about illustration vs. fine art. With apologies to David for the copy/paste, here's what he said:

"Artists and critics always chafe at the restrictions imposed by patrons or censors who interfere with the artist's original concept. In fact, it seems that illustration is held in lower regard than "fine" art mainly because the illustrator's vision is subject to the whim of some client or art director. There is some truth to that criticism, but Peter Max demonstrates how the lack of restrictions can be just as hazardous to the quality of art.

In my view, Peter Max, along with Andy Warhol and Leroy Neiman, are good examples of artists whose work was spoiled and made rotten by excessive freedom. Today's fine art scene offers far more examples of artists whose self-indulgent, decadent work has little relevance or value outside their own cloistered circle. When the world provides resistance to an artist (whether in the form of a tough deadline, or a client's demands, or poverty, or totalitarian censorship) it can have a beneficial effect on the art. As the old proverb says, 'the wind in a man's face makes him wise.'

Artistic freedom can help or hurt art. But if great art can be produced in a prison cell or a concentration camp, it's silly for the fine art community to suggest that it can't also be produced within the constraints of a commercial art studio."

May I offer a "hell yes"? Way to go, David. I couldn't agree more--which brings me back to Alphonse Mucha. The art pictured above is Mucha's response for a 1905 Moet & Chandon champagne advertisement. It's commercial art all the way, but is it any less a piece of imagination, craft, design, and inspired execution at its finest because it was created for an advertisement? And where does it say that a curator or pseudo-intellectual has to validate something that beautiful for it to be considered art for the ages?

Several years ago, I had a heated exchange with a reknowned local 'fine artist' who specialized in ill-conceived installation sculptures. He was staring at a piece of illustration in a gallery and asked my opinion. I gave it to him, and he responded, "The trouble with illustration is that it can never be art in the highest sense because it always answers to someone. True fine art doesn't answer to anyone and therefore will always be a higher calling."

Those were fighting words.

After I reminded him of the numerous city council and political hoops he had to hop through for approvals, and the gallery collectors whose dollars he relentlessly chased, I offered the following gentle morsel: "Just because you masturbate on a wall and fool yourself into believing it's got value doesn't mean you're an artist." Maybe not one of my finer moments, but I'm still proud of that one. I still believe the very best commercial illustrations of a superior talent like Alphonse Mucha doesn't need a curator or nostalgia to validate it.

In the end, let me say as a proud, working professional illustrator, that it's not just the interaction with terrific art directors, or the answering to deadlines, or to problem-solving, or to strife, that can perhaps shape a piece of commercial illustration into something potentially special. ALL of those things are potentially huge, positive factors, but it's always about an artist's singular, skillful human response to a moment and to a context. That response must not only solve a problem and serve a client, but it must be strong enough to withstand the repeated scrutiny of that client's corporate masters and the timeless, infinite scrutiny of a potentially worldwide audience. And if in fact, that artist's response can pass these tests and not only maintain its pure expression, but in fact, be emboldened by these challenges and embrace those challenges to transform into something transcendent.....then which art is really 'the higher calling'?

DARKEST HOUR is upon us!

2009-05-29T07:38:00.003-05:00

The good folks at Pyr sent me gorgeous new copies of Mark Chadbourn's fantastic AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 2 -- DARKEST HOUR. Received them yesterday, and the books printed great. I'm proud to be illustrating the covers for this series and Book 3 should be coming soon, from what I understand. Go, Pyr, go! :)

AWAY FROM HERE

2009-05-27T07:24:00.006-05:00

Unveiled -- here's my cover illustration for this September's issue of ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION. It's based on the issue's lead story, Lisa Goldstein's "Away From Here." She was recently a Nebula Award finalist, and her new story is terrific. It's about hotels, wanderlust, and passing strangers.

A quirk in the story (no spoilers) inspired not only the subject, but also my compositional solution. A bit of art history: Coles Phillips was a popular American illustrator of the 1910's and 20's. His work was all the rage in advertising. He's famous for his "Fadeaway Lady" illustrations (see left) where he juxtaposed foreground and background elements of the same color. The results caused readers to look twice and complete the pictures with their imaginations.

It was fun to see how much I could subtract from an image and still have it "read." Thanks to art director Victoria Green for the encouragement, and to La Julia and Traci for helping me find magic where others might only find the mundane.

Chesley Awards Deadline Approaches

2009-05-26T07:54:00.005-05:00

Wow -- the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists have posted a terrific gallery of 2008 sf/f art. They posted it for ASFA members to vote upon for the 2009 Chesley Awards nominating process. It’s merely a suggestions gallery and NOT the Chesley Awards final nominees’ list. Deadline for ASFA members to submit nominating ballots is Friday, May 30th. The final nominees will be announced by ASFA later this summer.

Good news for Yours Truly — four of my own works are included in the suggestions galleries. Again, these are NOT Chesley Award nominees, but merely images that ASFA selected for possible nomination consideration:

Best Cover Illustration / Paperback:
John Picacio -- FAST FORWARD 2
Edited by Lou Anders
Pyr, October 2008

Best Cover Illustration / Hardcover:
John Picacio -- VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL (pictured here)
By L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Tor, 03/2008

Best Cover Illustration / Magazine:
John Picacio -- ASIMOV'S September 2008

Interior Illustration:
John Picacio -- Elric: The Stealer of Souls
By Michael Moorcock
Del Rey, 2008

Check out the entire Chesley Awards Suggestions Gallery! And if you want to become an ASFA member, here's how.

MISSIONS UNKNOWN!

2009-05-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

San Antonio -- we have liftoff. Horror/dark fantasy writer Sanford Allen, tech guru Paul “The Mac Guy” Vaughn, and Yours Truly have banded together and formed MISSIONS UNKNOWN! -- a team blog celebrating science fiction, fantasy, and horror in San Antonio. The blog’s main mission is to celebrate SA-based creators and fans of sf/f/h and everything related to the literature and art of sf/f/h. That includes books, authors, artists, comics, prose, and the making and enjoyment of all of them.

I'm stoked about this. This is the kind of thing I've wanted San Antonio to have, for a very long time. If you live in SA -- and love science fiction, fantasy, or horror -- please visit daily, comment and make your voice heard. MISSIONS UNKNOWN! belongs to you.

Kubrick In My Head

2009-05-24T15:42:00.004-05:00

The other night, I was watching the DVD special features for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. I've seen the film more times than I can count, but never these special features. One of them closed with the following words by Kubrick:

"The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death – however mutable man may be able to make them – our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light."

I've certainly heard the same phrased differently, but never that eloquently. Definitely inspiring. Words to create by, and live by, I'd say....

Hugo Awards: Voting Now Open

2009-05-19T14:31:00.002-05:00

The 2009 Hugo Awards Online Ballot is now available. The deadline for voting is midnight (2359hrs.) Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) July 3, 2009. In order to vote, you must be a supporting or attending member of Anticipation (otherwise known as this year's World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal). They're available here. Supporting memberships are relatively inexpensive $50USD/$55CAN, and they're a downright steal when you consider that your membership grants you access to a Hugo Voter Packet containing the vast majority of this year's nominated novels, stories, and art.

In the Best Professional Artist category, I'm proud to be nominated along with Dan Dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, Donato Giancola, and Shaun Tan. Voters for the Pro Artist Hugo are asked to consider published works by the nominees from the year 2008. For voters' convenience, here's a visual list of my published art from 2008. In fact, if you're really pinched for time, you can just glance to the right and scroll through all of my '08 work in the sidebar. ;)

It's a helluva Hugo ballot in all categories, and I'm honored to be on it!

Coming Soon: Joe Mallozzi Talks ELRIC!

2009-05-15T09:44:00.002-05:00

Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS will be the June Book of the Month Club selection at Joseph Mallozzi's super-fun blog. He was the co-executive producer of STARGATE ATLANTIS and is the Consulting Producer of the forthcoming STARGATE UNIVERSE. Joe's invited Mike himself to answer reader questions. I'll definitely be checking that out! :)

ARE YOU THERE AND OTHER STORIES

2009-05-12T09:38:00.004-05:00

Unveiled: here's my front cover illustration for Jack Skillingstead's collection ARE YOU THERE AND OTHER STORIES, an October hardcover release from Golden Gryphon Press. I'd like to say a few words about Skillingstead and this book, especially for those who have never heard of him. At the end of the year, all of the hip sf critics and pundits will rack up their "Top 10 Books of 2009." I suspect ARE YOU THERE will be on some of their lists, or at the very least, the ones who spot great writers when they first encounter them. Why? Well, this is Skillingstead's debut book, which makes it doubly amazing that this collection of stories is so potent, emotional, and provocative. It blew me away. This is a book for sf readers who savor great questions as much as (if not more than) firm answers. I'm really proud to be the cover illustrator for this one.

A couple of process notes about the art: this illustration was directly inspired by Jack's stories, but it's not a literal translation of any of them. Although it's a very simple graphic solution, it took me a while to gather the courage to go this way. If you click on Amazon (for a limited time until it gets replaced with the final cover), you'll see my aborted original solution where a man is literally trying to hug a phantom, which was inspired by the stories, but perhaps was just as much me trying to capture a collection that isn't easily pegged. It's an interesting idea, and a work-in-progress (it even includes something I borrowed from a previous cover as a stand-in design element for the time being), but I thought that original picture was failing to communicate. It was a gut feeling, and I couldn't shake it. So I ditched it.

Huge credit must be given to Gary Turner, publisher of GGP, and Jack himself for allowing me to veto the picture. They had already approved the cover art, and the distributor had approved it as well for catalog purposes, but after much soul-searching, I just felt it was lacking. It's highly unusual to start over at this stage, but because the client had the catalog image as a safety net, I started over and revisited a different idea from my initial sketches. Originally, I'd abandoned this idea because I couldn't think of a way to turn it into a wraparound composition, which is a prerequisite of all GGP cover art. It could be an amazing front cover image though, and most importantly, it was utterly resonant with the tone of Jack's book. So I went for broke and did it. All the while, I wasn't sure if the piece was too simple and too spare, but stayed the course. And this is how the full wraparound composition turned out:

I printed up a scale mockup of how the art might wrap around a GGP book, and looked at the abstract cloud forms on the back cover (left half of the picture below). The full wraparound makes me a bit twitchy because the left half is so spare, compared to past work. However, seeing my little mockup was a great reminder of design context and that the back cover art works beautifully when the art finds its destination wrapping around a book. And that's what matters, in this case.

GGP gives its authors more cover art input than normally afforded by most publishers. So when Jack said that I "nailed" the art and that he couldn't stop staring at it, it was all worth it. Thanks again to both he and Gary, for keeping the faith. Thanks to Matt Fulcher and Sanford Allen for being partners-in-crime as I figured this out. I love this book and can't wait for it to be published.

VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL: Now a TPB!

2009-05-11T19:16:00.003-05:00

Saw my cover art face-out for L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s excellent collection VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL (Tor) the other day at Borders/Alamo Quarry. What caught my eye is that this is a trade paperback edition of a book that originally released in hardcover last spring. I didn't know a tpb edition of this book existed until now. Hooray, Tor! Congrats, Lee. :)