Typically, people prefer to be comfortable. That’s a broad and oversimplification, but it’s also an accurate statement. Given the choice between comfort and discomfort, people will normally choose the former. I’ve found that it takes a conscious effort and an application of will to force oneself to endure an unpleasant situation. Whether it’s an awkward conversation, an intense workout, or pushing beyond one’s current skill set. To improve as both a writer and an artist, I’m constantly pushing past my comfort zone. It’s the only way that I’ll get better. And this week’s collection of art has a perfect example of the rewards that come with pushing myself, Cape’s View...

Ever since the survivors of the Novus rallied to searching for an escape, Talia desired a life with Marcus. That choice ruined her relationship with Kethra. It also ensured that Talia stayed in the Eastern Region to care for her husband, her growing family, and her small herd of livestock. But after Kethra marched off into the horizon, Talia finds herself in the Western Region to assist her husband...

Story telling is important, no matter the format. A story that spans hundreds of thousands or words, while more substantial than one of two hundred and fifty, isn’t inherently more important. A story is more than the sum of its words. It’s an escape from the every day. And I hope to bring more of these mini-escapes to my audience. While there are many competing storylines rolling around my head, I don’t have an endless supply of time...

Ever since Darren put Dolman into his place, the dwarf has been scheming to regain control of his organization. After Randall put himself into debt with some of Dolman’s connections, the dwarf has been emboldened. With each passing day, Dolman pushes himself closer to wrestling control away from Randall. However, after coming to terms with Randall, Darren agrees to remind Dolman about the chain of command...

There are a couple of interesting pieces mixed in with the liquified textures. Two of my pieces are liquified line art. One was developed while learning a new technique. But the last, that one is something special to me. For some time, I’d been wanting to draw a Top Hat for some time, but every attempt failed for a variety of reasons. However, on this journey, I needed to buckle down and keep drawing. With every image I draw, my artistic abilities continue to grow, and while I still have a long way to go, I finally drew a Top Hat I was happy to share with the world...

With Exchange and Dangling Thread finished, I took a quick breath before focusing on my last tale for the month of May. Having tackled the Mystery and the Science Fiction stories, I was eager to start the Suspense narrative. Unfortunately, eagerness does not equate to a storyline. I’ve written a couple of these stories before, but I wasn’t feeling the character that I’d created for those prior efforts. It didn’t take me long before a lightbulb went off in my mind...

Having agreed to find pilots, Darvin rushed from his meeting with Rylan and searched for pilots with the required skills. Unfortunately, skill wasn’t Rylan’s only requirement. After collecting the names of every pilot with the required ability, Darvin started whittling the list down, ensuring those that remained would be loyal to Rylan and Garvin...

When I finished publishing Dangling Thread, I turned my attention toward my next piece of flash fiction for May, a Science Fiction tale. As I sat down to type out my initial thoughts, I could hear the captain of the Scythe tugging at me. His pleas to be unleashed for another chance to shine overwhelmed me. So, I thumbed through the last entry in their journey, Blockade Runner , and an initial idea percolated. After delivering Stepan’s cargo, he ordered Daniel and his crew to meet someone on the planetary vessel to secure a precious load of cargo...

When I started this artistic journey, the early videos claimed everyone can become an artist. The only requirements being dedication, understanding of simple rules, and countless repetitions. Despite the self-proclaimed testimonials of those instructors, there was a piece of me that insisted my skills wouldn’t develop. While my character work still has a long way to go, my other skills have made great strides. Building off the collection of doodles from last week, I’m more of my collection...

When last we visited the recently abandoned crew, Jarvis was doubling down with the colony’s defenses. Every member of the crew takes up the challenge and they’re able to complete the wall and its defenses without major troubles. Despite all the strange creatures that have tried to overrun the settlement, the crew’s determination and passion for survival have kept them alive. However, this strange new world is unwilling to present them with strange new adversaries...

When I pulled the results of the genre poll, my stomach fluttered when I saw a Mystery in the mix for the month. I don’t normally write in this genre, but I’m happy about the opportunity to stretch my abilities. Each time I craft a narrative using an uncomfortable genre, I emerge from the journey a little more formed. So, I dropped behind my computer and started poking at my keyboard...

Fresh off Marcus’s conversation with some of the rural leadership in the remnants of the Western Region, he finished his report and sent it back to Nathaniel. When the leader of this fledgling new colony received Marcus’s missive, he read through the expected words. He cursed the bureaucracy that kept Kethra in power and immediately dispatched an aide to bring Talia in for a meeting...

Another Sunday brings another collection of links to my art on DeviantArt. In this collection there are two pieces that make me smile. The first is the Marble Skull Amulet, and the other is Bone Stones. Both doodles below were a lot of fun to make and added a lot of knowledge to my toolbox. As I laid my stylus down with those images, I’ve fallen into a comfortable workflow...

All my creative outlets are therapeutic. It doesn’t matter if I am drawing something on my tablet or recording the events transpiring on one of the many worlds that exist in my mind. Despite the self-imposed restrictions and deadlines creating additional stress in my life, it doesn’t matter. When I finish each piece, the stress it created melts away, chased off by a beaming smile...

Despite liquified textures making up a bulk of this week’s collection, one of my more interesting doodles, Jade Star Amulet, entered the mix. Thankfully, Infinite Painter has a tool that duplicates the strokes of my stylus. So, I set it to produce five sets of strokes. With each successive layer my amulet took shape, but it was lacking something. I wanted to insert some gemstones into the arms and center-alt of my amulet...