artblog

Wingback Armchair

2012-01-31T22:08:00.000-06:00

Graphite, powdered and the pencil-type.

Working out a style/mood/feel for the drawings for my Illustration project.

Forgot what a mess powdered graphite makes. But it does give great tone.

Star Shadows

2011-12-23T07:29:00.000-06:00

Photoshop.

Hope everyone had a Splendid Solstice!!!

Credit to the Hubble Telescope for the awesome pictures of space. So neat.

Not really sure what I was thinking for this one. I like it though. Played with transparency and layering. Also, disembodied forearms! That's always good times.

The one on the right ended up with hair sorta like Josie, from Twin Peaks, and I kinda liked it, so I left it short, though maybe it is awkward how it doesn't define her neck like the others.

Sins, continued.

2011-12-13T00:22:00.000-06:00

Photoshop.

Some more plates.

Scandalous

2011-11-14T21:17:00.001-06:00

Photoshop.

Swingin' by to share a couple of things from class. This project was about the Seven Deadly Sins, and I chose animals to represent each one, and then illustrated them for a theoretical collectors' plate series. The Seven Deadly Sins are a set of ideas, and how better to display them than a set of wacky collectors' items?

I ended up liking these two the best, but I might come back and post the others if anyone is interested.

The fox is envy, because they're sort of sneaky and cunning, and he looks like he's coveting something. Also, green-eyed. Duh. Besides, everyone loves a fox.

The snake is gluttony, because he ate something that was too big. In all honesty, it's probably an egg, but Larry said he liked the creepy ambiguity of a "mystery bulge."

Here is what they look like as pretend plates:

Rainforest Layers

2011-10-17T03:30:00.000-05:00

Photoshop.

This one was sort of a doozy. It's 6 inches wide by 5 feet tall. Everything was hand-drawn in Photoshop with a tablet, though I may have borrowed the beetles from *cough* a previous piece. I broke it into panels to upload so I could show some more details.

There may be some pretty blatant ecological discrepancies, but I won't say anything if you don't.

Crumpled Statue

2011-09-30T22:20:00.001-05:00

Ink, scanned textures, photoshop.

I am in no way actually affiliated with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The first assignment for class was to create a poster for a currently running production put on by the RSC.

I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't fit a bear in anywhere.

Garden Sunset

2011-08-30T02:38:00.002-05:00

Polychromos colored pencils.

Playing with my new pencils and ignoring perspective.

Festive Insect Activity

2011-07-29T00:08:00.004-05:00

photoshop, illustrator.

This is/was my entry to the 2011 ACL Design Competition held by the Austin Parks Foundation. For those of you not familiar with the Austin City Limits Music Festival, it's a music festival that happens here in Austin at Zilker Park. Tons of people show up every year, and it's sort of a thing.

Thought I'd try to show the native park inhabitants enjoying the music.

Midsommar Sun

2011-06-22T18:19:00.003-05:00

Photoshop.

The Solstice Girls get their tan on.

(Don't worry, Mom. They're wearing high SPF, broad spectrum sunscreen, reapplied liberally every hour.)

Butterflies Flutter By

2011-05-31T23:13:00.003-05:00

Graphite.

Crazy butterfly lady. She cray-cray.

(My final project for Basic Illustration.)

Twitchy Eyes

2011-04-30T23:59:00.002-05:00

Watercolor, Colored Pencil on Arches, Cold Pressed.

Another project for class. A series of reptiles.

Original reference pictures by Igor Siwanowicz. View his work at DeviantART or Photo.net.

You Feeling Lucky?

2011-03-31T23:49:00.001-05:00

Prismacolor Colored Pencils.

Did this for class. Hadn't intended to post it here, but having done no other finished work outside of class and feeling worse by the day about not posting anything for March, I finally gave into my blog guilt.

The project was to create an alternate poster for the Coen Brothers' movie, No Country for Old Men. It seemed appropriate to have the antagonist looming over the horizon looking dark and creepy with the Texas Rangers in the foreground looking on hopelessly over the barren west Texas landscape. Then tried to give it that sort of sepia-toned western-y feel.

Blueberries

2011-02-28T23:37:00.003-06:00

Acrylic wash, 03 technical pen.

Perfectly composed falling blueberries. A project for class. Multiple layers of acrylic wash + seemingly millions of stipple dots = many, many hours of my life that I will never get back. Blurry at the top because I am too lazy to make a decent scan right now.

Celebratory Dancing

2011-01-31T22:51:00.003-06:00

Colerase.

Cleaned-up sketches of the dancing cats on my sister's birthday card this year.

Evergreen

2010-12-25T06:29:00.003-06:00

Photoshop.

Wishing you merry sentiments and a fresh pine scent this winter season. <3

Her name is Rio and...

2010-11-30T15:29:00.002-06:00

Col-erase, watercolor.

One last breath of summer.

Danger

2010-10-31T05:18:00.003-05:00

Relief-printed collagraph.

This is old, but I haven't hardly shown it to anyone, so I feel this is okay.

The crow is cut out of thick watercolor paper and the rest is found fabric with a few small flowers cut from a vinyl placemat. Based loosely on the idea that crows will sometimes eat smaller birds/nestlings.

Fillet Relay

2010-09-27T18:41:00.003-05:00

Soft pastel, charcoal, chalk pencil, colored pencil, graphite.

My reintroduction to soft pastels did not go as smoothly as hoped.

Oxford Comma?

2010-08-30T22:25:00.003-05:00

Pencil.

Believe it or not, this is the only thing I drew this month that I liked.

By the Bay

2010-07-29T03:43:00.003-05:00

watercolor & colerase.

The rest of this piece didn't quite work out, but this bit of it doesn't look too bad.

Just This

2010-06-30T02:14:00.004-05:00

Colerase.

You know, just dodging the bullet for June.

Arboreality

2010-05-26T21:46:00.003-05:00

Pencil.

Trees are neat.

Ahead of the Pack

2010-04-30T02:59:00.004-05:00

Pencil.

Thought I'd do an Illustration Friday this week. This week's topic was "Ahead." I'm running a bit late for the deadline, so it's a bit rough. Eek.

Mummified

2010-04-22T04:21:00.004-05:00

Watercolor, colored pencil.

Finally finished this one. Experimenting. Done on 17x14in Bristol. Definitely should have used different paper. Got sloppier as I progressed. Don't usually work this big. It's a lot of space to cover. Excuses, excuses.

Hope you like purple.

Potential Alternate Title: "You Been Mumm'd"

My Gold Mask(s)

2010-03-23T00:50:00.003-05:00

illustrator.

Working on building symmetry and smooth shapes. Also built these as reference templates. Changing the colors around is fun too.

I did these a little while ago. Am cheating a little bit because I don't know if I'm going to finish the piece I'm working on before the end of the month. Also it seemed fitting, while a bit late, to post these for the Spring Equinox.

The Hedge Clipper

2010-02-19T00:29:00.003-06:00

Colored Pencil.

She will help you cut things.

Balance

2010-01-22T23:26:00.004-06:00

Col-erase.

If she's anything like me in tree pose, those poorly erased bits become "action lines" which represent a great deal of wobble. ...I really don't do yoga regularly enough to be any good at it.

Misty Mask Meeting

2009-12-22T06:27:00.005-06:00

Illustrator & Photoshop.

I was gonna do words and owls, but I ran out of steam and caffeine.

Happy Holidays! Hit me up if you want a link to this year's mix and have not already gotten it from me.

<3

Show Offs

2009-12-13T02:02:00.002-06:00

Colored Pencils.

Pizazz!

Hibernation

2009-12-10T02:53:00.002-06:00

Colored pencils. Photoshop.

Stay warm, everybody.

Uniquely Awkward

2009-11-08T03:04:00.003-06:00

Colored Pencils of various kinds.

(My scanner hates subtlety. Oh well. You get the idea.)

Kakapo are so endearing. Keep on truckin', little guys. Waddle your way back to prosperity.

Plant People

2009-11-02T01:28:00.004-06:00

Prismacolor Col-erase / Verithins.

I should really start thumbnailing compositions. I bet that's what real artists do. It's sort of ridiculous because I never know what's going on in my own drawings until I get towards the end.

Sad.

Wine & Diamonds

2009-10-13T02:20:00.003-05:00

Col-erase.

Hey look, a new blog header.

I have nothing else to say to you. Woobwoobwoobwoob.

Fungus Among Us

2009-10-07T06:24:00.002-05:00

Colerase.

There is a mushroom coming straight out of the top of her head. I didn't notice while I was drawing it and managed to miss it up until after I'd scanned the image. Now it is all I can look at. Why didn't I see that sooner? It appears I may have subconsciously wanted her to be a pikmin.

Larger Than Life

2009-09-19T23:26:00.006-05:00

Colerase.

Well, it is. Just callin' it how I see it.

On the Plain

2009-09-17T21:24:00.003-05:00

Col-erase.

Sort of a useless fence, really.

Rue de L'avenue

2009-09-16T20:18:00.004-05:00

Colerase.

Backgrounds. Suddenly I remember why I hate them.

Clearly, the one on the left didn't get the memo about this being the "serious" picture.

Hold that Pose

2009-09-08T09:48:00.003-05:00

col-erase.

Any second now, she will break into a musical number complete with song and dance. Just wait for it.

Leaping Lizards

2009-09-05T11:59:00.002-05:00

graphite. photoshop.

Jellyfish don't jump. They just blorp around. And while I can't recall an instance of ever having seen a lizard actually "leap" anywhere, at least I find the concept more feasible.

Air Bounce

2009-09-02T06:30:00.004-05:00

Col-erase.

Trampoline not pictured.

Hoot

2009-08-23T00:46:00.002-05:00

Graphite.

Owls are fun. Arms = less fun.

Does it blink?

2009-08-17T21:31:00.002-05:00

Watercolor, col-erase.

It might be a bushbaby. Not entirely sure.

This is a somewhat related YouTube clip.

Bird in the Hand

2009-08-16T00:42:00.005-05:00

Watercolor, col-erase.

What's that adage again? Something about birds and a bush? What? I don't know what you're talking about.

Bird Girl

2009-08-14T22:09:00.004-05:00

Pencil.

I sort of like drawing on graph paper. It allows me to pretend that I'm doing smart things.

Also, tiny tapered feet are fun.

Storytelling

2009-08-05T23:52:00.002-05:00

Illustrator.

Spin me a yarn, tell me a tale.

Geology 101

2009-07-29T18:36:00.002-05:00

illustrator.

Trying to convince myself that I do, in fact, know how to use this silly program. It is not smarter than me.

Camel Rides

2009-07-14T07:09:00.003-05:00

Col-Erase.

Explorin' the desert with a trusty dromedary guide.

Any excuse to draw a camel, really.

Pup Parade

2009-07-04T07:00:00.003-05:00

Col-erase. (Exception: mint Sharpie.)

A thought that bubbled into a rough sketch. Something about dogs and cookies and dog cookies. Best not to ask.

Happy Indie Pen Dance Day! May each of your individual pens dance with the utmost of joy.

The Best Bat

2009-06-22T20:28:00.003-05:00

Graphite.

Class has been sucking up my creative energies lately. Like a sponge. None left for self-motivated art projects or doodles for blogging.

But this is the best bat I've ever drawn. You may be wondering how many bats I've actually drawn in my lifetime. Well shoot, I dunno. More than you'd think. Less than I'd like. Enough to know that this one beats them all, hands down. Figured I'd scan and post him before I did something to ruin his awesomeness.

Willkommen, Bienvenue

2009-06-08T01:38:00.004-05:00

Col-erase.

Babelfish says it means 'welcome' in Greek. But it could say 'buttface,' and I would be none the wiser.

Stacked

2009-06-01T23:16:00.002-05:00

Graphite.

Totem poles. Thought I'd give 'em a shot. Turns out I stink at symmetry.

That creature in the middle is sort of ambiguous. Some sort of wolf-boar-monkey-badger hybrid.

Swimmingly

2009-05-25T13:05:00.003-05:00

Col-erase + Watercolor.

I ran out of green pencil.

(Edit: Fixed the color levels to be less glaringly green. It is better now.)

Mountain Range

2009-05-22T07:45:00.003-05:00

Col-Erase + Watercolor.

Oh man. That llama is on a mission.

Sky Jump

2009-05-20T05:36:00.003-05:00

Col-Erase, Watercolor. 11 x 15.

This is actually quite large. I could have thumbnailed it so you could click and see the big version in all its scribbly noodle-armed glory, but it's so cute when it's small like this. Why would you want it any other way?

I don't know why I keep drawing birds. All those feathers! Seriously. Molt already.

Catface Meowmers

2009-05-17T05:20:00.004-05:00

Col-erase.

Ever get that feeling that you're going to end up as a lonely hermit cat lady?

Dapper Fellow

2009-05-13T02:32:00.003-05:00

Col-erase.

Intentional foliage this time.

Mystery Blob

2009-05-10T04:20:00.002-05:00

Col-erase.

I'm not exactly sure what I intended for that wobbly shape to be. Now that it's done, I think it looks like someone tacked a giant misshapen leaf to her back. But that is just me. You think what you want.

Swooped!

2009-05-04T19:31:00.005-05:00

Col-Erase.

Boo hands. Also, I can't draw birds of prey. Too many feathers. Bleh.

I've finally relocated to Austin, TX. (I know, took me long enough, right?) Lack of posting can be attributed to traveling, the move, and some other things I won't bother to mention. Anyway, for now I've just been trying to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. It's weird. I keep expecting to wake up in Kansas City.

Serpent

2009-04-17T03:09:00.001-05:00

Pencil, Col-Erase.

I'm mostly okay with snakes.

Safari Snapshot

2009-03-03T23:25:00.003-06:00

Colerase.

Breaking in a new sketchbook. I didn't have one for a while. Now I do. End story.

Tag-Team

2009-03-03T01:39:00.002-06:00

Colerase.

A sloppy sketch out of a notebook. But I like it, so it's here.

And see there? First boy of 2009. It is a momentous occasion.

Magnification Made Possible By...

2009-02-28T02:23:00.003-06:00

Col-erase.

My thoughts on shortie-short one-piece jumpsuits: So adorable, but rather impractical.

Been watching a whole bunch of nature/wildlife documentaries. David Attenborough is totally my hero.

Maneater

2009-01-29T05:02:00.002-06:00

Col-erase, watercolor.

Jus' playin'. You know.

The Saddest Fireflies

2009-01-12T23:49:00.005-06:00

Colerase & Watercolor.

I remember catching lightning bugs as a kid. They seemed to get so sad once in the jar. Lighting up less and less. We always felt bad and let them go free.

Kindov a quick one for Illustration Friday: Contained.

Edit: Colerase are a brand of erase-able colored pencils.

You Gotta Hear This

2009-01-08T22:11:00.005-06:00

Colerase & Watercolor.

Trying to remember how to do clouds.

Match

2008-12-26T00:17:00.004-06:00

graphite, photoshop.

While I'm at it, here's a quick little one I did for Mary's wedding a few months back.

Boogie Nights

2008-12-25T23:53:00.003-06:00

Colerase & watercolor.

What else do you think moths are doing when gathering around lights at night? Board meetings?

(Side note: Liquid Frisket is totally gross.)

I Can Has Night

2008-12-18T07:18:00.005-06:00

Colerase. Pencil.

Winter Solstice is coming up soon. On the 21st of December. This year, I've decided to celebrate this longest night of the year. You know. Partying with the Owls. Hoot-hoo-holler.

So do a little jig or something. 'Cause Solstice comes but twice a year.

XOXO

BFFAE

2008-11-19T05:44:00.004-06:00

black PaperMate flair. blue BiC pen, pink Prismacolor.

Even though I am obviously not participating in this NaBloPoMo business, I decided I should post something for good measure. The only things I've been able to draw so far this month are the obese cat and friendly octopus.

So there you go.

Giant Head

2008-10-29T07:21:00.002-05:00

graphite.

Foreshortening FAIL.

Oh well.

Hooded Capelet

2008-10-12T03:39:00.002-05:00

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point.

Trying to be more decisive by using permanent pens instead of pencil. I wish I could say that it's working and making me more loose and spontaneous. Instead, unfortunately, I just get this rigid anxiety about making the next mark.

I'm so pathetic about sketchbooking. I tear out all the pages I don't like. By the time I finish a book, it's usually missing half its pages. So lame.

Rave Wave

2008-10-08T03:25:00.004-05:00

grrraphite.

...Is she wearing safety goggles?

Space Barf

2008-09-22T07:32:00.007-05:00

ink, photoshop.

You might recognize the moon monsters from Exploding Dog. I just borrowed them and made them ugly and purple.

I don't care for this one at all. It is horrible and rushed and gross and sloppy. But I'll scar your retinas with it because I feel bad for not posting regularly enough.

Harken to Me!

2008-09-17T04:34:00.004-05:00

felt tip pen, watercolor.

I felt like drawing a cat in a boat. He is on a voyage of exploration across the ocean.

Mrrow

2008-08-23T05:58:00.003-05:00

photoshop

Lately, drawing has been difficult. So you get this.

Arapaima

2008-07-12T09:46:00.002-05:00

Col-erase.

I have a thing with fish. I can't explain it. I just think they're cool.

Please excuse the shoddy image quality. I took a picture because I am again without scanner.

Been messing with the layout of this page since I switched to the new blogger system. I can't ever get it to look how I want it to look. It's annoying.

Anyway, working on my design portfolio. Threw a couple things up on AIGA Design Jobs (see sidebar). Hey, anyone need a designer? I am fo' hire.

Homeboy/Homegirl

2008-06-29T01:47:00.004-05:00

Photoshop, Wacom.

Speed scribble that initially started with no direction and managed to end up weird. Gee, who would have thought? Whatever.

I got something up for June, and that is what really matters. "For realz."

Swimsuit Season

2008-05-22T01:21:00.003-05:00

col-erase.

And you thought you'd seen the end of the cephalopods. Ha!

Distress Signal

2008-04-10T04:56:00.004-05:00

Photoshop + Tablet.

I've misplaced baby Lolita, my G1 iPod Nano. She likes to play hide and seek with me from time to time, but as of Monday, I cannot find her anywhere. I am in a fair amount of distress. I am very unreasonably attached to that little device.

To be realistic, it's not just the (hopefully temporary) loss of my iPod that's making me so upset. Just not having Lolita nor any clue as to where I left her just makes me feel that much worse.

So the sketchblog gets a photoshop scribble, done in an attempt to calm my nerves.

Befriend the Bee

2008-04-04T14:15:00.006-05:00

bic pen, felt tip, sharpie markers.

Back to insect outfits? I don't know. I think bees are pretty cool. Just not the angry ones.

Bee-bee!

Big Bad Wolf

2008-03-17T00:31:00.003-05:00

Photoshop + tablet.

Sól, Norse Solar Diety.

It's Spring Break! Awesome! Time for sun and warm now please.

More awesomely, I think I may have finally caught the flu!

Oh yes.

Rays

2008-02-29T13:46:00.001-06:00

watercolor

I'm going to cheat and post this for February.

Lose Something?

2008-01-29T23:06:00.000-06:00

col-erase, 03 zig technical pen

My somewhat lackluster contribution for January.

Dinner Plate Scales

2007-12-31T01:42:00.000-06:00

Sharpie, blue and black bic pens.

My penwork needs work.

I'm tired but not sleepy. I'm bored and feeling particularly restless tonight.

Sleepwalker

2007-12-23T00:14:00.000-06:00

graphite, sharpie.

Been falling asleep pretty early lately. Many nights, I'm out cold before midnight, even. I don't know why. Whatever it is, it's inhibiting my already meager social life and making me a total bummer.

Flotsam & Jetsam

2007-12-13T10:01:00.000-06:00

col-erase pencil, ultra fine point sharpie

Brushin' off the cobwebs, trying to get my sketchbooking back in swing. So, here's some dorky eel scribbles.

Yay for Winter Break. About time.

First Prize

2007-11-30T01:21:00.000-06:00

linoleum block print, oil-based ink

No time to draw, so I'm cheating and posting this instead. This was a letterpress project, where we all wrote a haiku and carved an image and made a book out of them, as a class. (The type is set in... I want to say 18pt Garamond Bold, but don't hold me to it.) I kept my linocut. It's special to me, because squid really are number 1.

...You've all seen that Discovery special where that octopus opens the jar to get at the herring, right? It's on pretty much all the time.

Studious

2007-10-30T01:13:00.000-05:00

blue bic pen.

It's the end of October. Figured I ought to update with something even if it's complete trash.

Busy busy busy. (Buzz buzz buzz.)

Union of Knives

2007-09-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

graphite.

This really has nothing to do with backstabbing or any sort of actual knife situations or metaphors. I think I've just been listening to too much Emily Haines.

No arms because I can't draw them today.

Eerie Depths

2007-08-09T04:15:00.000-05:00

Black felt tip, Photoshop

Just messing around. Got lazy and didn't care to finish. Typical. (Any slight similarity to a certain male model whom I tend to favor is entirely intentional.)

Been moving into my new apartment all week. I have very little furniture and more paper than any one person should ever possess in a lifetime. (in all sizes: drawing, tracing, construction, printing, decorative...)

School starts next Thursday. I feel unprepared.

Laurel

2007-08-01T06:01:00.000-05:00

graphite, ultra fine point sharpie.

My insides feel all twisty.

Not Your Bathroom Floor

2007-07-31T03:33:00.000-05:00

Linoleum block print, acrylic paint.

I thought I'd try something new that involved sharp objects and getting little slivers of linoleum all over myself.

To be honest, it's actually red on white, but the inverse looks way better.

Blah blah blah I'm a horrible person for never updating blah.

Rain God

2007-07-03T23:55:00.000-05:00

col-erase, black gel pen.

I had a short discussion with my sister the other day about rain (and the absurd excess of it), and this image stuck has been stuck in my head ever since.

"for the clouds want to be near him, to love him, to water him"
(See So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish of the Hitchhiker's Guide Series)

I suppose it's also a reference to my least favorite Travis song.

Heart Swings

2007-06-27T20:27:00.000-05:00

col-erase.

Nothing to say, really.

Fish Love Boobs

2007-06-15T23:29:00.000-05:00

Indigo Blue Col-erase.

Coelacanth are just too cool.

Originally planned to have her wearing a billowy, Grecian-like minidress, but got lazy after doing the figure drawing. I almost wish I could claim some sort of conceptual, artistic reasoning, but I confess to having no such premeditation. So, for everyone concerned about the state of undress, I say this: Naked is so much less work.

You know me. Sloth to the max, Babies.

I wonder how many people checked out this post just for the title.

Just Curious

2007-05-31T20:53:00.000-05:00

blue gel pen, sharpie, graphite.

I did this while watching that little rainbow pinwheel spin on the computer at the office. I dislike lag quite a bit. Sad thing is that now I can't even run to the video lab at the A&D.

Have I mentioned that I stink at perspective?

Big Fish

2007-05-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

col-erase pencils.

I love Coelacanth!

Apologies for the lack of artings. Haven't really done anything for the last month or so outside of life drawing class and the occasional bunny. The last bit of school there was kinda killer, in a not-so-awesome sort of way, but we all emerged alive and relatively unscathed. Hopefully I will be better with updating, as it is the summer. I'll do my best.

Currently, I am in Houston for an internship, which is exciting. I start tomorrow.

PS. Where is Forest? She has gone missing, and I am quite sad.

Left of Center

2007-04-08T00:10:00.000-05:00

Col-Erase, graphite.

I've come to the pathetic realization that my weekend life is really quite tragically lame.

Of Fleeting Interest

2007-04-01T23:22:00.000-05:00

graphite

Yeah. Not new, but I like it.

I've been ill with some viral thing since Wednesday, complete with fever, occasional nausea, and the appropriate aches and pains. In conclusion, I've decided that being sick is the pits, and I advise everyone to avoid it if at all possible.

Cheeky

2007-03-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

Graphite, blue fine tip Sharpie (on bristol).

The word was Flippant.

Together in class, we decided she was British.

On my own, I decided she would have no legs.