Tag Archives: Copic Markers

IF Shades, Wombat and Chihuahua

Wombat and Chihuahua Copic Ghosts

I’ve been meaning to do a wombat for ages! So my choices for Illustration Friday “shades” included – wombat with sunglasses (shades) or a wombat in front of window shades or in shades of a particular color, or a wombat ghost (shade). My first wombat is a wombat ghost! His name is Nigel. And he wouldn’t be complete if he weren’t haunting the place with his best friend Gabriel the Chihuahua (also a ghost).

Their friendship is a tale of incredible mystery and adventure, but we’ll have to save that for another time. Suffice it to say they met their untimely ends together during an escape attempt from a trio of American kidnappers in Venice sometime in 1974. They haunt the Venetian tavern where they lived with a quiet Irishman for  eight years after being won in a dice game from their former owner, a globetrotting Tasmanian.

I am not sure they look entirely like shades in the final above. But how about 2 scans ago:

Wombat and Chihuahua, Somewhat More Ghostly

I can’t decide which I prefer. The background is definitely unfinished in this one, but I could have left the critters alone. Let me show you the whole process:

Wombat and Chihuahua Sketch

Wombat and Chihuahua Color 1

Wombat and Chihuahua Frisket

On Nigel here I went over frisket with three shades of gray then peeled off the frisket. On Gabriel you can see the Masquepen (frisket) in blue, with no marker yet.

Wombat and Chihuahua Color 2

Gabriel colored with 2 grays and one gray-purple so the ghosts would not be quite the same color. I suppose I could have left the eyes white. That’s rather ghostly.

Wombat and Chihuahua, Somewhat More Ghostly

This would have been a stopping place for the figures, but the wall and tabletop need somehelp.

Wombat and Chihuahua Color 3

Wombat and Chihuahua Copic Ghosts

I don’t know, the more I look at them, the more ghostly they seem, though they did not need the extra thick black outline. I can say with certainty I have never drawn a wombat ghost, or any animal ghost, before this challenge. And though I do get a kick out of steampunk trend-wise, I don’t have much enthusiasm for the whole zombie thing. But ghosts, that’s totally different! Right? Thanks for coming!

Photo inspiration from Wombats! and Chihuahua Pictures.

Umbrella for Monday Artday with Copic Markers

Artemis Umbrella, 9" x 6" with Copic Markers

My first challenge for Monday Artday! The challenge: “Umbrella”. An interesting creature Artemis, and I do love the flowing locks of an Afghan Hound! But I wish I’d used a larger piece of Canson 150 lb. Fanboy Drawing Pad. See, I haven’t found smaller than a 9×12 pad and my scanner only does 8.5×11, so I have to choose between not scanning, cutting the paper down slightly and wasting the edges, or cutting it in half and doing two 9×12’s.

I have been doing Illustration Friday since October 23rd, 2011, and I could not love it more (I missed a few, as to be expected). Well actually, I could love it more if spammers didn’t link there but otherwise, it is such a great thing I can hardly stand it and I cannot thank Penelope Dullaghan enough for creating it.

However, in my continuing quest to DO LOTS OF ART, I have been looking for another challenge in case I need a content nudge between each IF topic (as my goal is 2-3 new art posts per week). With all my bouncing around to the hundreds of artists at IF and their favorite links, I ran across Monday Artday a few times, and finally took the plunge.

In any case, here are some Artemis Umbrella progress shots:

Artemis Umbrella, progress sketch & frisket

Artemis Umbrella, color 1 and 2

Artemis Umbrella, 9" x 6" Copic Markers

Some things I like (she was too small to go overboard with detailing), and some less so (her right arm is odd and the angle of the umbrella/parasol is off and the cropping is not ideal). But otherwise not too bad. I didn’t mess with the background after peeling the frisket. Oh! I used a masquepen recommended by Mardi Speth and holy cow, so much better than a brush or other struggle. Thank you, Mardi!

Thanks for stopping by! (Tactful) criticism always welcome!

Illustration Friday, Puppy and Cow, Copics

Yield for Illustration Friday, Puppy and Cow

Before the new topic came out at Illustration Friday this week, I had sketched a very silly but promising cow:

Cow Sketch

I figured she made the perfect platform for something, but what? And then the topic “yield” was posted, so I thought about how I could use this cow and that word and what I came up with was to put a giant pie on her head with the words, “The apple tree produced more than double the yield of the previous year due in no small part to the fertilization efforts of Hannah the cow.”

Cow pie. Fertilizer. Yeah, not a highbrow moment. I’m ok with that. But I didn’t think a pie would be visually very interesting. I have since decided a pie would have been totally doable – but I went with cute, in the end. Which may be cheap but so is cow pie. ;)

Cow and Puppy Sketch

Cow and Puppy Mask

This was actually a really great blue that I lost with too many light colored coats. Alas!

Cow and Puppy Color 1

And this is the stage where I say to myself, ugh, this is not going well. But that always happens in the beginning color stages so I don’t despair quite as much as I once did. Which is good. Unless you’re one of those people who thinks inspiration is only sparked by misery. I am not.

Cow and Puppy Color 2

Cow and Puppy Color 4

I really need to finish all of the color before adding the black ink (which isn’t supposed to smudge, but does a bit!) Lots of muddy spots as a result. Probably could have done more with the background but a decent effort overall.  Thank you for coming!

Note: In case you didn’t know, I have put a detailed tutorial on how to make yourself a thumbnail for IF (or avatar or other tiny image), on my sidebar near the top of the page. I hope someone finds it useful! A thumbnail will get you more views than no thumbnail.

A Llama for Sven, Copic Markers with Liquid Frisket

A Llama for Sven, Copic Markers using Frisket

The complications of llama ownership weighed heavily on Sven the cat, who had been up much of the previous night trying to convince the llama that she did not belong on the bed. Or, failing that, at least not to rest her head on poor Sven. Liam the dog, Sven’s best friend and housemate, was not much bothered by the ruckus, as he is a heavy sleeper and prefers his kingly brocade cushion bed to the platform bed.

Why did you want a llama, again? asked Liam.

Sven scowled darkly at the dog. Then he glanced over at the llama and couldn’t help but smile. “Look at her. She’s so cute! And one day she’ll let me ride on her head. And we will conquer the world!” He sighed. “I do wish she was, you know, a bit quicker. About stuff.”

Liam rolled his eyes and went make a sandwich.

Before you ask, Sven is a softie so there is no way he is going to leave the llama outside. The llama he hasn’t named yet, I might add, though he’s leaning toward Doris. It all started here:

Llama for Sven Ink

Llama for Sven Frisket

Llama for Sven Color 1

 

Llama for Sven Color 2

A Llama for Sven, Copic Markers using Frisket

So what seems to happen, with these non-Illustration Friday illustrations, is that I pick an animal to draw (lately dogs, llamas, cats, sheep, goats, cows, mainly). Once he or she is done, I decide what other animal wants to be in the frame, too. And then another, if there’s room. And from there,a relationship becomes clear. Which is how I knew that poor Sven, the terribly weary-looking cat, had been up all night trying to take care of his new llama. And that Liam with the just slightly exasperated face, was not in favor of the llama particularly but you know, as long as he didn’t have to feed it or walk it.

Hello! Thank you for coming!

 

 

 

A Wizard’s Pantry for Illustration Friday

Wizard's Pantry, Copic Markers & Pens

(Apologies for having made a 9″ x 10″ item which does not quite fit on my scanner arrggh!)

“Intention” is the word this week  for Illustration Friday, and it has been my intention for a couple weeks to make a color version of my “Prepare” Illustration, which was a pencil sketch with potential. You can find that post here.

This particular color version did not live up to the promise of the sketch. I hesitate to provide a list of the problems I have with it, partly because there are so many! And partly because some of my dear visitors shall scold me for it. (I have been known to do some mild scolding of my own so it’s only fair.) Anyway, the colors and perspective and the handwriting all have problems. I’ll just leave it there.

A couple progress pics:

Wizard's Pantry Ink

Wizard's Pantry Color 1

I was going to add a porthole, or a window to fill all the space behind Mr. Imp but ended up with a weird thing that looks slightly like a large plastic device for hand-juicing oranges. (The wizard who was kind enough to let me draw his pantry let me know it is a portal but refused to elaborate further.)

Wizard's Pantry Color 2

I actually still like the color family at this point. But then I fooled with it too much!  Alas! Also, the imp has turned out somewhat more creepy than the cute I had imagined. I do like his crazy circus leotard, though. (It just didn’t seem right for him to stay in the buff.) I’m not sure why he likes to hang from his arm like that.

Wizard's Pantry, Copic Markers & Pens

I really love some of the Illustration Friday folks who do awesome collections of tiny, detailed things. So this was an attempt at one of those. Further attempts will be made.  Thank you so much for visiting!

Also! I have written up a (hopefully) easy and detailed tutorial for making your thumbnail for Illustration Friday (or anywhere, really).  It’s in my sidebar here! Don’t miss out on views because your thumbnail never works!

Two Horses, One Hound, Copic Markers

Horse 'n Hound Table Tennis Association

I stuck to a color family! I am very pleased with that aspect because I often try and rarely make it to the end. I mean even here, wouldn’t a pair of blue eyes or a purple background be neat? That’s the trouble with having collected half a metric ton of Copic Markers (ok hold on, I’ll check) (ok, about 115, various sizes, collected over 10 months or so).

I am once again feeling the necessity to branch out into more than headshots. However, Illustration Friday has been providing for that nicely. Oh! So my last post is heading toward 70 comments (about 8 are mine). Can I just say thank you so much to every single one and also holy cow! If I didn’t reciprocate, it is only because you did not leave your web address!

On a related note, because I was curious, I decided to count how many comments I had left so far this week for Illustration Friday. One hundred fifty-one.  Haha, is that insane or what? I doubt I will be able to keep it up, but I have been finding so MANY great art blogs. And I don’t have kids. For all you folks with a regular job AND kid(s) AND doing Illustration Friday, my hat is off to you. Seriously!

What I do is visit the IF site every day, several times a day. I know that other people don’t have the time to do this. On the other hand, I feel like I am building this wonderful, mutually supportive community. I have been able to identify a whole bunch of folks who visit regularly,and who I visit in turn. (If you are looking for folks who are more likely than the average to comment back when you’ve commented at their site, I suggest visiting the commenters from my “Capable-IF” entry just before this one – just click on their name. You will find so many great things!)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, here is how the Horses ‘n Hound thing happened:

Horse n Hound Ink

Horse n Hound Color 1

Horse n Hound Color 2

Horse n Hound Color 3

I’m thinking of starting to put together a book with some of my goofy beasts, each with a silly/weird/non sequitur type caption. (In case you wondered about the table tennis thing.) Thank you so much for coming by. You’re the greatest!

Oh! I almost forgot! I just wrote a how-to for Illustration Friday thumbnails (in my sidebar, here). If you’re someone whose thumbnail never works, give it a try.

Illustration Friday “Capable” Copic Markers

Cape a Bull With Copic Markers at The Slumbering Herd

“Capable” for Illustration Friday this week, where 104 entries have already been posted.

Yes, this entry is quite silly. I saw some other folks had gone with the cape concept, so I had to crank it up a notch! I think (again) this one is overly busy. Arggh! What I’ve been aiming for is ‘neat and intricate’, but where I have been landing is ‘overworked and confused’. But I’ll keep trying.

Here’s how it happened:

Cape a Bull Sketch

Cape a Bull Liquid Frisket, Ink 1

Cape a Bull Ink 2

Cape a Bull Ink 3

Cape a Bull With Copic Markers

A decent effort but definitely overworked. And I don’t love this color combination quite as much as I’d hoped. Next time I’d go with browns instead of blues. I’m often worried that browns are too subdued but 1. sometimes subdued is good, and 2. I really do have a lot of different browns and I generally like it when I go that way. And so ends today’s ramble!

The font is Ugly Qua. Thank you for your visit!

Blue Llama with Frisket and Copic Markers

Nell the Blue Llama, Copics

This is Nell, and she has come up in the world quite nicely, benefiting from her predecessors, I think:

The Slumbering Herd Copic Llama Retrospective

The trouble is, I have been doing a lot of dogs lately. And dog noses are not llama noses. It seems I forgot this when crafting Nell’s curious nose. So, she has a doggish, rabbity sort of nose. She seems to like it though.

This was Liquid Frisket Experiment Number 4,which started here:

Blue Frisket Llama Sketch

Blue Frisket Llama, Frisket Phase

So I decided to fill the background before adding the frisket. I knew I would go over the outline of the llama and I didn’t know if it would affect the texture of the background even when peeled off. I filled up the middle with frisket swirls then went over them with several blues.  Started a little shading but not much. Lost my pencil line in a couple spots, but no disasters.

Blue Frisket Llama Ink

Blue Frisket Llama Ink 2

Blue Frisket Llama

She looks pretty happy, which is nice. I can vouch for the fact that she is, generally, a happy llama. I may have to branch out into (gasp) profiles or (double gasp) a whole llama body. It could happen.

Thanks as ever for dropping in!

A Mountain of Mugs in Copics for IF’s “Fluid”

Josephine's Mountain of Soup Mugs, Copic Markers w/ Digital Frame & Text

So I recently launched an art challenge with the prompt “Catastrope” at the Etsy group Doodlers Doing Doodles. [I did not start this group (too wordy for one thing!) but as the only leader I became de facto Captain when the real one took off for destinations unknown some six months ago. If you want to join, just drop me a line!] Anyway, my idea was either a stack of dishes or a stack of monsters… or possibly a stack of dishes AND monsters. So I started a stack of coffee mugs and tea cups, and then the Illustration Friday topic “Fluid” was announced.

I believe I am stretching this topic further than I’ve personally stretched an Illustration Friday topic, to include what turned into a mountain of soup mugs. (Originally tea cups and coffee mugs but really, Josephine could hardly drink tea out of these monsters.) (Hey! It turns out I did do a stack of dishes and monsters.)

This will be my third outing with liquid frisket (the results of which are those white swirls in the wallpaper). The paper I’ve been using is Bee Paper Company’s Artist Marker Pad, recommended for use with Copic markers. It is insanely smooth and very nice for markers, but it’s only 110 lb. so the frisket buckles it a bit. That is part of the reason these particular swirls are much larger than my normal. Here’s how it all began:

Mugs and Rabbit wip 1, 2

I figured some sort of creature imminently at risk of toppling the stack was necessary for a looming sense of “catastrophe”. I also used color before black multiliner to cut down on smudging.

Mugs and Rabbit wip 3, 4

I thought about leaving it here, with just the outline of the rabbit beast. Many Illustration Friday folks employ two different techniques in one drawing or painting and it is usually a pretty neat effect. Perhaps I should have done a background but left the bunny as she is here. Actually, if I did it over again that’s what I would do.

Mugs and Rabbit wip 5,6

I think the background is too busy. Or I just don’t know how to make the foreground pop out. I suppose I could put an otherworldy glow around the objects but will have to look into additional methods. (Do you have one? Please let me know. Yet another item I would have learned in art school. Alas!) Oh! And one more fyi, because it seems like good info: the font in the final at the top is Cambria Math.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Copics and Liquid Frisket, Revisited

Blue Dog with Cat, 8.5" x 11" Copic Pens & Markers

More dog and cat beasts! You may recognize the hound/spaniel face from a recent series of ACEOs. This one reminded me why going to the edge of the paper on all sides is sub-optimal (it’s a pain! And the pen runs off, and making swirls along the edges is also a pain). I have a lot of practice ahead of me if I’m going to perfect a cat. However, this cat is a MUCH better cat than the one I started with:

Blue Dog Cat Sketch 1

The face gave me no end of trouble. In fact, my intention was going to be for the cat to be rubbing his head under Blue’s chin, but things got out of hand.  Sometimes that happens.

Blue Dog Cat Sketch 2

That’s better. Fixed the short stubby legs and went with a bent neck. I created several ounces of eraser detritus to get to this point.

Blue Dog Cat Initial Ink

This cat will do! (Need to practice paws. And apparently cat butts. This cat butt is just not right.)

Blue Dog Cat - Frisket, Color 1

Swirls in liquid frisket on the ears. It was supposed to go all the way down but I tried to remove some thickly dropped frisket and it pulled up more bits and then more so I just cleared it off the bottom of the second ear, too. The colors always look pretty rotten at the beginning and there is no exception in this case (mostly because it looks so much like markers).

Blue Dog Cat Color 2

Blue Dog Cat Color 3

Blue Dog with Cat, Copic Pens & Markers

In all, a decent exercise. Learned some things. I suppose my goal is to get to the point where my drawing tells a story, like Mardi Speth or Bella Sinclair.  Or any other of the thousands of awesome illustrators out there (yeesh). I don’t want my stuff to look like their stuff, just tell a (cool, interesting, possibly weird) story like their stuff does.

Enough rambling!  Thank you so much for coming by!