Halfling Paladin (TFtSW #1)

 This is my "come back" piece. For many years I simply lost interest in the art that was my driving passion in the '90s and first few years of this century. There were many factors as to why this happened: 1.) burnout, 2.) disenchantment, 3.) Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, and 4.) a serious relationship. Allow me to expand upon these points:

1.) My life was work and art for almost a decade with only fleeting episodes of time spent with friends, and I had done A LOT of art up to that point. 2.) ...and I wasn't getting anywhere with it. My attempts to break into comics/illustration were all fruitless and these leads that did bear fruit ended up dying on the vine. I wish it had galvanized me into pushing myself harder but these disappoints ended up  breaking my spirit. 3.) D&D 3rd edition. That game sucked me into it big time, I spent a vast amount of time coming up with scenarios, reading and mastering rules, etc. It was a lot fun, but it was a lot of work. All the way up until 4th edition launched, at which point we stopped playing it.  The time I spent on that was time I was not doing art, and quite honestly I didn't miss it. 4.) And finally I was in a serious relationship that also pulled me away from the art table.  That was all before 2010, the year that relationship ceased. Over the next few years I confess to being a lost soul. Trying to find myself and a purpose. I sank so much time into my work and it was difficult to get back into art. A girlfriend I had in 2012 got me motivated into painting again, which broke my long dry spell of no art production. My current love is now my muse and motivation and she got me to paint the painting for my son's room and the Presto painting. Seeing these works the guys working on Tales From The Smoking Wyrm were most persistent in dragging me back to the world of black and white illustration. And at the moment in the summer of 2019, I had just lost my job, and the promise of pay for art motivated me to at least try something out.  So I did, and this is the result:

It was my first brushed ink drawing at this size since 2002. And I was quite satisfied with it when I was done and it motivated me to do more. The Wyrm guys were thrilled with it and used it in their first issue. In fact they asked me to do more. Lots more! And I have been drawing ever since. 

Work In Progress shot, halfway through the inks!