Dylan and Louisa

     I need more black and white images in my portfolio and I also need more illustrations that contain more than one child, so I'm practicing. I've pulled out some old snapshots and I'm getting down to business. This is done with a ballpoint pen and some ink wash. No touch-ups here. I did it on the back piece of cardboard from my watercolor pad. I had no idea how the surface would be to work on, but it was a nice smooth, sturdy piece of board so I thought "hey, why not?"  The surface was not great for blending, lifting color, or any of the watercolor techniques that I have experience with, so I really had to think about each brushstroke before I laid it down. Turns out I like the looser look of this piece, and how could I go wrong with these adorable kids anyway? My babies when they were babies.

Illustration Friday - SHELTER

Colored pencil with a little bit of marker on gray paper.

Awwwww.

Gypsy in pen and ink, watercolor, and digital

 Some versions from the same basic drawing:

 pen and ink

same pen and ink drawing with an ink wash added.

watercolor

   Digital 

SCBWI - DANCE

     The prompt word for the SCBWI online newsletter this month - DANCE. I've been working with a gypsy theme for myself, so this month's word worked right into my practice. I wanted light and movement in this one. This is mostly watercolor. I admit that I went in and tweaked it a little digitally. I'm currently working on another watercolor of the seated gypsy that I did for my postcard. I've already completed a couple black and white versions of her and I'm hoping to share as early as tomorrow.

     

Gypsy - self promo

    I've spent the last couple of weeks working on a self-promo package for myself. I went with a gypsy theme for a couple reasons. First, I've always been fascinated with gypsies. Though a homebody myself, I find the idea of wandering the world with little or no geographical ties extremely romantic.  I would love a handsome gypsy man with long dark hair and a golden earring to fall in love with me, but I would be unable to live the life. (And my husband wouldn't like it.) The second reason is that being a freelance illustrator gives a person a rather nomadic profession, peddling services from one client to another in a sort of gypsy-like fashion.

     I posed for the reference photos, so the girl is kind of. . .  (sort of) me, many years ago, with bigger eyes and longer hair. I'm not portraying myself dishonestly, just taking advantage of the perk of being an artist. 

     Here is the letterhead I designed:

And, last but not least, a postcard:

Now, please wish me luck as I send my gypsy caravan out into cyberspace and through the good old-fashioned American mail system in search of my future.

Illustration Friday - SMART

"Lars climbed atop the books and sat for a moment in contemplation. He considered himself a smart fellow. But, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out the reason for plastic fruit."

     I have been playing with clay recently. For a short story I have been working on, I created this guy:
                                                 

I did the piece in colored pencil first, then scanned it in to Corel Painter. This is what the original drawing looks like.  I'm still not entirely happy with the face, so I'll probably go back and rework him in a week or two.