ON THE FRONT

Renovation Steps Up

2009-11-23T08:54:00.003-06:00

The Montreal Worldcon's recent payment fiasco to Anticipation art show participants makes the following news from the 2011 Worldcon in Reno all the more refreshing. According to Colin Harris of the 2011 Renovation team, his Worldcon compatriots are willing to make the ironclad guarantee that they will pay the artists within 30 days of the Worldcon art show.

My thoughts: I certainly understand my fellow artists' cynicism about this news. Is this more ironclad than when the 2009 Montreal Worldcon said in writing that it would pay within sixty days (which was an abnormally protracted wait for artists to receive payment) and then proceeded to take more than ninety, which was absurd? Why should this proclamation matter, when Worldcon receives no monetary penalty for tardy payment to artists, and they've already proven they don't always adhere to their own rules in this regard? Both are good points.

My feeling is that paying artists within thirty days of the Worldcon Art Show is a fair and reasonable turnaround, and really any well-organized con should be able to adhere to such a standard. It's early in the game for the 2011 Reno Worldcon but here's why I think they'll make good on their word.

1. Colin Harris is a longtime sf/f art afficionado and is a veteran Worldcon organizer. He co-chaired the 2005 Worldcon, and has already been a strong voice for a better art show in 2011, and better usage of participating artists' talents.

2. Several of the Reno organizers attended the recent IlluXCon. They distributed flyers, socialized with artists, and threw a party for IlluXCon participants. All of these folks were there first and foremost because they genuinely love the visual arts of sf/f. I think they want to see Worldcon produce a better art show than it has in recent years, and they're willing to examine their own methods in order to do so.

3. Elayne Pelz is the Art Show director for the 2011 effort. She was the Art Show director for the 2007 Worldcon in Japan, and artists' payments were smooth sailing at that one.

4. Finally -- the Reno Worldcon committee members are a super-veteran crew of people who have either served as division heads or chaired Worldcons past. I think this recently-announced policy is something they probably had in place before the Worldcon Montreal payment fiasco. I think it's good news for artists that they want to make it clear they won't repeat the same mistakes.

Hat's off to the 2011 Reno bid. Artists -- what do you think? Thoughts?

Memo to Worldcon Artists

2009-11-18T20:40:00.006-06:00

If you're an artist who participated in this year's World Science Fiction Convention Art Show, or plan to participate in a future Worldcon Art Show, then the following is for you.

The good news is that this year's Worldcon in Montreal is supposedly getting ready to pay its artists their Art Show revenues. The bad news is these checks were, by Worldcon's own rules, due to the artists within 60 days of the show. 60 days to pay a check is a lenient turnaround by any reasonable measure and by that standard, the artists should have been paid by mid-October. End of story. It's now mid-November and this is still not the case.

American artists were in fact mailed checks well after the 60-day period. However, those checks were drafted with questionable routing number information that were subsequently denied by many American financial institutions. A letter accompanied those checks stating that the checks provided a legitimate US routing number, when in fact, they didn't. They were effectively foreign checks that would necessitate gross collections fees and punitive processing delays of up to eight additional weeks. Not acceptable. When this was communicated to the con, its response was "the checks are fine; it must be your bank."

Wrong answer, Worldcon.

There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on Worldcon's part. Don't get that idea. However, there's plenty of evidence of miscommunication, defensiveness, finger-pointing, and he-said, she-said. I had hoped that the matter would resolve itself in a reasonable amount of time, and therefore, I originally refrained from making the matter public, out of respect to the con and its volunteers.

Here's why I decided to post this -- I'm a fan of Worldcon. As a whole, I very much like the people that run them. I want to see Worldcon live long and prosper. However, I'm first and foremost a working pro illustrator, and sf/fantasy art is my business. I don't like being screwed. I don't like being patronized, and I don't like my fellow artists being shafted. If I stay quiet about this, then I'm in effect endorsing that it's OK for this kind of behavior to occur again. I can't do that. Worldcon is better than this.

Artists -- should we continue to participate in Worldcon Art Shows? Good question. Many have already migrated to other shows that attract larger audiences, and better marketing than Worldcon affords its artists. That was certainly evident at this year's Worldcon when you looked at the artist roster. And for something like this to occur, it doesn't help future Worldcons. I chose to participate in this year's Worldcon Art Show, but I wouldn't if I knew it would treat its artists' payments this poorly. Will I participate in future ones? I'd like to hope for the best, and hope that future shows will see this, and take measures to not repeat the same.

I'm disappointed that this happened. I hate that it did. Let's hope for better days ahead, Worldcon.

IlluXCon 2

2009-11-16T21:25:00.006-06:00

(top left: Jordu Schell's Werewolf sculpture / top right: Julie Bell paints. / Bottom: A view of IlluXCon 2.)

Remember that FIELD OF DREAMS line "Build it and they will come"? Pat and Jeannie Wilshire have done just that -- built the best annual sf/fantasy art event in their hometown of tiny Altoona, PA, and lo, the artists came. IlluxCon 2 happened this past weekend, and it was a blast. It's a gathering of some of the best sf/fantasy artists in the world for a four-day weekend, exhibiting their art and hanging out with hardcore collectors, art directors, and sf/fantasy art afficionados -- and unlike most sf/fantasy cons, this one's all about celebrating the visual arts.

I was honored to be amongst the select list of invited artists who exhibited their work and talked shop -- and it was definitely a diverse all-star list including Michael Whelan, Dave Seeley, Vincent Villafranca, Bob Eggleton, Eric Fortune, Bruce Jensen, Daren Bader, Donato Giancola, Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, John Jude Palencar, Brom, Jordu Schell, Justin Gerard, Justin Sweet, Lucas Graciano, Michael Hayes, and many more. Pyr's Lou Anders and Wizards of the Coast's Jon Schindehette were amongst the art directors present to review student portfolios.

Like most art shows, the exhibition and selling of original art and merchandise is a big focus of the show, but what I liked about this one was the energy and camaraderie. The programming was terrific and art-centric ranging from demos to virtual studio discussions to art director q&a's. IlluxCon was a first-class affair. Pat and Jeannie organized this from scratch. They're passionate about sf/fantasy art and they've got a progressive can-do spirit. I think that makes all the difference in the world. They've presented a stellar case study for how to run a first-class art show, how to properly market a first-class art show, and they did it without the infrastructure and resources of larger sf/fantasy conventions.

I had a blast and I'm strongly considering returning for next year's show. Here's a Flickr set of iPhone shots to give you a taste of the action.

World Fantasy Con 2009

2009-11-03T09:39:00.004-06:00

Wow. WFC'09, you were a blast. I had a terrific time as I always do at WFC. Hats off to the con com for a dynamite show. Although the Art Show was definitely not a highlight (low sales and poor turnout), I managed to sell my small display of work (hooray!) and enjoyed the work of several of the artists such as GoH Lisa Snellings, Vincent Villafranca, Erik Gist, Lee Moyer, and Lucas Graciano.

I conducted a one-man slideshow/q&a about cover illustration and design, and was amazed to see how well-attended it was -- easily 200+ attendees in that room, and some say as high as 250. Along with Chris Roberson, I did a 45-min. interview with a prospective TV book-centric TV pilot series called MARGINS. I signed a ton of books. Saw Jerad Walters of Centipede Press unveil the massive Stephen King artbook KNOWING DARKNESS: ARTISTS INSPIRED BY STEPHEN KING. It's a beautiful book (pictured above) and I'm in awe. All Stephen King fans will covet this book. Had many drinks, conversations, and meals with old friends and new. It was the typical WFC, which is to say that it was packed from beginning to end with fun and inspiration. Here's a small set of photos from my iPhone -- check it out. :)

MileHiCon 41 Wrapup

2009-11-03T09:13:00.004-06:00

Thanks to everyone at MileHiCon 41 for a terrific time! I went straight from there to the World Fantasy Con so I'm only now getting to blog about it. I was Artist Guest of Honor over the weekend of October 23-25 and the MHC folks know how to put on a first class show. Artists -- if you ever see Bruce Miller as the Art Show Director for a show, you're in good hands. Along with Randy Cleary, he's one of the most efficient show directors I've ever seen. Besides running great art shows, they're great with details such as paying the artists on-site for their art show sales rather than having them wait weeks for payment. :)

MileHiCon has outstanding programming, terrific fans, and great costumes. I had a great time with folks such as Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Hightower, Mario Acevedo, Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead, Marc Gunn, Kelli Meyer, Corry Lee, Carrie Vaughn, Brandon Sanderson, the Lickiss family and many more. The con com was terrific. Special shoutouts to Linda Nelson, Rose Beetem, Cheryl Sundseth, and especially Ryan Marshall for taking great care of all of the GoHs. I was proud to be a part of the effort, and now I know why this is one of the most well-regarded regional sf cons in the country.

MileHiCon Schedule

2009-10-21T22:16:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been a busy month -- so busy that I haven't been logging much time here at my blog. MileHiCon 41 is here -- and here's where I'll be in the Mile High City. Because I'm the Artist Guest of Honor at this weekend's show, you can expect that I'll have a large art show display with plenty of work for sale. If you're at the show or living in the Denver area, don't be a stranger! :)

FRIDAY

OPENING CEREMONIES
7-7:45pm
Grand Mesa B/C
M. Gunn, B. Hambly, N. Kress,
J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

AUTOGRAPH ALLEY
8-9pm

SATURDAY

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER
10-11am
Grand Mesa A
M. Carroll, L. Givens, W. Hodgson,
J. Picacio, S. Tefoe

FUTURE ARTS
11am-12noon
Mesa Verde A
D. Bates, M. Gunn, S. Lickiss, J. Mills, J. Picacio

THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO
2pm-3pm
Grand Mesa A
(slideshow + q&a about my recent illustration & design work)

ART SHOW TOUR / DEMO
4pm
(I'm not sure whether the con has me doing a demo
or an art show tour, but I'll be doing one of those.)

SUNDAY

KAFFEEKLATSCH
9am
Con Suite
B. Hambly, N. Kress, J. Picacio, C. Willis

GoH SPEECHES & AWARDS
11am-1pm
Mesa Verde B
M. Gunn, B. Hambly, N. Kress, J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

CLOSING CEREMONY
5pm-6pm
Mesa Verde B
M. Gunn, J. Picacio, B. Sanderson

WAR AND SPACE is here!

2009-09-23T08:38:00.003-05:00

NESFA Press, the publishing imprint of the New England Science Fiction Association, has just released WAR AND SPACE: SELECTED SHORT STORIES OF LESTER DEL REY, VOL. 1. The book is the first of a two-volume hardcover set of the best of Del Rey’s short stories. The book was edited by Steven H. Silver and designed by Alice N.S. Lewis. The cover art is by me. :)

Del Rey was a seminal science fiction author and editor in the 1930’s through the 50’s. His short stories appeared in many of the leading sf magazines of the era, including John W. Campbell’s ASTOUNDING STORIES. Along with Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton, Campbell was one of a handful of early sf writers who also wrote stories targeted toward adolescent readers. He was awarded the 1990 Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.

He and his wife Judy-Lynn Del Rey co-edited a line of books within the Ballantine publishing umbrella, and this imprint became what is known as Del Rey Books, one of the leading science fiction/fantasy publishing imprints in America.

I'm scheduled to do the cover art for the second volume of this collection, and NESFA Press will release it next year.

The Essential Jack Skillingstead

2009-09-03T06:22:00.006-05:00

I'm now looking at an advance copy of one of the 2009 hardcovers I've most wanted. It's ARE YOU THERE AND OTHER STORIES by Jack Skillingstead (Golden Gryphon Press). Yes, I illustrated the cover art for this story collection, but that's not why I've been looking forward to it. Quite simply, I envy the rest of the world that hasn't read this one. The major editors of sf/f, such as Gardner Dozois, Gordon Van Gelder, and Lou Anders, know how special Skillingstead is. They're the ones that first commissioned his stories. Beyond them, I suspect Skillingstead is still a relative unknown to many, but perhaps not for much longer. Skillingstead is one of my new favorite writers, and even better, he's one of the rare ones that seeks big questions rather than big answers. As 2009 World Fantasy Award nominee Daryl Gregory says, "Jack Skillingstead is fearless. No one in SF writes about death, sex, loneliness, and love with such searing honesty." Well said.

I was hired for this gig back in '08, and was privileged to read the manuscript back then. I suspected this might be one of the very best sf books of 2009. That's how good it is. I want to know what you think. This book is not for everyone. I envy anyone reading these stories for the first time. This is my favorite kind of sf -- the kind that inevitably make me see the world a little more clearly, with all of the shades of love, hurt, and hope illuminated a little richer and deeper than the day before. Golden Gryphon has it available right now, and Amazon will start selling it on September 6th. (Note that Amazon's cover image is a mockup, not the final. The one you see above is the final.)

A final note about the cover art -- gosh, this was a hard book to cover-illustrate. This book demanded a personal response, rather than a literal one, which is the way I prefer to work, but it wasn't easy. I originally thought the cover might be a man trying to hug a ghost (if you catch that Amazon image before they change it) and I cobbled together a rough assemblage image using a piece of a previous cover to try to grasp the basic image, in hopes of reshaping and refining. The publisher liked it. Jack liked it. I liked it, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it seemed awfully heavy-handed. It just wasn't the iconic image this cover demanded. The final cover art sprung from one of my alternate ideas, and as it turned out, it was the right one. Thanks to Matt Fulcher and Sanford Allen for helping me find my way. I wish there were more books like this.

13 Days On The Road (Part 5)

2009-08-13T14:58:00.003-05:00

Otherwise known as my 2009 Worldcon Report. And the final installment of my 13 Days On The Road series. Good news, bad news. The bad is that Blogger is currently cranky and having trouble uploading photos. The good is that you can see my complete report on the MISSIONS UNKNOWN blog (a Word Press blog), and if you just want the photos, you can go here to my 1st Flickr set. It was an amazing trip. Until next time, Montreal...

13 Days On The Road (Part 4)

2009-08-12T17:58:00.003-05:00

Otherwise known as "The Hugos: Faraway So Close". It's an honor to be nominated for the Hugo Award and I've been graced with that recognition five consecutive years for Best Professional Artist. It's rarified air to be on the Hugo ballot any year. I've been fortunate to breathe it in these five years. However, I've never reached the Hugo mountaintop and won the shiny rocketship trophy. I lost again this past Sunday night, finishing in second place. This year, according to the final numbers, I came achingly close, but that doesn't matter. Donato Giancola won the prize, and it's his third Hugo Award in four years. Donato knows how much I respect him and his work, and let me take this opportunity to publicly salute him and offer my heartfelt congrats. He's a friend, a class act all the way, and one of the all-time greats. You earned it, man.

Big congrats out to John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, David Anthony Durham, Stephen Segal, Ann Vandermeer, Cheryl Morgan, John Klima and all who earned their Hugos this past Sunday night.

As for me, back to the art life. Back to trying to get better as an artist and back to pushing myself a little further every day. Thanks to all who nominated and voted for me this year. I'm deeply honored and very much appreciate it. Many of you came to me with well wishes before and after the process took its course. Thank you. With hard work and luck, perhaps my work will prove worthy of your consideration again in 2010, and if so, we'll see what happens then. Back to work.

13 Days On The Road (Part 3)

2009-08-12T14:49:00.004-05:00

Otherwise known as "Hooray! I won a Chesley Award!" This one's been well-documented on Twitter since the results were announced at the Chesley Awards Ceremony Friday, August 7th at Worldcon, but since I'm just getting to post it here, here's a photo and here's a detail of my trophy plugged in and aglow. That's right -- I said "plugged in". Not many trophies are a self-contained light show, but this one is -- and wow, it's a beauty. I won for Best Paperback Cover Illustration for my cover art for FAST FORWARD 2 (pictured here), edited by Lou Anders (Pyr). Lou won his very first Chesley Award (Best Art Director), which is an amazing thing considering that Lou's official title is Editorial Director of Pyr. However, everyone in the art community knows that he's Pyr's Art Director because he's carried that role from Day 1, even if it wasn't officially in his job description. Very honored to be amongst the full list of Chesley Awards winners. Pure joy.

13 Days On The Road (Part 2)

2009-08-12T14:07:00.007-05:00

Otherwise known as "Holy Cow! I'm a 2009 World Fantasy Award nominee!" This post is hugely belated because I was on the road between SpoCon and Worldcon when this was first announced on August 4th. I immediately Tweeted and Facebooked it, but didn't have the ability to update this blog, until now. Again -- very honored to be a finalist on an insanely terrific ballot. And congrats to fellow nominees Kinuko Y. Craft, Janet Chui, Stephan Martiniere, and Shaun Tan. Proud to be in your company!

13 Days On The Road (Part 1)

2009-08-12T09:30:00.005-05:00

I've been on the road so long that I'm not sure if my own blog recognizes me now that I'm home. In future, I need to integrate this blog with my Twitter and Facebook updates and that'll happen when the great Paul Vaughn soon redesigns my website and blog from the bottom up. For now, I need to catch up here with everything that's happened in the last thirteen days while I've been gone. WOW. SO much has happened. Let the recap begin.

Here are some words and pics from my Artist GoH stint at SpoCon 2009, in Spokane, WA, July 30 to August 2, 2009.

The September '09 ASIMOV'S Is Here!

2009-07-29T11:53:00.003-05:00

I mentioned this over at MISSIONS UNKNOWN yesterday, but didn't have time until just now to mention it here. The September issue of ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION went on sale yesterday and it features my cover art for Lisa Goldstein's story "Away From Here." Despite these days being stormy ones for the magazine publishing world as a whole, ASIMOV'S is still going strong with 44 Hugo Awards and 24 Nebula Awards to its credit to date. This month's issue is loaded with phenomenal authors and content, and I'm proud to be associated it.

An Open Letter to Adam Roberts

2009-07-21T00:26:00.008-05:00

Hi, Adam --

I'm pleased you're a working science fiction author because as a driveby art critic, you're a mess. In your July 17th post about the Hugo Awards, you labelled the work of four of the five Best Professional Artist Hugo nominees as dull and mediocre, and not deserving of Hugo recognition. You're entitled to your opinion, just as all fans are. Being one of the five Hugo nominees in this category, I can safely speak for myself and all of the pro artist nominees in that we all relish good criticism. It's part of being a pro.

That said, hopefully you and I will someday sit down at a con and have a beer together. We have a shared love for science fiction. Both of us wish the best for its progressive growth. We have mutual friends. Many of them speak highly of your ability as an sf author. I hear that you're the kind of challenging author that I love to cover-illustrate. That said, even if I just have the pleasure of reading one of your books someday, I hope I'll actually be able to find one.

I applaud your self-appointed stance as a champion of literary excellence and that you demand excellence of the rest of the sf world. However, in doing so, it's only fair that you live up to the same. As an art critic, you fail miserably, sir. Two statements you make in your post that betray you as a poseur in this regard:

1. Of the work of Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos, Bob Eggleton and myself, you claim that the work is "conventional; all surface technique and no soul; artworks exactly like and in not one quarter-degree superior to pretty much every SFF novel or magazine cover printed since 1966."

Response: Since 1966, you say? "Pretty much every", you say? Sounds like you worked overtime to calculate that one. Since you've so conveniently couched your opinion as fact, I'm sure you'll be willing to enlighten us with your well-researched thesis about 43 years of sf art from which your conclusion no doubt originates (maybe somewhere within your labyrinthine HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION?). Pardon me if I don't hold my breath waiting.

2. A second excerpt from your blogpost: "Remember, Fandom, my question is not: are these artists competent, because clearly they all are. But are they the best? What are they doing that is new? That stands out? That shakes or moves or inspires us? The moleskin-notebook doodlers on Skine-art produce more interesting art than this in their spare time every day. We can do better. Or—and this is the angle that worries me, Fandom: or (sic) you really think that these images are the best that visual art can be?"

Response: It's up to me to make the decisions within my own work. It's up to the audience to judge how it assimilates into the culture stream. It's up to me to make my work the best I can, and once done, I leave the value judgments to the audience, and to history. That said, I'll leave you and the rest of the world to judge my work, but as a working professional artist, I'm qualified to make the case for three very worthy 2009 Hugo Award Professional Artist nominees, Donato Giancola, Dan Dos Santos and Bob Eggleton. You say that "the moleskin-notebook doodlers on Skine-art produce more interesting art than this in their spare time every day." I took a look through this site which you claim is more "interesting". I encourage all to do the same and make their own judgments. Meanwhile, I offer the following personal opinions on Giancola, Dos Santos, and Eggleton. (Readers please note that I'm also a huge admirer of Shaun Tan's work and he's equally Hugo-worthy, but he wasn't a target of clumsy generalization and therefore, not relevant to present discussion.)

Why I believe Donato Giancola is Hugo-worthy:

This is Donato's cover art for THE GOLDEN ROSE. It not only displays a masterful command of oil paint but packs an emotional wallop. Technically, it's one of the richest oil paintings I've seen on an sf/f cover in 2008. Note the rocks vs. the foamy tide; the undertones of the fish skin vs. those of the human skin; the textures of the tentacles vs. those of the neighboring seaweed; the triangular shapes of the tide echoing the triangular shapes of the rocks. All of this interplay is happening within a simple but dynamic birds-eye composition that frames the forms and drama in perfect measure. The body language of the figures is gut-wrenching and engrossing. To call this "soulless art" signals character flaws within the accuser, not within the art or the artist. If this is "mediocre art" that shows sf/f in a poor light, then go talk to the Society of Illustrators New York who are very much NOT a genre association and recognized this painting with their highest 2008 honor -- the Hamilton King Award, awarded to the outstanding illustration of the year by a peer group of some of the most respected American artists.

Why I believe Dan Dos Santos is Hugo-worthy:

This is Dan's cover for POISON SLEEP. What I love about this one is it's an ingenious and unconventional compositional solution that doesn't succumb to the formulas of a standard mass-market paperback. The color scheme is restrained and smart. It stands out versus its adjacent competitors on a given bookstore shelf. There's an economy of form here, and a delicacy in the skin tones, expressions and gestures. It does what only the very best book cover art does -- draws the reader across the store to pick up the book, while standing on its own as a compelling piece of visual storytelling.

Why I believe Bob Eggleton is Hugo-worthy:

Bob will never be confused for artists pushing the envelope of genre art, but in fact, that's his super power. He's unapologetically in love with pulp, and while that may not be my personal cup of tea, his work regularly seduces my eyes, unlike any other living pulp-loving painter. That's a pretty neat trick when pulp is not my primary interest and yet I enjoy it when Bob does it. Paintings like this one are why his work connects so powerfully with the sf audience. They transport viewers time after time, and his brushwork is some of the most emotional that we currently have in the sf field. Some may argue that Bob's thematic wellspring doesn't speak to the present time, but I think that's precisely his point. I think he's consciously trying to use the fantastic to remind us of simpler times past and future, and and he does it as well as anyone ever has in sf art.

Adam: You attempted to make the case for sweeping change in the Hugos (which is very much your right), but you utterly failed to make a convincing case why one form of visual art is more desirable than the current nominated choices in the Best Professional Artist category.

Instead, you displayed that it's much easier for you to wield poorly-crafted generalizations, a familiar trademark of amateur writers. Again, your opinions are your right, just as they're the right of any fan, but it's a working professional's equal right to call you out when you pound your chest, demanding excellence, and yet don't expect the same of yourself in this conversation. I'm disappointed that someone of your regard prefers to be just another intellectual bully trying to look oh-so-cool and above reproach, lobbing cheap shots, while trading on his reputation. Science fiction is my field too, and it deserves better than that.

Again, I hope we can have a beer together someday. It would be a sincere pleasure, and I mean that with no sarcasm. And one last thing -- should you again decide to take potshots at Giancola, Dos Santos, or Eggleton, please bring your A-game next time.

Very best,
John Picacio

Cheryl Morgan & Convention Reporter

2009-07-16T08:10:00.004-05:00

Cheryl Morgan has unveiled her latest creation -- Convention Reporter. Ever spent big chunks of time trolling the internet searching for threads and reports about an sf/fantasy convention that's currently happening? Well, this website is the answer to your prayers (and just in time for the upcoming World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal). First, a quick word about Cheryl -- she's one of the nominees this year for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer, and it's not just because she generates some of the best fan reporting and discussion found anywhere. It's just as much for her commitment and vision, creating sites like Convention Reporter and the well-regarded Science Fiction Awards Watch. For my money, she's one of the essential voices of today's sf community, and when she talks, smart people listen.

Have a look at some of the folks that will be joining me as "con reporters" in this new effort -- Lou Anders, Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Cory Doctorow, and more. Decent company, I'd say.

So how does this work? Cheryl explains: "This is what you might call a 'mashup'. That is, it is an online service that works by collating information from a variety of other online services and presenting it in an single, simple interface.

Science fiction conventions are very well reported on these days. Convention attendees write reports on their blogs, and on web sites such as LiveJournal and Facebook. They upload photos. They may even tweet live from the convention. Modern smart phone hardware is starting to allow direct creation and uploading of YouTube video. The potential is endless.

But how do you find these reports? Hashtags are one solution; this is another. Very simply, we ask people who are planning to cover a convention to register with us, and we make all of their reports easily accessible in one place."

Should be a lot of fun being a part of this effort in Montreal, and beyond. :) Thanks, Cheryl!

THE TERROR Final Art

2009-07-13T10:31:00.002-05:00

Been busy, busy over here. Just noticed that this weekend, Subterranean Press unveiled the final cover for their limited edition of Dan Simmons' THE TERROR. I did the cover art for this one and Subterranean is now accepting preorders for the book. The previous two covers I've done for Subterranean Press were also for Dan Simmons limited editions (MUSE OF FIRE and DROOD). Both of those books have completely sold out. I would expect that THE TERROR will likely do the same, so you might consider ordering yours soon before they're gone. :)

Locus Awards Results + Odds & Ends

2009-07-09T11:45:00.005-05:00

Can't believe it's already been a week since I last posted here! Some odds and ends that I haven't had time to post, until now:

1. The full Locus Awards results have been published in the print edition of this month's LOCUS MAGAZINE. I'm pleased to see that I finished #3 in the poll. Many thanks to all who considered me on their ballots. As most folks know, Michael Whelan finished #1, and Bob Eggleton finished #2. It's a heckuva list and I'm honored to be included.

2. Enjoyed this short Lev Grossman TIME MAGAZINE/Nerd World Q&A with the great Michael Moorcock. In it, Lev pimps Tachyon's terrific new book THE BEST OF MICHAEL MOORCOCK.

3. Jeff Vandermeer recently posted about Mark Chadbourn and the AGE OF MISRULE trilogy over at Omnivoracious. Solid piece -- check it out. :)

4. Been working on several illustration fronts here -- mostly drawings for the 6th Del Rey ELRIC book! Will hopefully be sharing some of it here when the publisher gives the greenlight. :)

5. If you happen to be on Twitter, or are considering it, I seem to be dropping by there at least once a day to offer a thought or comment. Here's my Twitter feed if you'd like to follow it. (And by the way, no plan to abandon this blog! In fact, Paul Vaughn is currently working on revamping it and my website with a brand-new look! Stay tuned.) :)

WAR AND SPACE next month!

2009-07-02T10:39:00.002-05:00

Editor Steven Silver sent me this the other day -- the final jacket layout for NESFA Press' forthcoming WAR AND SPACE: THE BEST OF LESTER DEL REY, VOL. 1. NESFA's website says the book is slated for release next month, so I'm guessing that means they'll have copies available at the World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal. Can't wait to see how it turns out....should be a winner. :) Cover illustration by me, and jacket design by Alice N.S. Lewis. Alice is also the designer responsible for the cool Boskone poster that's been distributed recently. Way to go, Alice!

Boskone 47 Mini Poster

2009-06-29T16:46:00.003-05:00

Man, the NESFAns are like clockwork with their newsletters. The latest one includes this cool little full-color flyer pimping next year's Boskone 47 in February. They used my cover illustration for George Zebrowski's MACROLIFE and I couldn't help but smile when I saw it. Whomever is responsible for designing this flyer -- great job! :) I dig it and I'll hang up mine here in my studio. You can download your very own right here.

ALWAYS FOREVER is here!

2009-06-25T13:54:00.005-05:00

Crazy good news for Mark Chadbourn's AGE OF MISRULE: BOOK 3 -- ALWAYS FOREVER! The book has sold out its first printing before it even hits the stores! Here's what that means -- bookstores liked what they saw from the first two books in the trilogy and they have confidence this third book is a solid bet to sell equally well, if not better. So they upped their orders and effectively bought up the entire first printing. What that means to you is this: if you want a first-edition copy of ALWAYS FOREVER, they should be at your local bookstore right now and it's best to buy soon because the distributors don't have any more in their warehouses. :)

My comp copies of Mark Chadbourn's ALWAYS FOREVER arrived the other day and the printing turned out great! I illustrated the cover for this one, as well as the previous two books in the series, WORLD'S END and DARKEST HOUR. It's fun to see the three books lined up, side by side.

Meantime, I'll soon be back to working on the covers for the next books in this story arc. Congrats to Mark and to Pyr!

2009 Chesley Award Noms!

2009-06-18T08:40:00.005-05:00

Received fabulous news late yesterday! I'm nominated for four 2009 Chesley Awards. Wow!! Here's the complete list of nominees. And boy, what a list it is -- there will be some heavyweight decisions in several categories. Here are my four nominated works:

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Hardcover
VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL: SELECTED STORIES
Author: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Publisher: Tor

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Paperback
FAST FORWARD 2
Edited by: Lou Anders
Publisher: Pyr

(Above)
Best Cover Illustration: Magazine
ASIMOV'S
September 2008

(Above)
Best Interior Illustration
ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS
Author: Michael Moorcock
Publisher: Del Rey
(This selection is one of 20+ interior illustrations I did for the book, but I'd have to say this is my personal favorite. Here's an extensive gallery of some my other interiors from the book.)

And finally, shoutouts to Lou Anders -- a 2009 Hugo Award nominee for Best Editor, and a 2009 Chesley Award nominee for Best Art Director (a very rare feat) -- and also fellow Texan Vincent Villafranca for his well-earned 3D nomination. Congrats to all fellow nominees. I'm proud and honored to be amongst you!

My Interview with China's FANTASY ART

2009-06-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, you saw the May 2009 cover of China's FANTASY ART Magazine. This morning, I received a PDF of my interview pages inside the mag. Above are four of the feature's eight pages. FANTASY ART says it'll be about three months before I see a physical copy of the mag. That's a mighty slow boat, but I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Too bad I can't read Chinese, but the spreads are so beautifully done that they're still a pleasure. Huge thanks to Lizzy Carft and all at FANTASY ART for making this possible. :)

Wow! On the cover of FANTASY ART in China!

2009-06-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

My illustration for Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS is featured on the May 2009 cover of China's FANTASY ART Magazine, the country's leading pro magazine celebrating fantasy art and design. Earlier this year, Lizzy Carft conducted an interview with me, which is reportedly inside this issue. I say "reportedly" because I've yet to see the actual magazine itself. I'm sure the good people of FANTASY ART will be sending a few to me and I can't wait to see how it looks. When they do, I'll likely need the mighty Xin to translate the read. :) Very cool!

The Little Antho That Could

2009-06-16T09:59:00.003-05:00

Seems like FAST FORWARD 2 is the critical darling that just won't die, well over a year after initial release! :) Here's two more extensive reviews courtesy of SFSite (reviewed by Derek Johnson) and Fantasy Book Critic (reviewed by Fabio Fernandes). Happy to see this, as it's always been tough for anthologies to survive, even at the best of times. I've said this before, but I'm extremely proud to have illustrated this cover because books this good don't grow on trees, to say the least. If you love great sf, and wish to see anthos like FF2 continue, please consider buying one, if you haven't already. Your purchase doesn't affect me one way or the other. I certainly don't make any money from the sale, but literature is best when it's diverse. The sf field needs books like FF2 just as it needs its ubiquitous best-sellers.