Orion Lodubyal's Art and Fiction Blog

By request, I added Will Graham's plaids back onto Redbubble for aprons (among other things of course). Here are the pages to each plaid: Yellow and Gray "Digestivo" - https://www.redbubble.com/i/apron/Hannibal-Will-Graham-Digestivo-Inspired-Yellow-Plaid-Design-by-orionlodubyal/63068998.6ZXWR Deep Red and Ivory "Aperitif" - https://www.redbubble.com/i/apron/Hannibal-Will-Graham-s-Plaid-from-Aperitif-by-orionlodubyal/63071792.6ZXWR Green Blue and Red Plaid "Yakimo" - https://www.redbubble.com/i/apron/Hannibal-Will-Graham-Yakimo-Green-Blue-and-Red-Plaid-by-orionlodubyal/63068473.6ZXWR Blue and White "Coquilles" - https://www.redbubble.com/i/apron/Hannibal-TV-Show-Wardrobe-Will-s-Blue-and-White-Plaid-Shirt-by-orionlodubyal/63072217.6ZXWR

I confess that with social media upkeep, I kind of forgot I had a website. I'll be making regular updates from now on, both here and on my Patreon page here:  https://www.patreon.com/orionlodubyal . (My Patreon will have some content that isn't here and vice versa.) This blog is mostly focused on what I'm into lately in terms of fandoms, what's going on behind-the-scenes with my art, etc.  Fandom update: I'm completely into Interview with the Vampire. Completely! I was into the books, and now I'm into the show. The casting has been phenomenal! So of course there is new art for it! Honestly, I'll never get tired of Interview with the Vampire. I'm still, and always, into Hannibal, Star Trek, The Expanse, our Flag Means Death, Good Omens and House of the Dragon. Johnlock, Halloween, Labyrinth and  . . .wow . . .  Might be faster to make a list of what I'm not into.   Yes, I made a disco ball Weyoun and I'm not sorry!  I've also just started Agat...

I've been a bit quiet lately trying to handle a bit of an art business crisis. Every month I have a process where I search for my artworks across platforms to see if anyone is uploading art images stolen from my social media pages or worse, from the stores my artwork is sold on. And every month I have a handful - usually between 5 and 10. Sadly, that's the nature of the business. On February 28th, I found 52 of my artworks taken from Teepublic (I format specifically for that store, so they were easy to identify) and loaded onto Redbubble stores. On March 1st, I found 11 more. On March 5th, 13 more. On March 9th, 32 more. This time with artwork I had only uploaded in the last 2 days. Every few days I find between 10-20 more. I notified Teepublic that it looked like their site had been scraped (bots ripping images from the site - images that had no watermark but still had signatures still intact.) I told them whatever the exposure was, it was still exposed two days previously. ...

  Celebrating my love for Fannibals, Screaming Firehawks, Garashir shippers, Babylon 5 lovers, Trekkies (and Trekkers), and all the other glorious fandoms that keep us going when things get stressed. Just remember: Keep calm, and your ship is valid. For more videos, visit my Vimeo profile: https://vimeo.com/user132204080

 My new project this year is learning animations and video concept art. Some of these will be for commissions, some for patrons of my Patreon  VIP Tier, and some will be for direct sale as digital wall papers and the like. It's a huge amount of fun - so much so that I actually have to set a timer! I blew almost an entire afternoon working on videos when I technically should have been doing my taxes. 😆 Here's an example of one I'm proud of. It's Bobbie Draper's first look at the Protomolecule Hybrid Monster on Ganymede, in The Expanse tv series. This has several elements I tried to recreate from the episode: Glowing eyes in the protomolecule monster, reflected in her helmet Blood snowflakes floating around her the unfocus and refocus as Bobbie tries to see what's around her music that sounds similar to The Expanse soundtrack. I'm going to keep working on these, and on ways to customize them for patrons. I'd love to hear your feedback! What do you think o...

  Just a quick art in Assembly to wish y'all a Happy Halloween Month! And I promise all the candy I just bought it is for the trick-or-treaters, not for me. Really. But you know, I should do some quality control testing just to be sure it's ok. :D

Designs based on Hannibal's Suits and Ties Designs based on Hannibal's Bedroom and Office Hannibal the Cannibal Decor Collection on Society 6 Hannibal the Cannibal Decor Collection on Society 6 Hi all! This project has been months in the works and now, just in time, Society6 has put it all on 30-40% off! An entire art collection based on Hannibal's Bedroom, Office, Suits and Ties - everything from furniture to throw blankets! IMPORTANT NOTE: My Society6 art is under my alternate art profile "InfiniteTango" (because my Orionlodubyal store got deleted for the Avasarala F*ck Mug" incident. The collection can be found here: https://society6.com/infinitetango/collection/hannibal-tv-show-suits-ties-and-decor-inspired-designs -- but there are over 40 products for each design. The collection page only has 1 or 2 pictured, but if you click on one, the bottom of the page will show you the rest of the collection. The designs are also on RedBubble which has slightly...

I've been so excited to tell everyone about this project! I created a Cardassified portrait of Jordan in a collab with Josh Evans at The Hungry Creatures , all in support of The Fractal Impulse . Jordan was my first attempt to Cardassify someone and I couldn't be more excited about the finished product! I provided the portrait per his specification (sunglasses, hair, tunic etc.) and Josh provided the glorious backgrounds. Have a listen and learn more about The Fractal Impulse here: (I'm particularly digging "Witching Hour" off Pumpkin Beats, and "Doom Scroll feat. Bad Praxis" hits the current cultural moment pretty hard.) Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/546to67IaPALDsv7ZD5EPV Website: https://www.thehungrycreatures.com/the-fractal-impulse YouTube Channel : https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCIe_4jZKmwNorL_NgPJcT9A Apple Music : https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-fractal-impulse/1491370823 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thefractalimpuls...

WARNING - Spoilers ahead, probably. Especially if you haven't seen seasons 1-3 of The Expanse. I don't remember enjoying a rewatch of any series as much as The Expanse! (Season 4, as well as the previous seasons, are now available to watch on Amazon Prime.)  As soon as I finished Season 4, I started the entire series again. It's like the series was designed to be watched again and again, just in the sheer density of goodies left for fans. Here are my top reasons to watch the whole again and how to get the most out of the experience. (Click on the pictures to enlarge.) 1. The Soundtrack Get the soundtrack if you haven't already. There are Belter versions of pop songs, beautiful instrumentals from Clinton Shorter, all that country music Alex is always listening to and so much more. It's an outstanding soundtrack at a time when most soundtracks I hear just haven't been that inspiring. The quote below (with link following) really gets at why the sco...

  Samples of the Thank You gifts (Hannibal, Deep Space Nine and The Expanse TL;DR: Have my art? Getting some? Post a pic and tag me! (If you've already posted a pic, send me the link to the post.) If you don't have my art, but you made a donation to my PayPal, bought me a Ko-Fi, or subscribed to my Patreon? Message me the details. To say thank you, I'll send you: A hand written thank you card doodle/sketch Stickers Wisdom for life quote from your selected show/movie/book on a wallet card Trivia from your chosen subject Available physically (with postal address) or digitally delivered with an email address. THE DETAILS Last year was a rough year and making art for my friends got me through it. To say thank you, and to help me create more art - I'm running a thank you campaign for all of 2020 starting January 1st. For those who participate, I will mail thank you cards which which will include: An inspirational or wisdom for l...

  Really, Arjun? Since when do you not know this is the woman you married? Warning - Spoilers - vague ones, but still spoilers. NOTE: I have not read the all the books yet and I have no idea if the show stays true to how the situation plays out in the books. So I'm only addressing the show. Species (Movie, 1995): Xavier Fitch: We decided to make it female so it would be more docile and controllable. Preston Lennox : More docile and controllable, eh? You guys don't get out much. Killing Eve: Eve Polastri: [after rudely demanding the room key from the reception desk and being handed it quickly]  God it makes me rage how efficient things are when you're a dick to people. I've been reading some very mixed reactions about Chrisjen Avasarala's actions/decisions in Season 4 of The Expanse , and I have some strong feelings of my own. But I have a couple of questions to ask readers first: 1. Do you feel Chrisjen made the right choices ...

Double Mads Mikkelsen Book Giveaway!   Only on: Twitter - @orionlodubyal Instagram - @i_am_orionlodubyal       Giveaway #1: Janice Poon's  Feeding Hannibal: A Connoisseur's Cookbook To Enter: Follow this account. Comment a famous quote that was NOT said by Hannibal Lecter, but you think could have been. Do attribute quote author. Don't reuse a quote already in the comments. Share in Stories (Instagram) or Retweet on Twitter for an extra entry. Giveaway #2: Polar the Black Kaiser  Hardcover Graphic Novel by Victor Santos To Enter : Follow this account! Comment a quote from your favorite non-Hannibal Mads Mikkelsen character , so any movie, commercial, music video ;-) EXCEPT HANNIBAL. Do attribute quote character/source. Don't reuse a quote already in the comments. Share in Stories (Instagram) or Retweet on Twitter for an extra entry. Fine print: While this Giveaway is open to international ...

Win a paper copy of Garak actor Andrew J. Robinson's out-of-print novel, A Stitch in Time! This is the actual book / prize for the giveaway. Very good condition, but it is a used book, as this is out of print. My Twitter and Instagram ASIT International Giveaway has started with a paper copy of Andrew J. Robinson's out-of-print novel,  A Stitch in Time. This chronicles Garak's origins and post-canon life on Cardassia Prime after the Dominion War - written by the man who played Garak himself! To enter on Instagram or on Twitter: 1. Follow on Instagram @i_am_orionlodubyal   or Twitter. @orionlodubyal (You may enter on both if you have a Twitter and an Instagram account.) 2. Like and comment a Garak quote from the show or any of the novels, but not reusing a previous quote from the comments (on the #ASITgiveaway thread). 3. Retweet or share in story on Instagram for an additional entry - use #ASITgiveaway. (So, if you share on both Twitter ...

It's Black Friday week so everything is on sale! So Much Fan Art - in all the Fandoms!!! Did you know that you can follow artists on TeePublic? I haven't found a way to like or favorite particular designs I like, but I can at least make a directory of the artists I like most. If you're looking for some Fan Artists to support this holiday season, check out these TeePublic Favorites. If you create fan art on TeePublic, and you don't see your store on this list, please leave a comment and I'll I'd you to the Shop List on the right side of this blog. Keep in mind many of these artists are on multiple platforms and may have more/different merchandise there. Be sure to check out their socials and websites to find out where else you can find their work! And while you're there, please stop by my shop to see what's new! https://www.teepublic.com/user/orionlodubyal Multifandom Artists (Hannibal, Star Trek, Good Omens, Sherlock etc. etc.): Alic...

I wanted to love TeeSpring, I really did. The art placement dashboard was easy to use and the products described seemed really high quality. They are also one of the few Print-on-Demand sites that offer two-factor authentication, which made me very happy. So I loaded up some art and got started. Within two weeks, I knew this was not going to work out. Here's why. 1. Use our amazing marketing tools - after you prove you don't need our amazing marketing tools. You can't use their marketing tools, or be visible in their marketplace, until you prove you don't need their marketing tools or their marketplace. You have to drive your own sales for some unspecified number before your "Trust Score" is high enough to even appear in the site's search results. Also, they want you to "optimize your listings for search" but you can't use tags. ??? Wait, what now? Like a lot of Print-on-Demand sites (TeeFury, Threadless etc.), TeeSpring let...

The first people who support your art . . .  . . . are such treasures. The first person who liked my art and encouraged me to put it up on RedBubble. The first Patreon subscriber. The person who said my legit art (I create more conventional art on other accounts) is great, but I really love your trashy fan art. Those people keep you going through the times when nothing seems to sell. Your art just doesn't come out the way you want. Everything seems like such a struggle. And then you remember those first people who helped you change course and believe in yourself. Just wanted to say, I love you for being the sort of people who reach out to artists - and for encouraging me to keep making art, and keep reaching out to other artists. Y'all rock. That's all.

Now for the dark side: When you know your art isn't going to get approved but you want to sell it anyway.  I am not saying anyone should do this or that it's a good idea or that it's a respectable thing to do. It is very much in the gray area of what is "allowable". Print-on-demand sites let a lot of stuff slide because if you aren't "trading on the brand's name", the brand isn't likely to notice or, in some cases even care.  It's very simple, but not without risk. Proceed with caution (and for godsake back up your artwork!) Don't tag your art with anything the brand owns or looks for.   Don't use the brand's name, the actor's names, anything . This will make it harder to find. My Garak stuff is largely invisible because there is no "DS9", Star Trek, etc etc.  So how will people find it? They won't - unless they know to look for it. You can use fandom tags like Garashir, Spi...

One of the abstract Obsidian Order (commissioned) pieces CBS approved on RedBubble.   Another commissioned set of designs approved by CBS this week.   I finally have a handful of artwork that's been approved by CBS for sale on RedBubble! It only took 6 months, but at least now I have a better understanding of what they're looking for, and what they're rejecting. What follows is only slightly above hearsay but it's what I've learned from other Star Trek artists and from representatives at RedBubble and TeePublic (which have now merged.)   I only recently found out a lot of this stuff when RedBubble and TeePublic joined forces. TeePublic reached out to me upload my fanart over there and I asked them what the brands, particularly CBS/Star Trek was looking for. The rep actually gave me some really helpful info that isn't on the Brand Partnership page. Here's the TL;DR if you don't want to read the whole thing: Avoid actors' face...