Barroom Brawl update: So much time as passed since the last update! Has it really been six months since even the last website update? Has it really been ten months since the last Barroom Brawl update? If it's any consolation, the updates should be easier to get posted, and therefore should get posted more regularly from here on out.

And yet, so much work has been put into the barroom brawl since the last update and I've learned so much! Below is a small picture of where the barroom brawl stood last time you saw it. Below that is a larger version of how the barroom stands now.

BEFORE

AFTER

• Around 17 combatants and bystanders throughout the room
• The front bar carvings
• The floor
• Various flying condiments/utensils/plates/foodstuffs

• The two main combatants
• A pair of chairs
• The chandelier
• The mirror
• Candles and a few minor flying objects

With luck, the next update will see the finishing of the piece itself. I'll include some details at that time. That update will also include, hopefully, information on how to care for the piece after its made and details on how I framed it.

Warm vs. Cool Objects:What have I learned since the last update? I've learned that the original process I used throughout the ceiling and walls is the wrong process when it comes to characters. In the beginning, as discussed in Issue 4, I would first put down a layer of Indiglo Blue followed by a layer of Tuscan Red. Several characters into this new update, I flipped this- first the Tuscan Red and then the Indigo Blue. The result, once the character was finished, was a much warmer character whose flesh seemed alive. Looking back at the characters I had done prior to this, I can now see that their flesh looks dead and cold in comparison.

So now I use this simple rule: If the object should feel warm (if you could reach into the picture and actually feel the object), lay down a warm color first. If the object should appear cool, lay down the cool color first.

Teacher, Teacher: The big news since the last update is that I will soon be teaching art classes at the local community college. Tonight will be the first class, in fact. The two classes I'll teach this semester are both nighttime, non-credit, continuing education classes- a Watercolor Basics course and a Drawing Basics course.

I'm excited about this opportunity for several reasons. The idea of teaching, of sharing what I've learned so far, sounds enjoyable and satisfying in theory. Now I can find out if it will be satisfying in practice. It will also provide me with the chance to discover if I'm any good at it.

Other Projects: In the last update, I announced that I had gone freelance. Since then, some projects I've worked on include:

• A pair of cards for Sabertooth's Warhammer Fantasy collectible card game
• Three cards for Z-Man Games' Shadowfist collectible card game expansion pack 10,000 Bullets
• A set of 11 interior illustrations (10 b/w and 1 color) for Cloud Kingdom's upcoming riddle book, Shadowman's Twisted Treasury, some of which will be posted soon
• A private commission for a New Yorker
• A challenge piece for a local group of artists
• Two Christmas card designs, to be posted soon
• A large section of the Barroom Brawl (of course!)