Bird and Bear
9″ x 12″, Copic markers on 150 lb smooth drawing paper
This is the final version of a commissioned portrait for a quirky bird girl and burly bear guy, getting married in about three weeks. The project took closer to three months. Most of that time was filled with mild panic and her unhelpful cousin, procrastination. Hooray!
I don’t do portraits, neither people nor pets. But I often do beasts, and often in clothes. So I figured I would give it a shot, with my friend’s promise he would not take it if he did not want it.
Three items were produced for this project. A pencil sketch, which I chose not to ink over – sort of a contingency plan in case the inking never worked out quite right:
Final sketch, Bird and Bear
I was worried about two things. One, that all the erasing would affect the marker coverage, and two, that I wouldn’t be able to reproduce the image as well again if I mucked it up.
So, I bought my first lightbox (with a 40% off one item coupon at my local Dick Blick’s) and used that to ink a clean sheet. Actually, I should back up a moment. I also used the lightbox to reduce the size of the image, by scanning it, shrinking it by a couple inches, printing it, then re-creating the pencil sketch, but smaller and with better detail. THEN I got another clean sheet and started inking.
The first inked version got off to a bad start when I made his pupils too big. Then I overworked the thing to death trying to adjust the colors.
Bird and Bear, first color version
Still, I could have stopped here, finished it in a bit more, and called it a day. But his hair is too dark and his snout far too short. And her feather too long. So I inked a whole new one and started over. And it not only went far more quickly than the first, it came out much better. (I think.) Yay!
Lots of progress pics, including some early bird and bear sketches. Thanks for visiting!
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Whoa Cindy! You keep amazing us! What a lovely thing to do for your cousin.
I just love how they both progressed to their final look. And I love the final result too.
I think that light-box is something we all (and by this I mean ppl who draw) should have… I’ve been thinking about making one for myself for such a long time now (they are a bit pricey plus I don’t think I can get one here at all… naaah, they probably sell it somewhere but I really don’t want to know how much they’d charge me). Anyways… one of these days I shall make one… at least a better working thing than using my coffee table and a little lamp under it’s glass :D In other words – I’m a bit jealous right now ;)
Thank you! The light box was not too bad. $50 – $20 for the coupon. About $30. And I hope to get a lot of use out of it. It fit my 9×12 sheet with a little room to spare. And there were plenty of more expensive models but I don’t need too fancy! :)
Lovely work!!!!
Another amazing painting. Absolutely perfect. I use a light box to refine my sketches. Very handy to have in my toolkit.
Wow! I love it! I foresee more commissions coming! Seriously, it’s very nicely done, soooo cute, packed with personality, and something personal this couple will treasure.
Bring on the commissions! I’m sure your patron will be pleased. A perfect portrait of inner selves in a relationship together.
Wow…lovely commission……and a wonderful wedding gift! Will they use it on their invitations? I know several artists that design custom wedding invitations illustrations.
I have never used a lightbox for anything…….my paintings are all on canvas……I guess too thick for lightbox…….I always thought it was for photographers. How exactly do yo use it for pencil sketches?
Hi Clara! Thank you! I just taped the sketch lightly to the light box and then lightly taped (just at the top) a clean sheet on top of it. With the light on the image came through quite clearly so I was able to sketch right over it. For the second version, with his longer nose, I even moved the paper around a bit. I think it may be a handy tool to have! Though, I have no plans to take any more commissions any time soon. So stressful! :)
Lightboxes, yeah, they are always useful. I used a very small lightbox when I started to draw, I wanted to use different color combinations over the same design.
Concerning your commission, I love it!
That’s really sweet! I think they both turned out really well and of course, your details make it perfect. I’ve always wanted a lightbox but I usually cheap out and resort to a big window, lol. :)
So fun looking! Any kind of portrait produces angst for me. Sometimes you just have dive in and do it. I like the idea of the light box so you can redo something that isn’t quite right.
Wow Cindy, I think you have surpassed yourself. This is so amazing and what a lovely gift. Fabulous in every way.
Worth every bit of mild panic, Cindy! It looks so fantastic. I love all of the different textures in his hair, fur, and beard. You have mad skills with those Copics!
Very, very cute!!!
these are really cool – they must be really happy with their portrait
This is wonderful, Cindy! Congrats on getting it finished!
WOW Cindy! I love this!! I think it is one of my favourites of yours!
Wow, quite a process! Hooray for your persistance! I’ve taken a project like this once before (in a totally different style of course) and the struggle frustrated me too much – I gave it back.
Great to see the progress pics here. You did a great job, the result is beautiful!