News Archive
4/6/2016
America's Favorite Birds Coloring Book: Early this year, I was asked to illustrate a coloring book for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, titled America's Favorite Birds: 40 Beautiful Birds to Color, written by Miyoko Chu. This book features 40 birds found in the United States, including songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and more. I'm excited to be part of such an incredible project! This book will be available later in the year, and I will post updates here with ordering information.
It will be available in bookstores and online at retailers such as Amazon. You can see the cover art as well as additional pages, pre-release reviews, and even pre-order if you wish!: America's Favorite Birds on Amazon and Cornell Lab Publishing Group.
Conventions and Art Shows for 2016:
Fur the `More: April 8-10, 2016, Tyson's Corner, VA: Dealer's Room
Art in the Park: June 5, 2016. Center Park, Manchester, CT
Anthrocon: June 30-July 3, 2016, Pittsburgh, PA: Dealer's Room
Eurofurence: August 17-21, 2016, Berlin, Germany: Dealer's Room
Dragon*Con: September 2-5, 2016, Atlanta, GA: Artist's Bazaar
Illuxcon": October 19-23, 2016, Reading, PA: Friday/Saturday Night Showcase
Furpocalypse: October 28-30. 2016, Cromwell, CT: Dealer's Room
11/16/2014
Winged Legends: Draw and Paint Magical and Mythical Creatures: My book,"Winged Fantasy" is now available! 144 pages of instruction on how to draw and paint winged fantasy creatures. Follow the links below to get your copy!
Available from North Light Books
or Amazon (a Kindle version is also available!)
I also have a video summary, where I go briefly through each chapter and discuss what went into the book, as well as a blog post with frequently asked questions about the book.
Some more images from the book:
1/8/2014
Winged Legends: Draw and Paint Magical and Mythical Creatures: Upcoming Fantasy Art Book!
I am excited to announce that my first book, titled Winged Legends: Draw and Paint Magical and Mythical Creatures will be released in July from IMPACT Books! This book will teach artists of all skill levels how to paint winged fantasy creatures, such as dragons, pegasi, gryphons and winged animals. The instruction focuses on using watercolor, and there are also sections on using graphite, ink, and colored pencil. Click the thumbnails below to see some sample work from the book.
Conventions and Art Shows:
Here is a listing of the art shows and conventions I will be attending in 2014. I will update this list throughout the year:
Fur the `More: March 14-16, 2014
Anthrocon: July 3-6, 2014. Table E12
Dragon*Con: August 29 - September 1, 2014 (tentative)
Illuxcon: September 17-21, 2014. Friday and Saturday night showcase
7/10/2013
New Work in Wildlife, Fantasy, Mask and Painted Feather Galleries:
There's new artwork in most of my galleries, as well as some new prints in my Etsy shop. I've just returned from Anthrocon, and now will be preparing for Dragoncon, which I will be attending during Labor Day weekend. Please see below for a list of my upcoming conventions and art shows!
I also now have a Facebook art page, which I update regularly with works in progress and finished paintings: Falcon Moon Studio on Facebook.
Conventions and Art Shows:
I have lots of exciting art shows and conventions coming up, with many that I've never been to before:
Fur the `More: April 5-7, 2013
Anime Boston: May 24-26 2013
Anthrocon: July 4-7, 2013. Table D12
Dragon*Con: August 30 - September 3, 2013
Illuxcon: September 11-15 2013. Friday night showcase
FurFright: October 25-27 2013.
3/5/2013
Painted Feather Gallery and New Commission Information
There is a new Painted Feather gallery, which contains all of my acrylic paintings on turkey feathers. I will be updating it as I complete more!
I've updated my Commission information, which includes drawings, paintings, and leatherwork commission rates. I also have a page with my Terms of Service, which is important for anyone who is interested in commissioning me to read.
11/7/2012:
RAWards Art Show
Another bit of exciting news - I've been nominated in the Accessories category in the RAWards! This is a nationwide event, with finalists in over 50 cities across the United States participating in an award show. One artist is chosen from each category in each city, judged by a panel of judges and the audience. Each finalist is then judged, and later they choose a nationwide winner in each category.
The show will be on Thursday, November 15th from 7:00 pm to midnight at the Russian Lady in Hartford, CT. I will have masks on live models, as well as a panel for people to try on masks! In addition to my work, there will be visual artists, fashion designers, musicians, performing artists, and more. It will be a very fun night if you're in the area!
Holiday Orders
Every year, there's a bit of a holiday rush with prints, masks, leather feathers and custom artwork. To make sure you get your order in time, please order by 12/10 at the latest (in the U.S.). For custom work, please contact me in advance so I can plan your piece, otherwise my projects list may fill up before I can fit you in!
7/27/2012:
RAW:Mixology:
A bit of exciting news: I was featured in an article in the Hartford Courant as part of the RAW:Mixology show! The first half of the article focused on myself and my maskwork. The article is available online here if you wish to read it.
Thank you also to everyone who attended the RAW:Mixology show! It was truly an amazing experience to see my masks on stage, and a special thank-you to the Beat City Beauties who really brought the masks to life! It was a great night with lots of energy and incredible talent.
Upcoming Shows and Conventions:
Second Skin Exhibition at the Art League of New Britain: August 3rd to September 3rd, New Britain, Connecticut. Two of my masks will be on exhibit along with artwork from many other artists in the area. The opening reception is August 3rd from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
DragonCon: August 31st - September 3rd, Atlanta, Georgia. I will have original art and masks in the art show, and I will also be selling prints and leather feathers at an artist's table. If you will be at the convention, please stop by!
Audubon Society of Rhode Island "Raptor Weekend": September 8th - September 9th. Bristol, Rhode Island. The theme of this show is "The Art of Raptors", so if you love raptors, this will be an awesome event! There will be live raptors from Horizon Wings, and an art show featuring lots of raptor art. I will have original paintings and raptor-inspired leather masks on display.
FurFright(Tentative): October 26th - October 28th. Cromwell, Connecticut. I am on the waiting list for this convention, but if I attend, I will have prints, leather feathers, and RARE 2013 Anthro Calendars.
6/12/2012:
As a reminder, I will be at Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, from June 15th to the 17th in the Dealer's Room table D04. I will have prints, leather feathers, leather keychains, and will be doing conbadge and sketchbook commissions. I will also have original art in the art show!
On July 18th, I will be part of the RAW: Mixology exhibition at the Russian Lady in Hartford, Connecticut. If you can attend, or even if you can't, please consider supporting me by purchasing a ticket by clicking "Buy a Ticket" at the top. Please be sure to select "Brenda Lyons" from the dropdown menu, to ensure I get credit for the ticket. Tickets are only $10!
I will be attending DragonCon from August 31st to September 3rd in Atlanta and will have art in the art show, and will have a bazaar table. If you're attending any of these shows, I'd love to see you!
4/9/2012:
It is convention season once more! I will be attending Anthrocon in Pittsburgh again this year in the dealer's room. I'll have prints, leather
feathers, masks and keychains at my table, and I'll have original work
in the art show. I also will have an artist's table at Dragon*Con,
and
art and masks in the art show.
Take a look in the Leather Feathers gallery for something a bit
new!
These 'feathers' are carved from 4-oz to 7-oz leather (depending on size) and
are painted to replicate the plumage of real birds. If you're interested in
commissioning a custom feather, please contact me through the
Commissions link to the left. I can create any feather - real or imaginary!
6/25/2011:
This has so far been a very busy year for art! As with each year,
I sent art to CONduit Fantasy and Sci-fi convention in Salt
Lake City, and I'm honored that my Leafy Cat mask won
Best in Show. I also attended Anthrocon again, though this
was my first year in the dealer's room and I had an even better
time this year! Such friendly and enthusiastic people, and the
art in the art show was spectacular.
Now I'm preparing for DragonCon. I've had work in the art
show since 2006, but this is my first year with an artist's
bazaar table. I'm really looking forward to it. For now, I have
a lot of work to do. Paintings to finish, masks to make,
artwork to mat and frame. Art shows are a lot of hard
work, but they're worth it!
1/11/11:
A new year and new artwork! Many more feather paintings and a rather exciting project are in the works. I've been working on less masks since my muse is demanding paintings, paintings, paintings. Not to worry, though - I am still working on masks and I have some rather exciting ideas for some.
This year I will be attending AnthroCon in the dealer's room and I plan on having an artist's bazaar table at DragonCon. It's a year full of art and lots of preparation ahead!
6/30/10:
I've just returned from Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - what a wonderful convention! I was amazed by the amount and quality of work in the art show, and met many artists in person whom I've admired for a long time.
I have updated the wildlife, fantasy, masks, and sketches/studies galleries with a lot of new work. As a reminder, even if a mask is sold, I can make another for you in whatever colors you like for no extra charge! Please contact me if you would like a mask of your own!
1/7/10: It feels so strange to type, and especially to date artwork with "2010." Even though we're in the 21st century, it still just feels like such a 'futuristic' date!
With the new year comes new artwork! I have updated the Fantasy, Wildlife, and Mask galleries with new work. You may also notice I added a link to my Etsy shop in the links to the left. I find it's a wonderful community to find artwork and handmade items, and many of my paintings and masks are up there, as well as some other items such as keychains and jewelry.
As always, I have my hands full with projects and new inspirations! Paintings for a children's book I illustrated have been completed, and the book is ready to be published. When it's available, I will post the information here.
12/18/07: My apologies for the long gap between updates. I graduated from Rocky Mountain College in May, and have already finished a quarter of graduate school at the Savannah College of Art and Design of Atlanta (SCAD-Atlanta). I am pursuing an M.F.A. in illustration.
In August, I attended and showed work in the Dragon*Con art show in Atlanta, Georgia. The show went extremely well, and quite a few originals sold, including Dance of Seasons. I also showed art at MileHiCon in Denver, Colorado (although I could not attend).
I am nearly finished with a very big project, which I will be creating a separate gallery for very soon. My birdflower series, which can currently be found on my deviantART page here, is nearing completion. These paintings are all available as limited edition prints. Once all the paintings are complete, I will be creating a calendar out of the images (the images in the calendar will have text on them and be a bit smaller than the originals, and be 'calendar quality' instead of print quality).
Now I am back in Connecticut on winter break, enjoying the snow that I missed by being in Georgia!
2/25/07: My senior art show went extremely well! Many people showed up and the reception was wonderful. My friend Lillian made all sorts of wonderful treats, including pear tarts, mini sandwiches, cupcakes, and we had cheese, crackers, wine, sparkling cider, and punch. And to top it all off, she and my friend Mo both got me a gorgeous centerpiece of green roses, assorted flowers, and pussywillows. I've got a soft spot for pussywillows.
I sold a few pieces, including all three of my feather paintings. I was surprised at how many people showed interest in them. I'm going to have to try my hand at a few more. One of the pieces I sold was my Silver Oak pendant. There's something sad about parting with a piece, but then you're reminded that it's now in the hands of someone who will be able to enjoy it instead of having it laying in a dark portfolio, and that cheers you up.
Right now I'm working on a painting - 9 X 30 inches, in fact. This has to be my largest watercolor painting to date. As much as I'd love to give a sneak peek, I'm going to have to save it until it's finished.
Now that the show is over, orignal artwork is for sale again.
1/23/07: Since I know some people might prefer thumbnails that show the whole work instead of just 100 X 100 squares of a selected detail, I have put links up in each gallery to a page that has 200 pixel thumbnails that show the whole work. I have also added quite a few new works, to both the animal and fantasy galleries.
I am also holding my senior art show in the Ryniker-Morrison Gallery in Tech Hall on the Rocky Mountain College campus in Billings, Montana from February 12 - 25, 2007. The reception will be held on February 13, from 4:30 - 7:00 PM. Anyone who will be in the Billings area is welcome to attend.
On another note, I have been accepted into the master of arts in illustration program at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. If all goes well, my friend Angela and I will be pondering over graduate art assignments together by this August. It's amazing how fast time flies.
9/5/06: I just returned from Atlanta, Georgia from the DragonCon art show. It was amazing, seeing so much strikingly beautiful artwork. So much talent...it reminded me that I have a lot to learn, and a long way to improve. I left feeling humble, inspired, and determined to pursue this dream of mine. After attending several artist panels, I left with a huge feeling of encouragement, particularly from one particular professional artist who said, in essence, that those who are passionate enough about their art will die if torn away from it. I'm so glad to find someone with the same feelings and philosophy as I.
On a side note, I also came home with many unsold prints, and since I hate clutter in my room, I will be selling them here for $5 each. These are printed on FujiFilm Crystal Archive Paper, and each print has a sturdy backing, and is in a sealed, clear bag. These prints also do not have the large watermark that the web versions have. The available titles are:
Angel of the Outcasts - 9" X 12"
Flight Lesson - 8" X 10"
Shroud of Dreams - 8" X 10"
Final Illusion - 9" X 12"
Delusion - 8" X 12"
Fabhcún - 8" X 10"
If you are interested, email me with the name of the print(s), method of payment (paypal, money order, check), and shipping address. Shipping for these is $1.
6/25/06: As I have been doing a lot of traveling and there are a lot of events up ahead, I decided it would be a good idea to have a 'news' page to keep everyone informed of what's going on in terms of artwork and shows.
A couple weeks ago, seven of my works appeared in a digital display in the Conflux International Art Show in Canberra, Australia. As it would be unrealistic (and expensive) for me to fly to Australia to show the originals, I participated in the digital exhibition.
For the first week of September, I will be flying to Atlanta, Georgia to show my work in the Dragon*Con Art Show. Along with my drawings and paintings, I will also be displaying and selling some of my metalwork and jewelry. For anyone in the Atlanta area during September 1st to the 4th, I highly encourage you to attend the convention and view the art show. There will be many excellent artists participating, including my good friend Angela Sasser. If you are a fan of fantasy and science fiction art, this is one show you do not want to miss.
As for current news, I am back in Connecticut after 5 months studying in Ireland at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Thus begins weeks of 8-hour working days so I can save up for various trips, including the travel to Dragon*Con and a two-week cross-country trip to California and the southwest that I will be partaking on with my brother and two friends. This means work takes up a great share of my time. I still have time (or make time, depending on how you look at it) for art, so commissions are always welcome.
