J.B. Sommerset

Yep, that's right, this is an actual tech review, kind of. It's really a retro-tech review. I do very few tech reviews and they are far between. Sometimes they are about software, and sometimes they are about hardware. Most of the time they are about super cool pens. This one happens to be about one of the most controversial pieces of tech in the internet-o-sphere: The dreaded Chromebook... Before you come at me with your pitchforks and torches, let me state my case. And in this case, this review should have been done 4 years ago, minimum. This is old tech, at least in the digital world, this review is your grandfather, yelling at you to "get of his lawn". I mean the product was from more than 5 years ago.  I have talked about chromebooks before, the goods, the bads, and the weirds. Before you guys put the noose over my head and kick the stump, I will reiterate that Chromebooks aren't for everyone. Mostly students, although I would have hated to have one of these

Since the invention of the digital format there has been an ongoing argument as to which is better, digital or analogue. Hardcore audiophiles will always argue that old vinyl will always be better than digital formats. Old school artists will always scoff at the digital facsimiles or photoshop drawings. And some writers look down on those who "first draft" on a computer, even though in this modern world most of us will have to type drafts for submission.  I am an old schooler and I see the value of first drafting with pen and paper, but thank god people don't have to read that drivel- I would be embarrassed. That being said, in a world of lazy A.I. driven art, music and writing, there is something very important to be said for original analogue.  The best contrast in this argument is Vinyl versus Digital. My wife and I recently bought some vinyl and a fairly descent record player. I instantly noticed how much better the sound was. I used to be a radio D.J. and I had forgo

This one was said to me once when I was injured- the specifics of that injury will remain anonymous, due to their embarrassing nature. Suffice it to say there was a fair amount of fire, alcohol, and a goat involved- nuff said... moving on. When things had calmed down, a good friend of mine turned to me and said this: "It'll quit hurting when the pain goes away..." A good friend of mine.  Cheers!

It's been a long time since I put some info out there about where I am going and what I am doing. Well this time around, I am doing a lot... Wait a second, last time I was doing a lot, I am always doing a lot.  In this case, there are a number of updates I need to go over. The first is really neat. I am currently working on a hardback copy of Patchwork Indigo , It should be posted within three days, provided the proofs meet the requirements- so fingers crossed on that one. If it turns out nice, I will follow up with all my other books.  There's no way around it, the site is dated and I need a fresh new look, but digging around in the butt-crack of time to find some spare change... well let's just say, all I found was some lint. So it's on my to-do list as item number two. I have been working diligently to update all my art and find a new platform to host all of this. It's going okay, but there are things I want my site to do that don't come with most of the serv

One of my more recent posts was a picture I ran through an A.I. filter to modify its color and style. I liked the result so much that I decided to keep it and post it here on the site. I mentioned I would post more on how A.I. affects the world of creators and how I feel about transitioning into a world where A.I. will be everywhere. Today is that day, or one of them, because I am sure the future will bring so much more to the debate. Although we really haven't created real  A.I. yet, we are closer every day, and that brings me a little bit of concern. I find myself arguing about where the world is going. As far as A.I. is concerned, all of us seem to embrace it no matter how many warnings there are. No matter how many times we see The Terminator  or IRobot.   This is a difficult subject to tackle. On one side of the coin, there is a better life for all of us. A.I. means better health, self-driving cars, more security, etc- a world of more possibilities. On the other side of that s

I don't usually run my art through filters, it makes it less authentic. It's hard for me to view things like A.I. as tools because they do all the heavy lifting for a person, making the creation of art nearly thoughtless. This is not what art is about, art is about the product of something new and unique to a person's tastes. It can tell a story or make a point. I can have a deeper meaning, or just be shallow and enjoyable.  As much as I would like the world to stay the same, it isn't going to. So I have been trying to dip into it and see how I can combine it with my work. I have used this filter before but never on my works from Umbria. Here is the result, I like it and I hope you do too. This one is called " The Bridges of Taebora- Redone ".  Also, that A.I. conversation isn't over yet, I will revisit it. Cheers, and keep on creating!

So, my wife loves gnomes. No joke, our house, is crawling with them. It's like the elf on the shelf, but instead of that, it's gnomes in the home. Those little bastards are everywhere. Hiding behind dishes, under the sink, on the TV stand, behind the toilette, under the pillow- on and on, ad nauseam. There's not a day that goes by that I don't find one in some strange corner of my home... staring at me, plotting something.  The thing is they make my wife happy, and that's important to me, so we will keep on collecting them. Maybe I can befriend them and turn them into an army or get them to serve me, who knows?  But it got me thinking, they look easy to draw, and there's not much to them. I thought maybe I could score some points if I draw them and then make some art for her. So I did a few gnomes, it was fun, easy, and surprisingly cathartic. I liked it so much, I decided to post them here, for all of you to enjoy. Cheers, and keep on creating! 

So I did another art.  This one stares into your soul, and not in a good way. It turned out better than I thought but also a lot worse than I thought. Recently I have been demonizing politicians, and a while ago, I posted several of the ones I have already done. Then I tried coloring them with " Krita ," one of my favorite art programs. I liked the results, and it was easier than I thought it would be. If you are in the market for a free art program (available on Mac OS, Win, and Linux), I highly recommend downloading and getting to know it... biblically- if you know what I mean.   Check it out... Cheers, and keep on creating.

I do a lot of art outside of the kind from my stories and books. I don't often post them because of the nature of what they are- a view into what some may mistake for my political persuasion.  A lot of them are political, religious, or socially commentative. I keep them to myself because nothing brings out the pitchforks and the torches like politics and religion. And although they are images I might have drawn, they do not necessarily reflect the full context of my beliefs. The problem is keeping them to myself detracts from my authenticity, and I firmly believe that a person should always be authentic, regardless of who's at the draw bridge trying to burn the castle down. In all probability, authenticity is the reason someone will want to burn the castle down.  Despite all that, these are actually a commentary on my feelings about radicalization, they could, and some of them do have blue ties on. I just don't have web images of those, so I posted the ones I do have in &qu

This one will be quick as I am going out for the day. A couple of weeks ago, I posted the ink version of this, but I thought it needed something more. I have been experimenting with some new art styles for some of my older works. This is a picture of a place in Montana called "Mouton's Barn." I decided to freehand it and see if I could replicate it. It will not be posted in the gallery as I am trying to figure out something better than what I have for the gallery; hopefully, "coming soon" will be posted there in the next few weeks so I can transfer my art to a more usable forum. Also, don't forget to check out my art on my " Society 6 " page- I have added some new ones. Cheers, and keep on creating!

A while back I decided to try my hand at creating art based on a real world location. This is what I came up with. I drew the out line, started to fill and shade it- I didn't like the way it looked so I set it aside. Then a couple of months ago I came back to it and decided it was time to finish, regardless of how it looked. In the end I think it turned out very nice. I have noticed that most of the ones that I don't like really aren't as bad as I think. If I force myself to finish, I actually become quite fond of them after the struggle of finishing them. This is one of those pictures. I won't post the original because it's owned by someone else, but you can find it online if you google "Moulton's Barn". Cheers, and keep on creating!

So, with my posts, and time, growing thinner as we enter into the "decorative" seasons- yes I will be on rooftops setting up decorations soon... I thought I would schedule my blog time for early in the mornings and try and get some posts out before my house comes alive. Not all of these will be posted in the gallery because most of them are purposed elsewhere, but I will be posting them here on the site. This one is called "The House of Kerinth". I hope you enjoy it... Cheers, and keep on creating!

Just a quick post, I was going through some of my old work and found a piece I thought deserved a little more credit. This was a picture I was working on that was supposed to have a second part, like a comic book pane. I never got around to the second half, I think I might work on that in in the near future. Anyways, here it is, enjoy.  Cheers!

I finally finished a new piece of artwork for the youtube channel. So, I am just going to leave this here for all of you! I hope you enjoy it! Cheers, and keep on creating! 

I love the cover of my last book "The Lost Pilgrim", but I always thought I could have drawn a more detailed picture for it. I went back to my old notebook and reworked the original image. I filmed it so all of you could enjoy it and see how my work gets done. Here is the video, and the finished image, I love how it turned out! Here is the video! And here is the image! Cheers, and keep on creating!

This one is something that shows up in my work from time to time, at least since I was fourteen or so. From time to time I draw it out and see if anything has changed in the way it looks in my head. There is a story behind it and someday soon I hope to write it down. This one will  not be in the gallery, it is going to be used somewhere else... Here's the video... Here's the picture... Cheers, and keep on creating!

Here is a recent work of art I posted to the channel, it is a rework of an older piece I did years ago. I am hoping to post it on the store soon and, of course, include it in the gallery. I hope you all enjoy it, the video will show most of the work, I clipped some of the boring repetitive parts and brought it down to a reasonable length.  Here's the 720p version for all who just want to see it: And here is the video, for all who are interested in how it's done: Cheers, and keep on creating! 

I have hesitated to print anything on the site about the situation with Russia and Ukraine. I usually abstain from discussions about politics, religion, and world views. There are times, however, when silence is a more dangerous perspective than noise. This is one of those times. Although it's happening a world away, this time is different. The world has had its madmen, but never before have those madmen had such dangerous weapons.  My heart not only goes out to the people of Ukraine, but it also goes out to those people in Russia, those who speak out even if it means being beat on the spot, arrested, and spending 15 years in a gulag. I salute you, even though I have no experience to understand what that actually means. I have no frame of reference to understand your emotions, your struggles, and your pain. But despite that, I can see the bravery and courage, and that shines brighter than any light.   As for the people in Ukraine, never in my life have I seen such valor. Never in m

As promised, I will continue to upload videos of my art for all of you to enjoy. This one is of me brushing up on my knotwork for an upcoming project- I hope you all enjoy it! Cheers, and as always, keep on creating!

Here is another piece of art from Umbria. I did this one recently and decided it was worthy of posting. I was trying a new way to create depth using my style- I didn't want to change it too much because it really matches the story and the kind of literature it is. I filmed this one and posted it over on my youtube channel. I will be putting this one in the gallery, but not until I create a background and border for it- something I just haven't had the time to do. I like the result and hope that you all do as well.  Here is the video of me drawing it: And here is the framed version, this one will be subject to change.  Cheers, and keep on creating!