I came up with this for another round of promo cards and thought it would make a great desktop screen.  So, if you click on the picture above you can download a 1600×1200 image for use on your desktop if you are so inclined.

The second image is on the back of the promo card and shines a little more light on the story of a boy and his belt buckle.

Yeehaww!

UPDATE! : I received this comment from an art director at Wizard’s of the Coast books via ArtOrder …

Kate Irwin – “The lighting draws you in and the composition works well. It seems kind of “young audience” and that might be another reason I’m drawn to it.”

Well, these days it seems like I’m only posting on the challenges over at ArtOrder .  Well, they are such amazing challenges!  If I have any artists reading this who aren’t already involved please take a look.  They are fantasy related so if you aren’t into that then you may be out of luck.  But the prize for playing along are things like having your work looked at by well known artists and art directors in the business!  This has been my motivation to submit entries and really work on my technique.  It’s just fun.

At any rate.  This week we are trying our hand at creating a book cover with two characters locked in battle.  I think my take may have come out a bit James Bond-ish due to the massive explosion coming from the castle but it served to add some contrast and visual interest to the cover so that the potential buyer would be drawn to it.  Let’s see if the judges agree .

Below is just a peek at my process.  I’m still ironing out the kinks but it is getting there.  Thanks for stopping by.

Click the image for a larger view

Earthquake Dragon

Hey gang!  I’ve got a fun update for you today!  The ArtOrder Concept Tuesday challenge this week was on catastrophic dragons.  These dragons embody the catastrophe they are named after… so a fire dragon would be filled with fire.  This is an Earthquake Dragon!  I feel bad for our intrepid knight and his faithful squire .  He may have bit off more than he could chew.

Enhance your desktop with the 1600×1200 version of my Earthquake Dragon.

***Update***

ArtOrder posted comments from the judges!  Here are the comments regarding my entry #47.

Lars Grant-West - 47. Really cool, dramatic scene. Nicely composed, well rendered. I’d
like to see more of the beast, but what I can see is excellent.

Todd Lockwood – There were many that struck me with the strength and energy of their rendering — 36, 47, 50 to name but a few.

I love warm fuzzies!