This Could Take a While...

It's Wednesday and I'm quickly losing hope of being able to post my Illustration Friday painting before the theme changes. I did a color study last night that was absolutely horrid. I worked on one tonight with a little improvement. But, my time seems to be limited to after 8:00 p.m. when the baby goes to bed. By then, I have little steam.

Oh well...At least I'm solving a technical riddle (for me anyway). That is, figuring out color and value for an interior, low-light setting. This would be a wonderful moment to have a mentor, but since I'm short one, I've been searching the web for visual aids. They haven't been easy to find. Any search for interior paint/light seems to take me to interior decorating info. I already painted the living room and have no plans to do it again.

I did come across a couple of illustrations that I do admire. I will post them here with full credit and links to the artists in hopes that they don't mind (if so, I'll promptly remove this post).

Anyway, I really enjoy the work of the artist known on the web as Samuel123 (shown above) - he has several images involving interiors with a directed light source and unique characters. What struck me about his work is the warmth - I tend to gravitate toward cool blues when thinking "shadow."

This image was a nice example of backlighting for me - the glow that happens around figures and objects when lit from behind. I also like the color palette - much different combo of warm and cool than the work above. It just goes to show that there are different options. The artist, Maryam, has a style that I appreciate as well.

I don't mind missing the Illustration Friday deadline since this is one of those learning moments. It reminds me of when I did the "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road" drawing last year - it became big project during which I learned a lot about color and light in an outdoor evening scene with neon and twinkling lights (not that it's perfect or anything - probably not enough contrast and shadow to qualify as a night scene, and I don't use photoshop or anything.).

The End

I just have a little tweaking left to do (as usual), but I finished the redraw of the "Why did the chicken cross the road?" drawing. Can you tell what's different from the old one? This is like one of those "spot the differences" game. The new drawing is above; the original is below.



Of course, there's some rendering differences since I did it all by hand (no computer). I didn't notice how "pointy" the foreground plant is until I uploaded it here (note to self: fix that).

Anyway, the most obvious differences:
- string lights throughout all of the bushes
- neon sign has more of a glow














Less than obvious differences this time around:

- added tuscan red linework to the feathers (instead of just brown)
- bolder, richer color on the coop itself



And now, it is time to move on to something else. What? I'll have to get back to you on that...

FIRE! FIRE!

June for our family is similar to Christmas time because of all of the birthdays and celebrations - seems like we're constantly present-shopping for friends and family during this month. My own birthday was last weekend, and this weekend was my son's (Saturday) and my father-in-law's (Sunday). It was a very nice weekend - lots of family time. As you can see, my son needed a fire extinguisher to put out the candles on his cake (13! A teenager!!).

I did manage to squeeze in an hour or two at the drawing table tonight. I'm still plugging away at the redo of the chicken drawing - hopefully I can finish in the next day or two and share the results. I'm really glad I redid it! There aren't a lot of changes, but what I did change adds quite a bit. I've been observing signs around town as I drive home from work - got honked at the other day because I failed to notice that the light had turned green. Too busy noticing a neon bar sign. As a result, the neon sign in the picture is MUCH improved - a real sense of glow. Can't wait to share.

Birthday Dragon...

Busy weekend. My birthday was yesterday - there was a soccer game (no it's not over yet) and I had to work. Spent my break sketching a little dragon plush toy that we sell.

But, I was able to get off early enough to go out to dinner with my husband. We went to Olive Garden (yum-o). I don't think I've ever been there before - it's a bit more $$$ than we can usually spend when going out to dinner, but we left the kids at home and I had a gift card.

Today, I made quite a bit of progress on the redraw of the chicken. I've noticed that I'm a lot less tentative this time around. Some of the lighter sections of the first drawing are coming out darker or bolder right off the bat. Last time, I spent a lot longer building up different parts. I think it's a combination of being more confident (having drawn this once before) and being a bit impatient by nature - I tend to like to do NEW things rather than redo something I already spent A LOT of time on. That said, I like some of the changes I've made, so it might be worth it in the end. If not, I still have the original...

Back to the Drawing Board...

My free time was recently consumed by the chicken project, so I ended up just stepping away from drawing for a couple days. Well, OK - I doodled in the sketchbook during break at work. I was trying to think of what I wanted to do next. There are several juicy little tidbits in the sketchbook that I was thinking I'd like to make into something. And, I'd still like to pick a passage from something we've read this year to illustrate.

In the meantime, this is a drawing from several months ago done in pencil (obviously) - something a little different.


HOWEVER...the more I tried to put the chicken drawing aside, the more and more I've been thinking of redoing it. Darn - I thought it might be done! It had taken a lot of time, but I know what I would do differently - fix the sign, add some of those string lights to all of the bushes, go for a little more gradation in the sky, and I saw a photo of some neon lights that inspired me to improve on that. I had observed neon signs around town, but something about the photograph made certain elements more obvious. There's A LOT that I would do the same - it's just a matter of spending the time to do it. But, if it's gonna go in the portfolio...

So, I guess the chicken drawing was just an elaborate study after all. But then, this is how it would be if this had been a paid job (not just practice) - gotta put your best work out there.

"Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?"

OK - I'm ready to dig out the old scanner. I've spent all morning trying to photograph this drawing, battling the breeze and inconsistant sun. Trying to get an image that shows the colors accurately has been a challenge.


The original goal of this drawing was to carry out my own complete illustration inspired by the book "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?" (which includes the work of many popular illustrators).

Besides just coming up with the concept, composition, and media, I met another unexpected challenge when I realized that this was going to be an evening/night scene. Now, I had to figure out how to show various lights - not sure I was completely successful, but I learned something new (and that's really the point here).

I think the drawing is done (mostly). I always go in and tinker with little details for several days, but it probably won't change much from this. I'm happy with a lot of things about it, although there's always something that stands out as "YUCK." I don't know if that's the result of being to close to the drawing for too long, or if certain things are really as bad as I think they are.

One thing I can't stand is how the "Pecking" sign came out - very muddy. If I can change that, I think I'll sure try, but it's not easy to change colored pencil! But, I really learned a lot about working with colored pencils and the result of layering different colors.

I really like the diagonals that zig-zag throughout the composition. I'd like to say that I planned ALL of them, but some I noticed after laying it all out. I like how the diagonal of the roof takes the eye down to the (ugly) "Pecking" sign that turns the diagonal back the other direction. This takes you to the blue tables and bush that turn the diagonal back to the chicken in the foreground. That's what I see, anyway.

I consider this still an unfinished work and would love any feedback or suggestions that any of you might have.

Sneak Preview

Just to prove to everyone that I am actually working on it, here's my progress so far on the answer to "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road"...

It'll give you a preview of where this picture is going (but it doesn't give away all of the surprises).

I've laid in some of the base colors in places and built up some layers in others. I think I mentioned that I like to layer and layer (and layer and layer). It's pretty dreary and overcast here today, so the colors came out rather dull and inaccurate. Usually when I photograph on a sunny day, I get a pretty good result. One of these days, I'll get the old scanner out of the garage and see if it still works.

Anyway, LOT'S still to do...but I might need a little nap before work.

Eine Kleine Nacht-Chicken

I started work on the "final" of the chicken drawing - I know it seems like I've been talking about it forever, however when you only have an hour or less at a time to work on a project...

It didn't help that we went miniature golfing today (but that was fun).



I've set aside all of the colors that I'll be using from my magic pencil box for this night scene with chicken. Anyway, I think this will be the final. For all I know, it will end up being a very detailed study and I'll want to do it over with slight changes. Oh, I hope not. It's funny, but even with all of the planning and color tests, there are still surprises.


Once again, the paper I'm using is different. My sketchbook paper is very slick and white - the paper I'm using is slightly textured and not as white. I do prefer a little "tooth" to the paper, though (note to self: get sketchbook with different paper).


Also, it's surprising how much second-guessing can go on. Should I have made this bigger? Should I move that over? etc. Maybe that's just normal. I wonder if other illustrators question themselves so much.

A Sneak Peek - Developing the Character

Do you recall the doodle that started me thinking about the chicken picture? Well, I realized that it really looked more like a parrot or cockatoo.

So, I did some chicken studies out of a book at work to identify more of their real characteristics.

The character now has more of a real chicken quality. This is a close-up of one of the studies I've been working on to determine some of the colors and compositional elements.


I've still got a little more to iron out, but I think I'll be diving into the final project pretty soon.

The Importance of Studies

Way back in my student days, with a full load of classes, there never seemed to be the time to do studies before a final work. And, it was never really discussed by any of my professors - well I had one painting professor that assigned a series of color studies using a limited color palette. But at most, I might squeeze out a few quick sketches.

Even as I've worked on some things for the current portfolio, I haven't really engaged in doing detailed studies...until now. Some of the drawings I'd done earlier and really liked still had glaring flaws that could be the difference between getting an illustration job and not getting it. I realized that those drawings couldn't be considered as more than studies, and a couple of them have been redone. Looking at so many examples of great work through various blogs has motivated me greatly.

Now, I'm finding that as I work through my "chicken" ideas, I am really spending time working out many of the details before I begin. I'd hate to spend hours on it only to have a part "not work" (I'm not digital - don't have any delete or undo options). So, I'd much rather spend the time working out some of the unknowns before I dive in. That's not to say that I don't leave some things to unfold during drawing, but I'd like to have a firm understanding at the get-go where I want things, what colors would be right, how to get certain effects, etc.

Anyway, the picture I'm sharing today is of a tree in our backyard that has been semi-removed . My girls had set part of a bird-bath on top. I think we're going to cut it shorter, get a larger and more sturdy bird bath bowl, and plant flowers at its base...just waiting for that free time.

Waiting for pizza...

Look what I found! A few spare minutes!!!

Sometimes when I have a lot on my plate, the Lord "blesses" me with sleeplessness. So, I've actually been up quite early yesterday and today with a little bit of time to spend with the sketchbook. Right now, I'm waiting to order the 29 pizzas for our party this afternoon - can't order until 10:00 a.m. - so I thought I'd blog really quick.

Anyway, I'm working through many of the details of my chicken drawing, particularly colors. Every drawing I do seems to bring technical issues that I have to sort through and learn about. In this case, the scene turned into a night scene and there's issues of lights - such as a neon sign - that I'm having to deal with.

I think it's wonderful, though. Every little thing that comes up like this is just a little more added to my visual vocabulary. Hopefully, it will make my future work flow more smoothly. However, I couldn't imagine that there is a point where you're not discovering something new as you go.

No visuals to share on the chicken. But, I'm including a page from the sketchbook. You'll notice the doll in the upper right might look familiar - I've posted the acrylic study of that drawing before. You can also see the painting in the photo slideshow of my work at the top of this blog.

Beside the sketch, you can see the study of my daughter's doll that I did in order to figure out the positioning and how the dress would fall. Everything else on the page is just more "kiddy stuff" doodles. Who knows - maybe the bear will end up in a children's book. The little shoe-car down at the bottom is an actual wooden car my husband had made with his dad when he was a Boy Scout.

Just checking in...

This is turning out to be an unbelieveably busy week...

-Our 2nd to last science co-op class is tomorrow
-The last homeschool support group meeting tomorrow night (party + used curriculum sale)
- It's the last week of indoor soccer practices Tuesday and Thursday (in between science and support group)
- Our multi-subject co-op picnic/party is on Wednesday afternoon
- The kids' last youth group meeting and bbq is Wednesday night
- The Presidential Physical Fitness co-op picnic/party Thursday afternoon
- My usual work schedule (5 evenings per week)
- AND I promised the kids we'd see Prince Caspian on opening day (Friday).

It's a lot of fun stuff, but it's a lot of running around and a scheduling nightmare. I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

I'm not sure how much illustration or blogging time I'll have this week (I'm thinking NONE), so I wanted to at least check in with a quick update. I don't have any pictures to post (and I don't like posting on an art blog without some sort of visual) However, I haven't been working on very much except trying to iron out the composition and some details of my chicken drawing.

The composition is proving to be a little more problematic than I originally thought. As I sketched out some roughs, something wasn't working right. I needed to change some size relationships. I'm still tweaking that a bit.

Well, there's a light at the end of the tunnel - if I survive this week, I'll have a little more time to work on my illustration projects. So, check back soon - I won't be gone long.

Chicken Scratch

Moving forward with my “Chicken crossing the road” illustration.

So, last night at work I came across a Dorling Kindersly “Watch Me Grow” book about chicks. DK books always have excellent pictures to draw from since I don’t have any chickens lying around – at least not any that have heads, feathers, and aren’t currently frozen. I do have a mummified Cornish Game Hen from last year’s history co-op – but that’s another story.

Anyway, I spent my break doing some rapid studies of chickens in the sketchbook (shown here).

Besides that, I’ve decided what medium I want to use – sometimes that can be a tougher-than-it-should-be decision. I knew it wasn’t going to be paint or chalk pastel (grrrrrrr). But, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use colored pencil alone (like the recent dancing fish), a combination of ink line and colored pencil, or ink with watercolor (like the Spectator Ant from earlier). After playing around with some colors in the sketchbook, I’ve decided on going with the colored pencil only option.

So, now I’ll be busy with some little studies and the final drawing.

Illo Challenge - So, why DID the chicken cross the road? Anyone Care to Answer?

I'm planning on doing some single illustrations based on some of the novels my kids and I have read together this year. Also, I'd like to plan out and storyboard an entire picture book based on a folk tale or classic story. However, I haven't yet decided what sources to work from - nothing is really speaking to me at the moment. Although, we're currently reading "A Wrinkle in Time," so I'll probably do a scene from that book.

At the moment, besides the color wheel painting - which I can only work on at certain times - I really don't have a project in the works. So, last night I resorted to the random doodle as a starting point. It wasn't long before the subject of this drawing began to emerge: a chicken.

We currently have a book that I ordered into the store called "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road." It is a rather amusing collection of potential answers to this question illustrated by 14 different children's book artists (Jon Agee, David Catrow, David Shannon, Jerry Pinkney, and more).

In the past, I've worked very slowly on these doodles, letting the entire drawing unfold in it's own time. However, I was hit with an inspiration that interrupted the doodle and gave me a definite direction to pursue - I would illustrate my own answer to the "Why did the chicken cross the road?" question.

If anyone else out there would like to answer this question in a drawing or painting, I'd love to see it when you're done. I'll be working on mine here, but it will probably take me a while to finish - my time is still extremely limited until the school year ends. In the meantime, you can take a peek at the doodle above that jumpstarted the idea (I don't want to give the entire picture away).