Fairy Obsessed

  Hello friends!  It's been a busy summer.  I'm happy to say I found time to
rework my website and you can check it out here: http://raradesig3.wix.com/rachelbollman
  Like a crazy woman I decided to do another craft show.  So my focus is still a bit sidetracked.
The difference is, this time I am working on ways to make my art relate.  Such as these little
elf and fairy doll sketches becoming a reality in sweet fabrics. (Fairies again, though these are cutesy
ones, and not so realistic!)  I plan to do a few paintings of these dolls too, maybe for cards.  Some
of the crafts for this show are part of a bigger plan too, another book idea in the works.

   Promise to post photos of the finished products in the somewhat near future!  Also, I've
decided I will be posting on Fridays now.  See you next week!  :)Rachel

Sprites of Summer

                        Look what I found out in the garden!  They are sleeping of course.
                                       (A long day at work will do that to a floral sprite.)

Health Kick Cafe

  Feel like it has been ages since my last post!  Just wanted to show you my final
project for Lilla Rogers Assignment Bootcamp (@lillarogers) as I promised.
The theme Lilla gave us this time was favorite beverages.  I had fun on the mini
assignment, sketching and painting many various ideas.  Lilla also said for this to
be something we personally love.  
  Coffee and tea being my most favorite, I thought of what it would be like to be
on a health kick (like I am trying to persuade myself into) surrounded by caffeine
addicts!  This time I wanted to challenge myself to tell a story.  First I sketched
the bunny character, then got the idea to place him in a cafe setting.  I thought
of  New York City, and creating the essence of it.
  I wanted to use a limited palette with small accents of color.  Maybe too subtle?
When I finished, this palette and the bunny and carrots kind of made me think
of Creepy Carrots by Peter Brown, which I saw the book trailer for last year.
(I need to check it out for real.  Love his work!)  My style is very different
from his, but maybe there was a subliminal influence?  There are hints of favorite
illustrators in my work.  Keeping true to myself is a struggle at times,
but feel I'm there with this one;)

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...