Tag Archives: Illustration Friday

Two Woolly Sheep for Illustration Friday

Two Woolly Sheep
5″ x 7″ Copic markers with digital frame

For the topic “Wool” at Illustration Friday. Did not manage an entry for Wheel or Storm but hope to be back in the saddle with these crazy sheep. My intention recently is to cut back on the thick black outlines. I did a bit of that, but could have done more! Still, I think the woolly parts are rather neatly colorful.

And here’s the last cat ATC for the cat swap I was working on:

Peach and Banana
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic markers

Peach (the cat) and Banana (the bird) were named by a three-year old. Banana seems to think Peach is her mother. Peach tolerates this with as much dignity as possible.

Thanks for stopping in! New dogs posted at the Art Card Dogs project, if you’re following that thing. (Might be cats after that, who knows!)

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Sheep reference photos one and two.

Spirit of the Forest for Illustration Friday

Spirit of the Forest, Autumn
8 x 10 Copic Markers

For the topic “Wings” at Illustration Friday. The Autumn Spirit has one brother – the Spring Spirit, and they have two sisters, Summer and Winter.

I was afraid to color this because I really liked the sketch. This is a problem digital artists do not face! Also, the solid green in the background was not the best move. Arrgh.

Thanks for visiting!

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Fox reference photo.

The Other Minotaur, for Illustration Friday

Mino-Taura, 6″ x 9″ Copic Markers

For the topic “Myth” at Illustration Friday.

Historians call her Mino-Taura, though her real name is not known. It is believed she was the twin of Asterion, the Minotaur famously slain by Theseus. Zeus spied her upon her birth, stole her, and took her to a secret island where he would visit her with gifts of servants and exotic fruit. Unlike her twin, Mino-Taura had no taste for meat. Despite these gifts she was a lonely soul and died young, having never met another of her kind. Her death went unnoticed, the same as her life.

So this was another case of trusting to the end product, because as you’ll see from the scans below, she was an ugly thing for a while there! But I have learned to push through to the end, and I’m usually glad I did. I even stopped sooner than usual, instead of filling in more of the solid spaces. (Though that could still change.)

Artist retains rights to text and image. Thank you! Thanks for visiting!

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The Elusive Painted Bulbfish for Illustration Friday

NOTE: I am trying a new email subscription service because the last one stopped working. Please accept my apologies if you get more than one email for this post, though I hope to avoid that. If you are signed up, you should still be signed up, but let me know if you don’t get an email for this post. And if you want to sign up, you can do so on the right side of this page. Thank you!

Painted Bulbfish, 9″ x 6″
Copics and Microns. Digital background.

For “Ocean” at Illustration Friday, I offer to you a glimpse of the elusive Painted Bulbfish, a member of the order of Anglerfish. As far as scientists have been able to tell, the bulb-like lure which hangs from the forehead is not for catching prey, but for illuminating rocky growths on which the moss it eats lives. The distinctive pattern on this individual is due to artistic license, as no live specimen has ever been witnessed.

More items recently completed: two sunflower princesses.

Leona of the Sun and a Sunflower Princess
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards, Copics, Microns and gel pens.

The image of Leona is carved into the largest and most ancient tree stump in The Wonder Woods. She was a princess who captured the light of the sun on her skin and left a trail of glittering motes wherever she went, especially in the summer months. This artist has taken taken some liberties, as the image on the tree has not the slightest hint of its original color. To her right is an artist’s rendering of her daughter, the Sunflower Princess.

Lots of progress pics below. Thank you so much for stopping by!

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Guardian Clan Cat ATC for Illustration Friday

Son-Ji the Guardian
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Son-Ji is a ranking member of the guardian clan who watch over the Bridge at the Edge of the World. Both her brothers chose to leave the territory and seek their fortune on the other side of The Wonder Woods. Only Son-Ji inherited the Guardian’s Gift.

Submitted for the topic “Edge” at Illustration Friday. I intend to actually draw the bridge, but it won’t be in time for this topic! (Perhaps if there’s a “bridge” topic. I should submit that. Hmm…)

Here’s one more art card I did recently, for the “Kings and Queens” swap at illustratedatcs.com. I really like the color and style of this one, though the crown is not sitting quite properly in her hair/on her head. Queen Hana is Maiden Number 55 (and I am up to 60)!

Queen Hana
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope we all have a wonderful year with Illustration Friday and whatever other projects we’ve got hidden up our magic little sleeves. :)

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Monsters and Mermaids for Illustration Friday

Jeremiah and Devon ACEOs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

On the easternmost edge of The Wonder Woods is a glowing marsh with a peculiar variety of phosphorescent lichen called Witchlight, which many creatures find quite delicious! Those that help themselves to a bellyful of the stuff emit a yellowish glow, particularly in the cheeks, though only for a couple hours.

For the topic “Glow” at Illustration Friday. (Both original monster ACEOs are available in my Etsy shop – link at upper right! They were inspired by a “Little Monsters” ATC swap at illustratedatcs.com.)

Nari and Ivy ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Another enormous colony of Witchlight lichen is said to be located in the dark depths of the Story Sea, or so it’s told. Only mermaids and other deep sea creatures have ever seen it, and as you know, it’s hard to get a straight answer from a mermaid (particularly a cultish Goth one, like Nari or Ivy, above).

Nari and Ivy were made for a “Goth Mermaids” ATC swap at illustratedatcs.com.

Thanks for stopping in! I hope your holidays have been, and continue to be, super great!

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Elaine and the Bachelors, for Illustration Friday

Three Bachelor Snowmen

Three Bachelor Snowmen and the Fair Elaine
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

For “Snow” at Illustration Friday.

This is the story of three dapper bachelor snowmen, all vying for the fair Elaine. Join us in Episode One as Alfred (with the extremely fine top hat), hatches a plan to heat the apartments of his two rivals, Leo (in the blue) and Grumby.

I took no process scans of these creatures! However, here are two more ATCs I did recently that I really dig (and for which I have some progress scans – apologies for the hair on scan 12)!

Noise Monster and Ursula the Priestess ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Jangle is a particularly irritating little noise monster. He rustles papers and makes other small noises whose source you can never find! Fortunately he only stays in the same house for one day.

Descended from a long line of priestess healers born with elaborate facial tattoos, Ursula left the cloister and founded a small alpaca farm. She sometimes fosters girls who help with the flock while she prepares tinctures and various healing balms for the local community. Ursula is Maiden Number 45. Holy cow, 45!

AND ONE MORE THING!  A lovely person called Bettina has interviewed me for her site! If you have a moment, take a look! I don’t sound too dorky (I don’t think).

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Explore the Widsy Waddle! For Illustration Friday

Explore the Widsy Waddle! Steed Rental
9″ x 6″ Copic Markers, fine liners, white gel pen, digital text

For the topic “Explore” at Illustration Friday.

I started off with a giant bird but got frustrated with the wings and went back to my old standby, the horse beast! I was going to put a fairy or some other humanoid on his back but then I thought about my imaginary advertisements like Llama Genie Airships and the Elephant Shrew Urn.

Now that I’ve got a handful of these I should do a series. And then a book! Alternatively, I could build on all my creatures who live in the Wonder Woods, merge the advertisements into the same world, and write a historical document and/or  book!

It’s fun coming up with potentially original, commercial ideas! Doing them, on the other hand – much more tricky!

Progress pics below.  (Hmm, I should add a shadow at his feet.)  Please feel free to leave a note, and thanks for dropping in!

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Whiskered Tinkerer Dog for Illustration Friday

Jasper the Tinkerer
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

For “Whiskers” at Illustration Friday, a rather late entry!

Jasper has always been a tinkerer. As a youngster he fashioned a rudimentary mechanical ball thrower so Felicia, his younger sister, would give him a few moments peace. It only threw three balls before jamming, but his fifth prototype several years later would regularly work for a full thirty-two minutes. He moved on to snack-delivery devices after that -snacks being the primary canine motivator. He won’t show anyone yet, but I think that device beside him is one end of a conveyor belt.

I’m not actually sure that the whiskers are working here. I used a white prismacolor pencil because the gel pen leaves too thick a line. I think these whiskers are too long, but it is a whiskers experiment for a whiskers topic.

So as I’ve mentioned, I’ve been making lots of art for secret santa swaps. It is fun and I can’t wait until things arrive at their destinations. But it has also harshed my blogging vibe because I can’t post any of it. (But I will later!) Here is one card that didn’t make it into a box:

Celestina Calavera
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Celestina is a Day of the Dead Calavera girl, similar to ones I posted a few weeks back. Many of the ATC folks do really elaborate and realistic ones which are super cool. Mine are more cartoonish (and the hair highlights are funky) but they are very fun!

Thanks for stopping in! I hope to get back to regular posting again.

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Alice and Cheshire Cat, Illustration Friday

Alice and Cheshire Cat, 9″ x 6″
Copic markers, fine liners, white gel pen on Canson smooth Bristol

For the topic “Tree” at Illustration Friday. I started this sketch a while back but set it aside like so many other things recently. I’ve been in a weird mood I suppose and keep changing projects. But I couldn’t NOT join IF this week with a great topic like “Tree”! When I first saw the topic I thought I’d do another tree house (can never have too many) but then I decided to work on this and figured I’d make it into my entry. Which I did.

Tons of progress pics! You can see how I couldn’t decide about the background. In the end I probably should have left it that solid fuchsia. And the curlique thingers aren’t working so well here, though I am considering filling the rest of the block with them to neutralize the effect a bit. I do really like the odd cat (despite some anatomy problems) and cute girl (shoulder issue). And I’m happy with the bold color because I thought my goat entry for “Shy” was a bit anemic, color wise. Ah well, back to the drawing board!

Thanks a bunch for visiting!

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