If you're ever in Independence Missouri, go to Winner Road, and you'll find La Plaza Restaurant.
I thought I would be updating in the early part of the year, perhaps getting into the flow in January. But that's not the case as you can see. But I DID want to make a quick post now, because of the date.
This is the main area of the restaurant. It's also connected to a great little market that sells all sorts of items from Mexico and Central America.
So aside from enjoying some great food today (which was a nice mood booster), I also got an email saying that I was accepted into NakaKon 2022! So that's two shows confirmed so far for this year, the other being Fountain City Con.
I've been busy for the last few weeks with freelance and pulling stuff together for possible upcoming shows. I'm about halfway through getting Ardor issue #1 completed.
Some of the warm up sketches I'll do while working on the comic book pages.
Paper shortage and shipping times these days do have me a bit nervous as I want to make sure whatever I am creating will get here in time.
I'll end this entry now, and get into a longer one before the end of the month. It's been challenging to keep up with things like this blog, my social media sites, and keep trying to work on self promotion so I can keep my freelance and personal projects growing.
Until next time, be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!
- Mario, the Artisan Rogue Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist
The fall weather announced itself with a mass of rolling rain clouds. I could watch clouds all day.
So October has come, and we are leaning into the final stretch of 2019. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was updating this just this last October.
The last three months of every year have always been a tumultuous and hectic time for me, with moments of quiet reflection sprinkled throughout. For a lot of people, the triple play of holidays comes with so much to do in regards to family gatherings, work schedules and vacations getting all rearranged, things like that.
For me, it's always been this feeling that the year suddenly seems to speed up. Almost like watching a time lapse of a flower blooming from it's initial sprouting. As I get older, it's a feeling that permeates me more and more. In years past, it was one I began to dread. I wasn't sure why. I would often deal with depression, with this unnerving aspect of knowing that the year was ending, and I would find myself measuring up to my own self inspection. This would more often than not, manifest in looking back at my own social media timelines, or perhaps what artwork, or shows I had managed to get completed. What I had I accomplished? What did I not rise to complete?
But this year, it was more overwhelming than it had previously. If you've been following my efforts this year, it was marked by more downs than ups. I can accept that under normal circumstances. And I make every effort to present things as they are. But this was the first time that depression, insecurity, and a waning event of lack of self worth began to permeate me. It was affecting my art. It was weaving through the narrative of my day to day life, in interactions with friends, family, co-workers. It was a weight that made me ask, how much more could I do, if I was not carrying this burden?
Inktober
Last year, I had a less than stellar amount of effort put into trying to accomplish the 31 day challenge of Inktober. For those of you not familiar, illustrator Jake Parker started an effort to utilize the month of October (renamed in this event as Inktober), as a challenge to adhere to a list of prompts that would fire up the initiative to draw something in ink every day.
The first prompt was Ring. The first thing that came to mind was a fae ring of mushrooms.
As of this update, I've managed to stay on time, at times just a bit behind, some days one or two prompts ahead. For my mental health, it's been something of a boon. Sometimes, when things aren't lining up in other ways, or maybe social media is overwhelmed with more insanity than usual, or some days were just seeming empty, I was able to focus in on this. I'm not even kidding, it has been insanely therapeutic to stay on target with the prompts, and even thought some of the illustrations I did weren't the best, I have managed to so far keep at it.
Number thirteen on the list was for Ash. [Left] The blue line pencil work.
An interesting visual bit I have noticed is that throughout this run of work, my style has moved all over the place. I think there is a modicum of unity in some things like linework, sparseness of details, but general design moved more freely.
I started to debut some artwork from Ardor into Inktober as well. this is Mama Tsitsiki.
But at the end of it all, it will be the feeling of accomplishment I need and have set as a goal to see this small effort through.
Ardor
I also have been starting to illustrate more moments in the story of Ardor. While I work through moments in the storyline drafts I have, I end up creating more and more concept art.
Latest illustration work for Ardor, "the unexpected meeting".
It's left me in an interesting place, as I don't want to divulge too much about the storyline while it's in progress, but I also want to share and sell work based on this world I am developing. This particular one is available now in the store section, in a limited series of seven signed reproductions.
Poetry
I've spoken before about feeling stuck, or closed in at times. Unable to push forward creatively, or even in the most mundane of tasks. The other day, while at work, I took the opportunity to get away from the cubicle, and walk over to Union Station. Just to clear my head, or maybe process out the thoughts in my head. Within a few moments after I got over there and sat down, a poem began to formulate for me, and the following was what came out in about ten minutes.
The final version of this reads "am alone, in a crowd" at the end now. :D
I've never been able to hold myself to sitting down and writing prose of any kind on demand. Which is a bit frustrating at times, especially when I try to plan out time to do it. It really does strike me at odd moments, and one or two bits of writing flare up, and then dissipate after the word release.
It's led to odd moments of disassociation, or maybe it's more of a break in memory, where, had it not been for copious notes I have taken since I began writing prose, I would not be able to tell you what inspired almost 90% of my writing efforts. Have any of you ever had this happen? I'd be interested to know if you did, why you think that happens.
One more note to add to this, was the above prose, and three others I had previously written, were the ones that I chose, on the spot to perform recently for a small gathering of people. I go into it a bit more in the vlog update above.
Art Supplies
Scraps KC was something I was told about, since I've been keeping my art budget frugal. But when I stumbled across a good handful of acrylic Montana markers, Copic markers, erasers, and die punches for paper work customization, I could not let these deals go ignored.
Scraps KC was exactly what I needed right now.
I do support my local art stores, more than the big box stores like Hobby Lobby (which I REALLY try to stay out of) and Micheals. But pricing like this is hard to pass up. Now, Scraps KC is a very different sort of thing. From what I understand, it's donation based and they resell what they are able to. I am certain that had I had more time to dig through endless boxes, drawers, and trays of things, I would have left there with FAR more than you see above.
If you are in the area, they are located at 3269 Roanoke Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111.
It's in an old industrial area, kind of out of the way, but well worth looking into.
Just a quick rundown of what I saw there included markers, pens, papers, school supplies of all kinds, folders, game pieces, wood blanks in various shapes, leather, hand tools, fabrics, drafting tools, paint, ribbons, really the list was too much to remember.
Photography: Macro Moments
Everyday, I've made it a point to stop and take just a few moments to appreciate some detail, some texture, something I might normally overlook. This has led to me being able to process some weird things, and be able to pull from that in my drawings, concepts, and research.
Like a small brilliant flame, this little group of fungi caught my attention one morning.
This little fungal spore was on the arm ledge of my deck. I caught the mid morning lighting so strongly in contrast to the aging darkened and weather wood it was sprouting out of. It seemed so alien, so much like what I think a tree on an alien world, or an alternate dimension could possibly look like.
So I spent some time with just my iPhone, taking as many macro styled photos as I could. I'm no pro photographer, but just like with the urban decay stuff I do that I sell on Dreamstime, I know that if I had waited these would disappeared. The next morning, I went out to check on them, to possibly get more images, but they indeed had vanished.
Books
It's not only art supplies that I try to locate at a good price, sometimes I also find books for insanely low prices, and had found this at the very bottom of a large pile of remainder stock for $5.
Word to the wise, search long and thoroughly, and you'll be surprised what you might unearth.
I've got a small section I'm adding soon to the website, that will cover and review various books in my collection that I think you'd all find helpful, whether you're looking for some art education or tips, or maybe just a book collector like myself.
Until next time, support your local artists and businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!
- Mario, the Artisan Rogue Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist
Way too long in the making, but finally off to the printer.
I'd ended last year with a fairly large overhaul on a long list of goals that are on my main planning whiteboard. I had made up my mind that the only way to possibly get through all of the things that had been weighing me down, was to write them down and chip away at them. Sounds simple, but anyone that's done this knows that it's never that simple.
I started off with the best intentions, a sizeable amount of time off in between contractual work, not a lot else on the schedule to really impede me getting to what I had in front of me. Then I got sick. Thankfully, it was not terrible with the exception of a few days, but it was enough to make things kind of muted for me, and less of the case of enjoying the wonderful rainy weather that made it's way across the midwest.
When I had a tripod mounted to the side door for a b-roll shot, I went through a roundabout, and the ensuing shot that had the reflections in the mirror with the rest slightly out of focus, made for a cool effect. I hope I am able to use this shot.
I of course still worked as I could at the stadium, and working in what is essentially a cold cement underground bunker is only made half way enjoyable because of the people I worked with there. If any of you follow football, then you know that the KC Chiefs got totally and utterly kicked in the head by the Tennessee Titans in a game that was as embarrassing as it was bizarre.
I think that is only the second time ever that I have made a halfway respectable bit of football commentary since I started this website.
Snow has been coming in increments over the last few days.
So as I went through trying to over my cold, and get my art efforts back on track, a puppy mill issue arose along with many animals that were unwanted showing up just after the Christmas holiday.
As cute as they are. They along with a rescue building full of dogs now need homes...
Rescue and fostering doesn't stop. But it can. IF you, I, and everyone else that loves, likes, or even doesn't like animals, remembers to Spay and Neuter. But I'm beginning to think we live in a growing age of ignorance, not just when it comes to this, but many many other things in life. But I digress.
I believe my cat knows what mornings are good for.
So after some ups and downs with being sick (and it's still lingering a bit), I at least did manage to get my new comic finished up. I will also be doing a sale on all of my existing originals. I'm not sure what if any shows I am going to do this year. The more I think about it, the more I am very burned out on the art show circuit.
On that subject, I haven't been posting much on the documentary I was working on because I still need to make a few decisions on the overall narrative and presentation. The original goal was to have had my new cpu up and running by now, but no thanks to the insane prices of cryptocurrency, I've seen 8gig video cards go from $250 while in my cart on Amazon, to $600 and more, to eventually sold out.
I get it. People want to get "rich" quick. It takes a lot of gpus to effectively farm this stuff. But I'm just trying to get a system made without having to resort to selling marrow on the black market to create online content, and finish a silly little documentary. Hopefully prices will drop soon. I can't be the only creative or perhaps even gamer wanting to have an affordable but powerful graphics card for something other than digital monopoly money.
Scroll of wisdom from a cookie. I've played enough role playing games to know this is a horrible plot device.
I have weird habits. Who reading this doesn't? But even though taking anything of merit or meaning from a fortune cookie is about as fundamentally sound as believing in astrology (I don't, but I will admit that I tend to find a lot in common about Sagittarius), there is a bit of wisdom to be found in that slip of paper above. I try a lot of stuff, but I also can be reckless, often leap without looking, and there is a bit of a nutcase thrill in knowing that something could break on me. It's borderline self destructive behavior. So trying things isn't the issue. But thinking about an angle to solve things, along with a sound approach, may yield me some good things over time.
I guess the take away is to try. Try to succeed. Try to save more animals. Try to work on the things I don't like about myself. Try to be motivated. Try to be,...hell, the list can go on and on and on.
Failure is always there. I am all too familiar with it. But, for every bit of failure, there is eventual triumph, even if it doesn't end up like how I thought it would.
Until next time, enjoy the rest of January! Support your local artists, be kind to your fellow beings, and always take the path less traveled!
- Mario, the Artisan Rogue Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist
Found a great solution in to materials for my studio ceiling. On the right, Habitat Restore had these unused plywood pallet covers. On the left, I had this great bit of embossed sheet metal that one of my bosses at Hallmark had given me.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Or so the saying goes. I've been feeling that way more because, well, to be honest, when one doesn't really have a day job to report to, your days start running together and Wednesday could just as easily be a Sunday.
But even though I'm only able to keep track of my days as well as a stack of calendars printed by a group of blind people, I've been getting closer and closer to finishing up my art studio.
With their powers combined... they become DECORATIVE elements!!!!
The past two weeks have been an insane amount of wire relocation, running a 50 foot ethernet cable, and pulling out no less than 187 staples, nails, tacks, and other stuff you'd load into a pirate's cannon when there was a need for something to replace shot and langridge (I know you've all seen Pirate of the Caribbean, right?).
Just LOOK at this mess! And don't get me started on the weird nail folded over in a hammer rage upon another nail sort of thing that was going on with some of these!
Of course no run with power tools or rusty things can go without a wee bit of injury, (or as my friend Ray put it, "Blood Sacrifice for the Blood God"), and while attempting to screw in a screw, and only manage to screw my hand in the process with a phillips drill bit.
Ouch.
A bandage and some Vetericyn spray later, and I was back to putting up my snazzy new ceiling. You can also see that the walls are green. Not a lime green or grass green, but in fact, sort of an avocado/army green. The far wall is a dark blue. I know. You all are probably like, what the hell man..., but trust me. I'm an artist. And I'm on a budget.
Did I mention I was unemployed? Yeah that too.
BUT, I will say that the proceeds from Patreon have helped in the purchase of some of what you see here, so I do have a hearty thank you for you who've helped, and for all of you that bought stuff from me at shows last year. This crazy green studio is what you were helping support come to life.
It's not easy being green.
I've also been working on a quick little story called "Ardor", and hope to have it ready by the first of my shows this year. I'll be sure to announce it on here when it's available. This will be a one shot of sorts, more to just test the waters with the story at this point.
It's a bit of a variation on my normal clean drawing style.
My computer is working again, thanks to the awesome Matt at B-Squared Computer Repair in Knob Noster, Missouri. That said, while the studio is being worked on, updates will be a bit scarce, since I don't want to you know, get sawdust in my computer.
My first show coming up is NakaKon, and StealthCon will be quickly on it's heels. I may have more shows up on the list, but I'm waiting on confirmation on a few of them.
Until next time, support your local artists, be kind to your fellow beings, and always take the path less traveled!
- Mario, the Artisan Rogue Illustrator, Podcaster, Writer, Toy Collector, and Animal Rights Activist
