A Productive Christmas...So Far...

The cookies are baked, the presents wrapped (and now opened), and as the holiday chaos winds down I've actually been able to work on a new project.

A little doodle

Out of the many doodles in my sketchbook, I'm not sure why this child in a raincoat suddlenly caught my attention.  But, I've been trying to think of some designs (past, present, and future) that I could have made into prints this spring.

Ink with a little cloud - works alright with this drawing
but didn't hold much weight in color

Once I figured out the initial composition, I did a couple of studies.   I could picture many things so, at first, I really wasn't sure if I was going to do a moody pen and ink, tried-n-true ink with watercolor wash, or ???  Originally, I didn't have a background at all, but I felt that the child needed to be looking "at" something. The cloud started off small, but once I saw it in color, the cloud needed to be more substantial.  I can't decide if it's too big now, but it seems to work.

The end result in gouache and color pencil

But, as I've learned in the past few years, a drawing or painting will let me know what it needs - what materials are best suited for it and what direction it will move in.  It reminds me of what I need to do day-to-day when it comes to "listening" to God - I may have one vision of how my life should unfold, but if I take care to observe and address the situations that arise each day, then I tend to encounter the unexpected on my way to a beautiful outcome.  Sometimes (a lot of the time) it's scary, aggravating, or delightful, but always worth it.

Ultimately, this image called for the softness of gouache washes and the detail that could be achieved with color pencil.  I don't know how I could have envisioned it any other way.

Mural Project - ALL DONE!

What to do with a plain, white wall...click below to see

I shared some glimpses into the mural project that I was working on a few posts back.  Well, the project is complete and you can see the end result at my art business blog Doodlebird Studio.  Lots of fun to do and I'd love to paint some more murals.  Maybe I'll start in my house...with all of this "free time" I have.

So Ungrateful.! Why did I bother?

We're coming up on Christmas Vacation and I'm excited about having a little extra free time.  Maybe I'll get to work on a more personal creative project.


In the meantime, I'm continuing to sketch my sermon notes at church.  This last Sunday was a little different because the text really came together for me in a single visual.  I'd had a few sketches and notes about Deuteronomy 32:15+, but when I came home I found that a particular character kept popping into my head rather urgently.  The result is below...

Normally, my notes are what they are and don't change much from the original sketches if I revisit them at home.  However, even though this character demanded to be brought into existance, you can probably tell that he has little to no appreciation for his creator.  He's probably annoyed with how long it took me to finish (not too long, really) in spite of the fact that I took great care in expressing every detail.


For clarification, feel free to look up the verses. Note that Jeshurun is a reference to Israel in a time that they "grew fat" from the provisions from God yet had an attitude of "scornful esteem" - rolling of the eyes, so to speak, like an impertinent child.  The translation of Jeshurun as "The Upright One" I thought was a striking constrast to the the countenance of the character (which, I think, is a key point to those verses).


Overall, it was a fun drawing to do - artisitically speaking, I think I've come a long way in rendering the figure, body language and expression.

Character Study Reveal : "The Gift" - Feedback Welcome



The Gift

As promised, this is the character study that I've been working on.  Together, the images tell a story that I've entitled "The Gift."  This was done in ink and gouache

The Perfect Gift...

Done with a simple dark background to
emphasize her despair at the realization.

I guess this isn't EXACTLY simple - like I was originally planning. The character is, but I still managed to include more details in the surroundings.  I created a family photo wall (instead of having the story images stand alone) and kept the background black/white/gray so that they would stand out.  It just occurred to me that I didn't put the brown dirt smudges on her clothes that I'd intended before photgraphing this, but I'll get back to that.

Oh Happiness! (with a plan in mind)

This...is...perfect...(grunt, heave)...

I'd appreciate any honest comments and criticisms from those in the illustration biz as I'm not a part of any critique groups.

It's for you!  Don't you like it?

Character Project

One of the things I've been trying to work on is a character study.  I know for illustration I need to be able to recreate the same character in different positions with different expressions.  So, I've been inching my way through such a project using this character that appeared among my doodles.

Although she seems rather simple, she's a good challenge for me (if you hadn't noticed, I tend to get caught up in details).  Instead, I'm trying to capture a lot with a little less than usual.  I'll share as soon as I can.

Illustration Friday: "Contraption"

Well, I've been wanting to get to this all week, but I've been too busy.  So, here I am - sleepless on a Thursday night. Well, I guess it's actually Friday morning, so there'll be another topic soon.  I've posted this one before, but it's perfect for the topic.  I've been working on another project which I hope to share really soon!

Illustration Friday: "Mysterious"




Rupert was beginning to think the mysterious woman was never going to throw one of those balls...

  Since I’ve been working on a painting project over summer, the only drawing I’ve had time to do is on Sunday mornings (see previous posts). So, I was delighted when I finally carved out a little time to focus on the more detailed drawings I like to do. I worked on it a couple of days last week and then discovered that it fit this week’s IF theme quite well.
I drew this in my sketchbook and the funny thing is that I didn’t notice when I started that the book was upside down! So, it’s quite a surprise as you’re flipping through the pages. You’d think I’d notice that the wire binding was on the right and not the left, but that’s how focused I get when drawing.

Summer's Over...and So Much To Do!

We'll be starting our school year on Monday (earlier than usual) and I haven't finished the mural.  I'm grateful for the homeowners who have been able to work with my childcare schedule - if I had to have Lindy with me when I painted, then I would be guaranteed some "murals" on our wall at home.  How do you explain to a 2 year old that it's OK for mommy to paint on a wall, but not her?

"Trouble" and Friend

Anyway, it's coming along nicely, but I'm not ready for the big reveal.  And, with school, soccer games, and all of the activities that go along with fall, it'll be a little while yet.  Another thing I won't get to that I hoped I would is a redraw of some nature themed works for a show at a nearby gallery in September.  I don't think I'll make their September 5th deadline...maybe next time.

But, I have continued to sketch Sunday morning services, so I thought I'd share a recent installment.  No time for color.  But, I really enjoy the process and the challenge of having to represent an idea quickly.  Some weeks are more visually successful than others, but it certainly keeps me on my toes!

A Project in the Works...

I'm surprised that it's already halfway through July!  I feel like I'm still in "school mode" as I've been organizing and cataloging the home library and doing A LOT of planning for the next year.  I guess I'll be happy come August and I'm ready to go.  I just hope I can settle into some art, now.

Well, at least I have 2 weeks of art classes to teach starting next week.  AND, I have been working of the design for my first commissioned mural project (so I guess I've gotten a little art in).  The design was just approved and I will be ordering paints, getting it sketched on the wall (hoping to borrow a projector to expedite that step), and then making it happen.  I don't want to share too much - you'll have to wait and see the completed work.  However, I will share this little quick study from the design.

These kids are just a teensy-weensy (but important) part of the mural.  They'll appear in it, although not in that configuration.  So, there.  That's all for now - I'll share more when it's completed.

Something New for This Summer!

The bulk of our schoolwork is done for the year and now I'm just tying up loose ends to close out the year.  I've got some plans for some art projects over break - finishing some portfolio pieces started over Christmas and reworking something for a juried art show this fall.  But, first and foremost, I'll be working on my first commissioned project - a wall mural in a friend's home!  So, my creative thoughts are turning to theTuscan countryside for a while.

In the meantime, I'm still doodling here and there and "taking notes" at church in the form of illustrations.  I've included last Sunday's notes as it was a fun one to illustrate.  While the story of Moses and Pharaoh is very familiar to me, it was a fun one to put in pictures.  I worked on it some more last night, adding color.

Illustrating Sermons - a Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Still too busy to pursue any illustration or portfolio projects at the moment.  However, I did start taking my sketch journal to church on Sundays. 

At first, I felt a little self-conscious about it - usually when you see a person doodling when someone else is talking, it's easy to assume that they're not listening.  In this case, that is NOT how it is.

First of all, when I am drawing (or painting), I am extremely focused and alert.  And, when I'm sketching in church, I am not randomly doodling, but illustrating the sermon (in a sense).  I'm taking what I'm hearing and translating it into images - not sketching the backs of people's heads who are sitting in front of me.  Do I get everything?  No, but I don't get everything when I'm writing notes down either.  AND, with my sketch journal, I go back to it to fix drawings, ink or paint, add detail - therefore, recalling that particular part of the message and spending time in thought about it as I render it.

So, hopefully no one in the pews around me take offense and assume I've "tuned out."  Au contraire.  Here, I've shown a couple of pages from Sunday services (nothing in color yet).

It’s Springtime!

That means it’s time for the annual realization among homeschoolers that the school year is running out followed by a refocused effort to reach goals, complete work, and get curriculum in line for fall. That also means that drawing projects are pretty much impossible for me right now.


However…I’ve found a few opportunities to work in the sketch journal, It’s forced me to seek and find something to record from the “everyday” without all of the extra planning and thought that goes along with an official project.



My 2nd effort during a trip to Barnes & Noble with commentary by the big-eyed redhead
(who noted that I was still doing a lot of writing and little drawing)

 
I prefer to work in pencil “on location” and then return to it later to ink and/or wash with color. I wouldn’t call my pages works of art in themselves, but I have thought about what a neat thing it will be to pass through the family. Perhaps it will end up in the hands of a great-great-grandchild who has never met me but will have this illustrated personal record of people, places, and things in my life. I like that idea.



At the park with Lindy.  Not colorized yet - maybe I'll get a chance once summer gets here.

 It’s also just nice to be able to keep up the drawing.

The New Sketch Journal...

I finished reading about the last artist in “An Illustrated Life” and I am now inspired to keep my own sketch journal. My sketchbooks have always been for working out project ideas, random notes and doodles, and a few studies. But, I really like the idea of chronicling details and memories. It will also keep me drawing, even though I don’t really feel like I have time to focus on a drawing project.


So, last night it was 76 degrees (F) at 8:00 p.m., the kids were in the process of eating (yes, a late dinner - it’s like that with us). I thought I’d take the opportunity to go to Panera with my sketch journal to sit outside with a salad and draw the people and things I observed. Of course, by the time I got everyone settled and drove over there, it was 8:40 and they closed at 9:00!

Well, I was determined to do something, so I sat outside in the dim lighting and tried to scribble something down.  This is my feeble attempt at a sketch journal page - my salad (which was tasty) in it’s To Go container. The closing staff was folding up umbrellas at the tables all around me and probably thought it strange that I was drawing my food, but there wasn’t much else to draw and little time to draw it. But, at least I started - I have a “first page” and look forward to more.

While reading through the book, it really struck me how every artist commented on having to slow down and take in the moment, and that everything about that moment is clear in their minds even 20 years later (Lord knows, I‘m not getting any younger and the mind‘s not getting any sharper). And, what a great thing to pass along to your children - hopefully something of value to your descendents - a little insight into the life of someone they’ll never get to meet.

An Illustrated Life - A Recent Find at the Bookstore...

On my last visit to the bookstore, I was getting ready to leave when I happened to glance up in the art section (conveniently located beside the children's section), and spied this gem of a book on the topmost shelf.  An Illustrated Life: drawing inspiration from the private sketchbooks of artists, illustrators and designers is a fun collection of sketchbook pages compiled by Danny Gregory showcasing the variety of experiences and approaches within private sketchbooks. 

 

I have to say that one thing I enjoy is being able to flip through someone's sketchbook - it doesn't happen very often.  As the author writes in the introduction: With each turn, a fresh surprise, a new juxtaposition.  The pages unfold like a story, a journey, a life...You see risks, mistakes, regrets, thoughts, lessons, dreams, all set down in ink for posterity, for an audience of one.

When I finally get to sit down at night, just before bed, I like to treat myself to a chapter.  In it, a given artist will reveal his/her approach to sketchbook journaling, and describe methods and favorite materials.  Several pages from their sketchbooks are shown (my only criticism is that these reproductions are too small).

One thing that has struck me is that each artist (so far) has expressed in one way or another a similar idea.  That is, that recording scenes from life - even if it's something rather mundane - helps them to really "see" things around them.  It helps them to find "quiet" and results in firmly planted memories.  Each page will bring back a flood of detailed rememberances - where they were when they drew it, what they were feeling, etc. - even if many years have passed.

My sketchbooks have often been a place for me to practice some skills or work out the mechanics of certain images.  But, now I'm a little more inspired to treat it more as an illustrated journal.  Or, like one of the artists, keep the practice work for a "crappy sketchbook" and have another to treat as an art book/journal.  I'll certainly try to have it with me more often and to look at things around me a little differently.  This could be fun!

A Very Worthy Recipient!

On this evening's trip to the bookstore, I was pleased that they finally had the recent Caldecott winner on the shelf!  I have to say that A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a delightful book!  It's a very sweet, sparsely worded story (in fact, a couple pages have no words at all) by Philip C. Stead.  I just LOVE the illustrations by Erin E. Stead - a combination of a little color via woodcut with just enough pencil detail (and, as you may know, I love pencil detail).  Most impressive is that the book jacket states that this is the first book she's illustrated.

Now, in my previous post I complained about the weakness of storyline that I found in a lot of children's books that I found on the shelves.  But, that doesn't mean every story has to be an intricately developed adventure.  There is definitely a place for the thoughtful or simple story.  In the case of Amos McGee, the masterful gestures and  quiet expression of each character speaks volumes.  I think it is the power of the illustrations that can make a book of few words successful.  It really got me thinking about the importance of pairing the right writer and illustrator - finding/creating the right illustrations for a particular tale.

Anyway, I had to purchase this one for my own collection - and it will be kept in a safe place until certain toddlers with crayons grow up a little.

Thoughts on Today's Picture Books

After attending a weekend soccer tournament in LA, I was dying to get to a bookstore. There had been a really big Barnes & Noble next to the hotel, but I had no opportunity to sneak over to browse. So after driving over 2 hours home and making dinner, I jumped in the car again and drove 45 minutes to the nearest Barnes & Noble in SLO. Now, it’s not one of the bigger stores, but it was a bookstore nonetheless.


I grabbed a stack of picture books - old and new - and read through them, uninterrupted, peaceful. Of course, I selected most of the titles because of illustrations that appealed to me and a few others because of authors/illustrators. Unfortunately, they did not have the most recent Caldecott winners on the shelf.  And, honestly, I found myself a little disappointed by several of the books I read.  I won’t say that the stories were “bad.” There just seemed to be something missing, or they just fell flat in the end.

I've always enjoyed Karma Wilson’s "Bear" books, so I was interested to check out The Cow Loves Cookies.  While I thought it would make a great storytime book, it seemed reminiscent of many other sweet humor featuring repetitive phrases - almost formulaic, now. So, although it was enjoyable, it was quite familiar.

The illustrations and the concept for Children Make Terrible Pets grabbed my interest right away. It started out promising, but it really fizzled toward the end - this fun and clever idea deserved an equally creative conclusion. Instead, I found it rather uneventful - anti-climactic.

On the other hand, I read some Caldecott winners from years past - the stories really stood apart. Zelinsky’s Rapunzel attempted to retell the original tale complete with the story’s unpleasant or tragic aspects - there was drama. And Wisniewski’s Golem dealt with a very intense situation, difficult questions, and with characters from Jewish history and tradition. I was completely engaged throughout both of these stories (unlike with any of the new releases I found).

Thinking back on my years at the bookstore, it seems to me that A LOT of the picture books these days lack even a crumb of drama or intensity.  Of course, I know that Golem would not make a nice bedtime story for a small child.  I just wonder why publishers seem to be putting out the same type of book again and again. There is definitely a place for books about cows that eat cookies, but the vast majority of picture books that I’ve read in recent years are rather superficial, sugar-coated stories devoid of any real depth, excitement, surprise, emotion...


I do enjoy reading the sing-song rhyming stories to my kids - they’re fun and appeal mainly to young children.  I've even had some illustration ideas for my own picture books that would fall into that category. However, picture books can appeal to a wide variety of ages - even adults - and I think it's a subject worth considering.  If the introduction to books that we offer our kids repeatedly consists of cute critters looking for hugs, making friends, learning manners, etc., then it’s really no wonder that children quickly turn to exciting, adventure-packed video games (especially boys). 


Like I said, I do enjoy many of those books.  But, perhaps the picture book market is over-saturated with them.  But, maybe I’ve just missed those titles (the bookstore has been closed for over a year now). Maybe they just hadn't made it to our smaller-town shelves. I’d love to hear about any recent picture book recommendations that you all have where the stories have some degree of “impact” on the reader.

Illustration Friday: "Chicken"

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Well, school's back on and I have another project in the works (that may not meet its deadline).  So, I'm pulling this one out the the archives as it meets the theme perfectly.  It was done a few years ago in color pencil, and I really got into trying to figure out the glow of lighting and neon.

This was my own response to the question inspired by a children's book featuring prominent illustrators.