Good grief! No more snow for me, and I hereby formally request that we BAN White Christmases of over a half-inch of ground cover.

I live in the Kansas City vicinity, which is very nearly in the middle of the snowy muddle that happened over the Christmas holiday. We had about ten inches of this stuff in the particular sublet where I live, with snow drifts of three feet or more. Even getting from home to work - about two miles - was an absolute nightmare. It took our road crew almost two days to get to the interior neighborhood roads, and on that first day I had to walk eight blocks in all that crazy wind and driving snow to get home because my poor little Saturn car got stuck in a slippery mire. Fortunately, Dad and my brother-in-law came over to help me dig it out and get it home.

I clearly remember the last time we had this much snow - it was 1985, and I was in the second grade. We got something like two extra days added to our Christmas vacation that year, and all of us thought that was the coolest thing EVER. That was the first year I really got to go sledding down a big hill, too. Now, twenty-five years later, I can see why my mom and dad were not nearly as enthusiastic about all that snow as I was. What a paradigm shift, eh? And yet, I may still try my hand at snow sculpture if this stuff sticks around for a few more days.



I have Commissioned Project and Print information posted here.



"Planning" means that I'm thinking about your project, but don't have anything on paper yet.

"Sketched" means that I have a rough doodle in my sketchbook. I don't always post these.

"In Progress" means that I've started the pencilwork, or that I'm inking the project, or that I'm coloring it.



Commissions: Open. Here's information.
Trades: All slots full.
Requests: Closed.
Kiribans: Next one at 90,000 pageviews.



The Dastardly Project List

Kiribans

Kiriban for 80,000th pageview: A little phoenix a la Song in the Sky 3. In progress. [link]

Commissions and Trades

Commission: Hive, Queen and Country monster bug designs. In progress.
Commission: Song in the Sky 4. Sketched.

Trade: Drawing of her astoundingly colorful Tialocan. In progress. [link]
Trade: characters Shen and Odette. In progress. [link]
Trade: Her character Volknyr. In progress. [link]

I have Commissioned Project and Print information posted here.



"Planning" means that I'm thinking about your project, but don't have anything on paper yet.

"Sketched" means that I have a rough doodle in my sketchbook. I don't always post these.

"In Progress" means that I've started the pencilwork, or that I'm inking the project, or that I'm coloring it.



Commissions: Open. Here's information.
Trades: All slots full.
Requests: Closed.
Kiribans: Next one at 90,000 pageviews.



The Dastardly Project List

Kiribans

Kiriban for 80,000th pageview: A little phoenix a la Song in the Sky 3. Planning

Commissions and Trades

Commission: Hive, Queen and Country monster bug designs. In progress.
Commission: Song in the Sky 4. Sketched.

Trade: Drawing of her astoundingly colorful Tialocan. In progress.
Trade: characters Shen and Odette. In progress.
Trade: Her character Volknyr. Planning.

Hey guys, I have a favor to ask of you.

I need to put together a presentation of some kind - a slide show or Powerpoint type of deal - about me and the art that I do. I have NO IDEA where to begin.

If you were going to be in my audience at this presentation, what artwork of mine would you like to see? What would you like for me to talk about with regards to my art? What kinds of questions would you have for me, even just in a general sense?

Your help is greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance.

Cheers,
Rachael



I have Commissioned Project and Print information posted here.



"Planning" means that I'm thinking about your project, but don't have anything on paper yet.

"Sketched" means that I have a rough doodle in my sketchbook. I don't always post these.

"In Progress" means that I've started the pencilwork, or that I'm inking the project, or that I'm coloring it.



Commissions: Open. Here's information.
Trades: Closed for now.
Requests: Closed.
Kiribans: Next one at 80,000 pageviews.



The Dastardly Project List

Kiribans None currently. Next at 80,000 pageviews.

Commissions and Trades

Commission: Hive, Queen and Country monster bug designs. In progress.
Commission: Song in the Sky 4. Sketched.

Trade: Drawing of her astoundingly colorful Tialocan. Planning.

It's hard to believe that I've been attending Archon and its attendant art show for twelve years now. The pins and paperwork don't lie, though. Twelve years. Wow. And if I'm very lucky, maybe forty or fifty more.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to shout out a bit THANKS! to all of the Archon folks - staff, friends, fans, and family alike - who've helped me all along the way. It's such great fun to work with all of you guys - and to be able to meet with you in person at the show. It's so cool to just sit around and talk shop for hours on end.

Now my show circuit is about done for the year. There are a couple more conventions to which I'll mail my artwork, but for the most part I'm home until after New Year. It is my fervent hope that I'll get a bunch more Stone Dragons done, as well as a bit of writing. We shall see.

Cheers,
Rachael



I have Commissioned Project and Print information posted here.



"Planning" means that I'm thinking about your project, but don't have anything on paper yet.

"Sketched" means that I have a rough doodle in my sketchbook. I don't always post these.

"In Progress" means that I've started the pencilwork, or that I'm inking the project, or that I'm coloring it.



Commissions: Open. Here's information.
Trades: Closed for now.
Requests: Closed.
Kiribans: Next one at 80,000 pageviews.



The Dastardly Project List

Kiribans None currently. Next at 80,000 pageviews.

Commissions and Trades

Commission: Hive, Queen and Country monster bug designs. In progress.
Commission: Dance of Balance 4. In progress.
Commission: Song in the Sky 4. Sketched.

Critter trade. Planning.

Okay, wow. It's been a long, busy summer. The whole of July and August flew by like a flash of lighthing, and all of a sudden it's September.

September means that it's RenFest time in Kansas City. I'll actually be there at a book booth the weekend of the 19th, doodling 'longside the authors featured in the RenFest anthology. I think we're supposed to be within a stone's throw of the main entrance. Our publisher is Hadley Rille. How about that? I'm really excited.

Gotta get those couple of trades and a kiriban done, too; those are next in my project pile now that I have the deadline-sensitive stuff out of the way. Be on the lookout for the trades in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, I'm getting geared up for Archon in early October. So long as the swine flu doesn't turn me into a pile of pork rinds, I'll be on site at the convention again this year.

Cheers,
Rachael



I have Commissioned Project and Print information posted here.



"Planning" means that I'm thinking about your project, but don't have anything on paper yet.

"Sketched" means that I have a rough doodle in my sketchbook. I don't always post these.

"In Progress" means that I've started the pencilwork, or that I'm inking the project, or that I'm coloring it.



Commissions: Open. Here's information.
Trades: Closed for now.
Requests: Closed.
Kiribans: Next one at 80,000 pageviews.



The Dastardly Project List

Kiribans None currently. Next at 80,000 pageviews.

Commissions and Trades

Commission: Hive, Queen and Country monster bug designs. In progress.
Commission: Dance of Balance 4. In progress.
Commission: Song in the Sky 4. Sketched.

Critter trade. Planning.
Trade. Cool feathery critters with great color. In progress.