Assignment: Mother Nature

For our next project, we asked Dennis Nolan, a fantastic illustrator and a former professor of ours from the Hartford Art School, to come up with an assignment for us. And boy oh boy did he deliver! This is what he sent us:

"Your illustration assignment, should you choose to try it, is a painting of Mother Nature (in all her glory, of course). You may use any imagery you like as long as it qualifies as an allegorical interpretation. You can invent the setting and include as much flora and fauna as makes your picture work and may choose any storyline you wish to pursue. In regards to the last, clarity of intention is paramount (sound familiar). Sharpen your pencils, the clock is ticking."

Demanding, creative, timely, and open-ended - a classic Dennis Nolan assignment! And speaking of a ticking clock, here is our project schedule:

Monday, June 8th - Thumbnails due
(June 14-21st - Master Class!)
Monday, June 29th - Sketch and reference
Monday July 13th - Final due

Time to get cracking - thanks Dennis!

Also, keep an eye out for postings related to the Master Class assignments - it's comin' up fast!

News and Results!

Hello All! Thanks so much for all your GREAT comments on the Agents of Artifice assignment. We are very happy with the finished paintings, and loved getting feedback, so thank you!

And, in an exciting twist, Becca's piece got an honorable mention from Wizards of the Coast! See it here.

We are now preparing for the Illustration Master Class, which will take place at Amherst College from June 15-21. It is sure to be an enlightening (and sleepless) week! We will also soon be posting a new assignment from the venerable Dennis Nolan, one of our favorite illustrators in the whole world! Stay tuned!

Scott's Final

So here's mine hot off the drafting table. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, and I think it'll be a nice addition to my portfolio in the direction I want to be heading. Now I think I need sleep....

Becca's Agents of Artifice Final

The deadline for the competition is today, and I think we've all squeaked in just under the wire (I know Scott and I were both burning the 3am oil last night). I'll submit the painting to Wizards of the Coast this evening. Results won't come out for at least a few weeks, and I'm sure there will be a lot of high quality entries, given the huge fan base (there are a lot of us art nerds out there). No matter what the outcome of the competition, I am happy to have done this painting.

Owen's Agents of Artifice Final

I know it's been a few weeks since we updated this thing, but it's been a busy time.  Anyway this is the final image as I sent it to Wizards of the Coast.  I'm quite happy with it, if it doesn't win the contest, it was still a great excuse to incorporate some more high fantasy into my portfolio.  I haven't done a dragon since college.