Tag Archives: beasts

Art Blog Interview and Colorful Copic Cats

I would like to take a moment to thank a lovely person named Alex Colombo at Tales for Creative Minds, who posted an interview feature about me and my herd of beasts. It is quite an honor and I can’t thank her enough. As I’m sure you know, every little bit of encouragement helps! And the presentation of the interview is really wonderful so hopefully some of you kind people will go take a peek.

You may have seen my herd of ACEO dogs on these pages recently. I decided to take a break from the dogs and have at some cats. The first is sort of accidentally a raccoon cat (yeah, didn’t quite mean to lay on the eyeliner so thickly), and the second is a kind of circus fox cat, as follows:

Raccoon Cat 2.5" x 3.5" in Copics

Wallace the Circus Cat, in Copics

I attempted some whiskers (and eye reflection) with a white gel pen, but it seems to clog to easily and not provide a consistent line. I might have to look into a paint pen, because often the ability to make a small correction or add a white detail is very handy. If you have any tips for using a gel pen, do tell! (Oh yes, and I do have some liquid frisket but haven’t braved it yet!)

Raccoon Cat is very mysterious and refuses to 1. provide an actual name, or 2. engage in any kind of pleasant conversation whatsoever. Fortunately her brother (yes I know, they don’t look the least bit related!), is much more genial and talkative. His name is Wallace, he loves Muenster cheese wedges (both for eating and juggling) and he is not allowed to tell me his sister’s name.  Just one of those things, I suppose. He is not actually in the circus but please contact him if you happen to know of an outfit that could use a juggling cat.

The progress of Wallace, the Circus Fox Cat:

Circus Cat Sketch

Circus Cat Ink

Circus Cat Color 1

Circus Cat Color 2

 

 

 

Phil the Cat

You may remember Phil, my previous ACEO cat. He still lives with Chaz (a llama) and Dean (a goat), and he asked to be introduced to the newcomers so I thought I would let him wander into this post as well.  Thank you for visiting!

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.

 

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

Apple Brigade With Copic Markers, 8x10

Thanks for stopping in!

Steampunk Collie in Copic Markers, Progress Pics

Steampunk Collie 9x6

 

 

Ugh, midnight and I must work early tomorrow and then board a plane for Florida. (Much cheaper tickets the week after a holiday.) But I’ve been meaning to finish this beast for days. Usually I start and finish one of these 8x10s or 9x6s in one night, or occasionally, two. So this one sitting for five or six days was an anomaly. And dammit I’m staying up to finish this post.

I fear he’s been a bit overworked. By the pen, not by his boss or something. I don’t know if he has a boss. Frankly, he’s been rather mysterious about his past. The only thing he will say for certain is that he is certainly NOT a collie. As you can see, these protestations have not led to my changing the title of this illustration or this post. And sure, he’s not a classic Lassie collie.

He’s also slightly standoffish, so I’m not actually sure if he’s wearing a fuzzy green coat, or that’s his actual dog coat. Although… it’s probably not fair to call him standoffish.  Deep in thought is much more likely. Inventor-types so often are.

I finally broke out a white gel pen I had picked up, but I really don’t know anything about how to best use it. I did some swirls on the cat part of the eyepiece (then went back over them in black because I didn’t love the look of it), and put a few swipes on his nostrils. (The eye is not gel pen, it was just not colored.) Anyway, progress pics!

Steampunk Collie Sketch

Steampunk Collie Color 1

Steampunk Collie Color 2

Steampunk Collie 9x6

Some combination of the second to last version and the final version would have been preferable, I think. I like some of the effects that were added, but it is too busy and I should have stopped sooner.

Overall I like him and despite the enormous number of outstanding dog/animal artists on Etsy, I must do more dog beasts. They are, if not the best kind of beast, then at least in the top 5% of beasts. Amirite? Thank you so much for dropping in!

Copic Carriage for IF “Round”, with Progress Pics

Carriage in the Round with Copic Markers

 

It’s Illustration Friday again! 100 people have already posted since this morning. I’m not sure why there’s a mad rush at the beginning of the day, but I imagine some people think the same of me, as I have been posting Friday night or Saturday. I do have a full-time job but no kids, so that’s one thing. Well, I suppose in my defense I am very enthusiastic about the whole thing. I like to do something new and post it when I’m done and then go visit lots of others.

I also believe everyone should visit at least a few! But I am not in charge. And I do appreciate the people in charge because IF is pretty cool.

So this carriage illustration is not my favorite thing I have done. In the first place, can you see the worried expression on the poor driver?  He’s waiting for his brother to return with a harness that fits. I mean really, if the poor courser took a step his back ankles would smack the wheels. He’s not even standing in front of the carriage, but off to the side. Also, I need to look into ways to make ground shadows that are not as terrible as these! And now, (dramatic interlude)… progress pics!

Round Carriage Ink

I’ll be honest. I almost started over right here. Lots of “round” but not much life! The horse beast’s body is actually quite round but it looked goofy so I covered it with a decorative coat! (With the added benefit of no chafing! Also the coat ended up being one of my favorite parts.) But even when I don’t love a sketch, I want to see if I can make something out of it.

Round Carriage Color 1

Round Carriage Color 2

Carriage in the Round with Copic Markers 8 x10

Now that I look at it, I think the back wheel should be the one further set from the carriage. Ah, I should have looked up carriage fabrication. Alas! I fear the background is rather uninteresting, but I was afraid trees or buildings would make it too busy.  Must work on these things!

Thanks for stopping in!

 

Illustration Friday’s Vanity (sort of!) with Progress Pics

Whimsical Vanity in Copics

 

 

This week’s Illustration Friday prompt was “Vanity”. The boyfriend suggested I do the Vanity from Prince’s band. This did not interest me for many reasons, primarily my reluctance to do people at all, let alone likenesses of actual people. So I settled on an illustration of a vanity table, despite “vanity” being an excellent opportunity for a little visual social commentary. But there would be creatures, of course! I don’t believe this blog has one drawing without at least one creature. It is The Slumbering Herd, after all, not The Slumbering Inanimate Objects. :o)

So, that window was originally a mirror – this being a vanity, and all.  But I just couldn’t get it to work out.  I had the bird looking into the mirror but uh, yeah, no. I hope nobody minds that I took some liberties with this vanity in that its owner was sick of the mirror and preferred looking out onto lovely sky.  As for the bench one might normally find at such a table, in fact it has a beautiful brocade orange bench, but the dog pushed it out of the way in order to sit and watch the bird (his favorite thing to watch in all the world).

So let’s see how many entries have been posted in this day and a half since the prompt came out! 136 and counting.  Sheesh. I’ve taken to commenting primarily on those entries that fall into the “children’s art” category, and sometimes I miss some. So many great artists and blogs!

This week I also ended up at the Artists in Blogland Show and Tell Saturday, so I’m going to link there, too! Welcome to my place, wherever you came from! If you care to comment, leave your address in the form thingie so I can visit back.  And now some progress pics:

 

Vanity Sketch

Vanity Color 1

Vanity Color 2

Vanity Color 3

 

 

9″ x 6″ with Copic markers and pens on 150 lb. drawing paper. Thanks for dropping in! (Also, arrrrgh, working on some formatting issues.)