I was scrolling through my camera roll when I remembered I’d taken a photo of a portrait I did of my childhood dog in my parents’ house. It’s bittersweet to see where my art was as a late teen/baby 20-something. And of course, I still miss my dog and his hugs.

Man I’ve followed you a while and had somehow no idea you were the artist for the Green Rider covers! It’s so fantastic to find an artist whose work you enjoy has worked on something you love.

I find it amusing that followers from different social media sites know me for different things. My early dA followers probably remember me most for those covers (can't believe it's been so long, over a decade in fact). Plus, it's hard to find covers in a sea of random posts on tumblr!

And thank you! It's been an unexpected but welcome journey, and I look forward to working on all future titles in the series. (Maybe I'm being ridiculous but it kinda feels like I cornered the market on winged horses done up in a crosshatch style...)

For those who prefer to buy from me via my shiny new inprnt storefront, it's now live! (Feel free to take advantage before I adjust pricing eh?)

For those who are adventurous and don't want to wait around, I've listed all Green Rider series cover arts onto my dusty old Society6.

For the rest of you, here's a fun little compilation of all the horse heads over the years.

(The last four illustrations are being done in a smaller format to save my aging hands and time, but I like them as much if not more than the original four.)

For those who are adventurous and don't want to wait around, I've listed all Green Rider series cover arts onto my dusty old Society6.

For the rest of you, here's a fun little compilation of all the horse heads over the years.

(The last four illustrations are being done in a smaller format to save my aging hands and time, but I like them as much if not more than the original four.)

…when time is linear. Feels bad, man.

I may have gotten myself into a pickle with print prospects and deadlines. Society6 seems to have eaten all of my old files in the snafu of the last few years and I will need to write to support to see if they can be recovered. In the meantime, I’m waiting to be accepted at inprnt. The additional worry is if the print quality with s6 has declined in this time. I would hate to have subpar prints floating out into the world.

I don’t know what I expected.

It's nice to have salvaged "Mirrorsight" cover art. By which I mean I re-scanned it after giving the original a much needed facelift.

It's definitely one of my favorites from the series.

I'm up for a long night of sketching (rare) and filled with a sudden abrupt sadness at having lost so much of my old work. But by some MIRACLE, all the old sketches I despise survived.

This is what I get for a) not keeping good backup habits and b) letting all my online galleries lapse.

I need to address the mass of said hated sketches and just do a cathartic burn. My space gets tidied, and I release some blegh feelings. We all win!

Well, I found all my old cover illustration originals. However… some of them faded dramatically while in storage. They were light to begin with (likely due to the tendinitis I was wrestling at the time) and the resulting scan… left a lot to be desired. The meager paper texture has started to compete with the lightest areas. I remember this one being a massive pain in the ass to scan and adjust the first time around.

So since I’m a Luddite, I’m manually darkening key areas. It needed doing anyway. You can see the whole left hand side of the piece is being darkened, while the head and forelegs and far wing are as pasty as I found them.

I guess it’s been good to see how much I have improved over the years at the very least.

Someday there will be prints, I’m still going to make that work out.

Good things: I've been invited to partake in a certain exhibit regarding a certain author since I've had the privilege of illustrating the covers for the UK edition of a certain fantasy series.

Not so good things: I've lost most of the scans for the 8 illustrations (I think I only have 3? 4?) so that means I need to figure out WHERE I stashed the originals. I know I HAVE them, so that's some comfort. But I have so many stashes. And it's been... 10+ years and two moves. On top of that, they may need retouching. Fun times!

A minor "conundrum": I finally need to decide where I would like to offer said illustrations for print. I have a society6, but it is rather dusty these days. That aside, the print quality seems pretty decent (I have not seen with my own actual eyes, but considering I've yet to hear otherwise, I'd say they go over well.) That said, if anyone has opinions/experiences on print on demand storefronts, I'd love to hear them. I'll say in advance I would prefer to not handle printing them myself. If you know, you know.

So yeah: Things! Winged horses abound, and the search for my old art begins. If you are a fan of the old Green Rider series illustrations, watch this space?

I have a lot to do and not enough energy to do it just yet, thanks to holidays and a backlog at work. Have I always been this tired, or have I forgotten? A riddle to solve in this new year. (No idea how i survived the last one aside from being a vertebrate cockroach)

Anyway, I still don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to Linocut, so I need to walk myself through the print process like I am a toddler. At least the plate looks nice at this stage?

Hopefully I can get back to regularly sketching at the very least. It’s been a journey.

Oh no, not me, human often frustrated by the willful whims of mammals, looking warmly at the profiles of mostly bully mix type dogs in local shelters.

Don't worry, I'm not that brand of impulsive. I just love their big smiles and I'd never met one I didn't like.

Alternately, I'm missing my childhood dog (who wasn't a bully type) but like all dogs, he was a certified Good Boy.

Something silly. Very silly. Sketch phase of an art (which will be Linocut, tee hee!) paying tribute to the unofficial mascot of my workplace. Because I can. Her name is Lucy!

Addendum: I want to thank everyone for their kind comments regarding my hiatus/art block. It really means a lot to me, you have no idea!

Wondering why I’m choosing symmetry for a linocut when I know damn well symmetry hates me. (I’m stupid, that’s why! No, it’s because Qiara looks neat from this boring angle.)

Doesn’t matter. It’s okay to fail the mirror test. Besides, it’s been fun. The print will look goofy and that’s how it is. So what.

But hey, it’s technically art that’s got a ‘noph in it. Win.

You know what the worst feeling I've been having lately is? Wanting more than anything to get back into Actual Art again but finding a sudden anxiety that stops me. Even if I'm still as capable as I was, it's the mental block. It's why I've all but kept commissions closed for this whole time: this overwhelming fear of letting people down. Especially in times as troubled as these, where money is tight, and patience is thin. I've always been blessed with such patient and considerate commissioners, but I would hate to test people because of my malfunctioning brat of a brain.

I just wish it came to me as easily as it did before the massive burnout/medication. But it's up to me to come up with my own motivation. And it's ME.

Anyway. Thanks as always for sticking around despite... all of this. I'll get back on the horse soon.

We still have this little critter, and she has successfully healed from her spay.

She rejected her homemade cone of shame (rolled up soccer socks courtesy of J) so we got her a proper baby shirt. It’s shocking we got her into it, and that she tolerated it as well as she did. She may be a shit, but she’s a good kid at heart. Maybe because she’s so stinkin’ cute.

It is probably wishful thinking, but her manners seem to be getting better. She still hasn’t been formally introduced to Zelda, but we can already tell she’s a little bully, so keep your fingers crossed because it would kinda suck to rehome her.

(It’s doubly hilarious because I’m the “no more cats can’t deal argh!” sort and this lil shit just HAD to choose OUR yard as the place to hang out in.)

Mammals are so utterly frustrating!

Another desperate strike at the art block and a tribute of sorts: super rusty linocut to reinitiate me into the world of printmaking. It’s not as attuned to my working style as intaglio was, but this is fun, tactile, and enough of a departure from my way of thinking that is super welcome.

It’s nothing special and definitely technically lacking (over-inked block and such) but it’s something, which is a big deal lately. Also it’s my favorite species of fish and we all know Kuhli loaches deserve all the tributes we can give.

Lost in thoughts, endure a little more word vomit (emotional) if you will.

I received the news that a much beloved instructor of mine from the institute that won't be named passed away recently. I had the honor of taking her intaglio and relief/monotype/woodcut printmaking classes. They were the bright spark in a fog of dread, stress, and overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. They were what I looked forward to every week.

You really don't understand how much an impact someone has had on you until they're gone, sometimes.

I may not have the tools at my disposal to do a proper intaglio piece, but I can still make a book or a linocut, in her honor.

Jody, you left a bright spot in the heart of a jaded cynic who had no real business going to school for art. You were a real one. And everyone who ever met you knew it.