Tag Archives: Illustration Friday

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:
  1.  Many different styles, mediums and skill levels.
  2. 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
  3. 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!

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!

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!

 

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.)

Stripe and Bustle for IF Friday with Progress Pics

Stripe and Bustle

Busy, stripey, slightly mysterious thing for the Illustration Friday topic “Stripes”.  I have wanted to do a bustle for ages but was afraid.  Pfft, was not very hard and I am quite happy with it.  Still avoiding faces though, which led to a cool and successful hairdo. The stripey beast is rather flat, which was the original intention, but it doesn’t seem to go with the rest. Also, did a pretty bad job on his eye.  Arrrgh! Progress photos below.

Stripe and Bustle Sketched

Stripe and Bustle Color 1

Stripe and Bustle Color 2

Stripe and Bustle With Copics, 8x10 Illustration

No story at the moment, though I may yet add one. Thank you for visiting!  Did you do Illustration Friday this week?  Drop a line so I can go see.  ;)

Blog Things that are Art Things that are Social Things

I was going to name this post “What I’ve learned as a late adopter to the blogging game, six months in.”  It’s a bit wordy. And it might, at another blog, lead to a section on the art of titling posts. But I’m not sure I have much insight in this area.  I believe key words related to your post are important for web search algorithm thingers, which is to say, gibberish will not be helpful (except in rare cases).

Anyway, I decided the world wasn’t ready for my six-months-expert blog advice.  And anyway, I wanted to talk about three Blog-Art-Social things I’ve recently joined. Many people who find themselves here are already familiar with these things – but if you aren’t, I recommend them! I thought I would give my thoughts about each one, because I have seen other people’s thoughts about them, and I find it very interesting. If you don’t find it interesting, I would skip this post and read the previous one, which is an art progression post (one of many!) with Copic Markers. You know, if you have any interest in that sort of thing. (Alternatively, you could skip to the bottom of this one and see the strange bird illustration I included).

And now, without further ado (though I do love my ado):

1. Web of Whimsy, a once-monthly challenge in which you can use the suggested prompt, or not use the suggested prompt as you like.  Further, you can submit more than one entry. I am currently doing a second month and the average number of entrants seems to be 25-35, with a variety of styles and skill levels.  I have found some artists I really like there, including a very entertaining Australian artist named Gay McKinnon (who is not terribly fond of wombats). The best way to participate in Web of Whimsy (aka Whimsy Lines) is of course to visit all the other entrants’ blogs which is quite easy at this size of project.

It’s so interesting what you find yourself coming up with when given a prompt in this way.  I think it expands your imagination.  The “whirlygig” prompt for October helped inspire this steampunk rabbit!

2. The Sketchbook Project. Such a really cool idea.  I got my book in the mail over a week ago but I am totally over-worrying it.  In addition to worry about content, I am also worried my Copics will bleed through the thin pages.  One is allowed to substitute paper as long as the final book remains under a certain size, but I don’t have a lot of interest in re-making the book. I think the main reason I haven’t started yet is that I can’t decide if I want a cohesive narrative or a looser structure. Also, I don’t want it to suck. I really love stumbling onto a post on some blog where someone includes examples of their current Sketchbook Project work.

3. Illustration Friday, a once-a-week illustration challenge with prompt. One is allowed to post old works but new work created for the prompt is preferred by many. This thing has been going on since early 2007, and has something like 800 entrants lately (probably more, because most don’t do it every week). Holy cow.  Many of the entrants are working illustrators with amazing portfolios. I am on my second week, and I’m getting double my previous highest comment number (about 20, small potatoes still!) Both weeks I have commented on 80+ posts of others, and although only maybe 10% respond in kind, the fact remains that I have visited a whole heck of a lot of blogs more than I had been. And found quite a few really inspiring artists doing these challenges that I am doing also! Which is pretty cool.  Lots of nationalities represented, which is great!

One result of 800 entries over seven days is they get some links that don’t have anything to do with the challenge (they do seem to be removed fairly quickly). Then there are the people who are doing the challenge but also doing a hard sell on whatever they’re selling (which isn’t so great, imo, but isn’t against the rules). There is an enormous spectrum of new, part-time doodlers, to very established artists in a variety of fields. Children’s illustration seems particularly well represented, which I love! Mostly, I’ve just found so many great artists and great blogs that I would totally recommend doing it, particularly if you’re looking for art blogs rather than craft blogs. And that’s only because I’m more interested in people who are doing work that is more like work I am doing/trying to do.

Egad that all makes for a long-winded post. Here is a strange bird beast I did a while back and haven’t decided whether to revisit. (This was in response to a Doodlers Doing Doodles challenge with the prompt “Dragon’s Tears”. My idea was a creature created when a dragon’s tear hit the forest floor. In some future post I will tell you about my final entry):

Kiwi Bird Beast, Copics

Thank you! Nice to see you! All thoughts on the above welcome!

 

Illustration Friday – Shadow Puppets and a Wild Imagination

It’s Illustration Friday again. Today, in fact, and the topic is “Scary”. As I begin this post, there are already 153 entries on the list. Yikes! I didn’t actually check last time – (last week – Fuel – being my first IF week, woooo!). Last week I did my illustration on Saturday. But this week, because I have other plans for Saturday, I started when I got home from work and now I am done. (I think some of it must be the enthusiasm of a noob. I’m ok with that.)

Not the Shadows She Expected

Last week, the topic inspired a drawing that in turn inspired a little story with a lot of potential. This week, the topic inspired some stylistic choices outside my standard repertoire (darker colors – though maybe not even dark enough for shadows, and people – I have a hard time doing people!  I have cleverly avoided having to do the face, as you can see). I’ve yet to declare a verdict on its success (or lack thereof).  I’m leaning toward “lack thereof” but I did do a few new effects I rather like and will use again.

 

Shadows and Imagination Sketch

Shadows and Imagination Color 1

Shadows and Imagination Color 2

Not the Shadows She Expected

Original 8″ x 10″ Illustration with Copic Markers and pens on Illustration board. The background and a few minor adjustments were done digitally. I was going to scrawl some text across the dark spots, something like:

“Stop trying to scare the dog!”

“Oh my god I’m not trying to scare the dog!”

Aren’t dogs the best? (If you happen to need a dose of the cutest dog on the planet, feel free to look at a few choice photos of Wilson, a.k.a. Boo.)