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Daemons in the Mist Now Available

Hi viewers and KatGirl Studio fans, guess what came out this weekend?

If you said Daemons in the Mist then you are correct! My debut Young Adult novel Daemons in the Mist is now available in e-book form for the Kindle and Nook for only $2.99. That's right, you can enjoy Daemons in the Mist for less than the cost of a cup of coffee. You start exploring the mystery of The Marked Ones by download a free sample at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For those of you who love the feel of the printed book, don't worry, the print edition will be out in early June.

Don't have an e-reader? No problem, you can get the Kindle or Nook app for free for the following devices: PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, BlackBerry, Nook, NOOKcolor, NookStudy, NOOK kids, Android Tablet and Android-based phones.

Daemons in the Mist

Korat Publishing
May 2011

She could have been a perfectly normal, albeit a breathtakingly beautiful girl, but she wasn’t, for I knew there were secrets hidden behind her eyes.

Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been drawn to Nualla ever since he first saw her, but as the years pass she seems to take absolutely no notice of him. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation in the school hallway. Little does he know that he’s about to be thrust into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn’t exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco is concealing more than just buildings.

Deliriously captivating and extraordinarily soulful, Daemons in the Mist beautifully weaves together two voices to tell the story of what happens when life leads you down a not so normal path.

Where to buy this book:

Amazon ● Kindle ● Nook

Secret Project Revealed

Kickstart Our Launch

Hi viewers we just launched our first project on Kickstarter! It's my debut novel that I wrote for NaNoWriMo this year. Daemons in the Mist a Young Adult urban-fantasy paranormal romance novel set in modern day San Francisco. I am currently finishing up the novel to be edited for publication and it will be our first release at Korat Publishing.

Book Blurb
Here's the back copy blurb for the book:

She could have been a perfectly normal, albeit a breathtakingly beautiful girl, but she isn't. For I know there are secrets hidden behind her eyes.

Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been drawn to Nualla ever since he first saw her, but as the years pass she seems to take absolutely no notice of him. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation in the school hallway. Little does he know that he’s about to be thrust into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn’t exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco are concealing more than just buildings.

Deliriously captivating and extraordinarily soulful, Daemons in the Mist beautifully weaves together two voices to tell the story of what happens when life leads you down a not so normal path.


Artwork Evolution
This past week I illustrated this book cover for the book. You can view an evolution animation of the process here.

Artwork in Motion
My awesome twitter friend Merrie Destefano, told me about this great site that lets you make music videos using their special software. It's really perfect for book trailers wouldn't you agree? You can watch the book trailer I made for Daemons in the Mist below.

From the Studio 3

Greetings KatGirl Studio Followers that was a crazy summer wasn't it? We were so busy we hardly had time to work on any personal projects. But now that we are swinging into fall the Studio blog should see more frequent updates.

This image was intended for Illustration Friday's topic "Old Fashioned" but I had too much client work to get it done in time. It's a stylized self portrait of me and our studio kitty Crash the Stampede in Steampunk Victorian wear. I will be finishing this image for my Halloween themed avatar, but I thought I would share a little work in progress.

Some of you who have been staying up to date with the going-ons at KatGirl Studio though our Purr Post newsletter may remember that this summer I went 100% digital with my art. It is not immediately noticeable from the outside looking in, and in truth 90% of the people we meet at shows are down right shocked to learn my illustrations are digital. The reasons I made the leap to 100% digital are two fold.

It saves me time.

I'm not saying I spent less time on the actually painting or that digital is easier than traditional media (trust me it's not). What I mean is that when I still drew my illustrations traditionally I would have to do alot of scanning and clean up work. A typical illustration would go like this:

I would scan my thumbnail and blow it up to the correct size then print it out, tape it to my desk and put a piece of vellum over it. Once I had my sketch down I would tape down another piece of vellum and draw a clean copy of the image. I would then have to scan it, usually in two parts since most of my illustrations are larger than the standard 8.5x11 paper. I would then have to clean it up in Photoshop before transferring it over to Painter. That's alot of time spent not painting, don't you think?

Now that I have gone 100% digital I can work up some quick concept thumbs quickly in Painter 11 (usually at 2am). Once I pick the one I like I just drag it into a new file and size it in a matter of seconds. I can then either sketch directly on it or turn it's opacity down and work up the sketch on a layer above it. Inking the line work is the same process. Or I can "ink" it in pencil to keep the paper grain texture. The painting part of the process is pretty much the same for my illustrations as it was before.

It also means I can get work to clients faster and make changes for them quicker as well without having to sacrifice quality.

The other great part about working digitally is I can also easily show the step by steps by either turning on or off certain layers or by cloning a flattened version of the file every so often.

It saves the world.

Ok it doesn't actually save the world but it does save alot of trees and make our studio more Green. By doing all my work on the computer I don't use the ink, paper, vellum, tape, pencil lead and erasers I use to.

Santa Clara Art and Wine 2010

KatGirl Studio will be at booth #133 again this year at the Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival September 18th & 19th. So if you’re in town for the event come say hi and view our brand new releases! We will have Matted prints, Giclées, postcards, bookmarks, buttons, shirts and much more!

Central Park
Santa Clara, CA
Sept. 18 & 19
Booth # 133

Fanime 2010

KatGirl Studio will be at Fanime 2010. We will have Matted prints, Giclées, postcards, bookmarks, buttons and our brand new Nom Nomshirts!

I will also be hosting the first ever Deviant Art Meet-Up at Fanime which will be held in Panel room 1 Mariott Salons I & II on Sunday May 30th at 10pm.

This event is open to all attendees of the convention. There is no need to RSVP so just show up and have fun. The meet-up will be a great place to meet other deviants, share portfolios and network. So bring your portfolio, business cards or some snacks to share.

Deviants of all ages are welcome!

San Jose Convention Center
San Jose CA
May 28-31
Table # T205 & T206
Panel: Deviant Art Meet Up
Panels 1 Marriott Salons I & II
Sunday May 30th at 10pm

Cool Links and Videos Weekly Recap 25

For those who are curious, don’t follow me on Twitter or just missed these I’ve decided to start posting all the cool links and videos I’ve found in the last week in one cohesive place. So enjoy!

My Hand Made Hobbit Hole – Bag End from Lord of the Rings
Theft at Washington Library Branch Devastates Picture Book Collection

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Cool Links and Videos Weekly Recap 24:

For those who are curious, don’t follow me on Twitter or just missed these I’ve decided to start posting all the cool links and videos I’ve found in the last week in one cohesive place. So enjoy!







http://www.blaghag.com/2010/04/boobquake-on-colbert-report.html
Fire Fox Crop Circle

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Boobquake Day Causes Earthquake
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Mid Week Cool Links Recap 23

For those who are curious, don’t follow me on Twitter or just missed these I’ve decided to start posting all the cool links and videos I’ve found in the last week in one cohesive place. So enjoy!











http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/04/17/2010-04-17_read_it__weep_by_george_prez_racks_up_300g_late_fee_for_two_books.html
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/how-ideas-get-destroyed-13
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/7-simple-shakespeare-covers
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/13/opinion/20100413_opart.html
http://actinglikeanimals.com/2010/02/12/funny-animal-photos-forbidden-love/

Deviant Art Meet-up at Fanime 2010

It has just been confirmed that I will in fact be hosting the first ever Deviant Art Meet-Up at Fanime 2010! It will be held in Panel room 1 Mariott Salons I & II on Sunday May 30th at 10pm.

This event is open to all attendees of the convention. There is no need to RSVP so just show up and have fun. The meet-up will be a great place to meet other deviants, share portfolios and network. So bring your portfolio, business cards or some snacks to share.

Deviants of all ages are welcome!

Details:
Fanime 2010
San Jose Convention Center
May 28-31
Panel: Deviant Art Meet Up
Location: Panels 1 Mariott Salons I & II
Date/Time: Sunday May 30th at 10pm

WonderCon 2010 Wrap-up

This year's Con was even more fantastic than last years. We met a ton of cool people and all the cosplayers pics have been posted so check them out and tag yourself.

KatGirl Studio Fan Mirzers, gifted us our very first piece of fan art! Check it out on the KatGirl Studio Facebook Fan Page! Got a piece of Fan Art for KatGirl Studio? The bring it to us at our next event or email us and we will feature it on the site and FB Fan Page!

The new Stalking the Elusive Quetzal matted prints and The Sea of Imagination Giclées we took to the event completely sold out. So if you missed your chance to get one at the Con you can now order them from our brand new shiny store!

The I Heart Sea Monsters shirts were hugely popular and we only have a few left from the first run so get yours today before they sell out. We also took pre-orders for the Nom Nom shirt that will be released at Fanime. If you didn't get a chance to pre-order yours at WonderCon you can here. Pre-orders will close Friday April 23, 2010. Pre-orders get to pick what color shirt they want and will receive theirs via mail before Fanime.

All orders made from our shiny new store will receive a free gift print with their order to celebrate our grand opening!

Thank you everyone who came by and supported our studios we greatly appreciate it! Our next event will be Free Comic Book Day on May 1st.

WonderCon 2010!

KatGirl Studio will WonderCon 2010 April 2-4!
The event is held at the Moscone Center South in San Francisco CA. We will be at Table AA 41 (the same location as last year)

We will have Matted prints, Giclées, greeting cards, postcards, bookmarks, buttons and our brand new shirts! There will also be tons of vendors, panels and presentations for you to enjoy, so come by and say hi!

Here’s a map so you can easily find us!

Mid Week Cool Links Recap 22:

For those who are curious, don’t follow me on Twitter or just missed these I’ve decided to start posting all the cool links and videos I’ve found in the last week in one cohesive place. So enjoy!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6282JZ20100309
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2010/03/16-common-freelancing-mistakes-and-misconceptions/

Release of Lions in My Tummy

I am proud to announce the release of my first illustrated book! Published by Viscus Vir Publishing and written by author Katina Lawdis. Lions in My Tummy is a story of animal cookies gone wild!

The book is available here.

Signed editions and Fine Art Prints inspired by the book will be available in the Studio shop soon.

Illustrators Beware!

Illustrators Beware! Please Read and Share.

Dear fellow illustrators it is my professional obligation to inform you all of the unethical actions of one Canadian publisher Three Bears Publishing and their representative Ashley Carleton.

On April 7th 2009 I was contacted by Ashley Carleton of Three bears Publishing to do a 51 page picture book consisting of 25 1/2 spreads plus cover.

Along the way they convinced me into doing numerous character designs and an extra page for no additional compensation. The projects original deadline was Aug. 30th but was then moved to Sept. 30th and later left open because the company consistently failed to provide me with the illustration suggestions of what they wanted me to illustrate and would take weeks to answer my emailed questions.

When I submitted the revised character designs Ashley Carleton said in reference to one of the characters 'I love your revised character sketch of the girl... I LOVE her.'

On October 15th 2009 after I had submitted 95% of the layout drawings and was awaiting answers and the final spreads Ashley Carleton sent an email stating.

'By the way, you're[sic] sketches look fabulous!'

I submitted the last sketch on Oct. 30th. On Nov. 3rd I was told by Ashley Carleton,

'Thank you for the sketches. I am compiling a list of suggested additions and changes to some sketches. In the meantime, you can definitely start to color the following sketches that are perfect as they are.'

If your following along, you may have noticed that only a few days before she said the sketches were "fabulous."

I informed her that I could not start painting because she had only approved the color key for one of the three characters.

On November 3rd Ashley Carleton said via email. 'I hope to reply regarding colors for the characters clothes in the next 24 hours.' To date I still have never received those color keys.

We both agreed that no painting would start until the changes were submitted to me.

And this is where everything takes a dive towards horrible.

On November 19th, 2009 I finally get an email back saying they will send me the changes to the layouts within a week.

More weeks pass and my emails go unanswered. On January 4th, 2010 I receive an email from Ashley Carleton stating: 'I am in the final stages of formulating my comments, and can promise you that i[sic] will email you all of my comments by Wednesday of this week, just 2 days from now.'

I receive a few more emails promising to have them to me in a few days. They however did not send me the suggested changes then, or ever.
At this point it has taken them longer to formulate their changes than it took me to draw the 40 illustrations.

On February 13th, 2010 I receive an email from Ashley Carleton stating that they would not be paying me for the months of work (40 drawings covering 52 pages plus cover) and instead would like to draw up a new contract to have me paint someone else's drawings for only 46% of the original fee for a now 31 page book. They claim that because they have decided to not use the drawings they have no reason to pay for them.

I felt it was my professional obligation to inform you all of this so no one else will fall prey to Three Bears Publishing. Please share this and repost it anywhere you can think of. The more who know the less likely someone will fall into this trap.

This has been your public service announcement for today; Alicia "Kat" Dillman signing off.

If you would like to see the layout drawings they are now claiming are " dissatisfactory" you can look at them here.

Here is Three Bears Publishing's website

Mid Week Cool Links Recap 21:

For those who are curious, don’t follow me on Twitter or just missed these I’ve decided to start posting all the cool links and videos I’ve found in the last week in one cohesive place. So enjoy!





http://cohort11.americanobserver.net/latoyaegwuekwe/multimediafinal.html

The Grass in not Always Greener

This past fall I was commissioned to illustrate a book by author Katina Lawdis for Viscus Vir Publishing. The book is scheduled to be out in March of this year and I'm greatly exited to have an illustration project finally be published. So I will be posting a new image from the picture book each week so stay tuned for new art!

The Lioness Approaches

This past fall I was commissioned to illustrate a book by author Katina Lawdis for Viscus Vir Publishing. The book is scheduled to be out in March of this year and I'm greatly exited to have an illustration project finally be published. So I will be posting a new image from the picture book each week so stay tuned for new art!

Plavocados & Seamonsters!

I created two shirts that will be available at WonderCon 2010. They will be printed on these shirts from Royal Apparel. They will be $20 +tax & shipping and will become available to the public starting April 2. But you my loyal friends and fans can pre-order your shirts and receive a free signed gift print in the package.

If you would like to join the pre-order list for one of these cute shirts, please email us at shop@katgirl.net with your shirt choice, the quantity & size(s).

Size

S M L XL 2XL

Size

S M L XL 2XL

Please vote in the poll!


Check out Striogi's design

Invasion of the Purple Bunnies

Hey KatGairl Studio Viewers I decided to take up the Illustration Friday Challenge this past week for the first time. So without further ado here is my submission.

Invasion of the Purple Bunnies

The Question you must ask your self is, do these creatures come in peace or is their cuteness merely a deception?

This image was done for Illustration Friday. The word was Propagate.

Propagate: ‘To pass along to offspring and or to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area.’

The first things that came to mind were all those frakkin brooms Mickey created in The Sorcerer's Apprentice and rabbits. And rabbits make me think of purple bunnies. Purple bunnies are an inside joke that started in our theatre in middle school. I don’t know who started it but it was one of those never ending songs that went.

“Purple bunnies, I hate purple bunnies they drive me crazy. Crazy! I’m not crazy, I’m in a room of purple bunnies. Purple bunnies, I hate purple bunnies they drive me crazy…”

And it would go on like that forever. The purple bunnies became so wide spread it infiltrated our high school. Where we would eat purple peep bunnies and laugh manically. I’m pretty sure people just thought we were crazy.

This was the first time i have ever done a SiFi image or painted planets, spaceships and space for that matter.

I'm looking forward to doing another one of these challenges since the force me to get faster at painting. This Illustration took 2 days.