So, I wanted to do something a little different this time. Usually I lecture, but this time I want to recommend some resources for you all. These are things that I am learning from, greatly admire for its potential, or flat out just really think you all should see.

First up, the big one for me - Ninja Mountain, for those who don't know, is a collective of illustrators of the fantasy and science fiction field (though with great pulls from other aspects of the industry). Not too long ago they began doing a weekly podcast where they cover the big things. How hard was it to break into the industry for these amazing artists? How did they achieve a style? How did they market the portfolio? Etc etc. This is the stuff people go to school to learn. You get it for free: [link]

And for the ladies out there, are you tired of women in chainmail bikinis? Is the illustrative world a bit too testosterone driven? Some artistic friends have begun a new project that I personally think is a great thing. I'm a fan of boobs in fantasy art, sure - but there are multiple facets to this industry, and perhaps it's time to acknowledge that there are women in it for once, and that they have interests of their own: [link] Go get em, girls!

Ironically this is linked on the Ninja Mountain blog site above, but I ran into it last week as well and I found myself quickly pulled into the vast amount of good advice and tips for the freelancer out there who could use some direction: [link]


Okay, enjoy. I gotta get back to drawing dinosaurs now!