Getting Back on the Schedule

Okay! Wow. It's been a while (I have a feeling I'm going to say that until I can find enough topics that won't take me 13 years to type up to write about).

For those keeping score, my convention season finally came to a close. And by close, I mean I went to Indy Pop Con, vended, came back, and did stuff, and completely forgot about doing a write up for the show. Honestly though, I think I just posted like 5 convention reviews in a row, so I'll do a retro recap later.

Onto the topic at hand. Now that a lot of my life has calmed down - for those how don't keep up with my cosplay side of things, I basically "retired" from World Cosplay Summit, and most competing [unless under very very very specific circumstances]. Mainly my reasonings came down to the fact that it was starting to be detrimental to my artwork (which is kind of my career now), and my partner needed somebody who was going to be much more available than me.

Doesn't mean I won't stop cosplaying (I have a couple of easy ones I'm working on for GenCon). Just means I won't have to worry about competing like a boss. 

In the rest of the world, I have been having the most absolutely terribly awful worst month when it comes to artwork. Whether it was one thing or another, I was either heavily distracted or insanely depressed. I hate to use it as an excuse, but these things happen sometimes, and THAT'S OKAY. With my July 1st (though more like July 2nd since I want MWF update schedule) deadline approaching, I don't have a lot of work done on the NEW Sky's End stuff.

I have the chapter mapped out plot wise, but I have no thumbnails and I'm starting to get crazy cause I'm running out of time. I was in the mother of all slumps. So I decided I was gonna do something funny - I had just finished reading the book CON JOB, written by a pal of mine, Laura VanArendonk Baugh. Okay, so I kind of read it almost in an entire evening, I was riveted to the pages, and the only reason I set it down is because I had to get decent amounts of sleep (curse you real life!). But don't take my word for it, you should totally read it (especially if you like conventions!)

Oh, did I mention I got to draw the cover? I didn't?! WELL HERE IT IS!

This is my very own dead tree version!

So anyway, I was thinking that in the book there's a cosplayer who is dressed as a character from a story by a group called CLUTCH (okay, it's their CLAMP analog, and it's awesome), and I then thought to myself...

What would CLUTCH artwork look like, and what would this outfit be? So I drew as best as I could (I couldn't fit ALL the layers in the outfit as I wanted, but I think I got close enough), and then tried to mimic CLAMP's ink weight and coloring style as best I could.

I'd say I was successful:

Surprise Gifts are the Best Gifts

Now, the last part of this story is that the author didn't know I was drawing this. So I nonchalantly put it up on my Crash Bang FB page, with just the description of "Character: Achenar Series: Crooked Running Water, Heavenly Wedding Arc".

The reaction was the best I could have ever hoped for. :) I love it when a plan comes together.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do some storyboarding!

*dons cape* *flies away*