Artistic Discipline for 2015

Knowledge Pupates. So does creativity. My 2014 was brimming with ideas smothered in exhaustion. Looking forward to giving those creative ideas a workout in 2015.

As the new year starts it has become apparent that to juggle full time work, my part-time gig at Symbiartic on Scientific American and freelance work, (as well as being a husband and dad and sleeping on occasion) I need greater discipline in sticking to a set routine. I function best as a morning person so I'm thinking I may cut down on late nights and schedule myself time in the mornings between 4:30 and 6:30 to alternately work on blogging and art commissions. 

I am clearly professionally unhappy unless I am making art. Every good career shift for me (from giving talks, to SciAm, to my current day job) has drawn from my creative well of surreal scientific visuals. The book I promised myself I would start back in June is still just a few sketches and half-done illustrations. I have some things to say about science, art and how we live among beauty and horror. My artist-ego makes no apology in saying that the world deserves my book. 

So one way or another the Field Guide to Flying Trilobites is gonna start to emerge in 2015. 

Trilobite Copter progress

Making a bit of progress on my Trilocopter painting. A new kind of flying trilobite. 

Using ArtRage 4 and my old Intuos 3 tablet and it's just dynamite, running so smooth. this may sound strange but I'm really excited to paint the rain soaked tarmac. 

Long way to go, still. But I'm going to try and take some time every morning to sketch or mess around with things like this if I can. I'm going mental without making art. 

You can see a lot more of this work in progress on Symbiartic on Scientific American.