The Sea Fairy Kingdom Project 6

Big changes.  The composition was lacking, and after some talk with the commissioners this is being pushed in a slightly different direction with less focus on the sea fairies.  At the moment, I have taken them out of the equation and am focusing on taking the illustration further.  I am really satisfied with the values in this updated version.  The atmospheric perspective is much stronger and so is the focal point, which I'm planning it to be the kingdom, but still have some different ideas to feel out first.  After I push the value comp closer to the final result then it's on to coloring the illustration.  I will come back in with the fairy work later, but at this point it's more important to make progress with the illustration than to worry on small details.  Once the over all illustration is about complete I will then work on the fairies individually in large scale and import them in the illustration in high detail.

Denver Comic Con 2012

A color and black and white promo design I worked on for the Denver Comic Con.  This will be the first year that Denver will have an official Denver Comic Con.  It's going to be a huge event.  This design is going to be voted on whether to be officially used for the cons promotion and printed on a large scale.  It'll be pretty good for me if this passes :)

BTW, if you're in Denver during June 15th-17th, you should attend Denver's first Comic Con.  Yes, Denver has Starfest, NDK, and other cons; but, this will be the big cheese of cons for Denver as this will be at the Colorado Convention Center.  I encourage all anime, manga, comic, movie, tv, table top, and any other fans to come check this out.  This is more or less a pop cultural event for all tastes.  For more information and updates, check out their website at denvercomiccon.com.

Musana Children's Home

 Musana Children's Home

 

I had been thinking for the past couple years that I wanted to get involved with an organization to help those in need and to help impact peoples lives in a positive way.  I had heard of Musana from Flatiron's Community Church which I have been attending lately here in Colorado, and a few collage students from there had started an orphanage and dedicated their lives to helping the kids there.  Their story is quite amazing, and I would recommend anyone to please give the Musana Children's Home's website (http://musana.org/) a look over and donate if you feel inclined.  I'm not in a position to help much, but I did help them purchase some chickens which I think is a good small start for me.^^

I do look forward to opportunities in the future to help fund raise and partner with organizations like Musana.  If there are other artists out there, looking for fellow artists to collaborate on such projects to help those in need I am open to help.

The Story

Andrea Pauline, Sally Carlson, and Leah Pauline, three University of Colorado students, went on a life-changing adventure to Iganga, Uganda where they discovered 162 children living at an orphanage in the worst conditions imaginable. These kids, aged 4-14, were sleeping in three tiny rooms without beds or blankets on a rocky dirt floor. Rats climbed over them as they slept and their bedrooms turned to mud when it rained. Their bodies were covered in rashes, and many suffered from bacterial infections from the unsanitary latrines. During the day, they would fight over a spot in the long line to receive their one meal a day that only teased their empty bellies. The saddest part about these living conditions was the abuse the children went through on a daily basis. They were abused mentally, spiritually, sexually, and physically…by the people that were supposed to be taking care of them, and by community members. The orphanage was located on an ally with no enclosure, making the kids vulnerable to the public.
At night, the street kids would come and taunt the children through the boarded doorways and the girls were frequent victims of rape. Due to desperation, many of the girls would turn to local hotels to sell themselves for money to satisfy their hunger. The boys would resort to stealing from the market in town. Day to day, these kids were hungry, bored, uneducated, unloved, and completely hopeless.

(The image and The Story article are both taken from the Musana Children's Home website)