The Okal Rel Universe in evolution and in the world.

 
"Grip is about knowing who you are and where you belong, even when the whole damned indifferent universe is trying to tell you otherwise." - Berinda, in "Roots of Identity", Opus 4, by author Lexie Pakulak.
This is the interior illustration, by Richard Bartrop, picturing protagonist Meg (short for Banimeg) in a genotyping office in the town of Eastport on FarHome. Richard is also the cover artist for Opus 4, which is currently in the editing stages and should be ready for production before Xmas 2009.

Labels: Lexie Pakulak, opus 4, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 09:53   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Artist Richard Bartrop sent me a sneak preview of his cover-in-progress for Opus 4, the fourth Okal Rel anthology. (The goal is to have these stories through editing, contracts out and back, the art in and paid for, and the book in production with Absolute XPress by the end of the summer, with print versions available by no later than Xmas 09.) I'm sharing a slice of the draft preview here.

Labels: anthology, art, opus 4, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 08:34   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Here's a glimpse at my favorite of artist Richard Bartrop's ideas for the cover of Fourth: An Okal Rel Universe Legacy Anthology. This companion volumne for Part 4: Throne Price in the Okal Rel Saga will be edited by Shelia Flesher of Prince George. The theme she selected is how the past impacts the present: skeletons in the closet, closure, revelations, surprises and such. For current list of writers "on board" see http://www.okalrel.org/wanted.

Labels: anthology, Fourth, Richard Bartrop, Shelia Flesher

posted by Lynda at 07:42   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Sharing an e-mail from Richard Bartrop, an artist who has done work for the Okal Rel Universe.

Labels: art, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 08:24   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Love the sketch Richard Bartrop did of a pregnant Nersallian which could so-o-o be Vretla Vrel. Playing with Photoshop CS tonight while waiting for backups to backup. This image evolved out of my attempt to learn more about blending modes.

Labels: Pregnant Nersallian, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 18:55   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Labels: art, Mekan'stan, ORU Collection, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 07:29   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Messing around with photoshop, pictures and sketches by Richard Bartrop to find a cover for Craig Bowlsby's novella of Horth Nersal in Killing Reach serving in Liege Bryllit's fleet. Here's some eyes I think would do for Horth, slightly doctored in photoshop.

Labels: Craig Bowlsby, Horth Nersal, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 08:20   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Big thank you to Richard Bartrop for the sketch, here, of a pregnant Nersallian ... or maybe it might be Vretla Vrel as she appears in The Courtesan Prince. I liked the face, for Vretla: strong, just a touch feline. Richard is awesome. :-) He's doing the cover for the third Okal Rel Universe Anthology. Click the detail from the picture, above, to see the whole picture in the gallery.

Labels: art, Richard Bartrop, Vretla

posted by Lynda at 09:16   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Richard came up with this while working on a graphic for the "Rel Pilots Make Dock" congratulations card. I have quibbles about features on rel-fighters and my notions of hullsteel as "memory metal" and the (mostly) featureless sphere as the best shape for withstanding extreme structural stress. But I loved the picture! So decided rel-fighters would have looked like this in the early days of their development before hullsteel as it exists in the "present day" ORU (time of the main series of books).

For more ...

• Enlarged version of the labelled detail shown above
  


• Full sketch in graphics gallery
  


• Main menu of web graphics gallery
  


• Flash player gallery of graphics
  

Labels: art, rel-fighter, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 07:21   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Click image for a larger version of this sketch of Ayrium by Richard Bartrop.

Labels: art, Ayrium, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 07:09   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

Artist Richard Bartrop recently treated members of the ORU's First Expansion to some sketches of ORU characters that tickled his fancy. I've got one up on the gallery so far (click the detail shown here for the whole thing). Richard and I are talking - well, thinking at least - about possible projects to engage his talents.

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BTW one and all, art in the rough is always welcome for sharing on the "workshop floor": from pros, gleeful enthusiasts and everything in between! See examples on the ORU Gallery . We all play with the material and I enjoy seeing glimpses of what it inspires in others. The "First Expansion" refers to the private mailing list friends@lists.okalrel.org where the crazy creatives and promotional supporters of the ORU hang out and keep me ticking over. Membership is by invitation but open to anyone of good heart who makes a contribution on one of many fronts. See our help wanted list for stuff we are currently buying, begging, driving to completion or noodling around with in a dreamy fashion.

Labels: art, Balous, Courtesan Prince, Richard Bartrop

posted by Lynda at 07:48   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post