MIA

I fly like paper, get high like planes. If you catch me at the border all da visas in my name. If you come around here...oh wait, that's the wrong MIA, but you have to admit that "Paper Planes" is a good song. No clue what they're singing about, but it's a good song!

Okay, so I've been m.i.a for a month and a half, and my second admission is that I don't feel guilty. I think sometimes I just need to stop and smell the roses. Art is just as much about input as it is about output, and if your candle wick is completely burnt out you can't properly behold all the beauty around you. So, I bought a new wick, beheld some beauty and now I'm ready to set some stuff on fire (figuratively speaking, of course).

Illustration Friday: Ripple

FYI: So, Ripple is a blog that was started by Kelly Light as a way for artists to give back and help the situation in the Gulf. It is an amazing project and I encourage everyone to use the hyperlink and look at the website. My Ripple is a picture of the Statue of Liberty ____ (consoling/passively supporting/helping/holding back/?) a grief stricken Mother Nature. We're all upset, but it remains to be seen how the US will handle this tragedy, so fill in the blank with the most appropriate adjective you feel describes our reaction. This is one that I will definitely revisit when I get better with watercolors. Please comment, and let me know what you think.

My First Illustration Friday: Trail

The trail to free cupcakes was long and treturous.

The good, the bad and the un-ugly

The Good: This is my first attempt at an outdoor scene and illustrating animals. The Bad: It's not my favorite, it's a little flat. The Un-ugly: Not bad for a first try.

When bad scanners happen to good people...

This makes me sad, because this is one of my favorite pictures--it's got just the right amount of cuteness and cross dressing, but I can't get the colors to pick up on my scanner or camera. I've adjusted the gamma, whiteness, blackness, contrast, hue, saturation, brightness (you name it, I've played with it and these pictures are the best I can do). The true image lies somewhere between the three pictures. The background is a very, very light bubble gum pink, and the tiara, tutu and table are varying shades of pink. Dad's shirt is cerulean blue with green stripes. His earrings, the hairs in the brush and the baby bottle are cad yellow. The baby doll is wearing a very pale version of the orange that's on Dad's cheeks. I would love to show off this picture, so if you have any suggestions about color manipulation leave me a comment! Please!

*While I was adjusting the colors I got a little side tracked and photo-edited the baby doll and the pizza out.

Second picture from class at Laguna Gloria

This is the second and last picture that I painted during my illustration class. I haven't had much time to paint and draw since the class finished, so I still haven't finished it, but I'm hoping to do so over the next week.

(1st drawing) As you can see, my sketches start with stick figures. Since I'm trying to get the posing and position down I don't spend much time on these.

(2nd drawing) I use the stick figure as my guidelines and I build on top of it. I also played with making the skirt shorter, but I really like the effect of the fuller, longer skirt. It acts as a parachute and makes it feel like she is gliding down to the bed.

(3rd drawing) It's still a work in progress, but I like the richness of the dress and the contrast between it and the wall. I also like the shading on the socks. Right now the dress is the star of the picture, so I want to develop the shading on the little girl so that she pops as much as the dress. Then, I want to add a pattern on the bedspread, and finish the side table and poster.

Ballerina from class with Mark Mitchell at Laguna Gloria (AMOA)

Last month, I took my first illustration class (Intermediate Illustration) at Laguna Gloria. The class was taught by Mark Mitchell, and he is a wonderful artist and art teacher. I don't want to go into specifics about what I learned from the art class, because I don't want to infringe on Mark's intellectual property, but I will say that I learned great information about color, image placement, watercolor materials and how to evaluate my work. Mark was incredibly patient and a wonderful teacher, and I enjoyed hanging out with the other students in the class. Overall, I give the class 2 thumbs up and I can't wait to take the fall illustration class!

I try to draw every night, and the ballerina is a drawing from my sketchbook that I painted during the class. This is my 3rd original watercolor.