Category Archives: sketches

Sleeping Dragon in Mushroom Field

Sleeping Dragon, 4″ x 6″
Copics, colored pencils, pens

It’s another experiment with colored pencils, both Polychromos and Prismacolors. I was going to outline the dragon in white but worried about wrecking things! I do wish I had shaded the ground beneath him, and a bit more under the mushrooms, but alas, it is in the mail! This was my last secret santa art gift for the year. I am glad to be done; it is a little stressful.

Daydream and Queen Willa
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Here are a couple recent art cards. Lots of similar color in all three, including two of my favorite Copic colors: V04-Lilac and BG10-Cool Shadow, and my favorite Staedtler Triplus fine liner, magenta. You got favorites? Are they secret?

Thanks for dropping in!

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Legend of the Sleeping Tiger, Pencil Sketch

Legend of the Sleeping Tiger
5″ x 7″ pencil sketch

The above is the second in a long-sleeping feline collection. (Ok, it’s only two, but it could eventually be a collection. )The first is a sleeping kitten, also covered in mushrooms (I’ll post that one next time, or maybe you saw it on my Facebook page). Here is the tiger reference image.

I have finally replaced the main images for Sept/Oct 2014 posts, but not the progress pics (except for Lulu). As mentioned previously, there will be more! (If you’re just tuning in, I got hacked at the end of October and lost all the blog images from those months.)

Thanks so much for dropping in! I’ve been busy preparing for WindyCon in Lombard, Illinois this coming weekend. I have done craft shows in the past (ages ago!) but really nothing like this. So, lots of stuff to do! Hopefully I’ll do more after this one, particularly with so much of the initial setup work already done. More on all this business next time!

Thanks for dropping in!

Horsing Around in Pencil

Scouting Team, 6″ x 6″ pencil sketch

I like this one because there’s more of a story with the accessories and additional figure. But this horse is more cartoonish than I would like. Don’t know if I’ll color it.

 

Seaworthy, 5″ x 7″ pencil sketch

I did this one last weekend and I may be done with it. I do love the tiny ship! But the rest is all too close to the edge of the paper (again) and I sort of moved on to other things. But you never know what might show back up here!

Is anyone doing Inktober? Another month-long challenge! To draw in ink every day. Thanks for visiting!

Lulu with Paper Lanterns, Copic Markers

 

Lulu, 6″ x 6″ Copic Markers

Once again I was not able to stay away from the edges. Sometimes I sketch out a frame about an inch or half inch from the sides but then I ignore it! Will have to work on that. Lulu is the latest in my horse drawing adventure Season of the Horse.

I think I will do more paper lanterns because they are really cool. I’ll probably have to figure out how to make them glow, so let me know if you have any tips!

Meanwhile, I have been sick for three days and it is super sucky! I am drinking tea and hope to recover soon. Totally sucky to be sick on the weekend. Alas!

Hello to Paint Party Friday! Thanks to everyone for dropping in!

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Donkey Fae, Season of the Horse

 

Donkey Fae, 5″ x 7″, Copic Markers

I started with this image for some color inspiration, but didn’t really stick to it.

I might try a feather mane with larger feathers for clearer detail at some point. Overall I can’t really decide what I think. That happens a lot a lot when I’ve spent a few hours and can’t really step back to assess the stopping point.

Linking late to Paint Party Friday! Thanks for dropping in.

Festivus, a Kingly Stallion in Pen and Ink

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Festivus, 4.5″ x 6″
Copic markers, fine liners, gel pen

Reference photo. As I was posting I realized the Pinterest link has no attribution. So, I looked it up on TinEye (reverse image search),  and he looks to be a white shire named Gustav photographed by Makarova Viktoria. I think attribution is important!

The image at the top of the post is cropped down from the original 5″ x 7″. Mainly because I botched all those leg and chest muscles. The hair is trouble, too, as it looks too stiff and not quite right. But that’s ok! Just need more practice (and a little luck).

And one more thing – I sort of wish I had left it at this point:

Festivus, Sparkling
5″ x 7″ Copic markers, gel pen

Though the background needs to be finished better, I think the bright white swirls look pretty cool like this. They became more muted in the final product than I intended. The eyes are also very different. Do you have a preference in the swirls or eyes?

Thanks for dropping in!

Blue Buckskin Pony, Copic Markers

 

Buckskin Blue, 5″ x 7″
Copic markers, Prismacolor, Staedtler, Uni and Signo fine liners

I like the name Buckskin Blue, but originally I called this one the Festival Pony. (Please tell me if you have a strong preference one way or the other!) :)

As I mentioned previously, I am going to have a table at a small fantasy convention in November, which may help explain all the horns and bright colors. Perhaps it should have been called The Season of the Magical Horse!

Season of the Horse, the first six 5″ x 7″
Copic markers, pen and ink

Maybe you’re wondering, when will she get to like, a leg? A body? Aaaaaah, I don’t know! Soon.

Reference horse for Buckskin Blue.

Linking to Paint Party Friday a day late! Thanks for dropping in!

More Smoking Fish. In Clothes, with Pipes.

The Smoking Fish Banner
Copic marker art, arranged digitally

Blue jeans. Victorian ruff. Kilt. Tuxedo pants. Did you wonder if they were stylish? They are so stylish!

It’s Version 1 of a new Facebook banner for the band The Smoking Fish.  I may try to increase the size of the text but with my unpracticed Photoshop Elements skills, the digital part of this took ages and I figure I’d give it a rest for the moment. (The slideshow below has more close-ups of the drawings.)

You may have been following the smoking fish illustrations on my Facebook page. (Or, you could!) I do put a bit more art up there. I’m also still updating Flickr. My Tumblr and DeviantArt pages are ancient history. I think with blog-Facebook-Flickr, three is my maximum. I don’t have time for more, holy cow!

Thanks for dropping in! Boatload of progress pics below (though none of the digital part – maybe next time.)

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Otherworldly Equines with Serious Ears

The Solstice Foal, 5″ x 7″
Copic markers, Staedtler and Prismacolor fine liners, gel pen

The Season of the Horse continues in fine form. Though, a very few attempts at  a whole horse body have been feeble at best. One of these days!

Guardian of the Glade, 5″ x 7″
Copics, fine liners, gel pen

Reference donkey. (I usually use a photo as a very general guide. The final product is not meant to look like the photo. I think most people know that!) I had trouble with the fuzzy ears, probably needs more shadow. Will need to do more of those.

Both of these have bits of wonky perspective, but overall they are rather happy magical equines. Happy Paint Party Friday to folks visiting from there! Loads of progress pics. Thanks for stopping by!

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Post 300, Themes and Schemes in Pen & Ink

The Smoking Fish, model #1
5″ x 7″ Copic markers, digital background

Themes I’ve been working on recently:

Here’s another witch, somewhat mummified.

The Ritual of Josephin, in progress
2.5″ x 3.5″ ink, markers, prismacolor pencil

Thanks for dropping in! Woooo, 300 posts!

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