My dear friends,

Let me introduce you to Catalina:



This is life's second greatest gift to me; the first being my son Ben.

She was born quite ahead of schedule this past Sunday 5th, surprising us all with a 10-day skip from her scheduled birth date this Wednesday 15th. Apparently, she couldn't wait to meet everyone outside

Both she and her mom are doing fantastic and giving dad the broadest smile he's had in years

I'll see you all soon in-between diapers and bottles!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

Hello there, my dear watchers and watcherettes,

I've been quite silent around these parts the last few weeks, and all of that's been due to the fact that I have so much work, that I can hardly sit at the computer to do anything but write e-mail replies, scan and type some more e-mail replies

Having said that, I feel the need to come clean to you all out there about the nature of this Journal's post and a decision I've been delaying for longer than I would like to admit. I'm permanenetly and for the foreseeable future, closing my commission schedule.
On and off, I've always been accepting them. Being a freelancer I had to, of course, sustain my family in any way i could and commissions helped me and my loved ones keep our heads off the water for a long time; but here's the catch: providing for a family is very expensive and having no steady paycheck made me accept more work than I could handle, just for the sake of funds and financial stability. This has been the story for almost two years now and whilst some projects were seen to completion, there are many, many others that are still waiting on me to deliver them to their rightful owners. This includes things like my portfolio, FREE MARS sketches, full-color GW commissions and more; the list is quite scary, mind you.

I have apologised so many times, I can hardly count them; I've given excuses, justifications... you name it. But it all boils down to progress. If I don't deliver illustrations that have been paid for, I can't really call myself a professional. I've angered people, I've lost people and I don't want to have to go through either never again.

I have steady jobs now that make these the best of times to catch up on all my delayed projects. So that's exactly what I'll do.

I hope this gets read by many of you, and if I'm owing you artwork, rest assured that it will be coming you way as soon as I can draw it. Honesty has always been a cornerstone for me, so I expect that, even if I'm in your debt, you'll find the truth a little bit reassuring.

See you all soon!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

Dear watchers and watcherettes...

I apologise for the rather long silence and absence from these parts, but I've been caught up in deadline after deadline on several projects and long overdue commissions that needed some immediate attention. FREE MARS being one of these.

Last week, after an excruciating frenzy of inks/colors, I finished the last pages of the novel. It's been a hell of a ride and I hope it only gets better after its release at this year's SDCC. In the meantime, if you're so inclined, the novel is available for pre-order at these fine locations:

[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]

You can also tell your local comic-book store to order it through Diamond's May PREVIEWS. As Dave wrote in one of his latest blog posts over at the website, "we're on page four and 244 (full solicitation), I'm told. You can give the comic book guy (worst character ever) this: Diamond Code: MAY120825. Now, I'm not gonna get all sentimental, but if you've enjoyed the work Nic and I have been doing for almost two years now, this is the way to show your appreciation (I sound like a WTTW pledge drive person). Seriously, the future of 'Free Mars' is by no means certain and this is your chance to help us keep the comic going.  Pre-ordering the book will ensure that we can continue the adventures of Vikki, Sam, and Vexx, but also potentially give us the opportunity to tell more 'Free Mars' tales, including stories focusing on Hannah Valerus and Damien Kessler.

So again, if you've been a fan, now is the time to show it."

Indeed now is the time to show how loyal you're to the Revolution, my friends. The novel is going to be awesome and a real collector's item; featuring all of the work we've done so far, as well as some very special material and exclusive pages.

I hope to be able to poke my head around here more often, and as soon as I can share more of the projects I'm tied to, I will.

Nic.-


--------------

As a side note, if you've been enjoying what Dave and I have done with FREE MARS or if you're a fan of the old pulp serials, like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, do check my latest Gallery addition and give us your opinion. If favorable, you may see Dave and myself tackle a sci-fi pulp story soon: [link]

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

My dear watchers and watcherettes (and, Emperor protect me, there's lots of you!),

I just wanted to stop real quick to thank you for all the Happy Birthday messages and congratulations as well as the encouragement and positive feedback you gave me on my last Journal ( [link] ).

Even though it wasn't meant to sound sad or as a cry for attention, you all showed me a lot of support and gave me some much needed honesty and perspective on how dA really works sometimes as well as what you like/don't like to see from my pencil. I think the true heart of dA lies within the community that's grown here, which (despite the ponies and bewbz!), has managed to survive and nurture artists through the years with great vigour. And I'm happy to have the best fans/watchers/followers around to keep doing that for me on a daily basis!

I will continue, as my latest deviation will attest, depicting the Warhammer 40,000 mythos, but I'll intersect it with more of my own creations to keep the balance in the Gallery. Another angle consists of finding other thing to illustrate within that realm, other than Imperial Forces. So there will be some forthcoming races I think you'll be thrilled to see.

Back to the drawing board now!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

... has dA abandoned me?

I know there are a lot of you out there following my work still. But, in the course of the latest submissions I've uploaded, I've noticed a trend, which is a bit alarming/odd.

Don't take this Journal too seriously but more as a form of thought. You see, the beginning of 2012 started off very well for this humble space here: I scored three top ten deviations on the front page in a row, even getting one of them (the Supergirl fan art, 'Just a Girl' ) as the top deviation of the day.

However, after that spur of popularity, my rate of favoritism and overall attention from dA has dwindled to its lowest, with some deviations only garnering some 20-50 faves and just a few comments. Of course, those marks of attention are from my most hardcore followers all of whom I know and cherish greatly. Thanks for staying with me!
Now, don't get me wrong. These thoughts come from the simple fact that, in order to know if I have an audience looking at my work out there, I must measure it in views and favourites (which is the system dA has created), the latter indicating that people like what I do or not. Thus, a lack of favourites and/or views should logically indicate that the majority of the viewers around do not much care about my particular Gallery.

Yesterday I read a Journal from Eric Canete, where he mentioned that he'd stop doing superheroes and fan arts of licensed characters and IPs, because he felt he'd stuffed himself of all he could take with them and that he'd worked his vision of those characters as close as he felt to the way he envisioned them. He also said that he'd lost a bit of his drive in doing so much Batmans and Spider-mans, and I can sympathyse. To me, in any case, it's Emperors and Space Marines. Whilst I love the Dark Millenium of Warhammer 40,000, I'd hate to always be that WH40K guy. Free Mars took a bit of that skin off, but there's still much to peel away and dA seems to be more about something else.

I keep looking at the front page or at the most viewed deviations and I get the feeling that if I don't draw superheroes, nudes and/or cosplay... I'm really not going to get an audience at all. And lately, I don't feel like doing fan art at all.

In contrast, I seem to be doing better and better in the professional side of things, with contracts being signed and comics being produced, of a wide variety and range. So while the audince dwindles, the interest from the business side grows. And I get a lot of respect from artists as well.


In closing, I guess what I'd like to know is: how many of you would come by if I didn't do any Warhammer 40,000 or Marvel/DC stuff?

Don't despair, though. I have a lot of that stuff coming up, especially 41st Millenium; I would just like to know who's with me if those visions slowly wither giving way to more creative and varied illustrations.

I hope to hear from you and see you all around!

Nic.-

PS.. Thanks for reading all of this, if you did!

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

The day has finally come, martian insurgents!

We've been told to hold onto these news for quite a while now, so Dave and I have both been counting the minutes until we were finaly able to announce this milestone for FREE MARS:

FREE MARS and APE Entertainment have signed an exclusive partnership to publish the webcomic as an original graphic novel, debuting at this year's San Diego Comic Con.

I'll let the Press Release fill in the details for you all:

"HOT DEATH, COLD SPACE, AND A WHOLE LOT OF ROCK AND ROLL

Free Mars Web Comic in print July 2012 from Ape Entertainment

(San Diego, CA-January 19, 2012) Ape Entertainment announced today that they have become ownership partners in the Free Mars property, currently a webcomic with a print OGN releasing in July 2012. Free Mars is a gritty sci-fi rock opera set against the backdrop of a dystopian Mars colony in the year 2339. As civil war looms on the Red Planet, the Revolution finds an unlikely symbol in the form of a punk band. The group quickly discovers, however, that their new fame comes at a price. Created and written by David Pauwels with art from Nicolas Giacondino, the graphic novel will contain the first year of web comics that started in July 2010. Ape Entertainment has helped publish many creator owned projects but felt strongly enough about this project to help finance it.

Brent Erwin COO of Ape Entertainment explained "We are so lucky to work with so many great creators but this concept had the right mix of timeliness and unique concept. Music as such an  escape that it's viewed almost like drugs. How many of us would DIE without our Ipod or cell phone? Themes of oppression and repression; it might be set in 2339 but there are many similarities to today's society." A digital version of the book will be available through the Comics+ app from Iverse Media.

Want to keep up to date on Free Mars?  Visit [link]
Behind the scenes content available at  [link]
For more information on Ape Comics, visit [link]
Follow us online on twitter: [link]
Friend us on Facebook: [link]

Of course, I can't even begi to describe the awesome feelings we have about this. I've often said that my artwork on FM is the best of my career; and this certainly proves other people think so as well. This is a major breakthrough for us that will bring us out onto the public eye and help us expand the limits of our saga beyond just an independent effort.
This is a true dream come true for us; for me, especially. Ever since I was 10 years old, I dreamt of making comic for a living, and not only did I fulfill that dream, but also the ambition of seeing my work amongst the other great comics published on the stands of comic shops around the world!

So, stay tuned for more news, check out the cover (which I just posted!) and help us spread the word about FREE MARS!

This is going to be a great year. This year, we free Mars. Thank you for being there with us!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

Dear watchers, watcherettes and newcomers to this corner of dA...

I'm breathless. This happened yesterday and throughout more than 8+hours...



And it hasn't been the first time this year. This image also climbed to the top 10 just a couple of days ago, putting the Dark Millenium in front of everyone:



To be completely honest with you, I sometimes doubt if I'm on the right track; I get depressed and think that maybe my style is too weird, that my traditional approach may be off... but in the end, it's what I am, so I keep it together. THESE displays of true appreciation of my artwork are affirmations that I'm on the path and that my fears are just passing storms.
Being on the front page may not be much for others, but for me, it's a huge deal to be recognised like this. dA's got millions of members and being on the top means there are literally millions watching you. That's what every artist aspires to.

If you're here for the art (which I think you are), I won't be dissapointing you; not now, not ever.

THANK YOU! You've made this possible.

See you very soon with more illustrations!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

My dear watchers and watcherettes...

I recently posted a Journal telling you all about my dire financial situation. To be honest, I was (and still am, in a way) a bit desperate, so I took hold of all of my resources to see if I could make something happen. If I could somehow turn the tide that had me wondering if I shouldn't just give up my career.

And I did. With your help.

I received so many messages and Notes encouraging me, pointing me to places where I could show my work or straight away commissioning me, that I'm still overwhelmed and trying to sort it all out; in my head and in my heart. I always say that there's no better reward for an artist than the warmth of the people to whom he touches with his work. And these past days have been proof of that. I was and am, honestly breathless by your support and by knowing that I've managed to spark emotions and the desire to create or appreciate artwork in you. Thank you doesn't evenn begin to describe my emotions, but it's the best I can do. So:

THANK YOU!

Hard times are, of course, still ahead of me, but I certainly won't be giving up this gift I have just yet. In fact, I'll have new artwork posted next week as a kickstart to 2012

So, I wish you all a happy and wonderful New Year and as I always say... see around the corners.

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

My dear watchers and watcherettes...

It's been a while since I update the ol' Journal; I actually took it off my Profile because I hated to see the same for months. But, sometimes, the Journals return, because I need your input. This is going to be somewhat long-ish, so bear with me.

I've been an illustrator for the best part of 10+ years now. It has had great moments and it has had its tough. But it's been the best experience of my life and I don't regret anything about it. If anything , I wish I could've done ALL of the projects I wanted to do, instead of having to choose. I also wish I could keep doing it for the rest of my life... but that's where things get tricky.

They say family changes everything and it's true. Ever since my son was born and before that, when I got married, my life was devoted to family. I have tried to make them as happy and comfortable as I could. I've given my all so that nothing is missing in their lives and with their love and support, they've given my efforts its reward. But freelancing, you see, isn't easy. It looks awesome and it is, if you're single and you have only to take care of yourself. But it doesn't produce such a steady income as is needed by a family.

Now, cutting to the gist of the matter: this December has been terrible in the long downward spiral of my finances. I'm struggling just to keep everything afloat and I'm not managing to do it anymore. I've been taking job after job after job until I barely get any sleep anymore and my schedule is so cluttered, there are clients that have been waiting nigh on two years to get their commissions. That's unacceptable, and just plain wrong. But I can't stop working, because that would mean the end of my family. And the income I make isn't enough. Thus, the dilemma.

According to my calculations, I'd need $1000 USD a month to keep everything running smoothly. To some, it may sound like a lot; to others, enough. The thing is, that's what I can't get to, month after month.

So, I'm writing this Journal to reach out as much as I can, to everyone out there: do you need an artist for a project? Do you know of anyone that needs an artist? If so, contact me and we'll talk some more. My skills are here for all to see and I have a long list of credits. My goal is to achieve that sum, even if in parts, working steadily on mid-to-long term projects. Be it webcomics, graphic novels, children's books illustrations, etc, etc...

If something does not come up soon, I may be quitting freelancing altogether and wrap up my career for some other, simpler job. Family is first, so I'd happily quit being an artist for their health and wellbeing. I'd of course, finish all of my obligations, but after that... it's over.

This is a rather depressing Journal, and I apologise in advance if you feel a bit down because of it. But you've always given me a bit of a cheer when I was troubled.


See you all soon!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

My dear watchers and watcherettes...

First off, I want to let you all know that the illustration I offered up for taking in my last Journal ( [link] ) has found a lucky owner and I will now be finishing it in the colour scheme of the Fire Lords. It's always great to illustrate less known Chapters, so you'll most likely see the end result soon.

And since this idea worked relatively well and I still need all the funding I can get, I went through my old archives deep in the vault to rescue a couple of works that might raise some ineterest amongst you all. The most important detail about these, is that they'll be going to their owner for just $50USD. Yes, less than half what I usually charge for a regular commission of mine.
There are many reasons for me lowering the fee on these, the most important being that you don't actually have the freedom of choosing the subject; you only get to see it realised and the high resolution file to do with it as you please. The actual original, I won't be offering, unfortunately. It's a long story now, but sending the roriginals has resulted in a great dissapointment not only for me, but also for my clients. The Post Office does literally what they want with shipments and they usually don't deliver them at all. I'm tired and quite frustrated at losing pieces and this sentiment is echoed by my fans, whom bought them in good faith. But this will merit a longer post; for now, that's how things stand.

So, onto the fun stuff!

Here are the illustrations and a brief description below to orientate the possible owners of these pieces:


1- Lord of the Thundercats



This is fairly self-explanatory; my take on the young Price of Thundera and leader of his fellow warriors. I've recently watched the new show and whilst I think it's amazing, I would've gone on a different route; maybe darker and with more strange technology, rather than something more visibly 'human' but twisted to fit the feline.

2- Green Lantern's light



A classic. Hal Jordan was always the one and only Green lantern and his rivalry with Sinestro, unmatched. Here we get to see their strngths tested against one another and my focus on this piece was getting that into paper. The tension, the building rage and energy of the struggle of these two powerful enemies and their willpower.

3- He-man Twilight: Orko the Fallen





This may interest many of you who'd followed my take on He-Man and his fall from glory a while ago; I had a ton of ideas to pour onto paper, but things kept building up and leading me away from it, so they were never fully fleshed out. Orko, to me, was the most important character to redesign and the one that would set the tone of the whole. He was the comic relief, the joker, so his fall would be the most extreme and perhaps the most tragic. Thus, I turned him into a bitter entity; a twisted imp from another dimension that was captured and tortured by Skeletor, and used to bring up demons and other foul creatures from the nether realms.
He-Man, after finally rescuing him, put him to the same use: transport him through the sands of Eternia to fall upon the enemy's armies undetected. After the death of battlecat, the warrior needed more than his legs to roam the sands. Though, as you can see, Orko has become a bit of a necromancer as well to aid his long lost friend...
As I didn't decide which one was best, I'm putting these both for auction.

5- Under the Iron Sea



This one is a continuation of another, more romantic illustration. Here we see the giant crab-guardian doing what he was bred to do: defend the underwater Royalty against the incursions of their dangerous enemies. I think I liked this one because the sea environment provides me with a perfect excuse to draw a dynamic scene involving many interesting creatures.


So, that's it. I hope I can find some good homes for these and that the financial incentive will both make me finish these cool images and help me get provide my family with all they need.

If you're interested, NOTE ME FOR DETAILS and we'll talk further.

Thank you once again for reading my ramblings and see you all soon!

Nic.-

CSS Journal Coded by ~FleX177

My dear watchers and watcherettes...

It's been a long time since I've posted a Journal. I actually edited them out of my profile for that very reason. I've been so busy to write something for so long, that it seemed best for me to just keep them to do announcements or offers of artwork, and when none of that's up, then hide it altogether.

That said, I do have an offer that calls for your consideration.

As many of you know, there are a lot of clients of mine that want to see their vision of the Dark Millenium of Warhammer 40,000 realised by my stylised hand. And most of all see it through to the end. However, there are a few whom never do return to claim their illustrations and I'm left with some precious sketches that go into suspended animation drawers.
In this time of my life, and even though I'm up to my neck in work and delayed deadlines, I need financial back-up almost constantly. So I've decided to wake up some of those sketches and let you decide if they're good enough to be finished and sent to your home.

This is the illustration in question:



The way this would work is easy: you Note me to iron out the details and if everything's good to go, then you can customise the illustration to fit your favourite Chapter, a DIY Chapter or whatever else fits the scene depicted. Easy!

As usual, this will work on a "first come, first serve" basis, so once the illustration is taken, I'll update the Journal or archive it entirely.

I hope to hear from some interested parties and that you like this orphan piece!

Nic.-

It's been some time since I've been around, fellow revolutionaries, but work's been taking a toll on my time within The Matrix...

I return, though, to make a quick announcement: the latest page of the weekly webcomic I'm illustrating, FREE MARS, is up for sale!



Up until now, I had not really considered letting go of these, but financial bumps makes one reconsider if holding onto art is more important than supporting a family. The answer is quite simple, really. In the words of my fellow co-creator, Dave Pauwels:

(...)"only Nic, myself, and our mysterious investor SH have had the opportunity to own an original 'Free Mars' page. I can tell you- these are amazing in person. Works of serious art, as any of Nic's clients will tell you."

So, if you're a fan of the comic, or if you're a follower of my work, then this is your chance to obtain a quite detailed piece from me, of one of the key moments in FREE MARS. The introduction of the main antagonists of or girl band, trashcore stars, ex-mercenaries Orbital Burn.

The price of this page is of $80, shipping included. The artwork is rendered on thick illustration paper, with markers, oil pastels and acrylic, sized at 10" x 7". Note me for more details!

So, that's about all for now, but stay tuned for more regular updates next week (fingers crossed!).

Have a great weekend!

Nic.-

I'm always open for COMMISSIONS. Note me for details

Dear marsers...

Well, I've finally found the time to update this Journal with the appropriate information regarding the contest we had over at FREEMARScomic.com. And since my wirter/co-reator always has a better way with words, I'll let Dave give you the news:

We decided to do a writer's choice, an artist's choice, two runners-up, and an overall winner.  Like a naffing Golden Demon that.  Anyway, the writer's choice was sent in an email from Kim: Lash and 'Take Me Away.'  Kim had a few appropriate suggestions (Heart was another good one), but this short-lived band from Perth should've been a lot bigger, I think.  They had one album in 2001.  

Nic's choice was Muse and 'Resistance.'  That came from ~Saguinius on deviantART.  Muse would definitely be on the 'Free Mars' soundtrack.  Which is actually the only thing 'Free Mars' has in common with 'Twilight.'  Though I guess that one vampire (Ashley Greene) would make a good Shade Endgame, but I digress.

The first runner-up came in the form of an electronic mail from Major Tom.  He chose 'In the Flesh' by Pink Floyd.  Nic and I thought that this worked really well.  Classic song that seemed to fit in with the theatrical environs.  The second runner-up is basically an award for paying attention- Gillsing with his suggestion of Veruca Salt and 'Volcano Girls.'

So, Kim, Saguinius and MajorTom and Gillsing all get copies of the print compilation.  Email us with your address (or we'll get a hold of you).

But the winner, as decided by Nic and I together, was *Coxy-the-RedBeard on deviantAART with 'I Fought the Law'. The Clash, the Dead Kennedys, Green Day, etc.  One of the most covered songs in history, I believe.  So it makes sense that punk bands are still playing it in 2339.  Thanks, Coxy.  We'll be in touch about your original piece as done by one NRG!

And since that last sentence is my cue, I congratulate all the winners and will be in touch with Coxy to see which character will feature in his exclusive MiniMasterpiece from me.

We thank all who participated and we're happy to see that FREE MARS has so many fans with so many awesome musical tastes!

----------

In other news, since my last offer was quite successful, I'm going to give away three more chances of getting an exclusive signed copy of the FREE MARS: Collected Edition with a full-colour MiniMasterpiece to boot! The character will be your choice and this all goes for $40, shipping included.

If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity, NOTE me for more details.

Nic.-



I'm always open for COMMISSIONS. Note me for details.

[UPDATE] The offer was taken right after it was posted, fellow revolutionaries. However, it is only now that I have the time to update the Journal.
It all worked out for the better, though, because a couple of people showed interest besides the one taking the offer in the first place, so that means I'll be probably doing a series of pieces to include with signed copies  of the FREE MARS: Collected Edition very soon. Stay tuned!


------------------------------


Free Martians...

It's time to update this space and kick off the red dust off of it, and what better way to do that than with a great (?) offer.

I received from the prestigious and hugely talented Dave Pauwels, my partner in crime and co-creator, several copies of the FREE MARS: Collected Edition. The comic, of course, looks awesome and it filled my every expectation (and then some) as far as printing goes; I'm very proud of this, the best work of my career so far.
Now, since I'm always in need of financial back-up and I like to treat you with artwork when I do, I thought of offering up an exclusive signed copy of the book, with this MiniMasterpiece inside:



The price for this offer is $40 (shipping included), which I think is reasonably cheap, considering you get an exclusive piece of artwork. But you'll tell me

If you're interested, note me and we'll arrange the details. Also, if this offer causes any interest with you fellows, I may offer up some more exclusive pieces like this.

I'll update this Journal when the book is taken up!

Don't forget to visit the website here: www.freemarscomic.com

---

In other news, I'm still trying to catch up on delayed illustrations and commissions, which has kept me very busy. I will try and post everything I am allowed to post to keep you updated.

I'll try and post another Journal with a more detailed overview of what I'm up to professionally and personally (for whoever might be interested) in the very near future.

See you then!

Nic.-

Dear revolutionary comrades...

As some of you know, if you're following the misadventures of The Sisters Grimm every Friday on our website, we launched the first published paperback of our saga a month back.

So far, it has been very well received at the two conventions it was taken to (C2E2 and Adepticon), but we'd not made it available for purchase online until today. So this is your chance to order your copy of the FREE MARS: Collected Edition. This paperback contains the first two Tracks of the webcomic, plus an exclusive foreword by Dan Abnett and a backstage section full of sketches and never-before-seen raw material. And if you order now, you'll get a free set of prints!



Head on to the website and show your support to the revolution: [link]

----------------------

Also available online, is an exclusive digital UTOPIA: Collected Edition, compiling the Preview and the novel itself for a very cheap price. For hose of you who are followers of my artwork, this is a great way to see the evolution that has taken place  since this graphic novel came out.



Check out the WildeTimes Online Store for more information: [link]

That's all for now, folks.

Nic.-

I'm always available for COMMISSIONS. Note me for details.

[UPDATE] The commission has been taken, fellows. Thank you very much for the support! It's geat to know I can count on this community when I hit a bump like this. Vane says thank you as well

Dear watchers and watcherettes...

I have never in the years I've been a part of this community, come out and asked specifcially for your help, other than on creative matters or existencialism regarding my artwork. But today I must break this sort of implicit rule in my honour code ('I will not bother people with personal stuff'), because what I need is of great importance. More important than my pride, that's for sure.

My dear and beautiful wife, Vane, needs a medication for her chronic asthma that, given the great improvement it produces on her breathing and overall activity - oxygen is key to our survival, if you didn't know - is very expensive and beyond my financial status this month. I have a lot of work, but that doesn't mean I have a lot of money incoming; such is the way of the world. And lil' Ben has his needs too, so I'm a bit overwhelmed.
This medication is new to us, and wasn't available until a couple of years back, so she has only started using it last year. Her improvement is amazing! She can lead the normal life she never could, because her asthma prevented her from doing even the simplest tasks. Sleeping, walking, carrying Ben around... they're all near-impossible tasks if she doesn't have her daily dose of medication.

So, I'm going to offer an Open Commission on whatever subject you want, whatever character, anything that comes to mind, for just US$ 50, to pay for her medication. This is less than half what I charge usually for my standard commissions, so it's a bit of a bold move, but necessary. The specs of what you'll get are:

-Full-colour commission (including background, several characters, etc), sized at 5.8 × 8.3, done with markers on high-quality illustration paper. Shipping of the original included in the price.

This is what you get:

  

So, anyone willing to help and take advantage of this offer, plese send me a Note and we'll discuss where you can send the funds and how, and the details of your image. As this is a priority, I'll be putting this image on the top of my most urgent 'to-do-list', thus the turnaound time won't be as slow as with my other projects.
Ufortunately,a s only one person is what I can handle right now and this is off of my regular schedule, I will manage this on a first come, first serve basis.

Thank you for reading and helping. I'm sorry to bother you, but as I said, this is the love of my lfe; it's the least I can do.

Nic.-

Dear watchers and watcherettes...

I've been meaning to update this Journal since Wednesday evening, but you know me and my workload. It's only today, Friday, tha I can sit down and properly give thanks to all those of you who saluted me for my 29th birthday.

I remember a time, when Internet was giving its first steps (yes, toddlers, there were such times!), that I thought about how could anyone find a way to relate to others, to connect, through such a cold medium. Then I heard ut peope meeting in a chat-room and falling in love, or becoming close friends, r jus sharing what they lovedd to do, and I thought 'We're doomed'. How could someone fall in love through a monitor? It was unthinkable. And yet, here we are. Here I am, to be more precise. Thanking lots of unknown faces for the well-wishes they've stamped on my tiny corner of this virtual world.

If age does anything to a human being, is to make him reconsider, reevaluate and finally, reaccomodate to that which he was once wary or outright scared of. It has certainly happened to me. In these 29 yers, I've experienced many things regarding the 'real' life; and many more regarding cyber spaces.
I've found work through the Internet, opportunities, knowledge, entertainment, but, perhaps strangest and most magical of all, I've found friends. I've related wih others who shared my passion for art. I'e heard copliments ad critiques. Loe and hate. And everything has been good. And all of it has sunk in my being, as if it had been experiences 'in the flesh'. Something to be amazed at, certainly. And grateful for too.

In this 29th birthday, the first of my life as a father, the second as a husband and overall family-man, I can be proud of one thing: I'm not afraid of being proved wrong. And this community showed me, above all others, that the Internet can truly be a warm place.

Replying to all of you, who've written  on my Profile and over Notes would be a task unto itself and distracting from other pressing matters. I used to be able to handle it, but now I can say 'I'm old'

So, I hope this reaches you all out there whom I've touched through my artwork enough to care for me on another level: Thank you. I spent a wonderful day and your messages made it even better.

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In other news, I want to point you in the direction of The Valerus Chronicles, our newly inaugurated section within the FREE MARS realm, concerned with the adventures of the bounty hunter and mercenary, Hannah Valerus. As Dave wrote in the introduction to the first tale:

"The Valerus Chronicles is another way of exploring the ‘Free Mars’ universe.  While the comic is firmly set on Mars (and rightly so) we found ourselves exploring the solar system too, and thought to share those explorations.  The ‘Free Mars’ comic is slowly but steadily revealing a planetary culture on the brink of revolution and civil war.  But the galaxy is a big place and there are other stories to tell, other worlds to visit.

To that end, let us introduce Hannah Valerus.  Ex-Navy officer, interplanetary smuggler, gun-for-hire, and binge drinker, Ms. Valerus is the perfect person to show us around the solar system; from the opulent resort domes of Titan to the deep-core mining towns of Io.  Our intention is to regularly post vignettes in the form of Hannah’s shipboard chronicler.

The format of these tales is that of illustrated fiction; a favourite of mine. For those of you who enjoy pulp adventures, B&W artwork and good sci-fi, this is your place. Check this link out and let us know what you think!

[link]

Also, Adepticon, the wargaming event in Chicago, is in full force. We're selling cpies of FREE MARS: Collected Edition there as well as presenting the miniature of Hannah Valerus. So, we hope that next week we'll be putting the comic up for sale online, having already presented it as an exclusive in two shows. Be on the lookout!

Nic.-

I'm always open for COMMISSIONS. Note me for details.

Hello again, my dear watchers and watcherettes...

Life's been pretty busy lately, so much so that I've been neglecting dA! Unthinkable! Luckily, I've arranged my schedule  bit to be able to a least put up a new Journal as well as submitting some artwork to my (rather decomposing) Gallery.
For a brief moment, I'll return to my old method of Journal breakdown, so I don't forget anything and update thoroughly. Here we go, then...

WORK

FREE MARS takes up most of my schedule lately; but you won't hear me complaining. The story gets gradually more intrincate as well as visually interesting; I ge to design more vehicles nd dig into the concepts that we'd only seen for a couple of panels. The chracter development also gets deeper, so I find myself dealing with lots of dialogue, which is always a challenge to get accross.
The big news is that everything went extremely well as C2E2; contacts were made, fans were met, sales were inaugurated and beer was drunk. Dave has commented a bit on the website, and there's pictures over at the FB account. The balance was very positive, despte our being so new to 'The Industry'. I hope to be able to go myself over there next year, lest Dave drinks the beer all by himself again...
In other related news abot the Martian revolution, we're soon to be inaugurating a new section with illustrated fiction called 'The Hannah Valerus Chronicles', following the exploits of the title character female bounty-hunter, while we reveal more about the universe of FM.
Also, the Collected Edition of FREE MARS looks appropriately awesome and we'll be opening the online sales right after Adepticon, the wargames convention where we'll present the Hannah Valerus model, effectively the first miniature of the FM universe. I'm doing lots of work for the event, so check the website here and see if you can visit it: [link]Dan Abnett is going to be there!

As for other projects, Ive finished several illustrations for a victorian  horror fairy tale called Arietta; you can see glimpses of the artwork here at the official website: [link] The tale will be fully published very soon, so I'll keep you updated; if you like my B&W work, you'll be delighted with this.

The author of the aforementioned book happens to be the owner of the Primarchs, so now that we've dealt with this brief 'detour', we'll be returning in full force to finish that project too.

As for commissions and other imagery I owe, I've been making some headway. I got my schedule all disorganised with tight deadlines nd backash work; so with the help of my lovely wife, I've been able to get my priorities in order again. If you're waiting on a a commission, it's likely you'll hear news soon.

PERSONAL

When I'm not working, I'm joyully watching my little boy grow like he's in fast forward! He's cut his teeth and now eats almos everythig, which makes him heavy to lift, ha! Luckily, he's also giving his first steps, so dad won't have to break his back lifting him in the near future. I will have to keep both my eyes on the little rascal, though. He's a curious fellow, so he's likely to get in trouble exploring the world.

My 29th birthday looms ever closer (this coming Wednesday, the 30th) but I'm not a very party friendly fellow, so I'll surely just enjoy time off work with the family.

LEISURE

Leisure? What's that?



Nah, seriously. I haven't been doing much, what with my workload, but I do enjoy some walks in the park with the family to keep my head sane.

Movies

Not a lot of cinema for me lately. I do have a sh*tload of movies ready to see in my hard drive, but I don't know when I'll find the time.

Television

I'm re-watching old seasons (and some episodes of the latest) of House M.D with my wife. I always told her she'd get hooked with it (being a Hystologist and all) and she did, so we enjoy it together now, while the lil' one sleeps.

Music

I've been listening to a lot of Pulp lately. Naffing great band!

General

I've recently finished reading Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts's first Omnibus 'The Founding' and looking forward to more. You may see some illustrations of the novels if I can set aside a bit of time to work on my own imaginings.

So, that's the full of it, as far as I can remember. If I think of ayting else, I'll certainly try and update the Journal sooner; or maybe not and I'll spare you the bore of reading about my daily life...

See you all soon and thanks for the support as usual!

Nic.-

I'm always available for COMMISSIONS. Note me if interested.

Hello, Martian revolutionaries!

I haven't updated this Journal in quite some time, but I didn't have any dashing news to share, apart from the boring 'I'm busy with deadlines' drill... That has changed today, though. Today I have some very exciting news regarding our punk-rock trio and their misadventures on 2339 Mars!

Those of you following FREE MARS know that we wrapped up our second Track one week ago and have been on a two-week hiatus (posting an awesome Interlude in-between) preparin what many readers have asked us ever since we started posting eery Friday: will there ever be a printed version of the comic?

Yes. There will. And here's the cover:



And you know what else? The ambassador of Sci-Fi himself, New York Times best-selling author Dan Abnett has written the Foreword of the book! Here's a snippet of how it begins:

"I’ve loved Nic Giacondino’s art since I first saw it.(...)"



How cool is that!? I love this man, seriously. And we're forever in his debt.

The specs of the FREE MARS: Collected Edition are what any good comic reader wants to hear: 44 pages, full colour, standard comic-book size, collecting Tracks 1 and 2 of the webcomic, plus an exclusive Backstage section including sketches and a step-by-step of the cover. All for ust US$ 10! Considering that a regular comic is just 22 pages long (including ads!), I think this is as good an offer as it gets.

The Collected Edition will be released and sold a the C2E2 event, where you'll also have the luxury of meeting Dave Pauwels, writer and creator of the comic. He'll also have some original artwork to display from me as well as prints and exclusive sketches for sale. AND, you'll get to have a word with him and see how cool and friendly he is
You can find us here amongst other great creators as well as the details of the event: [link]

I hope this bit of news is a exciting for you as it is for us. We're very happy with the great achievements and success we're enjoying and I hope you keep supporting us through the paperback we're selling.

See you all soon and stay tuned for more updates and news!

Nic.-

I'm always available for COMMISSIONS. Note me for details.

Heads up, my revolutionary watchers and watcherettes!...  

We've officially launched the first batch of FREE MARS prints and exclusive sketches. Let me link you to the special Volcano City Merch Table within the website:

[link]

In the words of my co-creator and writer, Dave Pauwels:

"All good bands (and many not so good bands) have merchandise tables at their shows. T-shirts, vinyl, and CDs are your typical merch table fare. We’re working on the t-shirts and, believe it or not, the CDs, but for now we’ve got some prints and original art. Shortly we should also have our first printed book, comprised of Tracks 1 and 2 of the webcomic with some bonus features.

If you have any questions about any of the prints or art, please do not hesitate to email us at freemarscomic@gmail.com. We are flexible and will make every attempt to at least appear to accommodate you! We don’t currently do any advertising on our page and we don’t use a “donate” button because this project has been sort of reward enough (sound contrived much?). But as we move forward, we’re looking to fund additional projects, like the printed limited edition comic with bonus material, and this seems like a good way to do it. So your support is sincerely appreciated."

You read right: there's a collected printed edition of the first two tracks of the webcomic in the works. Thus, profits from this merchandising offers will help us immensely to make the book of the best quality out there! Plus, the sketches of the girls are über-cheap and something worth holding onto if you're a fan of my work. You know I don't often post sketches, and I never sell them! So, they're a bit of a rare find.

All there's left for me to say is at this point is: go support the rEvolution! And we sincerely hope you keep enjoying the tale every Friday.

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Incidentally, Aerion's 2011 garage sale is still up and running. Check the pieces below and send me a Note if you're interested (updated without showing the pieces sold to avoid confusion!).

The first batch of pieces I'm putting up for anyone interested includes:



These are all going for U$S 20 each (U$S 30 w/shipping). They measure 5"x2" and were rendered with markers on illustration paper.

To follow the trend of superhero-artwork, I'm also offering these:



These are all going for U$S 80 each (U$S 90 w/shipping). These are also all rendered with markers and a bit of acrylics and oil pastels for effects on illustration paper, A5 sized.

If you're interested, send me a Note entitled 'Artwork sale!' and we'll iron out the details. I'll update this Journal as soon as the artwork starts selling (if it does indeed!)

That's all for now, my fellow friends. I promise to update with other news as soon as I've got some more spare time.

Thank you for watching and see you all soon!

Nic.-