Art Practice: Foxy

I've been in a weird spot, artwise, for the last year or so. I'm working constantly, because I keep seeing these fantastic techniques I want to try, and I feel like I'm thiiiiis close to understanding the first thing about color theory, and of course I'm still trying to train my right hand up with animal sketches (though I haven't posted those in a while, the work continues!)

But all this attempted improvement is seriously slowing down production! So one of the new things I'm trying is a faster coloring method taking blatant advantage of the fact that, hey, I have a new computer and it can do things!

My idea of "quick" turns out to suddenly be "four hours of work", but that's because I felt the inexplicable need to make a fancy new drawing instead of something basic. You see my production problem!

Anyway!

I like the look; I'm gonna mess around a little more with basic line art and fix the obvious spilled colors, but I think this one might actually grow into a real piece one day!

What do you think, blogcomments? How often do you change up your work technique? Do you thing it's worth the hassle? Is there even a choice?

Return of Son of Sketches of the Week!

Does anyone still come to this thing?

I have been horribly negligent in my blog maintenance. I know this. I regret to say I will probably continue to be pretty awful about it. The craziness of the summer season plus the need to, y'know, actually MAKE SOME ART to share has kind of commandeered my time. If anyone wants to chat, I'm generally over on Twitter!

But if people want to look at my pictures, they can still come here! Check it out:

I've found a lovely group that provides really fun sketch prompts, so at least I should be back in the swing of that for a while. And some of those might become real pictures! You never know.

Also! I am working on a Super Secret Project. Don't want to jinx it, but maybe Monday there will be some hint.

Koalas Make the Derpiest Faces

Seriously. Every koala pic in the book has an expression that can only be described as "derp".

Except for one, who appears to be laughing boorishly at an awful joke.

An unfortunate fact about koalas: they are very hard to draw without making them turn into Fozzie Bear.There's a certain inherent puppety felt nature to those padded cheeks and floofy ears. I would try to overcome it, and express the true savage beastial nature of the dropbear, but..nah. That pretty much IS their nature, really.

One thing I find interesting as I go on this project: my right hand, while clearly weaker and less practiced than my left, is also clearly still MY hand. My essential style doesn't seem to change much. But the way I look at my references changes a lot from hand to hand; I have very little urge to cartoon or compose, working right handed, but I do have a more conscious awareness of light and basic shape. Not expected, but interesting...

Cornhusk Dolly

Yeah, I'm sort of on a kick here. This cornhusk dolly is very much on my tree. I picked her up at the Gonzales pioneer village one year, where they have popcorn over a fire and tell stories of pioneer Christmases and make the best ginger cookies I've ever eaten.



The Dolly didn't stop spinning to talk to the Pony. She wasn't rude, she just didn't stop spinning, her cornhusk skirts catching the slightest breezes that came up from the base of the tree.

"I don't know what a Pony is", she said, twirling, "or I've forgotten. But you have a very nice voice."

The Pony thought she was being polite, and said so. She laughed.
"I'm too dizzy to be polite! But you're dizzy too, or you wouldn't say silly things."

Golden Impossible

I hate missing a day! But I could not get Blogger to cooperate yesterday before Christmasness took me away from the computer. Alack.

Anyway!

I seem to have a storybook happening. I'm getting all these scenes, but not in order.

The Unicorn is a real ornament on my tree, by the way. But it has never said anything in my hearing, even after a whooooole lot of eggnog.



"Of course I cannot be real all the time," said the Unicorn "but this is a Christmas tree, and things are different here."

The rocking horse was a rocking horse anywhere, even if it was more of a Pony, and thought it must be very fine to be real only sometimes.

Epic Battles

I was just going to draw one of the ornaments on my tree. But I do not like still life, apparently on a molecular level, because this happened:



The mighty wooden soldier does battle with the ancient dragon-fly for the life of the Christmas Tree! Huzzah!

My favorite thing about this picture is the way the background turned out. I wanted to get some of the speckled effect that actual Christmas ornaments get from the lights and branches and all, and it was just luck that the background showed through pretty much along those lines.

Also, I love the heck out of Christmas. Expect blather along those lines for at least the next 12 days.

Tiger Stealing

Sorry to fall off the face of the world, folks-- I work at a college testing center, and the last two weeks of the semester meant finals, which means no energy for Carapace outside of work. But I survived! And now I'm free! So expect sketchery to return for the rest of the month. Like so!



This tiger is blatantly taken from a photo in National Geographic. This sort of photo inspiration always makes me uneasy, because I don't want to be accused of image theft. On the the other hand, the photo-tiger was rather less....swirly. So I don't know, maybe I've changed it enough?

Another thing about this tiger, and the issue with a lot of my pictures, is that it is not anywhere near as cool as it could be. If I really had any artistic talent, I'd make it out of cut paper. Wouldn't it look awesome in purple and orange paper? Or cast iron, or anything with a bit of dimension? Yes it would. Heck, even a good textured acrylic painting would be better than this. At least that last one might be in my capacity. I don't know when it'll get done, because paintings take a looooong time. But sad experience has taught me it's better to get the idea down and save it for later than wait until I can do things right and lose the whole concept. So, tiger!

I have gallons of sketches- and chattery -- saved up from the last couple of weeks, too, so start coming back now, y'hear? Hope everyone else is having a great month!

No Sleep Buzz and a Quiz

Right.

Ok.

For those who don't know (and where have you been? Do you pay any attention to what I write? I might as well not be here for all the attention you're paying!) I'm a Texan. I don't just live in Texas, I belong here. I'm never even a little happy to be elsewhere, and believe me, I have experimented. It's bad for my health. So with all the problems my state has-- and believe me, I know them better than any out-of-state furriner*-- I love it here. Not least because, you know, it's almost Thanksgiving, and I was wearing shorts today. Thanks, tilting global axis!

However, long summers and mellow winters have their drawbacks. And they are buzzing around my head RIGHT NOW, and well, thus this picture.



A quick question, before I go on one last mad bug-killin' spree for the night- does this guy remind ya'll of anyone? Don't worry, there's no right answer, I'm just wondering. Answer and I'll tell you why!

*Why all you out of state people trade in furs is beyond me..oh, that's furrier? Never mind...

Unicyclass

I get on these tangents, you know?
I like the basic idea of this one, but need some better unicycle reference before I make it a print. You think?



Soooo much to do...my etsybloggers team is having a big ol' sale this weekend, and I'm putting prints on sale for 5 dollars, so I need to get everything salvageable here...um...salvaged! But I need new stuff, too, because it seems there are poor souls who don't know how neat turkeys are. That must be corrected! Arrghh... Headless Chicken Party Time!

Hope everyone else is more relaxed, or at least busy with similar happy busyness!

Oh, and have I reminded everyone to check out my shop? Yeah, do that.

Basket Cat

Y'know, for a while, I was drawing huge galloping herds of animals. Then I stopped, and fell out of the habit, and stuff like yesterday happens.

Today's a little better:



Since I apparently decided to stink up a basket weave, instead. But more animal practice is clearly on the horizon for me!

Maybe I'll draw more turkeys. It's my first year hosting the big dinner, so it's sort of on my mind. What's everyone else doing for the holiday?

Cat in Green

This year we have a acquired a new cat, and lost my old beloved graukatze. The new cat is not MY cat, and cat people will know what that means, but she is an entertaining wee beastie nonetheless. I expect I will be drawing much feline hijinkery in the months to come, since winter is cat-snuggling time.

I do not look anything like this. But I do have similar clothing, and I wanted to draw a scene instead of just a portrait. It happens.



Cats also do not look anything like this, I am aware. Man, the extent to which I have let my drawing practice lapse...!

Daily Sketch: Unicycle Lass!

True tale, here: When I was in elementary school, there was one girl who had a unicycle. She rode it around like most kids rode bikes, or even more, like most kids walked. She could take it up hills, up STAIRS, across traffic- just utterly assured. And it wasn't a stunt or an attention ploy, just her preferred means of transport. Of course she was my friend, as how could I not be friends with someone that cool?



And yes, she also had a green turtleneck that she wore with uniform regularity.

Also, I need some reference for a unicycle. Clearly, huh?

Absurdity Day: Turkey Hat!

He wasn't sure what the problem was, but he knew there was something on his head. Never mind the way everyone was looking at him, he could feel the extra weight! But he kept going about his business, hopeful that, whatever it was, it would soon go away.

The turkey just figured no one was going to get a better vantage point than this.



Today is Absurdity Day! Apparently. And so there's another absurd Etsy Texas contest, goin' on over hyar:

http://etsytx.blogspot.com/

And this time I'm totally going to say "Vote for me!"! Or, you know, vote for someone else! Because I like that creeepy pinhead, I do....

Daily Sketch:Revenge of MacArthur Park

It was supposed to be a cake. Just a chocolate layer cake. Too late, Susan realized she had misread the recipe. Oh NOOOOOOOOO......



For those who have never heard it, MacArthur Park:The Song, Especially The Richard Harris Version, is one of the most wonderfully horrible songs ever committed to recording media. The performance is..I have no words. The lyrics include a long extended wailing memorial for a cake, and as Dave Barry says, ok, it may be a metaphor, but it is a really STUPID metaphor.

Sorry for my continued sort-of-absence, folks. I am afraid this state of affairs is going to continue for a bit, but at least I will try to keep the sketches going.

Daily Sketch: Not Coming Out Of My Shell

Sorry to disappear some more, folks...but...



Yeah, it's like that.
Our winter weather is finally coming in, and it's got me sort of flattened and intermittently blind. I intend to treat this problem with intense coffee and perhaps a nap.

But I'll be back later with Ren photos! Woohoo!

Gibsonton Girl 2: A Leg and A Cat

No time for chit-chat, girls, I'm posting before I head to the Day Job! So let's get this sketch a goin':



Like the Bike Girl before her, this young woman has found a way to make life better through technology. It's not just the walking aroound bit, though she won't lie, that's nice. It's being able to have all sorts of ridiculously intricate shoes all ready to go on interchangeable legs, so all she has to do in the mornings in pop the right pair on her knees.

The cat was born without a tail, and is naturally very envious of other cats. He too is enjoying his mechanical accessory.

Colored and inked on my dear sweet Cintiq.

And There Was Much Rejoicing

I'm back! I had a fantastic time at the fair-- many shows were seen, many pictures taken, much fabulous weather enjoyed. I have achieved Hey It's You status with the Ren crowd- no one exactly knows me, but the regulars all recognize me from somewhere, and worry if they don't see me at least once a season. That's just the level of familiarity I like- recognition with anonymity! Aaah! Oh, and the kids this year--
But this is not the post for Ren stuff, because I am still processing the photos. This post is to welcome the newest addition to my household:




The Curlycue mug!

As longtime readers of this blog will remember, I lost my favorite mug to time and trouble earlier this year. There was great sadness and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Even more so when I went looking for a replacement, and found that green is apparently not a popular mug color, and small elegant cups are apparently a rare commodity anyway.
But lo! Just as I was about to give up, Black Dachsund Potter came to my rescue! Look at that mug! Two glazes, lots of texture, a unique handle that fits just perfectly against my fingers- and you would not believe how lightweight it is. And like all good ceramics, it doesn't flavor my tea. That would be yucky.

What's that? You want a sketch? Demanding crowd!;) I'm still recovering from the fair though (it is possible I had Too Much Fun) so you'll have to settle for this:



A wee witchy who got lost on her way to Halloween. Now I fear she will have to be a November Witch, and those poor lasses get a bad name,all because a few sailors don't know enough to get out of the weather.

I should note that the coloring on this was done with a mouse, while my dear huband has the Cintiq. Hence the sucking.

Daily Sketch: Earth Maid

Hey, it's election day! And I am not talking about politics here, because I trust you have already voted and therefor do not need fish mailed to your house at book rate! Be grateful!

Anyway, sketch!



This is one of the reasons I'm so in love with the Cintiq- this piece was drawn on some paper which is very nice to sketch on, but utterly unacceptable either for copying or selling as an original. But I could, and did, scan it and redo it with Ye Cintiq, and I think it's shaping up nicely. Nowhere near done, and I am beginning to suspect myself of some sort of completion issue, but coming along nonetheless.

I should also note that I love drawing unskinny girls.

So, what are ya'll doing? Voting? Good, good...

Daily Sketch: Glenda

Before the sketch, I should note that I am having a shop-wide SALE! Totally free shipping in the US, and half-price shipping internationally! That last makes me nervous, but I'm standing by it. Check out more sales here:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5889005&page=1

Ok, now to the blather!

When working monochrome, how could I possibly skip Oz? People who only know from the movie don’t know this, but Oz was distinctive for being multiply monochrome. The Munchkin country was all blue, the Winkies were entirely yellow, and the Quadlings, lead by Glenda, were all red.



Glenda was so awesome. I love the movie, I love the music from Wicked (and so wish I didn’t, when it starts circling my head at 3 am…) but I could learn to despise them both for what they’ve done to Glenda. Blonde? Frilly? Giggly? None of that. Glenda throughout the 14 Baum books is dignified, wise, and thoughtful. She always wears very plain gowns, with only one or two plain accessories, like a pendant or circlet. And because she’s a Quadling, she’s RED HAIRED. Argggh! The Oz books didn’t usually get too specific in description, but is one single color per quadrant so blinking hard to remember?

Her magic wand isn‘t the most impressive tool she uses. Her Book is. Glenda’s Book is sort of a printed internet news feed, constantly updated with everything that happens in the world every moment. It’s huge, and dense, and she knows how to find useful information in it. An introverted serious researcher with no interest in glamour, Glenda is the Nerd Witch. She was one of my many heroes in those books, and an essential part of the Oz worldview that power came from knowledge.

Well, and from two X chromosomes. Women rule in Oz. If you haven’t read the books yet, you really should. They are gloriously weird. If you have to ask me who wrote them, I may weep for your childhood.

Boo!

And that is all I have to say today.:)