Feminist Zine Cover

"Moon Phases" was a fan publication "zine" devoted to stories about social issues, while still using Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Darkover" world. This not well-preserved cover illustrates a scene in Bradley's "Thendara House" where the Darkovan heroine is invasively examined by a team of male scientists. She is human but her people have lived on Darkover for 2000 years, and have gained psychic powers. They are the descendants of a lost space colony and ended up breeding with the native humanoids of the planet, whose natural psychic talents the half-breeds inherited. The publisher of the magazine wanted me to emphasize the insensitivity of the male examiners who made her stand naked in a test area where everyone could see her. Marion Z B turned out not to be a great person in real life, but her books helped countless young fan women learn about feminism and the challenges of women which are still a huge issue now.

Original art is black ink on illustration board, 8" x 11", July 1983.

Deskscape

This isn't a "642," it's a "still life" so to speak, of one of my workspaces I use to digitize and process photos. Many of these things are familiar. All the spaces in my cluttered archivist apartment look like this, to my constant dismay. If only I could have those ideal spacious light-filled workspaces I find in ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, where the Artist sits at her shiny white desk looking out to a gorgeous natural view, and she is dressed in a Little Black Dress and 5 inch spike heels. Yeah uh huh.

From left to right: Box of plastic gloves to handle dusty material. Flashlight, for viewing negatives. Light up viewer for slides. Air spray can for dust. Power plug strip. Large dry paint brush, for dusting slides and negatives. 2 iPads stacked in the re-charging area. (Main computer not in this view.) Slide holder strip for moving slides into the transcriber. Transcriber, dusty, needs spraying. Artist, bleary at 3 AM.

Sepia brown tech pen on sketchbook page, 7" x 5", December 13, 2017.

The "Young Stallions" game art

This handsome crew appears in one of the Renaissance-styled games I illustrated in the mid - 80s for "Gamelords." The young men are of high birth and maintain a jousting and combat club. They also cause trouble in the streets in gangs feuding among their various clans. Their aggression has caused them to get the nickname "Young Stallions," which they are proud of, at least until a couple of them get killed. The background is meant to suggest the social background of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Original illustration is black ink on illustration board, 8 1/2" x 2 1/2", spring 1984.

Winter is Here

This isn't at a vineyard, it's an interpretation from memory of the view out my window, complete with balcony railing, after a modest but snowy snow storm. You see these evening colors in winter, purple in the sky. The trees are taller than when I first moved in here, something I never noticed until these latest few years. I hope the snows are modest all winter long.

Colored pencil, ink, and Photoshop composite, 4" x 6", December 11, 2017. Klik for a larger view.

Purple and Green

One of my artistic friends said how much she loved purple and green together. So I decided I would try these colors in one of my little stylized sketches. The purple and aqua come from markers and the green and blue come from colored pencils. It emerged as a landscape at sunset although the colors aren't that realistic. There are no grapevines in this picture.

Markers and colored pencils on sketchbook page, 2 3/4" x 5", December 10, 2017. 

The Gloucesterman

I'm a little late on the Blog today but here you go. This is one of my finest sketches in my opinion and have saved it for publication. It was done inside a restaurant in Gloucester, Mass. (pronounced "Gloster") looking out at the marina. The restaurant was the "Gloucester House" specializing (naturally) in seafood. This is one of the only boats I have ever drawn and when the server saw my drawing she was delighted because this fishing boat, the "Gloucesterman," was owned by her son. I wonder where they all are now. I'd love some scallops.

Black technical pen on sketchbook page, 5 1/2" x 4 1/2", June 19, 1999. Click for larger view.

Game Illustration: Betrayal

This is the first of the set of illustrations I did for the game "The Evil Ruins." The story had to explain why the ruins were evil. The history states that a wicked king ruled a grim Northern coastal territory and feuded with all his neighbors. During a particularly vicious war, the king invited his enemies to peace talks at his castle, and when they arrived, sniper archers hidden on the walls murdered them all. This terrible betrayal attracted the demonic forces who put evil spells on the castle. But behind all that was a huge treasure that the wicked king had amassed, and the players are there to find it, gather it, and release it from the curse.

Original art is black ink on illustration board, 11" x 7", winter 1983.