It’s amazing how fast time flies. If this is the day to give thanks, then here’s a limitless thank-you for this amazing daughter, and a wish for a great Thanksgiving day from my family to all of you.

Yup. As of today, we have only seven short days remaining, before the Kickstarter campaign for my 2013 Calendar is officially over on Wednesday, November 28th at 12 noon. I’ve noticed many folks waiting until this Kickstarter is over so they can buy this calendar in stores. Not good — this Kickstarter drive is the ONLY way to get this calendar. So if you miss out now, then you very likely will miss out on this calendar altogether — and the bonus rewards that potentially come with it. The Kickstarter is the way to go. Please spread the word.

What does this Kickstarter drive have for you?

1) You score a unique collectible wall calendar, and because the item isn’t being store distributed, you’ll own something that store buyers won’t.

2) One of the reasons for this — we’ll be rushing to focus on getting all Kickstarter orders out in the attempt to deliver by Xmas to as many folks as possible. Because of the compressed timeline, there won’t be time to market these beyond the Kickstarter. And before you know it — bang — it’ll be January 1, 2013. So the Kickstarter really IS the way to be sure you get these items before the holidays.

3) You need Xmas gift-giving ideas? These calendars can make a lot of your coolest art and book-loving friends happy, with one click of a button. If you have an Amazon account, you’re good to go. 🙂

4) We have prints, original artwork and unique opportunities available in addition to the calendars, including the opportunity for you to become a piece of published sf/f art. Yes — you! And please note that the $40 level scores you a signed calendar, an archival print of the cover art, free worldwide shipping — AND if we achieve the 20K mark, you’ll get a free 12-page bonus sketchbook. A pretty darn good deal, when you need to stretch your dollars.

5) We’re currently less than $600 short of 18K! If we achieve that mark, one lucky Kickstarter backer will win this drawing, absolutely free — and that could be you. Let’s try to make this happen ASAP, folks — so that we can give away another drawing at 20K, on top of unlocking more rewards for you.

6) You can also have your birthday printed in the calendar, which means you can actually attempt to claim your birthday as a federal holiday to your employer. (Successful results may vary.)

7) And the best thing? You’ll earn karma and good favor from our celebrity endorser, Samantha The Great — and the Power of the Pink Trike will be on your side in The Eternal Struggle Between Good vs. Evil. Let’s make it happen, folks.

I’m pleased to see my 2013 John Picacio Calendar Kickstarter doing well so far. If you look at that page, you’ll see the $2000 pledge level is called the “Art Muse” level. I’ve received a number of inquiries about this, so I want to address what $2000 gets you because I’m very excited about this.

In addition to calendars, prints, original art and other goodies, you receive a very unique opportunity — the chance to model for an upcoming published illustrated artwork created by me. This original new illustrated artwork will be inspired by photographs of you, or the person of your choice. The opportunity includes exclusive initial consultation with me, and it’s a very rare opportunity to not only be a part of the making of a piece of published art, but to immortalize yourself (or someone you love) as a piece of artwork for all to see.

So what are the artworks in question?

In 2013, Lone Boy will be publishing a bold new Loteria card deck and game featuring my artwork — and you can become a part of one of these 54 cards.

I’m planning to make this Loteria deck one of the finest works of my career to date, and I’ve already started creating the cards.

For reference, here are what the classic, traditional Loteria cards look like for “La Sirena” (The Mermaid), “La Rosa” (The Rose), and “El Pescado” (The Fish).

And now for comparison, have a look at my completed pencils for my new versions of “La Sirena” and “El Pescado”.

If you would like to become a part of this opportunity, here’s the list of Loteria cards that you can consider immortalizing yourself as:

Great news — the 2013 John Picacio Calendar will indeed be available next month, and you can reserve yours right now via Kickstarter. In addition, we have plenty of prints and reward opportunities available  at various pledge levels. Note that $25 gets you a calendar. $35 gets you a signed one, plus free shipping. And $40 is a really good deal as it gets you all of the above, plus a free print of the calendar’s cover artwork.

And if we reach the next funding goal, then all orders $35 and above will receive a free 12-page sketchbook featuring process sketches and notes from the calendar’s artworks.

The campaign will end on November 28th at 12 noon Eastern, and these calendars will not be available in stores. So I encourage you to stock up via Kickstarter right now, so that we can try to fill your order in time for the holiday gift-giving season! Thanks, folks!

2013 is gonna be here in just barely more than two months from now. How the heck did 2012 fly by so fast??

Good news to share — I’ve created a new publishing imprint for my art and creative ventures. It’s called Lone Boy and our first venture is a 2013 John Picacio Calendar that will collect twelve of the best cover artworks from my career.

Want one? You’ll be able to get yours exclusively via Kickstarter, starting Monday, October 29th through Tuesday, November 27th.

I’ll post the link on this blog, and on Facebook and Twitter as soon as it goes live.

We’ll have signed prints and unique exclusive opportunities available as well. Our Kickstarter funding goal will be $12,000. If we hit that goal, the calendar becomes a printed reality.

If you’ve never visited Kickstarter’s website, please do. You’ll need to create a registration there in order to pledge for a calendar when the page goes live. So if you’re new to Kickstarter, you might as well do that in advance?

And maybe just as importantly — please spread the word and let folks know because this Kickstarter campaign will be gone in a flash, and this will be the only way to purchase this 2013 Calendar. 🙂

Can’t wait for Monday! Here’s a sneak peek at the January calendar layout. More previews coming soon.

Here’s a visual history of the winners of the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. The Hugo Awards started in 1953. However, the Best Professional Artist category wasn’t created until 1955. Since then, seventeen pro artists have been recognized with the award in that category (eighteen if you count Leo and Diane Dillon as individuals — debatable because they considered themselves inseparable — even though each was/is a powerhouse individual artist). It’s a helluva list.

Two Sundays ago, I became a part of it. After assembling this set of images, the first thought I have is “get back to work….go get better.” And the next — “this still feels like a dream.”

Leo and Diane Dillon: I love this one — the wraparound cover art for Harlan Ellison’s DEATHBIRD STORIES. The Dillons are the only art team to be recognized with a pro artist Hugo thus far. I like this quote from Diane: “We could look at ourselves as one artist rather than two individuals, and that third artist was doing something neither one of us would do. We let it flow the way it flows when an artist is working by themselves and a color goes down that they didn’t quite expect and that affects the next colors they use, and it seems to have a life of its own.” They won the Hugo in this category in 1971.

Rick Sternbach: He did production work for the first STAR TREK motion picture back in the ’70s, and that’s where I’m most familiar with his work. However, he also did a range of sf book art. “Moonbow” (above) is my favorite. He won two Hugo Awards, in 1977 and 1978.

Vincent Di Fate: There’s something unmistakable about the way Di Fate lays down his hard edges against softer textures. I love his ships and spacescapes. This one is from later in his career (2002?), but he won the Hugo Award back in 1979.

Michael Whelan: He’s one of the ultimate artist’s artists. And this is one of my favorites of his — the cover art for Joan D. Vinge’s THE SNOW QUEEN. A couple of years ago, he brought this original to Boskone. I stared at the lace on that arm for a solid five minutes — without blinking. LOL When I think of the ambassadors of the sf/f field, Michael will always be one of the greatest — as an artist and as a person — and that includes all authors and creators, bar none. He’s won the most pro artist Hugos — thirteen — 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2000, and 2002.

Jim Burns: I fell in love with this image the moment I first saw it a couple of decades ago — Burns’ classic cover for Ray Bradbury’s THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. If I had to make a list of top-20 favorite sf artworks of all-time, this would be in there. Jim has won three Hugos in this category — 1987, 1995, and 2005.

Don Maitz: Whenever rum drinkers chug a bottle of Captain Morgan, they get up-close and personal with Don’s art. However, works like “Death of the Last Dragon” are where he shines brightest, in my opinion. This is one of my favorites of his. He’s won two Hugo Awards in this category — 1990 and 1993.

Bob Eggleton: And here’s a dragon of a completely different mode. Yes, Bob’s known for these as well as his Lumley covers, his Godzillas, his Cthulhu art, and his love of pulp, amongst other things. But when I look at an Eggleton, I see the craft of brushstrokes and accretions that are dripping with emotion, and with the pure love of someone who’s never stopped being a fan. And that’s why he’s a master pro. Bob has eight Hugos in this category — 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2004.

Donato Giancola: Along with Whelan, I consider Donato one of the great artist’s artists, and one of the best of all pro artists I’ve ever met. I love how he handles himself as an artist and as a pro, and this cover artwork for Kathleen Bryan’s THE GOLDEN ROSE is one of my favorites of his. I was flabbergasted when Donato lost seven consecutive years for the Hugo from 1999 to 2005, until he finally won his first Hugo, on his eighth nomination in 2006. (And yes, now I know a bit of how he felt — that math does sound eerily familiar, come to think of it. ;)) He now has three in this category — along with the 2007 and 2009 rockets.

Stephan Martiniere: As far as I’m concerned, he’s the master of the futuristic cityscape. This is his cover art for Ian McDonald’s RIVER OF GODS. There are many artists that do this type of imagery so well, but I can’t think of any more transcendent than Stephan. Even as some traditionalists and collectors decry the evolution and impact of digital art, Stephan has done what the great artists do in all media throughout history — he has pushed the vocabulary of art forward, and that achievement goes beyond arguments over pencils, paints or pixels. He won the Hugo Award in 2008.

Shaun Tan: What I love about Shaun Tan is that he made himself. His visions and narratives are uniquely his own. He didn’t come out of a vacuum, but when I look at the evolution of his work from THE VIEWER through THE RABBITS (above) through THE ARRIVAL to the present, he re-shaped the world on his own terms and brought it to him, rather than vice versa. He has two Hugo Awards — 2010 and 2011.

John Picacio: And it’s 2012. And here I am. Hello, world. And it’s time to get back to work, to make new art, and to make better art. Don’t look now — I think my best is still yet to come.

Still haven’t quite wrapped my brain around that one. Dreamed about it for many, many years, but now that it’s reality, it still hasn’t sunk in, even several days after a magical night.

Loved hearing the stories and insights that came out of Coop’s mouth. He’s as brilliant as he is subversive, and I doubt it’s the last time he and I cross paths. Dave, Billy, and Steven were terrific as well, and together we pulled off a panel that many folks said was one of the very best of recent Dragon*Cons, despite technical snafus that we overcame. I was proud of that panel.

     Chapter Two: WOW! I won a Chesley Award!

Back at Dragon*Con, I was ecstatic to win this Chesley Award, as these are the awards given by one’s art peers in the industry. Headed back to the Marriott Marquis with Lou and the Pyr crew to celebrate and watch the night-time madness of D*Con, which really is like no other con scene anywhere. It’s electric, I love it, and I’ll be back next year.

     Chapter Three: Two Cons In One Day

Headed to the Brotherhood Without Banners Party from there — and that joint was jumping! The Bros always throw a terrific party and I have a lot of friends there. X-Ray gave me my Chesley. She and Mr. X had Balvenie Caribbean waiting for me. Good times, great people (shoutouts to Boiled Leather, Red Woman, Mutha Hydra, Lady Chattaya, Lodey, Raya, Lacey, Leigh, Tara, Will, and more), and a lot of laughs. And still no sightings of RaceBannon but Steve Spaulding was in the house. (BWB inside joke that I inadvertently created…..if you’re non-BWB, nothing to see here. :))

     Chapter Four: Rocket Sunday

(pictured above: Mary Robinette Kowal and her husband Rob at the Pre-Hugo Reception)

Had breakfast with George, Parris, Raya and her boyfriend. Good way to start the day. Lunched with LOCUS‘ Liza Trombi. With the Hugo Award Semi-Prozine rule changes being instituted, 2012 will be the last year that LOCUS is eligible for a Hugo in the category. The magazine won a massive haul of Hugos under the leadership of Charles Brown, but since Liza assumed the leadership of the mag, they hadn’t landed a Hugo yet. I was rooting for her to pull it off because this was her last chance.

Many conversations and meetings later — it was time for the pre-Hugo Awards reception. I’ve been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist seven consecutive times. I’ve been through these events six previous times. They’re a joy because there are so many friends dressed to their best, but they’re also nerve-wracking because everyone is on edge for the results to be announced. This one was no different.

When it was time to head to the awards, I was seated next to Irene Gallo and Greg Manchess, with Patty Wells and Colin Harris on my other side. Irene was accepting for Stephan Martiniere and I was convinced that either he or Dan Dos Santos was gonna win the award. The more Irene kept scribbling on notepaper as each category was announced, I was sure that Stephan had won his second Hugo. 

John Scalzi was the MC, and he did what Scalzi does — he’s eloquent, funny, gracious, and in command of the moment. It’s what all Toastmasters hope to be, and Scalzi does it effortlessly. He’s been with me at many a Losers’ Party. We’ve shared several post-Hugo commiserations over the years.

After losing seven straight years, there were two noticable differences this time around though. 1) I’ve received loud cheers at past Hugo announcements, but there was a massive roar from the audience for my name this time when the nominees’ names were read. 2) And then there was Scalzi and when that little smirk creeped across his face and he did that giant pause, something in my stomach went, “Oh f**k.” 

And I barely even heard my name because the room exploded with screams and cheers, and I was utterly stunned and glued to my chair. Stared at the floor for about a second, before heading for the stage. Chris Garcia bearhugged me in the aisle. Steven Silver was there too. And at the end of the aisle, before I hit the stairs, stood Liza, who had won her ‘first’ Hugo — the one that means the most to her because she earned this one without Charles, and totally under her leadership, along with Kirsten Gong-Wong, Francesca Myman and the rest of LOCUS’ crew. I’ll never forget the look on her face, and for she and I to have earned our Hugos on the same night is a very special thing. 

As far as my speech — I didn’t have one. What came out of my mouth is what was on my mind at that moment. That’s the only way I know how to do these things. It was important that at least two artists who were never recognized with Hugos were celebrated this night and those were Richard Powers and John Berkey — two giants who opened doors to new frontiers where many of us pros now thrive, and hopefully expand upon.

I’m extremely grateful to all who voted for me all of these years, and who voted for me this year. I’m grateful to have won this on a night when my friends Liza, Paul Cornell, John DeNardo, Charlie Jane Anders, Kij Johnson, Sheila Williams, George R. R. Martin, and Neil Gaiman also won. 

George is special to me because he gave me the opportunity to do that 2012 ASoIaF Calendar, and spending that time in Westeros is a time that I will never forget. I’m really glad that GAME OF THRONES won a Hugo. I wish A DANCE WITH DRAGONS would have fared better in the final Best Novel tally. I believe George will own a Best Novel Hugo someday.

Standing next to Neil at the post-Hugo photos, I reminded him that I won my first pro award — the International Horror Guild Award (Best Artist) — ten years ago in this same city. The person who handed me that award? Him. 

Congrats to all winners and nominees Sunday night — and especially Dan Dos Santos, Michael Komarck, Bob Eggleton, and Stephan Martiniere — so honoured to be amongst you. It’s an honour just to be nominated for a Hugo — yes, no doubt about it. And being nominated seven straight years is a massive achievement — I know this. But wow, I’m so grateful to win this Hugo on my eighth nomination. More grateful than I have words to express. It really is a dream come true. Thanks to all friends and family, who were there along the way, including my mother, father, and sister who always believed — and Traci who was there for so many of those losing years and now will be treated to many celebratory dinners over this next month because she deserves to savour this as much as anyone.

What can I say? I’m a Hugo Award winner — only the 17th artist to ever win in the Best Professional Artist category (18th if you count Leo and Diane Dillon as individuals, but since they were such a team, they’re really one artist).

Wow.

Time to get back to work. Time to make better art. Thanks, everyone!

(Thanks to Brenda Cooper for the above photo.)

Here’s where you can find me at this year’s Dragon*Con before I swing over to Chicago for Worldcon.

Friday, August 31
2:30pm / Hanover G – Hyatt (1 hour)

The Art Of George R. R. Martin: Making The Calendar

Here’s the official cover for Pyr‘s release of Ian McDonald’s forthcoming YA novel — BE MY ENEMY. This is the followup to his terrific YA debut PLANESRUNNER — a Sidewise Awards finalist, and runnerup in this year’s Locus Awards for Best YA Novel.

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes that shows why art directors are one of the most valuable links in the publishing chain.

I turned in my catalog version of this cover and Lou Anders, Pyr’s art director, suggested a couple of tweaks. All and all, he thought we were good to go.

Unfortunately, I kept feeling like I had fallen short of the best solution. Way short. Not Lou’s fault. My fault. And it nagged me. A lot. For weeks.

So it’s July 13th and it’s almost time to go to press. The smart call would be to keep my mouth shut and let my submitted cover go to press. But I’d been telling Lou that I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten it right yet.

We’re at San Diego Comic-Con and we’re about to have lunch, and I say to him again, “I’m still not sure about that cover. You mind if we brainstorm together here?” Bear in mind that this cover is already pretty much turned in. No one in their right minds should be revisiting this cover this close to deadline.

We’re trading images and phrases back and forth for about a minute and Lou says, “Gimme something to write on — fast.” I hand him a grocery receipt, and he scribbles this tiny little scrawl.

He says, “Be my enemy…..be my valentine…..you see?”

I saw a stick figure holding a gun (maybe running? maybe breakdancing?) surrounded by a heart — were we talking about a roadsign of sorts?

Lou said, “No, I’m seeing a guy like this (points his index and middle fingers like pistols and crosses his arms across his chest).

And then — that’s when I saw something he didn’t — I saw a skull-and-crossbones cross-pollinated with a valentine. Lou said later he wasn’t thinking ‘skull-and-crossbones’, but he just let me run because it made perfect sense. I don’t think he saw the abstraction coming either. As is often the case when I work with Lou, my ‘A’ plus his ‘B’ often equals a ‘C’ that’s more than the sum, and more than we first imagined.

I took that Lou Anders thumbnail home, and started over from scratch. Several days later, I was finished and the new final cover was born. Grace Conti-Zilsberger finished the layout of the rest of the jacket . She did a great job on-the-fly.

I’m glad Lou and I didn’t compromise. I’m glad lightning finally struck both us — even if it was almost too late. Whew. 🙂

Ian McDonald is one of the best writers in all of genre fiction. BE MY ENEMY is going to blow readers’ minds. Heads up, folks — if you haven’t read PLANESRUNNER, snag it now so you’ll be ready when BE MY ENEMY arrives in September.

Wanted to thank the mighty io9 for sharing several process posts featuring my artwork for the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar. In recent weeks, I’ve shared the making of the artwork for Eddard Stark, Bran Stark, Sansa Stark and the Hound, Jon Snow and Ghost, Melisandre, and Arya Stark. If you missed any of these posts, check ’em out.

Here you go — for the first time anywhere — this is my full final cover art for Brenda Cooper‘s forthcoming Pyr novel, THE CREATIVE FIRE: BOOK ONE OF RUBY’S SONG. You’ll notice that this has been improved from the catalog version previewed on Amazon and elsewhere in recent weeks. (The final cover of the book will feature this art and not the previous.)

A few thoughts to pass along for those that enjoy peeking behind the curtain:

When you’re an illustrator creating a cover for a book, you’re working to connect a story with its audience. You’re trying to help books land in homes and hands (both traditional and virtual) where they will be adored and appreciated. But every once in a while, an artist is fortunate to have the opportunity to possibly connect a story with not just an audience, but a moment in time.

When I was illustrating this cover, I wanted to bring Brenda’s heroine Ruby to life, but there was an opportunity to push beyond just a character portrait.

Our news and social feeds record the weekly (sometimes daily) attacks on womens’ rights — upon the issues of reproductive rights, access to health care, equal pay and support in situations of domestic abuse. This stuff isn’t speculative fiction. It’s the world we live in, and I think, especially in America, we’re in a very fragile time regarding all of our fundamental rights, not just for womens’ rights but for all civil liberties — whether you be man, woman, or child.

The answers for most cover art questions are often right there in the manuscript, but sometimes a manuscript intersects with the world in which it’s birthed, and a character has the chance to transcend the bounds of the pages. THE CREATIVE FIRE will be marketed to an adult sf/f audience, but there’s a part of me that wonders what happens when teenage girls read this, and if the book might influence them even more because of their formative age. I look forward to both adult and teenage audiences finding this one.

So this cover is dedicated not just to mothers and daughters, but freedom fighters with tomorrow in their hands.

I see Ruby as a futuristic Rosie the Riveter, but this time, she’s not waiting until the men come home. I see her as Diana of war, and the birth of Venus.

She’s a call-to-arms to be strong and vigilant. She’s a revolution-in-the-making. She’s more than meets the eye.

In short, she’s probably not what you think she is on first glance — she’s a girl with a microphone.

Today is July 4th — our American day of celebrating independence and revolution — a day in 2012 when our rights to live freely are, frankly, in a dangerous place. My hope though, is that our world is full of Rubys.

Congrats to all of the 2012 Chesley Award finalists!

I’m honored to be a finalist this year in the Best Product Illustration category for my 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar work. 🙂

Here’s the complete list. Voting by ASFA members ends July 7th. Winners will be announced at Chicon 7.

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book

* Mitchell D. Bentley for The Alamo and Zombies by Jean A. Stuntz (Yard Dog Press, Dec. 2011)

* Dan Dos Santos for My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland (DAW, July 2011)

* Justin Gerard for Heart of Smoke & Steam by Andrew P. Mayer (Pyr, November 2011)

* Lucas Graciano for The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell (Pyr, July 2011)

* David Palumbo for God’s War by Kameron Hurley (Night Shade, January 2011)

* Matthew Stewart for The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (Night Shade, February 2011)

* Jon Sullivan for The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Holder (Pyr, March 2011)

* J. P. Targete for The Sword of Darrow by Alex & Hal Malchow (Ben Bella Books, May 2011)

Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book

* Tom Kidd for Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison (Subterranean Press, March 2011)

* Stephan Martiniere for Prospero Regained by L. Jagi Lamplighter (Tor, September 2011)

* Lee Moyer for Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kieran (Subterranean Press, Sept. 2011)

* Cliff Nielsen for The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear (Tor, August 2011)

* Greg Staples for The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Subterranean Press, Feb. 2011)

Best Cover Illustration: Magazine

* Facundo Diaz for Clarkesworld #57, July 2011
* Laura Diehl for Fantasy #53, August 2011
* Lee Moyer for Weird Tales #357, Winter 2010/2011
* Carly B. Sorge for Apex Magazine #28, September 2011
* Dariusz Zawadski for Fantasy #50, May 2011

Best Interior Illustration

* Julie Dillon for “The Dala Horse” by Michael Swanwick (Tor.com, July 2011)

* Scott Gustafson for Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe by Scott Gustafson (Simon & Schuster, Aug. 2011)

* Ryohei Hase for “Narco Americano” by T. J. English (Playboy, February 2011)

* Greg Staples for The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Subterranean Press, Feb. 2011)

* J. P. Targete for The Sword of Darrow by Alex & Hal Malchow (BenBella Books, May 2011)

Best Monochrome Work: Unpublished

* Justin Gerard for St. George and the Dragon, pencil
* Stephen Hickman for Siegfried, ink on toned paper
* Joāo Ruas for Migration, graphite on paper, vellum & acetate
* Raoul Vitale for The Yeti, pencil
* Allen Williams for Wood Nymph, pencil

Best Color Work: Unpublished

* Stephen Hickman for The Hero of the Apotheosis, acrylic
* David Palumbo for Through a Blood Red Veil, oil
* Omar Rayyan for The Dragon and the Nightingale, watercolor
* Eric Velhagen for Fantasy Feast, oil
* Raoul Vitale for Turin and Glaurang, oil

Best Three-Dimensional Art

* Gil Bruvel for Dichotomy, cupro nickel
* Thomas S. Kuebler for Baba Yaga, mixed
* Michael Parkes for Moonstruck, bronze
* Virginie Ropars for Autumnnalis Venenata, mixed
* Vincent Villafranca for Robobike, bronze

Best Gaming-Related Illustration

* E.M. Gist for Wandering Elf (Magic the Gathering: Tactics), Sony Online, January 2011

* Lucas Graciano for Pathfinder Player Companion: The Humans of Golarian, Paizo Publishing, July 2011

* Michael C. Hayes for Distress (2012 Core Set Magic card), WotC, July 2011

* Chris Rahn for Glissa, the Traitor (“Mirrodin Beseiged” Magic card), WotC, Jan./Feb. 2011

* Matt Stewart for Creepy Doll (“Innistrad” Magic card), WotC, September 2011

Best Product Illustration

* Stuart Craig for production design for the Harry Potter films, Warner Brothers, 2011

* Lee Moyer for Check These Out, 2012 Literary Pin-up calendar, Worldbuilders, 2011

* John Picacio for George R.R. Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire, 2012 Calendar, Random House, July 2011

* William Stout for Zombies 2012, calendar, Andrews McMeel, 2011

* Michael Whelan for Gift from the Sea, Dragon*Con 2011 promo art & program book, 2011

* Michael Zug for IlluXCon 2011 promo poster, 2011

Best Art Director

* Matt Adelsperger for WotC
* Lou Anders for Pyr Books
* Irene Gallo for Tor
* David Palumbo for Night Shade Books
* Jon Schindehette for WotC

Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement

* Jim Burns
* Jean Giraud (“Moebius”)
* Charles Vess

Shoutout to all George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones fans — I’ll be appearing at DeepSouthCon 50 next week in Huntsville, Alabama. I’ll have some ASoIaF goodies for sale in the Art Show — and I’ve got a special giveaway for you too.

One lucky DeepSouthCon attendee is going to walk away with a signed artist’s proof print of my Bran Stark artwork from the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar. Here’s how it can be you:

I’ll be presenting a full one-hour slideshow on the making of the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar on Friday, June 15th at 8pm in the Madison room at DSC50. Attend this event. Bring your friends. Everyone who attends this slideshow will be eligible for a free raffle giveaway. Numbers will be assigned at the top of the hour. The winner will be announced at the end of the slideshow, and snags the print (and of course, winner must be present to claim the prize).

Spread the word, GRRM and ASoIaF fans of the Deep South. See you there. 🙂

A while back, I was invited to contribute a perspective on “Gender Parity on SF/F Convention Panels” for the forthcoming issue of JOURNEY PLANET. It’s caused me to consider my own role as a panel participant at conventions, and as an artist at convention art shows.

I’ve written my essay on the subject, and I’m proofing it right now. Will submit it to JOURNEY PLANET very soon here. More on that in a minute.

In the meantime, I’ve got some good news.

Many of you already know that this year’s Dragon*Con and Worldcon both happen on Labor Day weekend. So theoretically, pros and fans have to choose one or the other to attend, right?

Well, as it turns out, I’ve chosen both. I’ll be attending Atlanta’s Dragon*Con all day/night Friday, August 31, and the initial part of Saturday morning, and then I’ll jump on a plane, gain one hour in the process, and attend Chicago’s Worldcon for the last half of its run, until it closes.

Hellacious? Yes. Suicidal? Let’s hope not.

Anyway — that’s the plan. Two major cons in one weekend. Why? A lot of reasons, both professionally and personally. I’ve regularly attended Worldcon around the world for many years now. I have many, many friends there and love seeing them. Meanwhile, Dragon*Con is a much larger event, and I wish to continue building a professional presence there.

It’s unfortunate that both events occur on the same weekend, but I’ve decided it’s best to try to attend both this year.

In my essay that will soon be published by JOURNEY PLANET, I’ve announced that I’m foregoing all programming participation and art show presence at this year’s Worldcon. By doing so, I hope it opens up my chair, and my art show space, to new female artists who will hopefully present new viewpoints and perspectives. The call for “Gender Parity” has been a controversial one as seen here and here. Admittedly, I’m still unsure to what degree my gender and participation on sf/f panels and art shows has prevented females from participating in the same. Did I have opportunity that they did not because I’m male? Did my gender, and not my fifteen years of hard work, make the programming directors and the art show directors select me over an equally-deserving female? It seems more than a bit far-fetched, to be honest. But that being said, I’ve heard the discussion, and I’m willing to think beyond myself, and offer a self-imposed experiment. Let’s trust the process and see what happens.

In the spirit of big-picture thinking, I’ll offer my chair for one year at Worldcon during Saturday and Sunday’s prime programming real estate, and see if this outcry for new female voices produces new blood, and if/when it does, I think we all win from that. And that goes for the art show too. Hopefully this will be a proactive and positive step toward allowing more female artists into Worldcon discussion panels and into its art show. I’m confident that the powers-that-be of Chicago’s Worldcon, and the advocates of this process, will capitalize on this opportunity.

Do I think all pros should follow suit and do the same? I wouldn’t say that. I think what I’m doing is a gesture and an experiment. I want to see what happens. I’m curious. It’s my choice — not a mandate imposed upon me, or a choice that I expect anyone else to follow.

So there you have it — good news all around. And definitely some frequent flyer miles that weekend. 🙂

As fast as this last two months has zoomed by, I don’t think I ever got time to acknowledge the 2012 Hugo Award nominations on my blog here.

So let’s fix that right now. While I was on the road at Spectrum Live last week, the Chicon 7 admins released the 2012 Hugo Award packet. What is this? Read more here, but basically if you’re a supporting or attending member of this year’s Worldcon in Chicago, you can vote and decide the Hugo Award winners. And with that voting right, you get the majority of the nominated novels, stories and works as a downloadable electronic set, at no additional charge after registering for membership.

So yes — I’m a 2012 finalist in the Best Professional Artist category, along with Stephan Martiniere, Dan Dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, and Michael Komarck. And very proud to be in their company. This is my eighth Hugo nomination, and no, I have not won one of these yet, even though I think some folks assume I have because I’ve been nominated eight years now. LOL Will this be the year? You folks get to decide. All I do here is work. 🙂 Here’s my body of work for the 2011 year, including the 2012 George R. R. Martin / A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar.

When the Hugo admins asked the artists to submit a few sample works for the packet, I included four, including the one pictured above — Bran Stark from the aforementioned ASoIaF Calendar. Since I was traveling when the packet was released last week, I only downloaded my own copy this morning. Looking forward to seeing what my fellow pro artists sent along for their own choices.

If you haven’t registered for Worldcon, now’s a great time to do so, even if you can’t attend in Chicago in September. Here’s the complete Hugo Award nominations ballot. I still need to fill out my own ballot, so I’m grateful that the Hugo packet is finally here!

If you attended Spectrum Live in Kansas City this past weekend, then you know what I’m about to say. If you didn’t, then this post is for you. The event was historic, and that’s no overstatement. In terms of scale, scope, ambition, and quality, Spectrum Live was the most gratifying art gathering I’ve ever experienced. Arnie and Cathy Fenner, the founders of the Spectrum Annual, organized this (along with their dynamite team), and they should all take several bows, with encore applause.

Michael Whelan said it best — this is the convention where the artist and the art are at the top of the pyramid. Not the author, the agent, the publisher, the movie studio, the licensed property or the high-end collector. That difference sets this event apart from others. And so does the ambition for this event — to reach beyond art as an auxiliary feature, or art for the consumption by an exclusive few – and instead toward fantastic art of all forms for an all-inclusive audience — a gathering of all tribes, as the Fenners stated in the event’s official program book. I admire and support that ambition all the way — from traditional, to digital, to hybrids, to 3D, and all forms and modes of fantastic art. All were welcome. All were celebrated equally, and with vigor.

It’s impossible to list all of the quality conversations and encounters with amazing artists and artlovers that I had at this con. On the way out of Kansas City, I ran into Mike Mignola in the airport, and he couldn’t get over how all of the artists were so energized and had each other’s backs from booth to booth. I’ve seen that same camaraderie happen at IlluXCon, but the two events are designed for different scales, and this was intended for a much larger one. And all of this was happening in a room where arguably you had the most artistic talent and firepower in science fiction and fantasy, housed in one place.

There are larger conventions like San Diego Comic Con and Dragon*Con, but Spectrum Live cuts away all of the other trappings, and is about the art all the way. I had a blast, and I don’t know anyone who attended who didn’t feel the same. Will an event like this happen again? Time will tell. If so, I’ll be one of the first to sign up, and dream it all over again.

If you missed this year’s, and you love sf/f art – you owe it to yourself to do the same.

Shoutouts to Allen Williams, Stephan Martiniere, Eric Fortune, Joao Ruas, Lauren Panepinto, Kristina Carroll, Brom, Maria Cabardo, Bud Plant, Lauren K. Cannon, Zelda Devon, Jon Schindehette, Dan Dos Santos, Cody Tilson, Vincent Villafranca, Mike Mignola, Greg Spalenka, and Michael Whelan for meaningful, inspirational chats. And I know I’m forgetting people. So much amazing, and so many amazing people. Huge thanks to Carl Anderson, Jeff Smith, Sara Felix, Mair Daliessio, and Jimmy Simpson for helping me with my booth.

For now, here are a few photos of SFAL 2012.

(Group photo at top by Silvia Acevedo.)