Contrary to popular belief, I suck at Pictionary. I am just finishing the roof and putting the bone at the front door when someone on the opposite team is yelling “Doghouse!”. I really dislike that game just for that reason alone.
I used the “line-only” technique again. I am really digging going back and forth between this technique and the one I used yesterday in Green Machine. I feel like when I figure out how to effectively combine the two, my pencil will explode.
When I am creating, I am at my best.
I just said that a second ago. I sound wicked profound.
Wow.
So, I guess I should stop writing stuff and get back to it then.
This piece is inspired largely by Mike Brown. I incorporated some elements I discussed previously, such as the backdrop effect from TubeRoBot and some new ones. I kept the tones on the neutral side and used lights and dark lines very sparingly. I like the effect a lot.
For Caleb’s fourth birthday party, I got him a Thomas the Train cake, complete with a solid plastic version of Thomas on top. Although, he received more than one boy’s share of presents, he gravitated right for the plastic cake topper. He kept that thing tight in hand for days. He had it in the bath and in the bed. This picture reminded me of that. The whole time I was drawing this, I was thinking about when my oldest boy was four years old. That was part of my “work” day. Did I mention that I was also in my jammies?
So, I discovered a new artist I really like, and I decided to use his technique, which is very similar to mine. His name is Greg Call. If you click the link, please look at his sketches, they’re way at the bottom.
I created this watercolor about twenty years ago. I recently gave it to a friend of mine who likes this type of guitar. It’s funny, if you stop and think about it. I drew this twenty years ago, not knowing that I would even live in this state, let alone hold onto this particular drawing that long.
This is a watercolor I did for a school project. I’m not sure what or why.
I think I will measure the success of this blog by how many hits I get from “work” computers. I love to check out other artists work online. When I was a corporate artist I called it research & inspiration – totally legit, by the way. I could waste a whole day doing just that. If you get a chance, check out one of the most talented artists I know, Tim Hynes. He’s the type who picks up a stick, starts carving, and turns it into a work of art. You just can’t teach that level of creativity. It’s awe inspiring.
I kept the wheels sketched, just because I like the mechanics behind them. If I put spokes or solid rims, I would lose that. I wanted to go with a steampunk look, so I used a vintage looking smoke stack to drive that point home.
I love when I get the opportunity to make someone’s idea come to life, especially when that idea is a character. This guy is a bit of a double challenge. I believe this is the first time I have ever characterized a muskrat before, let alone a clairvoyant one.
When doing a character study, I try to imagine the demeanor of the character. Is he proud and standing tall, or is he shy and withdrawn? Body language speaks volumes.
A bit of color and now, football.
I figured since my entry yesterday consisted of three sentences, I would do something to make up for it with color and a few more sentences.
…
I am thinking possibly one more sentence than yesterday, since it’s Saturday football.
Did I mention, I used color for this sketch?
This is a fancy tree.
Drawn with the flora in mind.
Must sleep now.
“As the strings of a lute are apart though they quiver the same music.”
– Khalil Gibran, fromThe Prophet
How neat that we can find someone with common interests and love them for also being different. I had a client who is Catholic and whose husband is Methodist. Every weekend they would go to their seperate churches.
This is a pretty ambitious piece. For starters, it’s bigger than most of my pieces and a lot more detailed. Overall, I like the direction it took.
I met with the ladies representing the Smyrna Public Library today. We are planning a display of my work and contest surrounding the sketches. We would like to spark the imagination of individuals to write a story around their favorite one. The prize will be the illustration itself. We haven’t decided on rules or how many we’ll be giving away, but I would love to give a bunch.
I have learned something about my imagination. It will probably get me farther in my life than my knowledge. If I can imagine it, I can see it, I can either draw it, or ask for it. Either way, it comes to life and becomes part of my reality. It has become part of my business philosophy as well.
I tried to emphasize the dramatic landscape by creating three different levels of mountains. At the farthest level back, the clouds hide part of the mountainside. I think the perspective here would really benefit from some color.