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Cover painting for Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Jan/Feb 2012

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-12-19T14:28:48-05:00

I painted the cover to the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine. The cover story Umbrella Men by author John G. McDaid wormed it’s way into my head like a pop song. His tale made me examine and question the history and “coincidental” appearance of the umbrella thought out recorded history.

There is even a website dedicated to exposing this conspiracy.

Here is a peak at the text-

When the first verdict was announced in the Rodney King case out in Simi Valley, the old man wandered the streets of New York with the Umbrella for two days straight. From East Flatbush, out through Bed-Stuy, back across the Queensborough Bridge and up to Harlem, then into the Bronx, always with his umbrella up, despite mild spring sunlight and cautious, curious stares. His feet were blistered and his arm muscles twitched in exhausted agony. But there were no riots in New York.

"There are some shadows that are only developed in darkness," the boy said to his parents. Alonso exchanged a smile with Mimi that the boy did not catch. He surprised them like this so often that it was no longer, well, a surprise. João was preternaturally intelligent for a ten-year-old, and Alonso was sure it was the Umbrella's doing...

I thoroughly enjoyed Mcdaid’s vision of the world and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Here are some of the sketches I sent to the editor Gordon Van Gelder after reading the manuscript. Gordon is a blast to work with and his instincts are always spot on.

Innistrad Magic The Gathering

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-11-19T11:20:15-05:00

I have three illustrations in the new Magic The Gathering Innistrad deck from Wizards of The Coast.

I’ve added them to my site.

This set was a blast to work on and I hope I can visit this world again.

During Thanksgiving weekend, I’m going to put my sketches for Magic The Gathering up for sale. If anyone has a card sketch they would like to own, drop me a line. The prices will be very reasonable. I’ll also add some Innistrad prints and the white backed Promo cards I received from Wizards of The Coast for sale as well.

Be sure to check back!!

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-10-06T02:23:15-04:00

Your products changed my life.

Godspeed Steve.

TWO Paintings in EXOTIQUE 7!

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-08-25T16:31:47-04:00

I have just been informed that I’ll have two pieces in Ballistic Publishing’s EXOTIQUE 7: THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL CG CHARACTERS.

The two paintings chosen for the book are:
Everquest: Legends of Norath- Aspect of the Owl
Crimson Waters- Palladium Books

The seventh book in the series will showcase the best digital character creations produced for film, television, games and personal endeavor.

Thank you to the judges and everyone at Ballistic Publishing for including me in such a prestigious book.

BIG project with big non-disclosure agreement

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-07-26T07:28:08-04:00

I’m in the process of completing almost 75 paintings for an awesome project that will be unveiled sometime this year. I think I have been doing my best work on this assignment and I can’t wait to show everyone what I have been working on.

Until then, here is the genesis of Trade War. This was done a few years back for a game called Mythic Palace from Breakaway Games.

I received this thumbnail sketch from the Art Director. When I receive a thumbnail sketch, I always ask myself “What is it trying to say?”

These small (credit card size or so) tonal and compositional sketches are used to try out design or subject ideas. As always with thumbnails, it’s hard to translate the energy and emotion in a thumbnail into a finished image. In a thumbnail, you go for the broad gesture with tacit regard to anatomy. Some artists use this phase to graphically design the piece. They can spot blacks, cast shadows, even add in little background details. This one was pretty good. It was loose enough for me to see the action without tying me down with too much detail.

Here is what I came up with.

I kept the broad placement of the figures and changed the pose of the figure on the left. The pose was a bit to cartoony for my realistic art style. Even though I think I sacrificed some of the energy in the thumbnail because of that decision, I think I made the right call.

The finish was done in Corel Painter.

I have a couple more Mythic Palace paintings. I’ll post them over the next few days.

George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones on HBO

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2011-04-19T10:17:14-04:00

I have heard fantastic things about the new HBO series based on George R. R. Martin novel A Game of Thrones. As someone who is intimately familiar with the A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic novels, the cast and production values seem spot on.

Sean Bean as Ned is brilliant.

I sell a series of prints based on the officially licensed work I did for the A Game of Thrones game.

Be sure to check my Print Shop.

In the coming weeks I’m going to do some paintings of the cast. The series has gotten my Westeros blood flowing again and I’ll take any excuse to draw Lena Headey.

Winter is Coming!!

The Immortal Snake Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine cover

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-12-28T19:49:27-05:00

I put up an older painting I did for the cover of the May 2008 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The illustration shows the characters in Rachel Pollack's Immortal Snake.
It was a tale of a near-divine ruler and the religion and beliefs that legitimize him. Great stuff!

City of Lies starring Michael Madsen

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-11-08T08:25:14-05:00

Every once and a blue moon I hook up with someone whose work I really enjoy.

Elias Plagianos is one of those people. We started working together on illustrations for his Indie films a few years back. I’ve watched him and his company ESP Films Ltd. slowly win award after award. A few weeks ago, he asked me to draw a promo piece for his new film City of Lies starring the great Michael Madsen. The problem was that he needed the painting completed in a very, very short period of time.

I decided the only way I was going to make the deadline was to render it using a “colored pencil” style. Basically, that means getting the values down in pencil and applying color in transparent washes and colored pencil over top. This is a technique that if planned out properly at the very beginning, can greatly speed up the process. I used Photoshop CS3 to create a digital pencil and rendered a tight comp.

Once the sketch was approved, I applied color over the digital pencils. Photoshop was used for this step as well. Even though this painting is a bit rougher than my normal paintings, I’m very pleased with the overall image.

New Painting - Antipop Consortium Florescent Black Album Cover

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-11-04T15:52:07-04:00

In 2009 the music group Antipop Consortium hired me to create the cover to their fourth album, Florescent Black. I’m honored that my illustration graces the cover of this magnificent album.

Star Wars Galaxies and Everquest Legends of Norath Artwork

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-10-19T09:46:10-04:00

I added the work I completed for Sony Online Entertainment to the new site. This was a dream series of projects. I got to play in the Everquest universe and show off my vast knowledge of all things Star Wars. I have to figure out a way to do more Star Wars art. Dark Horse here I come!

A painting in Spectrum 17 and 14

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-10-16T16:20:47-04:00

Spectrum 17 The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art will be out in a few weeks and I was lucky enough to have my painting Nightbane chosen for this years edition. Thank you to the judges and everyone at Spectrum Fantastic Art for including me in such a prestigious book.

I should also mention (since this site has been inactive for a few years) my painting Experiment appeared in Spectrum Volume 14.

Cloudmover 3.0 is Live!!

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-10-15T14:05:57-04:00

And it’s done!

So here are the bare bones of Cloudmover.net 3.0.

Look around. I still have some small tweaks to add here and there, but, I think you can get an idea of what is going on.
I’ll drop another note in a few to explain what is new and what has been happening.

One thing that’s new... I now have an RSS FEED!! Subscribe!

Cloudmover 3.0

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-10-13T11:27:51-04:00

Cloudmover.net 3.0 will be launched TONIGHT!!
Until then, follow this link to see some brand new artwork.

Cloudmover.net 3.0 and a Quick Update

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2010-10-12T08:51:00-04:00

So much has happened in the last two years.

I will be explaining it all, when the new site finally goes live.

Until then, follow this link to see some brand new artwork.

Check back in a few days!

Star Wars and Cloudmover.net 3.0

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2008-10-22T08:50:00-04:00

It's been a LONG time between updates. I apologize for that.

Most of the delay has been caused by life and it's challenges. I've spent the last few years taking care of a very sick family member. Consequently, updates to this site have taken a back seat. In the last few months, thanks to positive health reports, the family member and myself have managed to develop a workable "status quo." That has given me some breathing room to tackle a few things that have been repeatedly subordinated to the "do it tomorrow file."

One of those things has been a refinement of the underlying structure of my website.

When I initially designed this site, I barely knew what I was doing. Consequently, this site is a house of cards. One little mistake can destroy the integrity of an entire page. This makes updates unnecessarily complex and a pain to do. I am in the process of a complete overhaul.

In addition to a sketch blog and an RSS feed, there will be a great deal of new images added to site 3.0. Some of the illustrations will include paintings completed for Sony Online Entertainment, Upper Deck, Scholastic, Magic The Gathering and Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine.

Expect the new streamlined site by the end of December.

Before I go, I wanted to share a bit of news before the new site goes live.

This year I had the pleasure to work with Sony Online Entertainment on their new TCG called Star Wars Galaxies - Champions of the Force. Lucasfilm chose my painting of Luke Skywalker to show off some of the fantastic art from the new game.

I'm a BIG Star Wars geek so this has special meaning to me.
See you with Cloudmover.net 3.0 in a few weeks!!

UBERCON VIII

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2006-10-10T08:49:51-04:00

I'll be appearing with Kevin Siembieda and Wayne Smith of Palladium Books at UBERCON VIII : OCTOBER 20 - 22 in Secaucus, NJ. Palladium Books makes some of the best most innovative games out there and it's an honor for me to appear with them.

The owner and creator of Palladium Books, Kevin Siembieda was kind enough to let me appear at his booth and I want to thank him publicly for his generosity.

Since I'll be at Palladium's table, I'm going to make this appearance very Palladium-centric. In addition to some of my other prints, I'll be bringing along the original artwork for Palladium Books Rifts CCG and maybe a Palladium cover or two. I also received permission from Palladium to make a few prints of the Madhaven cover. If you are interested in purchasing any of them, want me to sign any CCG cards, or just want to chew the fat please stop by the Palladium Books table.

See you at the con!

BTW I think the new World of Warcraft card game will be released in time for this con. If you have any cards for me to sign just drop by!

Cosmos The Magazine of Science

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2006-07-08T08:48:32-04:00

A bunch of cool things happening this time around. Soon you'll see my work in a fantastic new product from Scholastic Interactive. I can't say more than that.

I'm also finishing up some pieces for Upper Deck's World of Warcraft game. That was a blast to be a part of and I think I did some of my best work for the new game.

Here are the updates!

What's been added:
If any of you live overseas or have access to a magazine store with a well-stocked international section, check out Issue #9 of Australia's slick new Cosmos Magazine. I painted the cover and illustrated a fascinating article on the Higgs Boson- a hypothetical sub-microscopic particle that is fundamental to a complete understanding of matter.

The interview I completed for Russia's largest Sci-fi/Fantasy magazine The World of Sci-fi has finally been published. I've added the text to my site.

One of my paintings is on the cover of the May 2006 Science Fiction Book Club Magazine. I've been a member of this club for years and it was a treat to see my artwork on their catalog.

Another NDA restricted update.

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2006-04-14T08:44:14-04:00

This is another brief update until I get clearance to show illustrations from the projects I've been working on.

What's been added:
The following illustrations have been added to my site:

The Star Trek Federation Commander: Romulan Border cover I did for Star Fleet Games,

A cover I finished for Rifts World Book 29: Madhaven,

A painting on Brothels of The Old West for Magna Publishing Group, and a painting of Thoros of Myr that appeared in Fantasy Flight Games The Art of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire artbook.

Painful Upgrade also appeared as the cover to the March 2006 issue of "Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine". I love the cover design.

Spectrum

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2006-04-06T08:42:57-04:00

I just got news that I'll have a painting next year in Volume 13 of Spectrum - The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art!
Thank you to the judges and everyone at Spectrum Fantastic Art for including me in such a prestigious book.

The Tyranny of the NDA. The Tyranny of the NDA.

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2005-10-29T08:37:06-04:00

I'm working on a big project with a very strict NDA (Non- Disclosure Agreement). This update will be brief until I can reveal what I've been working on.

I recently completed an interview for Russia's largest Sci-fi/Fantasy magazine The World of Sci-fi. I'll include the text of the interview after it's published in a few weeks.

I added a Prime Directive Klingons cover I did for Star Fleet Games Star Trek D20 line and a cover I did for the fantastic new Federation Commander: Klingon Border board game to my website.

I completed some new illustrations for Fantasy Flight Games The Art of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire artbook. I'll put those on the site as soon as the book is released. I also have quite a few CCG paintings scattered throughout the book. Be sure to check it out.

Welcome to the Launch of Cloudmover.net 2.0!

Mark@cloudmover.net — 2005-07-03T08:35:14-04:00

Thanks to the power of Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, the help of my friends and three fantastic resources - Macromedia DreamweaverMX 2004 The Missing Manual, DreamweaverMX 2004 for Dummies and Lynda.com. I have been able to assume the mantle of webmaster!

I have redesigned the site, configured a paypal shopping cart and will be adding a few new sections and in the coming weeks. I will also be updating the site on a more regular basis. So check back often!

There has been quite a bit of news since the last update.

My painting Painful Upgrade has been selected by an esteemed panel of judges to appear in Ballistic Publishing's EXPOSÉ 3 , the third edition of the industry's best art book celebrating the creative talents of digital artists worldwide. I am honored and thank the judges for including my work in this collection of the best of the world's illustrated 2D and rendered 3D work. Ballistic Publishing makes some great books so be sure to check them out.

A wraparound cover I have done for writer Peter Rennebohm has been added in the cover section. This piece French Creek won the CGchoice Award on the creative Computer Graphics Forum Cgtalk.com . I thank the members of the forum for the award.

I had the pleasure of attending the 2004 Worldcon in Boston, MA. I had great time. I'm planning on going to the Worldcon 2007 in Yokohama, Japan. Watch this page for any developments and news on that trip.

What's been added:
Illustrations for Decipher' Wars TCG set 2 Nowhere to Hide and Set 3 Edge of a Sword have been added. Sadly, Wars has been (unceremoniously) cancelled with set 2 so my work on the third set "Edge of a Sword" will go unpublished.

Four double page spreads for "Guardian's of Order's A Game of Throne's" RPG have been added.

The Kingsguard CCG cards I painted for Fantasy Flight Games A Game of Thrones set "A Tourney of Swords" have been put in the game cards section.

Some covers I did for Palladium Books are up in the Covers section.

A few of the illustrations I have done for Wizards of The Coast Magic The Gathering traveling tournaments have been added in the advertising section.