J.B. Sommerset

A while back in an update, I promised more of my art would be uploaded soon. While it's been hard to find time, I assure you, I am still making art. My newer stuff is more experimental. I have been meaning to update my Youtube channel as well, but haven't gotten to it yet. I do have have a few new videos in raw format, but they  need editing and I just don't have the time yet. There is a lot of new technology I have been learning. Being an old timer, it's hard to keep up with tech things, and I still don't have my new rig set up.  A lot of the videos in the future will most likely be partial pen and ink, and screen captures. I am learning the "new ways" to art. For a while my art is going to be a hybrid of digital and pen and ink.  For today, I thought I'd post one of my favorite videos from the channel here, of course, for your enjoyment. This is one I originally did for the cover of " The Lost Pilgrim ", it didn't make the cover, but I ...

I love the cover of my last book "The Lost Pilgrim", but I always thought I could have drawn a more detailed picture for it. I went back to my old notebook and reworked the original image. I filmed it so all of you could enjoy it and see how my work gets done. Here is the video, and the finished image, I love how it turned out! Here is the video! And here is the image! Cheers, and keep on creating!

I promised you all more uploads and content, and I will deliver. This time it's one of my longer works called "The Eyes of Iskander" from my IP "Umbria". This one was kind of an experiment in the way I draw certain objects. I hope you all enjoy it and the end product which is getting put in the gallery (within the week) and my online print store  (also within the week).  Cheers, and keep on creating!

Here's a scanned piece from the archives. This one goes a little ways back, it was redone a couple of months ago. It's a picture from my fantasy world; Umbria. This is a picture of a race of people known as the "TollenVolke" which means the people of the wrinkles in the mountains. They are very fond of dogs and wine.  As always this will be added to the gallery.  Cheers, and keep on creating!

Here's another scan for the fans, hope you all enjoy it! This one is called " The  L akes of Azry'azael" , Once again this is posted to the gallery page where it can be viewed at any time. Cheers!

Scanning and making art presentable is a chore! In a digital age, it's just something that a person should do. It's essential, and it preserves the work. Case in point, when I was a kid, I hoarded most of my art from middle school and grade school ("back in my day, we didn't have no fancy scanners or 'nuthin...").  So I stored all of the art in binders and folders- neatly organized in my room. Well, I lost all of it, every single piece of art I had done for years. We had a fire, and all of it was damaged or destroyed by water and smoke.  My point is, it's nice to have it in a place where it can be safe from things like fires, floods, and loss. For all my dislike of the digital age, some things make it worthwhile- cloud storage being one of them.  So here is another scan of my artwork for you all to enjoy. I will keep my artwork coming until all of the pieces are stored online. It will also be located on my gallery page. Cheers!

While we all wait for prints, I thought I would take this time to upload some more of my art to the site, hope you all enjoy it, and as always it will be posted on the gallery page. Cheers!

This week has been long and rough. I got the bulk of the final work done on the novel, but it is still in queue to be submitted. In the mean-whiles, here is some artwork from my collection. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, this will be uploaded to the gallery page. Cheers!

I got the most recent proof in, and I am loving the cover. This is the last proof copy to approve! When I am done looking the text and the cover work over, it will go to print. Yay! It's been a lot more work on this one. Soon, it will be finished and up for sale (Also in eBook format).  Cheers!

Every once in a while I post a little taste of what I am currently working on. " The Lost Pilgrim"   is a book I have spent too much, and also not enough time on (which is also why it isn't complete yet- sorry, I apologize for that). I've cut a lot out of the book to get down to the important part of the story, and I've been hard at work "killing my darling" trying to get it done. This part always makes me sad. There are a tone of things I love but had to remove for one reason or another. I save them but most never get used because they just don't fit anywhere.  Today I want to post one here. This text was removed from "The Last Pilgrim"  because it was out of place, and although I liked it, I couldn't keep it in the novel. I hope you all enjoy it! “What beast could be so great that silence is its call? One so monumental that all people hear it’s great and horrid howling, even those with no ears to hear. A calling sound, a culling sound...

If there is one thing COVID has given me, it's a new appreciation for how I use my time. It’s strange to think that even though I have more time, I have more things to do. Some of which are a result of the pandemic, some of which are seasonal. I have a lot of editing to do (on multiple works), but sometimes I have to put those things down so I can think clearly. After a certain amount of time editing my eyes start missing things. For writers, at least me, it's hard to fully acknowledge the burn-out during the process. After several days, eight or more hours at the computer each day, I can’t do it anymore. The problem is that if I want to go out for a break… well there aren’t many places open right now. So, what do I do with my time that isn’t staring at a screen?  Aside from getting caught up on chores and such, there are a few things I enjoy that don't require me to look at a computer screen. There is one specific thing I like to do but often gets prioritized to the bo...

Sometimes I like to post excerpts from my work. Usually, it's to give my readers a taste of what I am working on. I have been working on "The Lost Pilgrim" for around five months now, I haven't posted much on it, mainly because it wasn't refined enough. Because it is coming out soon I decided to post an excerpt or two for anyone who is interested (I know who a couple of you are). This is my first venture into the realm of fantasy, I want it to be a good one. I hope you enjoy this excerpt, I hope it gets you hungry for more. "The swirling sands are spread in front of him. They churn inside out, holding her giant form together. He looks into those bright sunlight-eyes and he sees only the light of a billion candles blazing. There is no life within the red-orange iridescence. The sockets have become glass around the light, translucent layers that reflect it outward. She is a lighthouse on the shore of a great ocean, the intent is to be seen. Her eyes are beaco...

I have talked a little about my new work, The Lost Pilgrim.  It's my first novel in the fantasy genre. Fantasy has always been a favorite genre for me, but for some reason, I have had no interest in writing fantasy. Maybe it's the thought of being side by side with some of the greats- Tolkien for instance.  Usually, I post a sample of whatever I am working on. This time, I haven't given any samples here on the page. I thought I would take the time to post a short excerpt from The Lost Pilgrim, a taste of the work, a delicious little morsel. I hope you enjoy it. "...What the beast so great that silence is its call? The answer is more straightforward than he thought. It’s time. Time is that beast, and when time ends, nothing will become the world; it has no cry and devours all things, and its master is that of Eyn'Uon'Haavah- The father of the machinations of the universe, the turning of the ages. And all those who play within his realm will die and know death, f...