Category: Illo Journal Project

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A Long Overdue Update

Poor ARTSY

It’s been a while since I posted anything on this blog. 😕 There are some major things that have played a part in this. From loosing my job for 15 years. Then loosing my new job to COVID 19 cutbacks. Having to burn through all of my 401K savings to keep my family from going broke through all of the issues around the pandemic. Then getting scammed by a potential art job for a big chunk of those savings. The Apple Pencil gen 1 stopped charging. There’s also the problems with my health taking a big leap forward, especially this last year.

Poor ARTSY is not feeling very well. 🙁❤️‍🩹

Last night this poor flash drive surrendering loosing the digital work I’ve been doing since 2012 along with some photos and other files. After hour of trying to resurrect it I had a glimmer of hope when all the folders suddenly reappeared. I opened the las folder I was working from. Suddenly all the files disappeared. Then the other folders evaporated. The drive was just there with the same sequence flashing but none of the computers I tried to load it n could find it.

Luckily, last night, I sent samples of the last piece I was working on through messenger to my client. The first sample was a full size png file. I can use that to keep going on this project. All the other stuff is gone, possibly.

So, What’s New?

I’ve kept busy illustrating, in pencil sketches, the landscapes and vistas on Terrene. That journal is up to 80 pages of line drawings and shaded sketches. There’s so many places to design! I’m excited to bring everyone there to learn it’s story!

I suppose I will have to move posting the sketches and first looks to Patreon or another subscription site. Funding has pretty much dried up. I may be pulling down the commission tiers from my store, too. There’s not really been any traction there, too. I think I can showcase them better through promoting them through video. Although, I could just do them in the shop with some revamping.

I’ve been, more off than on, studying Blender. Eventually I’ll animate this story with it. I like being able to store a creature of mine that I can put in any situation or position that I can illustrate them later. Plus’s there’s a lot of potential outside of the illustrations and animations.

The original plan was to animate this story without dialog. The reason is that I learned to express myself through drawing before I was fully able to teach myself to read. I really wanted this to be a total visual experience. Then Genndy Tartakovsky came out with Primal a few years later. I’m really working hard not to copy others work. Originally this story wound up with a huge Tolkien element that I had not intended. With all of this I’ve had to regroup a lot to try to keep this as original as I possibly can.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying life however you find it ❣️

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Grotesque Moi! #26: Long Delayed Update

It’s been a while since my last update. There’s been a lot and not really so much happening at the same time….. I’ll explain….

After posting my hopeful and nicely laid out plan for moving forward with my projects my path hit a major speed bump. That was January 2021. In February I had some problems with a fake company that messed me up financially. This caused me to postpone all of my plans. Then early this year (2022) I signed on to do contract work running an art workshop as therapy for people struggling with mental health issues. We were to get certified through this foundation and start immediately after that in April of this year. By July this year we still didn’t get to start our workshop. Every week or so there was a new issue from the foundation that caused new delays. There were multiple false starts. A group of us wound up leaving. There was money involved with this one, too. I’ve heard that of the ones that stayed with the foundation that they have Ben having problems getting paid by the foundation.

I did start learning Blender and I’m building some simple projects with it. It’s been a little hard to stay focused with all the financial pressure constantly being there. My goal, after I’ve gotten some of the basics down in Blender, is to try creating my vision for Grotesque Moi!

I’ve had it in my mind ever since the beginning for Grotesque Moi! To be totally a visual story. I didn’t want it to be developed as a written story. The problem is that I will have to develop it with the majority of it being predominantly written. The silver lining is that it can become many books based on all the stories to be told about each creature character’s race and culture. This means that I’m going to have to re-focus my direction of my website and what I’m doing with these creatures.

On a different note, I’m considering doing some workshops of my own. It would be training sessions for drawing, pen and ink, stationary and wrapping paper making, basic greeting card making and advanced greeting card making. When I get everything straightened out on my website I will set up either a video tutorial or maybe a live training over a platform like Zoom. I’m still working out the fees. Let me know what you think and if you would be interested in taking workshops like this from me.

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Grotesque Moi! #25 – Planning for 2021

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I hope everyone has had a great holiday and a Happy New Year celebration! I’m really hoping that everyone has a successful year in whatever you do!

Plans for Grotesque Moi! are as follows:

  • Illustrations – The goal is to produce 6 to 12 new portraits this year. some may be in the form of scene illustrations combining multiple creatures.
  • Illustration Canvas Print Frames – I plan to continue creating customized frames for each of my illustrations.
  • Red Bubble Catch Up – Setting a deadline for updating each newly finished and released portrait or illustration.
  • Expansion – Develop illustrations on a splinter line that are quicker to create and potentially making a separate set of pricing tiers that fits with these quicker illustrations.
  • Plan for phase II and III of Grotesque Moi! – More on these after the above has been integrated.
  • Grotesque Moi!’s Patreon Page – Add more sketches and line drawings to Grortesque Moi!’s Patreon page..

Plans for Terrene and Ba’anta

Now that Terrene and Ba’anta have been hinted at in the lore of the Grotesque Moi! creatures, it’s time to start the story debuting this world on Patreon!

  • It’s time to share the first posted sketches that was in my early blog posts here to Patreon.
  • All future sketches will debut on Patreon first.
  • Publish the updated labeled geographical map of Ba’anta on Patreon.
  • Create a large (maybe 48”x36”) illustration of the lands of Terrene.

There’s a lot of things planned out here! I will have to create a calendar to keep things on track!

Indicates Grotesque Moi! Exclusives And White Tier Merchandise!
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Grotesque Moi!: Other Projects 1

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I’ve kept this quiet for as long as I can! I’ve begun working on some side projects for Grotesque Moi!. As I get image(s) and info for the new stuff I’m creating. I will post updates as I have something worth posting.

This is a rough sketch for a possible comic I’ll be creating. It will be part of one f the character’s back story.

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Updates #1

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I thought that I would share some updates with you! I’ve been more quite lately and I can finally tell everyone what I’ve been up to. Most importantly for the last few weeks I’ve been designing and hand crafting anniversary cards for my wife and daughter. (Yes! Our daughter has participated in every anniversary since she was born!) photos and videos of the cards to follow in a different post.

Grotesque Moi!

  • Illustration number seven is still in process. I plan to continue it to completion. There are another six illustrations lined up to make the first set of thirteen.
    • I had to rework parts of the background and struggled a bit with the main figure.
    • It’s still on the schedule for completion.
  • Commissions are still open for Fantasy Creature/Monster Portraits!
  • Future Plans:
    • A calendar of the first thirteen creatures is to be designed and offered either in the XT Illos Store or through an on demand print site.
    • Three more waves of thirteen creatures to be created.
    • A new calendar is to be created at the end of each set of thirteen creatures.
    • Eventually there will be four calendar options.
    • Fifty two creatures to be combined in a card set to be offered on a crowd funding site.

XT Illos

  • Grotesque Moi! to continue production.
  • Ba’anta world building development to pick back up.
    • Some of the creatures developed in the Grotesque Moi! project will be representative of the races in Ba’anta.
  • Visual novel with Creative Idiot E to begin development.
  • Patreon promotions to be ramped up.
    • Exclusive content from Grotesque Moi! is already available.
    • Free original content reference videos are already available.
  • Art Markets/Cons Vending results year one.
    • Art markets have had very little flow of people attuned to my style of work and no revenue for my illustrations.
    • Cons have had a good flow of people interested in my work and the revenue was barely better than the art markets.
    • Increase con vending over the next year and try bigger cons.
  • Overall production to slow down.
    • Revenue is currently to low to support projects.
    • Part time schedule to resume to allow hours for non-art work.
    • look for more art revenue options for current XT Illos lines.
  • Test other optional lines.
    • Special occasion cards test market.
    • Offer special occasion cards in XT Illos Store.
    • Grotesque Moi! stickers test.
  • Video Production
    • Twenty minutes or less videos to start production on this site and Patreon.
      • Process Videos
      • DemoVideos
      • Promotional Videos
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Grotesque Moi! Update #19

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To catch everybody up, we’ve been getting things together to start doing indoor and outdoor events. We attended our first artist’s market a couple of weeks ago. This was at Argosy Market:

Today we were able to show some of our work at The Bubble Hut. It’s on display until Friday afternoon! If you’re in the area please stop by and get a refreshing bubble tea, check out our display and maybe order som prints or your very own commission!

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Grotesque Moi!: #17 Update

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I believe it’s time to give this guy the full illustration he deserves! June is the perfect month for him! More to come once I have a good line drawing…….

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Grotesque Moi! #16 Project Update Sal-Broga, Anuran

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Meet Sal-Broga! He is an acolyte of the Anuran race. they are a mix of green frog amphibians and humanoids. They live in close communities and have a strong familial bond in their culture. Anurans value societal structures, knowledge and nature. To show the importance of family and nature they use the symbol of the tadpole in their important buildings and equipment. Its to remind them of their simple start in life.

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Grotesque Moi! #7 Project Update

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Hi, Grotesque Moi! fans! For the second February update here’s a couple of sneak peeks from the next creature illustration commission WIP. It’s coming along well and should be finished soon. What do you think this one might be?

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Sketching An Imp Head On IPad Pro

I guess since I draw and have for most of my life usually with a No.2 pencil (or a 4H most of the time) and scraps of paper, I have to try the drawing tools more. So on this IPad Pro I used the Sketching tool with an HB pencil option. It works a lot like a real pencil. The line quality is good. Scribbling, hatching, general basic shading works pretty well. Once I started blending, though, everything turned out more like paint and not so much a drawing. Still I like the results of this piece.

I originally Left my working lines on the right side so that anyone interested in how I created this image, could see how I designed this piece. It’s another in the latest project I’m developing. This is the Imp. A vicious little tormentor that loves to pull evil pranks on the unsuspecting travelers.