The Hound of the Baskervilles

Around this time last year, I was approached by The Easton Press to illustrate an edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles. I jumped at the chance. I had always wanted to illustrate a novel with book plate interiors since my days in art school. It was also an opportunity to try something outside of my high-fantasy comfort zone. To be chosen to take on such a literary classic with one of the most famous characters in literature was a tremendous honor for me.

The book is available in deluxe limited edition of 1200 copies, each one signed by yours truly. The edition feature 10 full color book plates, as well as chapter head vignette drawings. It's available here at The Easton Press website. Below is a little sampling of my work featured in this edition.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

oil on board, 16" x 24"

"Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smoldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined with a flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more hellish, be conceived than that dark form and savage face."  

The Curse of the Baskervilles

oils on paper mounted to board, 12" x 18" 

"I assure you there is a reign of terror in the district, and that is a hardy man who will cross the moor at night"

The Man on the Tor

oils on paper mounted to board, 12" x 18" 

"He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place."

Sherlock Holmes-A Concentrated Atmosphere

oil on board, 16" x 24"

"It is a singular thing, but I find a concentrated atmosphere helps concentration of thought."

Waste Not

Waste Not

oil on paper mounted to board, 12" x 16" 

©Wizards of the Coast

Over at Daily MTG, the final image for Waste Not has been revealed. Back in July I was asked to create an image for a magic card where that was created by the fans.
Below are the sketches of the three options, without the digital color I added to them for the voting.

 Waste Not A

pencil on paper, 8.5 x 11"

 Waste Not B

pencil on paper, 8.5 x 11"

 Waste Not C

pencil on paper, 8.5 x 11"

Insatiable Harpy

Insatiable Harpy
oil on paper mounted to board, 12" x 16"
©Wizards of the Coast

Last but not least, Insatiable Harpy rounds out my contribution to the Theros expansion set. I love the flavor text for this one.

Gold coin, battered helmet, broken wrist bone-all have the same value in the eyes of a harpy.

Agent of the Fates

 Agent of the Fates

oil on paper mounted on board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

Another piece for Theros. Probably my personal favorite of the pieces I did for this set. After seeing some great Egyptian ceremonial knives in the Louvre on our trip to Paris last year, the daggers in the sketch looked a bit medieval, so I repainted them when I got back.

 The submitted sketch

Fanatic of Mogis

Fanatic of Mogis

oil on paper mounted to board, 12"x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

Here's another one from Theros. A minotaur acolyte of the deity Mogis. I tried to render some really matted and greasy looking fur. 

 The sketch, done in red pencil

Also, click here to read me blather on in an interview for MassiveFantastic.com.  It's a cool website that celebrates Fantastic art. Thanks to Eric Super Villan for the pub! 

The Voice of Isengard

The Voice of Isengard

oil on panel, 20" x 40"

©Fantasy Flight Games

A covetous Saruman the White and Grima Wormtongue standing in the foothills above the Wizards Vale, looking out towards Rohan. I've been waiting to show this one for a while. The Voice of Isengard was done for box of the latest expansion set of The Lord of the Rings -The Card Game, published by Fantasy Flight Games. 

Where they're standing. The client wanted Fangorn to be seen on the extreme right, and the tower of Orthanc  had to be a bit more prominent so that it would show up on the box, so the geography was condensed a bit.

Digital sketches of my initial idea, which focused more on the view of Rohan. I tried to work in a rainbow somewhere in the image to hint at Saruman's eventual transformation into Saruman of Many Colours. In the final image, it's in the prism on the end of his staff. 

A view from Conor Pass, on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. I find myself constantly recalling the trip my wife and I took there a couple years ago as inspiration for many of the imaginary locales I've been painting since.

"Gift of Immortality" on Ebay

"Gift of Immortality"

12" x 16" oil on paper mounted to board

©Wizards of the Coast

I've had a lot of inquiries for the original painting for this one. So I've decided to put it up on Ebay. Here's the link. Happy bidding!!

New Theros art

oils on paper mounted to mdf, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

Theros, the new greek myth inspired set for Magic:the Gathering will be out later next month, but some of the art is already out. It's a treat to get to show these so far ahead of time, as the NDA's (non disclosure agreements) that go with these types of commissions are torture for artists. The piece above was used for Wizards' presentation on the new set at Comicon back in July. I don't have a title for it yet, but here it is.

Celestial Archon

oils on paper mounted to mdf, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

This one I do have a title for. It's called Celestial Archon, and it depicts a divine warrior on his decent to the mortal world on some errand for the Gods. I enjoyed painting the magical flying bull a great deal, as well as the sun drenched environment. 

Chase

Chase

oil on panel, 28" x 44"

©Matthew Stewart

Last year I was commissioned to create a painting of dragons. The collector had seen my previous paintings, Waterfall Dragons and Dragonforge, and wanted something similar. Unlike most commercial commissions where the needs of the client are pretty specific, this was wide open. The only condition communicated other than the dragons was when the collector stated "I like yellow". 

I could could put my creatures in any situation I want. The story (or lack of story) would be mine to choose. 

I had a number of ideas and inspirations in mind before I started painting.  One that came back to me time and time again as I sketched ideas was a place I had visited a year or so before.  Skellig Michael-a

jagged rock jutting out of the sea island off County Kerry, Ireland, where christian monks hid from marauding vikings in the dark ages. It was one of the places my wife and I visited on our trip to Ireland. It's like no place I had ever seen. So yeah, there's not much of a specific story in this piece. Merely two dragons chancing each other. Whether they be predator and prey, or two friends playing "you're it", that's up for the viewer to decide. For me it's about that wild landscape of jagged lichen covered rocks and swirling water.  

Two shots of the entrance of the island. I took a raft of pictures there. 

The preliminary pencil drawing. I wish I could bring the painting to Illuxcon in a few weeks, but the drawing is the next best thing. 

A couple months ago I had the pleasure of talking Matt Kalamidas, senior art director at Science Fiction Book Club at a lecture at the Society of Illustrators. For artists, Matt's a great art director in that he's very approachable, always a good conversation, and open to seeing one's latest work. Hence, Chase  appears on SFBC's late summer catalog.  You can check out more about it and other great catalog cover images on at the Vorpalizer, the SFBC's blog. 

You Make the Card: Waste Not

At the Daily MTG site, You Make the Card 4 is going on. This is where readers of the Magic's website create a Magic card by voting the various aspects of a Magic card's creation. The finished product will appear in a future set. The game design aspects have been established, and now the creative side of the production is up. I was given the honor of being chosen to create the illustration for this card. I was asked to create three different takes on the the art description below.  Fans will vote for which sketch will carried on into a final painting. Go to the Daily MTG page here to cast your vote. 

Waste Not

Color: Black Spell

Location: A nasty trash heap outside a small settlement

Action: We see a RAG MAN , a hunched and withered humanoid figure who appears to be held together by frayed ropes and worn leather straps. The being is standing triumphantly atop a heap of bones, broken armor, and weapons, and other less identifiable trash. It is holding up a skull in one hand; the other clutches a filthy sack that is bulging with "treasures". The glow of purplish power surrounds the Rag Man and the Skull.

Focus: the glowing figure.

Mood: Creepy, yet eco-friendly.

 Sketch A

 Sketch B

Sketch C

The Benefit Auction for Cyril is open!

The second round of the benefit auction for Cyril Van Der Haegen just opened up on Ebay! It's a great opportunity to grab a great piece or art. Cyril's a talented artist and a great guy who's been battling both a form of Leukemia and a form of bone cancer. You can read about Cyril's condition in more detail here.

My contribution to the auction is the original oil painting done for the Magic card Viridian Emissary. It was done for the Mirrodin Beseiged expansion set. The painting measures 12" x 16".  Check out the Ebay auction here.  

Woodborn Behemoth

Woodborn Behemoth

oil on paper on board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

This is my contribution the the upcoming M14 core set for Magic: The Gathering. Aside from trampling the forest beneath like grass, I needed to give this creature something to do so that it looked alive. So I made it going after a flock of birds with its gigantic maw. The birds are lost when the image is reduced to card size, but you can see it in the image above. 

Ogre Battledriver

 Ogre Battledriver

oil on paper mounted to board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

Here's my art for the promo version of Ogre Battledriver. This delightful guy is providing some positive encouragement for his goblin comrades no doubt.

Armored Wolf-Rider

 Armored Wolf-Rider

oil on paper on board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

This is the third of my Dragon's Maze cards. Armored Wolf-Rider depicts a sentry of the Great Concourse, home to the Selesnya Conclave. I was going for early morning light, as the hustle and bustle of the day begins. 

Viashino Firstblade

Viashino Firstblade

oil on paper on board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

Here's the second of my cards for Dragon's Maze to be revealed. I enjoy anytime I get to indulge myself in the details of armor. I love figuring out how it would fit together on a dynamically posed figure. How it mirrors its surroundings, the rivets, the fluting, the gilded and embossed decorations. This was also the first piece where I got to use my newly acquired gauntlets. 

Render Silent

Render Silent

oil on paper mounted to board, 11" x 14"

©Wizards of the Coast

Here's the first of my card illustrations for Magic's next expansion set, Dragon's Maze. For those not familiar storyline of this set, this character is a servant of the Azorius Senate, which is characterized by its labyrinthine bureaucracy. The triangle shaped electricity surging from his hand is the Azorius seal.

Fish

Fish

red and white pencil on toned paper, 11" x 14

©Matthew Stewart

Alive without breath,

As cold as death;

Never thirsty, ever drinking,

All in mail, never clinking.

J.R.R Tolkien, 

Riddles in the Dark, The Hobbit

The Barrow Wight

The Barrow Wight

red pencil and white chalk on toned paper, 11" x 14"

©Matthew Stewart

"Cold be hand and heart and bone,

and cold be sleep under stone:

never more to wake on stony bed,

never, till the Suns fails and the Moon is dead.

In the black wind the stars shall die,

and still on gold here let them lie,

till the dark lord lifts his hand

over dead sea and withered land."

J.R.R. Tolkien, 

Fog on the Barrow-Downs, The Fellowship of the Ring

Robin Sullins Relief Fund Auction

Angi Sullins of Duirwaigh Gallery has put together an auction benefiting a relief fund for her sister, Robin Sullins. The auction begins today.

Robin's story has made national news. Bitten while breaking up a family dog squabble, her body reacted violently to a common dog bacteria. Almost dying, she's suffered the amputation of her fingers and legs. She's also on dialysis after multiple kidney failures.  You can also learn more about Robin's story here, through  ABC news and Fox news stories, and through her facebook page.

A Knock at the Door

graphite on paper, 221/2 x 34 1/2

Above is my contribution to the Ebay auction. It is now available , along with a lot of great paintings, drawings and prints by such great artists as Kinuko Craft, Alan Lee, John Howe, Micheal Hague, Michael Parkes, Scott Gustafson, Christophe Vacher, Gary Lipponcott, and many others.

Pit Fight

Pit Fight

oil on paper on board, 12" x 16"

©Wizards of the Coast

For this one, the art director wanted to see a a fight between two mismatched opponents. The Gruul barbarian and the Orzhov cleric are complete opposites of each other, and one is on his home turf.  I thought rather than depicting straight action, it would be the moment of fear before the pounding, The crooked Orzhov bureaucrat is going to get his. Kind of like in old school wrestling when Mr. Fuji, his charge disposed of, would get caught alone in the ring with the Hulkster. Maybe the cleric has some salt to throw in the eyes or a "foreign object" hidden in a turnbuckle somewhere.