I've been drawing larger views of the chapel the last few weeks (mostly because I abhor doing interiors and most architecture... No pain, no gain? I hate it enough that I'm bound to get better?). I do find it quite difficult to draw straight lines and parallels and right angles on my knee or in a sketchbook I"m holding in my hand, rather than on a more stable surface... ah well...
Compared to drawing in a slightly larger pad, stabilized on my desk and *copying* someone else's fabulous sketches (in this case Jean-Baptise Monge - whose fairy books are amongst my most favoritest ever). Maybe, someday, I can has drawering skillz too....?
On a rare Pacific Northwest winter-sunny day, we were down at Seattle Center -
...walking around, enjoying the sunshine, we meandered past the EMP (Experience Music Project) and the SFM (the awesome Science Fiction Museum) to discover...
I'm combining WIP Wednesday and Figure Friday this week since I've been working crazy-late hours trying to get the interiors to book #11 of the Wind Dancer series done and out (and after a series of working until 4am or 5am in the morning, I am happy to report it is!) So, here is the finish from the drawing posted last week.
Want more? Here is a beautifully sung version by Amy Nuttall with some history thrown in:
Another one of my favorite versions of this song is called Rosemary Faire (Song of Lughnasadh) performed by awesome Irish harpist Aine Minogue. I can't find a full version to direct you to online, but you can hear a clip here, or download it on iTunes for 99 cents. And the Celtic Woman version of Scarborough Fair is not bad either.
I love winter squash. And this is one quick and decadent tasting way to fix it...
(Sweet Dumpling squash used here).
Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Bake at 350 face down in a baking dish filled with 1/4 inch water for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Flip right side up, put a small pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt inside the cavity and fill with a mixture of chopped apple, sliced almonds, brown sugar or real maple syrup, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (you could also add raisins or dried cherries and a splash of lemon juice). Bake for another 10 minutes or so, or until the apples are as done as you'd like.
It's rather like pie. Just much less work. Deeeelicious! :-)
No life drawing today (we only have the studio the first 3 Fridays of the month), so I'm posting a couple of figures from book #11.
My fairy nieces initially posed for this, and after some alterations this is where it ended up. I liked how it turned out well enough that I thought it ought to have a little more to it than just a soft, wet-into-wet background....
...so I've added actual 'stuff' back there to render and paint... Cuz I'm so not behind and I don't have enough to do!
For each of the books in the Wind Dancer series I've done around 25 interior spots (give or take). And depending on the complexity, they all pretty much go through the same process which I thought I would share with you today.
After getting a copy of the manuscript followed by the art-request list, I initially do a number of very very rough, scribbly thumbnails (left scribble). They are really rough - and nearly unrecognizable to others - but it seems to be a step that is necessary for me to go forward.
After the initial scribble, I do one or two drawings that refine it further (middle sketch above). If it's readable, and I think I am depicting the image being requested, I can submit it at that point to make sure we are on the same visual page. In this case, no. So another sketch is submitted (image on the right). Again, no.
So, yet another drawing (left) - this one accepted. After the submitted sketch is approved, I draw a 'clean', refined one (middle drawing). The final drawing is scanned, cleaned up as necessary in Photoshop, and then print I out small, multiple copies on bond paper so that I can do value and color studies (far right) and also on watercolor paper.
Here's me painting the final printout - referring to my color comp, as well as a Trina Schart Hyman forest, since I love her tree colors. (tweetdeck, hulu and facebook keeping me company at my desk...)
Repeat 20 some times per book...
Most spots do not need so many revisions, more complex pieces, like covers, may need more. But regardless of the intricacy, I go through the same process with every piece I do.
Back to it - 13 more pieces to paint for this book.
There is a sliver of a crescent moon out tonight...
In it's honor, I share with you one of my favorite oldies -
"Crescent Noon", by the Carpenters (Karen Carpenter is one of my all time favorite vocalists. Such rich deep sounds... Always wished I could sing like her...)
For Christmas, I received a couple of Easy Sprouters plus a whole bunch of samples to sprout. Am having fun experimenting with it. Favorites so far? Buckwheat groats and Lentils.
This has been a busy busy week trying to finish up the interior drawings for book #11 (as a result I skipped WIP-Wednesday. I'm not quite done drawing them all and haven't scanned any in yet. Certainly I will have some for next Wed!) However I am pleased to report that life drawing this week, while grey and dreary outside, was not quite as dismal inside as last week at least... Played it safe and did body part studies....
Maybe soon, I'll be brave enough to tackle the entire figure again...?
In keeping with the TV-music theme, today I will share with you one of my favorite impressively-put-to-music scenes from the start of the second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. (This scene bookends the finale of season one - artistic carnage put to Johny Cash's "The Man Comes Around".) The combination of music, vocals and mostly wordless action packs a more poignant punch to the stories they are telling:
Samson and Delilah, sung by Shirley Manson, the Scottish-born lead singer of Garbage, who also played a main character in season 2.
I will also rhapsodize about the wonder that is the composer for this series, Bear McCreary, (who also did the amazing soundtrack for Battlestar Galactica) but that is another post, another day...
I've had a juicer languishing in the pantry for a number of years (and was supposed to be victim of my next household-purge), but she gave a very compelling lecture of the therapeutic benefits of fresh mainly-veggie juicing, as well as some spectacularly delicious samples. I came away inspired, and have resurrected the juicer for daily use. It certainly feels good to do. I may even recover from an overload of Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered peppermint Jo-Jo's.....
After almost a month off from life drawing due to the holidays you would think I didn't remember how to draw....
blergh... Warm ups weren't completely full of fail - I'm still loving the couple of minutes of 5 second poses which make everything after seem leisurely...
Quickie 5 minute pose... However after that, the longer 20 minute poses were pretty dismal. I quit trying after awhile and focused on her cute, red boots.... Next week's gotta be better than this, right?
I'm in the midst of sketches for book #11 (20 some interiors in the next coupla weeks...) This would be the state of my desk during the sketching and final drawing stage... Piles o' stuff... (Plus open computer windows with tweetdeck and facebook keeping me company through the long hours...)
I'm trying to bring a bit more order to my too-busy and frequently dis-organized existence. One tangible place to apply routine to (and give my brain a break in one arena at least) is in my blogging. There are categories which seem to appear with a degree of regularity, so I am instituting some Reoccurring Weekly Features for your viewing pleasure:
Sunday Sketching - has been consistently showing up for some time now. And will continue.
Music Mondays - I am a closet music junkie (hence my rather *ahem* gleeful following of Glee this season, for instance). I love the music I have and know, and love being exposed to new as well. When so moved, I will subject you to something that has caught my fancy that day. Please also share your favorites with me.
WIP Wednesdays - I always have something in some stage of construction. Wednesdays will give you a peek into current projects, their Work In Progress, and other things process-related to illustration.
Figure Fridays - Life drawing report - good, bad or ugly.
and Succulent Saturdays - if you have followed me for any length of time you are probably very aware of my passion for gardening, herbs, edible landscapes, urban chickens, and experimental cooking. If I am excited about something related to that during the week, here is where it will be reported. Or it may be a snippet of some especially succulent artist's work. Or a delectable experience. I'm playing this one a bit by ear.
I don't intend to necessarily do all of these every week (I only have life drawing the first three Fridays of the month for instance), but this is what I am aiming for. I am also interested in your feedback as we go - is it useful? inspiring? completely non-relevant? TMI? You really want to see *more* love for the backyard chickens? Whatever....
And in that vein, here is a song that has been addictively stuck in my head the past few months. A portion is used to great effect in the opening credits of Fox's Lie To Me:
(Ryan Star, Brand New Day)
And if you are not familiar with Lie To Me, see the original, fabulous promo here.
I can see the light at the end of my long-term-projects tunnel. I am hoping for more balance in 2010. And am making a list of moderately detailed NY's resolutions/affirmations/manifestations to that effect. Looking forward to seeing if I can make some headway on the other vastly neglected areas of my life outside of work (I really miss my garden).
Here's to a marvelously wonderful 2010 (and the ensuing decade) to all!
I've been drawing larger views of the chapel the last few weeks (mostly because I abhor doing interiors and most architecture... No pain, no gain? I hate it enough that I'm bound to get better?). I do find it quite difficult to draw straight lines and parallels and right angles on my knee or in a sketchbook I"m holding in my hand, rather than on a more stable surface... ah well...
Compared to drawing in a slightly larger pad, stabilized on my desk and *copying* someone else's fabulous sketches (in this case Jean-Baptise Monge - whose fairy books are amongst my most favoritest ever). Maybe, someday, I can has drawering skillz too....?
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