I'll also be doing another Sketch Card, much like I did last year EXCLUSIVE to ECCC. Last year, I printed 20 of these and they were gone by the second day. So I will be upping the print run to 50 to accomodate people that like to own a little bit of original art.

Finally, something new...I am going to be making some buttons! These buttons are a little different from the tone of the site, but if you have ever looked at my tumblrs, you'd understand immediately. They are called "BABY-Lonians" and they will be packaged on a custom card in sets of 4 (no individuals will be sold, sorry). They depict adorable, cartoony versions of Babylonian demons and monsters. This year I will be debuting series 1 and I plan to do more in the future! So think of them like little trading cards that you can pin on your chest. 

Here's Lil Pazuzu as a sample of what to expect!
The best part about these is that they will be 5 dollars for the set or FREE if you buy a print (offer valid at ECCC '12 only)! How's that for a bargain? 

Hope to see you at the Con! 

The album title is "Viral" and the description of the album that lead singer, Jeff Plewa, gave me to work with was "...[the album is about] the media and how it can reel people in and brainwash the frail minded into having little to no outlook or opinions on life of their own", and "how some / most people will believe anything that they hear, therefore becoming one of the “Virally infected”.

So what we decided to do was show someone becoming one of the infected, dead-faced and thoughtless, in a more literal and physical manner to really drive the idea home.

This was a really fun project to work on. I had a lot of fun trying to come up with a way make someone seem sort of drone-like without moving into zombie territory. You can find samples of their new album on their facebook page. Please check them out and leave them a comment or 5. 

In other news, I have finished the artwork for the new Six Feet Under album. That will probably still be a few months before I can show that one, but it is done and it is approved. As you would expect, I can not really say anything about it until the label is ready to show it, but I think it's safe to say that from my own personal opinion, it's the best thing I have done to date (well, it was the hardest painting I have ever done at least. I'll let you guys decide if it's the "best"). We worked really hard on it so that it was the type of brutal death metal album cover you'd expect for a death metal legend like Chris Barnes, but also modern. I'm really excited about it, obviously, so I will just shut up about it now before I get too impatient to show it. 

As for future projects, I am currently wide open with no projects ahead of me. I'm also not taking any new freelance contracts for the month of December while I spend time with my family. After the new year, I will start deciding what to do next. But I am expecting to focus on a little more personal art next year and less freelance. So if you write me asking for rates, expect me to be a little more picky. It's not personal, I just need to balance my time a little better next year. Call it a resolution if you will.

At the end of the day, though, I am always for hire for the right client! Send me your concepts and we can talk! 

I hope everyone has an awesome holiday. Be good boys and girls or Krampus will come get you!

For now, I figured I would mention that an interview that I did with METAL BAND ART just went up.

It's pretty wordy, I guess I can't resist a good soapbox when I see it. Most specifically, the "advice" question. I just have so many people that ask me how to break into the metal art industry (or any illustration industry) so I used that as a platform to answer some common things that I am asked.

Keep in mind, I'm not a master! Follow your own path and learn from your own mistakes! Every artist is different. 

I intentionally left it more on the surreal side, though, because I just wanted to have fun with the details rather than try to problem solve complex, made up anatomy. 

The last painting I did for myself was Pazuzu, I believe, which seems like a really long time ago. I'll definitely be making a point to not go that long again. For now, however, it is back to work. I'm still working on the new Six Feet Under cover as well as some other projects such as some merch for Dawn Under Eclipse and a new album cover for Micawber. I'll post things here when they are ready!

Thanks for checking back! 

Thankfully, they were happy enough with that cover that they asked me to do the art for their upcoming album, "Defender, Redeemist".

I don't want to talk about what the piece means too much yet, as it all ties into the concept of the album. But as you can see, it's pretty heavy on all the things that make metal great!

In the meantime, you can check out my art to the side here. Even better? Until the release of "Defender, Redeemist", they are offering a deal on their BANDCAMP page where you can name your own price on all of their previous albums! 

Even if you don't find yourself in the buying mood, please check out that page and give their streams a listen. 

Plenty more art coming soon! Thanks for checking back.

The first article is located HERE and it is mostly an introductory post. But in it, I sort of run through the process that I go through with an album cover using my most recent piece as the example.

I hope you enjoy it! Please leave feedback if there is a topic you'd like to see covered.

Here is the artwork that I did for the upcoming album from Funerus, "Reduced to Sludge". 

As you can see, I went fairly literal with the approach. As soon as the band told me the album title, I immediately knew what I wanted to do. I was sort of inspired by the guy in Robocop who rams his car into a giant vat of toxic waste. That scene always stuck with me as a kid and I really wanted that drooping, slimy, skin effect only taken to the next level entirely. 

Hope to see you there!

It dawned on me that although it is convient to have all of my artwork in one place, I want to keep my album cover and merchandise work seperate from my other ventures. So I have decided to make a Tumblr account to dump all of that stuff on there. I will be updating it every day (except weekends..but maybe some weekends) with my work from EVERYDAY SKETCH as well as any other random doodles I decide to throw on there.

As far as album cover art news, I finished a piece for Funerus and it is completely disgusting. Very gooey and nasty. I think the gore-fans will be pleased for sure.

Currently, I am working on the new Behold! The Monolith cover, which will be my second cover for them. It's in it's early stages at the moment, but I am certain it will be pretty cool when it's finished. For once, I actually get to tackle a little bit of dark fantasy! Wish me luck!

After that, I will be doing the next Six Feet Under LP. Can't say anything about it at the moment, but I have sketched out a rough so far and I think Six Feet Under fans will be pleased.

Thanks for stopping by!

Here is my latest piece. It is for the Italian band, Dawn Under Eclipse, for their upcoming album, "Universus". 

This project was a rare opportunity for me. Normally a band has a very specific idea in their head and it is my job to interpret what that is. I never have a problem with that, of course, as it is my job as a freelance artist to help realize someone else's vision. But Dawn Under Eclipse really let me have a lot of control over the overall vibe of this piece and I really enjoyed the experience. They gave me a basic concept and wanted it to have a science fiction vibe to it, but the rest of it was completely left up to me.

So I want to say "thank you" to the band for allowing me to do so! 

Please check out their myspace and drop them a line if you like their music!