Hott-Diggity its a Cowboy Christmas (or something...)

So, I am just getting in under the wire here... But this is my submission to the cowboy christmas.

A quick, and dirty photoshop painting, done with an old timey mouse and not one of those new fangled digital pens...



~Jesse

Cowboy Christmas? More like Cowboy HISS-mas!

Cowboy Christmas is a time for everyone to feel the warming love of Ye Olde West, and to give presents to varmints (also acceptable: varmits).



You can check out the original size to try to see some of the fine detail on his vest. Or even better, his boots. If you're into that kind of thing.

Cow Boy Christmas

"Then let us play as Beauty and Death," said she, "And so play at the beauty of death!"
"But also let the death be only a play," added Cow Boy, "Such that your beauty is made for more than the worms of the earth; Such that my eyes be able to open upon it?"
"Only you would think first to otherwise," she laughed, and ultimately agreed, dancing away, hair alight with colored lamps in the crisp hazelnut air.

Though her word was kept, it was first the townsfolk who found her, face powdered blue and asleep by a draught, skin chilled from an open window. Her father screamed words heavy with vowels that tore through his throat, up, and stung the sharp ears of Cow Boy, just emerging from the forest. He dropped his firewood and took one step toward the town, but froze as the raised voices of others came above the father's cry. "This was the doing of Cow Boy!" they shreiked. "He knew she could never fully befriend such as he, much less love!"

Cow Boy's mind swirled as fast as his limbs held in the snow. An ache pounded in his throat as he picked the truth from their words; in his temples as he surmised the fallacies that followed: "He carries disease!" one shout emerged, the ironsmith's son, "In his breath, in his presence, in the wood he delivers us!" Added the baker and his daughter, "It was his sickness killed her! And so shall it take more of us!" The counselor agreed, and a harried cleansing began. They sundered the just-sleeping girl from her sullen father's arms and set her upon a collection of all the firewood in town, and lit the whole ablaze.

And from this pyre was brought to flame torches, in the hands of a strong plurality of townsfolk, the girl's father among them. "Find the Cow Boy before the month is through! Rid this beset world of his cruel stench, and begin the year clean of all his traces!" From his vantage, Cow Boy reckoned then the beauty of death, as the sparkling flames held aloft in the angry hands of the town below him converged and split-- flickering and fading Christmas lights, they, becoming even more a heaven of stars as his tears began to freeze across the long, black lashes of his eyes.

Crushing the stars tight, he turned and ran.

Christmessy Cowgirl.

Now, That's just not true...

Cowboy Christmas wants and needs!

Presents! I'm here and I have my cowboy Christmas arty thing!

Here's your answers.

Hey all you awesome artists! I've had several questions come my way so I guess I should clear a few things up. Here goes:

1). Each month's challenge should be posted by the end of that month, but technically if you begin one of the challenge topics during it's challenge month I guess you can post it whenever your finished. You'll just look like a lazy pants.

2). Title each post with the challenge name or something that references the challenge somehow. Also, when posting type in the challenge name in the Labels bar at the bottom right of the post window. Note that I've added a quick views label tab on the gadgets area. (obviously this will be more useful as we get more challenges.)

3). Try not to exceed 400 pixels wide for your image as anything larger than that will seriously eff up the blog layout. Don't ask me why, that's how the programmer made it.

4). Have fun!! You guys rock!

-adam H

UPDATE: Chris Hajny is going to try to adjust the script so we can post at least 500 pixels wide. Yay Chris!

December's Super Awesome Art Challenge is...

Okay, strap on your stirrups and string up the mistletoe, it's time to celebrate a Cowboy Christmas.

This months irresistible theme was inspired by our very own Lindsay Nohl.

The challenge is set so it's up to all you super awesome artists out there to come up with a little visual magic that has something to do with cowboys and Christmas. (If you don't celebrate Christmas...just replace Christmas with Holiday.)

Yippie kai yay.

-adam H

Hello and welcome to all that is super awesome!!

Welcome. Allow me to present the Super Awesome Art Challenge. I have a ton of extremely talented friends so I thought I would extend an invitation to them all to join me in a little art challenge goodiness.

The premise is simple enough. Each month I challenge them to create an image that fits the topic I come up with. Participation is optional but I hope that won't keep my friends from delivering some super awesomeness to you. I'll be sure to participate as well.

All invitations are pending right now but as soon as I have some confirmations I'll get the ball rolling with the first Super Awesome Art Challenge topic.

-adam H