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OK, so most of my blog (to date) has catered to children's illustration and silly doodles. I am getting a bit squirrelly with the subject matter (cows, pigs, oh-my) and need to start sharing more variety so we all don't get bored.
I love faces, character, eyes, hair and expressions. If you are my friend and I happen to take a picture of you, it is very likely that I will use it for reference in some of my work (family is included in this assumption). My portraiture work ranges from traditional to, well, not-so-traditional.
The image with the blue background (at the top) is named Bloody Bed Head. Originally I intended to add tons of color and sass to the hair and have the face be a secondary feature. The orange version is the rough that pushed me toward making the colors bleed into each other and make the face and hair an equal statement. The orange rough was too warm so I switched the skin and background to cool it off. I made the t-shirt white to break it up a bit. I have tried a few backgrounds with this without success. Maybe something will come to me later.
Overall, this is my favorite piece from 2008. Note: I do not have a set medium for my portrait work and tend to choose the medium based on the image. When I post more samples of portraiture work this will be more evident. Medium for Bloody Bed Head: Mixed media (color pencil, ink, gouache and a some digital work).
Well, one major holiday has past and I can finally get back to more regular posts! This animal/bubble bath sketch has been sitting in my "to do" pile for a while—glad to be this close to scratching it off my list!
I was hesitating working on this because originally the necks of all the animals were going to be springs (similar to a simplistic slinky). While I like the idea—it was not working on the page. Instead I incorporated the "bean-like" torso shape that I used in the Rooster Racket Spread (11/30/08) on the cows/pigs. This resolved the neck issue.
The yellow sketch was the first concept (with the slinky necks). The one beside it (at right) was the streamlined version where I eliminated the turtle/horse and reworked the torso's. A cow, pig, sheep and duck seem like a better grouping for a "brat pack". The full color version at the top is close to complete, however, I am working on a "Snacktime" and "Naptime" illustration that is featuring the same characters and the same style. Ideally, when I have the other two developed to this stage I can line up all three, push the texture further toward a soft grit and pop in a few more patterns. I love droopy eyes—very sweet.
This is a xmas present for a special someone—check your email!
Since the topic this week is "voices" I thought I would share some of the voices that I often hear in my own head. Cupcakes. . .mmmmm. Love is love.
I have had a few people inquire about the dog that I was using as my image in the "About Me" portion of this blog. For those that wonder—the dog is not mine—it is an old friend's. I used it on the blog because the neon colors, heavy handed black line and murky marker work is very much in tune with what a good half of my funky illustration work looks like. Also, I like it because he is incomplete (just like this blog). I plan on the background changing to be more of a Chicago landscape, increase the height of the piece so you can see the dog tags, add a few layers of acrylic work to the dog to resolve the murkiness issue and to set more of a mood.
I have been sitting on this sketch for a while. Originally I intended on incorporating text surrounding the bird as a simplistic background but the scenario evolved into something more bittersweet than imagined. Also, I have been working on textiles paired with stylized environmental elements and I was itching to incorporate the cloud in something. So here it is. I can still push this a bit further. I may play with the colors but overall (for a Monday) I am happy with the progress. Looking at this makes me want to go back into the Butterfly Kisses spot art and incorporate some of the pattern accents used in the cloud above so both pieces have more of the same style. Ditto on the I Know I Can chick. We shall see.
Now that I am pulling together rounds of sketches and placing them beside the more finished pieces (instead of throwing them away)—it is interesting to see where I am maximizing my time and at what point I add specific characteristics. If a rough sketch is rough enough that I can't decide if a bird has feet or what is going on around the character I focus on working on areas that I know need to change. When I moved from the rough to the clean sketch, I really wanted to pinpoint the shape of the bird. After completing that I moved to my messy marker habit/stage and added the accents (dots/curls/heavy outline). This helps me figure out what can be played up and what needs to be subdued. Plus, I love the neon green/heavy magenta hyper color; I have a feeling when I move on to streamlining my portraiture style, this hyper color will be tied into them more so than I can do with children-related subject matter.
I have been away from illustrating for a few days --- busy, busy, busy! Here is a new expressive sketch. Yep, I guess I am not dropping the expressive tongue thing but you have to admit that it works! This is the rough ink/marker work. . .colored vector art coming soon!
I will admit—I have never personally created my own Christmas/Holiday card (bad artist). However, I never imagined that my first would end up looking like the one above. All I did was draw a cute (innocent) snowman that was dancin' around a bit. . .little did I know that I would give him a Miss. Foozie twist. So here it is—my first card! While this will not end up as a sample of my kid-friendly illustration work—I did smile while developing it. I dedicate this to Kevin—the only man that has better legs than me and has no shame in proving it. While this will not be sent to many (or ANY), I do believe it will make me smile every time I look at it and that is good enough for me.
This is also an example of what I do when I hit a creative wall—I get a bit sassy in my work. I have been reviewing the pieces that I started this blog with and am pretty frustrated. I can draw and create characters/digital art—so what?! There is not a consistent style and that is a huge weakness when building work to market yourself with. . .the style that artists create for themselves is the #1 reason that they are hired. I don't have it yet and am searching/experimenting. The Holiday card was my way of telling myself to lighten up a bit and not be so hard on myself regarding the generic appeal of the work I have built so far. So, here's a heads-up: while I hit more walls, expect more sass. The good thing is that I have an idea of where I am going and am beginning to see a pattern in my work.
While this spot art was originally called Butterfly Knot—here is a good example of how meaning can change when developing a visual. The delicate line work and soft colors pushed it toward something very different than what I originally had in mind. While "earth" tributes are overdone these days—I am calling this one Butterfly Kisses because I do feel Mother Nature is going to self heal from everything humans have done to her. I think I surprised myself with this one -- the odd shaped butterflies and the whimsy line work are elements I will pull into other pieces.
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