Tag Archives: illustration

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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Season of the Horse

Lilac in Progress
5″ x 7″ pen and ink, Copics

I finally decided that if I want to be good at drawing horses, I need to draw lots of horses. So please, if you have tips about horses, do not be shy about sharing them. Unfortunately I don’t have any or live near any, but I look at TONS of photos.

Past Horses, ATCs and an 8″ x 10″
Pen and ink, Copics (click to enlarge)

These are some horses from the last couple years. The unicorn on the bottom left, Thistle, is from just a few days ago.

In any case, expect lots of horses around here! Including donkeys, unicorns and ponies, steampunked and fancy-dressed. Maybe some carousel types. At the end I hope to have a Horses poster. In the meantime, there’s always the cats or the dogs!

Another reason horses (and unicorns) are a good choice right now is that I may have a table at a small fantasy con near Chicago, in November. And I need to make stuff to fill up my table. I think unicorns might go over well if I can manage to scrape off some of that cloying cliched reputation they have accumulated. Through no fault of their own, I might add.

The Season of the Horse is the fourth in a Slumbering Herd tradition of Projects, including 200 Maidens (started as 100!), the Art Card Dogs Project , 100 Cityscapes (currently at 26), and 100 Tiny Houses (just hit 50). Hooray!

Tons of progress pics below. Nice to see ya!

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Animal Hat Masquerade, in Acrylics

I was going to say “Cat Hat” instead of “Animal Hat”, but I suspect it looks more like a bear hat, or possibly a brown wolf hat?  I shall call it a cat-bear-wolf hat.

Animal Hat Masquerade
6″ x 8″ Acrylics canvas on 3/4″ frame

Submitted for the topic “Disguise” at Illustration Friday. And it is Day 26 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge!

You will see in the progression photos (still quite amateur quality photography), I changed colors quite a few times. Maybe I should have stuck to blues and the first, lighter blue background. I’m also not totally sold on that bulky blue-green tunic. But I must stop here and move on!

Thanks for stopping in!

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Tale of Two Giraffes

Welcome to Day 19 of the 30 day challenge!

A New Friend
5″ x 7″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

This giraffe was a request by a friend at illustratedatcs.com, intended for a nursery. I offered to add a bunny, but ended up adding a ladybug. On a very tall flower. I think s/he’s pretty cute.

My first try was a giraffe in acrylics, because of the painting challenge. I’ve done quite a few paintings recently so wanted to continue the run. But alas! The giraffe, while not finished, was just feeling too somber for a nursery (see below). Anyway, I was under a deadline to produce a giraffe and figured my best chance for success would be ink, my old standby.

Here’s the painted giraffe in progress. (Stay tuned, it may change dramatically between now and the next time I post it!)

Giraffe (in Progress)
5″ x 7″ Acrylics on canvas board

Note to subscribers! I am posting every day this month for the challenge, but only emailing twice a week. Just so you know. Thank you! (Also, apologies for dust and eraser bits on the scanner!)

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City Dog in Acrylics and Ink, Challenge Day 16

Day 16 of Thirty Paintings in 30 Days!

City Dog (Not Really a Dog)
5″ x 7″ Acrylics, tie and nose detail in ink and gel pen

Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hound (which I just realized I spelled with only one L), this fellow went through quite a few dramatic changes before settling here. He’s called City Dog but is not really quite a dog. Or cat. Or other thing you’ve heard of. He is his own thing.

Cityscape tie close-up

Many shots showing his various incarnations below. Thanks for stopping in!

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A Maiden in Acrylics. Fancy Hat Included.

It’s day 13 of Thirty Paintings in 30 Days!

Exotic Maiden in Fancy Hat
5″ x 7″ Acrylics with brown Uni-ball Vision Elite ink pen

I feel like I could continue to work on this for another few hours. Some spots are still messy, and some colors could be improved (though they are far less dreadful than at the beginning – see below). Facial features could use some work. But, I am writing this at  thirty past midnight on a work night, and we’ve got 17 more days of paintings to go, people!

So this one is done (for now). A detailed pencil sketch made a lot of difference. So did outlining with a smooth, dark pen. No way I could have completed all those lines with a tiny brush and 1. make it work tomorrow, and 2. kept my sanity.

I didn’t use a reference photo because I’ve been drawing so many women in crazy hats lately. This one is Maiden Number 141. Photo references can make a big difference so next time I’ll try to use one. Thanks so much for stopping in!

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Dr. Jekyl and Mister Hound

Red Hound Dog
5″ x 7″, Acrylics on canvas board

Hello fine visitors! If you happen to be from, or are familiar with, this Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, of which today is day number 11, and which I am trying like the Dickens to complete, I would just like to say:

If I don’t finish in the normal way, I reserve the right to use the approximately seventy-three hundred versions of this painting as at least, maybe, four of the 30 paintings. A small sampling:

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hound
Various stages of 5×7 acrylic painting

Thanks for stopping in for the occasional horror of my novice acrylics adventures! As you can see I’ve fallen back on some things I am familiar with, like outlines. And swirly backgrounds. Behold the transformation below. (All tips and criticisms welcome!)

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Monochromatic Elf for Challenge Day Nine

Day nine of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. This is an experiment with ink and gel pen over an acrylic background. I’ve convinced myself that the actual acrylic canvas process will be greatly improved with various additional products I hope to pick up this weekend like acrylic glazing liquid and tiny jars with lids.

Blue Elf in Field of Loops, 2.5″ x 3.5″
Ink, marker and gel pen over acrylic

This blue elf is Maiden Number 139. I think I prefer the next to last image below, before the white gel pen. Should have stopped there. Knowing when to stop is not something at which I am an expert!

Thanks for the visit!

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The Challenge Continues, Mostly in Ink

It is, in fact, day eight of the Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. I skipped day seven in hopes of catching up on the weekend. Work has been more tiring than usual, probably because of the recent holidays. Bah!

Posh Treehouse
2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

This stylish abode belongs to a gnomish clock maker. He is inside right now, cleaning the hands that belong to that clock window on the top floor. This is Tiny House #34.

It is for this reason that I am also submitting this illustration for the topic “Time” at Illustration Friday, from which I have been absent for ages! Topics are posted each Friday, and anyone who illustrates the topic in some way is invited to submit their link.

Hound in Progress, 5″ x 7″ acrylics

Above, we continue the gripping adventure of the unfinished hound. As you can see, I really need to reference a photo for the direction of that hair on his face. Stay tuned! Thanks for stopping in!

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30 Days Challenge Day 2

Sherman Shoebill
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Day two of Thirty Paintings in 30 Days and I am still snowed in (Chicago area). I prefer not to complain because I get to stay home from work. But I am not looking forward to moving my car to the other side of the street this evening.

But the other thing about being snowed in – still no paints! I know that this challenge doesn’t require painting specifically, but it still has paint in the title and I intend to do it.

In the meantime, I did extra scans during the coloring process for this one and the dog below, both finished today. I use a lot of layers with the alcohol-based markers, and often it does give a nice painterly effect. I’m hoping this will give me a head start when I actually start painting.

Stewart Lodwick
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Thanks so much to all the 30 Day Challenge visitors! It is always my intention to visit any commenters back, but some of you do not have a comment system I am able to use. Or no comment system at all!

And one more note! Subscribers, I will be doing a new post daily for the 30-Day challenge, but I will not be emailing every day. Probably every third day or so, so as not to inundate your inbox. Thank you!

(Final final note, these are both going in my shop.)

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