Music Monday - more Dan (Sketches)

Here's another little known Dan Fogelberg from the Nether Lands album (my third favorite of his. :-):

WIP Wednesday - sketch variations

Last drawing of the last book of the Wind Dancer series....

Original submitted concept. They wanted to see *more* of them so -

I did a larger, full scene - and did various croppings -

-aaaaand, here is the one they picked....

WIP Wednesday -

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...)

Oh the glamour, the glamour....

Treats -

I can deservez some now?

Book #10 is drawn, scanned and printed out. Tomorrow, painting will commence...

Life Drawing -

Short-pose figure drawing day.

Another new-to-me model who-is-also-a-dancer. (They do the best gesture poses....)

Short (15-20 minutes) poses...

The last pose of the day was freaky fore-shortened - but fun to do. Would have been funner with a few more minutes to actually get the feet accurately, but alas...

Book Signing - Spiderwick Chronicles

Last night I got to go to one of my favorite indepedent book stores, Third Place Books, for the farewell-tour and book signing for the Spiderwick Chronicles.

We've been fans since the very first volume. And now own each of the stories as well as many of the peripheral books (the "Field Guide", "The Care & Feeding of Sprites", the giant "Chronicles of Spiderwick"...)

My daughter had me take her out of school to see Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi the last time they come through on a Spiderwick tour (when we got the first batch of books signed). They are gregarious, humorous and imminently entertaining in person as well as on the page and a couple of my contemporary heroes. Spontaneity abounds - don't even ask about the impromptu audience rendition of "Puff the Magic Dragon"...

As part of their spiel Tony drew a number of on-the-spot characters (I'm always impressed by being able to draw spontaneously, in front of an audience, in pen!) which they then gave away to winners of Spiderwick trivia questions.

I sketched *them* while they talked. Made funner by it being rather dimly lit and their constant movements...

As I was sitting on the front row during their presentation, Tony saw me drawing and to my dismay asked to see my sketch book when we got to the front of the book-signing line. The horror, the horror....

But they are generosity itself when it comes to signing *every* thing you brought with you, in addition to letting you take pictures with them. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Here's hoping that talent rubs off a little?...

WIP Book Cover #12 (morning glories & butterflies)

I've finally finished up the last cover drawing in this series -

Initial thumbnail idea (which was subsequently revised) and the color comp -

Morning glories - which are fast growing, and scrumptuously and intensely colored - are not considered herbal/medicinal in this country. In China, the seeds have traditionally been used for their laxative quality, but be warned that in pets and young children they are "also considered poisonous and may cause digestive upset, stupor, hallucinations or even coma if enough are ingested". So, not recommended for anything but decorative applications.

They do make darn cute fairy hats though!

Here is the sketch for submission to publisher and Breyer...

...Aaaaand, the final drawing. I have a few tweaks to go back and resolve on all four covers, then will re-scan, print and start the marathon painting stage...

Book Cover #10 - WIP (jewels & dew drops galore)

Book #10 in the Wind Dancer series features Brisa, the 'glamor' horse. She's pink and pretty and loves to be covered in jewels and sparklies, as well as enjoying them wherever she comes across them.

Here's one of the initial thumbnails, utilizing a 'charming' girly pose and plant-life that is known for jewel-like dew drops, Lady's Mantle.

Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla - 'the little Alchemist'), is one of my favorite herbs - with all kinds of folk medicine and folk-lore associated with it. The scalloped, serrated-edged leaves are covered with soft hairs which hold water drops on the surface and around the edges. My favorite medieval recipe calls for the collection of this dew from its leaves which was said to have magical properties: "It is said to preserve youth if a woman collects dew, in May, alone, in full moonlight, naked, with bare feet."

I want to grow me a field of this stuff! :-)

Rough color comp to make sure I'm going in the right direction...

The comp sent to the publisher and Breyer for approval and anatomy check...

And here, finally after any number of dew-drops and sparkly jewels, here is the final drawing...

IMC 09 - Day 3

Today Michael Whelan visited -

Gave a great slide presentation. Lots of fabulous art (his more current gallery work is pretty spectacular). It was fun to hear him. He was the first fantasy artist whose name I knew, books I bought and went to hear speak decades ago... His painting is just more impressive over time. He demonstrated some paintings and signed posters for us. :-)

After dinner, Donato gave a slide presentation. Also fabulous. He is so high energy and enthusiastic about what he does that it is very inspiring (although sometimes also depressing because his work is so awesome!)

Lots of faculty painting again this evening. This time I watched Charles Vess paint with FW inks (I medium I've never painted with before). One always feels terribly torn between watching all the amazing art being made by the amazing faculty artists, or working on one's own. I try to do some of both.

I *did* get my drawing finished, and scanned and printed out on watercolor paper (about a day behind where I wish I was...)

Now, as soon as I can figure out what colors to make this thing, I'll start painting it!

IMC - Initial Critique -

I'll try to add more IMC info/pictures if/as I have time. But intro stuff went well. I'm only half-way jet-lagged/sleep deprived. Is great to see how many people I know from last year. Plus many more new friends to make. AND I have a fan in my dorm room + one in the studio (thanks to generous friends who were driving) - so I may survive the humidity. :-)

I'm going with the steam-punk Wicked Witch of Oz (I was critiqued by Boris Vallejo and Scott Fischer)-

(I have one more revised version since this scan, but ah well - Will post as I can.)


Which my darling mom posed for when she was visiting last month. Isn't she cute? And the best.sport.ever.!!

Concept Sketches -

We've received our assignment list to choose from for the IMC next month.
There are three that I am interested in at least some preliminary exploration -

The first one is The Lady of the Lake (from the King Arthur mythology cycle)

That could be fun - Celtic knotwork in the border, hand lettering, lots of floaty hair...

The second one that appealed to me was a "far futuristic high-tech 0r steam-punk alt-version of the Wizard of Oz". No high tech for me, but steam punk would be fun. Mechanized flying monkeys anyone?

The last was a children's manuscript, written by the esteemed Jane Yolen of a toothfairy story - where the 'manager' had to make the nightly tooth run. Given all the steampunk outfits I was looking at, I thought it'd be fun to make him that sort of guy as well,

Now to pick one and develop further...

Drawing on the road -

I took a couple of illustration-idea folders with me this weekend to see if I could make any further progress on some rough thumbnails I've had hanging around desk for awhile. This one was based on a rejected idea from a Fairy Chronicles cover - but now with a very different kind of faery.

Debating whether to take this further or not...

Baba Yaga - revised

After the responses to the last posted sketch of her, I did some revising of Baba Yaga and the composition -

I'm hoping this reads better? Mostly the same elements - but moved around a bit, and a more feminized version of her witchy self...

(My mother very sweetly agreed to pose for me when I was there last week. Isn't she great!!)

WIP - "Greensleeves"

Worked on at the retreat last weekend.

New composition, anatomy revision, and background detailing.

Another sketch WIP -

About a month ago, I was thinking about Valentine's Day themed images and started sketching some things with that loosely in mind in my Sunday Sketchbook -

I decided to take the lower left one a bit further -

I'm still working out the details - what to do with the background?

what to have in her hand..?

How close to crop in?

Now that I can make such decisions for myself this month, my mind is reeling with the possibilities. How can I possibly decide? I am completely out of practice!

Baba Yaga Sketch -

Here's my first stab at non-cutesy, non-sparkly, non-young-girl drawing in several years. Having fun with the individual elements - still nudging the composition before moving onto value and color.

Baba Yaga is an intriguing figure in Slavic mythology. One of my favorite versions of her is done by Ivan Bilibin. Mine differs significantly, but for some reason I have an unreasonable fondness for her.

Life Drawing -

Where has this week gone? Daughter on school break so there has been much eating out and seeing of movies (Push. Coraline - in 3D. Inkheart. All enjoyable distractions). It's also been sunny and warmish - so some yard work has happened.

I've also been trying to do some personal artwork (currently a fun-scary version of Baba Yaga. Will post sketches in a few days).

And I continue with the Life Drawing. Short poses this week. I'm pleased with how far I'm getting with the 20 minute poses. Many are still completely: Fail - but some are coming more easily... Hooray for small victories.

Life Drawing -

Life drawing day at the 'Village again today.

Interesting phenomena - this week was heavy-duty drawing in the studio (finalizing the interior drawings for the latest book). Last time, I had been painting. My 'observer' is fatigued and was much more difficult to engage in anything more intensive than gesture drawing today.. Note to self, figure drawing will be more effective if I haven't been drawing for many many hours, for days straight before attending...

Sketchin' at the Faire - Part I

Made my other summer pilgrimage today to the Camlann Summer Festival. It's a lovely, small, wooded venue - which I have photographed several times over, so this afternoon I spent a good part of my time in my sketchbook - trying to capture moving targets.

(Master Payne - the traveling jongleur)

And as for other demonstrations,there were people with great big arrows.

And great big swords.

I was rather crushing on the blacksmith.

(Not in a hunky way, like PG's Middle of Nowhere blacksmith) -

But because of the very cool wrought iron detailing he adds with abandon to the things he is working on.


Kinda had to take *some* photos...

More tomorrow...