J.B. Sommerset

"Fractals in G minor" (C) 2025 JBSommerset Some of you have asked, do I still art, the answer is yes. I do still art. Although recently my art has shifted it's direction. I have been doing two types of art recently. The first are illustrations for a story I have been working on, and the second are "mandala" works that seem to stall my urge to kill <cough> <cough>, I mean my unfathomable rage. (That's a joke for all you literalists out there.)  I decided to post a couple of these Mandalas here just to give you all some eye-candy, and to let you all know that I am still alive. I hope you enjoy them. "The Rune Wheel" (C) 2025 JBSommerset "Mushroom Mandala 1" (c) 2025 JBSommerset Cheers!

Resilient A.F. J.B. Sommerset (C) 2025     It's been a long time sense I posted anything. I had been busy trying to find ways to enact change, prepare for the worst, and stave off a tidal wave of embarrassment, anger, and some depression. I decided that it would be good to return, and post more. I hate to say it, but a lot of my writing moving forward might have a political flavor, for that I apologize in advance.      I do not say this light hearted, I do not say it because it has not been said before, or because I am prone to "hysteria" as that vapid ugly bald-ass incel  Steven Miller would say. What I write about today I write out of extreme concern, not just the people in the U.S., the good people who denounce what is happening, but I write this out of concern the whole world. We aren't the only players on this board, we never have been, and we share this pale blue dot with a host of diversity, all forms of it. Handing the keys to the U.S. over to thes...

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...

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 ...

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!

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! 

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! 

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!

Hey y'all,  I have uploaded more content to the youtube channel. This one was a short doodle I did while on break. There is a story behind it, and someday I will write about it, but not today. For now, this was one of the works I call "Quickies" (short doodles that take me a few minutes to draw). I drew this one after a conversation with an old friend. Enjoy, and please watch the video too. Thanks! Cheers, and keep on creating!

I promised you all more uploads and content, and I will deliver. This time it's one of my longer works called "The Eyes of Iskander" from my IP "Umbria". This one was kind of an experiment in the way I draw certain objects. I hope you all enjoy it and the end product which is getting put in the gallery (within the week) and my online print store  (also within the week).  Cheers, and keep on creating!

I posted a couple videos here a week or two ago about my process and how I draw my art. I had such a good time doing so I decided to start posting some of them here 'on the reg'. All of them will be posted on my youtube channel as well.  Sometimes I take a break from my writing and other work and sketch a simple five-minute cartoon. I do this at restaurants or pubs for the most part, or during times where my writing or larger art slumps- they make me feel like I am completing something. I call these little sketches "quickies", but the truth is they are more like one-panel cartoons. Here is my latest quicky, it's called " Lantern Fish ". Cheers, and keep on creating!

 A lot of the art I have uploaded recently has been old art, with of course the exception of the last one. Alithaer: The Grandfather Tree  was an experiment in filming my process.  I must admit, I liked the process and the outcome. I will be doing more and more videos, and maybe down the road, some readings of my works accompanying the sketches. Most of the artwork is connected to my work, so there are stories behind them. Especially when it comes to Umbria. After I posted the picture and the video, there was a lot of response and a number of requests for more. So, last week, I did another one. This one is called Daldune: The Monastery on the Mountain . Below is the finished work- Click the picture or the link to hop over to my Youtube Channel to see more, and as always I will be posting it in the gallery.  Here is the finished image... And here is the video... Cheers, and keep on creating!