In conjunction with my good friend Andrew McDonald, a talented photographer and all-around creative individual, I’ve put together a few samples of cover art for books. These could be used for printed or electronic books, and can be formatted to fit a variety of sizes. Enjoy, and check out more of Andrew’s photography on his site!
And here are a few using my own Space & Science Fiction art:
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00014]](https://i0.wp.com/christopher-doll.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SFBook_Rendezvous1.jpg?w=246&h=172&ssl=1 "Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00014]")
Felt like a spacecraft sketch tonight.
Drawn with Photoshop CC and a Wacom Intuos 3 tablet
This week I was featured on the Amazing Stories website in a series that profiles Space Artists, members of the IAAA (International Association of Astronomical Artists). I’m honored and privileged to have been selected for this article alongside artists that I’ve looked up to over the years. If you get a chance, check it out:
“The Bunker” was my favorite suggestion as a name for my home studio, thanks to my pal “Crazy Joe” Nedjberger. It won out over some equally good suggestions like “The Dollhouse”, “Dollshop”, “BlackBirdCD’s Cave”, and so on.
The room itself is the fourth bedroom of our split-level house in Bothell, Washington, and the largest bedroom in the house. It was partitioned by one of the previous owners in the originally unfinished downstairs. For years it’s been the home office, craft area, and model-building space all crammed into one. Having such a dedicated room is one of the luxuries our modest house offers, but as is the nature of such a space it was rarely comfortable to walk into, much less work-friendly than it needed to be for my new career as a Freelance UX Designer and artist. Let’s face it, the hobby room is the last to be sorted out and organized unless it’s used on a regular basis.
Gone were the piles of half-started, in-progress spaceship models, paperwork and tangles of cables from long-forgotten computer hardware. That’s all out in the adjoining family room now, or in the refuse pile. That which is to be retained has been brought back in carefully, put in its appropriate place, as I re-configured the desks to be more efficient for my work.
Digital on one side:
And my workbench for painting and model building on the other:
The feature image of this post shows the shelves that I use to display finished models, awards, and books that I turn to regularly for the work that goes on here. It still needs a little love, but that’s for a later date. The photos only show 2/3 of the overall space, the rest is dedicated to my wife’s craft station, and a large closet. Four people can be seated at the central island where the easel is sitting. It’s a good sized room.
Originally planned as a weekend project, the cleanup has extended into nearly ten days of careful re-organization using the existing furnishings. It will never look this clean again, but I’ve already noticed how the change has improved my own efficiency, and my own demeanor when I’m in the space.
If there’s any lesson to be gained from this exercise, it’s gotta be one of the most basic – “clean your room”.
For the first time in many years I painted on canvas, with real brushes and paint – as opposed to the digital painting that’s consumed me for the last year. My wife Stephanie and I visited The Drunken Easel, a local tavern that combines a painting class with fine, local wine and beer. It was just the two if us, and the owners Justin and Janell, which made for a relaxing evening.
After introductions, and a couple of glasses of wine, we set up to paint. Stephanie worked with Janelle on a wonderful tree with blossoms, while I took advantage of the art supplies to paint a space scene. Justin was a good sport and worked along with the space scene on his easel.
I didn’t know if I’d remember my paint skills. Scale model building requires a lot of painting, usually with a airbrush, and it’s not quite the same as painting an picture. But once I had the brushes moving it all came back quickly. Like riding a bicycle, you really never forget.
Stephanie is no slouch either, we met in an art class back in college. I’m thrilled to have spent date night surrounded by paint.
To be honest, I rather surprised myself with what materialized by the end of the evening. It felt natural, comfortable, and exciting to work up the picture. Even without the crutch of an unlimited undo, and other niceties offered by digital painting, I found the whole experience rewarding.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and a great chance to meet some new friends. We’re looking forward to coming back again. As for my own artistic journey, my next chapter begins with sorting out which of the paint tubes and supplies are still viable after years of storage, and picking up what I need to proceed with more of these.
