Oops, sorry...where did that time go?

So what’s happening? Nearly another year has passed and I’ve not written a single blog post. Does that mean I’ve been doing nothing? Well, no, just the opposite really. I’ve been very busy. Unfortunately that business hasn’t included much writing. Here’s a rundown of where I’m at…

Writing: I have done some writing. It’s not been neglected altogether. I even have a title for the book now – “Larkspell”. As of this weekend I’m up to Chapter 20 and I’m estimating there’ll be about 26 altogether, so the end is in sight. I think I might have missed writing a few chapters though, because the story swaps and changes between two threads and I got carried away with one thread and neglected the other. It will all start tying together soon, though, so I’ll have to get back to those chapters. Then there’s that lovely thing called editing to do. Groan.

Art: On this front it has been a very busy year. Magic Owl Design has built up and I’m now getting work on illustrations, maps and book covers very regularly. So regularly, in fact, that I got brave and handed in notice at school so that I can concentrate on that as my main income. It had got to the stage where going to work was interrupting what I was doing for clients and so making their wait longer. I’ll write more about my motives for quitting at another time, but that’s the big news for now. I’ve expanded into doing illustrated covers, too, which I love doing. I’ve even done a few original pre-made fantasy covers in the hope they’ll sell.

Apart from the art I’ve been doing for Magic Owl, I’ve also been taking part in the 52-Week Illustration Challenge 2014 run by Tania McCartney on Facebook. It started off as quite a small group, but it has grown and now there are lots of people involved. Each week we are given a word and have to do an illustration for that word. There is some huge talent amongst the participants and I’ve learned a lot from seeing what they do and just from having to do something every week. I’ll definitely be taking part again next year. 

My last piece of art news is that I did end up buying a Cintiq. Just a small one, but I've bought a large screen to attach to my laptop so the smallness of the Cintiq doesn't matter. It's wonderful, fantastic, magical! Being able to draw straight onto the screen is just unbelievable. It's like 'real' art without the mess or the smells. I'm loving it...that's another blog post.

I know I said this at the beginning of the year, but I will try to blog more regularly from now on…