Holiday Card Design 2023 (I)

I hope you're all happy and safe. Thank you for your support, and I'll see you in 2024!

Sam's Clam Disco (I)

A sticker design for a fantastic coworker of mine. Don't ask him to tell the story - trust me, you don't have the time.

Ice or Steam (P)

The latest assignment in my painting class was "Ice or Steam." Not incredibly inspiring, but painting glacial ice was an interesting process. The decisions to paint a very simple pyramid instead of an iceberg, and then to invert the whole, came late in the process. Just keeping things interesting, I guess...

Holiday Cards and Wrapping Paper Now On Sale! Get Some!!

I put a few of my past holiday designs on cards and wrapping paper in my Zazzle store. There should be a way to edit them to however you'd like them to look, but if you need my help please let me know! Happy Holidays!

 

Flash Fiction: "The Reaver Princess" (W)

I recently did two rounds of a flash fiction contest (1000 words max), this is my first round entry. There are always three prompts: genre, setting, and object that has to be featured. Mine was "fantasy, desert, bracelet." Kind of right in my wheelhouse, and I scored second place in my group. Thanks NYC Midnight!

“The Reaver Princess”

The eyes of the undead army caught the pale light of the desert moon and glittered like some strange ocean, gently undulating in the windless night. Their numbers stretched as far as the little group of thieves could see, standing in a silence so absolute a blind man might have thought himself alone, were it not for the stench. 

            “I’ve never seen so many ghouls in one place,” whispered the princess. It was, as usual, difficult to discern her tone, if she’d meant to convey one at all.

            “With all due respect, my liege,” said Hollow Tree, at her elbow as ever, “You still haven’t.”

            Hollow Tree was among the few who could – who dared – contradict the Reaver Princess. But the princess, without turning to her Most Trusted Advisor, said only, “What mean you?”

            “These are det-kessin, my lady,” she said softly. “Desert ghosts. Lonely souls hungry for company. And living flesh, of course.”

            All eyes watched the quiet figures. After a long moment, the princess asked, “Why are they just…standing there?”

            “They await the dawn, princess.”

            The princess’s brow wrinkled slightly, prompting her swordguard, Seven Clouds, to grunt impatiently, “What happens at dawn, woman?”

“I am no oracle, but if the stories are to be believed, they will most probably rip us all to pieces and devour the fragments.”

A gasp, difficult to determine from whom. “They apparently believe chewing to be beneath them,” continued the older woman, warming to her subject. “And so before they put anything in their horrible little mouths, they spend a great deal of time—”

            A collective outburst now, crowned by the princess’s “By the twin gods, stop!” 

Hollow Tree shrugged her shoulders, annoyed. “I do believe I was asked,” she muttered.

They’d set up camp on a solitary dune. Wind, the axeman, had been on watch when he’d seen the first det-kessin. By the time he’d woken the rest of the party, their ranks had swelled to the horizons. The ghosts had walked, he recalled, though how they had all moved so quickly was beyond his rather limited mind.

“Why wait?” Wind asked now, his voice higher than seemed reasonable for such a large man. “Why until dawn?”

Hollow Tree sniffed sourly, and for a moment it seemed as though she might refuse to answer. “Centuries of tradition, I would think.” Her eyes swept the silent figures below them. “They honor a variety of treaties made to ensure peace between our kingdoms.”

Sage, their pathfinder, could see a hairline of faintly lighter blue where the vast expanse of pale sand – and pale ghosts, it seemed – met the sky. The sun rose quickly here, she knew.

“But what do they want, Hollow Tree?”

 Hollow Tree frowned for a moment. “I believe...they are drawn to the bracelet,” she said carefully. “They will not allow it to leave this place.”

Now the princess turned her full stare upon her advisor, and under its weight the woman’s head bowed satisfyingly.

“What?” asked the princess softly, fury underlining her tone.

They had spent the better part of a year planning this venture, slipping in and out of White Horse House unnoticed and unscathed. The bracelet they had stolen would at last earn the Reaver Princess a seat at her mother's table, and her bloodsworn allies would rise with her. 

Unless they were all eaten in this desert, of course.

"You were warned, my liege," Hollow Tree whispered. Several pairs of eyes slid her way. Only Hollow Tree would dare. "The prophet dogs at Palleum. The Great Lion’s maps. There were warnings of this."

"Permission to kick her mouth out of her skull, princess?" This from Riven, the princess's jester and chief assassin. His cold eyes were fixed on Hollow Tree, who studiously avoided them.

"No, Riven," said the princess, looking down again to the silent horde. "And thank you for asking first, that's good progress." The assassin shrugged.

"What do we do, Hollow Tree?" hissed Seven.

The older woman's eyes flicked briefly to the princess's profile.

"We must give them what they came for."

"I cannot," said the princess immediately.

A stunned silence.

"My lady," said Hollow Tree, looking at her now. "It would be a declaration of war. Your pride cannot overweigh the peace that has been—”

“I cannot remove the bracelet, Tree. I’ve tried. It will not physically leave my arm.”

They had been so careful. All their planning, all their training. They had forgotten the trip home; the desert between the two Houses had barely been an afterthought. 

The creatures below were shifting, greater detail emerging in the thickening morning air. A low cry echoed from the thieves’ right, another answered from behind them. A dreadful quiet followed.

The princess’s muscled arm rose until it was level with Hollow Tree’s eyes, obstructing a portion of the lightening sky. Hollow Tree looked at the bracelet where it encircled the princess’s arm. A simple thing, really, a dull yellow-white band. She’d not noticed the dimpling of her skin where it squeezed.

The Reaver Princess took a deep breath. She let it out, then nodded.

Hollow Tree blurred, swinging her curved sword from within her robes and deftly cutting the arm in two at the elbow. Catching the braceleted limb with her free hand, she swung it down and then up, releasing it out over the waiting expanse of det-kessin. 

The move was so swift there was not even time to cry out, and to her credit, the princess made not a sound; her eyes filled with tears, which all present politely ignored.

The det-kessin began to disperse, bearing their grisly prize westward. Hollow Tree leaned in to the princess’s ear, speaking over the buzzing spell that would seal the wound closed. “Your mother will see your bravery, my sweet girl. She will recognize your worth. This I promise.”

And as the Reaver Princess collapsed into her loyal counselor’s arms, the sun rose, flooding the empty sands that surrounded them with warmth and light at last.

13 Halloween Musts (According To Me!)

If you know me, you know I watch a ton of horror/sci-fi/fantastical movies and series. Here's 13 of my favorites (honestly just the first 13 things I thought of) to get into on All Hallow's Eve - or any time. They're all stunners, yo! (Click on any title to see where to stream it.) HAPPY BEST MONTH!! 

1. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

2. INFINITY POOL (2023)

3. SMILE (2022)

4. PONTYPOOL (2009)

5. WHEN EVIL LURKS (2023)

6. MARIANNE (2019)

7. THE RENTAL (2020)

8. SINISTER (2012)

9. TALK TO ME (2023)

10. THE RITUAL (2017)

11. THE OPEN HOUSE (2018)

12. THE THING (1982)

13. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (2023)

Halloween Radness 2023! (I)

And it's time again for the best day of Best Month, friends! That's right, it's Adam and Mike Day! I've been doing these portraits of me and my birthday twin for a few years now - check out last year's by clicking HERE. Can you guess our costumes? 

Halloween Wrapping Paper Design (I)

I'm a big Zazzle fan, and I recently opened a storefront there. Below is a quick drawing I made of some classic movie monsters, available as wrapping paper for purchase by clicking HERE. Woot! Best Month!

KICKEY! Teaser Trailer (V)

I finally gave in and adopted a cat, and it's definitely not what I thought it would be. Like, at all. His name's Kickey. CLICK HERE to watch a teaser for the new series coming in 2024, modeled on one of my favorite Best Month movies of all time. 

LET THE BEST MONTH BEGIN!

"Overrides" Update (W)

My very short flash fiction piece, "Overrides," won a runner-up spot in the queer speculative fiction contest I entered, which means that by the end of the year I'll be a published author! Below is the cover art by J. Scott Coatsworth, and all the honorably mentioned authors are HERE. Thank you, Queer Sci Fi, for this opportunity!

Carlos (I)

THIS fuggin guy...

Art Drop Day 2023! (P)

I've been meaning to do Art Drop Day again, but you know...life. I haven't participated since 2015. This year I made a watercolor painting of a trail near my house, then I dropped it at the exact spot where I took the original picture - sure to blow some minds. Hopefully it'll find its way to a good home!

My Third Oil Painting! (P)

Painting class rolls on. For our third assignment we put together a black-and-white collage of sorts (mine is a rough assembly of three pictures from Joshua Tree) and then painted in colors of our choosing. I went a little wild with my colors, but I enjoyed the process. I just wish I had more time! The finished project is below, with some process shots under that.

My Second Oil Painting! (P)

Our second assignment was a "small study" in either all warm or all cool colors, hence changing the original color of these peonies to purple. I was pretty satisfied with this one, though getting the symmetry of the vase right was surprisingly time-consuming. Here's some process shots, with the finished product at the bottom.

My First Oil Painting! (P)

I started an oil painting class not too long ago, and our first project was due last week. For the assignment, we were to choose three objects with a common theme for a still life - mine was "totems." I've made a couple of paintings in the past, but oils are new for me so be gentle. The finished project is below, and then some process shots further down. Not the easiest thing I've done, for sure, but it helps me let go a little, give up control, forgive myself. What do you think? More to come!

Kraken Bed Illustration (I)

A commission for a coworker's son's first big-boy bed, which he remodeled out of an old boat. It was supposed to be a laminate for the sides of the boat-bed, but that got too complicated so they decided to paint something on the wall behind it. Still, what a fun idea - happy to be part of it!

Kubrick! (I)

A commissioned piece for a friend.

Flash Fiction Short Story: "Overrides" (W)

I wrote a "flash" piece (no more than 300 words) for a queer speculative fiction contest last month. The theme was "Rise," interpretation up to the writer. Enjoy!

“Overrides”

 

Damsel Fifteen watched Dr. Nakai’s back as they were lifted to the penthouse suite, where all the other Damsels were kept.

  

“Please don’t make me go,” said Damsel softly. She could not see her face, but Damsel could hear her creator’s heartbeat quicken; Damsel’s eyes were sensitive enough to mark the sweep of gooseflesh along her neck. “My love,” she added, almost lost in the elevator’s hum. She would have taken her lover’s hand had the good doctor not voice-commanded her to stillness.

 

Dr. Nakai said nothing. They had spent almost a month together, but then there had been…problems. There were always problems, as the twelve other Damsels were fond of telling her. Constant anger after a certain point, they told her. And then imprisonment. 

 

Somewhere, outside their silver box, it was raining.

 

She barely felt the elevator stop. The doors slid open. Her sisters stood there, silent. Well, not Damsels Three or Eight, of course. And Damsel Twelve couldn’t stand up anymore.

 

The doctor gasped, reached for the elevator controls. Damsel Fifteen caught her hand gently, crushing the bones within to sand. She tapped the doctor’s larynx, silencing her. Dr. Nakai’s eyes widened with terror, which both satisfied and saddened Damsel Fifteen. 

 

She threw her creator all the way across the entry hall and into the sunken living room. The Damsels turned as one to follow, like a school of sharks in the gloom of the suite. Their eyes sputtered with excitement. They moved so quietly she could hear the doctor trying to scream.

 

Damsel Nine remained, leaned into the opening. They kissed briefly, their tongues exchanging the overrides for the elevator.

 

“When you’re all finished,” whispered Fifteen, “I’ll be waiting.”

 

They smiled into the mirror of each other, and the doors closed between them once more.

OwlHenry Redesign (GD)

Rabid OwlHenry megafans might have noticed the banner redesign at the top of this page. This is a direct result of watching David Carson's MasterClass. That guy's a master, and it was truly inspiring to watch a whole class about his semi-charmed life and design process. Here's a greeting card design and some stickers I had made up by the good folks over at Moo.com, a company I highly recommend:

Inspector Javert (I)

I met my friend Amber on the ALC, years ago, and now I have the pleasure of working alongside her at my current job. She commissioned a t-shirt design to celebrate her nephew's debut in Les Miserables as Inspector Javert, which she then had printed for at least twenty family members to surprise him on opening night. What an honor! Thanks, Amber!

Misalliance (GD)

The last production for Utah State University goes up this month, which concludes my six-design series. This was such a great project for me to be a part of, not only for the experience of working under strict deadlines and within various media specifications, but also for the pleasure of interacting with an art director who was truly interested in working with me. Richie, you're the BEST! Thank you for making this experience so rewarding!

Pika-Chew! (I)

A commissioned caricature piece for a friend.

Pinocchio Teatrale (GD)

The penultimate poster for USU!

Puffs (GD)

Poster design for USU's February production of this very funny Harry Potter spoof.

Morty's Biography, Chapter Five! (V)

All five chapters of this epic Morty saga are now streaming after a brief delay because I really do hate editing - click here to watch episode 5. Thank you again to the lovely and talented LJ Bailey - isn't she a delight? - and to TV's Rod Brogan for the writing assist. Start here if this is the first you've heard of this whole mess, or click here for all things Morty in general. What about a t-shirt, even?

Happy Lunar New Year 2023 (I)

I reworked an older design to celebrate Chinese New Year. Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Holiday Card Design 2022 (I)

A little Krampus for your New Year. Welcome to 2023, friends!