Happy Summer!

  One more assignment for Lilla Roger's Assignment Bootcamp will be given tomorrow.
  I really want to paint these little whales as a species chart.  This is not the final composition,
just an idea.

  So much going on here.  Have to apologize again for my delayed posting.  Feeling pressured

about keeping up with social media plus domestic/home life.  Taking the time to do art 

feels like a luxury right now.  When exhausted however, it feels like a chore.  I think it

shows in my work when I am forcing myself.  

  Focus is so jumbled right now.  I enjoy doing classes and projects but since my time is so 

limited it is taking away from my personal projects.  One of which is to get a book finished and 

sent to publishers/agents.  Something has to give and I am sorry to say it is my blog.  It takes 
me at least an hour, sometimes more to prepare and write my posts.  I plan to take a couple 
months to update all my sites, work on my portfolio and books.  Also, my etsy site will 
hopefully be stocked by fall with something special I am working on just for kids!  
In the mean time I promise to give a shout on twitter and facebook as well as post my 
last assignment for bootcamp.  

  I will be back in September.  Have a great summer and thank you for taking your time to read 

my blog and view my work!

Lovely Whales

  So the MATS Assignment Bootcamp project this month was a nautical theme, 
with a ship in a bottle being the inspiration.  I sketched these right before leaving
for vacation.  While away the assignment was released by Lilla Rogers, which was
to create wall art.  
   I have been stressing a lot about what design direction to take.  Not very happy with my
final work.  I didn't have time to put much into the thought process before execution.
Maybe I was trying to be too graphic oriented and I forgot about the art part.  
My other idea was to do a chart which perhaps would have been more successful.
I also wish I would have hand painted.  Sometimes I get fooled into thinking 
working digitally will be faster but that isn't always so.  Anyway, I like my baby 
looking whales and I may do something later with them.  I really want to do something
more related to children's books.  My style is so versatile it is hard to control at times.
I really need to work on developing my point of view.  Working in so many medias
can look scattered.  This summer I am going to take the time to really focus.  
  Sorry for the belated post.  Peace out and goodnight.  

Have a whale of a good tale to tell.

Out to Sea

  Away from home and have been trying desperately to upload my
whale sketches I mentioned last week. Sorry to say I don't think it's
going to happen tonight.  I am writing to you from a weak tablet that
is not cooperating. Later this week I will post some sketches so check
back.
 Happy Dad's Day to all the great dads, especially mine!

Gesture Line Drawing

    Last night I drew a few cute whales and a ship in a bottle for the
Lilla Rogers mini assignment.  The theme is nautical, which is something
I haven't approached in a while so it feels new and exciting.  I will post
those sketches next week.
    One way to develop a spontaneous, simple look to figure drawing is
to do gesture drawings.   During school I was waiting for my kids to get 
off the bus.  I brought along my sketchbook and would sketch the kids
playing and waiting for the bus.  Since kids are always in motion it's a 
real challenge!  
                                                         It's essential to only pick out the most important 
                                                       and contrasting lines to add drama.
Curves and straight lines 
lead the eye around the figure.  
Barely looking at the paper and examining 
how the pose should be edited 
is a quick, spontaneous process.  
  There is almost always something really 
special about the results.

Each figure has individual character and personality, just like children do!

This one was sketched as my twin girls and their friend examined something on the playground.  

I wonder what it was...

Eye See Change

                    Field guides are great for inspiration!  Last week at the library

                 I checked out one on moths.  Moths are great symbols for change and 

                 transformation.  Scratching out a rough sketch of the girl 

                 I added the moths over her eyes.  It just wasn't working. 

                 The acrylic paint detailing wasn't right on the wings and the color

                 did not stand out the way I envisioned. In the end the moths 

                 were decoupaged.   This was a fun experiment.  

                 Acrylics work well with pastel.

Watching Katy Perry videos

while doing this.  Her style influenced the hair and lips, don't cha think?

Dive Deep

  Here it is, advanced screening for you!  Had a great time working on this, 
even worked outside for a bit. Working with India ink, watercolor, stamps, 
and glitter stars.  Fun stuff.
  Thought I would work in blue's since Lilla's surprise feature was a 
shades of blue color study.

  This work was for an online class by illustration agent Lilla Rogers. 
http://www.lillarogers.com
  See previous posts for cool links/ if you want to check out other work I have
done for this class.
  Here is my own little surprise feature.  The color palette I chose plus 
Color heads!  Fun people and critters inspired by color blobs. 

Which one is your favorite?

So Simple

  Okay, so the Lilla Rogers (https://twitter.com/lillarogers http://lillarogers.com)
assignment for MATS Bootcamp this month is to create an editorial illustration
about meditation.  I did many sketches and decided on this one for my final.
Tending to be a little ADD, I thought I should read the assignment again.
Going back over Lilla's tips made me change my mind and reevaluate.
More than once she stated to keep it SIMPLE.
  There is so much going on in this sketch, and this one is even more simplified
than the previous sketch.  I think subconsciously I pulled in every aspect of my life
that I can't let go when I meditate.  Interesting how the drawing worked therapeutically,
like meditation!  It had to be done to melt away those issues, so I could get on with a
clean and powerful image.
  I have a new sketch I am working on now.  Feel a little pressured due to lost time.
Final illustration is due the 25th.  I wanted create this one traditionally and digitally
and pick the best one, but maybe not enough time.  We'll see.
  Monday we get a surprise tip from Lilla which is always helpful and inspiring.
Not sure what you will see next week,  a little surprise of my own!
 
 

 

    *Pray for the release of the girls in Nigeria.* 

  #BringBackOurGirls