Tag Archives: maidens

Four More of the 100 Maidens

Cerys, the Hope Queen and Goth Girl Tess ATCsEach 2.5" x 3.5" Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Cerys, the Hope Queen and Goth Girl Tess ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Holy cow, will the ATC madness ever end? (I hope not.) If you’ve been here before you may know I started a project called 100 Maidens on Flickr to catalog my adventures in illustrating maidens (mostly maiden faces, truth be told, but I had been avoiding doing people for years). These are four of those maidens, who now number 49!

Cerys never wanted the crown but when all the other options were exhausted, she wore it justly and little complained. And so she kept Hope alive for another generation.  Made for a “Kings and Queens” swap at illustratedatcs.com.

This is Tess. A few years older, she is a bit like a den mother to the local Goth scene. She is a bartender at the The Shady Maiden and occasionally sells mysterious potions out of a very small room in the back. None of the thieves who occasionally break in hunting for her stash can ever find the entry to the room. Made for a trade at atcsforall.com.

Natasha's New Hat and The Wizard's Daughter ATCsEach 2.5" x 3.5" Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Natasha’s New Hat and The Wizard’s Daughter ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Natasha has always been drawn to strange hats and in her new apartment she has created The Misfit Hat Room. People who visit the room often describe a strange craving for pastries after spending time there. Made for a swap at atcsforall.com

Dahlia has picked up quite a few tricks from assisting her wizard father for so many years. She does not fear walking in the woods alone, and has twice foreseen events that allowed her family and their animals to avoid danger. Made for a trade.

You guys! While I was making this post I was looking through my site stats and saw that several people had come from a particular page, so of course I went to see. And here’s what I found. A big thank you to Dogster!

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Elaine and the Bachelors, for Illustration Friday

Three Bachelor Snowmen

Three Bachelor Snowmen and the Fair Elaine
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

For “Snow” at Illustration Friday.

This is the story of three dapper bachelor snowmen, all vying for the fair Elaine. Join us in Episode One as Alfred (with the extremely fine top hat), hatches a plan to heat the apartments of his two rivals, Leo (in the blue) and Grumby.

I took no process scans of these creatures! However, here are two more ATCs I did recently that I really dig (and for which I have some progress scans – apologies for the hair on scan 12)!

Noise Monster and Ursula the Priestess ATCs
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Jangle is a particularly irritating little noise monster. He rustles papers and makes other small noises whose source you can never find! Fortunately he only stays in the same house for one day.

Descended from a long line of priestess healers born with elaborate facial tattoos, Ursula left the cloister and founded a small alpaca farm. She sometimes fosters girls who help with the flock while she prepares tinctures and various healing balms for the local community. Ursula is Maiden Number 45. Holy cow, 45!

AND ONE MORE THING!  A lovely person called Bettina has interviewed me for her site! If you have a moment, take a look! I don’t sound too dorky (I don’t think).

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Steampunk Maiden and Christmas Cat

Georgie Gears ATC
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Despite being raised with six brothers, Georgie was always the one their father came to for help with the family tractor. No one was surprised when she went on to found her own airship engineering company. Reference photo.

Made for a steampunk swap at illustratedatcs.com. I am very pleased with the style of this one. On the one hand it’s a rather typical “pretty girl” image. But I think she has some charm and personality. And I’m sure my 100 Maidens Project made a difference. I recommend these projects – repeated practice with a particular subject.

Nikolas the Christmas Cat
2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Nikolas wasn’t always a Christmas cat. At ten months old he ate some tinsel and that soured him on the whole subject for several years. But then he found his person – a woman named Lizzie living firmly in the spirit of Christmas six months of the year – so Nikolas gave it another shot. It was much better the second time. Made for a trade at illustratedatcs.com.

It’s very odd the number of cats and sheep I have been doing! I am a dog person. But I’ve gotten the most trade requests for cats and sheep, so I’ve gotten a bit quicker at them. But it’s still several hours each. Or more.

I’m going to try my hand at glass tile pendants with prints of my images, and these two are on the list. We’ll see how it goes! Thanks for dropping in!

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Steampunk and Fantasy ATCs, Tales Included

Geoffrey Teeth and Lilah Steampunk, Artist Trading Cards
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, fine liners and white gel pen on smooth bristol board.

Because of a cleverly designed spring mechanism in his lower jaw, Geoffrey’s mouth can open and close in speech every once in a while. Because the motor takes so long to re-charge, he makes sure to save it for something important. The last time, several days earlier, produced the cryptic phrase, “Toads cannot move roads.” Made for Robots, Rocketry and Rayguns swap at atcsforall.com but I had to keep him.

Lilah is an adventure girl. She was raised among wild animals by a rural physician and his military-trained wife. As a result, she can fly most small planes and stalk unseen through dense undergrowth. She can also set a broken leg and makes very neat stitches. If needed. Made for a Steampunk swap at illustratedatcs.com.

Roland One Eye, 2.5″ x 3.5″ ATC
Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

A veteran engineer of the Mechanical Horse Wars, Roland disappeared from city life for many years. But when a second generation of the Merrano Gang started causing trouble in New Chicago, Roland was reluctantly pulled from a quiet retirement.

Floria the Fey Queen and The Dogfaerie Queen
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen

Floria the Fey Queen was the result of a forbidden union between a Valkyrie and a rare tree spirit. Hers is the final word on all matters of justice and death in the Wonder Woods.

The DogFaerie Queen was the first of her kind, created by a mad wizard’s experiment. He made four more before his death, and from these five all the others came. Nobody remembers her name. Only that she outlived the rest of the original pack by three generations. Both made for Winged Queens swap at illustratedatcs.com.

Lots of stuff outside my comfort zone but surprisingly pleased with the outcomes. Which is nice. Because that is hardly always the case! Thank you very much for stopping by! I am still looking into issues with my email subscriptions. Arrrgh.

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Maidens in Profile and Retro Sci-Fi ATCs

Lena the Seer, 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners and white gel pen.

Lena the Seer acts as both Counselor and Matchmaker to all the races of people in the Wonder Woods. She is well-respected by all but a few stubborn goblins who rarely heed her advice. Inevitably to their detriment.

Peculiar Maiden, Mystic Princess and Retro Redhead
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″, Copics, pen and ink. Two on bristol, one on mustard card stock.

Despite an existing list of trades and swaps I need to do (plus the great topic “Book” for Illustration Friday this week!), sometimes I’ll take a detour and do something else. In this case, the “Pleasantly Pretty and Particularly Peculiar People Profile Swap” at atcsforall.com. As a bonus, this swap inspired five more maidens for my 100 Maidens Project, which is now up to 32 maidens. (I must admit I was too fond of Lena the Seer {above} and decided to keep her rather than send her in for the swap!)

The Fontaine X97 and Retro Rocket
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen. Bristol, and mustard card stock.

The Fontaine X97 is considered a multi-class weapon. It is equipped with both long range and narrow beam lasers and a variety of explosive and cloaking attachments (available separately). It is rated M-14 and requires a Second Master’s Class license.

The Fontaine X97 is analogous to ancient earth’s BMW 300 series. This series was affordable to a wider audience than its top models, while still retaining the highest in early 21st century innovation and engineering.

For “Robots, Rocketry and Rayguns Swap” at atcsforall.com. If I haven’t mentioned it sixty-seven times already, I highly recommend atcsforall.com for anyone looking for a little inspiration, practice, feedback or ideas. It is open to everyone and features a huge range of art styles and levels.

At the risk of making this post way too long I just wanted to say one more thing. I sometimes get comments asking how I have time to do so much art! Well, I do have a regular job as an office manager, but because business is slower this year I am working about 32 hours. But the main reasons I think are, 1. I have no kids, and 2. I don’t go out much. Also, my current Artist Trading Card phase means tiny art that just doesn’t take as long as larger pieces. Thanks so much to everyone for stopping by! Progress pics below.

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A Boot, a Cat, a Maiden, and Three Cool Dogs.

Whimsical Boot, Cat with Fairie, and Winged Moon Maiden
3.25″ x 2.25″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen on bristol board.

The boot is a recent favorite. Your heel has its own tiny chair – it’s the height of comfort! (Did you groan? So did I.) These three are from an address tag swap at illustratedatcs.com, and are meant to be hole-punched at the top and put on a ring. My address will appear on the back of each, and I will in turn get an address tag (with themes chosen from my preference list) from each of the same people. Yay! (The Winged Moon Maiden is Maiden Number 26.)

Have I convinced you that Artist Trading Card trading is super fun yet? How about some whimsical dogs? Made for a swap at atcsforall.com, the sister site of illustratedatcs.com.

Three ATCs for Whimsical Dogs Swap
Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, fine liners, white gel pen on bristol board.

1. Brutus with Pipe. Brutus considers himself a terribly refined dog, and likes to smoke his pipe in the evenings. Sometimes after licking his butt.

2. Unrequited. The French Bulldog is Jackson. He is in love with a cat. The cat does not return his affections. In fact, the harried feline almost took out his eye in response to his recent advances. If she imagined this event would put an end to the whole business she was sadly mistaken, as Jackson had her portrait stitched into his eye patch.

3. Daisy with Kittens. Despite the apparent moment of calm captured above, Daisy’s patience was being tried, quite severely, by Inky the black kitten, aptly nicknamed The Terror of the East by the rest of the neighborhood. Why couldn’t she be more like her sister Luna, who could fall asleep in a snowstorm?

For more of my swap sets, I’ve posted about the Celestial Maidens, the Elemental Maidens, and Whimsical Robots. Hooray! Thanks so much for stopping in!

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The Bee Maiden and her Bursting Bonnet

Bee Maiden ATC and Bee Girl envelope art.
Copics, fine liners, white gel pen. Illustration board and envelope.

Nyuki* is a bee maiden. She travels with the hive she bonded with as a child, and can sing the name of every bee. The hive’s honey is a magical balm and can heal even the most grievous of wounds. Beside her is the Bee Girl. She is a friend to all the hives.

For the topic “Burst” at Illustration Friday. Made for a trade at illustratedatcs.com. Tons of progress pics below! I struggled mightily with the eyes, as you will see.

And since I’ve started doing more elaborate envelope art, I am including a few of my favorite envelope images:

Images from three envelopes. Copics, Sharpie & Staedtler markers and pens.

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Thanks for visiting! Don’t forget to visit other Illustration Friday artists (and the wonderful art blogs in my sidebar). If you want. ;D

*Nyuki means “bee” in Swahili

Leah the Mystic for Illustration Friday

Leah the Mystic, 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic ATC multiplied and adjusted in paint.NET

Leah the Mystic is another denizen of the Many Wonders Woods. Nobody is quite sure where she lives or what she knows, but if you happen to see her wandering the shadowed pathways, follow along for a little while. She might tell you a secret. She is also Maiden Number 20.

For “Identical” at Illustration Friday. The original is the image in the top left, and the rest were created in paint.NET using the hue and saturation sliders. I used a lot of different colors which make the changes more distinct.

I know opinions may be mixed but it does feel like cheating, and perhaps for IF it is a bit! Completely changing the colors with the touch of a button. And it turns out, despite my love of bright colors, it is the lower saturation settings (the bottom right) that I like a bit more than the original. So, I need to figure out how to achieve those subtler colors, which remind me of an Art Nouveau palette.

Blue Horses, 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic Markers, fine liners, white gel pen.

Leah is also a friend to the Blue Horses. Born lavender, the Blue Horses turn blue by the time they are two. The lavender helps them blend with the purple undergrowth in the Wonder Woods, and the blue helps camouflage the adults among the Blue Willows.

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Whimsical Robot Swap and More Maiden ATCs

 

For the Whimsical Robots Swap at illustratedatcs.com, each 2.5″ x 3.5″.
Copic markers, fine liners and white gel pen on smooth Bristol Board.

Hermes, the dog, is a very agreeable robot and will also serve as a beer opener. He makes a great companion for amiable-type hermits. Chelsea, the cat, is much more ornery, and suits the sarcastic hermit personality somewhat better. Of course the manufacturer insists that for optimum mental health, everyone should have one of each.

The pony is Gladys. Not recommended for hermits, because she is really too sweet-natured and were a hermit to go into a diabetic coma – nobody around to call 911! She makes a most excellent companion for small children, especially loners. (A blue version with a ball cap called Carlos is available for those opposed to purple.)

Roland the highland cow robot is a deluxe model companion. He performs admirably on guard duty, can detect gas leaks, put out small fires, and will alert you if you’ve left the stove or faucet on. Can also perform minor plumbing and electrical repairs. On pet mode he has a charming and goofy demeanor.

Modern Shaman Maiden (Bree), Green Gele (Nadi), The Nose Knows (Autumn)
Maidens 17, 18 and 16. Each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copic markers and white gel pen.

These are maidens 17, 18 and 16 for my 100 Maidens project. Is this too many images and stories for one blog post? Feel free to let me know!

#17:  Bree’s mother was a missionary in Africa who went native and moved in with a tribal shaman. Bree was born less than a year later and grew up learning the shamanic arts. She spent many summers in Sheffield, England with her aunt’s family, but always preferred the tribe she grew up in. Reference photo.

#18:  In Nigeria, a tall elaborate head tie is called a Gele. On her visit there, Nadi got to try on several in a strange little shop lit by lanterns made of green glass.

#16:  Autumn was born to wildly hippie parents in the early 70’s. She is a caffeine addict who does tedious technical writing by day, and titillating Star Trek fan fiction by night! Reference photo.

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Thank you for stopping by!

Milliner Maiden for Illustration Friday

Milliner Maiden, 9″ x 6″ Copics, fine liners on smooth Bristol

Those very fortunate, and very few, who get to meet the legendary Marta the Milliner are imbued with a mystical power of millinery and a haunting habit of haberdashery. Serious hats, is what I’m saying. This is maiden number nineteen.

For the topic “Tall” at Illustration Friday.

I have been saying for ages I wanted to do a cityscape or streetscape of some sort. Also, I like hats. So this is what happened! I still need to do lots more maidens to get the face just right. Or at least more interesting. Also had a few muddying issues. AND the background is a lovely gradation into peach but the lightest colors are always rough to perfect when scanning and then bumping up the contrast. (Any suggestions appreciated!) Thank you so much for visiting!

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