Tag Archives: Copic Markers

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!

 

Steampunk Magician Cat with Copics, and a Question About Art Bias


Magician Steampunk Cat

 

Hello! More Copics! Let’s face it – even if I was totally sick of them, an eventuality I do not predict, they cost too much to set aside.  Which is kind of funny and kind of rough. But that does lead to a question I have been asking myself lately, and that is, how much more is painting respected as an art form, than marker art? I think quite a lot, and that makes me feel like I should “eventually” be a painter.

I mean, I believe pen & ink art is a longstanding and respected art, but I still think people have a bias toward traditional painting. And markers to me seems even a step down from pen & ink. I mean, I think markers in the same way I think “crayons”, a bit. So if I have this bias, so must other people? Most people? What do you think? (I don’t know if the bias exists in regard to digital art, but I suspect in many circles it does, though less so than markers, I imagine!)

Ok, here’s some progress pics. I had planned on a steampunk cat. But steampunk cat turned into steampunk magician cat. I think it’s the big cape thing. Also his ability to shoot lasers from his claws. I was pretty pleased with the mouse-shaped eyepiece (with tail that can be used as a bottle opener!). I actually just started a dog (collie-ish) with an eyepiece in the shape of a cat.

Steampunk Cat sketch

 

Steampunk Cat ink

Steampunk Cat Color 1

Are those some crazy blues or what? Copics. Yup.

Steampunk Cat Color 2

Magician Steampunk Cat, 8 x 10 with Copics

Magician Steampunk Cat, Copics with Digital Background

I thought this cat would make a perfect Saturnalia or other holiday card, which it does! And can be found in my Etsy Shop. (I also have prints on order!)

Thanks for stopping in! Let me know what you think about that markers vs. painting thing.

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.)

Wild-Eyed Steampunk Aviator Emu with Copics


Steampunk Aviator Emu

 

 

I had a crisis during the production of this beast! If you’re only interested in the end result, look no further than this first, completed image.

He is known as Pippin Blue Eyes.  Yes, named for a particularly mischievous hobbit. Yes, I put a Tolkien reference on my blog.  So sorry. (Alternatively, you’re welcome!)

Pippin has a quick temper but it rarely escalates beyond (what he thinks are) proper British exclamations such as  Bugger it!, Absolute rubbish!, and Flibberty Gidget! So he’s really both mild-mannered and cranky, a bit like a Caractacus Potts.

And since Caractacus Potts came up in another description recently, I must have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on the brain. Which I do.  And the reason I do is that I stumbled upon the blog of German artist Iris Luckhaus through Illustration Friday, and after an exchange about Mary Poppins I mentioned the aformentioned, and she had never seen it!  And was excited to see it!  I hope to hear from her, actually, once she’s seen it. (Tschitti Tschitti Bäng Bäng, if you wondered.)

Holy cow, can I ramble. I promised you a crisis:

 

Aviator Emu Sketch

Aviator Emu Color 1

Aviator Emu Color 2

Aviator Emu, Disaster!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I don’t recommend it, you are welcome to click on that 4th scan, the disaster. His cheeks, see, were accidentally covered with two very bad and ugly patterns. Then I tried to fix it but made it worse. <dramatic music>  And I almost abandoned poor Pip right then and there! Then I decided to try and cover it, because Copics do tend to cover well with darker colors over lighter ones.  I worried about the fine liners I had used!

But I believe I was, in fact, saved by RV17 – Deep Magenta (after two slightly lighter colors failed in the same pursuit). Crisis averted! I added the sky digitally and the next day, I came here to tell you about it.

Steampunk Aviator Emu

Steampunk Aviator Emu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steampunk Aviator Emu Pippin is an 8″ x 10″ original illustration with copic pens and markers on 150 lb. smooth drawing paper. Thank you for coming! I’m so sorry we were out of pumpkin bread and tea. Maybe next time?

Holiday Camel with Progress Pics

Holiday Camel in Subdued Copics

This week’s Illustration Friday topic is “Silent”. I had a hard time deciding what to do! I considered a reading room, or someone reading a book. Or people with hands over their mouths. Then I decided I would silence my color palette! Now ok, I didn’t really silence it. But this is extremely subdued for me.  Really! Just look to the right at all those teeny bright-colored thumbnails.

I decided I wouldn’t even use black ink. I started out using sepia but it wasn’t quite working for my purpose so I switched to gray. I just happened to have picked up a gray .03 fine liner, and that is responsible for all the lines in my Holiday Camel. Maybe, being green, she’s a Holiday Elf Camel! (Did you notice how I cleverly covered her right eye with the poofy hat thing so I wouldn’t have to worry about lining up/matching the eyes? I wasn’t planning to do that, but 1. I do like the flopped-over-the-front hat look, and 2. I was struggling a bit with the eyes.)

She is also, I must say, an extremely talkative green (elf) camel. Lately it’s all about Nathan Fillion.  Goodness, you never saw a camel so in love with Nathan Fillion. Anyway, in giving her the candy cane I have indeed silenced her for a time. (She loves candy canes so don’t think I was being mean.)

Anyway!  So ends this week’s convoluted defense about this beast being a fine candidate for the “Silent” topic. And now, some progress pics!  Since she is tall (9″ x 6″), I am going to attempt a horizontal gallery of progress pics.

Camel Sketch

Green Camel Color 1

Green Camel Color 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping in! (A note: I have been getting loads of wonderful comments, but sometimes they do not include a web address. Please include your address! I like to go visiting.)