...I was looking for some kind of tolerant public outlet for my "edgy" artwork. Kind of desperately looking, actually. Living in a very traditional, religious, and sexually repressive culture made it difficult to find folks who would openly acknowledge any interest in the imagery I was putting out. Family portraits, landscapes, and religious imagery were what held their eye and merited their respect. My stuff was not the kind of thing Jesus would want them to look at, apparently. Some folks said exactly that to me about it.

I don't know how it happened, but I stumbled across DeviantArt on April 9, 2006. Signing up seemed minimally risky, and browsing through, I had the impression DA might offer me something like what I was after. I signed up, made a few comments on some people's posted works, and submitted a couple of my ink drawings.

Things took off very quickly. It turns out that the "Deviant" with a couple of the works I commented on was actually an art thief who was posting under the guise of the artist Rowena Morrill [link] . I had no idea she wasn't Rowena, but I left my honest appreciation and feedback for the pieces I saw. A fellow Deviant who was on to the thief's game noticed my comments and sent me a note, informing me of the charade and encouraging me to stay on DeviantArt and continue. That nice, welcoming Deviant became a wonderful friend whose impressive art now hangs in my home and whose input in my life is cherished. Thank you, Carole, a.k.a *CaroleHumphreys .

As I posted a few more pieces and commented a bit more, learning how to "favorite" and seeing some of my own works "favorited," I quickly came in touch with a small group of very cool people with their own impressive artistic talent and creativity. In somewhat of an order, I met and had note conversations with visual artists Jana ( ~Dyun ), Gordon ( *dashinvaine ), Scott ( *DocRedfield ), Bob ( ~giadrosich ), and with writer/photographer Emma ( ~TheSilverLining ). These people gave me some great feedback about all of my artwork, including my "controversial" imagery involving bondage and Damsels in Distress, and even the few Female Domination pieces I had. There were others during that time, including ~FreshwaterMermaid and ~Sweets-B , with whom I interacted off and on, all of whom made the DA world more than just an attractive little escape from the conservative high desert I still live in.

That first Summer, while talking on the phone with one of the most influential people in my life, I told him about DeviantArt and suggested that he get an account and post some of his own artworks here. That person is my uncle, *freya50 , whose artistic talent, honesty, love and support for me, and rational viewpoint on life have been vitally important to me. Given that he wasn't as computer-savvy as I was (which, come to think about it, is a bit scary, since I am definitely NOT computer-savvy), he would complete each of his pastel drawings, send them to me to crop and adjust in Photoshop for some bad photographic lighting issues, and post on his DA account. I got to be closely acquainted with his collection of artworks I hadn't seen and closely involved with the production of the new ones that poured out over the next few years.

Later, a friend and neighbor I've known since my youth was looking for a place to post his photography, and I suggested DeviantArt to him. This was ~john33 , and his work has shown me the real beauty of the state we both live in. Another very close friend and writer joined DA and posted some of his narratives, one of which was done to accompany a piece of my artwork. This was ~EmeraldMage whom I met in college and from whom I ended up living right across the street for some choice years. Together, ~john33 , ~EmeraldMage , and I spent many hours at the gaming table with other friends and family, and some of that time has produced artwork I've posted here.

Soon, some publication and posting projects started showing up. *DocRedfield created the DA group #monstersandmaidens and asked me to charter-member it with him, which was a lot of fun and had a great run of monthly contests with themes that accumulated some really cool pieces in a variety of styles. ~giadrosich was named the Art Editor for a book of Alex Ness' poetry and gave me the opportunity to get some pieces included. ~Dyun started a group called the ~ArtistPortraits project, in which a portrait was drawn and then photographed in the hands of the artist, which was then drawn by the next artist and then photographed in that artist's hands, and so on. *BryanBaugh saw my inkwork and invited me to participate in his book publication on How to Draw Swords and Sorcery characters. *dashinvaine created a self-generating story illustration group that had a fun run called ~CollectiveFable , to which I added some pieces that may or may not have contributed to the overall story, but were still fun to draw. All of those projects were fun and interesting, and kept me in contact with the cool, interesting people I knew and introduced me to skads more.

Somewhere, early on in that ongoing nest of opportunity, I posted the first few pages of "Rats in the Cellar" that I had drawn two years previous. This started a ball rolling for me that had more or less slowed to a halt for a number of reasons since I'd started it. But with the sudden influx of interested comments, favorites, watchers, speculators, narratives (thanks for kicking that off, Jana!), and whatnot, "Rats in the Cellar" and it's quasi-follow-up "Twisted Plot" surged ahead on the tasks I had taped to my drawing board, as it were. More interested Deviants popped up with comments, suggestions, questions, compliments, and speculations as the two chapters were completed and posted, and by the time I was finished with the 34 pages of the original "Twisted Plot," I was making plans to continue the whole thing along the lines of what had only been a pipe dream before that.

That's when I decided to address a weakness in the art of the overarching storyline that started with "Rats" and "Plot": If I was going to have multiple female victi-... er... protagonists, then I'd need to draw them in such a way that they'd be easily distinguishable from each other as the story progressed. While my mind was capable of drawing a woman's face and figure without a reference, I was limited. To make that face and figure consistent would require a reference for each character, and while I could go on for a while borrowing and tweaking images from obscure scenes in DVDs and porn clips (whoops! ), I recognized that the best way to do it would be to find some interested female of appropriate age who wouldn't mind her face and possibly figure being drawn in a storyline like "Rats" and "Plot."

Enter Natalie Paquette, a.k.a. `fetishfaerie-stock . Natalie was a stock artist, which I learned was a Deviant who produced a variety of photos, mostly of herself in dramatic lighting, costumes, and poses, for fellow Deviants to use in producing their images. Somewhat timidly I sent a note to her asking her if she'd consider letting me use some of her images for the next "chapter" of the storyline I was working on, and she agreed. She even agreed to produce for me some particular stock images that I would use for her protagonist's "capture sequence." After six years, most of those requested images are still sitting here, waiting on my hard drive (they're due to show up at the beginning of the next chapter, "Web of Betrayal"), though some of them have been put to use a few years back.

Natalie's willing involvement gave me confidence to try for a few more like her, and before I was even finished with her character's installment, "Fair Harvest," I was sending out a digital request for more interested stock models on DA.

And that's when I completed my first year of membership on DeviantArt.

That was just one year, and my god, the artistic drive it gave me was astounding. Over the years, the list of stock models and those providing references for me has grown to include creative writer ~Feathered-pics , medical professional ~perditax31 , avid cosplayer ~Lizzy-Barry , animal medicine grad student ~Geekhyena , sword enthusiast and writer ~Mistersneaky , model ~catchan and her photographer *Viator-Defessus , and a few others whose work either hasn't been used yet or I'm not certain I still have the permission to use. And that's just talking about the "Demon's Due" project. I've made use of some other stock models' imagery for other projects I've had in the works during that time, and the comments I've received, suggestions, requests, ideas, and such from so many interested people, has been of nigh incalculable effect and richness.

During that first year and after, many fun folks and personalities have come and gone, some remain but don't currently associate themselves with me, my artwork, or any particular project. Most of the friends listed above have endured some pretty traumatic setbacks in personal and professional lives, others have embarked on long-term professional and educational goals. I've had my own setbacks and challenges and new projects that friends here have been aware of and for which they've thrown in their support. DA has not been the only location in which I've been a part of these lives and they've enriched mine--I've even met a lot of these people in person, or carried on lengthy conversations with them in other fora--but DA has been the main one.

To all of you Deviants who have been a part of my life (artistic and personal) for these past seven years, thank you. To try and say more would only further quantify my inability to quantify how cool this has been.

To DeviantArt, thank you for the opportunity. Quantifying that with $30 for an annual premium membership is woefully understating things.

-Jeff

Yup. It's been a year since I last wrote a journal entry. Woah.

Well, and this is kind of telling, too, because a year ago my journal entry was all about the 2012 Bikini Babes in Peril calendar on Lulu.com, and guess what? This one's about the 2013 calendar, available here: [link] Basically, it's a fairly cheap way to get a bunch of decent prints to hang on your wall if you like the Bikini Babes in Peril stuff.

Other than that, it's been a grad-school pounding year in which I have seen the most Titanic Demon's due chapter finally finished, and the Rats in the Cellar revision nearly complete (about 20 images to go). I've almost turned down more commissions this year than I've had offered to me in any other year on DA. Certainly not something I'm proud of, but it is a statement about how determined I am to get Demon's Due complete and published. "Demon's Due or Die" is my artistic motto, currently. So, for all those who have asked me about commission work, thank you for the interest, and I'm sorry to keep turning you down. This is a turning into a battle of wills between me and my personal... uh... "demons," I guess.

Regardless, it seems that over the next few weeks a lot of people in the world celebrate a lot of things. In all those celebrations, I wish you all the best. I'm going to be drawing and posting as fast as I possibly can, Rats image after Rats image, until the revision's complete and I can start the publishing process, early next year (two years ago I said the same thing, but it's finally happening now, knock on wood).

Enjoy, all! And thank you for the interest, favorites, comments, and attention.

Jeff

For those of you who are looking for a 2012 calendar, who want some cheap and decent art prints of Bikini Babes in Peril, who like my digital art, and who have $25 to spend, you might want to check this out.

[link]

*collared-by-faile posted about this in her journal entry.  [link] started doing this last year, and I think I'll make a habit of it, not because I'm making big profits on selling this stuff, but just because it's fun.  As I'm making myself at home in my brand new computer, I'm putting together a small thumbnail page of what images the calendar contains, although the link on Lulu has a preview so you can see them a little larger than thumbnails.  Only a few of them have been posted on DA--most are new.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys the next few weeks, holiday season or not.  

-Jeff

Somebody gave me a gift, and I appreciate it.  Thanks!  

Update (November 14, 2011)

Three days ago I took my computer back into the shop with all of my peripherals.  In essence, I said, "Fix it or Bust," though I used more colorful language.  So, I'm computer-less again.  I keep drawing, although I don't currently have access to my system for draiwng Demon's Due from stock imagery.  So, I'll update things and launch into it when I'm back up and running.

Update (November 8, 2011)

The computer's back, hard drive healthy and ready to go.  I've got a backup to restore, but I've kept drawing in the meantime.  I'll be around here responding and commenting, but it will take me a little bit to get the computer back into action.  So, I won't be a stranger, but the Demon's Due pages will be coming a bit more slowly for a few weeks.

Thanks, all!

(Old Message) Don't panic, folks.  My hard drive came down with some kind of problem on Monday, so I took my computer to the shop--I should be hearing from them later today.  I've been drawing in the meantime, and I have the next three pages of Coils of Fate ready to scan and post when I get the tools back.  I'm posting from a campus computer or from *collared-by-faile 's computer for the time being, and I'd rather be drawing with most of that time anyway.  So, sit tight and things will be rolling again.  

Just got back from watching this with my two boys.  I liked it.  A lot.

John Carpenter's The Thing has been in my top five movies ever since I saw it almost 30 years ago.  Other films have merged with that list and vacated it, but The Thing has always been there.  While I tried to watch the new one entirely on its own merits, simply the idea that I was watching something connected to that movie made it a bit difficult.  But, in the end, and I do mean "the end of the movie," I was not disappointed in the least.

Gory?  Yes.  Spooky?  Yes.  Disturbing?  Yes.

Enjoyable?  For me, absolutely.  

In short, I've been drawing with almost every bit of free time I've had (and some I haven't had) for the last 3.5 months.  I've cranked out 66 pages of Coils of Fate in that time, along with a bunch of other Demon's Due work that hasn't been visible on the surface.  You know, I think I could use a little break.  Not a big one, just a little one.  The best part about it is that there's nothing wrong.  That's kinda' different, isn't it?  I just need to re-charge for a bit, and that means that I'll step back and breathe the air like a normal, non-obsessed visual storyteller for a few days.  Please don't panic over it.  Think of it like a Labor Day (I drew through that one this past year), or an optional midterm exam because you get to drop the low one and you've done really well on the other two, or even (if you get the reference) Kajiralia.  Who knows?  Maybe *collared-by-faile and I might actually go somewhere for a weekend getaway and I won't take my drawing boards and pencils...    

Thanks for the support and encouragement, everybody.  The best is still to come.  

This concept, "quickening," plays a prominent role in the "Demon's Due" storyline.  Here's what it is and some of how it fits in--the SPOILER-filled section at the end will be well-decorated with warnings.

In the world of "Demon's Due," men and women experience and perform sorcery differently.  As we'll learn in an upcoming chapter, sorcery is like our sun's radiation filtering into the world of Dernhem from adjacent realities called "Otherness."  Again, as will be explained in an upcoming chapter, the intersection of mathematics and this energy is called "Sorcery," and those who practice it are "sorcerers" and "sorceresses," while those who do it without thought/control are "witches."  Although this power/force is referred to by the terms "magic" and "sorcerous power," it actually comes in an array of subtle varieties based on the nature of its source in "Otherness."  In this storyline, two sources in particular are important.  One of them is cyclical, like lightwaves and soundwaves, and the other appears constant.  In the mathematical basis of sorcery, the former is like a sine function ("y = d + a* sin (bx + c)" for those who know what I'm talking about), and the latter appears more like a linear function ("y = m*x + b" for those who care).  Given their physiology, women respond more to the cyclical energy, and men respond more to the linear one.

(Note:  This seems to support that rather derogatory and off-the-mark stereotype about women being "moody" and in a state of constant changing of mind, along with the other stereotype about men having only a "one-track mind."  However, the pervading sense/conviction on this matter in the world of Demon's Due is...  uh... nevermind.    )

Anyway, back to the differences between the sorcery of men and women.  Though human males and females differ in many ways, when it regards sorcery, the presence of the female womb makes all the difference.  A woman who becomes a sorceress gains a battery of personal power in her body that she can draw on continuously to work her magics.  The forging/sparking/transformation of her womb into this miniature, internal sun-source is called "the quickening."  It occurs when sorcerous energy travels through her thoughts and emotions and merges with the spiritual essence in her womb in something that feels like "epiphany" combined with a strong hallucinogen (a legal one, of course ).  How that sorcerous energy enters her mind depends upon whatever medium the energy is carried in or even "shining through."  In Anna's case, it was the sabre-tooth skull currently housed in Jervil's Storeroom.  In Drea's case, it is the mural depiction of the Vision of Maladyne Mitesceru.  The key here is that women who are quickened by sorcery are able to constantly power their magic from within themselves, and though their enchantments may fade relatively quickly, they can replenish them without serious cost with some effort and concentration as long as they are alive, capable, and willing to do it.

Women who engage in sex (I'm talking about the "vanilla" kind of intercourse between a man and a woman) before they come in contact with an individualized sorcerous energy are quickened physically.  This shuts off the potential for a sorcerous quickening permanently, but it preserves her ability to produce children.  Quickened by sorcery = battery but no kids; quickened by sex = possible kids but no battery.  You get the idea.  Given the relative ease with which sex occurs in human society, and the rarity with which an individualized sorcerous energy is encountered that can quicken a particular woman, female sorceresses and witches are fairly rare.  It takes some careful planning and precautions to make such a thing possible.  (Note:  Drea Aliandis has reached the age of 23 without being quickened by either sex or sorcery, as she is seen as a potential progenitor to more Aliandis children if a future, worthy mate can be found, but in her role as Magistrate she is given the use of some very powerful items to do her job.)

Men are different.  Men are not quickened in a single, decisive manner like women are.  Instead, men undergo a repeat quickening many times in their life.  This is because men, in order to perform sorcery, have no internal womb-battery with which to power the magic, and so they must draw/take that power from somewhere else.  That process of drawing/taking life to power their sorcery is the quickening process of men, and it can be done by draining life from oneself, or from another.  Therefore, depending upon what he does to power his sorcery, a man's quickening might actually transform him more significantly than a woman's--choosing to drain the life of another in order to work your own will can have a pretty serious effect on a guy's outlook on life, after all.  And if he chooses to use his own life to power it, he's losing youth and energy and health, and in so doing he might kill himself.  Men who are not generally inclined to killing/abusing those around them usually find a way to drain the power from lesser creatures and plants when necessary, or they find people who are willing to commit their own life energy to the working of some sorcery that the people deem vital to their own values.  The advantage to men is that their enchantments tend to last much longer.  Items that are created to hold and unleash magic (i.e., Avora's Wand of Power, Drea's Countermail, etc.) are fashioned by men.  Rather like women, men who embrace sorcery tend to not produce children, but that's because their lives are generally cut short before they have much opportunity unless they are fairly careful.  Most young men are not all that careful, and so the number of adult men who become sorcerers is also fairly rare.


SPOILERS AHEAD!!!  SPOILERS AHEAD!!!   SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Quickenings that we are aware of in the storyline thus far include:

Rats in the Cellar:  Valerin was quickened by sex years before the story starts, which is not really a factor here.

Twisted Plot:  Ten years ago, Avora was reserving herself for a sorcerous quickening when she was serving as the Magistrate's Scholarly Assistant (Elina's current role, but Avora was serving Maladyne Mitesceru).  Because of a disagreement between her and Maladyne, the former Magistrate worried that Avora would upset her goals and used her powers to arrange for Avora to be seduced by a northern nobleman.  Quickened by sex, Avora was denied access to the power she sought, and she was enraged and swore she'd get vengeance on Maladyne and ruin her plans.

Fair Harvest:  Callista's quickening was similar to Valerin's.  Deirdre's quickening happened when she was fairly young, living in the Merwood--she has a genetic inheritance for easy quickening, evidenced by her red hair and green eyes.

Vision Impaired:  Zirena's quickening happened as a child and is also heavily influenced by her heritage--she's a successor to a line of "Seeresses" who have been traveling the area for generations.  Annalae's quickening was outlined fairly completely in the Artist Comments of Catcall Pages 20-23.  It occurred when her mother was killed and Anna fled into the Merwood Forest.

Bare Necessities:  Elina's quickening was carefully planned and sought out after her older sister's scandalous quickening got ugly and developed into threats and promises of destruction.  Uncle Anjerome Villios actually helped Elina pursue this, and more will be said about it in an upcoming chapter.

Coils of Fate:  Maladyne's quickening was very similar to what Drea is experiencing, and also like Zirena's, in that Maladyne is a Seeress.  However, Maladyne is also trained in sorcery, and she's very good at it.  Anjerome Villios' sorcerous quickenings grew more and more taxing as he served his Magistrate (Maladyne) up to and beyond her apparent abandonment of the Seat of Judgment.  At that point, he apparently drew too much from himself and died of a heart attack, although finding his corpse still at work in the Undercellar, Drea has some inkling that more might have been going on there than just a simple accident and screw up.

END SPOILERS!!!  END SPOILERS!!!  END SPOILERS!!!


I hope that explains things a bit better.  I also hope it helps people to appreciate the gravity of what occurs in the next few pages of Coils of Fate (pages 60-70).    The only thing that I need to say further about it is that when a woman's womb is quickened, the event is perceived in the "Otherness" somewhat like a new star appearing in the sky and twinkling in response to whatever is going on in the "Otherness."  Kinda' cryptic, but it'll make a lot more sense in a little while.

Regardless, enjoy!  

"Don't Panic."  This isn't bad news.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, after some deliberation, I have just set up the next semester of grad school to allow for more of an ongoing, consistent effort in "Demon's Due."  In other words, I slowed "Life" down so I can get this thing done.  Before anybody starts throwing advice at me, just skip it.  I know what I'm doing here.  Thank you for caring, but skip it.

However, now that I've got the means and the time and the "conjugal" support to see this thing through to the bittersweet end, I have recently found it necessary to reconsider the "ending" I had in mind.

In short, the first few chapters of Demon's Due were drawn and built while I was in a rather expansive frame of mind, and I very quickly built a set of circumstances and characters that would whirlpool together into a process of self-discovery, chapter-by-chapter, right up to a resolution that would show me something about myself as much as it would complete the story arcs of the characters in question.  Thus, while I had lots of details about the fundamental ideas of the plot, the ending was always left up in the air to allow me to discover it for myself when I got there.  Maybe that's not the best way to write a story, but it's the only way I know how, and this has never only been a story for me as much as a journey of self-discovery.  I've never been much of one to just take the easy way out, after all.  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear…" (Gospel of Matthew 11:15--although I'm not a religious individual, I do like that quote quite a bit.)

So, over the last week (and over the next few days), I'm descending back into the dark frame of mind that set up the Demon's Due storyline when it was a paltry 80 pages in length.  This was the time when I got to know many of you who are still commenting on the pages of the project, and some of you who have written up a narrative or two and agreed or even volunteered to provide some stock imagery for it.  Much of that input has been invaluable.

That is why I am going to ask you all to take part in a few polls being managed by the lovely *collared-by-faile .  And, more than just clicking on a bullet, I'd love to hear any input you have in the matter.  So, over the next few days as I continue to post the pages of Coils of Fate, I'm going to be posting links to polls and asking you to respond to them, and I'll thank you beforehand for any opinions, impressions, perceptions you want to throw at us.  And if you've never commented before, but you like the story and art, now would be a fantastic time to start…  

Poll #1:  What are you most looking forward to as the "Demon's Due" story wraps up?

Go here to respond:  [link]

Thanks a ton!

--Jeff

I don't know who has seen these and who hasn't.  These two Deviants have put together some impressive work based on "Demon's Due" and I don't want them to get lost in the long mix that is the "'Demon's Due' Defined" journal entry [link].

*~Styxertrix created some virtual realizations (ummm, does that sound odd to anyone else?) of scenes from "Rats in the Cellar" in Second Life.  Interesting and fun takes on Valerin vs Albert, but he's got the whole chapter done in this new format, and it looks great!  
  

*~Mistersneaky  has written up several "deleted scenes" for some of the chapters.  These things not only elaborate and explore more character interaction between some of our beloved heroines and anti-heroines (and Jervil), they are rather compellingly erotic.  
    

Leave a comment if you feel inclined--it may inspire more work!  

Thanks, guys!  I'll return back to the "Once More Into the Breach..." journal entry in a few days.

(Yes, I've used that title before--it's a personal favorite...)

Yes, I'm willing to say at this point that I'm officially back on the job.  Which job?

"Demon's Due."  I've got to get this thing done.  I really couldn't do it without help--the monster's much bigger than I am at this point, and all I can do is keep trying to let the art flow and let other interested folks pick up and make sense of the pieces.

If you look back at my recent journal entry "The Plan" ( [link] ), you'll see that as of about 8 months ago I was pretty gung-ho about getting the story published, chapter-by-chapter, and even finished overall.  That didn't work out, but it was only delayed while other matters (distressing and important) were seen to.  Those matters have been resolved sufficiently and well, and rather than go into all of that, I'm going to keep this relatively brief.

I'm currently working on Page04 of "Coils of Fate."  As indicated, I have a wonderful stock model for the Drea role--someone who has been patient and enthusiastic for the last 8 months and who deserves to see more of her efforts rewarded with disturbing fantasy art...    My intention is to continue drawing and posting "Coils of Fate" until the chapter is done, or until the stock model for Valerin sends me some more photos to work with for the revision of "Rats in the Cellar."  Revising "Rats" is the only thing for which I will break away from "Coils of Fate," so either the storyline will advance sooner, or the first chapter's publication will come out sooner.

And, truth be told, I have not been artistically idle over the past 8 months, either.  I've posted a few pieces here and there during the time, but it amounts to about a third of the things I've drawn.  These will show up here and there to punctuate or break whatever needs it.

Finally, two quick notes about two important people.

Someone close to me--a friend I made in this online community--passed away recently.  She was involved in my art, and active in the production of "Demon's Due."  I have collaborated with her in past projects and many of you have read her erotic fiction, especially if you have requested a specific story link from me for some of the illustrations in my gallery.  I would give her name but I feel inclined to honor her own preference to keep herself anonymous or "code-named" in her online activities.  Besides grief, I have nothing but respect and fondness and appreciation in my heart for this wonderful person, and she will be missed.  For anyone who knows the individual in question, I'm very willing to commiserate her loss through notes and/or email.

Someone else very close to me has decided to take a much more lively and involved interest in my art, projects, and activities on DA.  Some of our connection/relationship will be apparent to the astute (and the "nosey" ), but I ask only that people treat *collared-by-faile with two things in mind:  (1) Without her, there is no "Demon's Due," and (2) she is my "thermos," which Steve Martin fans may understand.  

That's it for now.  I'll post "Coils of Fate Page04" as soon as it's done, and we'll go from there.  Thanks for your patience and support, folks.

Jeff

...Oft Go Awry.

What an understatement.

Folks, my goal for revising "Rats" and publishing "Demon's Due" hasn't changed, but the proverbial hammer has fallen and more or less destroyed the stained-glass-window life I was trying to build.  I really can't say more than that, nor am I in the mood to talk about it.  I just don't know what to expect from this next year, but some crucial, important things are very different and definitely worse than I previously believed and hoped.  I'll continue to check in here and there and respond to comments as I have been for the last few months.  Beyond that, I have no idea what's going to happen.

Thank you.  I wish you all the best.  

I don't know if anyone's interested in this, but here goes.

My wife and I wanted a calendar for next year (2011) and we were coming up with nothing.  We thought it a great idea to put together a "Bikini Babes in Peril" calendar since I've done a bunch of pieces in that series this year.  The calendar came out looking really nice--the kinda' thing we'd hang on the refrigerator in the holiday season to appropriately warp the children.  

[link]

Glancing over the thing, it occurred to us that if someone wanted to buy prints of some of those Bikini Babes pieces, they could buy the calendar and get twelve pieces on thicker paper than DA produces its prints on.  At $25 plus $2 shipping, that means people would be getting some decent-sized prints on good quality paper at under $3 apiece.  So, since I've had some requests for prints in that series, I'm going to post the link.  Most of the 13 pieces featured in the calendar are in my online gallery, but two are not.  And, if $25 seems like a lot for a calendar, well, the thing is pretty big (roughly 14" x 18" or 34 cm x 49 cm), and the price is totally determined by the production costs at Lulu.com (I think I might make $1 for each calendar sold).

Having a publishing assistant is a real kick.  It has spawned a new saying in my life:  "If you want something done, don't do it yourself--get a publishing assistant..."

I'll put the previous "The Plan" journal entry back up in a few days.

Enjoy!

Folks, I haven’t been dragging my feet.  Today I’m posting a sample of what I’m currently working on, a “Rats in the Cellar” revision, and I’m going to tell you about it in this journal.

As a storyline, “Demon’s Due” is working fine, but it occurred to me that artistically, the differences between the first part of “Rats in the Cellar” and the later pages of “Bare Necessities” and “Catcall” are a little too drastic for me to be comfortable.  I have acquired a Publishing Assistant who agrees with that assessment, and in our efforts to put together a “Demon’s Due” package, we have decided that the first pages of “Rats” should be re-done, along with some of “Twisted Plot.”  The differences that we’re aiming to “fix” are the change in medium (straight ink to mixed ink, graphite, and digital blocking), and the consistent use of stock models (Valerin and Avora are both done mostly straight out of my head with a few references, whereas the others have strong, good references).  So, what I have done is arranged for a great, new stock model to pose for Valerin, and we’re currently reviewing Twisted Plot to see if the revisions therein could merit another stock model.

What this means is that I’m not going to redo ALL of “Rats” and “Plot,” but just enough so that the artistic differences don’t get in the way of the presentation.  Furthermore, I’m not going to post all of the re-done pages here on DA for other reasons.

With this information, I’ll officially let you know that we’re looking at a release of a “Demon’s Due” hardcopy and digital presentation broken into smaller sections.  Currently, we’re not certain how much those sections will contain—it could be one book/download for each chapter, or one book/download for chapters 1-3 and another for 4-6 and so on, or we might try and put all of them from “Rats” to “Coils of Fate” in one book.  The cool thing is, the amount of work that remains to be done for any one of these options to be put together is almost the same—finishing up “Coils of Fate” will take place after the revisions to “Rats” and “Plot,” which would make that seven-chapter option the longest wait for a publication.  Also, a seven-chapter publication would be MASSIVE if the pictures are to be large enough to be enjoyable.  So, we’re actually leaning toward a single chapter publication, which is kind of cool, because as soon as the revision work is done on “Rats,” that one would be ready to go, and “Plot” would be ready soon thereafter, and so on.

And now the catch.  One thing you’ve got to understand about me is that I’m not in Art for the money.  At one time over 20 years ago I might have been able to pursue that direction with it, but it would have been an adjustment for me even then.  For me now, Art is like a coping mechanism, a form of therapy, and a window for seeing the world (and for seeing the world of my inner self, if you like).  For me to try and turn that into a money-making venture takes away its other power and purpose, which I will not do.  If what I make and what I do can inadvertently produce some financial benefits along the way (as it has), all the better, but it’s a rare day that sees me deciding to pursue an art project for the main purpose of making money.  What this means is that when we do put out a “Demon’s Due” publication, it’s going to look the way I want it to look, because ultimately I’m doing it for me.  The bottom line of this is that the cost of the hardcopy will be fairly high, given the monetary demands of publishing the way I want it done.  We’ll drop the digital price some so that folks can enjoy it, and just about all the profits will go to the other individuals whose work has produced the publication in question (stock models, writers, and so on).

That is the way I want it.

Money is great, people, but it also corrupts my artistic process, which I won’t tolerate.  So, each chapter’s hardcopy is going to cost around $25-$50.  I’m not expecting folks to be willing to pay that much for it (chapters 1 – 7 would end up being $190 - $230), so we’ll provide a cheaper digital version that will have most of the same stuff in it.  In the end, the hardcopy is mostly for me, so it’s going to look the way I want it to look, and any profits that do come will go to give the other participants some kind of gift for their involvement (along with a free copy).  And as far as marketing strategies go, I’m NOT interested in marketing.  If others want to do it, I’m all for it, but the kind of reward I want is simply to have some common ground of artistic, imaginative creations on which to interact with cool people like you guys.  I make my money in other ways (if I told you about them, the Catshade would have to kill you).  

So, is there a time frame?  Yes, there is, but you know as well as I that once I pin such a thing down, the damn thing comes to life and tries to crawl off the board entirely.  I’ll just say this:  The publication will miss the 2010 holiday season, but hopefully not by much.  We’re arranging things so that either form can be purchased at Amazon, and I'll let you know when it's available.
Now, sorry for the silence.  Ultimately I’m going to have to abandon all of the comments and some of the stuff in my Devwatch at the rate I’m going, but I’m not willing to do that yet.  So, I’ll post some other things that you haven’t seen (“Bikini Babes in Peril” stuff) here and there, along with the pages of “Coils of Fate” that I’ve got in the works and will finish intermittently.

Thanks, All, for the interest, comments, and support.  You’re great.  

Jeff

Folks, I'm not idle.  But given the nature of "the beast" in question, I'm reluctant to post anything until I know how it's all going to turn out.  I check in here at least once per day, but I don't know what to say other than to comment here and there (a  woefully inadequate effort, for sure).  I have a publishing assistant who is looking into lots of different options for "Demon's Due," "Needles and Needs," and so on.  School's going well, and I'm not intending to snub anyone, but I've really got to concentrate and any promises I'd make about anything won't feel genuine, other than "Rest assured that I'm not sitting on my ass and forgetting it all."    Thanks for the concern and support!

Jeff

NOTE (a couple of days later):  I should have titled this entry "Reluctant to Post Anything Anywhere," since there is nothing amiss specifically in DA to keep me from posting.  It's all about me not knowing what to post, so I'm going to be still, as I've found undeniable evidence that to say too much or the wrong thing at certain times can do far more damage than maintaining a discrete silence.  In good faith (or a semblance of it), I'll post a Halloween image I completed two months ago.  That seems to be right in line with the timing of my life, after all... (said as Christmas decorations begin to fill Wal-Mart like flocking sheep...      ).

Thanks again!

Life has thrown me a major curve ball, but it won't really get underway until the end of August.  That means I have until then to get this monstrous "Demon's Due" battleship completed, christened, and out on its maiden voyage.  In the meantime, I will be maintaining my increased working hours and applying myself to a university course, so my hands will be full enough that it'll take a monumental effort to get "Demon's Due" finished.  Given that I'm already SSSSOOOOO behind on answering comments and stuff, I'll probably just worry about that later and concentrate on getting the drawings done.  I hope that doesn't offend anyone.  Enjoy!

Just a heads up, nothing too serious.  I just added 13-18 hours to my work week, which will cut into drawing time some.  So, it will slow me down, but it shouldn't cripple things.

First Item:  I received a number of notes from potential stock models willing to take part.  My thanks to everyone who considered it, noted me, and expressed interest.  My thanks to those who have sent photos.  Further, at least one of them is sticking it out and eager to get moving quickly enough that I'll have what I need for the Seventh Chapter, "Coils of Fate," which I should be starting around the New Year, or maybe before!  

Second Item:  Given that a number of stock models responded to my plea, I am going to try to use some of the others' photos to illustrate Valerin, Avora, and Maladyne in their past pages.  No need to worry about me re-doing every page--the variety of faces in the potential stock models leads me to believe that I should be able to match a lot of what already exists and make only slight alterations here and there based on new stock photos.  There are faces of Valerin in "Rats" and Avora in "Plot" that appear inconsistent with their general looks, and these are the ones I'm going to work on.   Also, I will not be replacing the old files here in my DA gallery, although I will probably post the new versions as well.

Third Item:  With the help of three fellow deviants, the following chapters' narratives are complete and in my hands:  "Rats in the Cellar," "Twisted Plot," and "Vision Impaired."  I just got "Vision Impaired" today (thirty minutes ago, actually), and it's wonderful!  So fun to read someone else's take on events that I've outlined with pictures--especially when that take is well-written!    I have it on good authority that "Fair Harvest" is also well-underway, and I believe I have a writer set up to do "Catcall" when the illustrations are done.  Of course, there will be a bit of editing required at the end to make the narratives and illustrations consistent, but not too much, which can be chalked up to the good writing skills of those involved.  I need to thank you three who have completed work, and you know who you are.

Fourth Item:  I've got things set up pretty well to keep going until "Coils of Fate" is complete, which should be this coming February.  Assuming that goes as planned, I should be putting together some kind of publication right after that.  It will require some more writing, and so if any writers are inclined to tackle "Bare Necessities" and/or "Coils of Fate," please let me know.  I have already spoken with a couple of people about it, and I'd just as soon they be allowed a stab at it, but one or more of them might not work out, so please note me if you have an interest.  I'll catch up with the other hopefuls before anything is committed.  

That ought to do for now.

"We Interrupt This Program…"

Folks, I need a stock model, female.  Just one.  Well, considering how many I've roped into this "Demon's Due" project (ha!  Ya' like that one, don't you…!   ), it would be better to say, "Just one more."

If you watch me and you read this and you're interested, please Note me.

There is a certain look I'm going for, but I'm kind flexible about it.  And to those who have already sent me images and are still waiting around to see your work put to good use, I can only say that my brain refuses to release its hold on most ideas (including yours), and things will still work out in the future.

But I need one more stock model.  I've had several volunteer and begin collaborations and then back out, and I'm coming down to the wire on this.  I harbor no ill will toward anyone who has backed out—-sometimes these things just don't work out, and that's totally cool.

But I need one more stock model!  Am I a broken record here?!  (Well, of course I am—-check out my gallery if you think otherwise…    ).  You might even think you're not cut out for it, but if you have an open mind and a digital camera, great things can happen!  (Yes, okay, probably only "mediocre" things, but this is about the best I am at "spin"…   ).  Then, too, maybe it's not you, but someone you know who might be willing.  Great!

So, please.  Just one.  Somebody.  

"We Now Return You to Your Regular Program…"