Category Archives: Progression Photos

An Alien ATC and Some Keen Resources!

Melba T
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, white gel pen

A persistent rumor in scientific circles is that a small creature with one large eye appeared on the Saturn space station one day. If it had a small craft of its own, they never found it. It didn’t speak, but displayed an uncanny affection for Melba Toast, an old earth delicacy which the lead climate engineer had been hoarding. They named the creature Melba T and studied it for three days. When the Melba Toast ran out, the creature disappeared as mysteriously as it had arrived, with no witness.

Melba T was created for a “People of Planet X” swap, as mentioned in the last post. I think the curve of the white highlights is one of the keys to an effective eye. I use a Signo Uniball white gel pen. The tip clogs frequently but it is the best opaque white I’ve found for this purpose (some might prefer white paint with a brush).

And one more thing. I am going to try to add a new art resource to all of my blog posts, something I’ve actually used and found helpful. After I’ve done a few I’ll create a page and put them all in one place.

Helpful Art Resource 01

While reading up on noses recently I came across a very charming and effective online art instructor called Stan Prokopenko and his channel, ProkoTV. These two videos helped me with noses more than any other video or written instruction:

Proko: How to Draw a Nose: Anatomy and Structure

ProkoTV: How to Draw a Nose: Step by Step

(Let me know if you watch them!)

Thanks so much for visiting! A few Melba T progress pics below.

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Sir Valance Surveillance for Illustration Friday

Sir Valance Surveillance
5″ x 7″, Copic Markers, Micron & Prismacolor fine liners

Made for the Illustration Friday topic “Surveillance”. So I was just going to do a dapper fellow called Sir Valance who liked valances. But Bert thought I should make him standing behind the valance, and then I thought it should be an ad for his detective agency. I thought the idea was too complicated and I didn’t think I’d be able to illustrate it.  But then I did. Which is very satisfying. (And the result of  a lot of practice. Tons. If you wondered.) ;)

Murmak Cogwrench ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, gel pen

And this is an art card for a “People of Planet X” swap, which is third in a series after People of the Forest and People of the Sea (see previous posts)! I tried to get some vital statistics so I could introduce this fellow, but the universal communicator reverted to ones and zeroes and I wasn’t able to fix it in time for this post.

Thanks for visiting! Progress pics below. Questions and comments always welcome!

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Patterned Skulls in Ink for Illustration Friday

Arturos and the Witch’s Eye ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns, gel pen

There was once a mute witch who lived in a cave outside of town with her cat called Arturos. She sold love potions and healing balms to any villagers brave enough to visit. As legend tells, she plucked out her own right eye, and the right eye of Arturos, and switched them. It is said her new eye allowed her to see into the twilight world of cats. What Arturos saw, he never told.

Submitted to “Worn” for Illustration Friday. Both the eye and the skull are quite worn! They were displayed for a short time at the Oddity Museum of Ulster, but were reportedly removed when an elderly couple insisted the eye was moving in its (borrowed) socket. At least that’s what the placard beside the plaster replica says! I do not know if any of this story is true, but it does bring a touch of magic and a few curiosity seekers to the village.

Red Yellow Skull, and Red Skull with Lizard
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns, gel pen on Bristol Board

Two more skulls! I quite like the red one with the lizard. This is not subject matter I usually cover! All three were created for a “Bones” swap. I’ve been thinking lately I want more cards for my shop, and fewer for trading – simply because there is only so much time in the day! On the other hand, the swaps provide lots of inspiration in the form of other artists (just like Illustration Friday!) and also require subjects I am not as familiar with, which is excellent practice. Balance is the thing I must find.

Reference photo for the red skull (it’s a bit spooky). Thanks for stopping in!

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Stippled Ammonite Lizard

The Ammonite Lizard, 5″ x 7″
Copic markers with 1.0 Micron pen

Created as a Secret Solstice gift for a very cool dollmaker artist called Ruth Morris. Here is her website! And here is the Sumner & Dene Gallery with more of her totally fun and brilliant and odd dolls! I happen to also be the lucky guardian of a Lion Shaman doll and a Fairy doll.

All of the ink is done in stippling. Something I had not done in one, possibly two decades!  But I think it went pretty well. I did go back with my trusty Signo Uniball white gel pen for some highlights. Tons of progress pics below, as well as some close-ups.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback about posting frequency and blog things from my last post. I am aiming for twice a week. Thanks so much for stopping in – comments and questions are very welcome!

Ammonite reference photo.

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People of the Sea, Mermaid Varieties

This post includes the eel maiden from two posts ago, but they look pretty neat all together! I included her progress pics a second time as well for those just joining us. (She does have a story now – see below.)

Felicia, Coral and Shev. Three from the Sea
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Felicia, the purple one, is a cave mermaid. Not many pods of this variety exist, and those that do live deep underground. One member of each generation swims to the surface to exchange news with the other clans – otherwise we might not know what they look like!

Coral is a coral mermaid. Yes, she has several friends named Coral! At least, that’s what it seems like to us. The mermaid language includes a variety of clicking sounds that are practically inaudible to humans.

The last is an artist’s representation of Shev, an eel maiden. Closely related to mermaids, the eel people are the only members of their scientific class.  According to legend, Shev befriended a tiny village of humans on a tiny island off Scotland, and is said to be the inspiration for many mermaid folktales. Shortly after the entire village was  wiped out by a plague, Shev called upon a Kraken to sink the island so she wouldn’t be reminded of them.

These were made for a “People of the Sea” swap at illustratedatcs.com. They are also the final three maidens for my 100 Maidens project, started in July, 2012. Wow! I may start another big project soon. The maiden one was very satisfying (and instructive).

Thanks for dropping in; comments and questions welcome!

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Strange Birds. Copic Marker Art Cards

Peach-Crested Hawk and the Harmony Finch

Peach-Crested Hawk and the Harmony Finch
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copic markers,Microns pens, Signo Uniball gel pen

Ok, not that strange. But I don’t believe hawks or finches actually come in these colors. Also, they came out so much better than I expected they would!

I did start out with a photo of a finch for the basic shape and pose for the right one, and I think it was also a small bird for the left one, but then I found a photo of a hawk for the head (though it changed some). I am in awe of people who have the skills to illustrate realistic birds and I really thought I’d be rubbish at it (though I’ve done some decent birds in the past).

The feathers, which took a lot of figuring out, are not bad! I wouldn’t call this realistic exactly, but kinda neat regardless.

So, I’ve got loads of un-posted cards and I’m trying to decide which ones to post, and how many per post. I find when I visit people, if they have too many images in one post, I can’t appreciate them all that way.

I’m also trying to figure out whether shorter posts are better, and how many emails to subscribers is too many. Maybe I could post more often but only email every other one (with 2 in the email)? (All opinions on these matters are welcome! Comment below or feel free to drop a line to cindy@theslumberingherd.com.)

One more thing!  A BIG thank you to my blog friend Efi Maryeli who featured my work on her blog.

Thanks for stopping in! Progress pics below!

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Manatee Princess and an Eel Maiden

Sulky Sea Cow Princess
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

[EDIT: I am submitting this to Illustration Friday for the topic “Children”. She may be a sulky sea cow princess, but she is also a child, just waiting impatiently to grow up so she can do whatever she wants!]

As first in line for the Lavender Throne, Lula the manatee is forbidden from doing many fun things, so she has long days to sulk and worry about her future responsibilities. Some days, her friend Mork the seahorse can’t even stir up interest in a game of Bug Stones.

I must admit I think she and her friend are very cute. Here is my manatee reference photo.

An Eel Maiden
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

An eel maiden. Admittedly she does not look a lot like an eel, but she’s got that sinuous neck and I prefer eel maiden to snake maiden. Both of these were created for a “People of the Sea” swap at illustratedatcs.com. I am not running that swap, but it was inspired by my People of the Forest one. (Lots of People of the Forest art cards in previous posts!)

I am also thrilled to report that my blog friend Koosje Koene has featured my work on her blog! If you get a moment, go see! You can also find Koosje on her website and she’s got some great mini drawing tutorials on her Youtube page. Thanks so much, Koosje!

Thanks to everyone for stopping in! Lots of progress pic below!

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A Bear and a Beetle – Copic ATCs for IF

Sun Bear Art Card
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners

Ok, he may not be traditionally sweet, but I think he has a sweet face! Due to some trading requests I’ve done a bit of (pseudo) realism this week! And it’s always sweet (sometimes bittersweet!) to go outside our comfort zone. Submitted, as you may have guessed, for the topic “Sweet” at Illustration Friday.

I have been paying more attention to my process recently. I do a lot of layers with the markers, which not only helps in removing dreaded marker lines, but also results in some really nice blending. I counted the pens I used for this guy. 24! Two sizes of fine liner (0.05 and 2.0), a little bit of Uniball Signo white gel pen, and 21 Copics! Mostly browns and grays, with several orange, two blues and two greens.

Am I relying too much on different marker colors? Could I achieve the same result with fewer? Who knows! I can only do things the way I do ’em! (You will see that many of the colors disappear completely in the scans below.) I could have darkened some more shadows but have been trying to stop messing about with things before I wreck them. Here’s the reference photo.

And now, if beetles can be sweet, how about this guy?

Orange Wonder Beetle Art Card
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

This fellow was created by looking at this photo of a gray beetle. I tried to give it a name that suited its beetley charm. A beetle against the sky – he could be huge! Or tiny.

Thanks so much for visiting! I should have captured some more progress on the beetle but did a pretty fair job for the bear.

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Exercises in Unknown Styles: Clarke, Bilal, Gauguin

After Harry Clarke ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Micron Pens

I was recently involved in an art card swap with the theme “favorite artists”. The other members of the group pick their favorite, and the others make a card in that style. (I chose Daniela Volpari, who is a contemporary artist I happened to find on Etsy. I haven’t gotten my cards back from the other folks or I’d show ya how they turned out!)

The card above is based on a part of this Harry Clarke illustration. I took some liberties with some of the patterns but for the most part I copied the original. Usually I am no fan of copying! In fact, when I was in high school I refused to copy another artist, famous or otherwise, for any assignment. But I can definitely see the value in this type of exercise where you are forced to go outside your comfort zone.

Style of Enki Bilal ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, Signo Uniball gel pen

The next card was based on this Enki Bilal illustration. Tragically, mine looks quite a bit more like markers than I’d like – despite it’s actually being markers. Didn’t quite get there, but I did get closer than expected. ;)

Style of Paul Gauguin
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, Microns

I must say I was most pleased with this one, though I would not call Paul Gauguin one of my favorite artists. Again it was my intention to copy his painting, but it does not really look like the original, shown here. But I really appreciate how painterly it is, and how different than my normal style. In fact, I had to convince someone close that I’d actually made it!

Steampunk Geisha
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, gel pen

And finally, here is a crazy mash-up maiden, a steampunk geisha. She is Maiden Number 94, and was made for a trade.

Thanks for stopping in! I didn’t do progress scans for all of these, but I did for a couple!

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Yet Another Forest Creatures Art Cards Post

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!

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