Tag Archives: llama

More Santa Hats!

Santa Hats, 2013
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

From left to right: Butterscotch in Santa Hat, Santa Mime in a Light Snow, Earl in Santa Hat and Camelid in Santa Hat (It’s “camelid” because I am not sure if the original image was a llama or a camel, and camelid conveniently covers both.)

I’m also not sure how I ended up with so many fawn-colored creatures.  So here is a gray festive donkey! I would like a donkey. But the neighbors would not like that.

Donkey with Wreath
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic markers

Not many pics for a slideshow. Next time there will be plenty. Stay safe, everyone! And stay calm, if possible!

Snow Beasts Winter Art Cards

Llama in Santa Gear; Cat in Blue Parka
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Ever since Helen discovered she could sew, she’d taken a keen interest in dressing her llama, Reynaldo. He took it stoically.

Camilla the cat’s human was less a seamstress and more a shopper. Fortunately, Camilla only needed to don the crazy suits for photos, and then she was freed.

Two Snow Dogs in Hats
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Snow dogs! Hats! I am particularly fond of the hat on the left, though Henry looks terribly sad. He is not sad – though he will play up this look for extra snacks. His Uncle Theodore is more a scarf guy. Well, scarves and also snacks.

And here’s some winter cards from last year-

Snow Cards from 2012
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Happy Holidays to all! Thanks for stopping in!

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House in the Crooked Tree for IF

Crooked Tree House, 9″ x 6″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

For “Crooked” at Illustration Friday. I realized that I’ve done a few tree houses so I had to make sure to add new things. Including: a vegetable garden box, a refuse area, a romantic dining room, a beehive, and a tiny tree house growing in a tiny pot. Plus many more things! I also spent more time with the animals.

In ATC news, I’ve been wanting to try some word art, and especially feel-good word art since the news is so ugly, particularly lately. That led to the “Be Kind” ATC below. The second, which is simultaneously awesome and appalling, was made on a lark when someone jokingly said, “What about a unicorn llama with a psychedelic rainbow nightscene background?” I was in a weird mood so I did it. The blacklight idea came at the end.

Be Kind & Blacklight Unicorn Llama
2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Cards, Copic markers, ink, white gel pen

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Three Beastly ATCs – Llama, Horse, Sheep

Fuzzy Green Llama ATC, Copic Markers

 

This evening I was inspired to complete some Artist Trading Cards because I have joined a new community called  IllustratedATCs and it is all about trading art by mail. They do lots of stuff besides the ATCs, like moleskin journal swaps and inchies and twinchies and holy cow, tons of stuff. They have provided a helpful list of definitions (thank goodness).

I think I saw their link initially through someone at Illustration Friday, but I don’t remember! You have to apply and whoa, there are some seriously cool (and many professional) artists there. I got accepted (it takes 3-4 days), but then I was instantly intimidated. Super nice folks so far, though.  They have another site called ATCs for All where there is no application and everyone is welcome to join.

Horse with Blue Swirl Sky ATC, Copic Markers

I am pretty happy with all three, though the horse in particular is sort of caught between cartoonish and realistic as if I could not choose which way to go. I really like the blue sky on that one, achieved with the help of a Masquepen.

Pink Orange Sheep ATC, Copic Markers

 

Both the llama and sheep were done on top of light-colored swirly backgrounds also done using a Masquepen. I worked on all of them over the course of a few hours, doing some reading and IF visiting in between.

Thanks so much to everyone who visits! All comments welcome, of course. (Except spam.)

Llama reference

Horse reference

Sheep reference

 

No Room at the Couch, for Illustration Friday

No Room at the Couch, 8×10 Pencil Sketch for Illustration Friday

Marcelo, a large hound with the patience of, well, an extremely well-behaved dog, could never get a spot to himself anymore. When the stray cat came and shortly after, the kingfisher, he begrudgingly helped them settle in. And then the meerkat showed up, and he likes to argue – particularly with the llama, who simply waltzed in one day and made himself at home. By the time the koala showed up, Marcelo was resigned to living in a zoo. The bunny is the most recent addition, found by the cat as he was limping around the garden with an infected ear.

If you ask Marcelo, he will tell you they are rude, unruly and troublesome. But they all love him and call him “Poppa”. And he’s just a big softy, after all.

Holy cow, no color! Actually, I am so pleased with this sketch that I am scared to ink it. I will probably do it soon, I just didn’t want to rush it.

The word is “Space” at Illustration Friday. (Apologies for the muddy scans below. I spent some time cleaning up the final but not the others.)

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Thanks for coming over! Have a great week!

Animal reference photos:

Koala, Great Dane Cleo, Russian Blue Amanda, Llama by Rusinka, Blue-banded Kingfisher.

Llama Genie Air for Illustration Friday

Llama Genie Air Advertisement, Copics with digital text & background

The topic is “Heights” at Illustration Friday. Though it wasn’t a conscience decision, this marks the second in a series of ancient vessels, the first being a Cat Ship for Monday Artday. I am a big fan of the Cat Ship and it is one of my favorite recent things.

I knew I wanted to drawn an airship. Then the traveling section turned into a genie’s lamp. Then the genie airship needed a company mascot, so I figured a genie, and it had been at least three posts since the last llama. (It’s weird because dogs are actually my favorite but I’ve been doing lots of llamas so perhaps there is a comfort factor.) I included a couple extra sketches, in case it might be of interest to someone:

Llama Genie Air sketch

Llama Genie Air sketch2

Llama Genie Air sketch3

Llama Genie Air ink

Llama Genie Air color1

Llama Genie Air color2

Llama Genie Air color3

Llama Genie Air Ad, 8.5" x 11" Illustration

The fonts are Penshurst and Quaver Sans. One of these days I may try my hand at handwritten text. But not quite yet!

Also yes, I have resorted to the digital cloud effect again! I am a big fan of this color combination. And I am happy not to “waste” my Copics on the whole background. But I have very mixed feelings on a digital versus Copic background. To tell the truth, it makes me sad that such a lovely background can be done with a few mouse clicks in like, a minute. Anyone with their free copy of  paint. NET could do an almost identical texture in under sixty seconds. A Copic background would take an hour or two, maybe more. And it would not be as easy to replicate. Ah well, I doubt the history of man has seen many Llama Genie Airships. So that’s something. Thanks for visiting!

Miscalculation Leads to Llama-Cat, Copic Markers

Miscalculation Leads to Llama Cat, 8×10 Copic Markers

Miscalculation, for my second Monday Artday submission. My main regret with this is that I didn’t take the time to create some eye contact or other communication between Figgy and the Llama-Cat. Also, maybe there should be some indication of magic at the end of the wand. (I added some silly sparks digitally in a version at the end of this post.)

Figgy was captured here in a bit of a state of shock right after the event. You might expect the same of the Llama-Cat, but she didn’t seem very bothered. Of course it’s several months since the events pictured above, and the two are (usually) great friends, sharing a love of buttered croissants. Also repeated viewings of Milo and Otis.

Many work in progress pics:

Llama Cat Sketch

 

Llama Cat Ink

Llama Cat Color 1

Instead of my usual swirls, I kept the masquepen down the whole time and did messier swirls. I don’t love it as much as the kind with the curly-q ends but I am trying to expand my toolkit!

Llama Cat Color 2

Yes, this is the point where I say yack! These colors are not working! Mainly the clownish blue and green stripes on the robe. But I have learned to stay the course through these stages.

Llama Cat Color 3

Llama Cat Detail 1

Llama Cat Detail 2

Llama Cat Detail 3

Llama-Cat with Digital Sparks!

This was fun. More full figures (rather than heads only), a different color palette (for me), and some general silliness. Thanks for dropping in!

Further Adventures of Steampunk Llama, Copic Color

Welcome back!  Steampunk Llama, aka Futurellama, aka Charlotte, is complete. Probably.

The first color never looks good and I sometimes question whether the piece is worth finishing at this point.  (Well, maybe less now than I used to.)

Steampunk Llama, Color 1

Ah, much better. Thank you, Copic markers.

Steampunk Llama Color 2

I was mostly able to correct the problems created in the initial inking. The horribly lopsided circles are much better now and the weird baby crib thing in the top right (see previous post) is now a tube and a porpoise-looking bit of machinery.

Steampunk Llama Color 3

And then I couldn’t decide on the hair color. I was planning on red.  But would it be red and brown or red and purple or red and orange? I almost did red and orange (and brown, probably), but I didn’t really want to go red on blue.  Or blue and orange, really, despite their being complementary and all that. Anyway, I thought I had a nice assortment of blues to do the hair and using the same color as the skin but different hues can have a nice effect. I do really need more practice with hair though, whether this kind or another kind.

Blue Llama Steampunk Color 4

Haven’t 100% decided about whether to fill the background, but it might be nice to get prints with different digital backgrounds.  May go back with a 0.05 nib for some finer detail, but may not. Almost avoided the shading swirls I’ve been using, for fear of additional clutter on an already busy field. But I used larger ones closer to the background color and achieved the effect I like with a bit more subtlety. Or so I foolishly think.  ;o)

As a side note, I still browse deviantART regularly and the overwhelming number of really accomplished artists can be a bit disheartening. (Is there room for any more? Will I ever achieve the skill level of these people? Do I need more formal training? That sort of thing. ) Just going to keep slogging on, though.

Blue Steampunk Llama Color 5

This is Charlotte, a distinguished, long-time independent agent for the Urban Camelid* Protection League, and as such she was not at liberty to reveal the uses for her various apparatuses. I believe the free-hanging tube is both a speech device and and a unit that can be attached remotely to certain mechanical gadgetry. But this is purely speculation on my part.

Charlotte was very friendly and professional, but despite my crafty line of questioning she did not reveal any UCPL secrets. This is why she is one of their most respected field agents, I imagine.

Drop a line and let me know how you ended up here!  :o)

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*Camelids include camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos.