Concepts for Wreaking Havoc

Our new How-To book Wreaking Havoc hits the book shelves mid-April !! And for little more reason than to simply appease my jones to show some of the great work Jim, Chris, Tom, & I have created for it, here are a couple more pics !!

A couple character concepts were cut, but like the PsiMates (which you can see in my online portfolio) this guy had been twisting and brewing inside my wig for years.  So, I'm glad this piece got into the final printing. :)

Oregon Fletching

Years ago I had the desire to make a large crossbow, a ballista.  Can't really say why, as I'm normally not the jockish or hunter type at all, but it lead to my study of traditional archery.  Although I have zero respect for the ranchers and "hunters" that will shoot big game for fun, like the Gray Wolves that have recently been taken off the Endangered Species List quite prematurely, I DO have an odd respect for those who would sit for hours, slathered with fox juice and other lovelies to bag and use every part of their kill.

In any case, I started to practice with a traditional longbow, and have looked into the Crafts and Traditions behind many cultures adaptations of bows and arrows.  Here's a fletch I made from Duck feathers I got from our trip to Oregon, (Och, I really want to move out that way one day :) and a couple fairly cool scientific tid bits that indigenous folks worked out around six or seven hundred years ago.

Glue and binder has been used ever since it was discovered that boiled skin could stick stuff together, but ancient Inuits would take sand and let it dry to a tanned piece of hide, thus making different grades of sandpaper to use on wood shafts, and polishing any number of things.  Hide glue was used for fletching, but this technique on the Oregon fletch, wrapping sinew around all three feathers, locking them in place, I just find fascinating.  It was used by many peoples across the Sphere so that the archer could recycle their feathers from a broken arrow, along with gaining more spin surface.  The spin of an arrow in flight helps accuracy, the faster it spins the more balanced it's flight.  The ingenious thing at play here, is the way to get the propeller like shape (shown inset).  Depending on culture and which side of the bow your technique knocks the arrow (Kyudo, the more difficult, but infinitely more graceful and stronger technique, knocks on the outside) you'll want the arrow to spin clock-wise or counter-clockwise.  The way you change direction of your fletch is to take feathers from the right side of the bird, or the left.  Give it up to Ancient technology, it's things like this that make me smile nowadays.  Shout outs to Oregon !!

After looking though the Soc. of Illustrators and Nation Magazine's online show: Artists Against the War, I was moved to post one of the few politico cartoons I've done.  It was nice to see a Rockwell was added to the show, that really touched me as well.  As artists and creatives (big name or small),  I think we forget our role as social commentators?  We either can't find time enough, or don't really care enough to rock the boat, or jeopardize our big gig at the agency?  We slide that power of influence we may hold under the carpet, and forget that ultimately it's our job by Greek definition "to bring things into light".  Poets and artists were the journalists of culture right up until the last century, and it would be tragic for us not to remember the position we hold.

Well, here's my contribution.  I started a series of "Amazing Roveeno"'s back when I found how explicitly Karl Rove and the neo-conservative movement were involved with high crimes, including the manipulation and caging of the 2000 vote.  And, I think after they started the war and occupation, I just wanted to see him in a turban. :)  I went on to do 4 in all, but never really promoted them to the big magazines.

Here's the last one I did..   Enjoy.. :)

Dear Roveeno,                                                                               

I've done a cracking job in my kill tallies over the years, I've

bought out my country's news media to paint my atrocities

in whatever cheery color I desire, and I've even developed a

re-education policy to indoctrinate the youth with whatever

history I want to teach them. Yet, the protests still occur ??

The unrest, and popularity polls are the worst they've ever

been ??                                                                                   

                                                          Slouching toward the Hague

Dear Slouchy,                                                                                         

There is no failed occupation strategy, or treasonous high crime,

that a good PR campaign can't fix up! My advice to you is get out

in the public, plant a couple folks to get autographs in front of a

wall of squeaky clean uniforms. If that doesn't get your numbers

up, then maybe do a small tour of rich venues where you can

speak about how much you love helping the children. And if

all that washes, then you'll have to attend some dinners, and

play court jester. Go ahead, tell a bad friars club joke, try and

dance even! Give the monkeys what they want, preferably with

a couple well known comics that are willing to sell out years of

reputation for a couple bucks. If that fails then don't worry

about tribunals, just fake your death and move. We make

detention centers, we don't go to them. XX OO

                                                                         The Amazing Roveeno

A Time to Wreak Havoc, and a Time for PEACE

Me Lords and Ladies of the Royal Court,

  Last year was an astounding one!  A year that this poor paint pusher had been waiting all his heavy headed freelance gig for.  Duckin' and dodgin', wadin' through all this politico bad jazz, heart beatin' in staccato just to keep the pilot light of Hope lit up, and just when I couldn't take one more hit of that funky jug of soured milk... the doors of opportunity cracked just a bit, and swung me up a solid I still can't even believe. :)

  I was not only included in an International FantasyArt Magazine, but I co-authored a book, Wreaking Havoc to come out this Summer, and was accepted to into the Magic the Gathering stable of artists at Wizards of the Coast for which I will be eternally grateful.

  The painting below was one of the spreads appearing in Wreaking Havoc and one of my best paintings to date.  I dug the calmness in the elfs' face so much, I made it into my Holiday card as well, which most of you have already been sent.  If you haven't, and want one for next year, sign up for my mailing list on the website.

:: Here's to a Prosperous and Peaceful New Year to All ::

Printed in CHINA

The month of May has brought me huge international exposure, and I'm beside myself with that big beamin' light of happiness ya find on munchkins at the ice cream shop. My work has appeared in international homes, galleries, and is even in a Canadian Museum collection, but I ain'ever had my illustration work shown in an international magazine the likes of Fantasy-Art.

Fantasy-Art, is a magazine put out by Peking University students and faculty in Beijing, China. It includes some of the very best artists from around the Planet, and I've been waiting for inclusion for around 3 years. I't's such a tremendous honor, I can't even begin to explain. It's actually double the honor to be a part in this particular issue as it includes; fellow CCS alumni Marc Gabbana, INOUE Naohisa an illustrator for Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, and (I can't even believe it my-own-fanboy-self) I follow the illustration legend, Steven Hickman, one of my very favorite painters for the last 25 years. You'll find Maestro Hickmans' "Galadriel's Harp" gracing the cover...amazing. You can find this magazine as an import on some high-end magazine shelves, but here's the opening spread of my six page article.

Gracious thanks to Fei (aka Snowman), Nan Nan, Candy, Wang Wei, and Ying Zhang, for sharing my work with my Brothers and Sisters on the other side of the Sphere.

And if that's not enough flipped out, no doubt, big time clout for ya to wrap your big wigs around.. Brothers & Sisters, dog'onit, here comes some more sacred jazz, swimin' on over from the deep end of the magical pool o' Love. I was included in the magazines' display at the 3rd annual China International Cartoon & Animation Festival in Hangzhou, as well !!! CICAF is an annual fan festival, like the San Diego Comic-con, and is held in Hangzhou's international convention hall. Apparently, some of my work was on display along with the wildly skilled Chinese Sci-Fi Fantasy illustrators, for the population of beautifully adorned Cosplay cats and kitties to dig.

I'll end with an excerpt from the bio I wrote up for the magazine ::

Todays invention is a result of yesterdays Fantasy. And it is by this unique awareness, that artists have a duty to better their culture and their World. It is Chuck's sincere hope that by; reflecting the infinitely diverse patterns of Nature, directing focus on the inherent unity that exists within our Religions, Mythologies and Literature, and by bringing to light new and inventive imagery, he may uncover some of the hidden potential we all hold, and perhaps inspire a better future.

Stay Tuned...

Wreaking Havoc

Me Lords and Ladies,
It is with shinin' beams of hipness, and my most precious insane pleasure that I announce my inclusion in my first How To Book from Impact Books: Wreaking Havoc : How to Create Fantasy Warriors and Wicked Weapons. I'll be featured along with fellow paint pushers; Jim Pavelec, Thomas Manning, and Chris Seaman, and the only way I could be more geeked, is if I done joined the circus..!!



It will be out for public consumption in another spin around the Sun, but I thought I'd lay down a little snippet for you to pick up on, just for lembas and giggles..

And a Happy New Year !!!

Knockin' back a solid hit of nog, wondering if this here swingin' sphere will ever break out of the square mold it's been hung up in for the last decade..? Ahh, but I mustn't cop too much a drag, as Festivus is upon us Brothers and Sisters..and I want to wish you ALL the hippest, gonest, most way out, and groovy Holiday Season, with a brand New Year that'll cut you a little extra stash in your pockets when you're in need.. :)



Have a Healthy and Prosperous New Year, filled with the very best Fiction and Games we can dream up !!

First time's a charm

Greetings Folks,

I'm afraid there's not much to look at, at the moment. Nothing in fact.. not a sausage..

My attempt at sortin' out a blog remains a distant glimpse, hung up at the far end of the pool, stuck out in the sun past it's due date, and knockin' dirt in the air on the rough path to Nowhere'sville..

Gimme a few days mo, and we'll all be Arie.. :)

Dig your Day,
Namaste',
chuck