Category Archives: sketches

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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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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The Messenger, for Illustration Friday

The Messenger
5″ x 7″ pen and ink, digital sky

For the topic “Talent” at Illustration Friday. He is the very best at delivering messages. The truth is, I originally envisioned a pile of creatures atop this old-fashioned bicycle, a circus-style balancing act. But that is not what happened!

Children sometimes see the messenger, but rarely adults. He is one of five sprites of the faerie realm who run important missions between our two worlds. This messenger carries just one message at a time. Often very grave or urgent messages! But  it is not for me to share his secrets.

Apologies to those who find such things as faeries and fairies and sprites and magic, entirely preposterous and beneath the interests of mature and intelligent folk. We will have to agree to disagree. I certainly prefer them to political scandals and sports dynasties!

A few notes: I believe this fellow would have fared better if the plain inked version had been colored in Photoshop. But I do not have Photoshop, nor am I a digital artist. But I do use paint.NET for touch-ups and for clouds. Saves on markers; makes nice clouds.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great March. :)

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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.

Three Copic Art Cards, a Fae and Two Cats

Post #150. Where does the time go?!

Amy Fae
2.5″ x 3.5″ markers, pen and ink

Amy belongs to the Northern River Pixie Clan. The Northerners can speak to more of the animals than any of the other clans, though they are poorer at gardening and plant speak. Amy has a particular affinity for small wildcats. And she is Maiden #67.

Next, more cats! For a cat swap at illustratedatcs.com. (I may even do an art card cat project after the dogs. Or maybe it will be sheep. Or llamas. Or farm animals. Oh dear.)

The Patron Cat of Saints, and Ed Cat
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards. Copic markers.

First scrapped title: Enigmati-cat. Second scrapped title: Saint Gretchen.They call her Gretchen though none know her true name. She has been depicted in holy ancient artworks spanning two centuries and sightings continue to this day, usually near a site of religious significance.

The grey cat with the fancy tie is Ed Cat. He does not like you. Or rather, he wants you to think he does not like you, to retain his haughty cat street cred. But really he does like you, and he will sneak onto your lap (or possibly your head), if you ignore him properly.

I really must get back to Illustration Friday! I don’t know the word yet but I will definitely do the next one! Thanks for stopping in!

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And the Dogs Played On, More Copic ATCs

I know you didn’t think I was done with dogs yet!

Clockwise from top left:
Blue Sebastian, Lizzie, Booda, Harrington
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards, Copics.

Since being told he is a “mixed breed”, Sebastian has taken to wearing archaic accessories of the landed gentry. In fact, he will be more than happy to provide you with many peculiar facts about the fashion choices of the upper crust from ages past. He makes a lot of it up, I think.

Lizzie is about 10 months old. We’re not sure where she found this little monocle and leather cap, but she won’t give them up. Her favorite book is “Harriet the Spy”.

Booda is a quiet, reflective fellow who teaches meditation to dogs with aggressive tendencies, to great effect. He lived for a time in the Northern California foothills with a small group of Tibetan monks.

Harrington comes from old money, all the way down the line. Or at least, that’s what he’s been telling everyone. He’s also been watching Downton Abbey with something approaching religious fervor. He does look smart with an ascot!

I also did a cute little cat today, intentionally leaving off the thick black outlines I usually add.  She is part of a cat ATC swap:

Agatha with Toy
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, Microns, gel pen

Thanks for visiting! I hope to join Illustration Friday this week, but “Storm” hasn’t inspired me quite yet. Not as many progress shots this time, but it’s just an anomaly, not a trend!

Oh! And one more thing. I have been told I have fans in the form of a 9th grade class in Canada. Thank you so much for the lovely note! If you let me know what you’ve been working on, maybe I can join in.

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More Goofy Art Card Dogs in Copics

Clockwise from top left: Beatnik Bruce, Flower the Environmentalist, Eddison, Professor Gabriel Each 2.5" x 3.5" art cards. Copic markers on smooth Bristol.

Clockwise from top left:
Beatnik Bruce, Flower the Environmentalist, Eddison, Professor Gabriel
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards. Copic markers on smooth Bristol.

Bruce started off as a hipster (in the sketch) but his Beat credentials have won out. He’s published three chapbooks of poetry and is a canine lit professor at a tiny liberal bark school.

Flower is an older student working towards a Masters in Environmental Law, and Gabriel was her Sociology 1200 professor. After completing the class, they began meeting socially for coffee.  I understand they are quite smitten with each other at this point.

Eddison is a bit of a mystery because he doesn’t say much. He keeps a beautiful garden however, and is rumored to have a slight crush on the local librarian.

Four new pups for my 30 Art Card dogs project. I am slowly replacing some of the older dogs with newer dogs that better reflect my current ability (and include more detail/accessories). Many of the pups are available in my shop, or possibly visiting for a while in my personal stash before they make it to the shop. ;)

Speaking of current ability, I thought I’d post some dogs from the very first art cards I did about two years ago, having just gotten back into drawing after many years away. Apparently I was quite fond of green backgrounds then!

Three Early Dog ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, markers, pen and ink.

I’d say it’s quite a striking difference! Practicing does pay off people, so don’t give up! Lots of progress pics below. Thanks so much for stopping by.

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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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