Category Archives: ATCs and ACEOs

100 Tiny Houses Project, Pen & Ink

Nine Tiny Houses, Oh My!
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

It was inevitable! I’ve been on a tiny house tear around here. Perhaps eventually I can turn the 100 Tiny Houses into a bustling neighborhood! It will have a Halloween side of the tracks and maybe a Steampunk neighborhood. (The Project includes 17 houses so far, starting with three Spook Houses from Halloween 2012.)

Those who have been following will be happy to know I am remembering to put little trash can portals in (almost) every one, for easy travel options.

The above nine include several older ones, and these four new ones:

Three Halloweenish Houses and 1 Steampunkish
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

I’ve started to name them – also fun! 1. Chapel of the Grey Witch, 2. The Cat Hag’s Shack, 3. The Pumpkin Charmer’s Cottage, 4. Clever Inventor’s Shed.

Thanks for stopping by! Managed a few progress pics. Will try to do more. ;)

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Halloween-ish Cityscapes

Witchy Boot Village
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

It’s back to the cityscapes around here, with a bit of Halloween flare. The 100 Cityscapes Project is up to 25! My favorite bit is probably the candy corn mailbox.

Hattown
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Also, hat houses. With tiny hat house numbers. Sort of Halloweenish.

Snowglobe City
2.5″ X 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

One more, not very Halloweenish. Done about the same time as the City in a Bottle. I should really look into doing proper light reflections on glass. At some point. If you know some good resources for learning about light reflections on glass, please share!

Thanks for dropping in!

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Micro Cityscapes in Pen & Ink

Eyeline
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

I like this one because I remembered to add the little streetlamp, and potted plants, and a tree, and of course the garbage can. Which may not be a garbage can at all. Perhaps it’s a portal connecting all the garbage cans in all the micro cities.

With that in mind, I shall submit this post for the Illustration Friday topic “Hidden”, for the hidden garbage can portals. Which I didn’t even know about until I wrote this post!

Bottled City
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

See, there’s another one! These are cities number 19 and 20, of my 100 Cityscapes Project. One or both may end up in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Lush Red Maiden and a Calavera Quartet

Scarlet Order Seer
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Probably my favorite maiden so far, and submitted for the topic “Lush” at Illustration Friday. (Lush color and detail!) Made for a trade, I was a little sad to let her go.

Over the long weekend I was in Muskegon, MI and brought some ATC supplies. I was surprised to find my (sort of) brother-in-law with a brand new and rather keen interest in Day of the Dead art and folk figurines. So I did a bunch of sugar skull type cards. No scanner though, so no progress pics of these!

Calavera Quartet
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, white gel pen

The top right is Sad Leona, and the bottom left is Bony Madeleine. The one with the horns may need a little more work. They are fun to do! Thanks for stopping by!

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Silver Cat and a Cat Card Retrospective

Hector Cat ATC, 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns

A silver cat for the topic “rescue” at Illustration Friday. Hector came into the shelter with his brother Hans, two spitting fur balls about four pounds each. A kind and patient foster couple took them in and eventually adopted them both. Apparently Hans became a lap cat but Hector likes to sit on the back of the couch and lick your head.

And then I thought, these cats I’ve been doing are different than cats I have done in the past. Perhaps it’s time for a cat retrospective!

Four Early Cat ATCS,  each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns

Of these, though I dig the cloaks and Santa hat, my favorite is the pumpkin cat. Maybe because she looks the most like the Peterbald type cat I often use as a reference.

Four Early Middle Period Cats, each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns

Of these my favorite is the first one, because it’s a different style cat that really worked – though I haven’t been able to duplicate that style in quite the same way since.

Three Current Cats!

Of these I am particularly fond of Sleeping Mathilda, in the middle. I think she’s pretty cute!

Do you have a favorite? I love cats but I’m a dog person at heart so I am always interested to get a cat person opinion. (And all the other opinions, too!) Thanks for visiting!

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Maiden Cityscape Mash-up, in Markers

Her City Hair, and Village of the Mind
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

These started with an intuitive face (see last post!), and ended with a cityscape. I suspect the continued blending of subjects shall occur for some time! In addition, here is the threatened dog plus cityscape, and a bonsai community.

Blue Dog City, and Bonsai Town
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards, Copic markers

Have you done any goofy mash-ups lately?

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Curiouser Cityscapes, in Pen and Ink

Penny Farthington and Roof City
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

As it’s my fresh obsession, this cityscapes business, I am submitting several curious cities for the topic “Fresh” at Illustration Friday. And I am pleased to say the slideshows are working again! And a few other things have changed around here… but not too terribly much. My 100 Cityscapes Project is up to 14, with several more in the works!

City Chapeau and Lucinda’s City Hat
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Here we have two maidens modeling odd but stylish cityscape fashions. You can expect a dog with a city hat next, and perhaps a robot, as my ATC* cityscape mash-up experiments continue! (Some of these cards and many more original art cards in my shop.)

Thanks for stopping by! Questions and comments welcome.

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*ATC: Artist Trading Card, standard size 2.5″ x 3.5″ and often traded, sold & otherwise collected.

Hybrid Cityscapes, Pen and Ink for Illustration Friday

UPDATE:  Hooray! New theme installed and slideshows working again.

Toad Hamlet
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

This one is probably my favorite so far. And is number six in my new 100 Cityscapes Project. I was thinking of doing a set of mushroom cities, and maybe some moving cities (see below)! Submitted for the Illustration Friday topic, “Hybrid”.

An Early Ship City, and Marla’s Tiny Village
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Marla was the daughter of a lesser deity, a bratty, difficult child who flaunted her small magics by teasing local children and animals. One day she convinced a djinn to grant her wish for a small city of her own, but in the manner of djinn her wish was subverted. Her father refused to intervene even when the tiny city seemed to weigh heavily upon her. Finally, to the surprise of many, she became a kind and thoughtful steward for the city and its tiny inhabitants.

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Colorful Cityscape Art Cards, Pen and Ink

Darling Avenue
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen on Bristol Board

More colorful cityscapes (with cute names). So glad I started doing these tiny towns and streets because they are super fun and I recommend you do some. You might not like your first one, but try again!

I expect I will do many more, maybe even some large ones. Hmmm. 100 Cityscapes Project? I will have to think about that.

Village at Blushing Hill
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

The colors of this one remind me of a dreamy desert landscape. I settled on a name for the color that the peachy sunset casts across the village. Thanks for stopping by!

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The Village of Little Sprout, for Jungle at IF

The Village of Little Sprout, process and final
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, gel pen on Bristol Board

Submitted for the topic “Jungle” at Illustration Friday. My latest unconventional cityscape, it was very fun to make. And I would like to live there. :)

I was also quite pleased with this cat, though she has only the most distant connection to the jungle, having moved to the Great Red Plains in her youth.

Tarabell the Theurgist
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Shown here with her ceremonial robe and shield, Tarabell was one of the three founding members of the Lunar Cat Council. A cat called Elsbeth wears Tarabell’s robe now, with great care and reverence.

The Lunar Ceremony is open to visitors twice per year, and it is a grand and wondrous honor to see the entire Council in their ancient finery.

(Somewhat more realistic than previous cats!) Made for a trade at illustratedatcs.com.

Thanks for visiting! I forgot to send out my last post, so maybe take a look if a robot called Croissant sounds interesting to you.

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