New (old) art

Hi there.  For a while, my policy for Moonshines.com was to have only a small selection of my “best” pieces on the website, as it’s my portfolio, and I’m told you should only have the best to represent you.  While all this is true, this has meant that a lot of art I’ve done over the years isn’t represented, here or anywhere really.

The solution to this conundrum is to reorganize….and redesign.  In the coming weeks, helped by my partner in  crime, webbastard extraordinaire, Jeff Jones, the Moonshines site will experience a significant facelift.  The first visible step to that endeaver is the addition of a lot of new (old) art, starting with work from the CCG Legend of the Five Rings.  Enjoy!

Nightlights

Only 24 days left until DragonCon opens it’s doors, and the Moonshines studio is a flurry or maniacal printing, painting, cutting and matting.  Here’s a preview of a piece making its debut at DC, “Nightlights”.  Dragons, especially the pint sized dragonets I first read in the Anne McCaffrey books, have always been a special love of mine, and this was a blast to do.  Enjoy!

One Little Scare Oughta Do It

I’ve been working with my friend, Jason Blair, for a while now.  Way back when in 2000, I contributed work to Little Fears The Roleplaying Game of Childhood Terror, which was controversial and an award winner.  The summer it came out I heard about it everywhere, it was just that groundbreaking.  Over the years since, as Jason moved on to other companies, he would occasionally offer work and I would jump at the chance.  This last opportunity came up this past year with LF:Nightmare Edition. Jason will soon be releasing the cover to the second book to LFNE, so I thought I would by featuring some of the interiors from the first book here.  I may have to rethink my categories – while not whimsical, they certainly don’t belong with my regular fantasy work.  Hmmmm….

Song of Ice and Fire

I recently set up a Facebook fan page (check it out at Moonshines Fantasy Art) and have been sadly neglecting my beloved little site here.  To start rectifying that, I’d like to share some work from a game which recently was nominated for an Origins award on top of the Ennie award it already received, “A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying” by Green Ronin Publishing, based on my favorite book series by George R.R. Martin.

Medusa Mermaid sketch

Hello everyone. I hope you had a happy and safe New Year!  Recently,  I had one of my biannual office tidies and came across this convention sketch from a few years ago.  I’m not sure how many years ago, because I forgot to date it and it just ended up in a pile of papers sitting under my desk. Anyway, at conventions I generally can’t make too much progress on paying work because electricity can be scarse and expensive, so it’s generally a good opportunity to draw.  I even offer to do fairly inexpensive sketches as a way to pass the time and make sure i can still make marks on paper. Sometimes, I get lucky and get something worth keeping and possibly developing later.  Let me know if you think this should be one.

Monsters in the Dark

It was a busy summer this year.  Besides my regular card work, work for the RPG “A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying” and the front and back covers to “Morticai’s Luck“, my old friend Jason Blair looked me up for a new publishing venture of his. Out of the blue he emailed me when a few days before I had been talking to my hubby Jeff that I should look him up!  Serendipity.  Especially when h explained that he wanted me to work on the long-awaited expansion to the Little Fears RPG we had worked on many years before, and that it would tie into my fairly recent goal of doing more kid-related art!  Here is the final art for the book which was recently released.

Morticai’s Luck cover

*Sigh* I never post here as regularly as I should.  You would think that now that I’m on Facebook and Twitter, I would find updating my portfolio site easier, but no luck.  Anyway, let me get to the business at hand.  I recently wrapped up work for the book Morticai’s Luck, to be published by rising star publisher DarkStar Books. I did two pieces,  the front cover shown as well as a back cover, which is the moodier of the two pieces.  I really enjoyed working on these because I got to research the gorgeous costuming of 18th century France.  I also had the pleasure of meeting the author, Darlene Bolesny, during my recent trip to DragonCon.

Show and Tell

Phoenix Interactive just released Crimson Coast, the second expansion for the 4th Edition of the Warlord: Saga of the Storm CCG. Since it’s out, I can know share 3 of the cards I did work for in this set.  Unusual for me, they’re all ladies – an Freekingdom archer with a super-duper bow (card name: Skyfire), a Deverenian storm worshiper (card name: Sister Wanda) and a hag (card name: Green Hag).  Two of these characters are actually from previous Warlord cards I did, lo these many years ago.  The archer is from a piece which ended up being split into 3 cards, featuring the lady running to save a mystical crane from an approaching Nothrog.  The storm worshiper is from a card that I think was called “Improved Invisibility”.

From the Art files

As I’ve indicated before, I’m trying to make a start in the children’s book illustration market.  I’ve become a member of SCBWI, spent entirely too much time on children’s writer/editor/artist websites, looking for key information, and have slowly been adding to my whimsy portfolio, which is much too light.  So, I’ve just added a bunch of old pieces I’ve had hiding in my files and a new piece based on the story in my head I’ve mentioned before, Jasper.  Enjoy!

Spies Like Me

Just recently, I’ve been busy at work trying to wrap up the page layout for a project I’ve been very excited about.  It’s an art book called Spies Like Me which will include sketches, comp and finals for the entire line of Spycraft 1.0 work i did with AEG and other publishers from 2002 to 2005.  I’m working with Pat Kapera at Crafty Games to make this available for PDF dowload and in print.  It’s been a long hard slog since I’ve been fitting in the writing between illustration work, but I can see the glimmer at the end of the tunnel.  If you’re interested in a heads up when the book becomes available, drop me a line!

Perfect Storm of sorts

A combination of my wonderful, venerable Mac G4 slowly going kablooey while still keeping up with work, kids and home has kept me from posting for a while.  So, to catch you up – I’ve recently completed work I’m very happy with for Phoenix Interactive’s Warlord CCG, as well as for AEG’s L5R.  Now in print are pieces in Green Ronin’s new RPG “A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying”, as well as 3 cards for the Warlord set, Shattered Empires (Alaya, Dunewalker’s Staff and the Giving if you’re taking notes).  On the home front, I just came back from herding 9 girls on their first camping trip this past weekend and I’m still tired 2 days later, and my sistar and family are traveling in for a week’s stay. Ha!

New Game of Thrones art

As I may have mentioned a ridiculous number of times before, I am a big fan of the Game of Thrones series of books by George R. R. Martin and I love that I have a chance to illustrate the characters from the series for the card game from Fantasy Flight Games.  Here is the rough draft and final art for a recently released card “Aegon’s Legacy”  featuring the 3 young dragons sitting on the Iron Throne.

Fired Up

Having recently come back from SCBWI, I am energized. Not only am I working on more art, but I am also starting to write.  So much of the conference was directed towards aspiring writers that I had to learn a few things – if only through diffusion.  In any case, I’ve decided to more regularly share my thoughts, sketches and finalized art here in my little oubliette.  Eventually, I may even share my writings.  Ha!

Here is another recent addition to my portfolio.  I’m including the rough draft here and the final you’ll have to click on.  This is a scene from a story that as yet exists only in my slightly kooky brain, a follow-up to Jasper.  The idea here is that Dad here has brought home an interesting rock home to his son that he thought was only a geode.  But lo and behold…

Epiphany! (lite)

This fall, I had an epiphany.  Or at least an “epiphany-lite”.  It occurred to me that my work didn’t really look much like what is so prevalent on the covers and marketing of my chosen niche – fantasy.  Really!  Stroll down the aisles of your neighborhood bookstore or game shop (please do, because browsing a website isn’t nearly as fun) and the current trends in novels and games tend toward dark gritty themes or photorealistic people and vistas. Where might my work fit in? Children’s publishing!….possibly. In any case, I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to pursue work for the books that my eldest (a precoscious 8 year old) loves.  And I’ve decided to jump in with both feet by going to my first ever Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference, which happens to be the national conference in NY at the end of this month.  In preparation for this nerve-wr…I mean, exciting event, I’ve been busy adding to my portfolio.  This is a new addition based on a story I’m going to write.

Happy New Year!

With the new year comes newly released released art I can share with you.  Recently released (as in the last few months because I never keep track like I should) are cards for Vampire the Eternal Struggle: Keepers of Tradition set, Legend of the Five Rings: The Heaven’s Will edition and Warlord CCG: Shattered Empires.  Also, be on the look-out in the coming days for a whole new re-design with new art.  More to come….

End of Summer Art Dump

With the coming of fall, it’s time to reflect and review, look through my files and figure out what I can finally show. It’s been a busy summer, starting early in April with my first ever appearance at New York Comic Con. June brought my favorite convention, Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. It was very successful with 2 art show awards, 3rd place in Best Fantasy and 3rd place in Best Game Related. On the art front, the Words and Deeds expansion to L5R CCG, Warlord: Saga of the Storm 4th edition set and Clash of Arms expansion to A Game of Thrones CCG were published. Also recently released was the game Sundered Skies from Savage Worlds. Please to enjoy.

OmegaCon and the Demon King

We’re still making our way back from OmegaCon in Birmingham, but wanted to share Veronica’s upcoming cover for Will Lockett’s War of the Crown: Demon King. Next stop: New York Comic Con!

L5R’s Honor’s Veil Card Art Now Available

Veronica’s faithful web minion has just added her four new Legend of the Five Rings cards from the Honor’s Veil set. They’re also available in the print shop, should you want a closer look.

Open for Business

After a bit of web wizardry, the Shop is now open for business. Expect to see some additional artwork as well sometime soon.

The New Moonshines!

Veronica’s webminion has finally worked out most of the kinks in the new design. Only the newest art has been moved to the new site yet, but until we have everything in place, feel free to visit the previous MoonShines website for all your classic Veronica needs.