IMC 2010: Joan of Arc & Imagine FX

Here is my assignment for this years Illustration Masters Class I attended a couple of weeks ago in Amherst Massachusetts.  (For those unfamiliar with IMC check out my previous blog post on last years here.)

For this years Assignment I chose to take on the Maid of Orleans... Joan of Arc.  We were free to interpret this book cover anyway we wished through either a historical viewpoint or, as I chose here a more fantastical one.  I’ve been wanting to do an angel piece for quite sometime and this was the perfect opportunity to take on the challenge.

You cacheck it out in my portfolio here or check out a larger view with some zoom details of brush work here.  Enjoy!

This years IMC class was a little different than last in that Imagine FX Magazine chose 10 artists to be featured in an upcoming article.  I just found out that I was fortunate enough to be one of the select artists.  Ill post an update when the article hits the stands, but in the mean time here is a list of all the artists that were chosen.

Anthony Palumbo
Clark Huggins
Dominick Saponaro
Andrew Baker
Jason Cheeseman-Meyer
Marc Scheff
Michael Hayes
Rebecca Solow
Sam Kennedy
Winona Nelson

Congratulations to everyone, Im honored to be in such good company!

-Dom

Phillustration 2010

I have the honor this year of being chosen to jury the Philadelphia Sketch Club’s upcoming 3rd annual Phillustration show.  Phillustration is a really great show put together each year by the Sketch Club, showcasing some of the finest illustrations from the area.  Ive been a part of the last two shows and can tell you the work submitted is outstanding!  Some past artists include Charles Santore, Joe Devito, and David Wiesner just to name a few.  While many of the artists that submit work are local, it is NOT a prerequisite to submit for the show.  Anyone may enter, and are encouraged to do so.

The show will be held at the Sketch Club in Philadelphia, June 4th - June 16th with awards and reception on Sunday June 13th from 2-4 PM.  A PDF of the shows prospectus with all relevant entry info can be downloaded here.

Work must be dropped off at the sketch club on Friday, May 28th from 1-5 PM or Saturday, May 29th from 12-5 PM.  If anyone has questions or would like to enter but cant make it to the drop off dates shoot me an email and maybe we can arrange a pick up or mailing.

I Hope to see some of your work there!

-Dom

1027 Final (For Real This Time)

Here’s the follow up to my figure study post from a few weeks ago.  After “finishing” this piece without the figures I felt something was missing from it.  I really thought it could benefit from another narrative layer and added the two foreground figures.  Adding the human element to the painting really transforms the piece from a nice train portrait to a much more narrative story.  Check out a larger version and zoom details here.

-Dom

Art Order Calendar

Back in December I was lucky enough to be featured in Jon Schindehette’s 2010 Art Order Calendar.  For those not familiar with Jon he is the Senior Art Director for Dungeons and Dragons.  Besides his work at Wizards of the Coast Jon’s ArtOrder blog is a great resource for illustrators both new and seasoned for all things fantasy art related.  The calendar was conceived of as a promotion for prospective sponsors of his blog.  Jon is also selling them ($12.95 + Shipping) on his site to defray some of the cost.  So head on over and grab one while you still can!  Other artists included are:

Aaron Miller
Andrew Olson
Anna Christenson
Eric Braddock  (Fellow U-arts Grad)
Garrett Hanna
Lu Vazquez
McLean Kendree
Sabin Boykinov
Tiziano Baracchi
Tobias Kwan
Tyler Jacobson
William O'Connor

Thanks again to Jon for including me in the calendar and for all his time he gives the illustration community.

-Dom

1027 Figure Studies

Here’s a couple of quick figure costume design/pose studies done for inclusion in my train piece here.  After “finishing“ the piece I felt it was part of a larger narrative and needed a human element added.  I am putting the finishing touches on the figures and will be posting the real final very soon.  Stay tuned.

-Dom

A Princess of Mars

This was one of the assignments for the Illustration Masters Class I attended last Summer.  It is a cover for the Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel A Princess of Mars.  The first of his famous Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his Tarzan stories.  The story is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction or more specifically the planetary romance genre.  You can check out a larger version in the portfolio section here.

IMC is a fantasy and science fiction illustration week long workshop created and run by Rebecca Guay in Amherst Massachusetts.  It is an intense week of learning and Attendees benefit from a full schedule of classes in figure drawing, use of reference, drawing from the imagination, digital and traditional painting technique, as well as live demos and lectures.  We were assigned a project and expected to have finished sketches when we arrived. We then spent the week working with some of the best in the industry on our pieces.  This coming years faculty include:

Julie Bell
Dan Dos Santos
Scott Fischer
Irene Gallo
Donato Giancola
Rebecca Guay
James Gurney
Greg Manchess
Boris Vallejo

Many of the nights went on into the wee hours of the morning and the collective art boost that everyone provided was just awesome!  I cant wait for this years.

-Dom

Bighorn

I painted this piece as a challenge after getting back in touch with fellow U-Arts Alumn and friend Will Spear.  He paints all sorts of great wildlife and landscapes avoiding the figure at all costs.  I on the other hand like to paint more narrative figure work.  We flipped this on its head and I painted the wildlife while he painted... lets just say... a not so flattering swashbuckling portrait of myself.

All in all I really enjoyed painting this.  It was a fun departure from my usual subject matter.  I think Ill try something similar soon.

*Here is a link to Will’s facebook page because he doesn't have his website up yet.  Go connect with him and check out his really great Plein Air paintings.  Make sure you let him know where you heard of him.

-Dom