So, my regular gaming group has decided to give this new game Pathfinder a try. Pathfinder, for those who haven't heard of it, is a reaction to Dungeons& Dragons 4th edition, which is more than a little controversial; it's a pretty substantial departure from 3rd edition, which we'd been playing for around a decade and for the most part enjoying quite a bit. Pathfinder is basically the product of a number of 3rd edition developers saying "fuck this childish, simplistic bullshit new edition. We're going to create our own version of 3rd edition and carry on the tradition." I'm all with them, at least in principle. I got to play 4th edition for seven or eight sessions and ultimately just grew bored and frustrated with it. Pathfinder, on the other hand, looks like a fine movement in the right direction.
So! I had a character I played in that 4th edition game, a wonderful little hunchbacked wizard who called himself "Tremo the Mighty!" he was, in spite of the system, one of my favourite characters I've ever played or created. An utter misanthrope with 3 Charisma (which is mathematically the lowest charisma a character can have) who is vile, abrasive, and an absolute glory hog who just constantly works to tear down everyone and everything around him to his level. I always wanted to take this character to a system that I would actually enjoy and try to play him there.
So! Pathfinder. I've created him as a 9th level Transmuter, and I've discovered that it was possible to give him the ability to create wooden golems. Immediately I knew what I wanted to do: Give him a wood golem which looks like a twisted, ridiculous, scowling and dour caricature of a king (I have it in my head that it's modeled after some particular king Tremo doesn't care for), which of course mindlessly serves Tremo, and which he calls "King Clickety-Clack." Immediately, I also knew I needed to draw this golem. And thus...
"King Clickety-Clack! Dance for Tremo's amusement! Dance like you are doing a jig! Yes! Yes! Frown at me while you dance! Oh, that is right! Tremo forgets! You cannot do other than frown! Haha! You make Tremo laugh!"
I produced this set a week and change ago, with the assistance of my dear friend BJ, and with the capable and inspired photographic skills of Venomous Photography. The model, Stephanie, is a charming girl who I look forwards to working with once again soon. The synthetic dreadlocks were produced and skillfully applied by the talented Melody Pilkey.
Every so often, I'll meet a prospective model for the first time, or else see a photo of them, or in some other manner or means get to the point where there seems to be the possibility that I'll end up working with them on a body painting set. And I'll have this moment of inspiration, where I just immediately say "I know what I want to do with her body." A design will begin to assemble itself in my mind's eye, with contours and shapes beginning to overlay themselves over the curves of the prospective model, with the shape nature and circumstance has provided them merging with that which I imagine looking awesome on them.
I recently had just such an experience, and the result has been a rather exceptional one. So much so that I feel like sharing the design with you folks now.
Ironically, I almost never actually end up getting to paint these onto the models they're created for; for one reason or another, it just doesn't work out, and I get what I call "orphan designs". But sometimes I'll get to paint them onto someone with a compatible shape, and it works out well enough anyways, and I at least have the original lady to thank for having inspired me to have created the original design in the first place and play the part of the muse.
(Incidentally,
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
opium , in case you're wondering, no, this isn't the one inspired by you; that one's still just a few shapes and sketches in my book) 
For this set, I was once again assisted by
prolixapostasy and wronske , as well as my friend BJ (who has a livejournal, but which he never uses and as such isn't really worth linking-to). The photography was handled quite capably by Tony Dathan , and the model was the impressively fit and healthy Monique Constant (who I think does have some sort of online presence, but which I don't have a link to). This set is a bit of a treat for me, in that it's a design I came up with fully six and a half years ago, and never, never thought I was ever actually going to get around to completing; I was prepared to consign it to the far reaches of an old sketchbook when Monique expressed an interest in it and ultimately breathed new life into it. Bully for her!
This is my second set in a row using metallic paints, and I'm really very happy with them. They're produced by a company called Pebeo, which in my lengthy experience makes the best acrylic paint on the market for doing body painting on a budget.
A year and change ago, I was informed by a girl I knew that she had cast a magical spell on me which was preventing me from doing any body painting. Anyone who knows me will be little-surprised to learn that I greeted this news with some hearty skepticism, and indeed went ahead to do a handful of body painting sets later on that year, though I was swiftly reminded of the all-to-real and non-magical reasons why I had ceased to do so a year or so prior: Getting models and photographers together for this type of work is like herding cats, and broken promises by either are about as common as blades of grass on a lawn.
This year, though, I’ve decided upon a solution to this problem which is beginning to shape up as fairly effective, which is a little something I like to call “accuracy by volume”: In essence, I begin to make arrangements with about twenty models and ten different photographers at the same time, and within a month or so, maybe I’ve got a few actual sets goin’ down. Today, I have the first fruits of this labour to present. And while magical spells may not be real, fantasy-mediaeval fiction is a deep well indeed, and one which one can readily draw all sorts of inspiration from, such as this sort of walking-coat-of-arms set here:
For this set, I was capably assisted by wronske and prolixapostasy , with photography provided by Jason J. Romein, and modelling provided by the lovely, talented and startlingly robust Donya Metzger. The sword prop here was provided bytraikunborn , whom I also extend my heartfelt thanks to.
This is the first set I’ve done in many years which involved metallic paints, mainly because previous experiences in which the metallic paints I’ve used have flaked and chipped off far too quickly and easily were deeply frustrating to me, but having discovered the pure joy which is working with paints from a company called Pebeo, those fears have been allayed, and I do believe I’ll be doing a few similarly-gleaming sets in the very near future.
A year and change ago, my friend Ray commissioned me to produce some artwork for me. The payment came not in the form of cash, but rather a ticket to a live performance by Sarah Silverman, which was to my mind as good as cash, in that I had already committed myself to buy said ticket.
The commission was on its face a ridiculous one, but one cannot pick and choose, and besides which, the challenge of drawing something so outlandish was one which appealed to me. He was running a Dungeons & Dragons game - and this was back in the days of 3rd aedition, not this "4th edition" abortion these kids today have the audacity to call "Dungeons & Dragons"... the only people I hate more than those whippersnappers are those fucking 2nd edition fossils who doggedly refuse to stop enjoying their antiquated fossil of a system - and needed an illustration for his ultimate evil monstrous encounter for his epic-level party.
His description, as best I recall it, was "A red half-dragon, half-Mind-Flayer blackguard in full plate armour, wielding a lance and a whip, whose mount is a black half-dragon, half-beholder". To those of you not versed in the arcane secrets of D&D, allow me to translate: "One ridiculous monster thing riding another ridiculous monster thing."
I spent quite some time working on the line art for this one, before Ray sprung it on me that I had about two days to do all of the colours, both of which were days when I would need to sleep and work. I decided I could maybe miss some sleep, and maybe not some work, and embarked upon a cockpunchingly vigorous schedule of colouring in order to get it to him on time.
The result was... not bad. The armour was a little plastic-y looking, and some of the scales on the head were less detailed in their texture than I would have liked, but for the time allowed, this, my final result, was basically okay:
I will say I'm fairly proud of the yellow light coming in from the left, at the very least. I had considered going back in there and taking another pass at some of the light and shadows before posting it, but ultimately decided it was a finished work as it was, and I ought to simply post what I got paid for, for good or for ill.
I call it THE CRIMSON CROWN CONFIGURATION. 
Like the very early Flyclops designs, this one employs a visor array with multiple openings which can be opened independantly. Unlike the original design, which would have an optic blast ineffectually blasting the ground behind his feet, this one has eight small openings atop his head in a crown-like arrangement, from which this design derives its name. These openings point upwards in eight different directions, each of them directed into a large adamantium bowl which is itself affixed to his visor array.
As his optic blasts are directed up into the bowl, the force of his blasts pushes the bowl upwards, and as individual openings are opened and closed individually, he is able to fine-tune his movements forwards, backwards, left, right, and degrees between these. The optic blasts then ricochet off of the inside of the bowl, and here we see one of the primary innovations of the Crimson Crown Configuration; a large ruby-quartz ball suspended from the roof of the bowl, which intercepts all ricocheting optic blasts and thus negates them. In this way, the Crimson Crown negates one of the primary faults of earlier Flyclops designs; no stray optic blasts spraying all over the place and raining death down upon team-mates and innocent bystanders.
As the bowl is lifted upwards, a sturdy chin-strap and a second strap around the back of his skull prevents the visor array from flying off the top of his head. As such, he is carried upwards into the air along with the bowl, allowing him - as is common to all Flyclops concepts - to fly. In that this design would see his entire body weight supported by his neck, an additional feature is included: adjustable hand-grips on the two grips on either side of his head, allowing him to hold on while in flight and thus support much of his body weight with his arms.
Landings are of course a problem in that he would not be able to look downwards while descending, since he would need to manage his descent with short, controlled bursts in much the same manner as a hot air balloon operator. However, this design presents the significant advantage that if he should wish to accelerate in any direction (other than downwards) quickly, all he needs to do is tilt his head in the direction he wants to go and open all eight points of his crown at once.
On an aesthetic level, this design has the added advantage of not only providing him an imposing and distinctive silhouette, it also resembles a crown closely enough that it makes the bold visual statement that "I am Flyclops. King of all mutants. Bow down before me and pay me your tribute", which is appropriate for such a magnificent individual.
I posted this earlier today on 4Chan. The idea was warmly embraced, and the following art was produced by someone else there in response: 
It pleased me as you can never know.
It's true!
After doing two "hobby" sets (by which I mean sets done in or around my house, without assistants, photographer, sets, etc), I'm getting my legs under me again, and this is my first "professional" set since my return to the field. This one stars a young woman named Britt, who I'm looking forwards to working with again in the near future. Photographic duties were ably and graciously provided-for by my good friend Colin Macdonald. Yes, THAT Colin Macdonald. He is not just the proprietor of Vancouver's number one Satan-themed cafe and bake shop, but is something of an aspiring (and obviously capable) photographer. 
As with so, so many of my designs, this one was originally designed for another model, who - after I prepared it for her - disappeared off the face of the earth, but, undaunted, I re-designed it to fit Britt's curvacious form. I'm rather fond of the result. More below the cut, dear friends. Much more...
Guess what? Less than a month after the last one, I've got another ew body painting set to show! 
This one is modelled by my friend Debbie, who I worked with once before, years ago, and who, prior to her coming over to be painted, I hadn't seen in a year or so. I had been telling her about a design I had come up with for a very slight girl some months earlier (who then flaked on me), and how I hadn't been able to find another model suitable for it. Debbie pointed out that she was very light herself, and voulenteered to model this design for me. Indeed, her assessment of her own frame was if anything an understatement, but this proved no obstacle for me, since - as I have stated before - I'm growing to like working with a good variety of body types more and more.
So, this one was very loosely inspired by the facial tattoos of the Maori , which I have always adored. I wanted to create a design which was symmetrical in a number of places, and in all other places ... well, you can see for yourself. I think the effect is a neat one. Obviously, this design is a bit of a departure for me, in that it leaves a great deal more bare skin than any other set I've done to date, but in the quest to always do something new with each new set I do, such departures ought to be more the norm than the exception.
I don't know what more there is to say, but...
After about a year-and-a-half long hiatus, I'm back at it.
The thing I've discovered about professional models is that most of them - not all, but most - are terribly unprofessional. They tend not to do what they say they're going to do, and tend not to show up to photo shoots. Therefore, my best course is to go with friends and friends of friends. So it is with this model; a charming young woman named Kyndra.
The design here is one which was very loosely inspired by some designs I saw in the excellent Vertigo comic book series 'Lucifer', and one which I had a lot of fun designing; Kyndra has a build which is quite different from many of the waifish models I've worked with in the past; nothing flabby or fat about it, but much more solidly built. Designing a paint job for her which best accentuated her natural beauty was a real treat, in terms of having something interesting and new to work with.
The complete set can be viewed here: http://www.bjorn-comic.com/images/noctou
So, there's a contest going on to redesign Iron Man's costume. The grand prize is a statue of old Mr. Stark, and I guess that would be nice, although I aready have a perfectly nice Iron Man statue sitting on my computer and don't necessarily need another. For me, it was more than anything else a question of the exercise.
As regular visitors to my journal know, I've had a long-time affection for the character, and so I've leapt at the opportunity. This is the first part of my entry - the first of three - and I may or not post the others in time, but this part- this portrait with tthe faceplate of his helmet removed - was just too swank not to share. One of the best faces I've drawn in some time, I think.
This isn't the same design as I drew a couple of months back, obviously. I had briefy thought about revamping that one for the contest, but decided against it; I wanted something new and original for this.
An unfinished bit of artwork here, and one which I've been trying to finish for months now. I just don't seem to have it in me to sit down and get it done. As much as I like the design, I think this one is going into my "unfinished" file and staying there.
Nevertheless, even in its unfinished state, I think it's pretty nice. The concept is a little complex to explain to the layman, and so, rather than go into details, I will give a sort of two-tier approach to explanation :
To people who know and get White Wolf's original World of Darkness setting: It is a Tzimisce in Zulo form which has become a fomori possessed by a bane servitor of Relshab the Faceless Eater.
To people who don't know or care: It is a vampire which is possessed by a demon, which has messed him up pretty good.
You know, it's funny: When I was a kid, I was a big Iron Man fan; so much so in fact that in grade five or six or so, I went out for Hallowe'en dressed up in a painstakingly-created home-made Iron Man costume. Later, though - and not even much later - the X-Men so completely captured my attention that I largely lost interest in the Iron Avenger.
Lately, however, things have changed somewhat. Whereas many Marvel fanboys have grown to loathe the character because of certain ... shall we say, "moral ambiguities" he's demonstrated in the past year or so, to me, they've made the character more interesting than he's been to me since I was turning one of my dad's old motorcycle helmets into the understructure of my own little tribute to the character.
What can I say? I do not require a protagonist to be sympathetic in order to be interesting. Indeed, the oposite is often true. I loves me a good scumbag hero.
Perhaps this is why last night I felt compelled to create my first bit of Iron Man fan-art ever. It's quick and sketchy, but I kind of like it. It's obviously not of any specific armour he's ever worn, but my own home-brewed amalgam of various elements of different armours he's worn, and a few of my own elements tossed in for the fun of it. Re-designing Iron Man armour is half the fun of the character, visually, anyways. 
I doubt I'll colour it more than this. Like I said, it's just a sketchy doodle. Still, I sort of like the design. My only big gripe is that I foolishly left out the repulsor beam emitters on the palms of his hands. What was I thinking?!?
As if on-cue, this ferocious forum debate over the moral ambiguity of the character erupts over here.
Two years ago, you'd behard-pressed to find this vigorous a discussion of Iron Man anywhere. Say what you will about the direction he's taken recently, it's gotten people interested in him again.
The other piece I've been working on which I allude to yesterday. I'm really very proud of this one; it's the culmination of many hours of work, and a design which I put a lot of thought and work into.
Long story short: This is - once again - a villain in my Werewolf: The apocalypse game which I was fond of enough to create an illustration of. She's a vampire (of the Vampire: The Masquerade variety) of the clan Tzimisce. They have the ability - along with a variety of other standard vampiric abilities - to alter the flesh and bones of themselves and others to suit their needs or aesthetic purposes. This woman has obviously spent a good deal of time adjusting herself to her satisfaction. The mask is sort of a uniform element. The band of vampires she leads all wear similar skull-themed masks, mostly because it's damned creepy looking, but also to foster group identity, which is always useful to a leader who wishes to dehumanize their troops and foster out-group hostility.
I doubt I'm going to colour it, because I've moved on to colouring another, newer piece, and I know myself well enough to know that I seldom go back and colour "old" pieces, even if they're only old by dint of there being a single piece which is a day or two younger. Thus, I post what is for all intents and purposes the finished piece here.
Spenjebehb Skwerpeintz!
Spenjebehb Skwerpeintz!
Spenjebehb Skwerpeintz! 
I actually posted this one - briefly - a couple of days ago, but took it down because I felt it needed a little more work. Now, I'm a good deal happier with it.
Third of three Nosferatu vampires I've been doing portraits of for my game. Proabably my least-favourite of the three, really, but still pretty decent. You kow I love the stark lighting, right?
Just finished up this bad boy. You like?
I haven't posted any new artwork of mine in a couple of months, have I? Reckoned that might be about time to change.
I did this last night. It's a portrait of a villain rom my Werewolf game. Every so often, I like to create images of some of the more important r memorable antagonists, and this fellow is likely to be a memorably infuriating one. A vampire, he is. Of the Nosferat clan, for those of you for whom that means anything. I had some fun drawing him; I've tried a number of times to get this lighting effect to work in an image before, but it's never worked to my satisfaction. For whatever reason, I really feel I nailed it this time.
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