Quick Update

Since the last post, I've been working on several upcoming sketch card sets and it's been taking up much of my time. I don't have anything interesting to post, so I'll just leave you with these pictures from when my kittens were tiny just a few months ago:

Sketches Make Awesome Presents!

With the blur of Thanksgiving past us, the leftovers a distant memory, we look forward to Christmas. Ah, Christmas, the cheerful, merry holiday where friends and family gather (like Thanksgiving) to celebrate together. Whether Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, or Mom & Dad leave presents for good boys and girls doesn't make a difference...presents get left under a tree and either on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning get unwrapped while people watch. Some are left speechless, others scream, some cry, and the exceptionally spoiled ones get angry.

But, sometimes you don't want a present under a tree. Sometimes you want a family member to just be there with you, drinking wine, snacking on cookies, enjoying the time spent together and really soaking in the true spirit of the holiday. This is why I'm going to offer a great deal, in the spirit of Christmas and in hopes of bringing somebody special over for the holidays. My boyfriend's brother won't be able to make it over because the economy isn't so good. He didn't come for Christmas last year, either. Last year felt empty. He was definitely missed. I want to raise some money to help fly him  here so I'm offering $20 sketches!
Seriously. Are you stuck, not knowing what to get for someone in your life? Is your office playing Secret Santa and you have no idea what to get your co-worker? What about a sweet gift to yourself? Art makes a great present, especially if presented in a nice little frame. These will work with tiny 3x5" or 4x6" frames. Just send me a photo by the end of the weeks and I promise I'll have these to you by Christmas just for helping me get my boyfriend's super-cool and very missed brother here for the holidays!

Don't celebrate the holidays? That's fine, this deal is still great for you. How else are you going to get sketches like this for $20 (unless you know of another illustrator doing the same deal or you can draw your own stuff.)

This Blogging Stuff is Hard!

I'm an artist. I've always loved language, words, reading, and spelling, but if I had a choice I would always rather draw a picture. Thus, I never really developed a passion for writing. There are stories in my head that I'd like to translate to paper, but the frustrating part is I don't know how without writing the stories down first and figuring out all the fun details.  Sadly my strengths don't lie in narrative fantasy illustration. This is where friends come into the picture. Friends with years of study and degrees in this writing stuff. But, this blog? I have to write it, not my friends. I really want to just post pictures and hope someone likes them, comments about them, or asks questions.

Speaking of writing and stories, my lovely and talented-with-words friend, Ashlee, wrote a story about an impish, adventurous little free-spirited girl and I'm working on finishing the illustrations. India ink, pen, illustration board, cross-hatching and patterns, dark and light, it's getting finished slowly. The character came to me one day while I was showering (don't lots of ideas come while showering?) and when I described her to Ashlee, she started writing and sending me snippets of her words, the story coming together better than I had hoped, different but amusing, entertaining, captivating. I'd like to share it. Soon. When the pictures are finished.

There are no pictures in this post, and maybe it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

In Wonderland, finished.

Just in time, it's finished!


Technical details:

Paper - Strathmore 500 illustration board
Paint - Holbein watercolor
Pencils - Prismacolor Verithin and Premier

I have to say, if I could do it over again, I'd keep the Cheshire cat more blue like he was at first. I couldn't decide whether he should blend with the sky, or turn the color of foliage.

The weird colorless blender in the previous post turned out to be just fine when used over the pencils. I still don't have an answer for why it's so different, so if you know why, please share!

Isn't It Annoying?

Why would a colorless blender look blue-gray? Not only does it look blue-gray, it has a slight tint when applied to white paper. Annoying!
The one on the left is an older Prismacolor colorless blender, made in the USA. On the right, a new Prismacolor Premier colorless blender, made in Mexico. I wonder if it's a better formula, cheaper materials, or just different materials available in Mexico, versus in the USA. If anyone has answers, I'd like to know!

In Wonderland, continued

After the watercolor wash comes several layers of colored pencil. I use both Prismacolor, and Prismacolor Verithins over the watercolor to get this:

It's still not completely finished. The Cheshire cat needs fur detail and there are little things all over that need a tweak or two.

In Wonderland

My little neighbor turns four this month. It's almost unbelievable, yet it also seems like she should be much older. I've known her since she was born, and at one point used to babysit her regularly, so she's a bit special to me. Now that she's old enough to appreciate art a little more, I've decided to paint a picture for her, as a birthday present. The theme of her party is Wonderland, as in, Alice in Wonderland. I replaced Alice with a portrait of my little buddy, and her baby brother is Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the background. The watercolor wash sets the tone of the painting. More later...