The Djinn Gallery
Artwork created by Jack Thanatos in digital and more traditional methods. All images have been enhanced to look better through the digital front.
The Gods of Chaos
This was the original back cover for the "Dreaming" paperback. It was created using acrylic paint, and represents the main protagonist of "The Gods of Chaos" series.
This was the original back cover for the "Netherworld" paperback. It was created using acrylic paint, and represents a secondary protagonist of "The Gods of Chaos" series. Johnny's side of "Netherworld" was removed to be adapted into its own story: "The City Sleeps When Devils Cry"
In "Dreaming", this was my original concept art for the Grimoire, which was the book that gave Jackie Boy his introduction into the Djinn world. This was the pencil drawing that I eventually painted.
In "Dreaming", this was my original concept art for the Grimoire, which was the book that gave Jackie Boy his introduction into the Djinn world. This version is done with acrylic paint. I originally wanted to include pictures into the text, but at the time, I was having some formatting issues. I also worried that it looked too similar to the Necronomicon in "Army of Darkness"
Using acrylic as my medium, this was my concept for Shorty D. Realizing that it would be crazy expensive to put color pictures into a novel, very little has been done with this after I painted it originally.
This spiraling image was the original front cover art for "Dreaming". It was created using acrylic paint, and it depicts Jack being visited by the dream deity Narkissos. Although I loved the design, I felt it provided the wrong impression for the audience I was trying to reach for "The Gods of Chaos" series, which was the 18-30 demographic. The image gave off a more YA vibe.
This was the cover art for Dreaming for a short part of 2016, replacing the spiral Narkissos cover. I realized soon after that it didn't attract much positive attention, so back to the drawing board I went.
This is the current cover art for "Dreaming". I think I finally hit the nail on the head. It was entirely done using digital means. It represents jack showing off his pyrokinesis in front of "The Four" (slightly observable from the background).
This was the original front cover art for "Netherworld". It was painted with acrylic, and depicts the first concept of Freya alongside Jack just outside the Necropolis. Freya's image was changed for the 2016 revision of "The Gods of Chaos" series.
This is the current cover art for "Netherworld" and it was created digitally. It displays my new concept of Freya as she holds a sunstone over a fissure displaying the Lifestream.
This was the orginal cover art for "Purgatory", done digitally. I liked it, but it just didn't fit stylistically with the other two books in "The Gods of Chaos" series. It was also one of my first attempts at freehanding some of the design through photoshop, and helped me develop the new "Dreaming" cover. The face was that of Old Dirty Willie.
Here was an experimental version of "Purgatory". It displayed Thanatos in a field of skulls, but the gothic comic book style didn't fit with the genre I was aiming for.
The Djinn Trials
This was the original front cover art for "Azazel" (minus the font). It was painted with acrylic, and depicts Tommy (screen name Azazel) as he waited for a call from Lucifer. The cover was replaced for a more dynamic image.
This is the current cover art for "Azazel". It was done digitally. The background was one of my first real experiments with digital artwork, and it was thrown together rather quickly. The lettering was where I had a little more fun.
This is the current back cover art for the "Azazel" paperback. It was created using acrylic paint. This was probably the most pain in the ass picture I ever painted, and probably wouldn't do another painting like this again because of the measurements required.
The current cover art for "Poacher Hunters". It depicts Belial and Eris as they prepare to head into Johannesburg, South Africa. It was created using the digital medium and sorta created a level for me to achieve with all future artwork.
This was my original concept for Mephistopheles standing in the entrance of a cavern within "Netherworld". It was painted with acrylic. The landscape of Netherworld has shifted significantly since I painted this, but it does show off the sunrise which remains a major hazard within that land.
This was my concept art for Hecate. It was painted with acrylic and depicts her standing on top of a mountain slightly resembling a wolf, and displaying her fine pyrokinetic skills.
This was a concept piece for my character Thanatos. I thought about using it for the cover of "Purgatory", but I ended up going with something with a bit less gothic tone (and comic book feel) to it.
Non-Digital Experiments
Colored pencil on black paper. I was serving my time onboard an aircraft carrier, and this was one of the images that popped into my head.
Pencil, pen, and colored pencils. This was me just messing around, trying to recreate the insanity that a child's imagination comes up with at night.
Using the Chalk medium, this Ying Yang Man was created during my Dragonball Z fan phase. Every man I drew had ridiculous muscles and powers to go along with it. At least I balanced the board on this one!
This was India Ink and was created in high school. I wonder if I could recreate something like this now that I've jumped into the digital front for the most part.
Here's going back to high school. This was colored pencil on black paper. It's fun looking back at the old images.
A mixture of charcoal, pen and ink, and chalk. This was done in 2015 as an experiment to see how well these mediums would hold up against digital.I forgot how messy chalk and charcoal are!
A mixture of pencil, colored pencils, and pen and ink. This was long before I learned how to use Photoshop or paint. But it brings me back to when I wanted to create my own comic books.
Painted with acrylic. This was an experiment to see if I could create a concept for an upcoming character Chaos. Sometimes it's just freeing to slap paint on a canvas to see what comes out of it.
I originally wanted to design a scene for my character Nyx, but it fell short. Paint is too hard to work with to create a transparent figure. I could've added it digitally, but felt the painting was better without it.