Illustration Friday “Forward” & Pink Cat Beasts

Forward Isn't Always

I posted this last night but kept thinking the black background was too severe. This morning I made version 2 (with slightly different wording):

Forward Isn't Always, v. 2

I had been meaning to do both cats and whole animal bodies for a change. I was a bit stumped by “forward” at Illustration Friday, but finally figured a stalking cat would be a good challenge. I had trouble with it! In fact, I almost scrapped it at several points.

In the end, I am sort of pleased with this poster-type slogan thing I came up with. The quote went through a lot of re-writes before I settled on this one. (Another option would be about trying to go in too many directions at once.) (Also I’m not positive about the grammar! But I don’t mind.) The font is UglyQua, which reminds me a bit of the font Edward Gorey often used. It might also be overused but I am not a font expert so I don’t know and I certainly hope it doesn’t offend any ~~snotty~~ super nice design people. (click on image for a better look!)

I didn’t set out to do a double cat beast, but I was not happy with the original background so had to change my plans mid-flight (which often leads to better places). I was going to do a striped wallpaper wall and an oval rug beneath the (single) cat beast. When that didn’t work, I pulled the cat beast out of the page with Paint.NET, made a double by flipping him, and added the background and text digitally. Not 100% happy with the patterns on him but I was experimenting and that doesn’t always work out! Some progress pics:

Stalking Cat Beast Sketch 1

Stalking Cat Beast Sketch 2

Stalking Cat Beast Copic Color 1

Stalking Pink Cat Beast, Copics with Digital Background

Goofy Yet Serious ACEO Dogs with Copics

Goofy Yet Serious ACEO Dogs in Copics

Clockwise from top left: Ernie, Emma, Annabelle, Rufus

Goofy? Check. Serious? Check. Rufus looks a bit like a lioness? Check.

I’m not sure what it is about groups of things like this, but I like them. And I particularly like staying in the same few color families, repeating specific colors while still achieving variety. I had some trouble deciding on the arrangment. I thought the mainly yellow backgrounds should be opposite. But then I thought the two with more pinks should be opposite. Anyway, I’ve done another version:

Goofy Yet Serious ACEO Dogs in Copics, Second

Do you have a preference? I actually left off the black framing lines in the second as well (which is the same style as my first 4-ACEO print, mentioned a couple posts ago at the beginning of the ACEO dog craze in which I currently find myself. And not unpleasantly, I might add).

I may update this post shortly with the further adventures of Bear and Millie, suspiciously absent from this group. On the one hand, a quartet is only four. On the other hand, Bear found out that Millie plays a mean game of cribbage, and Bear had been looking for a Cribbage partner for AGES. So you can probably imagine why they are the last to arrive.

UPDATE: Millie has arrived. The Cribbage marathon is ongoing, as Millie and Bear have each won six games.

ACEO Dog Millie with Copic Multiliners and Markers

Thank you so much for visiting us!

Further Dog Adventures, ACEO Style

ACEO Dog Emma, Copics

I was going to do something much more twirl-related for this week’s Illustration Friday, since that is the topic. But I am currently in the midst of rather severe ACEO dog fever and I didn’t want to stall the momentum. It all started two posts back because I decided, after several days without much inspiration, to draw a sad ACEO dog. One dog led to a four-pack of hound dogs which then led us here. (The current pack has standing ears. They may be hounds but more likely awesome mixed-breed rescue types with mysterious ancestry.)

In any case, I have completed Emma (above) in my recently typical fashion, with lots of swirls. Though this is not technically the same thing as “twirls”, I hope I won’t be judged too harshly for stretching the topic somewhat, from twirl to swirl.

Emma in progress:

ACEO Dog Emma: Sketch, Ink, Copic Pen/Marker

The other members of the new pack, as yet inked only:

ACEO Dog Rufus, In Progress

ACEO Dog Bear, In Progress

ACEO Dog Ernie, In Progress

ACEO Dog Annabelle, In Progress

ACEO Dog Millie, in Progress

All six goofy and and generally charming ACEO dogs drawn by hand in pencil. Then, Copic multiliners, mainly size 0.1 and 0.3, though Emma got filled out with a 0.8 and that was probably a tad too wide for 2.5″ x 3.5″. I’ve been using pre-cut, ACEO-sized smooth illustration board, which comes in handy 5-packs by Strathmore (about $2/pack at Dick Blick’s). I hope to post the colored-up versions soon. Thanks for visiting! Dogs rule!

ACEO Dog Quartet in Copics, Part II

Hound Dog Quartet, ACEOs with Copics

Clockwise from top left: Oliver, Edgar, Miles and Martin

Hooray! Finished the 4-dog quartet. Went with similar dog for final image (see previous post for dilemma!) I’m calling it “Hound Dog Quartet” but it started as “Spaniel Dog Quartet” (and could revert at any time!). The inspiration photo (for all four) is a beagle. I think they resemble a beagle slightly more than Snoopy from Peanuts. But it’s still a stretch. (Which is fine with me.)

Oliver, the final member, in progress:

ACEO Dog Oliver Sketch

ACEO Dog Oliver Color 1

ACEO Dog Oliver

I believe a second 4-dog ACEO quartet is in the works, this time with standing ears (also known as prick ears or erect ears, but oh, such words!) Aside from that particular vocabulary conundrum, I can’t decide what to name the next set. I don’t want to go with Doberman Dog quartet or any other dog who has unnaturally erect ears – because I don’t believe in cropped ears (I won’t go on a rant or anything but cropping ears is an outdated and unnecessary procedure which causes a lot of pain in young dogs and also compromises protection for the ear canal. And doesn’t always work anyway!) So while I like Dobermans, I believe in “regular” ears for Dobermans, Great Danes and every other breed that up until recently had cropped ears as a matter of course. But that whole discussion is probably best not held on an art blog. :)

Many breeds have naturally standing ears. A few that come to mind are smaller dogs like terriers (though not Schnauzers), Basenjis, Chihuahuas. Here is the initial sketch for one member of the Standing Ear ACEO dog quartet (a charming and discerning bunch, I am sure it will turn out to be):

ACEO Standing Ear Dog 1

I think this one definitely looks more like a Basenji than a Chihuahua, so I may use a Chihuahua photo as inspiration for the next one or two. As always, thanks for visiting!

ACEO Dog Quartet in Copic Markers

ACEOs revisited. I was supposed to do an updated Magic Preparedness Kit (and I will!) but many days passed without the impetus for a new (or old) project. And then I was given the assignment of an anonymous gift to an internet stranger, and due to her interests in the colors seafoam, teal and aqua (with grays), and “Sad Etsy Dogs” (among many other things, but these were the bits I chose) – I was finally inspired to make a sad etsy dog of my own. His name is Edgar and he is currently traveling to upstate New York with some Almond Roca and a box of vanilla spice tea.

ACEO Dog, Edgar

I decided to do three more in order to do another 4-ACEO Giclee, like I did here:

Four ACEO Print with 2 Llamas, Camel & Pony

I decided to stick with the spaniel face/ears and do a similar (but not identical) dog for the next two, but with different colors (though mainly blues and greens).

ACEO Dog Martin, Sketch

ACEO Dog Martin, Color 1

ACEO Dog, Martin

ACEO Dog, Miles

Martin got into the mud, as you can see. Otherwise known as, I muddied up the color by going with gray as a shading color instead of a darker green or blue. On top of that, the black ink ran more than normal. I may have used a Micron pen instead of a Copic multiliner by mistake. (The Copic is designed not to smudge!) Arrgh. I also like the Color 1 version better than the overdone final version. But he’s still a cool cat.

Miles, possibly as a result, ended up on the slightly underdone side of the spectrum (fewer fine lined details). But he is also a cool cat. These two, only distantly related by blood, once planned a grand cupboard heist. They never went through with it, thank goodness. Also, they were only about seven months old at the time.

And now, feeling a break coming on, I am going to post this despite having reached only a triptych and not a quartet yet! I have to decide on the last ACEO. A similar style dog but with different colors? A dog with stand-up ears? A cat? A llama? I like the idea of the fourth being different (like I did with the pink pony in the other set).

In any case, thank you so much for visiting. All comments appreciated! I will update this post a bit later with the final creature.

The Emergency Wizard Kit, Illustration Friday

I had trouble with this one! All Illustration Friday topics are good, is my general belief, and if I cannot come up with an illustration, that is not the fault of the word! But all I could come up with for “PREPARE” was an elaborately prepared birthday cake. So I started a 4-tier fancy cake, but couldn’t decide on a decorating scheme for it. I finally hit upon Minas Tirith* but couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to do it right.

Then last night the boyfriend’s new alt-country band Honeysuckle Road was playing at a bar, and I brought drawing paper (8″x5″ Bristol paper from a small drawing journal, folded in half to fit in my tiny purse), a pencil and my favorite Staedtler eraser. Oh, and a pencil sharpener. Over the course of the evening (after several false starts), I came up with the following:

Magic Preparedness Kits, Display and "Actual" Versions

It’s a pretty rough sketch with many eraser marks, but I like the sketchy style. I also left the scanned version in “color” because it seems to give an old-fashioned kind of sepia tone (not sure why, actually, since it was all regular pencil!) Also, it is probably pretty clear I had no reference objects so some of the items are sketchy in more ways than one.

The Display Version of this wizard preparedness kit includes: Magic 8-Ball, witch hazel, candles, “spirits”, jar of newt eyes, tuning fork, genie lamp, Swiss Army Wand gadget. The “Real” Version includes: change for laundry, Sham Wow, spork, sharpie marker, nail clippers, Neosporin, Snickers bar, duct tape, cow bell, toothbrush, bifocals.

Some items that didn’t make the cut: extra straw for brooms, calligraphy pen, snakebite kit, Mag light, matches, flare gun, sticks of dynamite, fishing hook, ace bandage, rope, salt and pepper shakers, sewing kit. I think I will do a full color version in the next couple days, so we’ll see what ends up in there!

Can you think of any items I should have added? How about for your own emergency kit? Thank you for visiting!

*Minas Tirith is the White City from Lord of the Rings. Built in the side of a mountain, with terraces and levels going all the way up to a castle at the top (and the courtyard with the white tree). Apologies for the rampant geekery. But anyway, great tiered cake idea, right!? So great it’s probably been done, now that I think of it. ;)

Some Neat Folks and Their Art Blogs, Part One

I have been meaning do a few posts on some of the art blogs I found last year, so here’s one of the posts!

Leslie White teaches watercolor and drawing. Her blog is filled with neat techniques using rice paper, masa paper, liquid frisket, and other things I knew nothing about before I read about them at her place! She is really great about explaining her processes and often posts progress pics. I picked two of my favorites below. (Click on the painting for a link to that item’s blog post)

Elephant by Leslie White

Moose and Calf by Leslie White

José Luís Ocaña is an established freelance illustrator from Madrid who I found through Illustration Friday. He frequently does more than one piece per week on a given topic, usually with great colors and great characters. And though I sadly do not speak Spanish and probably miss some things as a result, he often answers comments in English. Some of his excellent characters:

Aurora by José Luís Ocaña

Cuento con Violin by José Luís Ocaña

These are just two of the great blogs I found last year, and I hope to post about others in the coming months. I didn’t want to put too many in one post!

You, too, can find many wonderful blogs in the following places, should you feel so inclined:

Etsy. If I find an artist whose work I admire, I will usually check their profile for a blog address.
Artists in Blogland and Web of Whimsy were two of the first places in which I found lots of blogs listed in one place (and could add my own, hooray!)
Illustration Friday. I don’t work for them, I swear! but I have been singing the praises of Illustration Friday since I started participating at the end of last year. Why it’s so cool:

Many different styles, mediums and skill levels.
All art blogs all the time! While I do love some crafty blogs, knitting blogs, art doll blogs, etc, usually I am looking for 2D-art style blogs for inspiration, tips and techniques
So many cool and friendly people, many of whom will visit you back if you drop by their blog and leave a comment (many won’t, but don’t let that discourage you!). In fact, there’s about a 71% chance that if you are reading this, you found me there (or I found you!)

Speaking of IF, we’ll have a new topic in a few hours and it’s snowing in the Chicago area. Between you and me, I’ll probably call in to work tomorrow (treacherous roads plus a much reduced workload in winter) and I look forward to my second IF entry in 2012. Thank you so much for visiting!

At Long Last, Another Illustration Friday Post!

Wow, almost a month since my last post. December happened with all its madness, relatives, travel and other excuses too numerous to mention (including the new Star Wars MMO, dammit!) I hadn’t even been doing any drawing, and getting back to it proved much more difficult than anticipated. I hope this will be a good motivator for not letting so much time pass with no art again anytime soon. In any case, I managed the following, for Illustration Friday . The topic this week is “Grounded”:

Aviator Camel in Copics, "Grounded"

Derek, a veteran flyer of twenty-seven weeks, was somewhat peeved to find out he had been grounded for several weeks and required to re-take the Dirigible Flight Safety Class. I mean yes, he did come pretty close to clipping a stand of evergreens yesterday, and he did leave the engine running once last week. Well, twice. But come on! Derek’s gaze lingered over the lovely dirigible for a few more moments before pulling off his jacket and trudging back to the flight school.

Despite the rather awful background, the too thick horizon line, the nose being too close in tone to the rest of the fur, and the fact I should have stuck to blue/brown/grey and avoided green, I am glad to finally finish something new. And I do like ornery old Derek the aviator camel. This is a 9″ x 6″ original illustration with Copic pens and markers. Here’s some progress pics:

IF Grounded, Sketch

IF Grounded, Inked

IF Grounded, Color 1

Aviator Camel in Copics, "Grounded"

I am very happy to be back. I look forward to looking at lots of other entries this week, making lots of comments and generally getting back in the swing of things. Thank you so much for visiting!

Fancy Cows in Copic Markers for Illustration Friday

Costumed Cows, Copic Markers 8.5×11

So I left town for about 4 days and when I came back I started playing video games (Civilization 5, meh – I start over a lot because the beginning is more fun than the middle) and some tower defense games, all the while glancing worriedly in the general direction of my drawing table. Before I left, I had been completing two pieces a week, posting 2-3 times, getting right on the IF prompts and so forth.

When I finally sat down to draw a couple days ago I was not happy with anything and started over repeatedly. Then finally I glanced up at the Bonny Bovines and I was back in business. (The last sentence was brought to you by the letter “B” and curious cows everywhere.)

This week’s Illustration Friday topic is “separated” and Mavis and Bernie (above) have not been separated for more than four hours in the twenty-seven years they have been married. The four hours happened the first weekend their neighbor, a Shetland Pony, first brought home a small herd of miniature goats. The goats promptly jumped the inadequate fence between their properties and proceeded to stamp across Bernie’s garden.

Bernie, with ineffective help from the pony, gave chase and returned home with most of the goats four hours later. He extracted a promise from his neighbor that the goats would be properly penned in. (It was not, of course, the last incident involving the goats. But that’s another story.)

Bernie and Mavis sat for an earlier portrait in one of my earliest pieces with Copic Markers, which can be found here. And now some progress pics!

Costumed Cows Initial Ink

Costumed Cows Color 1

Costumed Cows Color 2

Costumed Cows, Copic Markers 8.5×11

There is an ear overlap problem that I left alone. Bernie’s right ear (our left) should just have been angled backward more (and been smaller), but alas! Mavis’ nose got muddied up because I forgot I had used the Copic black marker rather than pen for some of the dark in her nostrils. (The marker is meant to blend and so smudges easily, unlike the pens.)

A final note about this pair. They were bickering at each other ALL DAY while I worked on this portrait. Bernie wanted to wear the mustache on his nose and Mavis told him not to be ridiculous because it is too small for his nose. He retorted that her headdress thingie was totally from the wrong time period if they were going to the costume party dressed as Victorian steampunks. (The party, incidentally, is at the shetland pony’s house. Apparently the goats have been dressed as Oompa Loompas and will be serving oat and carob snacks.)

It is Sunday evening and already 186 IF entries have been posted! Thank you for stopping by to visit mine!

The Apple Brigade for IF Friday with Progress Pics

Apple Brigade With Copic Markers, 8x10

Sunday evening and 134 IF “Brigade” entries posted! (Some really neat ones!) With the possible exception of a soldier-type brigade, this topic yielded few obvious scenarios.

Fortunately, at dictionary.com I was was reminded of fire and rescue brigades. Hooray! So I planned on either 1. a cat stuck in a tree with a crazy pyramid of beasts trying to rescue it, or perhaps a beast stuck in a tree with a crazy pile of cats trying to rescue it.

I began with a tree and as is my habit, I drew too big. I then drew a beast in the tree with his hand stretching downward and decided he didn’t particularly look in need of rescuing. So of course the brigade of beasts would instead be making a delivery.

Like my last IF submission, the Round Carriage, I am finding it a bit overly busy and I don’t love all the color combinations. And the jury is definitely out on the weird sky and clouds. That much said, it was a good exercise!

Apple Brigade Sketch

Apple Brigade Color 1

Apple Brigade Ink 2