The Shaman

He emerged from the darkness and immediately the horde grew silent. None would question the authority of the tribal Shaman. If the tattoo'd one chose to go to war, they would follow. It was what they all wanted but only the spiritual leader had the power to invoke the ancient spirits and cast favor on the warriors in battle.
 This is for a current art challenge. You can find out the details of the challenge here
http://theartorder.com/2012/03/28/dragons-eye-view-and-an-art-test/
 Update 5/5
Someone pointed out to me that the antler over the right shoulder seems superfluous and out of place.  I tend to agree. Thanks Andy! Here it is without.

Norsemen vs the Dreaded Zombie Virus

The norsemen spent weeks raiding up and down the coast. This stretch of shore looked like a good place for another incursion. Many of the warriors from the north went ashore to collect tribute and strike fear into the locals. The few that remained behind became anxious when the war party did not return by the next day. Dusk was approaching when they heard the first sounds of  shuffling and the low clink of rusted mail. From over the dunes the horde descended like a nightmarish swarm of bees. No matter how many cuts or thrusts to vital areas, the undead kept coming.
 The next day the beach was littered with the corpses of the norsemen. They began to stir. One by one they dragged there broken bodies inland the join the horde.

 Inspiration can come from the strangest places. This piece was inspired by of all things a fantasy football league.. Yes thats right. This past year's league superbowl came down to a clash of teams called  'The Norsemen' and 'The Dreaded Zombie Virus'. When I read that matchup I immediately thought " hmm, that would make an interesting painting"
oil on masonite w. digital, 24" x 36". In progress

Sketchbook Saturday

Here are a few pages from recent sketchbooks. There's no better way to loosen up and explore potential subjects and compositions than to pick up a pencil and start doodling.You never know where a few scribbles might lead. A few of these have already led to paintings for future posts.

The Jabberwocky

Here is a quick version of the Jabberwocky which was mentioned in the Lewis Carroll tribute a few posts ago. There have been a few great film jabberwockies. Terry Gilliam's wonderfully disgusting monster from the film of the same name and more recently Tim Burton's dragon-like creature from Alice in Wonderland.

Painting Rescue Mission

 I recently stumbled upon 3 old , unrelated canvases that had been put aside because they seemed to be going nowhere. When hung side by side on the wall there seemed to be something worth pursuing though. After repainting a few areas of each it appeared to have the makings of a decent battle scene between the forces of good and evil. With the great battle of Ragnarok in mind they were pieced together digitally and here is how it turned out.  I consider this a successful rescue mission of three old unfinished works. Here is the first stage of repainting as a triptych.

Creature Double Feature

Still working on the purple people eater from last week, update 3/31.

A purple people eater and alien necromancer in todays creature feature. Sketches and texture done in photoshop, blending with corel painter. These programs work very well together, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. Photoshop has great texture brushes and is great for finishing but Painters blending tools act more like real oil paint in my opinion

St. Patrick's Day

The charms of the Emerald Isle have been written and sung about here in America for generations. We visited Ireland in 1998 and found it to be a place that not only lived up to, but exceeded all expectations.  Much of the trip was spent driving around searching out castles where I would sketch and paint for a little while before finding a nice pub for refreshments. This was a little tower we stumbled upon on a back road on a bright sunny day somewhere in county Tipperary.
Here's wishing everyone a safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day!