I'm back.

Well theoretically, anyway.
My blog has been sadly neglected as of late and I am going to try and remedy that. I recently completed a huge slew of concept work which I can't post due to NDA's and have gotten back to doing some freelance illustration work of which (most) I can post.
Last weekend was the liveart show benefited KOOP and it was a lot of fun. Some cool artists and cool bands and hey, anyplace that sells PBR tallboys is an instant hit with me. I did four pieces total and I sold two so it was a success as far as I was concerned.
Lots of fun.

This one sold very quickly.

This is one sold before I was finished. It seems the nice lady that bought this one had bought another one from my last liveart show. I received a creepy question from a complete stranger while drawing this one.*

I knew this one was coming home with me (which it did) but it was fun.

I had an idea for this one before the show. Not exactly how I had pictured it but oh well. Maybe next time.

Thanks go out to Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas of Staple! fame and Kevin Peake for setting up the liveart stuff. Thanks guys.
So onto some more illustration. I was happy to FINALLY finish Captain Bogg & Salty's Frogg Island this week. I took way too long on this but honestly, it was a very intimidating job but I finally just put my head down and piled through it. It's for their new album entitled "Frogg Island" (I think). I was thrilled to hear the album pre-mixed and man, these guys have lifted their own bar. It's awesome. If you haven't heard any of their music, you really should. They kick much ass and if you're able to see them live, do yourself a favor and do it. You can see their badass video for their song "Pieces of 8ight" here.

If you really want to see a huge copy of the map click here.
Well I promise to post more art in the near future. I hope the five of you that check the blog are still with me.

*Creepy question when asked by a lady old enough to be your mom who you don't know while pointing to the naked lady you're currently drawing: "Does drawing this turn you on?"

Suh-weet! I won an award.

What this means can be seen here. Thanks so much Andi!
So in other news I've been busy with a lot of work that I can't post, NDA's and all that. So not a lot of art to post unfortunately. I'm ready for this week to be behind me because I'm really bummed I'm not going to San Diego Comic Con this year and I'm sick of every artist but me it seems posting "I'm about to get on a plane to San Diego, see everyone there!" or "Man I'm stoked to get to San Diego this year!" etc... It really sucks for those of us not going. Next year!
So that being said, I'll be attending a "We're not going to San Diego, let's all hang out and commiserate together" party at Austin Books this Friday and will be doing a live art show on Sunday to benefit KOOP

So if you're in the Austin area this week, come on out and say howdy (and say how much fun you're having even though we're not in San Diego).

Only In Dreams

For those in the Austin area, the group show "Only In Dreams" will be up all through July at the Flightpath Coffee House with the opening happening this Saturday from 7-9. So if you're in the area go check it out.

Fish Tank

Hope everyone had a great 4th weekend! I had way too much fun and am still recovering.
I have been super busy with work and have been doing tons of concept work. Unfortunatley most is under NDA's so, consequently, nothing I can post. I felt like my blog has been sadly neglected. Lately I've been in a complete funk and haven't felt very artistic and not very inspired. I tried working on a new sculpture but lost my impetus quickly. I hoped the weekend off with friends would recharge the batteries. I just got some new art supplies I ordered in the mail so I'm excited to try those out. I have had a hankering to get away from the computer a bit and actually put paint to paper... I also REALLY miss reading (I have been reading a lot of historical stuff lately but no fiction) and after catching one of the movies in the hotel room over the weekend I decided to read all the Harry Potter books from beginning to end. I started the first one yesterday.

*Update: Those of you who ordered fish books, they're out the door and you should be getting those soon along with your original art. Because of a complete snafu with the printer, I was only able to fill pre-orders and I'm not sure if I'll be printing more. So those who got books may have gotten the only ones. The printer really dropped the ball and I am more than disappointed that the whole process didn't happen as I had hoped and expected. I have looked into other options to get them printed but right now it looks unlikely. Bummer.

WEGS : PIRATES!

The linework for the cover to WEGS: Pirates.

The Sea Hags of Penzantium

One of a group of illustrations I'm currently working on for the WEGS Pirate RPG. I really like the way they came out. I may have to color them up and put them on my business cards or something.

Wee Cowboy.

What a weekend.

I jumped out of a plane on Friday. I went and saw The Incredible Hulk that night. Saturday I went rafting down the Guadalupe. Went to Pluckers and had wings and beer that night. Became an uncle on my birthday (!). Sunday I recovered. All in all, a perfect weekend. Thanks go out to Matt, Mel and Steven for hanging and to Dwayne and Shawn for the invite for the skydive. And a big congrats to my brother Dylan for becoming a dad. You guys rock.

Jumper.

I'm hours away from getting on a plane.

Going to 13,5oo feet.

And jumping out.

On Friday the 13th.

The day before my birthday.

Fuck yeah.

Effing busy.

Well my blog has been sadly neglected these past few weeks so I'll try to remedy that a bit. The workload is full and I am officially not taking on any more work for awhile. I'm working on finishing up work for WEGS Pirate book, Captain Bogg and Salty's Frogg Island, a few more concepts for Dragonblood Miniatures and working fulltime on concepts for a super secret computer game project (of which I wish I could show work from as it's been a lot of fun). I'm also slated to be in a group gallery show here in Austin of which I'm going to try and do some new sculptures for and I was also asked if I'd be interested in doing a whole book (!) for TMNT next Fall/Winter. Whew. Just typing that wore me out.

*Also those of you that ordered Fish Books, I was told that they'd be in the mail this week. Thanks for your patience and the pre-orders. And I still haven't gotten 25 pre-orders so if you want some original art AND a book feel free to get your order on.

This Saturday's my birthday and I'm hitting the river. I'm pretty stoked. I'm also slated to jump out of a plane on Friday but I'm not sure if it will happen with my current workload.... We shall see....

In the meantime, have some random art.





This last image is for a personal project and I can't decide on her hair color. What color do you like?

Waffles, sweet, sweet, waffles.

It seems our* Atland guest strip is up for the week over at www.realmofatland.com. Check it out.

*Written by John Kipling, drawn by me.

TMNT short page 1.

So one of the things I have been working on is a TMNT short story I was asked to contribute to. Written by Tristan Jones, I'm doing the pencils and Eric Talbot(!) will be doing the inks. It's the first time I've worked with an inker and man I started at the top, I've been a fan of Eric's for a long time and his inks are mind-blowing.

I think I may have over-worked my pencils as I'm used to inking them myself (and I'm pretty anal when it comes to my work) so some things I just leave rough and finish them up myself. Should be pretty cool to see nonetheless.

This is the first page. Once the story comes out (it's slated to appear in The Tales of the TMNT #48) I'll post the rest. Stay tuned.

Bug Guy sculpt.

Here's a pic of the final sculpt for the bug guy (name: "Clal-Chk") I designed for Dragonblood Miniatures a few months ago. I'm not sure who the actual sculptor is but it looks fantastic, the detail came out great. I can't wait to get one of these for my annual family monopoly game.

Random cephalopod sketch.

What a great weekend. Thanks go out to everyone who came to the party. I am wiped.

And some more concept stuff.

So the the last three posts were all part of the same job. The client wanted the same character (note the scar) in three different genres/time periods done in three different styles. I really had to push myself on this one.

Some more concept stuff.

Well this Saturday is my buddy Steven and I's annual joint birthday houses (we live across the street from one another) party. Man I can not wait. Good fellowship, crawfish and ice cold keg beer. It doesn't get much better than that. That's right.

Nazi Hunter

A little concept work. Just a little inspired by Mr. Jones. Yes, I'll be seeing it today. My fingers are crossed...

*edit: Saw the new Indy movie. One word: CRAP.

The Funky Fish Book!

So I have received the prototype for The Funky Fish Book. I am super pleased with how it turned and while I am tweaking it and making a few changes I will be taking pre-orders.

210 pages of fishy love, mostly black & white with 6 color plates. *It measures 9" wide by 7" tall and is about 5/8" thick. You can see one of the page(s) here with a Sharpie for scale. Super cool.

And for the first 25 books sold (paid for) I will be giving away (FREE) 25 ORIGINAL fish drawings that appear in the book itself (one per order please). What a deal! The books will be $20 with $5 for shipping so $25 total. You can email me directly (mail(at)kennonjames.com) to order or you can use that spiffy new PayPal button over on the left.

Yeehaw.

Control + Z

Ever use Photoshop so much that when you're actually doing things in real life you do something then think "Okay that sucks, I'll just "undo" it. Um...shit..."?

20K

So my site meter told me that my blog visits hit 20K yesterday. Wow. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has come to visit; new visitors and those of you who come back regularly.

Thanks.

Dwarf sketch

Nasal Ed

He runs through the woods
in his birthday suit,
He wears a bow in his hair
so you will call him cute,
He enjoys tea parties
and always says please,
He is on a magic quest
to cure his allergies.

Troglodyte - Concept work

Some more of the concept work I'm doing for Dragonblood Miniatures.

Iron Man kicks ass. Go see it.

Betas

A request for betas. One of the few times I've done an actual fish. I like how they came out, I may do prints of these...(click for a bigger view)

It's Friday, have some Ewok Gospel.

Long Mandibled-Tusk Perch

It's been awhile for sure but I was inspired to draw another fish today. I'm not sure if it will keep up but we'll see...

In other fish news, my first compiled fish book is off to the printers and I should have an advance copy soon. I'll then start taking pre-sales, so if you're interesting stay tuned. I will be offering original drawings from the book for the first 20 or so books sold.

"Draw Yourself as a Teen" Meme

So I'm going to totally date myself with this one... There's a "draw yourself as a teen" meme that I stumbled upon and thought that would be fun for a break. This is me around 1988/89. Yes I was(am) a headbanger, here's proof.
Come on artists, join in and comment with a link.

Lincoln

An opportunity to draw one of my favorite historical figures and post to IllustrationFriday, topic: Wrinkles.

TMNT pinup final

So Tales of the TMNT #45 is now on stands and I have gotten permission to post the final. So go grab a copy or two. I received some copies in the mail and it's really, really cool (and not just a little surreal) to see my stuff in a TMNT book. Awesome.

Fishing For Terrorists - Cover

The last piece of Fishing For Terrorists is out the door. I've heard rumors from a few playtesters that the game is hoot. I look forward to getting a copy.

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 12 & 13

Here are a couple of pages from some heavy hitters. Steve Prescott delivers arguably the funniest line yet with "Oh sweet Jesus on rye..." Friggin' hilarious. And Steve Ellis takes us into left field with the "Yogshug Megacarp" and the Judge Dredd-esque "Judge Corporate Lawyer". Sweet.
And if you haven't seen it yet, check out Steve Ellis' online comic High Noon over at Zuda. Beautiful stuff!

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 10 & 11

Well here are two great pages, awesome because they are so contrasting in style and awesome because... well they kick ass. Jeremy's super clean penciled page and Sarah's strong use of black and her signature spiral scary stuff.
Jeremy moves the story with a great cottage/forest setting and introduces a villian(?). We see that Curt and Frank have now been reunited with "the Girls".
And Sarah kills with "Operation: Holla-Back-Girls!" 'Nuff said.
Brilliant!

Do they make "Just For Men" in white?

I may go back to playing music...

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 8 & 9

A beautiful page by Kevin Peake. I love the landscape shot and the frame layout. And then blam! in kick-ass-heavy-metal-pinup fashion Tess Fowler introduces us to "The Girls".

Red Dragon Inn 2 cover

Yee haw! It's done. This one took WAY longer than I had anticipated but overall I'm pleased with the way it came out. It's a great game and I'm looking forward to trying out the new characters.
I've included images with and without the type. I made a conscious effort not to go crazy with the background details which just got covered up with the type elements like I did with the first cover but I did have fun with the background characters nonetheless. Notably the dwarf slayer guy with tattoos and green mohawk in the middle.

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 6 & 7

It opens Frank's wallet that's what it does! Brilliant! Dylan Edwards of Feeps fame delivers a great page and follow up to Christopher's set up.

And in super tight form Paul Adam continues the witty banter and character development between our two mysterious travelers and introduces "The Girls"...

*Notice Frank's development now. Brilliant!

Etsy shop update

I have added a few more prints and originals to my Etsy shop which you can visit here or click on the newly added Etsy Mini-shop to the right (thanks Alicia!). I plan on adding more stuff in the upcoming weeks. I have a ton of artwork to unload so if there's something you may want or are interested in and don't see it feel free to leave a comment or suggestion. Thanks.

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 4 & 5

Melita "Miss Monster" Curphy did a great job following up Brad's "What's that?!" line from the previous page. Enter: a big cat-headed guy named Magnus who wants his money.

Okay so after the last post I was requested by Christopher to "get to the good stuff". I think he means his stuff so here it is.

Christopher Jennings did a brilliant job continuing the action and setting up the " gotta reach... gotta get it... gotta... gotta... " all important "red shiny button". What will it do?? The suspense is killer...

Collaborative Sketchbook - pages 2 & 3

Here are the next couple of pages. Page 2 was done by Thomas "Goatboy" Reidy III and page 3 was done by Brad W. Foster.
I especially like the way Brad changed Thomas use of an alien language explaining it with a "clearing my throat" comment. Brilliant.
Also Brad named our first two main characters, Frank and his dinosaur buddy/steed Curt. Originally when I drew him I had pictured a little bald guy in space gear. Thomas immediately saw a monkey with goggles and a ball cap. And over the next few pages you'll see Frank change even more than this. I think this is a great visual representation of how different artists see stuff and what makes this project so cool and dynamic.

Collaborative Sketchbook - page 1

So I started this collaborative sketchbook at ArmadilloCon 2006. The premise was that a different artist would do each page in a sequential story. Well so far it's turning out awesome, there is some great work in there and many thanks go out to the artists who have contributed. Originally I had this posted on my website but I didn't think the small images did the work justice (plus some of the type was hard to read). I just got it back in the mail from Mark Smylie so I figured I'd start posting the images here. It's interesting to see how the story(?) has developed and how the different characters have evolved.

This is the first page done by me.

I guess the other 60% is football.

I am 40% Tortured Artist.

I have some artistic ability, but it is probably a hobby and doesn't drive my life into a dark abysmal hole were I am alone and against the world.

Take the
Tortured Artist Test
@ FualiDotCom

Tower sketch

A quick sketch I did in Bull McCabes last Saturday while waiting on some friends to show up.

Red Dragon Inn 2 part 1

Well this isn't actually "part 1" as there have been some initial roughs and thumbnails but this is the initial approved line-work and a preview of the color work of the characters for Red Dragon 2, the sequel to the hit game of the same name.