Yet Another Forest Creatures Art Cards Post

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People of the Forest Art Cards, Group 3
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns, Staedtlers and Signo Uniball gel pen

Perhaps it has become clear that I am not done with The People of the Forest. If you’re just joining us, the last two posts were also filled with ATC size humanoids and small details of their forest surroundings, the theme of a swap I recently started. Top row: Lavender Rabbit and Friend, and A Juvenile Forest Imp (his nose came out great I think!). Second row: Earnest Ernest, an antlered Pixie Troll, and Katje, a Forest Cat.

This makes a total of fourteen People of the Forest swap cards, as seen below all together. (This doesn’t even include a few landscape-oriented cards, a few that didn’t quite turn out as intended, and two foxes who have moved to the suburbs which I will post later!)

People of the Forest Art Cards 1-14
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, gel pen, by Cindy Dauer

People of the Forest is a super fun theme I most heartily recommend, particularly if things and people and politics in the real world are not contributing to your well-being in a positive fashion.

Next I hope to do an entry for “Liquid” this week at Illustration Friday. <cross fingers> Thanks for stopping in!

 

People of the Forest Redux, Copic Art Cards

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People of the Forest Art Cards, Group 2
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns, Staedtlers and Signo Uniball gel pen

Top row: Silver Pixie Princess, and Bear the Wise

2nd Row: A Flower Fairy, and a Fae Tracker

You may recall I was on a bit of a tear with Dog Art Cards for a while (and to which I will yet return!) At the moment, if you hadn’t guessed, it’s this fantasy/woodland theme, People of the Forest. And as I suspect there will be many more in the foreseeable future, I am submitting this post to “Future” at Illustration Friday!

I was working on eyes for a while, and I really need to work on noses. I am quite pleased with the Silver Sprite above, my first of the nose studies. In trying to replicate that nose, I had a lot of trouble with the Fern Fairies, below:

Two Fern Fairies, and Nose Troubles
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, etc

The one on the right came first, and I have yet to do an acceptable nose repair job on her. I started with a too dark (and imprecise!) ink line on the bridge of her nose, then kept going darker trying to fix or cover it. Aaaah! For the second attempt (on the left) I went with a lighter touch, and a much better result. Some inspiration for these two came from Lisa Ferguson’s fairies, which I love!

Thanks so much for visiting! More People of the Forest cards in my illustratedatcs gallery, if you’re interested. Some may end up in my shop. :)

A Fairy Tale Tribute and Some People of the Forest

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The Three Dogs
Each 2.5″ X 3.5″ art card, Copics, fine liners, gel pen.

Some more cards from the online Fairytale art-a-thon I mentioned last time, and submitted to the Illustration Friday topic, “Tribute”. These three dogs were inspired by a story from one of those large McCall’s Storybooks from the 60′s. In the story are the dog with eyes as big as saucers, the one with eyes as big as dinner plates, and the one with eyes as big as wagon wheels.

Then someone told me about an earlier story featuring the dogs, The Tinderbox, by Hans Christian Andersen – though instead of wagon wheels, the largest dog had eyes as big as windmills! The original story is a Scandinavian folktale.

This week I started a swap at illustratedatcs called The People of the Forest. It includes dryads, nymphs, forest pixies/elves/sprites, gnomes, fairies, antlered folk. The only requirements are 1. a humanoid of some sort and 2. vegetation of some sort. They are fun! Here’s the first four, finished in the last couple days in order to drum up interest in the swap. :)

People of the Forest Art Cards
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic markers, fine liners, gel pen

I’m rather fond of the Llama Girl in the bottom left. Thanks for visiting!

Beauties and Beasts, Fairytale Inspired Art Cards

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Beauties and Beasts
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art card. Copics, fine liners, gel pen on Bristol Board.

(Top) Lucy and Jake, Beauty and Beast; (bottom) Keko and Boris, Malia and Luther. These cards were inspired by a weekend Fairytale art-athon at Illustrated ATCs. You may notice this is quite a departure from my normal portrait-style art cards (just a head/face and usually facing forward). Of course, you could say these are just two portraits! But there’s a big difference. One is a simple study; the other is a relationship.

I decided to keep the first one (Lucy and Jake), traded the second at the fairytale a-thon (this weekend. LOADS OF FUN. Something about doing art with other people, and posting it up, even though you’re all in your own little space far away in the world). I really do a lot of good work and try new things, inspired by all the other great art.

The bottom two may go in my Etsy shop! (By the way, tons of other original art cards there, too. I don’t like to mention it every post. But sometimes.) :)

Two of my other favorites so far are the Alice in Wonderland cards:

Mad Hatter Louie, and The Time, Alice!
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Thanks for stopping in! Lots of progress pics! Feel free to leave a question or comment. :)

Monochromatic Art Cards and MOOs in Pen and Ink

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The Pinkerton Pet Detectives
Each 1″ x 2.75″ pen and ink, Copic markers on Bristol Board

Lots of monochromatic mini art happened recently! You may recall the purple ATCs posted previously. The above are the Pinkerton Detectives. Their motto? “No Collar Too Small”. (Thank you Bert for providing the clever catch phrase!) And below, the first two MOOs for my blue set – a Calavera maiden created as one then cut in two. She is Maiden number 78! The MOOs are for a monochromatic MOOs swap at illustratedatcs.com.

Blue MOOs Calavera
Two 1.5″ x 2.75″ pen and ink, Copic markers on Bristol Board

And finally, two yellow ATCs for the full size card swap. Of course, a full size ATC is still just 2.5″ x 3.5″.

Lilah and her Mum, and Shrunken Head Martini
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards, Copic markers on Bristol Board

Yellow was a bit rough, but adding brown helped. Also, I have almost zero experience with glass and transparent liquids! But it’s not too bad. I think the shrunken head saves it. (The prompts for each of the above were “mother child creature” and “Martinis with something atypical on toothpicks”.)

In addition, I still owe many cards, to people and for swaps. Possibly even to one or more of you reading this post! I haven’t forgotten! I get on a kick (say, monochromatic cards) and then end up doing a whole bunch in one fell swoop. (Did you know that phrase was one of hundreds first seen in Shakespeare? First that we know of, at any rate.)

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

Gargoyles Art Cards in Copics

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Teeth Gargoyle & Mutton Chop Gargoyle
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Submitted for the topic “Wild” at Illustration Friday. Now perhaps you don’t think of gargoyles as wild because you think of them as stone statues. If so, you have clearly never seen one leave its perch in the dead of night!

Fortunately, these four specimens are not the man or woman eating type. They are pacifist gargoyles. However, they look extra wild and dastardly in order to hang with the other gargoyles. Though mostly the quiet ones keep to themselves, occasionally gathering for Mystery Science Theater night.

Canine Gargoyle and Denim Gargoyle
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

These four guys were created for an art card swap. I’m quite pleased with the eyes, which I’ve been working on improving.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mermaid with Pearls in Her Hair, an ATC Riddle

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Pearl’s Face, made from one half ATC and one half flipped copy

This image was created from an ATC of half of Pearl’s face (see below), and a digital flipped copy for the other half. I hadn’t planned to do exactly half a face, but I did a decent job of it. Except  it’s just a bit unnerving, I think because of the uncanny valley effect. Or maybe because where the two sides join is not quite right. Here’s the actual ATC:

Mermaid with Pearls in her Hair
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, gel pen

And then there’s my next question. Would this be considered digital art? An original version does not exist outside the computer, but in creating it I used only the most minimal of graphics program tools. Multimedia? Hmm! I guess it’s not really a riddle but I don’t know the answer. Do you?

Pearl is Maiden number 75, three quarters of the way to the finish! Thanks for visiting!

 

 

 

Cat Girl in Orange Wig for Illustration Friday

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Lana in the Orange Wig
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics on Bristol Board

The word is “Urban” at Illustration Friday, and Lana is nothing if not an urban girl. She is currently going to fashion design school in the Midwest, and longs to visit New York and the legendary Mood Fabrics. This wig is her favorite from a collection of twenty-two wigs (though last week it was the silvery pale blue mohawk).

After a second round of antibiotics I seem to finally be on the mend. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes! I had a hard time doing much art while under the weather, but I think Lana is pretty cool. :)

Two Ruffed Queens Art Cards

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You guys! I present to you these queens though perhaps they should be dogs, since I am sick like one. Ugh! I had a really bad cold a few weeks back that lasted far too long, and when it finally started to go away, I believe my boss brought in the flu. He claims he doesn’t have the flu. Whatever it is, it is horrible. For all of us who are sick at the end of this horrible too-long winter, I hope for speedy recoveries all around!

Princess Beatrice ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic markers, fine liners, gel pen

Though she preferred to dress in her brother’s breeches and help train the hounds, Beatrice was often forced to dress for important guests and occasionally – much to her chagrin – suitors.

Reference photos for Beatrice include Christine Marie of France and Portrait of a Lady in a Red Dress. I wanted to show how you can get ideas like costume styles from an image without copying it exactly, and also to show beginners that these things don’t spring fully formed from our heads!

Jory with Birds ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Jory’s tutors were amazed when she taught her little birds Gretel, Gosling and Grim to perch on her bonnet when she was just nine years old and the birds were little chicks. As they got older, she had to build a sturdy armature into all her bonnets to hold their weight. Many little girls in the village have tried the same trick with their own birds, but none seem to have Jory’s magic touch.

Beatrice and Jory are Maidens number 70 and 72, and were made for trades at illustratedatcs.com. Thanks for stopping in!

The Pitcher Mermaid for Illustration Friday

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The Pitcher Mermaid
5″ x 7″ Copics, Micron pens, with digital sky

For the topic “Swim” at Illustration Friday. Have you joined yet? Why the heck not?

A bit of a departure from my usual goofy beasts, to mixed results. I stopped a bit sooner than usual. Maybe because she seems like quite a sad mermaid – and why not, trapped in a pitcher! Perhaps by an evil witch. Those darn evil witches! Actually, my favorite part is the way the tabletop blends into the sky. (The sky was added digitally with paint.NET). And the orange fish at the top. (You may be happy to hear that Nathan (the orange spotted fish) escapes the pitcher and has many exciting adventures in a nearby pond, attracting many followers and ruling a peaceful pond kingdom for many years.)

Well, I am a firm believer that every drawing teaches us things. They can’t all be our favorite one! Thanks for visiting. ;)