Animals...and the End of a Sketchbook

I really appreciate this family image.

I really enjoy drawing these animals - it's so much easier now. Not because my skills are so much better than when I was in college (although there has been improvement). It feels more psychological than anything else. It's a lot easier to relax and enjoy when you're not rushed by deadlines or have grades looming over every project.

Anyway, this set of drawings brings me to the end of my sketchbook. I started it about 10 years ago and this is its last page. I've filled other sketchbooks in the meantime. I set it aside many years ago when I was doing other types of art and little-to-no drawing. I found it and its many empty pages when I finished my last sketchbook (musn't be wasteful).

A whole book of blank pages awaits...

Some Animal Studies

It's been a while since I've done this, but I've done a few more animal studies on my break at work.

There's a face that only a mother could love.

Illustration Friday: "Blur"

"...what happened next was just a blur."

This was another doodle from the sketchbook that I was playing with at the soccer field last weekend. Although I wasn't going for a repeat of an earlier picture, once I had the worm image developing, it only seemed logical to put in a bird. So, I'm re-posting the other - more whimsical - worm/bird picture called "An Invitation to Dinner." As you can see, the new one is a bit more ominous.

I like to see different approaches to similar ideas. In fact, that would be a fun exercise.

Illustration Friday: "Skinny"

YEAH! It just so happened that the IF theme worked well with the doodle I'd started weeks ago. It gave me the motivation to get it finished.

It will be impossible to be "skinny" with these super-sized helpings!

More Big Changes (Sure, why not?) - and a couple sketches

Wow! It's taking a lot longer to get "back to normal" than I thought. I've almost got the studio set up. But then we'll be getting some new windows which means I have to move some things out of the way. Of course, I wouldn't exactly have time right now to get out there to work.

I'm still working on a doodle in my sketchbook, but it's taking a long time. I was able to doodle a little last Sunday - just a little fun. I suppose it's some sort of little magical dwarf and his elegant horse.

With the move and the home improvements that have followed, catching up on homeschooling record-keeping, and the running-around during soccer season, I'm lucky to have gotten this done.

Things will change, though. Especially since I just found out that I will be out of a job after the new year.

Maybe I could teach some art classes. I don't know.

Of course, this has definitely been a year of changes: my dad passed away in January, baby arrived in March, spent months fixing up the old house and house-hunting, son started high school in August...might as well change jobs, too (I guess).

Packing up the studio...

Despite my best intentions, drawing just hasn't been do-able. We're now about 2 weeks away from our move and there's still more packing to do. There'll be a yard sale this Saturday - since it's the only free Saturday now that soccer season has started again. Maybe I'll be able to draw while I'm sitting around waiting for people to buy all our stuff.

I haven't started packing up the garage/studio yet, but that's next on my list. I look forward to being able to set up a better space in the new house. It will still be in the garage, but there's a shed out in the backyard, so I won't have to share space with the lawnmower, trash cans, and other muse-killers.

Hopefully, the move will go smoothly and my next post will include at least a new doodle! In the meantime, here's a picture of one of my happy distractions.

Checking in Again...

Well, here it is - the dreaded post without an illustration to go with it (gasp). I had high hopes for lots of art time over summer, but that hasn't been the case. Any free time has gone to selling the house and related home improvements and, now, sorting through things and moving to the new house next month. Oh well...

But, I wanted to check in and let you know I'm still here. And, I'm determined to do something in the sketchbook. I'll be back with a visual soon!

Ok ok! I just can't leave this without an image. So, here's a little something from the past. I just love the way the texture from the paper gave the cloak such weight in this drawing. It was an unexpected discovery. Overall, a fun doodle when I was doing it.

Expanding the Studio and Some Creative Summer Fun

What can I say - I love a good bargain! I have a pretty traditional drawing table I've been using and it has a fair amount of table-top square footage. However, the whole thing shakes when I'm erasing something. So, last week while at a thrift store, I just couldn't pass up a sturdy metal drawing table for $14.

The drawing surface is smaller than I've had, but that's fine because I work small when drawing anyway (and I still have my other drawing table to spread out on). It's metal and HEAVY, so the thing doesn't budge while working. It has several drawers down the front and a cool locker in the back that could fit 2' x 3' canvases (or whatever). It must have been used in some sort of school setting since it had an "I love Michael" message written in pencil on the table-top and a couple wads of gum stuck underneath - all of which have been removed now. If only the garage wasn't so stifling hot to work in right now.

I also thought I'd share these little sculpted dolls and dogs that my 10 year old has been mass producing. I picked up a box of Crayola Model Magic - an air dry clay - as a little something to do during summer. Turns out my 10 yr old has a knack for sculpture. I was quite impressed with her efforts and had to share them. This is only a fraction of the little figures that she's created. Look out 101 Dalmations...I've lost count.

Illustration Friday: "Drifting"

Here's my take on this weeks theme. Simple composition, but I like it. However, now I'm thinking I should have put some boxes (or something) in the boxcar behind the figure - just a few off to one side for more visual interest.

I like working with the ink and watercolor - I get the detail I like and the coloring is quick and easy.

Just for fun...

Just on a whim I started some doodles, using the same shapes as a jumping off point for each - the circle within 2 circles as shown at the top of the page. Even though I didn't have a specific idea of what to do most of the time, I would just build on the shapes and see what they became. Inevitably, once you eliminate the obvious, you just build and build, but it doesn't really become anything in particular (i.e. the thing at the bottom). Still, it's pages like this that can lead to future projects.

Illustration Friday "Unfold" ...Sort of...

"How will this story unfold?"

Well, because of a convenient nap, I was able to get a color study done of my intended composition. This isn't the finished product, but it's all I could do before the deadline. I'll post the final some day - I'll let you know how it "unfolds."

So, the purpose of this study was to practice an interior, low-light scene. I went with a limited Thalo blue, Cadmium Orange Medium, Cadmium Yellow, Mars Black and Titanium White colors. I tended to use blue/black mixtures for the background and complementary blue/orange mixtures for the main subject and lighted areas, making them a bit more vibrant. I used the yellow in limited situations for warmth in the illuminated areas.

A big challenge was figuring out a good skin tone for this situation. But, overall, I think I did manage to learn something. So, hopefully, the final will be a little easier. It was worth it to do this rough study. It allowed me to be looser than I normally am and just focus on color.

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.).

Nothing's ever simple...

I found a character sketch in my sketchbook that I thought would work for this weeks Illustration Friday theme "unfold" - as in, "how will this scenario unfold?" I want to keep on with the painting practice, so that's my intended medium.

As I drew out the scene, I realized that this would be best as an interior setting in dim light.

Some of my favorite works that others have done have been set in low light - either outdoors or indoors. But, I've never really done one of my own before. Of course, that means approaching light and color in a way that is new to me. Therefore...research and color studies. And, if you've never stopped by James Gurney's blog, he's an outstanding artist and a regular wealth of technical art instruction. I did find some great images of light and color (albeit outdoor scenes) that have inspired me.

Anyway, rather than simply being able to sit down and start creating, I've had to do samples of different color mixtures, mainly in the blue and purple range mixed with black and umber (I already have studies of complements). Sometimes there's a sort of glow that can come from whatever the light source is, so I've also done a few mixtures with yellow.

I don't usually post my prelim sketches and studies for an IF theme, but then this is much more involved than usual (nothing's ever simple). But, I now have a nice reference sheet, although I can't say exactly which color I'm going to use in which part. I guess I'll just dive in and we'll see how this all "unfolds..."

Summer's Here...

While we're continuing to do math through summer (rather than spend the first few months of September re-teaching everything), the multi-subject demands of the year are gone. Like last summer, I plan to add to the portfolio. I also have an unfinished color study project from last year.

Last night, I was able to spend a few minutes out in "the studio" (aka drawing table in the garage - only usable during the warm season...luckily we live in California so that's a lot of the year). I didn't really have a specific direction; just did a bit of doodling (see above) and searching through the sketchbook for potential subjects. My 6 yo daughter came out to join me - she drew the cat on the page above, and I added the patterning - fun time. Getting started can sometimes be the hardest part. I don't think any of these doodles will go anywhere, but you never know what might come out...

Anyway, some plans for summer include: 1) illustrating a fable or other scene from an existing story, 2) doing a series of scenerios featuring one character, 3) doing more paintings in acrylic paint try and master the media, and 4) do a series of 4 holiday card designs. Of course, a lot depends on whether or not we sell our house and have to move over summer. It's always something...

Illustration Friday: "Craving"

A portrait of the artist as a multitude of cravings. As the saying goes: you are what you eat.

My effort with acrylic paints were slightly better this time. However, I was rather annoyed with the whole thing for a while into it. I have so much more of a grasp on drawing, but I'm still figuring out a lot of things with acrylics (and painting, in general). I had enough gumption to stick with it and I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

I think acrylics was a good medium to use on this subject, partly because of all the creamy frostings involved. By the end of it, I did have a better understanding of the medium and how I work with it:

1. I much prefer the heavy bodied Liquitex paints I have rather than the Grumbacher tubes which are more "runny." The Liquitex feel more like the thicker oils I was more used to in college.

2. The extender I have is pretty useless.

3. I'm beginning to like the quicker drying time - it serves my impatience well, allowing me to rework areas almost immediately and to utilize dry brush effects that I like.

4. I really need to invest in some better paint brushes.

I also fell back on the "easier for me" expressionistic color palette rather than taking the time to mix more natural colors. But the, sweets tend to be more colorful anyway. So, it works.

Anyway, my family arrived home from camping today. My oldest daughter made me a portrait of her own from nature as a present as today is my birthday.