Faa-aa-aall Sheep

Just a few days laa-aa-ate.

Sheep Sketch

This is what's on the board.

This is what my drawings look like when they're just about all figured out, just before I go to the final version to color. This will get a few tweaks, but mostly, its 'there'. Its a patchwork of cut-out individual drawings all taped together, with a sheet of tracing paper over them with a few extra bits drawn on. In other words, a sloppy mess! Even though I could do this in Photoshop, I still like to do it the old-fashioned way. What can I say.

I've decided to take out the tree in the background top right - think it detracts from the characters down front. It will be all 'field'.

Oh, forgot to say - Happy FALL!! When this drawing is colored, it will make sense ...

CPSA 18 revisited

You may remember the CPSA 18th International Show that was on in July. My Twix Mini piece was juried in, but I wasn't able to go to the show and see it myself. A friend who did go has sent me pictures of my little candy bar hanging on the wall ~





I see that it was hanging above Pam Belcher's "Water Totem" piece, which is pretty amazing, and which won an Award of Excellence.



I can't quite make out the other pieces - I'll have to go back and look through the entries at some point and figure it out. But its nice to finally see how my art looked on the wall there. Its like you don't really believe it was hanging there until you see it for yourself. Now, its hanging in my living room in a quiet little corner. Its had its day in the spotlight and is happy to be home (I think).

Listen to me.

I guess its not too early to start thinking about next year's entry. Actually, the Explore This! 7 show prospectus is available now - the deadline to enter is November 15th. This is the one where you can enter a piece that's mostly colored pencil, but also has to have some other medium with it.

Here are the entries for the last two shows if you're interested.

Explore This! 6 online

Explore This! 5 online

The "b" be done

She's all done.

I wonder what she's reading? "The Secret Life of Bees?" "to be or not to be ..."?

She's about 6 x 6, Prismacolors and Polychromos on Stonehenge.

I'm really enjoying going back to this style. Its more time-consuming, yes. But like I said, its who I really am as an artist. And life's too short to waste doing art that's not from the heart.

WIP - "b"

This is what's on my board. The letter "b".

So far this is just Prismas, but I will be adding some Polychromos to flesh it out some. I'm going back to my colored pencils for my children's book work, since that is what I love to do. I went down the digital path there a while back, and am satisfied that if someone asks me for a digital style, I can deliver. But the 'real me' is this.

There are lots of 'b' things in the picture, a lot of which you can't make out at this stage. That's a bumblebee sitting on the edge of a basket of berries (blue and black); she's wearing ballet slippers and bifocals and a beaded bracelet, and is reading a book; and of course there's that big blue bow going around the basket.

Better get back to work - bye!

Neapolitan, Licorice and Cinnamon Taffys

These were fun, but I need to shift gears now and move onto other things.

I liked going back to Prismacolors, which I haven't used much for a while. Funny how you get used to one kind of pencil, then the others feel weird.

These are all small - 4.5 inches square on a 5.25 inch square sheet of Stonehenge paper.

And they're all for sale.

Fall is in the air and I'm all excited. I can wear socks again, and sweaters, and real shoes. Like a civilized person. You "summer people" have had your turn, now its ours, we fanciers of Fall.

Illustration Friday - Dessert

"Carrot Cake"

colored pencils on illustration board

I did this one a while back. I do love a good carrot cake. Not from a box, please. And the cream cheese frosting has to be just right.

Speaking of food, today at the store I was drooling over Cook's Illustrated Magazine. The beautiful work of John Burgoyne graces the back cover every month. This month he drew a whole page of blue cheeses. Even if you don't like blue cheese, you would be tempted to try some after seeing these little illustrations. Go look at his portfolio page, and click on the food/cooking link. Those olives!

Cook's Illustrated also always has a lush still life painting of food on the cover. Its a yummy magazine, all the way around. And their show isn't bad either. I've learned a lot watching America's Test Kitchen. As much of how not to do things as how to do them right. If you like to cook, I highly recommend both (and no one has paid me to say this).

Its Labor Day Weekend here in the US, which means a 3 day weekend for regular working folks. Not so for the rest of us irregular working folks, I'm afraid. My drawing board calls, but that's a good thing. If you're one of the lucky ones who gets to 'get away' for a few days, have fun!

Orange & Cream Taffy

Just ... one ... more. I wanted to try these new Dick Blick colored pencils, so thought I'd do another candy piece. Plus I have a whole bag of these cool taffys who are dying to be drawn.

I can't say I love these pencils, but I made them work. They're wax based and I'm used to oil now, so they felt different going down. They're very similar to Prismas I think. I was disappointed in the color range, and kept searching for a color that just wasn't there. No selection of warm and cool greys - just a few like Slate or Medium or something. Of course you can tell if they're warm or cool after you do a scribble with them, but I found that a little annoying. Maybe its just because this is a set of 72, whereas my Polys are in a tin of 120, and the Prismas as well (I think).

Anyway. whine whine whine.

I like that this reminds me of a bat, and Halloween is coming up you know.

This is 6 x 9 on an 8 x 11 sheet of Stonehenge.

And is for sale.

Today I ordered my new 2011 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market and 2011 Children's Writer's and Illustrators Market books. There will be mailing list updating to be done when they arrive.

I promise that next time I will post something other than a candy drawing. Promise.