IF: launch

Launching rumors
Acrylic

IF: swept

This week's prompt really goes along with my life lately! Getting swept up by your own emotions.

IF: afterwards

Its been a long time since I participated in Illustration Friday! Im excited to get back into the swing of things :)

Testing out Rives BFK

I ran out of large sheets of the usual paper I paint on (Arches watercolor, hotpress) so I decided to experiment with some of the Rives BFK sheets I have. I cut a large square into quarters and had 4 sheets of about 7 inches across, which is a nice change. The last painting I did was much larger and I ended up getting bored with the work halfway through. Eventually it was finished but I feel like I could have learned the same things if it was half the size. So this time around I wanted to do a few smaller, quicker works.

Working on this paper was very different from my usual technique. Since I was working on printmaking paper rather than watercolor paper, I found that I couldn't glaze colors as effectively since the paper just soaked everything up and turned dark whenever water was applied, making it difficult to judge how much paint I should put down.

Although I'm not too happy with these results and wont use this paper for painting, I feel like I've learned something. What that something is I can't really tell yet, haha.

A self portrait in acrylic which I edited slightly in photoshop. The original is less vibrant.

I had such high hopes for this rooster! I really liked the drawing and I feel like the way I ended up painting him takes away from his character somehow. I might re-do this one when I get good paper again because roosters are awesome.

This was painted with flat colors to counter the rooster image. I wanted to have minimal shading and leave it very flat. It looks more like my older digital work, which is what I was going for. The gradient was added in photoshop.

speedpaints

Some recent photoshop speedpaints. It feels like its been years since I painted digitally! I really just wanted to aimlessly mess around with colors.

Finally figured out a technique that is fun and comfortable for me! I've been struggling with finding a definite style for so long because I love photoshop, but working digitally means you have so many options and I keep jumping back and forth between them. This past year I've been experimenting with every traditional medium I could get before finally settling on good old acrylic on paper.

beeeees

Quick drawing from the other night! Found this sketch in one of my old sketchbooks and decided to slap some color to it.

Past work

These are just some selected works from the past year. Most of them are up on my website but I wanted to share them here also :)

Demon with Cake Marionette

Marionettes are much easier to construct the second time around! He is made entirely out of paperclay and string (and some super glue here and there).
He can walk, has full movement in his arms, collapsible chest, and has a moving jaw! Delicious fake cake is glued to his hand and he can pretend to eat it :D!

Harpy Marionette

This was a nightmare to construct. I was pretty much making things up as I went along... bad idea. The wings originally had a wire frame inside, which was too heavy so I substituted with a sturdy cardboard with fabric hinges, but then they folded weird when I attached the string so I took out the support altogether. Now they bend pretty much wherever they feel like it. I can't even say how long it took to figure out the feathers. I eventually settled on just hot gluing them on, which seems to work but they don't always stay flat. The legs were resculpted twice because there were issues with the knee and ankle hinges that made the entire thing way too wobbly.

Despite this taking twice as much time as it should have to be completed, I'm mostly happy with the final result. Originally I planned on having feathers covering her neck but they wouldn't stay flat and I didn't want her to be too fluffy.

She's made of paperclay, cardboard, fabric, feathers, and string. She can run and flap awkwardly at you. Kind of like an angry goose! Its cute.

Rod Puppet!

I sculpted this guy out of cardboard, plaster bandages, paperclay, hot glue, steel wire, wood, and a balloon. He is a rod puppet with a moving head and arms. The controls are attached to a dowel hidden underneath his clothes. There are also two metal rods which attach to his fingers that allow the user to move his arms. He's about two feet tall and kind of heavy :/

I had a lot of trouble creating his arms, particularly the elbows. I was using steel wire to create the hinge and reinforce the clay so that the elbow only bent in one direction. It was a huge pain in the ass getting the wire to stay where I put it and not poke out through the clay. Plaster bandages helped cover it up in the end though, and I just put another layer of clay over them to smooth it out.

Overall I am happy with the result. I just want to go back and embroider his robes some more. Right now they are just a mass of solid black with some beadwork here and there, but I need to break up the space some more and make it a tad bit more interesting.

Next puppet will definitely be smaller!

aesop's fable

A Vixen who was taking her babies out for an airing one balmy morning, came across a Lioness, with her cub in arms. "Why such airs, haughty dame, over one solitary cub?" sneered the Vixen. "Look at my healthy and numerous litter here, and imagine, if you are able, how a proud mother should feel." The Lioness gave her a squelching look, and lifting up her nose, walked away, saying calmly, "Yes, just look at that beautiful collection. What are they? Foxes! I've only one, but remember, that one is a Lion. Quality is better than quantity."

Messing around with mixed media. Color and I have a love-hate relationship.

Puppets!

Presenting Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf!
These are two hand puppets I crafted using paperclay and fabric. They are entirely hand sewn with the exception of the base glove shape.

Its been a while (a year?) since the last update. I have a website now, so a lot of my work can be seen there... but I'll post some new work here soon with sketches and maybe some process shots. I've got quite a few projects planned out, its all a matter of finally getting them done.

Here's self portrait I did a couple weeks back for the sake of painting something in photoshop. Its been a while, most of my work is traditional these days.

IF: flawed

:)

pale

For Illustration Friday's "pale" theme.

http://www.illustrationfriday.com/index.php