Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Circle Series

 These are a few of my favorite designs from some of my favorite books. As the title suggests, they are based off of The Circle Series–Black, Red, White, and Green. The series is both moving and inspiring. Ted paints a beautiful world where good and evil are visible to the naked eye. There are Roush, colored forests, and healing green waters blessed by Elyon. The more evil side of things lie in the Black Forest filled with evil Shaitaiki, charred land, and dead trees.

The Circle Series takes you on an adventure between the world we know and the one described above, which is actually set in the future, each having its own interesting plot that entwines into one.

The design on the top is the first one I made in the "Diving Deep" series. The hand holding the globe represents the hand of Elyon. The scene in the sphere is one of the characters diving into the bottomless healing green waters of the Colored Forest. The cute character on the top is one of the Roush. The graphic behind them all is the Circle Pendant which is not only an integral part of the story, but now has become a part of Ted Dekker's identity. Many fans of Ted Dekker have even had it tattooed on them.

The bottom graphic is much in the same as the one above, only it has two views of the woman in the water. I urge you, if you haven't already to read this series. If you like it, there is another series based off of the Circle Series called the Books of History Chronicles. All of which are amazing.

Dive Deep and stay tuned for my next design.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

House

Where it All Began

I thought it would be appropriate to begin this blog the same way I began Ted Dekker's books.

My mother bought this book for me six years ago to keep me occupied on our road trip to Boston. It was a book he co-authored with Frank Peretti. It was so good, I finished it before we arrived at our hotel. I've been reading his books ever since.

Without giving too much of the story away, House is about several people who are stranded in an old hotel where they are greeted by some unusual characters. They are all thrown into a game orchestrated by a madman named Barsidious White. The "players" are forced to face their past to ensure their futures.

The picture above is just one room in the house that all of the characters are trapped in. The mood of the picture is the same you will be faced with while reading the book. Do you dare to enter the house of Barsidious White?

The only way out...is in.


Welcome

Who is Ted Dekker?


Ted is the author of thirty-three fiction books and two nonfiction books; many of them being New York Times bestsellers. His books not only span the fiction/nonfiction gap, but are many different genres, including thrillers, spiritual, and fantasy.

His fan base grows exponentially every year–not only because of his moving, powerful stories, but because of who Ted Dekker is and how he interacts with his fans. He first began connecting with his fans through his website, www.teddekker.com. With new technology, he adapted and moved to Facebook. He would ask us questions, many of which pertained to novels he was working on at the time. He’s been known to include names of fans in his books. He also does giveaways every time he releases a new book.

My favorite thing that makes Ted unique, every year (with the exception of this year) he holds a Gathering. The term was taken from his Circle Series. His fans come from every corner of the country to meet him. Each year it has been something different. The first one I went to was in Tennessee. It was filled with dancing, magic, and most importantly, Ted. He put together a skit to explain the reasons that he writes. It was so moving, I could hardly contain myself. I threw my back out at work just before leaving for The Gathering; I barely noticed the pain the entire eight or so hours of the production. That didn’t even include the wait for meeting Ted and getting my book signed.

The following year, the amount of attendees was so overwhelming Ted had to split the event into two days in two different cities. This Gathering was more intimate. It was Ted and two-hundred or so of his fans in a conference room in a hotel. Here we got to hear stories of his childhood, his family, and of course about his writing.

The most amazing thing is how humble he is. At one point during The Gathering, he stood in silence, staring at all of us, waiting for him to say something. He looked at all of us and said, “Wow, all of you really read my books?” I will never forget it. He was so shocked that so many people would take the time to read something he wrote and then travel half-way across the country to see him.

Ted Dekker is an amazing man and an amazing author. So many journalists, reviewers, and other people of the sort are continuously shocked that Ted has such a unique following of people. All it would take is one of his books, one day on his Facebook fan pages, or one Gathering to understand why so many people stick by Ted. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself or better yet, keep up with this blog. It truly is the only way you will ever understand.

I have been inspired by Ted’s books for so many years now. I said I wanted to share his messages and my art with the world. Well world, here I am. And here is my art.

Caution to those his already existing fans, these blogs may contain spoilers. I will try my best not to give too many details away, but I apologize in advance if I do. I will make sure I put the title of the books in the title of my blogs. I ask that you at least look at the pictures if you do not read the rest.

Thank you and enjoy.

In the words of Ted Dekker,

Dive Deep