A bit over five months since I've written last... yeah, that's about typical.

As I've mentioned before, I don't generally write new Journal entries unless I've got something to say. But in this case I have been a bit remiss in my duties, because the last few months have been anything but boring.

Late in November the 12th issue of Jim Zubkavich's fantasy comic series Skullkickers hit the shelves, an anthology issue entitled "Four More Tavern Tales". I was lucky enough to land one of the four short stories in the book, and it was also a hell of a lot of fun. That one actually overlapped with the new job and the move, but somehow I still managed to put together a halfway reasonable showing that didn't leave me ashamed to be bound in the same pages with a group of artists and writers who's work I genuinely admire.



Earlier in November the latest Mistborn novel from Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law, hit the shelves in hardback. For my small part I illustrated a mock-newspaper page that expanded on the world in four parts scattered across the book. The work was actually done before the big Career Upheaval, but such is the nature of the beast that it takes 9 months or more to see print. It's my first official Mistborn content, and it's the kind of exceptionally fun and exciting storytelling that I've wanted to work with ever since I set foot in the water.



And then of course, today (12/15) marks the release of The Mistborn Adventure Game, a fully developed tabletop RPG that expands upon the world of Sanderson's original Mistborn trilogy. Here was a dream gig, one where I was given the full illustration contract, cover and interiors. I did my damndest to do my best, and I'm extremely proud of my participation in this project, but I still wish I had done even more. As it is, the book contains about 50 illustrations of characters and locations based across the Final Empire, from the kandra to the koloss, from skaa farms to the canals, noble ballrooms to skaa slums.



Then there's the day job; Cinematics Lead for Vigil Games, currently on Darksiders II. Part of the reason I haven't posted is that there's really nothing I can say, and given the NDA and corporate considerations I've got to keep in mind, I'm better off saying nothing.

The game looks really pretty. And whenever I think I've seen the coolest-looking environments or weapons or characters, it's usually no more than a week before something else tops it.

I can only hope that my work on the cinematics keeps up with it. I'm trusting a lot to all that I've learned over the years about composition and framing and camera motion. Not everything I learned as a 2D animator carries over, and some of it carries over in unexpected ways. I'm having to learn a lot of new tech and technique on the job, and I really wish I wasn't such a muggins with 3DSMax, but thankfully I'm not actually responsible for the hands-on animation of the scenes. In some ways I wish I were... down in the trenches, the concerns are more direct and easier to attack.

Thankfully the animation team I direct are dedicated powerhouses, and they've proven adept at rolling with every twist and curve I throw at them. I'm extremely lucky in that respect.







Austin is a pretty damn awesome town. In many respects, I wish I'd come here a lot earlier, I love just about everything I've experienced with this city.

Surprisingly, I still feel a bit of homesickness. Not for the city so much, though there was a certain comfortable familiarity there. Tampa Bay is an industrial armpit of a town that long ago ran out of opportunities for me, but dammit... it was the armpit I was born in, and where I've spent most of my life. I can't shake it off in six months.

What I really I miss are my friends. Even if I was an unsociable grouch, they were the people who loved me best even when they had no good reason for it (and some reasons not to). So I'm looking forward to seeing as many of them as I can over the holidays. If you're one of those people (you know who you are) hit me up one way or another. I'll be back in town between Christmas and the New Year, and my dance card isn't full yet.