Here is the X-mas card I gave to my wife. I think it’s actually more frightening than the Devil card.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it came out. I wouldn’t consider the tree to be as finished as I’d like, but I had the hard deadline if I wanted it to give it to Vanessa in time for X-mas. I know I could technically go back into it now, but if I make a habit of that, then I’ll never finish anything ever.
I know it may spoil the surprise for the family members I send X-mas cards to, but I worked hard on this, so I’ve decided to post it.
It look me longer than I think it should have, but I’m still learning how to digitally paint. I actually used photos of a friend of mine as the inspiration for The Devil. Writchy doesn’t always look like Satan, but for some reason he did on October 30, 2011. Go figure. In addition to modeling for X-mas cards, Writchy is a brilliant writer, and you should check out his work at Intrusive Thoughts. I won’t be selling this card, as it is no longer cost-effective for me to either print and distribute cards myself, or have them printed in bulk. I still have a few older X-mas card packs for sale at Donkeyshines, so check them out if you haven’t already.
A friend of mine commissioned this piece as a birthday gift for his girlfriend. From a technical standpoint, it is not my tightest painting. However, because of the nostalgia for the subject matter, I am pretty happy with the overall content.
Faker, the robotic He-man impostor created by Skeletor, was quite a preposterous character. While his build and features were a dead-on likeness to He-man, his blue skin, orange hair, and visible Vader-like control panel on his chest made him a less than convincing decoy. In this painting, I like to think that Teela is fully aware that the man kissing her is Faker, but plans to play dumb so she can’t be blamed for cheating on He-man. Clearly, Faker is the better lover. The theme and composition of this piece is actually based on an old Christmas card, which is equally racy:
There’s no excuse for Santa’s behavior here. At least Teela and He-man weren’t married. Also, Faker IS actually supposed to be a villain. But children look up to Santa, and this is a poor example he’s setting. Anyway, I’m sure he got a frying pan to the back of the head when he came home that night. Who knew the Easter Bunny was such a home-wrecker!
