Buckling Down

I got a lot of projects finished out in March, and now it's suddenly April! I can't believe it.

First up, I wanted to ask for everyone's help. I entered into a contest for a licensing contract, and the first round is open for voting. If you could follow this link (http://selinafenech.com/2013/2013-art-awards-round-one-voting/), and pick my name from the list with the check boxes and vote for me, it would really help me out!

I was banging around the house yesterday feeling a bit lost. I have a lot of things going on, and yet? It feels like I'm not doing enough. Or something. Maybe it's spring fever, and it's put me in a mood?

I've decided it's time to really push hard on Alice. I mean to finish out the series this year and start a new fairytale next year for my main focus (going with my plan to do one fairytale story per year as my focus, along with lots of little fun stuff along the way as the mood takes me.) Painting all these fairies and dragons have served more than just letting me finally show them and discovering there is an interest so I can keep painting them. No, it's also helped me nail down how I want the Queens to look, and the Jabberwocky.

For some reason, I cannot shake the image of the Jabberwocky emerging from the bark of some gnarly old spooky trees. I have this image of Alice in the dark forest and all those "sweet" type of elements I have added sporting a much darker visage. In my head, the Jabberwocky was more than a character, he was an influence on everything around him too, tainting everything he was near.

Also, my focus on Alice has finally settled. Normally, I would have painted her out first. Yet, I held back. I know now it was because I wanted to use my daughter as the model, but it wasn't the right fit. So, I'm letting it go (and I let her know, just in case it resulted in any hurt feelings. It didn't, which is good. I plan on painting her into all sorts of other things anyway! She'd make a fabulous elf or fairy!) Now that I'm free of that, my mind is finally settling on how I want her to look, so she's next up. I expect to have her sketched out by early next week (earlier if I can get the Cheshire finished!)

Lastly, the newest edition of Thrice Fiction Magazine is out (it's free for download) and I have some pieces in there as well, and of course the stories are always a quick fun read (I didn't write any of them, don't worry!)