Chaz Nouveau

I'm Back & Stuff...

2011-08-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've been away busily writing for Gaslight Underground over the last several months and I've really missed talking with you. I'm going to try to incorporate my blog writing with all of my other duties so that I can keep those of you who're interested up to date with what's going on with me, my projects, my band and my own little view of the world.

About me: In April my grandmother, Eunice McCleanon died. She'd been battling lots of health issues as well as Alzheimer's for quite some time. My mother and sister had been saints and took care of her for several years. They really improved my grandmother's quality of life with a lot of hard work on their part and love. My uncle flew in with his wife and it was great to be able to talk with him, Tony Harris proved to be a tremendous friend to our family as he provided my mother with a strong shoulder to lean on and my dad was on the phone with us several times a day to make sure we were alright. You guys are true heroes and I love you all.

For my part, I went through a lot of emotional stuff during my grandmother's last days, not the least of which was having to perform with Pandora Celtica at Anomaly Con the day she died. (I had gotten the call very early that morning.) My girlfriend, Nessa was really amazing for helping me get through the weekend. My band was great in standing by me as well as Shawn & Ellen Gore who helped tremendously. James Nay & Derik DaSilva even stepped in and helped so I want to say to all of you - thank you SO much! You've proven that love is really, truly all you need.

So as of now - I've started working out again, I'm trying out Google Calendar so that I can better organize my time and life is really very good. In fact, I was surfing around on the web and I came across this really groovy piece on me, which you can read here. I was practically blushing when I read it. Thank you Steampunk Tribune!!

In other news my band, Pandora Celtica is preparing for a big show on August, 21st at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. We're calling it our "Mad Faerie Revel" and we'd really love for you to be there! You can go here to get details and to buy tickets in advance. There are only about 130 seats available and if we can sell out the show we'll be able to book that venue for future gigs. By the way we're going to be performing 2-3 brand new songs!!

Lannie was one of the judges for this regional harmony competition Pandora Celtica was involved in earlier in the year. She was the only judge that really "got" us and I think she really appreciated the fact that we were different than everyone else in the "competition". Speaking for myself, she was really the only bright spot in that whole experience and we like her lots and lots!

I'm going to try to do my blog at least once a week and I'd like to add book & movie reviews, interviews with cool people in the Steampunk, Art and Gaming communities as well as turning you guys on to other really cool blogs out there. In the meantime, I'm leaving you with a new piece of art on sale in my Etsy shop here. I call the piece "Sabina" and I really very much groove on it. I hope you do too:

OK - until next time... Remember that love is really all you need. :). - Chaz

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Interviews with Phantoms Siren and Real Pirates

2011-02-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Heya! It's been a pretty interesting week so far: We went up to Steamboat and had a blast in the amazing natural hot springs over the weekend. My band Pandora Celtica had a gig at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in honor of their "Real Pirates" exhibition. We saw some good friends there and got to perform for quite a few people who'd never heard our music before so that was awesome. When the exhibit officially opens in March you should absolutely go if you're in the Denver area.

And now another interview! Phantoms-Siren (who's real name is Vyctoria Hart) is an up and coming artist all the way from the UK. She has a way of mixing Art Nouveau, Steampunk and imagination to create some really astounding pieces. I would definitely count myself among her many fans and I hope that by the end of this interview, you will too.

Before we start, let me say that it's an honor to have you join us today.

Thank you for interviewing me, it's great to be here!

So, let's start with the obligatory question, what is Steampunk to you?

Broadly speaking steampunk is an alternative history (or possibly future) set in something that resembles the Victorian era but with distinct post apocalyptic overtones. But I think it's safe to say that there are probably as many definitions of the genre as there are steampunks on the planet!

As a relatively new genre with roots in so many diverse origins (goth, science fiction, historical re-enactment) steampunk is something of a creative sandbox. Pretty much any direction you choose to take yourself in can be justified within one or more of the plethora of alternate time-lines. There's a huge amount of freedom to be found in this once you get beyond the urge to add cogs, octopi and zeppelins to everything.

Being from the UK, do you see the genre as strictly a British thing or as something a little more international?

I was originally introduced to steampunk as a genre by American bands and the North Carolina based radio show “Clockwork Cabaret” so I wasn't initially aware of the British side of the genre as a separate entity. The internet is a wonderful tool that lets us cross oceans so easily we sometimes forget to look in our own back yards. There are some differences between countries, the Stateside steampunk seems to have more elements of pioneering and adventure for the individuals sake, whereas Empire building and exploration is more likely to crop up on this side of the pond. We also seem to have differing ideas relating to the “punk” element of the genre, which can be seen if you compare the albums of Abney Park and The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, for example.

However when you have a whole world to play with, and a number of questionable histories to rewrite its not surprising that bands with truly international influences like Sunday Driver are gaining ground. So even though you have cowboy hats whilst we have pith helmets, we all have goggles and aviator caps. Ultimately it's the similarities that will draw us together, and the differences that keep the genre interesting.

How does Steampunk inspire your work and how do you continually try to make your art unique?

I take a great deal of inspiration from steampunk music and literature, so much of steampunk writing is a lesson in obscure history and literature that can lead you to some really interesting places. I also enjoy the challenge of looking at something familiar and changing it to something new, but old at the same time. I think my use of specific brushes and blending techniques makes my work pretty recognisable, but at the same time I do still experiment with other techniques and take on board those that work.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Historically speaking my favourite artists are Alphons Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I love their graphic style, beyond the realism of the Pre-Raphaelites but not yet at the surrealism of the styles that followed. I'm especially influenced by their contribution to early advertising and aesthetics, so it's usually into their era that my steampunk works tend to fall. In terms of contemporary artists my influences include Henning Ludvigsen, the Arkham Horrors artist; Tracy J Butler, the creator of Lackadaisy; and Ida Mary Walker Larsen, the fantasy photomanipulator and one of the finest sources of Steampunk stock photography. However, my greatest source of artist sanity comes from Dr Geof Banyard, the comic book artist who isn't afraid to point of the funny (and often adult) side of science and steampunk. I recently had the honour of contributing this design to his fantastic travelling museum.

I worship at the altar of Alphonse Mucha and Ida was my model for Steampunk Sally - ya... can't say enough good things about her. :) So, how long does it take you to do a piece from start to finish? Can you take us through a little bit of your process?

An average piece can take between 14 and 20 hours to complete, though some of the more complex images can take over 30 hours. I've streamlined a great deal of my process over the years to reduce the time spent on the basics. I'll usually decide which stock images I want to use before I start. Then I build the basic background frame before I add the figure lines and basic colours. I have set groups of brushes for skin, hair and clothing. Usually the background is added last. I keep all the clothes and accessories on separate layers so the colour scheme can be adjusted easily. However, it's often the small things that take the longest, colouring the main figure might take four hours but designing the repeating motif behind the model can take up to six.

What methods seem to work best for you in terms of self promotion?

Personally I've found one of the best ways to promote myself is through other people. Helping others is one of my main drives in life and I find that the work I've created for other people is often the most successful. I've also found that joining local and international art or craft groups can be really productive in reaching new contacts and markets.

What's the best piece of advice you can give to aspiring artists that want to follow in your footsteps?

Don't be afraid to charge for your work, and where necessary don't be afraid to charge in advance. Conversely, enter as many contests as you can, the experience of working to other peoples requirements opens up your range and even if you don't win you'll often get some free exposure. Join an artist community, the resources and feedback can be invaluable, and you might make some good friends on the way.

Ya, Deviant Art has been invaluable to me over the last few years. It's a fantastic resource and community for artists. When you need to recharge and get out of your head a bit, what kinds of things do you like to do?

I'm a huge geek so I spend a lot of my down time watching sci-fi or fantasy movies and I have a soft spot for classic shows like Babylon 5 and Doctor Who. I don't like to sit still without doing something productive though so I'm usually sewing, knitting or crocheting at the same time. I also read pretty much anything and everything available, the last books I read were Cherie Priest's Dreadnought and Adam Roberts' Yellow Blue Tibia.

Hey, I just finished Dreadnought myself, in fact. You'll have to tell me what you thought of it sometime. OK, last but not least, where can we look to find and support your art, Vyctoria?

Website – http://www.phantoms-siren.com

Deviantart - http://phantoms-siren.deviantart.com/

Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/phantomssiren

Folksy - http://www.folksy.com/shops/phantomssiren

Blog - http://phantomssiren.livejournal.com/

Irregular Magazine - http://irregularmagazine.com/

Davenport and Winkleperry - http://www.davenportandwinkleperry.com/

Craft Candy - http://www.craft-candy.org/

Island of Doctor Geof - http://islandofdoctorgeof.co.uk/

Thank you so much for spending time with us, Vyctoria, I absolutely appreciate it! This concludes the interview but I'll leave you guys with a few more pieces of her amazing art.

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Interviews with Megan Lara

2011-02-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Heya! As promised, here's the first of hopefully many interviews with amazing artists. Megan Lara is an up and coming Art Nouveau artist who's work is beautiful, creative and very, very fun! She has definitely taken the style and made it her own. She loves Dr. Who, Firefly, Dr. Horrible and fainting goats! In other words, she's just like us and I get to interview her - Woo Hoooo!"

· OK, first off, Megan - thank you very much for chatting with me today!

Hi Chaz! You're welcome. :D Thank you for interviewing me.

· So, What is Art Nouveau to you?

To me, it's taking things that normally might not be seen as blatantly artistic (in my case, pop culture/video game characters) and turning them into something beautiful. I would love to see a revival of Art Nouveau in advertising. Can you imagine labels and such with Art Nouveau inspired lettering? I mean, I've bought some wine just because they have Art Nouveau labels.

· How does this genre inspire your work and how do you continually try to make your art unique?

Art Nouveau inspires me because it's just so frackin' beautiful. I mean, I love pinup work as well, but with pinup there is a fine line between sexy and cheeky, or trashy. It's hard to strike a happy middle. I really haven't seen many nouveau pieces that come off as trashy, and they're just so pleasant to look at.

As far as keeping my art unique, I try to look at my subjects (lately it's been video game characters) from different angles than others. To elaborate on that a little: If you look at my Samus piece, you can spot the obvious references to Metroid fairly easy. But, I try to look for little things that the casual gamer might not catch. I used: the shape of Metroid Prime's interface to frame the background (after distorting it a little); the shapes on the back of her zero suit to create the embellishments on the side of the seal; the blue and orange lines in the background to create an abstract nouveau representation of the Metroid symbol. I try to do a lot of that kind of stuff in each piece.

· Right on! So, Megan, how would you describe your particular style?

I was trying to think of some clever word for it, but right now it's just nerd nouveau. Word's aren't really my bag. :) I'm really into realistic figures and portraits with bold, chunky outlines. I have a huge fascination with line. You should see my house: it's pretty much lines and circles everywhere. :) I draw other things, too, but right now I am just really inspired by nouveau art.

· What are some of your favorite things to draw?

Women! Women and faces. I am a portrait artist at heart and am slowly learning how to do other things. I suck at landscapes and silly things like flowers. As someone who does a lot of nouveau work, you'd think I'd have them down. :)

· I, like many artists working from home, get easily distracted by the TV, the internet, my cat, etc. How do you stay focused on the project at hand without getting too distracted?

Oh crap, I'm still so bad at this. I use a website blocker to block Reddit and other sites that distract me, and I have a separate Facebook account that I use for my page—that way I don't wander over to my main FB account and get distracted. I don't usually watch TV while I work—never really had that problem. My dog and facebook tend to be the worst distractions, but I'm improving!

· What methods seem to work the best for you, in terms of self-promotion?

Not being afraid to post anywhere and everywhere about your art. Luckily, since I am a huge nerd, I frequent a lot of nerdy forums that are into this type of art. I am part of my own audience, so I think that helps a lot. I can really identify with who I'm making the art for. I haven't actually done any advertising yet, but I do take advantage of twitter and tumblr—those seem to be really good at getting people to come to my website.

· Ya, I'll have to try Tumblr for sure. So when you need to recharge and get out of your head a bit, what kinds of things do you like to do?

Paint. Hahah. There is nothing quite like oil painting. Aside from that, I love to read (reading Snow Crash right now), play video games (currently Fallout: New Vegas) and run on my treadmill. Not too much though, I'm still wicked out of shape. :P

· What are some of your favorite video games and books?

My favourite video games are a weird combination of genres, haha. Final Fantasy 3, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Katamari Damacy, Dance Dance Revolution, League of Legends, Civ.. lots. Haha. Books: Dark Tower series, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Hobbit, The Gospel According to Biff (Christ's Childhood Pal), World War Z and The Stand. Read the Dark Tower, people. Read it! :D

· What’s the best piece of advice that you can give to aspiring artists that want to follow in your footsteps?

Be confident and don't be afraid to show your stuff. Just a few months ago I had finished that drawing of nouveau Peach, but I was to afraid to try and get it out to the masses. I only showed my friends. Finally my husband posted it to Reddit for me, and it showed me that there was a market for nerdy art. Don't sell yourself short. And, If you have to, fake it until you make it. Convince yourself that you're awesome. :)

Super important: accept that you will receive criticism. Nerds are a freaking hard crowd to please—they're like the comic book guy from the Simpsons. They know their stuff, and they aren't afraid (what with internet anonymity) to tell you why and how you suck. :)

· OK, last question: How can fans like me show support for your art?

Adding me on facebook/twitter/tumblr/wordpress/redbubble/deviantart would absolutely make my day.

Website and blog: http://www.meganlara.com

Tumblr: http://meganlara.tumblr.com

RedBubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/meganlara

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mLARAart?ref=sgm

Deviantart: http://chesheyre.deviantart.com

and buying my nouveau stuff at LevelUpStudios.com would be awesome. :)

http://www.levelupstudios.com/

Hey thanks a TON, Megan - you're an incredible artist and a fun person to be sure. This was fantastic & I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm going to leave you guys with a few more of Megan's pieces and hopefully you'll be inspired to check out her links and give her massive amounts of support!

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Secret Societies... (Shhhhhh!)

2011-02-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning, agents. Today I bring you a few classified images from the new LARP, Gaslight Underground. Classified because they are logos representing some of the secret societies that populate the game world. I've given 'M' some very brief descriptions of each, which he may reveal to you once you have received clearance. If he deems it necessary. Or if you have a few quid. Or if you have a particularly cute bottom or happen to know where he can find one... or two. *Ahem* For now though - I am authorized to show you just a few of the logos. Please commit them to memory. It is our fondest hope that showing you these will get you excited about the upcoming game!

As an added bonus, I've included the artist's rendition of Queen Victoria, Monarch of Great Britain, High Queen of Ireland, Empress of India, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, blah, blah, blah. I think you'll agree that she's never looked better. No really...

Well, there you have it... Next week I'm hoping to have an interview for you with a promising up and coming artist who shall remain nameless... for now! Shhhhhhh. :)

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Multi-Cultural Steampunk, Showcasing Art in Faraway Lands and Agent Jiang

2011-01-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all! How are ya? It's been a week and I've missed talking to you but I'm back with a couple of things to share while Nessa is getting some sleep before our busy weekend.

I had a great opportunity this week to send some of my art to Boston to be displayed in an upscale coffee shop. Nessa's sister, Sarah got it all set up for me, the owner liked my work and it seemed like a slam dunk. Once I did the research, I realized that displaying my art will involve a lot more preparation on my part. After calculating printing one copy of each piece, framing them using the cheapest frames I could get away with using and then shipping, I found that it was going to cost a little over $300. Then other questions arose: What if the owner wants more than one copy of each piece? How much is insurance? What if they don't sell? Having never done anything like this, I had no idea of the up-front costs. The conclusion: A little too cost-prohibitive right now but I will do this at a later time and I'll give myself time to save up. Thank you, Sarah! We'll definitely revisit this in a few months...

So by now you know that I have more than a passing interest in Steampunk. It's new, (so to speak) it's groovy and it's rife with possibilities. Most steampunk is geared (ha, ha, ha. OK, not so funny really...) towards a Victorian English setting. So I started thinking, "How would you portray a steampunk character from a different culture?" Now while I freely admit that this is not an original idea, it still opens a door to some interesting possibilities. What would a clockwork samurai look like? Would an Irish character look any different than an English one? How would an African steampunk warrior dress? It's all very intriguing!

To continue this thought, I pulled an older piece out of mothballs and revamped it with my eye towards doing a multi-cultural steampunk character. May I present all the way from China, Agent Jiang - the newest member of Sargas Prime. She has danced upon the Affinity Bridge of Fengdu and battled Tick-Tock Tigers in Wuhan. She stole the Omega Engine from Fu Manchu himself, which earned her the nickname, "Ghost." I caution you to treat her well because you will not see her coming if you don't.

This will be on sale in my Etsy shop very soon, but in the meantime, please comment and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you. :) 'Til next time...

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Postponed Gigs, Quests, True Names and Happy Discoveries

2011-01-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

'Allo my peeps! It's been a few days since my last post but I've been drawing like a dervish all week and now I have stuff to share with you.

First off, the faerie convention Mysticon was postponed, which is a drag. Pandora Celtica (my awesome band) was to perform but the director of the Con had to get emergency surgery. He probably flew too close to the Balrog again and got his wings singed... again. *sigh* I'll keep you posted on the rescheduled date, but in the meantime I'm keeping positive thoughts on his swift recovery! (Rubiee says glitter fixes everything.)

Speaking of Rubiee... she's the soprano in my band and not only is she an amazing singer, but she has an extremely cool blog. She also does some pretty amazing artwork her own self - you should check out her shop called, Silver Faerie Designs!

So I was on a quest yesterday, my friends! I was searching around to buy this video called, "Alphonse Mucha, Art Nouveau Visionary". (I am a HUGE fan of Alphonse Mucha and his work influences my art almost completely.) I was having absolutely no luck, although I did manage to find the whole hour-long documentary on YouTube, which can be counted as a partial victory. Apparently this video was made in Germany and there is no American distribution yet. *siiiigh*

During my search I sent emails and commented on many blogs to try to find this elusive DVD. Maelle Jayet responded with a couple of helpful hints (Thank you, Maelle!) and I discovered her AMAZING blog called, Color Me Mucha. It's all about, you guessed it, Alphonse Mucha!!! Woo Hooooooo! She features not only Mucha's work but the work of other super talented artists who are inspired by him and the Art Nouveau movement as a whole. A very happy discovery!

So as a quick side note - I've been referring to my beloved by both Emily and Nessa. Emily is her birth name but I and those in the band prefer to call her Nessa, which she likes. So since I thoroughly enjoy making her happy, she'll be known as Nessa from now on in my future scribblings. :)

OK - I'm going to leave you with a couple of my recent line drawings for the upcoming Gaslight Underground Project. The first is Agnes & the second girl is Grace. (Click on them to get the full-sized version)

So until next time, please check out a super wonderful site called The Steampunk Empire!! The people there are extremely cool and it will make all of your gear-driven fantasies a reality! I've heard that the site may even cure small pox and scurvy... I'm also going to try my hand at interviewing and featuring other artists in upcoming posts so stay tuned!

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Cirque, Vespertine, Le Style & French Clowns

2011-01-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Heya! What a fantastic weekend and wonderful day I'm havin'! My life is sweet, Emily is amazing & my family rocketh verily! Awww Yaaaa!

My GF got me tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Alegria for Christmas!! (That's the amazing part!) The show was last Saturday in Colorado Springs and it was spectacular. I'll hit you with the highlights: Band = awesome, Hula Hoop Girl = tall & flexible, Trampoline Act = Filet McGroovy, Bungee Cord Guy = meh, Mongolian Contortion Twins = mesmerizing and kinda creepy, Clowns = funny and talented. If you have the chance to see any Cirque show anywhere, you should go. I mean it! GO, dammit. Don't make me come over there...

Speaking of clowns... I had one of those performance dreams that night. (insert sexual reference joke here) I dreamt I was auditioning for Cirque to be a clown specializing in pantomime. So there I was in a big room filled with french clowns and they're all staring at me as I go through my routine. I say "routine" as if I had a plan... I will clarify. I did not. I was winging it. Because they were french clowns, they couldn't speak so they all gave me disapproving looks. The look that said, "I would hate you but you suck so much that I can't be bothered to actually have an emotion for you aside from pity." I laughed myself awake. Even now thinking back to it, it's still cracking me up. :)

I made a new Steampunk friend on the interwebz and her name is Vespertine Nova Lark. She's a wonderful artist from Detroit that makes spectacular jewelry! Each piece is unique and Ves herself is one of the coolest people you'll ever meet... just sayin'. You should visit her blog and read about all of the steampunk goodness goin' on in Michigan. After that take a stroll through her shop and weep openly at the beauty displayed there. I am still something of a newbie when it comes to the Steampunk genre - Ves and many of her compatriots have welcomed me in with open arms!

OK - last but not least I got to work on an ad for a brand new project called, Le Style Magazine. It's an interactive, Anchorage-based lesbian fashion magazine printed bimonthly with a web-based counterpart. It looks like a neat project and I know it'll be successful because Camden Yehle is super talented. Go here to get more details and in the meantime... here's the ad I finished today: (Click it to see the larger version)

Bit of a long post today. Thanks for hanging out while I rambled like I did last night at Bruce & Beth Telford's dinner party. They were very kind... or rather polite... or rather... tolerant. lol. Anyways - I'm out and I pray that none of you get visited by apathetic french clowns anytime soon.

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Escapes, Learning From Peers &... the BAND

2011-01-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

'Allo! How are you guys today? I just finished working out and I feel better since I'd been battling a cold. I will say that Aleve D is the best stuff I've found for kicking a cold's ass.

So I discovered a fantastic site for illustrators called, "Escape From Illustration Island" & OMG what a Godsend Thomas James is!! This site has advice, podcasts, blogs, interviews, tutorials, resources, etc. I feel like I just won the lottery! It's one huge artistic community that exists to make sure that I succeed as an artist. :) (They are here just for me right?) Seriously though, if you're an artist you owe it to yourself to bookmark this site and visit it daily. I'm just sayin'...

I sent samples to a really amazing magazine called, "ImagineFX" in the hopes of being included in one of their future issues. I also sent a letter and samples to Hydra Publications in the hopes of getting a cover gig for their upcoming Steampunk Anthology. It's possible that I missed the deadline for that one but I'll keep happy thoughts just the same! Anyways - keep your fingers crossed! :)

Tonight we resume rehearsals with my band Pandora Celtica!!! Woo Hoooo! After finishing recording on our Yule album called "On Thin Ice" we decided to take a break for a few weeks. I've missed my band. Since we weren't rehearsing I filled that time up with other things (drawing, self-promotion, adding new pieces to my Etsy shop, etc.) but it'll be great to see everyone again and get back to my other passion, which is music. I'll keep everyone posted on our upcoming gigs and things.

Before I take off, I wanted to share a quote with you. "Don't make work to make money... that leads to crap work. Don't try to be fashionable. Make the art you'd like to see. In other words, draw what you love and your audience will find you!" This applies to more than just art, I think. I believe the universal quote is, "Follow your bliss." Until next time. :)

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Gaslights, Questions du Jour, Line Drawings & Google Alerts

2011-01-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Heya! HAPPY 1/11/11 to everyone!! Emily and I had a "Question du Jour" session last night... No it's not some french pastry that you have in bed with your lover... (Although... hmmmmm.) It means, "Question of the Day." So here's your question du jour: "What has been your proudest moment so far?"

I jumped into Google Alert a few days ago and it's really pretty cool, I have to say. It allows you to monitor the web for interesting new content. You can check it out here. So when I type in something like, "Art Nouveau", it sends me all of the articles, blogs, etc. that talked about Art Nouveau today. It's extremely useful for my business but it's also a HUUUUGE time sink. (Must... resist... the.... shiny.....) As if I didn't already have enough trouble staying focused.

Working from home is hard. That is all.

I've been talking to Steve about some of the rules for his new game called, Gaslight Underground. He has to put on quite the balancing act in order to please so many gamers who would like the game tailored to their style of playing. The questions that come up: How do you please everyone? Can you please everyone? Should you try to please everyone? I say make the rules fair and make the storylines AMAZING. The rules don't matter as much when people leave the game going, "OMG! Who'd have thought that the librarian was actually a dragon stuck in human form?!? See? The adventure is everything! Awwww Yaaaaa.

Creating a fun game for everyone is hard. That is all.

Speaking of Gaslight Underground... let me introduce you to another artist on the GU project - her name is Magpie Bones and not only does she draw extremely well, she also does the website, makes awesome costumes and she sculpts! Magpie's like the Michael Jordan of the art world! You should definitely check out her stuff. (By the way - you can click on her name to go to her portfolio... just sayin'. Do it... Do it now then come back.)

OK now back to me! Here are some line drawings that I've done for the rulebook's interior... I'm kind of pleased with them and junk. :)

You should be able to click on these to see the larger image. I'm off. Feel free to comment. Thanks to everyone who's been reading the blog - you guys rock! That is all.

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Of Steampunk Games, Krakens & Being Kind to your Engineer

2011-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! How are you guys today?

I feel fantastic and I can't wait to embark on a weekend of gaming! I play in a really fun D&D game run by my bandmate Rion & his wife, Sarah a couple of times a month. Right now we're trying to beat up a bunch of evil dwarves who have stolen, among other things, huge amounts of cheese from the surface villages and towns. I assure you all that my being lactose-intolerant will not quench my heroic fire one little bit.

I also run a steampunk/fantasy game about twice a month called RookeMare. I've been GM'ing games for a number of years now, but they have always been fantasy-based. I'd been dying to run a steampunk game but I'm having an interesting time of it. I have to keep reminding myself that the setting is Victorian! Here's an example of a typical encounter: "You see before you a really mean-looking orc! Ummm yes... it's got a big 2-handed sword... oh, I mean rifle! Yes... a steam-powered rifle. With gears on it... ya... and ummm, he's wearing Victorian-styled armor and a bowler hat - ya, that's it... a bowler hat! Oooh - and he's wearing goggles..." It's a pretty new game and we're all having fun, it'll just take me a little while to shift gears. Oooh - didja catch that? "I said, "Shift Gears!" ha ha ha... never mind...

My girlfriend, Emily, her sister, Sarah (different Sarah) & I all went out to Mimi's for dinner. (Mimi's jambalaya is amazingly good!) Sarah had just gotten back from a biology conference in Salt Lake City and she was telling us about the various lectures she attended. Really fascinating stuff, especially the knowledge that there are life-forms we have yet to lay eyes on because they live so deep underwater. As you can imagine, being an artist, this really began to fuel my imagination. What if things like the Leviathan and the Kraken are still swimming around today? Because no one really knows what lives down there, no one can say with any assuredness that those kinds of "fantasy" creatures don't exist! Remember that the next time some silly muggle says, "Dragons aren't real."

Now for some art! Yay Art! I did a piece called, "Steampunk Sally" a couple of years back and while I loved how the figure came out, the muse was off eating a sandwich when it came time to do the background. This year I vowed to do up a new background for her and I finished it Thursday night. So here she is - all dusted off and ready for the new year! Incidentally, you can purchase this piece here! Let me know what you think. :)

And remember - always be kind to your engineer and other members of the support team when you're bounding about on your adventures! Saving the cheese is rarely a one-person job.

- Chaz -

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

To Norm... A Good Man

2011-01-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

A bit of a shocker today. My friend Norm passed away today.

I met him while I worked and played at the Colorado Renaissance Faire. He was a very cool person - a true viking prince. He always tried very hard to stay positive and he treated people with kindness, compassion and love. He was a marine, he worked hard and he played harder.

I can't really say much more than that. I never really got to know him very well, yet his passing made an impact on me and many others who knew him better. A friend of mine put it very nicely when she said that he will not be going to Hel... he'll be fighting the great battle in Valhalla. He was a valiant warrior, a boon companion and a noble-hearted soul.

To sum it up, he was a good man. Norman David Morris, you will be missed.

- Chaz

Buy my art here
Look at my art here
Listen to my band here

Of Workouts, Twitter, Steampunk & Josephine

2011-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

Heya, world! It's me Chaz Kemp with another installment of my blog. Woo Hoo! That makes 2 in a row! I'm on a roll. :) Thanks to everyone who read my inaugural post.

A good art tip is a cool way of starting off a blog ya?
Exercise. Ya, I said it. Exercise. I try to do it first thing every morning so that I feel really good all day. You know all of the benefits so I won't get into that... All I'll say is that it puts me in a confident, positive and happy frame of mind. Simply put - I draw better once I've done something physical.

Yesterday I got to hang out with an old friend of mine named Jyoti. He runs his own business as well and we talked about ways to stay inspired, goal-setting, motivational techniques, etc. We hadn't really seen each other in quite a few years and a few weeks back he called me out of the blue! He's a really great guy and though his business is different than mine, I got a ton from our conversation. Life really does rock!

I created a brand new Twitter account and I'm clueless as to how it works. I understand Facebook, MySpace, my email, the internet and this blog. I'd jump on Twitter and ask for help but that'd take up some of the 150 letters that I can use to create a tweet. siiiigh I only joined it because the Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market 2010 said I should. It's a very good book, by the way, and the one for 2011 should be out now so buy it here.

On a side note - my girlfriend Nessa & I love to have little role-playing side adventures over email. They're like creative writing exercises for our own amusement. Today's was a rousing steampunk adventure wherein we fought a whole dirigible filled with cross-dressing villains. I won't get into too much detail except to use the words: Leather harness, cowboys, exploding tapioca, unibrow, pump, job opening, spiked whip and cake.

Moving on... Here's a line drawing I'm doing for a project called Gaslight Underground, which is a steampunk live action role-playing game. It's going to be so completely awesome your head might fall right the heck off. Anyways, I promised I would show you guys some work-in-progress kinds of things so you can see my work as it's happening:

I call her Josephine, which is a groovy Victorian name. I've decided to make her elven and give her a sweet jacket because that kind of puts the "punk" in Steampunk. When my client is ready, I'll do up a version with just the base colors, I'll tweak the outlines, do the shading and then do the background to give it the Art Nouveau flavor that I love so much. I'll make sure I post drawings at each stage.

OK - until next time... DON'T eat the cake - you really don't wanna know where it's been. - Chaz

Buy my art here:
Look at my art here:
Listen to my band here:

Welcome & stuff!

2011-01-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

Heya!

My name is Chaz Kemp & I'm a freelance illustrator. There. That will just about sum it up.

Well... maybe I should expand upon the theme a little - maybe even tell you why I'm writing a blog. I want to share my adventures with you and I want to promote my art.

I thought that it might be cool to share my experiences as a freelancer so that maybe... just maybe... they can help someone be a successful (insert your particular freelance field). When I first started out a couple of years ago - I had to figure things out for myself. I took steps forward and I stepped on a few landmines too. I'm still learning... which is why I say, "The continuing adventures..."

With the new year I feel like a new person. This is a new start to a fantastic career and an incredible life. That's why the blog is called Chaz Nouveau... nouveau being the french word for "new". Not terribly original, but hey - that's why I'm an artist, not a writer.

I'm also going to show you my art at various stages of development and give you a link to where you can buy the finished piece. Just in case you feel like throwing a little support my way.

I'll wrap this up by saying that you are all very welcome to comment. Please feel free to let me know what you think. I'll leave you with a recent piece entitled, "Battle Faerie: Sera and chat with you again very soon. :)

- Chaz
Buy my art: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Avarra
Look at my art: www.chazkemp.com
Listen to my band: http://pandoraceltica.bandvista.com/