Sunshine Hill Studio

Me.

2012-01-19T23:19:00.003-05:00

A few facts about me:
I don't own a purple beret.
I don't wear glasses.
I never had any wild oats to sow.
I'm more nerd than cool.
I giggle at my own ideas.
I'm really hard on myself.
I secretly wish I had a super hero
cape in my closet. (Just in case.)
I think lime green is beautiful.

(I think I just prepared a better "about me". Now if I could just figure out how to update my site page...)

Ollie

2012-01-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty stuck on using an owl for my logo. Thinking, sketching, and thinking again about ideas on how she should look on the backs of notecards, etc. I need simple. And something that'll look nice small.

Right Now.

2012-01-12T16:19:00.002-05:00

This is one heck of a determined pig. You gotta dream? A goal? Something you've been wanting to do? Don't stay on the ground...strap on your wings and go for it!! (Pigs can too fly.)

Me, A Chicken, and a Book!

2012-01-05T20:33:00.002-05:00

Big news! I'm spending quite a bit of time with my new chicken friend, Esme. I got my first book contract!! Wahoooo! This contract is a result of an interview/showcase I did on Sunshine Smile Publications. The book will be published through an independent British publisher, Red Robin Books and is set to be released at the end of June (I'll post order information here upon release). And I'll get to share approved sketches with you along the way! Here's the cover-this was done earlier for marketing purposes. (I'm still in the sketching stage.) Lots of work to do-I'd better get to it!

2nd half of Rhino

2011-12-26T22:19:00.002-05:00

Now that Christmas has passed it's safe to post the other half of the rhino...his hindquarters! This Christmas these two illustrations were decoupaged onto wood to make an ornament. There's a funny family story behind this. My mom made a chilly pumpkin soup one holiday. And one of my brother's immediately spat it out upon first sip and said "What is this?!? Rhinoceros Butt Soup?" Now we all have rhino butt's hanging from our trees to commemorate the moment.

Rhinoceros

2011-12-19T00:44:00.000-05:00

Image for a gift. He's a bit unnerved for good reason...I'll have to post the second part after Christmas or I'll give away the secret. It was fun doing an un-furry character, save the few hairs at the top of his head. Good thing the poor fellow has tea in his teeny tiny teacup to help settle his nerves.

Almost there...

2011-12-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

I have a few fantastic things going on at the moment. These are samples from one, my thesis project. I'm so close to being done I can taste the freedom! Here's to hoping the panel feels the way I do about these.

Dream Protector

2011-11-13T17:10:00.001-05:00

Cause we all need one. Maybe not one on a leash. With pointy teeth. But we all need a way to protect our dreams.

Swine In Flight

2011-11-09T00:50:00.003-05:00

They can too fly...

2011-11-09T00:48:00.002-05:00

Cuteness

2011-11-09T00:46:00.000-05:00

Working on some product designs.

A Small but Important Message

2011-10-22T21:46:00.001-04:00

Go for it! Fly! Fuel your dreams. And let no one stop you.

Molly & Ollie

2011-10-19T00:45:00.000-04:00

Gonna Get It All Done

2011-10-16T01:05:00.000-04:00

Playing around with some notepad ideas. I like the long skinny grocery-list kinda notepads, the ones you can stick to your fridge. I'm a big list maker. Even bigger when I have something cute to make a list on!

How To Do It All In A Day

2011-10-03T19:29:00.001-04:00

How does an artist get it all done? My answer is I never do. I have to keep changing things up til I figure out what works for me, so I like to read up on tips and stuff. I especially like reading about how successful artists spend their 24 hours. I found some good tips reading about A Day In The Life of Disney Artist Chris Oatley. Can't do his early mornings right now but I love the concept of mornings for the business and evenings for the family. And I'm impressed by the 'No work after 8pm' rule. Very impressed.

The Truth

2011-09-18T23:51:00.002-04:00

Experimenting With Mixed Media

2011-09-17T01:45:00.000-04:00

I never paint in acrylic. Or do collage. Oh my, it's so fun! Mama and Baby are done in watercolor. I may stamp or paint on the words instead of digitally adding them. I'm going to have to explore this further, trying something different is good for the soul!

Playing around in Photoshop

2011-09-16T11:50:00.001-04:00

Vlad, since you're not mesmerized by thoughts of sinking your fangs into my tender neck you are welcome

to stop by for a visit. I'll make the tea.

Thursday Movie Night Sketch

2011-09-16T08:35:00.004-04:00

Last night was movie night. We watched Rango. (I couldn't figure out what half of those creatures were. It was funny, though.) This Thursday night exercise is a totally free- do whatever character comes to mind-unrelated to anything I'm working on kinda of night. Relaxing. And because I love ( I mean ADORE) the sketching process I really enjoy this "free" time.

My son says his tooth's facing the wrong way. Which would be true except this vampire's all discombobulated. Hates the sight of blood, sleeps upright, scared of the dark, can't stand bats. So the tooth fits. I wish I could flesh out all of my characters and get to know them more! Right after I draw one, another one comes for a visit and I simply don't
have enough tea and biscuits to go around!!

Are You Ready To Rock?!?

2011-09-12T21:39:00.001-04:00

Little character that will go on notecards and a couple of other things. She has a shadow below her on the floor that I need to deepen cause it totally doesn't show up. Rock on!

Boundaries

2011-09-09T23:02:00.001-04:00

Permission to be a little abstract with my Illustration Friday submission? Good? Ok.
So I started this book project awhiiiilllle ago. And I knew this would happen. Things have evolved, as in I've learned stuff and made little improvements. This is good. I want to go from sketch to final with no boundaries (here's the abstract IF reference). Like not be all tight and such. Make it have some LIFE. Know what I mean? This I'm trying really hard to learn, teensy bit by bit. What's not good is having to paint ones I wish I could totally redo. But I can't, I must do my best and go forward, hoping it all comes together in one nice cohesive package. With a bow on top.

P.S. I'm totally redoing this one if I have the time.

My Illustrator Showcase

2011-09-06T23:57:00.002-04:00

My Illustrator Showcase is up over at Sunshine Smiles Publications. Fly on over there and check it out!

A London Telephone Booth & Argyle Sweater...

2011-09-05T21:08:00.003-04:00

...can only mean one thing: Super Pig! He has a desk to work incognito and a phone booth to change in. Paper dolls for the store I'm setting up. The mind goes around and around about the shop...what to offer? Will it sell? What's a good logo? What's the tag line? And on and on. And on.

Using this for Illustration Friday. What's more mysterious than a little red phone booth and a pig in a mask?

Movie Night Sketch

2011-08-26T16:51:00.002-04:00

Thursday night's movie night at our house. And since I've misplaced my ability to just sit there and watch TV, I'd like to introduce you to Clarence. He apologizes for the condition of his hair. He begged me to allow him time to get a little spiffed up for you before I took his picture. To his dismay I replied,"Time!?! HA! Who has time, Clarence? Who!?!" (But seriously, has anyone seen his comb?)

Featured Blog!

2011-08-21T22:57:00.001-04:00

Yay! My blog's been featured on Sunshine Smiles Publication's website. It's a site dedicated to celebrating children's books. Lots of good information over there for authors, illustrators, publishers or anyone interested in the wonderful world of children's books. Go check them out! Then give them a shout. They're super nice to deal with and it's a great opportunity to generate some interest in your work.

Matilda, The Fearless

2011-08-12T20:56:00.001-04:00

I have this idea for a print or a card or a collage piece...or something. (These infinite possibilities are what drive me insane!) Anyway this is the character that came out of my pencil, colored pencil and brush. Her colors are muddy and her lines are messy, I rather like it. It's different than the usual. She's done on coldpress, so I could get a nice bumpy messy line with my micron pen. Not sure what I'll do with her, if anything. She was supposed to be balancing an overlargely animal on some apparatus on her index finger. Yeah, I should go back to this. I fear she'll be swimming around in my brain til I do.

Boo

2011-08-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

This is Boo. Her sister, Bam is not pictured. She's one half of the paperdoll set I just completed.

IF: Imperfect

2011-08-05T18:28:00.001-04:00

I've posted this one unfinished before. Here it is finished minus the text.

For Illustration Friday, poor little imperfect guy. He's the only scout with no Owner.

Two words that sound great together...

2011-08-05T08:40:00.001-04:00

....Illustration Opportunity. I found it on Illustration Rally's blog on my facebook page this morning via SunshineSmilePublications. I'll be putting this one on my list of projects. If accepted, it sounds like a chance for exposure. Post states there are some book publishers that follow the blog and the rally is in collaboration with a children's book agency. Go check it out!

Something different

2011-07-26T23:32:00.002-04:00

I have an huge interest in home decor and absolutely love making a home. So....I've been working on a few paintings on wood that could be used as decor. I never use acrylic and really enjoyed playing around with these. Still have to seal 3 of them and drill holes in the backs for hanging. They'll go into a local shop as well as into the online shop I'm working on setting up. I think I need to go back and distress that keyhole some more first though...

Next on the list...

2011-07-22T14:52:00.003-04:00

With the site up, it's time to move on to getting back into a project I need to complete. This is part of a painting for a spread. I have a ton of work left to do on it so I need to jump back in.

Also next on my list is designing some postcard mailers to market myself. As far as the site goes, if you see anything that doesn't look right or is not working right I'd love to know. Thanks to those who have already let me know what they see on their screens, I appreciate it.

It's alive!

2011-07-21T00:27:00.002-04:00

www.christinegrove.com is live! It was designed in iweb. I chose a template and used photoshop to cut out some of the images and pasted them directly onto the iweb pages. From there I could move them around to where I wanted them. And it all looked pretty good if I do say so myself...until I launched it.

I used godaddy's hosting and FTP (hope I worded that correctly) and first you couldn't even see it. Then the web address repeated itself-repeatedly-in the address bar. And these lovely black boxes appeared around some of the images. So I did what anyone would do...I posted my problem on facebook. Charlie Diamond was able to get the site up properly. He fixed some code and did some other fancy computer stuff and I am now the proud parent of an actual website! And since it's a work in progress he'll be working with me to bring it up to spectacular. I was just glad I was able to put down the bat and glue my hair back to my head. I still need to get rid of those black lines around some of the images. But for now, I'm just glad it's up.

(I was really flying blind with this and found him very helpful so I'm going to post Diamond Computer's contact info. They do it all (I asked). If you need help email charlie1182000@gmail.com or call 530-405-7594.)

Bam and Boo

2011-07-18T21:15:00.000-04:00

Meet Bam and Boo. These two panda sisters will be turned into paperdolls.

It's a bird, it's a plane...

2011-06-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

...It's Superpig! This image is in progress...goes along with the flying pigs that'll be part of the site design. I don't believe all of the site's images will be pigs but I'm having so much fun coming up with all the ways a pig could "fly". And this one just happens to be caped and armed with a raygun. Bu... bu... bu...

Homepage, check!

2011-06-19T14:21:00.006-04:00

Finished piece for the homepage. I added yellow to the spotlight and deepened the values on almost all of it. I'm doing the site via iweb. There are themes to choose from and you can add your own pictures and content, much like all of the other web design template options. I have to say I have no idea what I am doing so I'm hoping I do all the right things to make it look professional. If not...my plan B is to cry. Yep, it's a wimpy plan B but hopefully I won't even have to go there. I cannot WAIT to get this thing up and going already. Then, onto marketing! And if this whole thing comes together the kids and I can go back to eating 3 square meals a day ;) So, if you like, lift up your PB&J sandwich and I'll lift mine...A toast to success and prosperity for us both! Cheers!

Highwire Pigs and Acrobatic Amphibians: In Progress

2011-06-14T22:39:00.001-04:00

Painting in progress for the never-ending website. I'm planning on doing a series of all sorts flying pigs. Gotta keep working on this one, hopefully I have finally found The One for the website homepage. I have to say things look dark at the moment but I'm learning valuable lessons (a.k.a. annoying things that make me want to scream "uncle!"). Things like I'm not going to love every piece, searching for perfection is like swimming in circles and some action (even if you aren't sure of direction or outcome) is better than no action.

Zooommm! Pig

2011-06-09T23:34:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! (uh...one week later.)

2011-05-15T18:15:00.003-04:00

When pigs fly. Get it!?!

I wanted to design a card for my Mom this year but have been ridiculously swamped with all sorts of things. (Will it ever let up?) Since she's a sweetie, she gave me permission to take the time to do so...and here it is! My Mom has always believed I can succeed in illustration (or whatever else!) with that kind of unwavering, solid support that we all need. Especially during times when we aren't so sure ourselves. Is there anyone better than your Mom? I think not. I'm tucking a little something inside for her, too. Thanks for your patience on this Mom!

Final Color

2011-05-09T23:27:00.002-04:00

For IF, Ham was just a beginner but with his polka-dotted float and trusty swim goggles taking a dip in the ocean would be a breeze.

Here's the final color for this little piggy at the beach. This one's done on cold press, rather than the hot press I've been using for the past couple of months. Boy, if you could combine hot press and cold press you'd have the perfect watercolor paper...

Walter

2011-04-22T23:43:00.002-04:00

Playing around with drawing and painting this little character. He looks like a Walter to me. He's on hot press paper and inked with a micron pen. I'm torn between cold press and hot press. I like how the ink looks on cold press but painting is so much smoother on hot press. This image was scanned at a bit of a higher resolution. Hoping it gives you a better look. Let me know what you think.

Black and white

2011-04-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

A value study for a piece that will be in my portfolio. I didn't give it as much drying time between layers and had a heck of a time with watermarks. Found that big lovely splash on the umbrella this morning after heading to bed last night before it fully dried. No big deal, though. It's not the final. I like his little piggy footprints in the sand.

IF: Clockwork Birdfellow

2011-03-20T20:22:00.001-04:00

Meet Clockwork Birdfellow. He's a member of the Aviation Association of Mechanical Birds. I really like the steampunk sculptures that are out there, they're the inspiration for Mr. Birdfellow. I'm impressed and fascinated by the gadgets and gears and such that make up steampunk items. Looking at them cultivates (gratuitous IF theme word-it's a stretch this week) all sorts of ideas and makes em so cool to look at.

IF:Warning

2011-03-08T00:17:00.001-05:00

Warning: Little Bears make BIG shadows.

Red

2011-03-01T01:11:00.001-05:00

In my version of Little Red Riding Hood the wolf eats Red's dust as she sails through the woods on her polka dotted scooter. I want to say this value study was a quick little painting but I'd be lying. 3 hours, start to finish. And I had a heck of a time with watermarks. I also meant to make her less centered...oh, well. If I take it to color I'll move her more to the left.

Working backwards...

2011-02-27T23:58:00.000-05:00

Here's a page I am working on. This very much feels like I am working backwards because instead of inking in the sketch right away I am saving the ink for last. This time I've sketched and then built up layers of wash. I always feel like ink helps me stay inside the lines so doing things totally differently was weird! Last step will also include colored pencil and a bit of white gouache for the fur.

Great Tips

2011-01-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post this link to Holli Conger's blog. Every day in the month of December she posted an illustration tip. Just scroll down a bit on her blog to see them. I'm printing them out for future reference myself. Great stuff!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T21:43:00.002-05:00

Did you mail any letters to this guy?

Some Pretty Cute Bacon

2010-12-04T22:44:00.001-05:00

And this little piggy went to the pool in his fishy swimsuit.

A Close Up

2010-12-01T21:33:00.002-05:00

Here's a close-up of my color rough in the previous post. Does it make it easier to tell the character is done in ink on the right and colored pencil on the left? I think it may not, I need to keep practicing my linework. It may all just blend together...Other illustration was a fun exploration trying to figure out how I'm going to go about painting and inking the little guy.

I think I'm leaning towards the combo of colored pencil (for softness around the face) with micron pen and watercolor.

Color Rough

2010-11-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Completed this color rough, with a line down the middle for colored pencil line on one side and ink on the other. This is done on cold press watercolor paper. I prefer hot press. Cold press is too bumpy for me:)

IF: Afterwards

2010-11-11T17:57:00.002-05:00

This is the final spread of my Book Project. The scouts are celebrating the earning of a badge. (And for IF) Afterwards the scouts threw Max into the air. I like how noodle-y Max looks. And how pleased he is. He's worked hard, he deserves a toss up.

This Little Piggy

2010-10-31T01:40:00.000-04:00

This Little Piggy needed a glass of water before bed. After a sip he's ready for bed in his stripey pajamas.

Resources for Illustrators

2010-10-15T15:26:00.024-04:00

As my website inches closer and closer to being completed (yay!) I am searching out various ways to market my work. I know about ChildrensIllustrators.com and Picture-Book.com, both I love but neither are in my price range right now. Actually there's only one fee in my price range right now-free. So I googled free portfolio sites and came across illustrator Violeta Dabija's site. There's tons of resources on there, from contracts to marketing to pricing. And she has a whole big list of free portfolio sites. Just wanted to share in case someone else was searching for information. And P.S., I am so thankful for the online illustrator community, what a helpful bunch they are! That said, my plan is to be as helpful as I can and pay it forward. I'm using this blog to list any resources that I come across for my and whoever else's future reference, see list on the right. I'm off to plan my illustration attack!

IF: Transportation

2010-10-13T23:18:00.001-04:00

Got to paint this little guy today. He'll be used for my site but he also fits for this week's IF topic since he's gets from place to place with his little red skates.

I used a black colored pencil with this one instead of the usual pen and ink. I like it, makes it seems softer.

IF: Beneath

2010-10-06T16:56:00.003-04:00

In keeping with all of the pigs flying out of my pencil lately, this one's perfect for IF's Beneath. I suppose this little guy is trying to catch the bus with his messenger bag and sack lunch.

I really need to do something in color. I've just been real busy sketching all sorts of stuff. And enjoying watching how the characters develop. I see this guy with a red polka dotted umbrella. I'm a sucker for things polka dotted I guess.

Today's work

2010-10-04T20:17:00.003-04:00

I think I may be hitting a creative growth spurt. Or at least that's how I'm going to look at why I've been struggling quite a bit these last few days with drawing different things. I like how this page turned out but I am really struggling with what to do with the page opposite of this one.

All Sticky

2010-10-01T00:24:00.001-04:00

Uh-oh, someone's been playing with the paste.

Poor Little Mouse...

2010-09-27T19:46:00.003-04:00

This is a quick-unfinished-sketch to illustrate the poem. I did this previously but in a very different style. For this sketch I allotted myself a certain amount of time, and when it ran out I was done. Frustrating and fulfilling all at once.

For IF, this witch is about to enjoy an old-fashioned lunch.

Value Sketch

2010-09-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

Value sketch for the first spread of The Book Project.

Little Piggy

2010-09-19T19:32:00.000-04:00

Did a quick little character sketch. Good to get out a bit of what's been floating around in my head.

Some inspirational motivation

2010-09-14T18:45:00.002-04:00

I have a bad habit of thinking other illustrators have a special magic. A magical magic that allows them to *POOF!* produce a drawing, painting, illustration to perfection, right off the bat. Every. Time. It's easy to look at someone successful and not realize there's probably mounds of unsuccessful crumpled papers at their feet. And that's great! Know why? Because it means there is no magic! Just hard work, sometimes failure, and a whole lotta perseverance. So here's to going for it, keeping at it and never, ever giving up!

Line Art

2010-09-01T22:41:00.000-04:00

Here's my next home. Ha! I kid. I would most definitely require a moat. Just some line art in the form of a fairytale castle. Ever googled castle pictures? There's some amazing ones out there.

Progress so far

2010-08-25T02:04:00.002-04:00

Here's the progress on the clay sculpture. He has his uniform on now with some pant legs. Pretty much all that's left is trying to figure out legs, hands and feet. And I played around with his shirt, part of it puffs out over his pants. Have to see how I'll work that out. Then I'll add a few accessories. I'm nervous about how he's going to be able to stand with that big tummy and also about cracking during baking. Anyone have any Super Sculpey clay tips?

Why didn't I think of that?

2010-08-20T00:35:00.000-04:00

Clay. Of course! When I asked how to figure out drawings for different poses, etc. clay was suggested. Making a character in 3D brings it to life even more. And it allows for seeing different positioning and for seeing how a light source would hit in real life, rather than just in my imagination. Not to mention, it's tons of fun:)

So I spent part of the day sculpting Max The Guinea Pig. Do you see a resemblance? I haven't done this before and have a long way to go with him, but I think he's off to a good start. He needs clothes, feet and color...and cooking. He's made of Super Sculpey, with tin foil innards. I think the legs with his teeny feet will be the most challenging. I'm taking pictures of him in stages. I want to post a slide show to show his process when I'm done. So stay tuned!

Something different

2010-08-10T03:10:00.000-04:00

Here's a template for a triangular box that's looks like a slice of cake when put together. Really tried to push the values and the color came out nice and bright.

Used my Epson RX620 to print template out onto cardstock. Reproduction is never quite as brilliant as the original.

IF:Caged

2010-08-07T17:47:00.000-04:00

This was painted a few weeks ago but I'm reposting since it fits this week's IF topic perfectly. Plus I made a few small changes to the original, I darkened the value and lightened the value in some places.

Max in color

2010-08-05T15:48:00.000-04:00

A color rough for the sketch to the right for The Book Project. Maybe I'll shorten that to T.B.P. since it's my thesis I'll be repeating those words ad nauseum over the next year. Was just shown a better way to render the mouth on this little guy (not shown here). I love how one little thing, like adding or erasing a line, can make all the difference. You can work hours on a piece just trying to get one thing right, change one small line and you've got it!

Coming to a card-or something- near you

2010-08-01T00:36:00.003-04:00

(scroll down for IF entry)
Sketched these little guys a couple of years ago and they're resurfacing here in color. You'll find the sketch in my blog archives, under the November I began this blog. I will be putting them into some sort of card form. They may make an appearance in some other form as well. Going to play around with some ideas a bit.

IF: Artificial

2010-08-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

Hopefully this isn't too much of a stretch for this weeks IF topic. This little guy has arrived in a rather "artificial" way, hasn't he? I originally did this for a "special delivery" topic/assignment. The line work that is usually found on my stuff has been eliminated for a softer look. A little scary for me, as doing things differently usually is, but I rather like it!

A sketch

2010-07-21T14:41:00.001-04:00

Here's the first sketch for my project. A few things will be moved around but overall I like it. I love details, so I'm betting the rest of the illustrations will be detailed, too.

A re-do in watercolor

2010-07-19T16:46:00.000-04:00

I previously did this same image in flat acrylics, a medium I never paint in. Here is the image again done in ink with watercolor. I am trying to increase the vibrancy of my watercolors and I used colors I typically wouldn't on this one. I like that it came out brighter than usual.

Silly birds! Look at them falling off the pole, forgetting they have wings.

Character sheet

2010-07-09T02:54:00.000-04:00

Here's the main character for my book project that I'm continuing to work on. The format's sort of an abstract and different idea so hope it all comes together! Anyhow, this character page was so fun to do. Do you ever find yourself wondering about your character and wishing you could meet them? Is that silly?

IF: GIANT

2010-07-08T02:53:00.000-04:00

This is an unfinished rough. But it's been forever since I've been able to participate in IF. This guy's a giant robot holding a teeny birthday cake.

Fancy little birdcages

2010-07-05T01:43:00.000-04:00

Little birdies hard at work being ....birds. Except one.

Some fun stationery ideas

2010-07-01T01:59:00.000-04:00

A few quick color roughs for stationery ideas. I love birdcages, especially whimsical ones. And isn't lunch the best part of a workday? Well, guess it depends on what you're doing.

Who loves to illustrate?

2010-06-28T02:18:00.000-04:00

Who loves to illustrate? Me! This was for an assignment but could easy serve several purposes. I love that, don't you? Maybe as a promo piece... or maybe I nix my original idea and it will be the image for the site's homepage.

I was required to do this in acrylics, a medium I never paint in. So I'd give it a redo in watercolor first and go from there. Either way this was a hoot to draw. (I couldn't resist.)

Lilly

2010-06-20T01:35:00.000-04:00

A quick character sketch for the website homepage. Gotta concept in my head...hope it translates nicely to the web. I know. I know. This should be done already. But I'm finally getting back on my feet after being so sick. That's the reason for the past month anyway. I'm excited to see it come together!

This is Lilly and she enjoys picture-taking with her vintage camera. She's quite proud of it actually. I love vintage myself, so I can understand why she would be. Think I'll make her camera more vintage-y...

Sick, sick, sick

2010-05-31T20:46:00.002-04:00

Pneumonia... just a little gift my wicked cold left. I feel like a truck ran over me then put er in reverse to finish the job. I have great plans for my little break until summer sessions starts, which includes working on the website (and now I have help:)!!) and I'm holding onto hope it doesn't take me forever to recuperate. I have to tell you, I am really annoyed I am sick. Darn it. Anyway, I really should be sleeping and am feeling somewhat lightheaded-always a nice feeling when you are already laying in bed. (Seriously, how many days can a person sleep?) So it's off to sleep again. Again. This sketch would totally be me if I had the teddybear, the sweet hairdo, and about 56 more pillows. I had to pretty it up for public viewing. Good night everybody.

Value Study for The Farmer

2010-05-15T20:48:00.002-04:00

How many of you do value and color studies? This one has been done courtesy of my prof. for a current project (sketch previously posted) to be completed in Photoshop. I think it reads really well, puts the focus on the farmer. That's where it needs to be, I think. I'll admit the only time I do these is when it's been required but I do very much see the value in it. I am usually in such a hurry to get to the end result, which a lot of the time does not end up like the picture in my head. So, maybe I need to get better at these to make the end result the best it can be. Is this something you make it a habit to do?

A sketchy- sketch

2010-05-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

My version of a farmer greeting his animals. My favorite is the cockle doodle doo-ing rooster.

IF: Linked

2010-04-14T20:26:00.001-04:00

For Owlet, bedtime was linked to several things. He insisted on three kisses on his little beak, three sips of water, and three good books. All in that order.

Doing Digital

2010-04-12T22:39:00.001-04:00

This is my second painting done in Painter. I like this one better than my first try. I used my 4X6 wacom tablet. I thought it would be really hard "drawing" with the stylus on the surface while seeing the drawing on the monitor but it's actually not a problem. And is quite fun!

IF: Dip

2010-04-07T22:51:00.002-04:00

Here's my (unfinished) Illustration Friday submission for "dip". My thoughts on this centered around summer and reading, two things I love! My tagline is "Grab a Book, Jump in and get Hooked". I came up with a silly little character jumping into...water? books? with a rod hooked to books. If I could take this further it'd be a summer reading poster with a sea of words to jump into. This is drawn on a watercolor block with no room to add a sea of words or turn it into a poster. Here's where digital would come in handy, I've seen illustrators demonstrate how they can create an illustration and "cut it out" to add it to another illustrated layer. Basically moving things around without having to redraw and redesign. How fantastic is that? Must. Learn. It.

That's one reason it's not finished. The other is,when I began this I did the sketching right on the watercolor paper not planning what I really wanted it to become. I didn't add a background prior to finishing and know if I go back now I will mess it up. Not too much of a problem except for the glass of spilling milk-see it? It's incomplete because milk is white. I need a background color to bring it out! Unless it's chocolate...what do you think?

Quick Sketch

2010-04-02T23:41:00.000-04:00

Just a quick sketch before heading off to bed...

My thoughts behind this are two owls munching popcorn under the big bright moon. Sort of like the moon is a nightly "owl movie". I like the characters and I think I'll play around with the composition and take it to color.

IF: Rescue

2010-04-01T22:30:00.003-04:00

Finally getting in an Illustration Friday painting. How about Spring is something I DON'T want to be rescued from? And neither does this little chick. In what other season do you get to paint eggs and eat big chocolate bunnies? Had the windows open today and I could smell the sunshine! It was glorious.

This is my first time using hot pressed watercolor paper. I like Arches blocks but hadn't experienced the hot press. Love it! So smooth, I feel like blending went so much better. Especially like the chick's cheeks. It just looks so soft to me. So glad I got around to trying out that paper.

I think I'll try Fabriano watercolor blocks to get that bright white!

New Banner...almost.

2010-03-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

I wanted to change my banner. No photoshop skills yet to speak of but I stumbled across Bannermaker. Fun! But...I couldn't get it to fit the blogger header space. Oh well, would've been cute. Wonder if I could make a banner in Corel Painter?

Book Cover

2010-02-21T22:41:00.003-05:00

-the uncropped version....How fun would it be to design book covers? Here's a cover idea I have for my current project. I like it but...I am so disappointed when I go to print work out. I have a good printer, an Epson RX620 but it's never enough like the original. I am trying to paint stronger watercolors because I tend to go to weak. This helps but I wonder how to people get their work to look right for printing in books? Or reproducing anything, especially for sale?

And another image....

2010-02-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

...for the same project. The little guys are so much fun to draw and paint. I so want to do this for a living. So. Very. Badly.

Guinea Pig Scout

2010-02-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

This painting is for a book dummy for my thesis proposal. It's a project I am really excited about, just hope I can express that and explain it all properly at my presentation. So very nervous.

something different

2010-02-14T01:11:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to try doing things a bit different for awhile. This would be sort of collage I guess? Putting different elements together to get the look I want. I am also beginning to learn Photoshop (finally!) and have heard of being able to work in layers. Really looking forward to that.

IF: Confined

2010-01-10T14:59:00.002-05:00

Feels good to be able to participate in Illustration Friday. I'm also using this for a little gift. My sister's expecting, I'm going to be an aunt! She's due at the end of the summer, so it's way too early to know if it's a boy or girl. For now they've nicknamed the baby "Lentil". That's extra cute to me because my babies were Bean and Sprout while I was pregnant. See a family pattern? The little one in this painting is "confined" for now...until the arrival date. I may make this into a card and say something like "I'll be seeing you soon". Not sure yet.

Previous sketch all painted...

2010-01-02T18:19:00.004-05:00

Here's my bug sketch painted.

Well, my website was supposed to be up a few days ago...wouldya believe I'm experiencing technical difficulties?? Seriously...now of all times. Besides my self imposed website deadline, I also have a gigantic-everything's-riding-on-this-I-think-I-may-get-sick presentation coming up. I cannot get iphoto to open. Which means I can't upload any pictures to create the portfolio part of my site (kinda the whole point of having one!) or do my presentation. So...I'll be spending time with Apple. Yay. This ever happened to you? Maybe there's a solution out there I don't know about...

IF:Entangle

2009-12-03T23:57:00.003-05:00

Squeaking this one in...hope whoever's driving behind this scooter doesn't get entangled in the letters! This one's going up on the website-in-progress.

What is that THING?

2009-12-01T02:21:00.003-05:00

If I have ever have to have a close encounter with the gigantic bug kind under my kitchen sink I hope it's a cute scared one like this little (big) guy.

Aw, what's wrong with this guy?

2009-11-17T17:22:00.003-05:00

...don't know but it looks like he's trying to tell me something.

I had an image transferring epiphany! It's so simple that I'm kicking myself for taking sooo long to figure it out. Really. Instead of the excessive tracing on tracing paper to get my image on the watercolor paper, I now photocopy the sketch, go over the back with pencil, then trace over top of the copy. Used it on this guy. So, yay! A new method until I get and learn photoshop and purchase a new printer that I can feed watercolor paper.

If I were to do a title page for a silly book...

2009-11-16T18:15:00.002-05:00

..about two best friends, one furry and one not so much, this would be it. Or close to it. I think....until I change my mind. Again.

More character sketches

2009-11-14T22:11:00.006-05:00

What's better than a guinea pig on a unicycle? Not much. Another character sketch that I should take to color. I need the practice. My current transfer process (tracing paper) makes me dread doing it. I need another way-fast. How do you do it?

Max

2009-10-28T21:57:00.004-04:00

I always struggle with faces and heads. It's as if I want to find my signature head shape and use it all the time. Or at least use the same approach each time. Does that make sense?

Anyhow, working out a character for a current project. And I did a piece for IF for the topic Before and After earlier this year and I want to redo it. It was of a young student sent off to school for picture day (before) and then completely unraveled at the end of the day (after). If I can get it right I want to include it in my portfolio. I think this guy will work nicely for both.

A Special Gift

2009-10-18T21:34:00.005-04:00

This is a painting I did for a sweet little one's birthday. My version of a princess coach. Sorry about the glare, this picture was the best one I took.

* I have no clue why my words are underlined. It's not on purpose and I can't figure out how to make it stop!!

An Old Map

2009-10-12T15:08:00.002-04:00

A completed assignment for class. This is my interpretation of a sentence about Russian and Chinese traders, tea for otter pelts. I really love old maps and hope to do more maps like this in the future.