MicroVisions 4, auction is live

Any, we're off! The fourth annual MicroVisions auction is up and running.

Check it out on eBay:
MicroVisions 4
And bid, bid, bid!

These are 5x7 paintings created by the field's leading illustrators and comic book artists. All proceeds go to the Society of Illustrators student scholarship fund. They are kept small so that the artist have fun doing them and to make them affordable by casual collectors.

A huge thanks to teh participating artists:

Welsey Allsbrook, Volkan Baga, Chris Buzelli, Justin Gerard, Greg Manchess, Paolo Rivera, Luis Royo, Greg Ruth, Francis Vallejo, Michael Whelan

As it happens, the Society's scholarship exhibit is having it's opening night gala Friday, May 8th. Every year I am blown away by the incredible talent this show pulls together. I'm very excited to be meeting this year's students -- it's never very long before you start seeing some of their names out in the professional world.

Greg Ruth's MicroVisons

Greg Ruth just sent in his MicroVisions contribution.

It's cute! No, it's freaky! No...it's.....Awesome.

I own a few Greg Ruth drawings and they make me happy every day.

RELATED: Greg Ruth gave some great answers in this interview.

Greg Ruth Interview, over there

I think Greg Ruth is the only artist I ever bought more than one drawing from. In fact, whenever I here his name, I think of standing in front of his portfolios at MoCCA Art Fest with Dan Dos Santos and Greg Manchess, each of us saying, "I want this one...no, that one,...no wait...."

You can see the attraction - bold brush strokes, mysterious shadows, dripping mood and emotion. He creates dark worlds that are somehow comforting in their solemnity.

It also turns out that he's incredibly articulate. Go over to Tor.com and read the full interview.

What was the hardest part about establishing yourself in the field?
...just trusting my own vision for the kind of comics I want to do, and believing in myself enough to go forward with it is an ongoing task. It really is an act of hubris to stand up above the throngs and state that you know what’s best and are worth investing in and taking a chance on. I’m not much good at self-promotion, so this kind of thing has been tough to grapple with. But you gotta do it. You gotta risk seeming like a bloviating ass, or an overly earnest goofball in this business if you expect the gatekeepers to take notice. Find your weak points and work ’em until they’re strong.

Read the full interview on Tor.com. He talks about his process, how he established himself, and a bit about the recent movie announcement for Freaks of the Heartland.

Greg Ruth

Just about every artist I know regrets not having time for "their own" work. Greg Ruth (one awesome drawer) has announced a project to force himself into creating just that. The 52 Weeks Project -- he will make a drawing each week, all at the same proportions and using the same materials. Drawing number 1 seen to the left.

What strikes me the most about the project is his intention to keep it fun and light. A problem I see among many pro and emerging artists is they see each project has overly meaningful and precious. Occasionally just letting yourself fool around with some ideas will lead you somewhere interesting and not fully expected, especially over the course of a year.