I've once again revamped my website with a new look... [link]
Check out the new before and afters and some never before seen reference photos.  I've also created a separate page specifically for image retouching.


I've also created a fan page on Facebook.  If you'd like to keep up to date on my latest news and projects, join me!  [link]

I was just browsing through my work (which i do now and then) and I thought I would share some of the things that pass through my mind when looking at them.


This was the hardest image to make:



These 2 tie for the most time consuming:



I wish more people liked these more:



This is one that others seem to like but I don't :



This was my first commission:



This is the only image where I used a tablet a majority of the time:



These 2 images tie for being my favorites, for personal reasons:



This is the only image in my gallery where i don't know the name of the model:



This is the best selling print of mine here on DA:



This is my best selling print outside of DA:



This was my highest paid commission:



These two tie for my favorite concept:



This is my favorite image to look at:



Always makes me laugh:

As you can see I do a lot of printing!  Luckily, these things can be recycled.

~I bought a printer a while back for $80 with a $15 mail in rebate, making the actual total $65.  When the included ink ran out I went back to the store to buy new cartridges, which cost a combined $75.  So, it actually would have been cheaper for me to buy a brand new printer every time I needed ink.  Amazing! ...and dumb

It's tax season here in the US and I recently completed my return.  Here's a few statistics I thought you might find interesting if you are a full time designer like me.  




If you are wondering about the big bump of income in September, that is from a series of book cover commissions I was working on for a best selling author.  Unfortunately, the project fell through after completion.  I got to keep the money which is good but it would have been a major boost in publicity for me.  What a shame!
I just signed with an agent so that should hopefully bring in more big projects like that.

First, sorry for such a long journal entry but for those of you who will show your work in a gallery someday, this might be useful...

So, my first gallery show went well.  I was happy with the whole process and I have sold a few prints already - at least enough to cover the production costs which is great.  The work will be up for another 2 and a half months so I may make a profit after all. Either way, I've certainly been bitten by the gallery bug and I'll be looking for more galleries to show my work in.  Who knows, maybe I'll come to your country!

Here are the six images I showed:



I gave the gallery a list of about 20 artworks to choose from and they narrowed it down to these.  I may have chosen differently but they are in the business of selling artwork so I didn't argue.


The owner asked for 'gallery wraps' which is the kind of artwork that wraps around the side with no frame.  The work also had to be printed on canvas paper so I used theuntappedsource.com [link] which is the company I always use for high quality digital printing.  I believe they use a CANON printer which can print on canvas as wide as 40 inches.

I had never seen what my work looked like on canvas before so I set up a test print first:



It's hard to tell from my cheap digital camera shot but the colors came out great and I only had to make a few minor adjustments prior to printing full size.
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Next, I needed the right tools:



On the top left is EcoShield Satin sealant which helps protect the color of the prints.  It also protects the canvas against water damage.  One problem with this product though is that it was very clumpy and it had to be strained and diluted.

On the top right is a Wagner HPLV spray gun to apply the coating.

You can also see an electric staple gun on the right and a canvas stretcher tool on the bottom.  Both very useful.
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Next came the stretcher bars:



These are pre cut.  All you need to do is pick the size of the bar you need then put them together.  I got them from stretcherbarwarehouse.com
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There is some controversy over when to spray on the sealant and I decided it was best to do it prior to stretching.  That's what I was doing here:


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I went onto youtube to learn how to stretch canvas.  It's a pretty straight forward process except for the edges where it can get a little difficult.  I chose to cut the edge at a diagonal into two sides before I folded them.  I didn't see that technique done anywhere else but it turned out the cleanest of all the methods I tried...


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I did all this in my kitchen   I wish I had a workshop!



...and here they are...


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The last thing I did was add a little stamp at the bottom with my logo.  I cut it out of rubber and used acrylic paint.


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Just when I thought the work was over, I had to ship these things somehow.  The gallery is 1000 miles away so I couldn't drive them there myself.  My only hope was to build a crate and FedEx them.  



My dad is a woodworker so he built the crate for me.  It ended up being over 100 pounds!  The people at the FexEx store thought I was shipping the Ark of the Covenant or something!
In retrospect, I wish we would have used plastic sides to the crate with a wood frame.  That would have made it a lot lighter (and cheaper to ship).
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And lastly, here's a few shots from the show.  I was chatting most of the time so I didn't get to snap too many pics but the two AmalgaMATE images are in the front room and the other 4 are in the back room.  I included the original photos next to each piece since I know people like to see that.




Gallery Link: [link]

I will have my first gallery show next month!

It will be held at Gallery Provocateur in Chicago, Illinois which is a contemporary art gallery specializing in modern fantasy, sci-fi and erotic art.  They have chosen 6 of my images to show and I have already created gallery quality reproductions (as big as 50 inches tall) for the show.  Seeing my work that large is pretty cool.

I will be there for the reception on February 13th, 8pm - midnight.
2125 N. Rockwell St.
Chicago, IL 60647

I'm sure you'd like to know which images they have chosen but that is a surprise.  you'll just have to come to the show!

Website: [link]

There's a new company out there making these really cool skins for laptops, phones and portable game consoles. They were gracious enough to add my artwork to their inventory. Check 'em out - [link]

I've finally revamped my website!  Seeing as how I didn't know anything about css until 3 days ago, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  Let me know if you see any bugs or misspellings.

www.bymichaelo.com

Well, you're not going to believe this:

I just received an email saying that both of my images have been included in Exotique 5!!!
After all that complaining I did, I guess I was just too impatient (even though this process took many weeks).  Thanks to everyone who lifted my spirits after thinking my work was not included because of its process.  I guess no one from that publishing company reads my journal

As most digital artist's know, the books produced by Ballistic Publishing (Expose, Exotique, etc...) are known to be very high quality featuring only the best art of the year.  I have submitted my artwork a few times and a number of those images were added to the short list for the final round.  In the end they were not selected but this latest time, after getting a short list notice for 2 images, they asked about my process and I told them how my work is always based off of an original photo.  That was the last I heard from them and I can only assume that the reason why my work was not selected was because of my process.
They can certainly pick whatever images they want but it seems like the process of how my artwork was created is more important to them than simply its style and beauty.

Oddly enough, one of those images is about to be featured by another (bigger) publication.  More on that soon.

...and another big project is in the works so stay tuned!

I can't go into detail for contractual issues but lets just say that digital art was not welcome in the competition.  I was very surprised to see that.

Nevertheless, it was a great experience and I'm glad to know that I am willing to go the distance for my work.

...

Wondering where I've been?  Well, I just returned from a trip to Egypt and Rome.  I came back with plenty of inspiration!  More work soon.



While I was gone I was featured in the online magazine, UCE.  Check it out... [link]

As all of you know by now, the use of photographs is essential in my work.  I used to try and hide that fact because I always believed that 'tracing' over photos was a lesser form of art. Over time though, I learned to embrace my style, not only because it is unique but also because of that fact that I am not alone in its creation.  The model in front of the camera is just as vital to making a successful piece of art as I am.  To me, that adds a greater sense of humanity to the work and the emotion that I try to express seems more grounded in reality.  Although I will always admire artists who create imagery with nothing but their minds eye, I can't help but think that they are missing out on the best part of the creative process - the human element.

Nikki, who is a stock artist here on DA, is a model who's image I have used a few times in the past, such as:

Despite living a great distance away, I believed that she fit well enough into my style that a private photoshoot would be a great oppertunity and inspiration to me. So we did just that and it was successful.
I find it so interesting to meet someone like her, because I already know her face so well and that's exciting to say the least. This was the first time for me, meeting a stock artist (or anyone on DA for that matter) and it was a very good experience.  

My recent deviation 'He Chose Me' is the first in what I believe will be a long line of artwork that I create using her image.


...and for those of you who use stock, I have allowed her to upload a few of our images from the photo shoot for you to use if you wish.  [now you can see exactly what I typically start with in my work]
Her page:

My feature in issue 52 of Advanced Photoshop Magazine. Currently available in the UK (USA in February)

Featured images: