The Okal Rel Universe in evolution and in the world.

 
Mel recently gave me some "chibbie" art -- which is a sort of anime style -- featuring characters in Righteous Anger. I'm puttering at getting it up in the gallery whenever she's around to supervise my work in photoshop doing the coloring. She has also agreed to take on the organizing for a student art show at the launch for Book #3: Pretenders, September 30, 2008, at the Prince George Public Library. Go Mel. One less thing for me to worry about as I slog away at porting titles with some help from First Expansion friends.

Labels: art, Book Launch, First Expansion, Mel, Pretenders

posted by Lynda at 14:50   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 
Mel gave me this notebook to capture thoughts about the Okal Rel Universe. I would sketch in it, too, but I don't draw like Mel does. :-) The anime-style chibby of Amel on the cover is actually a separate picture we applied with Photoshop and some editing help by Tegan to remove the lines of the ruled paper Mel drew the original on. I have a bunch more chibby from Mel to get into the gallery and she is keen to do some interviews with characters for the podcast I keep threatening to set up.

Labels: art, Mel

posted by Lynda at 06:37   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 

Three cheers for Gary Renshaw, the voice, video and project talent behind the launch of the first "Flight Cycle" story on http://youtube.com

Our goal is to do about one a month, soliciting art to illustrate each installment. Plan to have some web pages up explaining details by the end of the holidays. In the meantime, anyone who knows an artist who might like to contribute should contact Gary Renshaw at gary@okalrel.org

Hiding Low takes place between the end of Pretenders (coming from Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing in the fall of 2008) and Throne Price, already in print. It is the story of Amel trying to hide among commoners and low lifes of the empire. If all goes well, when I am done with Hiding Low, I will start the second story of the "Flight Cycle". There are three, all together, which cover Amel's adventures on the run from Ev'rel after stealing baby Erien, the "Throne Price".

Labels: Amel, art, Flight Cycle, Gary Renshaw

posted by Lynda at 08:26   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 

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   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 
Much thanks to Mel for setting up the Okal Rel fan club on Deviant Art, and contributing pictures of her own. Mel is a real ORU booster with a particular softspot for Di Mon.

Labels: art, Mel

posted by Lynda at 08:18   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 

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   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 
Discovered Brianna's graphic novel (comic #1) on the Windstorm Creative site at the pre-order stage.

Labels: art, Brianna Thomas, House of Em

posted by Lynda at 07:10   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 


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   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 
Click the image for larger version in the gallery.

Krysia sketched this tribute to Amel at school during a break. Lynda added color and the decorative elements on Amel's vest. The multi-colored embroidery on the neck of his vest is an attempt at his braid - blue for Blue Demish, Gold for Golden, Red for Vrellish and just a dab of brown in it for Lorel. (He is about a third each Blue Demish, Golden Demish and Vrellish.) The fern on his vest is the symbol he wears while flying as Royal Envoy for Ameron. The brown fern is the symbol of House Lor'Vrel. Krysia is Amel's first big fan and the author of the story "Ladylike" in Okal Rel Anthology 2, a collection of stories written by new contributors to the Okal Rel Universe and edited by John Preet. (As of May 31 2007 that book is at the proof-reading stage.)

Labels: anthology, art, Krysia

posted by Lynda at 11:14   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 

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.

---

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   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 


A small band of Okal Rel Universe creative crazies joined Lynda for Demish Tea, at the Empress Tea House in Prince George last weekend, to celebrate delivery of the first ORU comic to Windstorm Creative by artist Brianna Thomas.




Brianna's comic adaptation of the House of Em by Lynda Williams features Amel's life as a child on Gelion raised by Mira's mother, Em, in the attic of the gorarelpul college. (The novella is 3/4 finished and in the queue for Lynda behind delivering book #3 in the ORU saga, Pretenders, to Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing by the end of the summer.)



The camera-shy Brianna objected to photos but Lynda was able to capture her assault on an innocent shortbread towards the end of the event so that the hand of the artist might feature here if not the face. The black shirt in the background belongs to Brianna's friend, John. Virginia O'Dine of Bundoran Press dropped in to visit. Also in attendance were Mel, Krysia, Lynda and Jennifer.

Labels: art, Brianna Thomas, Comic, House of Em

posted by Lynda at 06:43   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org

 

Brianna's space on www.portfolios.com includes sketches of Amel.

Labels: Amel, art, Brianna Thomas, Portfolios.com

posted by Lynda at 14:04   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org