Greetings all,

Time for another artist interview for GP San Antonio, this time with the witty and engaging RK Post!

Rob: You’ve done quite a bit of Magic art (you can see all of RK’s cards here). Are there any pieces that have a really interesting story or history behind them?

RK: The one that generally people love to ask about from way back when is Defiling Tears. Most don’t realize that this is no where near the full art. The original card, Dead Walk, was cancelled, so the art was re purposed. The tear was just a random thing I had in the art.

Rob: Is there anything that has surprised you about doing Magic illustration? Is there anything you have been excited about in Magic illustration you don’t get from other illustrations?

RK: It’s longevity and continued popularity! I was crazy popular when I started working on it 16 years ago. Who knew that it would continue to grow and expand?   You get a great and dedicated fan base…instantly.

Rob: Are there any alters or signings you have done at events that are significant or memorable for you?

RK: I have done so many that it is really hard to remember….and oh yeah..my memory sucks. Every once in a while somebody will remind me of something that they were personally in awe of and I had totally blanked it out of my memory. 😉

Rob: Do you work traditionally, digitally, or both?

RK: The first half of my Magic career was in oils and the second half was digital. I am in the process of trying to transition back to traditional. Or at least balance it some.

Rob: What kind of modeling or references do you use when creating fantastic art? Are they any different than models you have used in non-fantastic pieces?

RK: If it’s culturally or time specific, I really try to research. Google is my friend. If I have the time and notion, I may use people reference. It never hurts.

Rob: Do you have anything non-Magic related you want to talk about? Any interesting other projects you have done or are working on?

RK: I’m doing that weird amorphous transition into developing myself as a brand. Trying to get that next art book out too. You really can’t say I am doing “X”…which is kind of odd for me.

Rob: Is there any way for players to get in touch with you outside of events to order alters or prints if they miss you at the Grand Prix?

RK: Sure enough…I have all of that info on my website: www.rkpost.net. Also, follow me: facebook.com/rkpostart, twitter, tumblr, and Instagram: @postrk

Thanks, RK!  I always appreciate having you at a GP.  When I see you at an event I know a ton of people are going to have a good time and get some high quality sketches and alters.

If you want to come see RK, you can catch him at GP San Antonio, November 28-30.  Hall access is free, so you can come and chat with our artists and cosplayer, but if you want to get in some Standard action, you can register into the main event.  The price is just $45 right now, and increases to $50 this Saturday the 22nd.

We have less than 30 slots left for GP San Antonio VIP access. Get yourself some cool swag, a private (quiet!) room, access to our VIP concierge for bag checking and phone charging along with your own pairings board and some setaside time for artists!  REGISTER HERE

Less than 2 weeks away!

Steve

Greetings all,

GP San Antonio early bird registration is ending tonight – if you want to get into GP San Antonio for only $40, this is your last chance.  After tonight, the price goes up to $45 until November 21st.  After November 21st, it is $50, including all on-site registration.  Register tonight and save!

On top of that, we are running down on VIP slots.  If you want the sweet playmat, bag, access to the VIP lounge, and artist access, we only have 30 VIPs spaces left open.

Greetings all,

GP San Antonio is on the way this November 28-30, and we have four great artists coming to it.

I’ve interviewed each of these artists, and for the second in my artist interview series I would like to cover Peter Mohrbacher.

Rob: You’ve done quite a bit of Magic art (you can see all the cards Peter has done here). Are there any pieces that have a really interesting story or history behind them?

Peter: The first card I was ever assigned was an Island for M12. You’ve probably seen it because it got reprinted in M13 and M15.

At that point, I had never completed a single landscape painting and I hadn’t even shown any complex backgrounds in my work leading up to Magic. I couldn’t figure out why they assigned this card to me, but it was my first time out, so I didn’t want to question it. My solution was to just throw everything I had into it. I worked up a dozen possible options and I wracked my brain over it for a month. It was probably one of the most difficult assignments I’d ever gotten.

Years later, when I asked the art director why he assigned it to me, he simply replied “I wanted to see what you would do with it”.

I guess it turned out alright since they’ve reprinted it twice. But I definitely felt like I started my Magic career off by being thrown in the deep end.

Rob: Is there anything that has surprised you about doing Magic illustration? Is there anything you have been excited about in Magic illustration you don’t get from other illustrations?

Peter: I never thought I was going to see fan art of characters that I’d drawn. Seeing characters that I’ve designed like Tibalt and Erebos become part of the visual identity for Magic was not something I anticipated would happen when I started. There aren’t a lot of projects that allow a concept artist or illustrator to have their work take on a life of its own like that and that’s one of the reasons I love working on Magic in specific.

Rob: Are there any alters or signings you have done at events that are significant or memorable for you?

Peter: My first GP was out in Yokohama, Japan. I’d never done any alters before and I didn’t know what I was doing. Eric Deschamp was with me and he’s always cool and composed so he made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. But oh man, I didn’t know what I was doing.

Tibalt had just come out at the time so I was getting a lot of players dropping 4 at a time asking for alters. I wasn’t just figuring out what alters I could do, I had to create ideas 4 times over. I really liked doing sets of popular Japanese tropes with 1 magical school girl Tibalt slipped into the set.

Rob: Do you work traditionally, digitally, or both?

Peter: I work digitally, but I’ve been meaning to move away from it. When next year’s set rolls around, my answer may be split.

Rob: What kind of modeling or references do you use when creating fantastic art? Are they any different than models you have used in non-fantastic pieces?

Peter: All my work falls in the surreal of fantastic territory. I love playing with shapes and working out ways of defying people’s expectations. Trying to balance believable figures in these scenes can be really difficult sometimes, so trying to find the right reference is always crucial.

Rob: Do you have anything non-Magic related you want to talk about? Any interesting other projects you have done or are working on?

Peter: This year, I am building a world out of a series that I’ve been working on since college. It’s a surreal take on the angelic realm called Angelarium. The work that’s been done so far is on my website, but I’ve got some big plans for later this year and early next year. It’s the work that got me hired on Magic, so I hope Magic fan will like it as much as the stuff they know me for.

Rob: Is there any way for players to get in touch with you outside of events to order alters or prints if they miss you at the Grand Prix?

Peter: I’ve started doing yearly Kickstarter campaigns called Mohrbacher: The Gathering where I do special edition playmat designs and offer my most popular prints in special bundles. Next year’s campaign will also include an artbook that looks back on my Magic career so far. Outside of that, I fulfill a few print requests via email, but I like to keep all the orders as part of these online events so it feels more special. Keep an eye out for Mohrbacher: The Gathering 2015 next summer on Kickstarter!

Peter, thanks so much for the information, and I am super excited to see you at GP San Antonio.  I’m looking forward to next year’s Mohrbacher: The Gathering, where I just might snag a playmat.

As a reminder, tomorrow is the last day to register for GP San Antonio at our $40 rate – after tomorrow the price goes up to $45.  You can catch Peter at GP San Antonio even if you don’t register for the event, however.  Access to the hall, artists and cosplayer, and vendors is free.

See you at GP San Antonio!

Greetings all,

GP San Antonio is coming up in a little less than three weeks, and we still have some VIP slots left open.

This GP, our VIP package is a bit better than prior GPs.  This time around, you get:

• Sleep-in Special (if you have byes).  The cost of the Sleep-in Special is included in the VIP package.
• Access to the VIP Lounge.  This room is for VIPs only, and acts as a safe space to store your cards or other things.  It has water service, a charging station, and is across the hall from the main event rooms, so it is quiet.
• A VIP Concierge.  Alex Lammminen is our VIP Concierge, and he makes sure only VIPs enter the Lounge, does bag checks on your bags, and can get other staff members if there is an issue a VIP needs sorting out.
• Artist and cosplayer Access.  There will be two different hours on Sunday for artist access.  Exact schedule of which artists are which hours will be posted on Friday at the venue, but on Sunday there will be time you get with our four artists and our cosplayer.  Those artists are Daarken, RK Post, Clint Cearley, and Peter Morbarcher.  Our cosplayer is Christine Sprankle.  You can check out links to their work on our Artist Page.
• A VIP kit.  I could tell you what is in the kit, but I would rather show you:

• The kit includes the VIP version of the playmat, a metal water bottle, and first at this GP, a messenger bag.  We only have our sample version of the bag, but the final version will have the GP playmat art on the front – look for a post about that next week when we get it in.  In the bag will be sleeves, a deckbox, and  some snacks to keep you focused at the GP.

As a reminder, normal registration for GP San Antonio is only $40 through this Friday the 14th, and VIP registration is an additional $60.  After the 14th, the main event price increases to $45, and after November 21st main event entry increases to $50.  Register early to save!

Greetings all,

I know we have Grand Prix San Antonio coming up soon, but there is also another Legion GP shortly after it, GP Omaha on January 9-11 2015.  Dan Scott was gracious enough to do the playmat image for GP Omaha, and in fact he will be doing all our playmat images for 2015.  (This includes GP Oklahoma City on September 11-13 and GP Madison on October 9-11.)  I don’t want to hold off on showing you this awesome playmat any longer, so without further ado:

You can click that image above for a larger image of the playmat.  I suggest you do, Dan put a lot of great detail into it.

Every person that registers for GP Omaha will be getting this playmat.  VIPs will be getting their own VIP version as well.

That is not the only thing coming at GP Omaha.  If you register as a VIP or sign up for select side events, you will get a custom Omaha deckbox, available for the first time at GP Omaha:

Preregistration for GP Omaha opens December 5th, and if you preregister any time through December 19th, entry is just $50.  You can check out our six amazing artists on our GP Omaha Artist Page, including Dan Scott.

See you in Omaha!

Our provider for registration has fixed their issue, and registration is again live for GP San Antonio.

As a reminder, you can preregister here.

Greetings all,

GP San Antonio is on the way this November 28-30, and we have four great artists coming to it.

I’ve interviewed each of these artists, and I want to kick off my interview series with one of my favorite reasons to go to Texas, Clint Cearley.

Rob:  You’ve done quite a bit of Magic art (for the readers, you can see that art here). Are there any pieces that have a really interesting story or history behind them?

Clint:  A consistent theme throughout my work is that I reference myself for poses but I’m usually the person dying. I’ve been turned to dust in Bone to Ash, skewed with holy light in Righteous Blow, burned alive in Annihilating Fire and had my brain operated on in Trait Doctoring among others. I did take the opportunity to be the hero in Grapeshot and Notion Thief which balances out I think.

Rob: Is there anything that has surprised you about doing Magic illustration? Is there anything you have been excited about in Magic illustration you don’t get from other illustrations?

Clint:  I was a little surprised to find out how many of the players are real art lovers. I’ve talked to many players who got into the game because of the art and have the same love for fantasy art that I have. Magic is also great because of the chance to meet the users of the art at events and that’s not always possible in the freelance art field. It’s easy to send off an image and it feel like it sort of evaporates into the aether but it doesn’t with Magic because I get to meet the people whose hands it goes to.

Rob: Are there any alters or signings you have done at events that are significant or memorable for you?

Clint:  Most of the signings and alters blur together to be honest but a couple stand out. You get alter requests for superheroes, steampunk, design work, the usual stuff but had one lady who wanted a lizard on Syncopate. Just a lizard sitting across her shoulders. I wasn’t expecting that request it all and that’s stuck with me.

Rob: Do you work traditionally, digitally, or both?

Clint:  I do both. I was trained in traditional media but have worked digitally for Magic. I still do some traditional pieces for myself.

Rob: What kind of modeling or references do you use when creating fantastic art? Are they any different than models you have used in non-fantastic pieces?

Clint:  I often use my webcam to take pose reference but I rarely have direct reference for any of the clothes or environment. That differs from traditional pieces where you usually have a physical or direct reference in front of you whether it’s a barn or portrait.

Rob: Do you have anything non-Magic related you want to talk about? Any interesting other projects you have done or are working on?

Clint:  I’ve long enjoyed talking and teaching art so I started a YouTube channel called Swatches. We discuss the business side of art, education, techniques and also do portfolio reviews and answer submitted questions. I’ve written one eBook on The 10 Most Common Mistakes in Digital Painting and Their Solutions and am in process of writing another and several videos.

Rob: Is there any way for players to get in touch with you outside of events to order alters or prints if they miss you at the Grand Prix?

Clint:  People can reach me on my Facebook at facebook.com/cearleyart or order prints at etsy.com/shop/clintcearley. I’m only available for alters and sketches while at events as I’m already busy when I get home which is a great reason to make it to events!

Thanks Clint!  I really look forward to seeing you at the GP – you made GP Dallas/Fort Worth a brighter event for me because of the great birthday alter you did for me, and it currently holds a place of pride in my binder.

As a reminder, you can register for GP San Antonio through our preregistration site.  If you just want to show up and say “hi” to Clint, you can do that for no charge – hall entry is free.

Greetings all,

The site that handles our preregistration and processing is currently having issues and is currently down, meaning you can’t preregister for GP San Antonio. They are working to fix this as soon as possible. I will post here, and also edit this post, as soon as preregistration is live again.

Our apologies for the issue, and this should be sorted out very soon.

Edit: GP San Antonio preregistration is once again live.

Preregistration is live for GP San Antonio.  You can get to the preregistration page at this link.

As a reminder, there are three timeframes for preregistration:

• From October 28th through November 14th, preregistration has a $10 discount, making the cost $40.
• From November 15th through November 21st, preregistration has a $5 discount, making the cost $45.
• From November 22nd through November 28th, preregistration (and on-site registration) is not discounted, making the cost $50.

You might also be interested in the VIP registration for GP San Antonio – it includes a metal water bottle, special VIP playmat, GP related bag, and a VIP only lounge and concierge that will check your bags and let you hang out.