I thought I'd make a journal announcement about these, because I didn't see a good way to upload the brushes themselves on this site.
On my latest dragon picture I decided to draw some fish-like scales to make a smooth texture. They were very uniform and started to get a bit tedious...
But then, I realized that I might be able to simplify the process and let Photoshop do a bit of work for me. So, I took the time to make a few brushes for some scale highlights.

I've had a bit of fun looking around at various brushes lately, but I haven't seen any scale brushes that don't act like stamps so I thought I'd share these with everyone.

If you use them, citing me as a source or posting a link so I could see your work would be nice.
Have fun and enjoy the brushes.

http://chromamancer.deviantart.com/.....ck-1-197211805

Well, I've completed that calendar I've been putting together. I just have it set up on DA so far.
It has a few pieces of art that I haven't uploaded to FA yet. I'm kind of debating about whether I should upload some older art, but I think I'll probably do it. It may not be as good as what I can make now, but if a few people enjoy the pieces, then I think it's worth it.
Here's a link to the calendar on DA for you all.
http://fav.me/d364xtw

I think making one with a monthly theme would be rather fun, so I'm going to try to draw one seasonal piece of art per month this year. Maybe I'll put together another one, or make it a tradition.

Also, does anyone know of a good way to make prints?
I've thought about trying to sell a few prints at conventions, or make things like these calendars myself, so I don't necessarily need to rely solely on DA to do that. Most of the places that I've found are really expensive, though...

It has been quite an interesting year for me, though. At the start of 2010, I would never have thought that I'd make a calendar or think about making prints. I'm rather proud of all the things I've learned and ways I've improved my art in this last year, but there are always more techniques to learn and improve on out there. Art is a process, but it's a fun process.
I'm looking forward to sharing the next year with all of you.

First, it will only be a one week vacation, without internet access.
Second, I hope to make some art while I'm gone.

I've been working my way through a bit of art block lately. I've been making sketches, but none of them have really felt... satisfying. It happens to everyone at times. Art blocks are a pain. I think I've almost worked my way past this one, and I have some interesting ideas, though. I've planned on entering a Temeraire contest for a while now, so I'm going to try and make something interesting when I'm gone. Maybe some more art besides that, too.
Then I might try and put together a calendar, or something before Christmas, if anyone is interested.

I'll be starting at a new job when I get back, too. That will be quite exciting.
I want to keep making plenty of art, and continue my improvement, so expect plenty of art to come!

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. :D
With that last set of uploads, I think I've uploaded my best pieces from the last year, so from this point forward, everything I upload will be brand new.
Now that those are up, I'll probably be a bit more active browsing and commenting, rather than just replying to absolutely every comment. I'll get the hang of things soon.

Now, time to get caught up on my messages!

Edit:
I'm not currently taking commissions. I've never really been asked about it before.
It's an honor that people are asking, and there seems to be interest, so I'll have to think about it.
I'll update the journal here with commission info, if I start taking them. :-D