My iPod is charging...

And I am killing time while it does. I lost my real life charger so the only way to get power is to charge it at the office.

Here's a very small detail of a cover for a book [that is not to be named yet but will be out October 2006] and I have only just finished the painting this morning.


Things have been nuts around here. There was a bad ice storm that shut down Greenville for a few days. My mom and sister were out of power for 5 days straight. Somehow my roomate and I managed to keep power the entire time. So, I dragged my Mac over to the place and set up shop there. It was like old times.

I had a set up in the basement of my mom's house that was perfect and I've only ever come not really close to capturing it again. You know.... I think I can find a picture of it. Hold on.

This is not it. But it is a picture I found while I was looking for it.

Here it is. The best set up anyone ever wanted to look at.


(circa, junior or senior year of college)

I would sit in the lawnchair thing and watch [mostly listen to] Raiders of the Lost Ark or whatever and just go. Man.

And here's the drawing I was working on in the last picture...

...and what I did later.

Dragon's Christmas Carol: "Silent Night"

"Silent Night"

The Portland Studios Christmas card

* * *
And some of the doodles before:

Presenting the mostly finished...

Offical Portland Studios Christmas card.

Illustration Friday: "Surprise"

The Blue Goblet

Blue Goblet surprise.

Some explorations are surprising. Some are scary. This is more scary than surprising.

Merry Christmas is coming...

Yesterday's Doodle

A man in the waiting room. He was wearing all camoflague. I could bearly seem him but for the fact he was 300 lbs.

While I nodded, nearly napping...

So Peter Jackson and I are driving around and we're talking and laughing like old college buddies.

Peter Jackson

"Man, Pete, I say to him, "I feel like I've know you my whole life! I mean, I've watched all the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings, I've listened to all the audio commetary! I've watched all the extras! We must be best friends!" And Peter's just laughing and shaking his head, with his New Zealand accent, "Yeah, I know it, it's crazy..."

So we're driving around and stuff. "So, Pete, what are we out looking for?" I say as I'm looking over my shoulder merging.

"Well, I'd like to look for some shoes." Peter says.

"Well, look over there!" I say excitedly, "It's a Pay-Less Shoe Store! Great!"

So we pull in the parking lot and suddenly I'm tying my shoes and Peter Jackson is like, "Say, Cory, do you have a vacuum cleaner?"

Puzzled I respond, "No, Peter, why, is my car dirty?"

"No," says Peter Jackson. "I was just going to get that off your leg for you."

And I look down and there's the most terrifying Metroid kind of creature wrapped around my leg. As I look at it, it opens its mouth and lunges up towards my head. And I woke up.


9:30 A.M. And I was late.

Illustration Friday: "Blue"

Whatever else could "Blue" mean other than The Blue Goblet? Not too many other things in my book. I've posted a good bit about The Blue Goblet and all that's happened. As it stands the story is finished, book is boarded, and our agent in Nashville is taking it around to publishers.

Here's to waiting.

But in the mean time, here's two pages right from my sketchbook and below them, links to all the Blue Goblet posts in order:

* * *

Previous Blue Goblet posts:

The Blue Goblet
*an introduction as well as 3 rough watercolors of "The Trek" sequence and an excerpt from the story.

More Blue Goblet
*a rough photoshop of a doodle and all around info about the font comission.

The Blue Goblet Font
*the completeed font as well as information on how to purchase it.

Or Some Old Thing Like That
*a portrait of the young queen Julia.

* * *

More Old Photoshop

I did these a couple weeks ago. I still enjoy them and felt like posting again. Here goes from rough to finished drawing to final painting.