Speedpaint 26 - Aunt Carol

This started out with the intention of being a speed paint, but became a "slow paint" when I realized that I'd need to be more meticulous to get an accurate likeness. I've been picking away at it slowly for about the last week. I believe I put about five or six hours into it total. It's a Christmas present for my Aunt Carol, of her and her new boyfriend (reffed from a photo). She wanted it 8.5"x11" size, which also made it more time-consuming (previous speed paints were done 4"x6").

The most difficult part of the picture was probably the hand. I don't usually have too much trouble drawing hands, but attempting to depict one with color and volume without the help of an underdrawing or lineart...very frustrating. It went through a couple revisions.

It's probably obvious that realistic painted portraits are not my area of expertise (this is my first attempt since...high school, I think?) but hopefully Aunt Carol likes it.

Illustration Friday "Flying"

Ballerina - Complete

This was a fun picture to make. Ballerinas are delightful to watch, and equally enjoyable to draw.

Ballerina - WIP

Yes, I'm back to the ballet theme again! :) Here are some studies I did while watching ballet performances.





So what are the sketches for? Figure drawing practice and warm-ups for my next picture, a sequence of dance moves starring this character. I should be finished with it tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Can't Wait to Grow Up!

For the Illustration Friday prompt "impatience". This girl wants to hurry up and grow into an adult so that she can be just like her mother.

A number of ideas came to mind for illustrating the word "impatience": a boy cutting in the lunch line, a group of kids being served cupcakes, while one of the kids complains about the wait, or a kid yelling at another one to let him have his turn on a ride... but then this final idea popped into my head, I liked it because it presented a different take on the word with a positive spin.

Treasure - Complete

Pencil + b/w shading in Photoshop CS3.

Recognize a couple background objects from my recent Still Life speedpaint? :)

Treasure - WIP

Here's the next piece I am working on for my portfolio. This one will be getting a black and white treatment rather than color.



By the way, for any artists who want to take part in the daily speedpainting exercises I've been doing, here's the photos so far. Aside from the photo of the dog (speedpaint 10, which was taken by its owner), they are all my photos. I've been selecting them based on various challenges (fur, foliage, water, reflections, interiors, lighting, etc). If you decide to participate, I recommend focusing in on a portion of the photo rather then trying to paint the whole thing. Have fun! :)

Red Shoes WIP 2

Rough Sketch

Baking Cookies With Mom - Complete

Pencil for the line art, Photoshop CS3 for the colors.

Secret Fort - Complete

I had an opportunity to finish up "Secret Fort" while I was waiting for feedback from my editor on my comic page roughs. Here's the finished colors!

Secret Fort WIP 3

Testing out colors, still needs lots of work to complete. On hold for now while I work on a 16-page comic assignment (details as soon as I can announce the project!).

Secret Fort WIP 1

Here's the work in progress on the second piece I'm doing for my children's illustration portfolio. Something I have fond memories of from when I was a kid is building forts out of chairs and draped sheets with my cousin and friends. A secret space to tell stories and do kid stuff.

That memory led me to this idea. I thought silhouettes through the sheet would make for an interesting picture. Then, to bring some more personality into it, I decided to add a side panel showing them making faces in the flashlight. I'm thinking about giving ponytail girl glasses for added variety.

Dragon Rider - Complete

Here's the finished piece for Dragon Rider.


I'm currently interested in exploring unusual picture sizes. I usually think in terms of prints for the final output, which means many of my pictures are formatted with a standard letter 8.5"x11" or tabloid 11"x17" size in mind. In contrast, this one is tall, about 8"x14".

Hope you guys dig! I have more storybook type pictures like this planned and in various stages of development, so stay tuned for more. :)

Dragon Rider WIP 1

New picture for the children's illustration portfolio I'm working on. My idea was to depict a little girl curled up in a chair, so engrossed in reading her book that she imagines herself as the heroine of the tale.

Every picture I do starts with a thumbnail sketch, no larger than a couple inches tall. This allows me to jot down all the important details of an idea quickly, and "feel out" a composition without spending too much time on it. This way, I can easily try multiple takes if something's not working.

In this case, I was satisfied with the original thumbnail, and move straight onto the rough sketch, a full-sized drawing based off the thumbnail. Sometimes I will work the rough sketch to completion, but in this case it was too messy, so I transferred the drawing onto another sheet of paper to do my final pass (and made a couple tweaks to the composition while I was at it).

This is where I currently am: the lines are clean and ready for colors!