A Project 33 Years in the Making

I tried to share this on March 29th, but I failed to find the right button. Oh. There it is, where you would never look for it. Let’s try this again…

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a children’s holiday picture book that began 33 years ago as a love letter to my own children. This tradional carol always captivated me because it was so odd. I thought, “Let’s take each day’s list literally, and bring on some madcap holiday fun!”

It would be zany and funny, based on the idea that each Day of Christmas had a list which must be represented. So, for example, on the third Day of Christmas my true love will have given me three French hens, two more turtle doves, and a third partridge in a third pear tree. It would build exponentially. I threw myself into the drawings.

Line art for the Second Day of Christmas

It begins with a serene Christmas morning, as my true love and I decorate the tree in the front room, a fire blazing, with a Christmas star in the pre-dawn sky out the window.

As my true love and I exchange gifts over the coming days, new guests arrive. The number of characters grows exponentially. On the Fourth Day of Christmas, the image has to crawl across the gutter, and can’t be contained within the border any longer.

It only becomes more and more madcap, as you will see.

You might say it becomes raucous…

I truly believe this is a Christmas book that you, your kids, and your grandkids will cherish for years to come. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it!

If you’d like to see a sneak peek inside the book, go here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCGOr5phYs&t=3796s

Brown Books and I have signed an agreement that will put this book in bookstores around the country (and possibly around the world!). My Kickstarter campaign will fund that effort with signed copies and a signed Special Edition with heavier paper and some extras.

It's the most insane thing I've ever tackled in my career. I'm loving it. It's crazy, but wonderful! You'll see. 

The Kickstarter is now live, here:
http://tinyurl.com/2wv74ce2

April Fools!

It’s April Fool’s Day, and I have no pranks.

I’m holed up in my home, safe for now. I hope you are taking precautions too. One thing that’s difficult is processing orders when my assistant can’t come in to run prints, and the post-office is still a public place. We will figure out a way to get your orders to you, but it won’t be as timely as it has been in the past. I appreciate your patience.

The art book is nearly ready to send to the printers—just a couple of tiny details remain. Then it’s in the printer’s hands. I don’t know what the situation is in China at the moment, but I expect delays.

In the meantime, there’s a lot on my plate. I have covers to paint and 1-1/2 books to write. I’m making good progress on the sequel to The Summer Dragon, and anticipate a summer of home-alone writing. I am anxious to have it finished.

Please stay safe, everybody, and we’ll see you on the flip side…

A FEW THINGS, NEW AND OLD!

Things are getting back into full swing as we move into the new year! There’s a few things I wanted to announce to everyone. First, the art book is now available for PRE ORDER!

The Kickstarter Campaign was a roaring success! I’m so grateful for the support and for the opportunity to bring this book to life. For those of you that missed out on the initial campaign, I’m offering the pre-orders at market price.

Second, I’ve gotten a lot of emails since the Limited Edition “War of Angels” sold out, asking if it was still possible to get one. Well, yes and no. I have 25 Artist Proofs. APs are the first prints to come off the press for the artist's approval. I've posted those for sale today.

Along with those, and never before offered except at conventions, are the oversized 30” x 40” Special Edition Giclees. The Artist Proofs and SE Giclees are your last opportunity to own this image.

THANK YOU again for coming along with me! There’s a lot of work yet to do this year. I’m making some paintings, writing a book, making another book, and getting ready to see you all at conventions this year.

Todd

Just a few more days to go!

It's been a wild ride so far! I'm so grateful to everyone who's pledged to make this book a reality. We've got just a few days to go now- straight toward the home stretch. I've been overwhelmed with the messages and comments of support daily, with people from all over the world writing to say how excited they are that this is finally happening. Well, I'm excited too! Again- THANK YOU!

I've been working with our layout designer steadily to make the book as perfect as I can. Our current page count is around 336! That blows our original estimation out of the water. There's so many images that are going to be seen larger than they ever have been. Here's a few images from the layout pdf:

Along with that, I got in my first proofs for the large metal Evertide print that will come with the Dragon's Hoard backer tier and I thought I'd share that as well

There’s just a few more days to go, now, and keep in mind that this is the only place to get the new art book right now. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time to jump in!

Again, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who's backed, shared, or written. It means the world to me that my work has affected and inspired so many people.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toddlockwood/found-worlds

Todd

My Kickstarter is live!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toddlockwood/found-worlds

The Hammer is down! The pedal is to the metal! The gears are greased and the Eagle has landed!

I love what I do for a living. I get to be an explorer, an inventor, a biologist. An adventurer. Through my years playing D&D, working for TSR, Wizards of the Coast, and then freelancing, I had the privilege of revealing wonders to people who share my love of the fantastic. I dissected dragons to see how they work. I found friends and companions—from spacefarers in distant solar systems, to pirates and thieves and magicians, to a certain dark elf. Whole cultures, entire races, emerged into the light. Along the road I discovered a world of my own, which is still unveiling. Many of you have been with me every step of the way. Your appreciation of my efforts made it all possible.

Found Worlds will be a record of our excavations together, a compilation of every world we’ve uncovered. I want to put it all in this book, and that's why we're here. It’s going to be big, and I want to share art and process for everything from the beginning of my career to all my finished paintings—Dungeons & Dragons, Drizzt, Magic: The Gathering, Warcraft, The Evertide, and countless other realms. I'm asking for your help to make it happen. Are you ready to take another journey with me?

Alternate Routes, from conception to final

"Alternate Routes," by Tim Powers, is an intriguing adventure set in modern day L.A., a tale of a man and woman who must navigate either side of a supernatural rift that opens in the freeways of Los Angeles, connecting the land of the living with the land of the dead.

On my Patreon blog I have posted the process I followed in creating this space, open to the public for all to see:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/alternate-routes-20177029

Summer Hiatus

We'll be on a summer hiatus from July 7th to July 25th. You can still place orders but they will ship when we return. Thanks for your patience!