Hey, anyone else going to the International Art and Design Symposium? I'll be scraping pennies together, but I think I can do it

It's been a great 3 years in Portland, constantly being around family and old friends, making awesome new friends, learning what's what at PNCA, and enjoying the marvelous little metropolis that makes up Portland, Oregon. But for now it's farewell, as I'll be taking up a concept art job in Plano, TX. It's the dream job, and I'm fortunate to know a few excellent Texans in the area. I'm looking forward to moving into downtown Plano (a mile from work!) and exploring what it has to offer (namely BBQ ribs...). Here's to new adventures

Starting in May I will be the concept artist at _____ Games in Dallas, TX. Working on a pretty big title (which of course I cannot divulge). Dream come true, I am a professional concept artist!!!

...aaaaaaaaaaand my final summer is OVER! Yes indeed, it's my senior year at Pacific Northwest College of Art. And you know what that means - I'll actually be posting stuff again! This summer has been filled up with graphic design work and my wildly entertaining concept art internship. As a result, my personal work has slowed to a veritably crawl.

Get ready. In these next two semesters I'll be nailing down my figure drawing, pumping out speed paintings, and drawing more disturbing monsters than you can wrap your head around!

Thanks to everyone who looks, comments, and enjoys.

Peace!

Art school is out for the summer. Next year I have two more part-time semesters, then I'm out on my own! It would be pretty awesome to pay the rent this summer with commissions, so if you know anyone who needs album art, concept art, tattoo designs, logo designs, etc, send them a link to www.venlocklear.com

Also, for all of you fantasy artists out there, you need to check out www.theartorder.com. It's a blog and website run by Jon Schindehette, one of the art directors at Wizards of the Coast. He basically hosts a bunch of challenges and give you feedback on your submissions. VERY cool stuff, get over there and make an account RIGHT NOW.

Cheers!

Just got back to Portland from a wacky road trip to San Diego. Lots of good food, cheap booze, and strange times wandering a very bright and colorful desert. To say the very least, I have a lot of new ideas to work on. Clouds are awesome.

I just joined a nifty art site called Society6. It's a tool for showcasing your work and selling prints, t-shirts, hoodies, iphone cases, and laptop/ipod skins. They do all the printing, packing, and shipping for you. It's a really simple and easy to use site, and definitely isn't a replacement for DA. Anyways, I have yet to see if it becomes profitable. You can visit my studios here: [link]

Cheers to all, and thanks for the comments and favs you've been so generously giving.

PS Don't forget to check out my blog: [link] to see the latest Stitchmouth misadventure

Wow, can't believe someone gave me a daily deviation Thank you, spoiler911, for suggesting it. Really made my day to see all the love from fellow deviants! I appreciate all the comments, and don't forget to say if you think something looks wonky. I'll be posting up more projects soon, so stay tuned

Ven

Check out the Stitchmouth Blog at www.blog.venlocklear.com and leave a comment

Cheers!

Ven

Had a good summer in Central Oregon. Spent a lot of it down at the river. I'm going to miss having a river around (and not the Willamette, cuz that thing is gross).

On the 24th I head down to Hollywood for the Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards ceremony, which is super exciting. Then classes start on the 30th! Back to my excellent illustration classmates and a schedule that's shaping up to be pretty awesome.

Done with my finalist entry for the Illustrators of the Future contest. Will be flown down to Hollywood for the awards ceremony in August, where the grand prize winner will be announced. So if you see this note:

A) Do you do sci-fi or fantasy art?

B) Are you an amateur artist? (aka not a professional yet)

THEN SUBMIT YOUR THREE COOLEST PIECES! Go to www.writersofthefuture.com for rules and such. It has been described to me as a "career-making win." You get to do a week-long workshop with all the important people in sci-fi and fantasy illustration. Hell, Frazetta was one of the judges until his death. If I can win, so can a lot of artists I know. Plus, you can submit UNLIMITED TIMES, and there are FOUR QUARTERS every year!

And if you don't do sci-fi art, I'm sure you know someone who does, so TELL THEM!

Got my speculative-fiction short story for the final stage of the Illustrators of the Future contest. Can't say anything about the content, but it's pretty sweet! I have 30 days to complete a final illustration. Then it's down to the awards ceremony in Hollywood where the grand prize winner will be announced. Craaaaazzzzzzy.

I am open for commissions! This includes, but is not limited to, concept art, book illustration, album art, editorial illustration, tatoo design, graphic design, and storyboarding.

As this is my first time taking commissions on DA, I'll probably be fine-tuning my rules, but suffice to say I'll require full payment (paypal) after preliminary sketches, and cost will vary from project to project.

If you know anyone who might need some illustration work, tell them to drop by my DA page or visit my website at www.venlocklear.com

Cheers!

Finally got around to making a website: www.venlocklear.com. Just a simple gallery with contact info and a short bio. Only took one (admittedly long) day to set up using wordpress. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the nice thing about wordpress is that it's free! All you have to pay for is your hosting service. Anyways, that's exciting.

I'm a quarterly winner for the Illustrators of the Future Contest. It's a sci-fi/fantasy writing and illustration contest for aspiring writers and artists around the world. It is an absolutely huge honor, and I am very excited. Soon I'll be starting the next part of the competition - against the top 12 entrants for the year. And in August they're flying us to LA for the awards ceremony.

For all of you who love your sci-fi, apply for the next quarter, whether it's writing or illustration. The competition goes on all year, and you can apply as many times as you like.  [link].

Cheers to all, especially you friends and watchers.

Had a great fall semester at PNCA, and a fantastic winter break. Hit the big TWO ONE, and been rocking the lovely city of Portland Oregon!

I'm officially back from my six-month graphic design adventure in North Africa. I'm headed up to Pacific Northwest College of Art very soon and am super excited. Also VERY honored to be the winner of the ADC national scholarship for illustration. Basically, I'm happy, optimistic, and ready to draw some really cool stuff!

Cheers!

Ven

Getting pretty close to heading back to the U S of A! Then it's up to Pacific Northwest College of Art. If you know any artists in Portland, put me in touch!

Cheers!

Ven

Thanks to all for the comments and favs on my Ice Dragon and Wanderer pics. I've been a member for three years but haven't really done anything on Deviantart, but I'd like to get into it and be a part of the community. Cheers to all, and have a good Labor Day.