Lately I've been painting more and more -- digitally of course -- rather than "just" rendering subjects in 3D, and I'm delighted with the results I'm getting. You notice at once, this painting is carrying the signature "Jen Downes," rather than "Jade." Yep, I'm switching over to my own name for the new generation of work -- the paintings -- because this current opus is illustrating a novel.
The novel is finished, but be patient: it's the first part of a trilogy, and the whole thing will be "shopped around," shown to literary agents and perhaps publishers, in due course. First I have to finish and edit all three segments. That's a Mount Everest to climb, so ... patience, grasshopper.
Right now, I can tell you the trilogy is entitled THE SEA WITCH, and the first book is A WITCH OF SEVEN WINDS. Yes, it's fantasy. This is a mainstream fantasy -- a huge adventure with sailing ships, handsome heroes, intriguing villains, high magic, ocean storms, romance ... for me, it's a dream come true.
And I must say, I am loving the digital painting, as distinct from the product of 3D rendering. Not that I don't love 3D art too ... I do. But my hardware and software are now so incredibly obsolete, I can't produce anything vaguely competitive in that field, whereas in digital painting ... hey, I'm not half bad at this, and can only get better with work and practise.
The character you see here is the wind witch, Sophia Dorne. Next up: Captain Jacques Adair of the 'Fliegander' merchantman Dragonwind. Soon as I can get the design work sorted.
And I must say, I am loving the digital painting, as distinct from the product of 3D rendering. Not that I don't love 3D art too ... I do. But my hardware and software are now so incredibly obsolete, I can't produce anything vaguely competitive in that field, whereas in digital painting ... hey, I'm not half bad at this, and can only get better with work and practise.
The character you see here is the wind witch, Sophia Dorne. Next up: Captain Jacques Adair of the 'Fliegander' merchantman Dragonwind. Soon as I can get the design work sorted.
Update, November 2023
It's still all about the digital painting. The trilogy is done, but I have no joy to report regarding the hunt for agency representation. The process was uniformly disappointing, an experience reported by about 99% of authors who walk this difficult path. So --
I made the decision to change tracks, write short fiction, try my hand there instead and "work up to novels" via baby steps. Even this has not been easy or quick, but as of this date I can report that I have had some real success with short fiction. I've been in ANALOG twice, been podcast by that publisher (which is major ... if you know your SF marketplace in the US, you appreciate what I'm talking about). I've been published in many places, in fact, with many more to come. If you'd like to know more...
...cross over to my writing blog for stories, links, news and a lot of art too, much of it digital painting.
Speaking of which, with several years to get good at this, the art I'm producing now is well worth sharing. You'll find a lot of it on the blog here, but let me when your appetite:
