Rez's Arsenal: Remington 870

The 870s near completion

Yesterday I was busy working at this pair of Remington 870s seen in the book Resolution and soon to be seen in Residue. I've got them done but there is just a little more tweaking left to do, as I want to make at least one of them look worn and well used. At this point they look shiny and new, and they are just to give my readers a visual, either for those less versed in the way of the gun, or for those who are; something fun to look at. I use very simple Photoshop techniques to accomplish these drawings and don't intend for them to be masterpieces, but they take only a few hours to complete at the most and are fun little projects. A little copy/paste for the tan version on top, a little Photoshop magic with filters for the texture and done. I'll update this post with the final product later.

The final product with a little wear on the shorty.

Rez's Arsenal Preview Remington 870

Rez's Remington 870s

Well it's officially 2013 by a couple days and guess what, Residue is not ready and won't be for awhile. No big deal I guess, but I hope to finish it soon. In the mean time I just did some line art for Rez's Remington 870 12 gauge which he carries often in Resolution, but never actually fires. In fact, the only person who uses it in Resolution is Nobel. However, it is Rez's constant companion in all of his vehicles and appears on several occasions in the book. In Residue he uses an even shorter version which can be hidden inside an extra large pizza box. They are the same firearm, and both of them are considered short barrel weapons by the BATF, however the little one is extra short and probably not especially comfortable to shoot, but effective in its intended role. The longer version is pretty similar to a factory version that Remington offers with a 14 inch barrel and a 5+1 capacity, while the shorty is only going to offer 4+1. Both are equipped with a muzzle device used for breaching purposes. The gnarly looking unit on the end of the barrel can be jammed into the soft wood of a door or door frame to keep in place while the user pushes the go button. The vents allow gases to escape so that the gun doesn't beat the shooter to death in the process. The longer gun has nice ghost ring sights and a rail section to give it a more multipurpose flavor while the shorty has none of that. It's strictly for busting doors and close encounters of the drug dealing kind. This pretty well rounds out the boom sticks seen in book one. I will probably work on an "official" Rez 1911, but as my readers and gun aficionados can probably guess, Rez has a number of them, each with unique features.

Flats for the 870s

 I thought it might be fun to show how these drawings progress. After the line art is finished, in Adobe Illustrator, I take them into Photoshop and lay in the flat colors. This is just to create something to work on top of and if I plan to do multiple colors, or I have wood somewhere on the gun, then I get a quick idea of how the colors will work together. I like to have a neutral background color because it's easier on the eyes when you spend as much time in front of a computer as I do, and it gives a more accurate representation of the lighting as I work, rather than working with a white background the entire time and finding out when I'm done that my lighting doesn't work with the background I choose.

Simple Photoshop brushes and the 870 starts to take shape!

Rez's Kalashnikov from Residue

I will be posting an alternate version on facebook once I get it done so keep an eye out for that. As Rez decides to go on the offensive toward the second half of the book, he needs a CQB monster and something like this would fit the bill nicely. I'm not sure this is the coloration he might choose, but it looks cool and of course the alternate version is likely going to have something different all together. I like the idea that you guys get to see some cool artwork associated with my writing and get a visual of Rez's kit, if anything just to get your mind in the right place for reading. But also readers who are less familiar with all the guns will have something to look at and picture when reading. So the beauty of having alternate versions of the art is that what you picture in your mind is really up to you. There are a few specific things that I will describe in the book that are necessary for the situation, but the rest is left to your imagination and you can picture the gun's exact details the way you like them. It's great to see that the Kalashnikov (AK and all of its many variants) is getting some attention from the aftermarket and has the support to be outfitted as you see here. Not everyone will love the modernized AK and I can understand the sentiment, but to me this still represents a fighting gun which in the end is what the AK was always meant to be.

Rez's Arsenal: Teaser AK

In Residue Rez will be working a new piece of kit (as always) and I have been wanting to get it drawn for quite awhile now. I seriously considered buying an AK variant of some kind myself not long ago and have been on an AK kick of sorts ever since. Of course, those kinds of obsessions always find a way into my writing somehow. I suppose most authors live vicariously through their characters. In Residue things start to get a little bit ugly and Rez grows impatient waiting for results that don't seem to be coming. Going on the offensive is a technique that always seems to be waiting patiently at the top of Rez's tool box, understanding of his socially prudent approaches, but ready when the stick is deemed more appropriate than the carrot.

So I offer this teaser. Like everything I do, it is two projects in one, or three, or four, so somethings need changing. This line art was based on the 5.56 variant as you can tell by the magazine. Rez will be using the classic 7.62 in the book so I'll be changing the mag and throwing in a few other details specific to the weapon Rez uses. Stay tuned.

Resolution is FREE again!

Two minutes before writing this post I changed the price of Resolution on Smashwords to FREE. I think that Amazon will price match, so if you use a Kindle or Kindle app, just keep an eye on it for a few days. Resolution is available from iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Smashwords of course, and others. It might take a couple days but get yourself a copy while this free promo period is going on and tell your friends.

Update on Residue! Still writing furiously to get it out in 2012 and some interesting developments have surfaced as the story matures. We're getting to see just the beginning of Rez's secret life unraveling as the situation from Resolution gets deeper and the problems more complex. New characters are showing up with connections to Falck, the cop Rez killed in Resolution, and the web expands just a little further.

Artwork for you guys. I have been drawing like mad for another project recently, but there is some overlap with this writing project, so you should be able to expect another one of Rez's guns pretty soon. I know which one I'd like to work on for sure.

Updates on Residue and Promo Code

Smashwords is where the gold at and if you use this code: PR79E, you've got yourself a free download of Resolution. It's only good through July 16.

Now for an update on Residue. By 13,000 words Nobel has already visited two crime scenes which involve a total of 16 dead people between the two of them and what appears to be a hitman's signature. In the mean time Rez is flipping snitches to figure out who the players are in an increasing meth problem so that he can put the hurt down. Nobel is caught dealing with left over effects of the Falck scandal from Resolution and seems to be wearing a little thin because of it. This is leaving Rez hanging in the breeze and stuck with more dirty work, which he doesn't appreciate much as it starts to get in the way of what Zeke calls his mission.

All in all I feel really good about Residue and the story itself. I was reading Resolution yesterday and I feel like it doesn't get good direction until you get past chapter five. I doubt that will help make anyone want to read it. However, I feel like Resolution helped me create my characters and built a foundation for the series. I have this notion in the back of my head that maybe there will be a Resolution 2.0 but like with any creative outlet, I feel that it's better to move forward than to look back. I suppose there is a time and place for looking back but if I am growing as a writer or an artist then looking back I should ALWAYS be able to find ways to improve past works right? Therefore if I am growing then everything I do can be improved and I would never get out of the past to move forward. This is how I see it anyway. I hope by showing my readers that I am working hard to make something better the next time and something better than that the time after, I will do more for you all than I would going back to old work and trying to "fix" it.

One more thing, and I have no idea how I didn't think of this before. I wanted to give my readers some exclusive content on Facebook by creating art for the Rez series and posting it there only. That's great (I think?) but at this point, I don't have many fans and I've got artwork that no one is seeing. I use other venues for my art and illustration where lots of people would have seen it and so I have this conflict; post where people will see my work, or not. Then I realized that I could easily do variants of the guns and things which would allow me to post different images in different places, but also offer just a little bit MORE. What a really obvious idea that I hadn't thought of until today. Actually someone suggested something to this effect and I just applied my own interpretation, so it wasn't even my idea. At any rate, I'm thinking that's what I'll do. I can post variants here, and other places, while still having an exclusive image for Facebook. BTW, you can visit my Facebook page to see the first image I've done. It's not really the first since I did the cover for Resolution, but whatever.

New artwork for Residue and Promo Code

Just a reminder that the Smashwords promo code is good through July 16th. If you want a free copy of the book see my last post and I'll hook you up.

Also, I've started doing art for the next book and as bonus content for my readers. If you've read Resolution you know that Rez favors a SIG P245 for concealed carry. So that was a logical gun to draw first. Above is just a teaser and to see the rest go to my Facebook page. If you haven't read Resolution and would like to, just "Like" my Facebook page and I'll get you set up with a code for a free download.