Climbing the Watcher Tree

Let's try this again, shall we?

    Well, that was a very long intermission. I've been missing in action on my own blog now for three years, and that surprises me as well. Have you ever gotten so involved with stuff that you just lose track of time?

    Well, it's like that.

    I apologize for my very long absence from updating this blog. In my last post (from 2018) I had promised you "the new stuff." Finally, we've gotten to the new stuff. And there's a lot of it to share with you.

For instance:

    In the interim, it feels like the world is a very different place than it was three years ago. One constant was that creators kept creating. My own creative projects have been mostly chronicled on my Patreon from as far back as 2016. I've sadly neglected this longer-form, more public blog... which I now hope to rectify.

    There is a lot to get caught up on, both creatively and personally. My plan for The Watcher Tree blog is to show you a lot of "making of " posts and "behind-the-scenes" moments from the past few years.  And there's a ton of content.

    As usual, I'll sometimes deviate from posting about my artwork and get into geeky ramblings, or possibly more personal things. For instance, I have a couple of pieces of a more personal nature that I had originally posted elsewhere. One future post I have planned is a longer version of an essay that I had written for a special publication, and it had been (and is still) a tough subject for me. But we'll get to that one all in good time.

    I can't promise you that I'll cover things chronologically. I do hope it will continue to be interesting for those who enjoy my work and who are curious about the process. Or what the hell was I thinking while making stuff. (Probably that I needed more coffee or that I needed to make a new playlist to work to.)

    You may have noticed that I'm a traditional artist, who likes to use pencils, ink and paints. Working this way is therapeutic for me. My Patreon is where you'll see me post about my newest projects. If you enjoy my work, please consider following me or supporting me there. This helps tremendously with things like always needed art supplies. If you choose to, Ko-Fi is another place where you can also help me acquire those elusive tubes of acrylic gouache and new watercolor brushes, which I go through very quickly. And I thank you very much for all your help.

    Other places where you can find me are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (which I'm admittedly still new to)  and Tumblr, where I also share current work and mostly get chatty about all sorts of other dumb stuff.

    In my last posts from 2018, I took you through a lot of older artwork I had done, mostly color fantasy paintings that I had tried to digitally restore. Now we get into new territory: art inspired by various fandoms, some for fun, some for publication. You'll see more sketchbook drawings and works-in-progress, finished illustration and my personal adventures (and misadventures.)

    Here are some photos of the balcony of my apartment. I've finally found a type of plant that can endure the blistering Phoenix, Arizona, summer: it's an African succulent called portulacaria afra, also known as "elephant bushes," because they're apparently a favorite snack for pachyderms. This has been my refuge out here for the past few months with my sketchbook, journal or Kindle (when it isn't as hot as the face of the sun, that is.)

 

    If you're already familiar with my work, what subjects would you like to see me cover here in The Watcher Tree? Are there any pictures of mine in particular that you would like to see me talk about? 

    I thank you all again in advance for your patience.

    So, let's begin. Again.