Ar-KEG!

WOAH, STOP THE PRESSES!!!
Have yall seen this thing? Lovely internet searching landed me upon this little doozie. I'm heavy breathing here... the more I read about this product, the more faint I get.

BASICALLY...
BEER+GAMES=ARKEG.
Allow me to break it down.

BEER:
Not to be confused with a 'pony' keg, the Arkeg supports a slim keg, which contains 55 of your favorite domestic, craft, micro, or even home brews! It fully supports the 5 gallon Cornelius (corny) keg used by homebrewers.

GAME:
Think of it as an in-home iPod for your video games that also serves up cold, frothy brew. They've included some of the most popular Arcade games from Atari, Midway, Taito, and others (see list to the left). You can put any game you want onto the Arkeg by downloading online, buying games from a retail store, or installing games you own.

Besides the 69 pre-loaded games, Arkeg comes ready to play any video or audio file, as well as any video game in their computer-archived form (roms). If a game came in a cartridge or on a circuit board, it has been transferred to a rom image and is available online. Please note Arkeg only includes games that it has the legal right to distribute.

*Check out these stats*:
Liquid/scratch resistant black vinyl melamine
Protective trim-moulding
Stainless steel handles
Authentic arcade back-lit marquee
WiFi capable
24" HD gaming LCD w/ protective overlay
Chrome beverage faucet
Interchangeable tap handle
Gloss black custom kegerator
Digital temperature control
Effortless CO2 draft system
Classic 6 button layout
Arcade size 3" trackball with Mouse function
Side pinball buttons double as mouse buttons

Are you heavy breathing like me yet?

2.1 HD surround audio
Adjustable volume, treble, bass knobs
Accessible power, game exit, and pause buttons
Protective speaker grilles
Completely hidden drop-down access
Slide-out slim keyboard
Dual USB 2.0 jacks

The starting price for the maximum deal is around 4k. It's a bit of a price, but just think of it gently humming in the corner of your living room. An instant fun beacon, ready to transport you to another dimension. Hot damn, thank god for nerdy people.

Basilisk Tease

With Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist Book 1 almost on bookshelves, I thought I'd give you a teaser to BOOK 2's cover!!

The Before Tour

Well, after six or so years in my current apartment, it's come time to move on. With two people, two animals, and two fish... my closet kitchen can only go so far. So with great sadness, we made the decison to go for a bit bigger of a pad. I'll miss the one giant room, being the top half of a renovated hay barn, with a super cute grass backyard. Lily, Mama, and I have loved sunnnig ourselves on the lawn, so this might be the biggest loss. The new place? It's on TWO floors, has a washer AND dryer (it's been over 6 years of not having one) AND a dish washer!!! Here's a quick tour before everything begins to get pulled apart.

Energizing Musical Interlude

Radiohead + Joy Division = AWESOMENESS

*addition:
Glass Armonicas are AWESOMENESS as well!

It's All Over And I'm Standing Pretty, I Mean Twitchy...

Well folks, it's official. I actually finished Over At the Castle, the sequel to Boni Ashburn's Hush, Little Dragon. I honestly never thought I'd get there, but thank bejesus I did. The end of a book is a momentous occasion. You feel a pressure lifted off your shoulders and you can wipe your desk clean. But, typically because I have a tendency to stockpile my workloads, the end of a book equals more stress. You have to scan all of the work, wrap, and then box it all for delivery. All nighters are the norm before driving/sending a book to NYC. One (of the many perks) to being married (which mean insta-studiognome) is that they will gleefully scan all the images FOR you. It's AWESOME. You have no idea how much time it saved. I am uber thankful. So, without further ado, I will give you the final image of the book, and it's an exact representation to how I felt the moment it was finished.


NEXT!

Cloud City

But not where Lando lived. This here is a recent-ish finish for a Cricket magazine cover. There were a few sketches that were thrown around, involving Marduk's dragon. Marduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. The mythical Dragon of Marduk with scaly body, serpent's head, viper's horns, front feet of a feline, hind feet of a bird, and a scorpion's tail, can be seen on the famous Istar Gates. King Nebuchadnezzar, and who's name comandeers the giant bottles of Champagne, ornamented the monumental entrance gate dedicated to Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, and the processional street leading to it with scores of pacing glazed brick animals: on the gate were alternating tiers of Marduk's dragons and bulls of the weather god Adad; along the street were the lions sacred to Ishtar. All of this brilliant decoration was designed to create a ceremonial entrance for the king in religious procession on the most important day of the New Year's Festival. Sure beats our lame 2009 goofy glasses. You know, the one's where the zeros are the eyeholes! CLEVER!

ANYWAYS. Here's the progression into the final cover. Obviously, the Babylonian referrence was a bit too obscur, but still cool to research and learn along the way.

The Ol' Wave

So, I am seriously within a stone's throw to finishing the dragon sequel. I am GIDDY with the thought. I never thought, while in school, that balancing projects would be so difficult. Granted, school is hectic for many reasons, but I figured after I graduated I'd enter the known business world of 9 to 5. I tried it for a short while, and hated it. I've been in this freelance career for roughly nine years. I may whine and complain more frequently than I say it rocks quite simply because it's really tough. Mentally and physically. It's been even tougher to try and fit social life events in there, too. Thankfully, there are great friends and family members out there who know that you are really working your hardest at your true passion. ANYWHO. This latest bookcover piece was shoved in between a month long painting marathon. It's got waves. I like waves!

Ok, the crystal clear has dried. Back to painitng.

Thursday Motivational Music Interlude

Sorry guys, I am way lame. Haulin' buns with a deadline, and then getting ready for school to start... so the only thing I got for you is Clap Your Hands and Say YEAH!

Peach Boy Birth

Peach Boy is officially published by Usborne Publishing! It's a UK release but you can still purchace it through Amazon. Here's a link to some samples pages from the publisher.

Check it out here.

Many more post to come!

Inky Nights

Here's the inked version of the previous pen sketches. Been using inks for a few illustrations lately, and am enjoying it. Alas... no typie, must keeping workie! This will be in Ask magazine in a few months.

Tea Hooouse... OoooOoo!

Here's a hot off the desk sample. Antoine Revoy and I are noodling ideas for a potential new project. Collaborating has been quite fun with this. Starting off with Antoine reading all the stories to me as I paint, we then did a series of thumbnails and character sketches, that slowly progressed into this scary lady. I'll let you know if there is any positive feedback. If so, GREENLIGHT on a Shybird book! Yahowee!

Upcoming Mediums

Just a quick ink study of a previous sketchbook drawing. Shybird is gearing up for some test samples of their first book together, and are VERY excited. It will be black and white, ink washes with brushwork. We cannot wait to show more!

This additive method of medium (ink wash upon ink wash) is a strange way for me to work, but I am really enjoying the process. Typically I subtract my tones, working from darker to lighter. I am also really enjoying the randomness and uncontrolability (is that a word) of the absorbs ion. Wow, what an art nerd.

PS) Beer review of Bohemia is coming!

Fiona' s 운!

So, my babelfish translation only gave me the character for "luck" but I'll take what I can get. The good folk at Charlesbridge sent over my Korean translation of Fiona's Luck. It's so much fun to look at, and how the pages look with the different characters. Korean is an absolutely beautiful looking language. I love the abundance of circles. I am also loving the new little "luck" flourish in the title design, too. Fun fun!

It's been a monsoon in New England this summer, absolutely odd. Thank goodness I caught the package this book was in. My mailbox situation at the apartment is less than stellar, so all kind of artwork, packages, and other mail goods get left in driveways, up against houses, hanging off mailboxes. It's always a "fun" game to find my packages. So, heading out to buy some diet soda the other morning, I spotted this soaked manila envelope. Most of the packing material absorbed the previous night's rain, but if it had stayed out for another hour, it would have been toast. We got 1.5" of rain in less than two hours. YYYYEEEEESSSSSHHHHHH!

Draggin' Dragons

Recent illness has made me uber slow with everything. Abrams are ANGELS for putting up with me. I'm telling ya, it's scary how quick things stockpile in the studio. It's making me nervous as to the future of my studio work. I have to rethink all my production times. Does anyone else feel this way too? I really would love to work more quickly, but that just doesn't seem to work either. Working illustrator parents are amazing in my book. Keep working till exhaustion, you crazy diamonds!

Meisterfälscher = Masterpeice

I was excited to see Masterpiece translated into one if the first of many languages (how awesome). Henry Holt was kind enough to send me a few copies. I giggled at the title! I now know 3 words in German!!

The cover is obviously not my art, but it's interesting to see how different markets demand a different style. For instance, the paperback will have a new look too! And often as an illustrator who might like one version better than the other, you got to put trust in the sales department. They have better know-how about buying trends and cover images. Would be interesting to figure that stuff out. Here's a sneak peek:

See Saw Layout

Not much to write, but just wanted to show the bang up design job by Sheila Smallwood! So pretty!

Ink Sketches

Here's a quick job coming through the studio, but fun none the less. It's a really short spooky story, and the client asked for my black and white style. Ink has always been a sketch medium for me, and the notion that people enjoy it as a finish still shocks me. I've always been comfortable with this sort of sketch look, I assumedly disregarded it's naturalness. Got to change that, I have way too much now.

2009 E.B. White Read Aloud Award!

Holy moses! What a treat to have THIS package resting on your doorstep... I got a heavy, pretty award from the Association of Booksellers for Children! Not to be a whiner, but I really haven't won any kind of award like this... ever! I am more than honored to have received this award and to have even been asked to work with Henry Holt and Elise Broach. Look at it shine!

The E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, established in 2004, honor books that reflect the universal read aloud standards that were created by the work of the author E.B. White in his classic books for children: Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. In the first two years of the award, a single book was selected. In 2006, in recognition of the fact that reading aloud is a pleasure at any age, the award was expanded into two categories: Picture Books, and Older Readers. Books are nominated for their universal appeal as a “terrific” books to read aloud. After a list of nominations is gathered from ABC booksellers, a shortlist of four books in each category is determined by a committee of booksellers chaired by an ABC Board member. After a formal announcement on the first Monday in April, ABC booksellers vote online to determine the winners. The shortlisted books that remain receive an E.B. White Read Aloud Honor.

The awards are announced live during ABC programming at Book Expo America. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!! I am really really floored. While I typically shy away from conventions and other big events, it would have been really fun to hear Masterpiece called as a winner. Thanks ABC (and Christy Ottaviano and Elise Broach! Wow, I am awful at acceptance speeches).

Other studio news... beside the award was this giant toad on my doorstep. He's become a regular. It's really fun to have a new friend to greet you when opening the door. I will name him Elwyn!

Musical Interlude

Just wanted to share some songs I've been obsessed with lately... just because I can.

Swanky Bookmarks

Wow! Check these guys out! Houghton Mifflin really did a super job on these promotional bookmarks. It's making me all the more excited for Nate's big release in September.


Here's the backside info:

Flight of the Phoenix
Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist
by R.L. LaFevers
with illustrations by Kelly Murphy

With his parents lost at sea, Nathaniel Fludd lands on the doorstep of a distant cousin- the world's last remaining beastologist. Soon Nate is whisked off on his first expedition, to Arabia, where the world's only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg.

Too bad Nate's not the sort of boy who enjoys adventure... yet.

Oooo! So keep your eye out in stores and conventions for these little doggies... and maybe even an advanced copy!!!

Cheers.