Selected 2019 Works

For those seeking one-stop summaries of eligible work for the 2020 awards season, I hope this curated gallery is helpful. Here are a few of my selected published artworks from 2019 for your consideration.

La Palma / Art for the Loteria Grande Card from Lone Boy by John Picacio

‘La Palma’ • Product illustration for the Loteria Grande Card • Client: Lone Boy • February 2019 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2019 John Picacio.)

'Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed' / Art by John Picacio for Bradley Denton's Wild Cards story

‘Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed’ • Interior illustration for Bradley Denton’s ‘Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed’ • Client: Tor.com • Art Director: Irene Gallo • Editor: George R. R. Martin • October 2019 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes • (Art © 2019 John Picacio.)

'Long Is The Way' / Art by John Picacio for Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker's Wild Cards story

‘Long Is The Way’ • Interior illustration for Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker’s ‘Long Is The Way’ • Client: Tor.com • Art Director: Irene Gallo • Editor: George R. R. Martin • May 2019 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes • (Art © 2019 John Picacio.)

'La Cantarita' / Art by John Picacio for the Loteria Grande Card from Lone Boy

‘La Cantarita’ • Product illustration for the Loteria Grande Card • Client: Lone Boy • December 2019 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2019 John Picacio.)

Art by John Picacio for an interior poster featured in Leigh Bardugo's NINTH HOUSE (Flatiron Books)

Interior poster illustration for Leigh Bardugo’s NINTH HOUSE • Client: Flatiron Books / Macmillan • Art Director: Leigh Bardugo • September 2019 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2019 John Picacio.)

Selected 2018 Works

For those seeking one-stop summaries of eligible work for the 2018 awards season, I hope this curated gallery is helpful. Here are a few of my selected published artworks from 2018.

'La Musica' Art by John Picacio for his Loteria Grande Card series (Lone Boy)

‘La Musica’ • Product illustration for Loteria • Client: Lone Boy • December 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

'La Campana' Art by John Picacio for his Loteria Grande Card series (Lone Boy)

‘La Campana’ • Product illustration for Loteria • Client: Lone Boy • July 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

Art © 2018 John Picacio for CONSTANCE VERITY SAVES THE WORLD by A. Lee Martinez (Saga Press)

Cover illustration for A. Lee Martinez’s CONSTANCE VERITY SAVES THE WORLD • Client: Saga Press • Art Director: Michael McCartney• Editor: Joe Monti • July 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

Art by John Picacio for the Wild Cards story 'The Flight of Morpho Girl' (Tor.com)

‘The Flight of Morpho Girl’ • Interior illustration for Caroline Spector and Bradley Denton’s ‘The Flight of Morpho Girl’ • Client: Tor.com • Art Director: Irene Gallo • Editor: George R. R. Martin • May 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes • (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

Cover art by John Picacio for UNCANNY MAGAZINE #25 ('La Valiente')

‘La Valiente’ • Cover illustration for UNCANNY MAGAZINE • November / December 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2017 John Picacio.)

Art by John Picacio for C. Robert Cargill's WE ARE WHERE THE NIGHTMARES GO AND OTHER STORIES (Harper Voyager)

Cover illustration for C. Robert Cargill’s WE ARE WHERE THE NIGHTMARES GO AND OTHER STORIES • Client: HarperCollins / Harper Voyager • Art Director: Owen Corrigan • Editor: Jennifer Brehl • June 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes. (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

Art by John Picacio for the Wild Cards story,

‘Fitting In’ • Interior illustration for Max Gladstone’s ‘Fitting In’ • Client: Tor.com • Art Director: Irene Gallo • Editor: George R. R. Martin • October 2018 • Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes • (Art © 2018 John Picacio.)

Art by John Picacio featured on the cover of A LARGER REALITY / UNA REALIDAD MAS AMPLIA, edited by Libia Brenda Castro (Cumulo de Tesla / Fireside Fiction)

Cover illustration for A LARGER REALITY / UNA REALIDAD MAS AMPLIA • Client: Cumulo de Tesla / Fireside Fiction • Cover Designer: Pablo Defendini • Editor: Libia Brenda Castro • August 2018 • Media: Oil / Acrylic / Mixed Media

Worldcon 76: The End Is The Beginning

Last week, I stood centerstage at Worldcon 76‘s Opening Ceremonies with my fellow Mexicanx, locked arms in ‘X’ formations, reading a statement condemning the inhumane treatment of immigrants and families at the border. We banded together, strangers united by a desire to share our visions, to give our all, to do more than we can do ourselves, and maybe change this world for the better. It was a historic moment, still rippling, still resonating. It marked the arrival of The Mexicanx Initiative’s founding assembly. We stepped across that stage as individuals, and walked off together as family, bonded by hope, eager to add new color and shape to the tapestry of modern science fiction and fantasy.

It was my first official act as Worldcon’s Artist Guest of Honor — becoming only the third Worldcon GoH to ever be a Hugo Awards Master of Ceremonies in the same year (Connie Willis and David Gerrold are the others). More on those Hugos later….

• TUESDAY the 14th: The opening act of my Worldcon week was not a Worldcon happening, but it was a big one, as George R. R. Martin and I shared the stage for a benefit live conversation at The Fox Theatre for Locus Magazine. SF in SF‘s Rina Weisman produced the event, and she did an incredible job. It was billed as a talk between George and me, and we ended up giving the fans a 2-1/2 hour event complete with signed books, signed prints, a lot of laughs, new insights, candid responses, and a wide-ranging Q&A. He and I have done this type of event before, but never in a theatre this beautiful, in front of an audience this big. It was a joy to see how much the fans appreciated it.

• WEDNESDAY the 15th: Setting up an Art Show and a Dealers Booth at the same time is not recommended, but it needed to be done. It wasn’t the last time I had to be in multiple places at once. ‘Twas a tough task, not made easier by union guys who argued amongst themselves and weren’t ready for exhibitors to set up during scheduled hours. I’m pro-union, but unfortunately, there was a rotten foreman apple in this CC bunch, making trouble for his own union teammates and the rest of us. Exhibitors did their best with the time remaining. I lost at least two hours of setup, waiting for just a simple table to be delivered, and I was far from alone in being delayed. This was not Worldcon 76’s fault. Dealers Room head Angela Jones-Parker and her team were terrific under the circumstances. Thank you, Angela!!

• THURSDAY the 16th: Had to set up an GoH Art Show and a Dealers Booth in a very limited slot of time, thanks to Wednesday’s hijinks. Could not have done it without my cousin Adria Gonzales, who was amazing throughout the entire show. It was her first Worldcon. She was a dynamo, start to finish. I had 19 minutes to set up my Dealers Booth from scratch before doors opened to the public, and when they did, I signed and sold Loteria Grande Cards and Posters so fast for four hours that I didn’t have time to put the money in my pocket, instead letting it cascade in piles on the floor of my booth. The aftermath looked like a Colombian drug deal gone bad.

Adria is a professional corporate accountant, and when she finally finished setting up my Art Show and walked into my booth, she was NOT pleased at the sight of all that money on the floor. 😉 From then on, she became my booth assistant and things ran just as fast, and a LOT more smoothly. That said — THANK YOU, Worldcon 76, for mobbing my tables for five days. It was a dream to see all of you, to sign hundreds of your badges and programs, to take selfies with you, to shake your hands, and to hand you full-color slices of Loteria Karma all day long.

After The Mexicanx Initiative’s baptism-by-greenscreen-and-stagelights at Opening Ceremonies, all of us Mexicanx marched to The M.I. Reception, coordinated by ASFA President Sara Felix, with assistance from Diane Osborne, Christine Doyle, Linda Wenzelburger, and Rina Weisman. Mr. “Mexicanity” himself — Hector Gonzalez Hernandez — prepared an ASTONISHING feast for us, featuring the best carnitas I’ve ever had, along with seven different salsas, including one called ‘Dracarys’ made with Trinidad Scorpion chilis (or was it Carolina Reapers?). Either way — no one died that night. GRRM himself graced the Mexicanx with an extended visit even though the room was sweltering. Wave after wave of sponsors arrived. The Mexicanx partied and bonded. It was an amazing night of food, friendship, and revelry.

From there, I went up six floors to the Darwin’s Children Party, hosted by Tom Rodgers and author Greg Bear. They’re developing a pitch for a major television series based on Bear’s Nebula Award-winning Darwin’s Radio. I created some concept art for it and the work adorned the walls of the suite. The room was packed as fans picked the concept art they liked best from the choices on the wall for the main character of Stella. People were passionate about their choices, and I think that bodes well for this show’s future. I signed all of the posters. It was a blast. Congrats, Tom and Greg.

• FRIDAY the 17th: I was one of the panelists on ‘New Ancestral Myths’ with Mimi Mondal, Jeannette Ng, and J.C. Cervantes. My M.I. sister Raquel Castro moderated and she did a great job. I heard a lot of positive comments and I’m glad it went well. After that, I almost lost my voice hosting ‘Loteria’ at Callahans’ Place with no microphone available, but a quick-footed tech named Kludge finally found one, or else I probably would have shredded my vocal cords long before Sunday arrived. (Thanks, Kludge.) I think this was the most Loteria players I’ve hosted in a single room since I hosted nearly 200 players at a DragonCon. It was so much fun. I signed a ton of Loteria Grande Cards and Posters that day (and a lot of convention t-shirts), and by 5pm, it was time for the Chesley Awards.

This year, I was up for a Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration, but lost to Gregory Manchess. That category was STACKED and anyone could have won, but Greg richly deserved it for his work on Above The Timberline, one of my favorite 2017 releases. He’s one of my all-time favorite illustrators and this was his first Chesley Award (which is about 15 years overdue). It was terrific to see him win.

• SATURDAY the 18th: Adria said on Friday, “You’re gonna be almost sold out by Sunday at this rate.” She was prophetic. Saturday was bonkers at my Dealers Booth, and again, I thank you, Worldcon, for swarming my booth and scoring your personal pieces of Loteria karma. It was one of the most successful single days I’ve ever had in any dealers room, at any con. Meanwhile in the Art Show, my ‘El Arbol’ original sold, along with several other works. I signed autographs for five solid hours, and then moderated a killer panel called “The Artist / Author: The New Wave of Storytellers”. I was joined by Hugo Fan Artist Finalist Grace P. Fong, newly-minted Chesley Winner Greg Manchess, Robbie Trevino, and Mariana Palova. They were all terrific and I think that panel could have gone for another hour, and still been compelling. I did a back-to-back straight into my GoH slideshow called “Art and Soul” and it was very well-attended. Thanks, Worldcon!

Met up with Lucasfilm Executive Fiction Editor Jennifer Heddle for dinner, along with my Hugo Ceremony Directors Jessica Guggenheim and Randall Shepherd, plus Ryan Guggenheim, and Adria. It was terrific being with Jen, since the 2002 Worldcon in San Jose was the place where we first bonded with our own personal ‘Rat Pack’ of up-and-comers sixteen years earlier (shoutout to the mighty Lou Anders who appeared at his Worldcon in years, and it was AWESOME to see him).

That night, there were amazing parties everywhere, and instead I went back to my room to prepare for the Hugo Ceremony. The irony of being a Worldcon Guest of Honor and yet missing all the Saturday night parties was not lost on me.

• SUNDAY the 19th: It was a hard day. A lot of things beyond my control went wrong. In short, I ended up with almost no time to rehearse onstage. No time to coordinate with tech and work out the kinks for one of the biggest nights of my life, with my whole industry watching. I had a brief talk with Stage Manager Michael Rafferty and said, “We’re gonna have to trust each other’s talent.” My co-Directors, Randy and Jessica, worked tirelessly to update the script, making revisions as breaking developments swirled around us, all the way ’til the last minute. They were incredible.

Four minutes before showtime, I walked past Robert Silverberg backstage. He was calmly lounging in purple shadow, when he looked up and said, “You’ve always been your own boss. No need to change now.” Right words, right time. Took my mark at the curtain. Waited for countdown. Voice of Ghod said my name. Boom. GO.

I always forget how applause makes me feel like I’m underwater. I knew I was going to ‘X-up’ centerstage in salute to my Mexicanx brothers and sisters, but from there, every word of my opening address was blank page. Unscripted. Pulled from the bright stagelights, the infinite sea of faces, the inky black, that primetime moment you can’t calculate no matter how hard you try. It’s right there in front of your eyes, beyond the dazzle, if you can stop your heart from exploding out of your chest. All of those struggling years, building to arrive at that moment….I remembered that kid who so desperately wanted to be a part of this business….that guy who appeared at his first Worldcon a mere twenty-one years ago. And he led me through the darkness, like he always does — because I’m still that guy. I still want it as bad as I did when I worked on my first book cover, when I resigned from architecture to be the person I am full-time, seventeen years ago. I don’t remember everything I said up there — it just comes out — and no, I don’t want to watch the video and find out. Once is enough. 🙂

I do know I have now become a drinking meme because I’m apparently partial to the phrase, “Let’s keep this moving along.” Many humans damaged their livers Sunday night, pounding the sauce every time I uttered that, which rumors say is a lot. I do know I said that I would keep the Hugos running like a freight train so I could get us to the parties. I’ve been in those front rows as a Hugo Finalist, and I know how it feels to sit through a long, drawn-out ceremony. It’s hard. Worldcon is my extended family. You don’t treat your family to hardship if it’s in your power, and that night, it was in my power. So I did what I do, and I took us all somewhere we haven’t been before — or at least somewhere we haven’t been in a very long time.

We started the Hugos at 8:15pm that night, and we ended at 10pm — under two hours — even while carrying the most categories a Ceremony has ever had, proving we have room for inclusion — and then some — and yet still deliver my industry to its parties at a decent hour.

This year, the Hugo Awards faced one of its most important opportunities in years, with the awarding of Worldcon’s first Young Adult Book Award, recognizing that mammoth fellowship of readers and creators who are the future of Worldcons-to-come. Those fans and pros do not know what to think of Worldcon’s YA category at this point, and who can blame them. I was proud to see three things happen Sunday night that I hope that audience recognizes as a bridge of welcome. I positioned the YA category as the penultimate award, putting the two Best Novel categories together at the end of the night as they should be. I asked Felicia Day to award this inaugural recognition because her visibility and ambassadorship boost Worldcon’s credibility with those readers. Finally, two objets d’art were presented to winner Nnedi Okorafor — one hand-crafted in wood and resin by ASFA President Sara Felix, as well as a plaque. Today’s YA readers are the future of Worldcon, so that our sons and daughters might still have a Worldcon tradition to enjoy. Let’s hope Dublin 2019 and New Zealand 2020 show the future lifeblood of Worldcon the same respect — if not more — that the con expects for itself today.

Congratulations to Nora Jemisin on a history-making three-peat in the Best Novel category. I loved her speech. (And yeah, I think Bob got it wrong, regarding this.) She was great. She understood the moment. She was the moment because of her great novels, not just because of great acceptance speeches. Totally right on. Honored to witness it. Nora’s work and ongoing legacy will stand the test of time.

With that, I called ‘recess’ and the 2018 Hugo Awards Ceremony was over. Parris and George R.R. Martin soon commenced another EPIC Hugo Losers’ Party at San Jose’s Glass House. It was stellar, complete with chocolate fountains, terrific cocktails, and giant dancing robots. I received a cryptic text near midnight, requesting me to stay near the stage where GRRM addressed the house, as he does at every Losers’ Party. He announced the only Alfie Award Winner of the night, and look out, gente — it was me. For those who don’t know what an Alfie is, it’s George’s award tradition created in response to troll attacks upon the Hugos. The Alfies are named afer the legendary Alfred Bester and were awarded in 2015 and 2016, but none in 2017.

I can honestly say this 2018 Alfie means as much to me as any recognition I’ve ever received. This one is a commemoration of my Mexicanx brothers and sisters and they celebrated it onstage as I accepted it. They danced with the trophy. Took selfies with it. Ghod only knows what else they did with it that night, but it was an incredible knighting by one of our most beloved, legendary creators, validating them all within the Worldcon fold — as if anything is now possible for them — which it is.

Worldcons are magical happenings. There’s nothing quite like them.

I know.

My Mexicanx brothers and sisters now know it too, after that night, after this amazing week.

Love you, Worldcon. This was one of the single greatest experiences of my entire life.

Thanks to Kevin Roche, Andy Trembley, Christine Doyle, Cindy Scott, Kathryn Duval, Diane Osborne, Ric and Debbie Bretschneider, Sara Felix, Linda Wenzelburger, Rina Weisman, Kerry Kuhn, Angela Jones-Parker, Elayne Pelz, Nancy Alegria, the O’Hallorans, Chris Castro, Debi Chowdhury, Randy Smith, Lisa Hertel, Jerome Scott, Sandra Childress, Chuck Serface, Lori Buschbaum, and all of the tireless volunteers who make Worldcons happen. Thank you again to my incredible Hugo Ceremony co-Directors, Jessica Guggenheim and Randall Shepherd (and Michael Rafferty)!!! Thank you to Pablo Defendini, Meg Frank, Julia Rios, Fireside Magazine, Will Frank, Liza Trombi, Francesca Myman, Lenore Gallegos, Elias Gallegos, and Ti Mikkel.

And finally, all love to The Mexicanx Initiative, the great Parris McBride Martin, GRRM, and my cousin Adria Gonzales.

(Photos by Adria Gonzales, Rick Canfield, Jose Luis Zarate, Debi Chowdhury, Tom Rodgers, Bronwyn Lake, Liz Gorinsky, Gabriela Damian Miravete, Raquel Castro, Lauren Snow, Jeremy Brett.)

#Xup

Selected 2017 Works

For those seeking one-stop summaries of eligible work for the 2018 awards season, I hope this curated gallery is helpful. Here are a few of my selected published artworks from 2017.

‘La Valiente’
Product illustration for Loteria
Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes
Client: Lone Boy
October 2017
(Art © 2017 John Picacio.)

‘When The Devil Drives’
Interior illustration for Melinda Snodgrass’ ‘When The Devil Drives’
Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes
Client: Tor.com
Art Director: Irene Gallo
Editor: George R. R. Martin
July 2017
(Art © 2017 John Picacio.)

 

 

‘El Gorrito’
Product illustration for Loteria
Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes
Client: Lone Boy
May 2017
(Art © 2017 John Picacio.)

 

 

‘La Araña’
Product illustration for Loteria
Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes
Client: Lone Boy
December 2017
(Art © 2017 John Picacio.)

 

 

‘El Arpa’
Cover illustration for Uncanny Magazine
Media: Graphite Drawing / Digital Finishes
Client: Uncanny Magazine
January / February 2017
(Art © John Picacio.)

Selected 2016 Works

2017 is already flying by so fast. Here are a few of my selected artworks from 2016. For those seeking one-stop summaries of eligible work for the 2017 awards season, I hope this short list is helpful.


‘La Botella’
Product illustration for Loteria
Client: Lone Boy
October 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)


‘La Corona’
Product illustration for Loteria
Client: Lone Boy
October 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)


‘La Pera’
Product illustration for Loteria
Client: Lone Boy
October 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)


Cover illustration for A. Lee Martinez’s THE LAST ADVENTURE OF CONSTANCE VERITY
Client: Saga Press
July 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)


Interior illustration for Carrie Vaughn’s WILD CARDS story, “The Thing About Growing Up In Jokertown”
Client: Tor.com
December 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)


Cover illustration for George R. R. Martin’s IN THE HOUSE OF THE WORM
Client: Baltimore Science Fiction Society
May 2016
(Art © 2016 John Picacio.)

The 2015 Chesley Award Finalists!

The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists has announced this year’s Chesley Award finalists, and wow — I’m grateful and honored to be nominated for FOUR Chesleys! It’s a stellar list of art and amazing illustrators across all categories, and my thanks to ASFA voters for recognizing my work amongst such great company.

My nominated works are:

ENDYMIONpicacio800
Best Cover Illustration / Hardcover
John Picacio • ENDYMION by Dan Simmons
(for the Subterranean Press limited edition, December 2014)
Art Director: William K. Schafer

NUESTRApicacio800
Best Interior Illustration
John Picacio • Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza
(for the Tor.com story by Carrie Vaughn)
Art Director: Irene Gallo

CALAVERApicacio800
Best Product Illustration
John Picacio • ‘La Calavera’ Loteria Card
(for Lone Boy)

VENADOpicacio800
Best Monochrome Work • Unpublished
John Picacio • ‘El Venado’
Medium: Graphite

Thank you to Irene and Bill for making two of these nominations possible. I’m also gratified to see that two artworks from my ongoing, creator-owned Loteria efforts — ‘La Calavera’ and ‘El Venado’ — are recognized this year. ‘Means the world to me. Thank you to Carrie Vaughn for writing a terrific Wild Cards story that inspired the art for Nuestra, and to George R. R. Martin for editing Wildcards, one of my favorite of all fiction universes. A mighty blast of Loteria karma to Leigh Bardugo — her Grisha Trilogy (and especially Shadow and Bone) is the waking dream that helped birth ‘El Venado’. I can’t wait for her new book, Six of Crows, releasing in late September.

The complete list of 2015 Chesley Award Finalists. Congrats, all!

Best Cover Illustration / Hardcover
Julie Dillon, Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology edited by Brandon Sanderson; Dragonsteel Entertainment, June 2014
Jon Foster, Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi; Subterranean Press, 2014
Todd Lockwood, The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan; Tor, March 2014
John Picacio, Endymion by Dan Simmons; Limited Edition, Subterranean Press, December 2014
Michael Whelan, Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson; Tor, March 2014

Best Cover Illustration – Paperback
John Harris, Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie; Orbit October 2014
Jon Sullivan, The Return of the Discounted Man by Mark Hodder; Pyr, July 2014
Raymond Swanland, The Lady by K.V. Johansen; Pyr, December 2014
Danielle Tunstall, Unseaming by Mike Allen; Antimatter Press, October 2014
Raoul Vitale, Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 edited by Kij Johnson; Prometheus/Pyr

Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
Julie Dillon Analog April 2014
Matt Dixon, Clarkesworld #90 March 2014
Wayne Haag, Interzone #253 July/August 2014
Patrick Jones, Analog March 2014
Jae Lee, Batman/Superman #14 DC Comics October 2014
Peter Mohrbacher, Lightspeed #48 May 2014
Dan Dos Santos, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #3 Dark Horse, March 2014

Best Interior Illustration
Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso, “Ekaterina and the Firebird” by Abra Staffin-Wiebe; Tor.com, January 2014
Galen Dara, “A City of Its Tentacles” by Rose Lemberg; Lackinton’s #1 February 2014
Julie Dillon, Imagined Realms: Book 1 July/August; Kickstarter December 2014
Scott Gustafson, Classic Bedtime Stories; Artisan, September 2014
Karla Ortiz, “The Walking Stick Forest” by Anna Tambour; Tor.com May 2014
John Picacio, Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza; Tor.com October 2014

Best Gaming Related Illustration
Noah Bradley, Drown in Sorrow Magic card, Born of the Gods; WotC, Feb. 2014
Eric Deschamps, Ephara, God of Polis Magic card, Born of the Gods; WotC, Feb. 2014
Michael Komarck, D&D The Rise of Tiamat; WotC, Oct. 2014
Peter Mohrbacher, Pharika, God of Affliction Magic card, Journey into Nyx; WotC, May 2014
Karla Ortiz, Ghoulcaller Gisa Magic card, Commander 2014; WotC, Nov. 2014
Chris Rahn, Ajani the Steadfast Magic card, 2015 Core Set; WotC, July 2014

Best Product Illustration
Frank Cho & Brandon Peterson, Fast Food New York ComicCon 2014 art print
Donato Giancola, George R.R. Martin Song of Ice and Fire 2015 calendar Bantam, 2014
Patrick Jones, Conan The Conquered Illuxcon promotional art
John Picacio, La Calavera Loteria card Lone Boy
Raymond Swanland, One with the Light Limited Edition Giclee on canvas Acme Archives 2014

Best Color Work – Unpublished
Linda Adair, Dragonsbride oil
Michael C. Hayes, Alegretto oils
Reiko Murakami, Giving Name Photoshop
Mark Poole, Omens oils
Dorian Vallejo, Crossing oil on canvas
Annie Stegg Gerard, The Lady of Lorien oil on linen

Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
Kristina Carroll, “Dragonslayer” charcoal
Sean Murray, “Gateway: The Storkfriars” graphite
John Picacio, El Venado, graphite
Olivier Villoingt, “The Soul of War” graphite & acrylic
Allen Williams, “Sphynx” graphite
Rebecca Yanovskaya, “Wisdom” ink & mixed media

Best Three-Dimensional Art
Dan Chudzinski, The Mudpuppy, resin & mixed media
David Meng, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King
Michael Parkes, Meditation, bronze
Forest Rogers, A Fish from Versailles, Kato polyclay
Virginie Ropars, Morrigan, polymer clay & mixed media
Vincent Villafranca, Modernity’s Squeaky Child, bronze & steel

Best Art Director
Lou Anders, Pyr
Shelly Bond, DC/Vertigo Comics
Irene Gallo, Tor & Tor.com
Jeremy Jarvis, Wizards of the Coast
Lauren Panepinto, Orbit Books

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award
Kinuko Craft
John Harris
Gregory Manchess
Iain McCaig

The awards ceremony will be held at the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, WA on August 19-23, 2015.  If you’re an ASFA member, make sure your dues are up-to-date! You have until June 30th at 11:45pm (East Coast time) to submit your final ballot. (NOTE: The final ballot is accessed with the “VOTING” tab in the red toolbar at the top.) If you’re not currently an ASFA member, join! It only costs a measly $35 and you gain full voting privileges.

I’ll be in Spokane for Worldcon. Congrats again to all of the nominees!