Art School and Arkansas

We've moved!

2011-01-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm moving to Facebook to promote myself. Blogger offers a nice easy format, but so many people are on fb, and my art needs easy access.

So if you've got one of my old business cards, or if you're one of my old acquaintances, please visit Victoria Maxwell Art on Facebook for all my new work. And of course you're welcome to browse all my past art here. Thank you!

Aliens

2010-10-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Been working on a backpiece for my husband. Below, I created a photomanip to turn into the design.

First I drew the egg set, then the queen alien. (I had to find a ton of reference because every version is different, and usually the photos are very dark.) Using Photoshop, I stuck the two drawings together and superimposed them onto a picture of his back. Soon I'll be coloring the final drawing for the tattoo, and some day when I feel confident, I'll ink on my favorite guy. Definitely after I have enough experience.

Fake Skin and my Machine

2010-10-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Started tattooing on fake skin this week. First I did the clover, then the cat, the jack-o-lantern, the eagle, and lastly the Celtic knot. Then I inked all the circles surrounding. The hardest part is making the outlines connect properly. Shading in small areas is a close second, though, and the plastic skin doesn't take ink like living skin does. Still, I'm on the right track, and my teachers are pleased with my progress. Woot!

Sketchin

2010-10-09T13:58:00.001-07:00

This guy is a study of the surface of water. Done in pencil (graphite).

Been doing some sketching. I got my tattoo machine this week, so I practiced how to hold it correctly.

I really like the pin-up witch. Thinking about doing a good version as tattoo flash or a painting. Or if I'm feeling really ambitious, both. Heh, we'll see about that.

Koi combo w/ roses

2010-10-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Above are my final projects for my apprenticeship lesson book. I had to combine three subjects in one tat composition. I picked koi, rose, and heart.

Actually these are my revised pieces. To see my earlier version, just visit my fb page: Victoria Maxwell.

Sorry bout crappy photo. My scanner vacuums, to put it nicely.

These guys are just some practice pieces I found on my camera.

Prismacolor, tech pens, Sharpie.

New tat for moi?

2010-09-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Saw this design in a magazine (upper left), so I conjured up my own version. It'd be placed the same way on the legs. Still not sure if I'll actually go through with it, as my husband doesn't think it's that cool. I have other ideas, so I can part with this pretty easy.

Flash Mania

2010-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

These are my designs! Yay! My tattoo teachers have critiqued my work. Some of these might change a little, especially if someone choses them to actually put them on their skin. Next week I should be practicing on fake skin; I've heard it's like rubber.

Above: This one had the most criticism, so I hope to redo it.

My Own Flash

2010-09-20T05:33:00.001-07:00

Finally, I'm starting to draw my own designs. This is sort of a revised version of my previous zombie heart. The new one is clearer, with higher contrast.

Really felt like doing a Western cow skull with a rose. Don't know why. Also, I tried to use colors found in sunsets, like the blue shading and the orange rose.

For this heart, I knew that I wanted to do something with flames. So I started brainstorming and doodling. The idea came to me that I could do a purification fire-thingy symbolizing the power of Jesus. His love, the blue flames burn away the black sin on the heart, revealing his forgiveness and mercy--the white cross.

All these babies were done with Prismacolor pencils, tech pens, Sharpie. Not endorsement, just fyi.

Knotty, knotty

2010-09-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Bought one of those paper mache skulls at Michael's for $2 and painted it up like a sugar skull. It was a fun and challenging project, trying to keep the design symmetrical by hand. My tattoo teachers loved it. They told me I should find a way to do a bunch and sell 'em.

All the black lines are Sharpie, and the color is plain old acrylic paint. Sorry about the photos; I so need a new camera.

More Celtic knots, which take a while to draw from my lesson book. These were all created with Sharpies, tech pens, and Prismacolor pencils.

Another knot

2010-09-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests. More practice.

Koi and Celts

2010-09-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

Just practice for my tattoo apprenticeship.
Tools: Prismacolor pencil, tech pen, Sharpie.

Practice, practice, practice

2010-09-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

*By the way, my title is totally a reference to the Swan Princess. LOL!

Still practicing flash art. The pieces above were copied by hand, not traced over, from my lesson book. I used Prismacolor pencils, a regular Sharpie, and a number of technical pens, like Sakura.

These were traced. The drawings in this post are in latest to earliest order, starting from the top, so the anchors came first. I'm starting to get a handle on where to shade and where not in the designs, reference for when I start creating my own. Also, I've learned that the most important objects in a single design look better when they have a thicker peripheral outline--my vocabulary word of the week. It's very apparent in the "rosy knife" up top there.

Tattoo flash art

2010-08-30T07:35:00.001-07:00

So I got my apprenticeship! Yay!!!

This first month I'll be copying flash art for the purpose of learning what makes a good tattoo design. Consistent lines, color and how it's placed, and high contrast all play a part in these designs.

The images on the left of each piece are the ones that I've drawn. I already posted the first on Facebook, and my friends are lovin' it.

Dragon Heel

2010-08-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

I'm still practicing. My apprenticeship interview is tomorrow. I really hope I get it!

Still-life of high heels, Toothless the dragon toy, my new sketchbook, and a Tinkerbell glass. Ebony pencil in my old sketchbook. Took me about an hour or so to sketch.

Real bacon!

2010-08-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Just some more warm-up sketching. I need to sharpen my drawing skills as they've gotten sloppy from unuse. So I drew some widows and bacon. And an egg. Don't know why.

Undead Heartbreak

2010-08-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a series of tattoo designs in order to warm up for a possible apprenticeship. I read online that many tats are drawn out in colored pencil, so I broke out my Prismacolors and got to work. It's going to take some getting used to; I haven't worked with colored pencil since I was little. The initial line work took me nearly an hour, the coloring about the same. There's no blood because this heart hasn't been pumping for a long time.

Moist

2010-08-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

This is my personal tribute to cute food. Rendered in Illustrator, it demonstrates sheer saccharin cuteness. I might use it in a more layered piece, but for right now, he's just a flying cupcake.

I haven't done a lot of research on the subject; however, I do know that the fad is strong in Japan. Here are some images I looked at for inspiration:

awesome

overachiever

is this even real???

even school food knows it's sad

Death fairy

2010-08-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Been wanting to do a fairy picture for a while. Still, I wanted it to have some depth, not just an excuse to draw an attractive, nude female. I did a little Wikipedia research and found out that some myths actually describe fairies as the dead. So I combined that with the stereotypical image of the fairy (think Tinkerbell) and gave her more insect parts. Her bug side is the carrion beetle, so I put her in the eye socket of a corpse. Pretty dark but fun.

Crayons, India ink on lightweight multimedia paper.

The Critter!

2010-08-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

I call it "the Critter." Found a contest on Craigslist to make an imaginary creature with a human-like body: 2 arms, 2 legs, a head. Using Illustrator, I drew the body, then transferred it to Photoshop for the watermark and file specs.

Comic Book Artist Portfolio

2010-08-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Click image to enlarge.

Meg v. Sub, version 2

2010-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

So, just like my last art, so see my previous entry for more details. This has the feel of a band poster to me. Watercolor, china marker (crayon), Prismacolor, white conte.

Mystery and horror!

2010-07-29T10:40:00.001-07:00

This is a personal piece. Well, I sorta painted it for my husband. It's a megalodon attacking an Ohio-class submarine. It's loosely based on a Steve Alten book. Acrylic on panel.

In my internet book-publishing series, I did a Sherlock Holmes-influenced icon for the mystery genre.

Mermaid ahoy

2010-07-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I started on a self-promotional piece for my husband to take to work. Using my papercraft skills, I designed a holder for my business cards. The holder can be pinned to a bulletin board, so potential clients can see the some of my art on display and grab a card.

First, the sketch. I though a mermaid would go along with a nautical theme, since it's going to be displayed on a naval base.

Next, I refined and inked the drawing portion. Because the audience will be mostly male, the mermaid faces forward, giving her a pin-up flare.

After hours of Photoshop, I take the colored piece and add the tag line and simple papercraft bottom.

Then I make the seaweed which will fit over the papercraft pocket, effectively hiding it while adding dimension to the work.

The finished piece. My only concern is that the tail color and seaweed color turned out very similar, but overall I'm pleased with it. Now all that's left is to post it and wait. Well, that and make more art.

Tribal tattoo writing

2010-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

A tattoo design commish. My client wanted a Greek phrase in a font that imitated tribal-style tattoos. I forget the exact translation, but it's something like, "without pain there is no growth." I think it turned out very nicely, especially since I don't do a lot of lettering.

δεν μπορούμε να μάθουμε χωρίς πόνο

Something old, something new

2010-06-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

So I'm putting up some pretty old work. Below is a multimedia painting I did in Painting I. The purple cloth is actual cloth; the duck is yellow shopping bag; the white cloth is newspaper. Not my best work, but I like the composition.

A cutout I painted for prom '06, with assistance from some of my high school friends. My darling sister is the head. It's house paint and glitter on wood panel.

Put together this managarie of different views of the same piece, a ceramic Egyptian pyramid. I formed it using slabs, so it is hollow inside. The hole through the eye is a real hole, and the piece was raku-fired. I don't remember which glaze, but I'm sure it musta been fairly common if our high school purchased some.

But of course, I have some new projects, too. My darling cousin commissioned this painting of her guitar. Her goal was to have a piece to add to the rock'n'roll theme of her apartment decor.

I found it very challenging to complete, since the reference photo I was using showed the guitar from a three-quarters angle. Another challenge was the unusual dimensions of the canvas; I had to paint the guitar in such a manner that it would fill the picture space without seeming terribly out of proportion. Despite my artistic angst and agitation, my cousin loved it, and it worked out nicely in the end.

It's me again

2010-06-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

An old self-portrait of mine. First I used a jigsaw to cut a piece of thin paneling into the general shape I wanted. Next, I painted in color blocks, one for the face, one for the hair, and so on. Using chalk pastels, I did all the details (like facial features), shading, and highlighting.

More work to come.

Wolfie

2010-06-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is my second most recent commish, a pet portrait. The final piece is 8" x 10," acrylic on canvas.

Will try to post most recent work tomorrow. Yay!

A MONTH?!!!

2010-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Gosh, a month since I've posted anything?! This will not do.

The next in my book genre series is historical romance. My client asked me to base these characters on Gone with the Wind, so I gave them a historical look without directly copying Miss Scarlett and Rhett.

And then there's this. My obsession with CSI: Miami has not receded. For the background, I used a photo from the net, credit to its photographer. The only part I'm not pleased with is the flashy text. The bottom blue causes the letters to blur into the beach a little too much.

Doggies

2010-05-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

The next illustration in my internet work is the dog.
Thumbnail/sketch
Drawing, pencil
Book

I decided to draw the book separately, since this is a series. That way, each piece will use the same image, giving them consistency. Plus, it saves me from extra work.
German shepherd
Finito.

Using that handy tool Photoshop, I put the two images together.

New Business...

2010-05-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

So lately I've developed a better business card. My relatives own Braswell Printing, and they're printing these babies. Front:

back:

My other project I just finished today, Couch Dogger III, my second commission to repaint the original (featured on back of card). Acrylic on wood panel.

Web Work

2010-05-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

This little pic is going to be used on this site, so check it out:
http://www.horse-books-pony-stories.com/index.html

Correction: coalition-independent-authors.com

YEE-AAAAAAHHHH! Dun-duna-dun...

2010-05-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I am addicted to CSI: Miami, and I admit it. The people are terrible actors and the cases are off-the-wall, but I can't stop.

So enjoy this chibi-style fan art I whipped up. That, of course, is Horatio.

Portrait and La Luna news

2010-04-27T10:41:00.001-07:00

One of my co-workers asked me to draw a picture of his late father. I scanned in a 1" x 1.5" photo, blew it up, and printed it out on two letter-sized papers.

Using my "light table" (a door with a big glass insert), I mapped out major areas and planes. Then I looked off the photo to do shading and details. And viola! The actual mapping and drawing took about an hour.

The local newspaper short on my largest project.

An ending and a beginning

2010-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch for a new project. I was contacted to draw some icons/logos for a series of book genres for a website. Children/young readers is the subject.

Me and the owner of La Luna, Marlee Ramirez, in front of the finished mural. Will be getting a professional photo taken soon, hopefully, and also I will post the small newspaper article on me next time.

La Luna fortuna!

2010-04-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

So I've been doing a lot of work on La Luna's mural. The first two pictures will have to be full-view to see my sketching, but it's there. Just like my murals at Poplar Point, I gridded out my sketch, then gridded out the wall proportionally. Next, just like a kid's coloring book, I copy the line work from square to square.

To make the marks on the wall, I used the cheap and efficient China marker, a.k.a. crayon pencil. Actually, I wasn't sure how that would stick, but it performed very well. The wax stuck to the stucco, and it is weather-resistant.

I would make more progress, but I'm also working full-time at the chicken plant. Gotta pay the bills before my student loans catch up to me. Still, this is an awesome project, and the Carroll County News is going to have a short article on my work. That means great advertisement for me and the restaurant. Everybody wins!

Process of a painting

2010-03-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is an abbreviated version of my painting process. Lately I've been starting with a digital sketch (upper right). Then I make a hand-drawn line sketch (upper left). Next I blow it up to size (bottom).

Then I paint. I try to start with the back, because you can tell when someone paints the background around the subject. It's not as visually pleasing.

And finito!

Dual projects-mural and the big easy

2010-03-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Rights of photos to those who took them.
This is a digital sketch of what we're thinking about on the mural project. The background will be more beach-like, and the art will reflect both Mexican folk art and historic Mesoamerican art, like the Aztecs.

This pic hasn't changed a lot, so I'll be making a hand-drawn sketch soon.

exercise!

2010-03-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did some sketchbook work to warm up for my upcoming projects.

This is a collection of things just laying around: a mini-stapler, a thumbtack, a half-eaten cookie, an origami bird, a pen, and a roll of masking tape.

And then there's the killer bunny. Rights to Monty Python naturally.

And now the Thrilling Conclusion

2010-03-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

The end.

Pages 8 thru 10

2010-03-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Now that I have text laid in, I plan to go back to try to massage it in some places just for typography's sake. It's not something I'm particularly good at, so might need some different eyes on it. Also, I plan to work on better matching the panels to the margins, and fixing the bottom right corner panels on every page. I think that there was a slight shadow across that area during the photo documentation. Still working on it...

I'll try to post more pages soon.

New projects

2010-03-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

This rough digital composition will eventually become a pretty detailed drawing. I was asked to make a piece about New Orleans, which I've never been to (but I'd like to some day). For this reason, I've asked one of my friends from college, a New Orleans native, to give me her opinion on whether this comp is New Orleansy enough.

Also, I'm in negotiations to possibly do a mural for a local Mexican restaurant that serves authentic cuisine. Yummy!

Pages 3 thru 7

2010-02-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

Progress happens...

2010-02-22T18:10:00.001-08:00

page 1 page 2

Finally, my In the Red Forest comic is coming together. I've decided to do lettering on the computer rather than by hand. Guess I'm too impatient with my own handwriting, as it takes a lot of time to carefully render every letter. I created black margins and gutters with Photoshop.

Snapshots

2010-02-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Please pardon my long absence from blogger. After school was over, I had to take care of lots of grown-up stuff, like moving and looking for a job to support my art. So far I've only had a nibble and an escape; no bass yet. Still, I'm going to keep my eyes open.

These are some portrait shots done for my husband's and mine Facebook pages. I just used Photoshop brushes on mine. For Matt, I adjusted levels and filled in some weak areas with black to create a more stylized photo.

Will try to post more soon, so stay tuned!

Griffon

2009-12-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about doing a series on mythical creatures. This piece developed from a doodle I did earlier today. Colored in Photoshop.

Wrapping Up my Schooling

2009-12-19T19:07:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been trying to gather jobs and commissions. I was contacted by a man who liked some of my work at the Holiday Bazaar, but he wasn't able to snatch them up in time. Instead, he asked me to recreate Couch Dogger. Following are the original and the duplicate, in that order. Proportions on screen are not true to reality, as the second painting's cradle was slightly smaller.

I mailed my promotional pieces on Thursday, the 17th. In the upper left is the inside of the envelope; in the upper right is the outside back of the envelope; below those are my art cards and response card. The critique was good, and there were only a few minor problems with the packet.

The cover for my Christmas cards, colored in Photoshop.

Second finished mural at Poplar Point.

After classes ended, I made some more panels in the shop, so look forward to some paintings. Joel suggested that I start on another comic while my chops are up. I also need to clean up the photos of my colored pages, get some good text for them, and send it to Lulu or Blurb for its very first printing ever.

I suppose it still hasn't fully dawned on me that I am done with school. I feel confident that whatever I choose will work out, but at the same time, I am nervous. Everything works out though, and God watches over people. And on a side note, I hope people really think about the true reason for the season, rather than running each other over, looking for the last Gator Golf. Sorry, you'll have to forgive my cynicism.

Have a safe and merry Christmas, everyone!

MCA Portfolio 2006-2009

2009-12-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

My best work, excluding my In the Red Forest work.

BFA show Fall 2009

2009-12-07T17:19:00.001-08:00

These are my BFA pieces in the gallery at Rust Hall, Memphis College of Art. The exhibition was Friday, from 5pm to 7pm. It went very well, considering I'm not the shmoozing type. I noticed that people were digging my work, and they would walk across the gallery to stare at my stuff for a few minutes, instead of glancing at it while walking by. A good sign! And so much free cheese. My family came down to see it, as well, and my husband was at my side.

My next post will be my final portfolio, selected from my time at MCA. I am also trying to print some X-mas cards, but at the risk that one of my people will see it on here, I'll post the design after I give them out. Just wait!

Make-up post

2009-12-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

These are my babies, Thor and Fonti. They have absolutely nothing to do with this post.

I've always had good success selling my mini-paintings and -drawings, once at the Memphis Minis exhibition, and at both Holiday Bazaars that I've participated in. I do a little picture, fix it to foam core, and make a mat for it.

Unfinished mural at Poplar Point. I've been working with my classmate and friend Chihiro on these. We've been receiving offers to do them in private homes, but currently all those are delayed for the moment.

A bad photo of my completed BFA piece. I will be getting a better one SOON. Mine and my classmates' exhibition opening is this Friday, from 5pm-7pm.

This is a commission I did for a client. From the photos provided, I drew two smaller sketches, drew them again at 6 feet all together, and colored it with acrylic.

At this point, I went over the pencil lines with a China marker aka. litho crayon.

And color!!! Minus the decorative top and bottom segments. Sorry, forgot to get a pic of those.

In conclusion—
WATCHING YOU!

Promo piece beginnings

2009-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend I began my promotional mailer assignment for Illustration 5. Our requirements were to make something that could be mailed (duh!), that included a stamped response card, and that contained at least 5 examples of our art. I came up with a rounded sort of envelope, printed on both sides and a response card insert. The first picture below is the outside of the envelope.

Yes, I'm aware that the red tabs are much larger, but they are designed with a bleed. I'll have to cut tabs on the outside, then flip the piece over to know where to cut the other pair.

This is the inside.

And this is the response card (not proportionate to other pieces!), my favorite part of the piece.

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. With my BFA piece and the holidays, things have been rather busy, but I will have another post soon.

Holiday Bazaar Special (Ed)

2009-11-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

So, I put a LOT of stuff in this year's Holiday Bazaar. Some of it was past work that I revamped, like the piece below, and some I've done within the last two weeks.

IPC piece. Acrylic, ready-made DollarTree doll, rhinestones, and dirt on canvas.

New. Real leaves and acrylic paint coated with acrylic matte medium on panel.

New. Markers, colored pencil, watercolor on panel.

A new copy of an old painting I did in high school. Acrylic on panel.

Old, Painting I. Oil on canvas, about 3' x 4', too.

New abstract. Acrylic on panel.

BELOW:
New. These next four photos are shots of a wooden container purchased from Hobby Lobby. It's painted with acrylic, and the "water drops" were created with good, ol' hot glue. On the inside are rhinestones, glitter, and floral stones.

And the drawing I posted last week transformed into this painting. Acrylic on panel. I must say I won't be too sad if it doesn't sell. I love the thing.

Robot chickens and guns

2009-11-08T16:49:00.001-08:00

So, ignoring the fact that these are Tom and Jerry strips, this is how my BFA stuff has evolved. Tom and Jerry will be replaced with two amazing pages from my comic. The character lineup is finished and the painting is still at 75-80% done. I've already made all the wooden panels the pieces will be mounted to, and they are ready to go. Now, what's left: I have to choose 2 pages to display. I'm not really sure how to do that, do they need to be in order? Should they show essential plot points? We shall see...

This is my robot chicken I'm working on in Sculpture I. Well, I should say that this is a model made out of foam core and held together by sewing pens, tape, and luck. The jaw moves, and I intend to make the feet and legs posable when I get to them. The final chicken will be constructed with construction insulating foam—you know, the pink or blue stuff that you buy in 4' x 8' sheets at Home Depot. And I'm hoping to make it about 3 or 4 feet tall.

My husband was my model long before I married him. He's always ready to do the most ridiculous things for me. I translated this photo of him into a scene from my Red Forest comic. Sorry the words are whited out; you can't read them until you see the actual book. No spoilers.

Important Picture

2009-11-08T13:12:00.001-08:00

Personal work.
I'll put more meaningful post tomorrow.

More Nine and Chupacabras

2009-11-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

My acrylic painting of the Nine-Story hotel that will become part of my graduation exhibition late this month. I'd say the painting is about 50-70% finished; I still need to make the building look really grungy and apply shadows.

A bad photo of my character line-up, also for my graduation stuff. This is probably about 95% done, as it may need some touch-ups after critique. I used the wonderfully fun wax resist technique, and I am very pleased with its results.

For the Holiday Bazaar Art Sale, I've been working on sewing multiple stuffed-toy chupacabras with different accent colors, such as different colored arms (upper left corner of box) and eyes (see pics below). They've been an exceptional hit, and I've practically sold all four all ready. Wish I had more time to make more...

Chupis, as I call them, have two sets of eyes, a snake-like tongue, and claws.

Their backs are laced with ribbon, imitating those really hard-core back piercings. Yeah, a chupi can handle it.

Graduation work

2009-10-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Just a couple more sketches of mural ideas for Poplar Point Health and Rehabilitation Center. I think the second one is too much like a Levitra commercial to be accepted.

So this is what my BFA pieces look like so far. I'm still sorting out some things, like number of panels and their sizes, but everything is shaping up nicely. The building piece is going to be full color acrylic on wood. The character lineup (see close-up above) will also be in color, using the wax resist technique I used on the original character sheets. Debating whether to have more than one actual page up, though I think I might be making new panels so that I can put up two, instead.

My teachers approve.

Finished Food Pieces

2009-10-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

I've said a lot about these before, and now they're finally finished.
salmon
chickens
cow
pig

These are some covers I made for a simple book I whipped up for my friend Brian's birthday. The interior pages are my ninja comic from way back.
front
back

This is the mural Chihiro and I have been painting in the lobby at Poplar Point Health and Rehabilitation Center. Everyone there seems to really like it, and we even got an offer to do a mural for a person who saw us working. Our school manager suggested that we add more striations in the rocks and make them more realistic. Except for that, I'd say it's pretty well finished. I thoroughly enjoy working on it, especially with Chihiro, because she's such a good friend. Who knows? Maybe this could become a career path...

Slow News Day

2009-10-11T12:37:00.001-07:00

Been fighting with school computers trying to post, but I finally figured it out. I think.

This is the finalized version of the Molten Sphinx design. It's rendered completely in Illustrator to avoid raster-image pixelation (forgive my spelling).

Here are my "suspect your food" pieces, improved by limited color on top of black and white acrylic. I plan to scan them in nicely a little bit later. Each one is just a bit larger than an average scanner, so I admit to putting it off until I have to.

Thumbnail for my comic, page 3
70% colored page 1

The vast majority of my time is spent on this comic. I just finished pencils for page 10, but I do have stuff to go back and correct on a couple of pages. I've started copying page 6 onto good-quality paper, and I've barely started coloring. Still, I'm stubbornly trying to finish the whole thing by the end of the semester. Got to get my rear in gear, eh?

Finally, back

2009-10-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Finally found a computer I can post from freely. My home computer had a costly demise, anywhere from 120-400 to fix. It's not that much in the grand scheme, but I'm debating whether or not to fix it. Would be nice, though...

Anyway, this is more of my "suspect your food" series.

Both done in black and white acrylic only.

Drawing for the final piece in the series. Because it took me so long to make this post, I've already finished this painting. It'll be in my next post.

These guys are color studies for my comic, which I have renamed once again as "In the Red Forest." "Fallout" is a videogame name.

This is my formed Chupacabra. Upon the advice of several people, I've decided to make a few to sell in the Holiday Bazaar. He's (or she's) a huge hit!

An acrylic painting done for the Bazaar. My love of chickens knows no bounds.

A better picture of my design project. This, too, has undergone revisions, and the newest will be posted next time. Can't wait to see it on stage and packaging!

2009-10-04T16:28:00.001-07:00

Well, since Blogger is being difficult today, this is the only picture I could upload. I'm trying to help my friends' band Molten Sphinx by bettering their logo. This particular image is much too dark for some unknown reason, but you get the idea.

Sorry for the delay in posts. I'll have to try another time.

Food and figures

2009-09-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

So this is what my desk looks like right now. I spend about 70% of my time working on my Nine story hotel story. I was thinking about calling it "Fallout," but now I'm leaning toward "In the Red Forest." Sounds less like a video game that way.

These next few are from my "suspect your food" series, looking at the integrity of labels such as organic, free-range, and hormone-free. They're being made using acrylic on multimedia paper. I start with a wash, which ends up mostly covered by the end by black and white. Then I plan to use a few, thin color washes over the featured animals. This is a pig in the back of a police car.

I plan to add more specific characteristics to the breeds of chicken in this one, not to mention a more dynamic angle than straight on.

This one is almost ready for paint. Just got to adjust the woman's arm and the height of the desk surface.

Here's an in-depth look at the technique. These guys are salmon, and all they need is the thin color layer now.

This little fella is going to be a goat-sucker, more commonly known as a "chupacabra." We're creating sock creatures for sculpture. Leave it to me to pick the weirdest option. Anyway, he's got pleather legs, felt arms, corduroy belly, and a knee-high body. He will be stuffed later, of course. And he will have two white fangs. Stuffed animals are a love of mine, and I'm really a sucker for this project. Ha. Now I'm going back to my day job of making art, not jokes.

Do not concern

2009-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

from text edit. i really hope something works. poop poop poop

apparently blogger likes text edit, rtf, only.
this has been a test.

Work in Art

2009-09-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Janet Koplos gave a lecture at our school on Thursday night. Since Koplos is an art critic, she brought many examples of artists' work, which really helped her presentation. Had she spent too much time on a few pieces—or worse, a single piece—the majority of the audience would've passed into a coma.

After her introduction, we watched a video of a man who would walk into a room with a wood sculpture in it. He proceeded to kick the sculpture, and it of course fell down with a pleasant crashing sound. This event repeated several times, with differently shaped sculptures built from the same wood pieces.

Her main point was that in some art, the work done to create the piece is a part or the whole of concept. Koplos showed us slides of works that made us wonder if the artist had lost his or her mind while creating. In cases, this was half-true, as she stated a few of the masterminds behind these pieces were checked into mental institutions. Because the artists checked themselves in, they were allowed to create art and have assistants come in to work, as well.

Just a few of the people she spoke of: Jackie Winsor, Adolf Wolfli, Yayoi Kusama, Gary Lang, Wolfgang Laib, Ralph Bacerra, Josiah McElheny, Martin Puryear, Tara Donovan, Tim Hawkinson, and Tom Friedman.

I agree with the point she made; I've always been an advocate of good art that maybe doesn't have a universal, political, complicated, outside-of-itself concept. I believe that work can be great on its own.

Looking back

2009-09-03T07:51:00.001-07:00

I suppose that underneath it all, I'd like to be a jack-of-all-trades with a comics specialization.
Preferably, I'd have my own comics published, though I'd be open to creating comics for someone else. Drawing comics all day long is a dream for me, and I'd be okay with having a day job while I create my comics. But eventually, I'd want to live off of my art.

a page from Selene, my comic about sirens

My current body of work doesn't directly reflect this, but it's due to the fact that MCA doesn't have a "comics" concentration (major). The school is heavily fine arts-weighted. Still I think that my fine arts roots will help me be a better comic artist. Plus, I'm working on my 13 page comic that I've decided to rename "Fallout," so that will definitely aid in fleshing out my portfolio.

A few semi-random things my portfolio could use:
lettering (for phylacteries)
inking (for the traditional divided labor in the comics industry)
collage (because I've never done it)
more comic pages in general
more "Sunday paper" strips (haven't done many)
politically charged work
scratchboard (because it's awesome)
some Bible scenes
children's book material
wax resist (will be in soon, as "Fallout" progresses)

Yeah, it is a little scattered, but I like doing it all. And that's what counts.

Still dreaming

2009-09-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well, if I had to spend the rest of my life illustrating one book, it would have to be the Bible. Kind of a cop-out because it's such a large and varied book, but I'm a Christian. And I would never get bored.

As for my dream mentors:

I would love to be an apprentice to Bill Watterson. The man is brilliant, yet private and quiet. And he looks a little like my dad. Watterson is a master of drawing and philosophy; how great would it be to study under him?

I think my other choice would be Mary Cassat, who was one of the first famous women artists. Her skill is undeniable, and her paintings beautiful.

Squeaky
But, if I were ostracized from the art world forever, I would start an organic chicken farm for eggs. My chickens would roam freely, be very happy, and lay delicious eggs, much like my pets back home. And if the egg farm weren't pulling in enough, I could always find a day job to help out, like maybe cashier at a book store, or something. I'm not picky.

If I had one month and a thousand dollars for art supplies, I would make a giant, paneled painting, probably of chickens, or something else that I really enjoy. Of course, the money would go to buying canvases or making cradles. Working in phases, I'd start with penciling the general layout over all the pieces, then the painting process. Finally, the panels would be hung in a gallery or on the side of a really big building.

However, if I had six months and ten grand, I'd make a frikkin' sweet comic book. The money would be spent on supplies to create the pages, and the rest spent on publishing the sucker. The schedule would be very similar to the one I'm using now for my independent study: do all thumbnails, then pencil and color as I go. The finished piece would be a mass-produced copy with that wonderful new book smell. Mmm-mm!
Stella: a character from my upcoming comic

With an entire year and a hundred thou, I would probably go crazy. In all actuality, I'd continue from the comic I made with the ten grand, and just keep making more comics until I ran out of dough. It's what I enjoy. With lots of chickens!

Dream big, kid!

2009-09-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

A few illustrators I admire/envy:

Rowena: Does a lot of sci-fi and romance book covers. A very realistic painter who went to school for art and succeeded.

Steve Dilon: Does work for the biggest comic publishers.

Gary Larson: Creator of "The Far Side," brilliant and twisted cartoon genius.

Julie Bell: Much like Rowena. Does work for Marvel, book covers, and trading cards.

Jim Davis: Makes a lot of money off the same thing he's been doing for thirty years. Syndication!

Frank Frazetta: One of the most famous sci-fi artists ever. Worked for everyone, including Playboy.

Scott Adams: Used to be a bank teller and kept his day job for years after Dilbert became popular.

Bill Watterson: Can draw people in midair perfectly. Plus, when he got fed up with the cartooning business, he became a recluse. And he refused to sell merch. rights for C&H.

Dave McKean: Art is amazing. Art is amazing. Art is amazing. Works for big comic companies.

Greg Horn: Comics cover man. Draws wonderfully proportionate characters, e.i. women who aren't 40-10-30.

Ten Magazines I would work for:
(in no particular order)

Dangerous Ink
Hi Fructose
Heavy Metal
Fangoria
Art on Paper
Juxtapoz
CMYK
International Artist
Pocketful Illustration
3x3

I think that if I had my own magazine, it would definitely fall under the category (or spell) of "goth." A large section of it would be devoted to vampires, since—thanks to "Twilight"—are totally IN. I'd hire a writer for fashion firstly. I'd also take fan fics, but I'd hire someone to go through them all, and pick out the good stuff. I'd get writers to cover make-up techniques and conventions, not just goth ones, but comics and anime. And I'd want it to be really dark.

We can dream, eh?

And if I weren't going to do magazines:

Top Cow Comics
Alternative Comics
High Tower Comics
Marvel Comic
Disney Studios
Dark Horse Comics
Image Comics
Dreamworks Studios
Harper-Collins Children's Books
Mad Magazine (yes, it's a magazine, but I'd be making comics for the Fundalini Pages. Plus it'd be cool to become one of "the usual gang of idiots)

Now I must settle back into reality, eating ramen and walking to school. Some day...

The Creative Process

2009-08-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

My creative process after an assignment is handed to me changes from time to time. Shaped by my teachers over the years, I try to start off with some research, since even fiction is grounded in fact. I'll use a painting I did to illustrate my particular method of madness.

After I get a vague idea of what I want, I look at a bit of visual reference. For this painting, I knew that I wanted to make a Japanese-influenced image to sell in the annual Holiday Bazaar, so I looked at Japanese prints. My main source is the internet, though I also have a few books of my own and access to the MCA library. Memory has a big part in this, as well.

If I can't come up with a vague idea, I start thumbnailing, a process we've used in all of my illustration classes. Basically, I crank out as many small stick-person sketches as I possibly can, then select the best one to develop into something good.

My next step is to make a full-size, loose sketch resembling a stick person (or object) which I go back and refine. I then use graphite paper to lightly transfer the refined image onto the surface I plan to use for the final product.

Finally, I employ the media I choose. Depending on the needs of the project, there are sometimes color studies that happen before this phase, but not always.

My creative process could probably benefit from more sketching before I make the full-sized stick-person. I'm thinking anatomical studies, like da Vinci, or a more detailed, smaller stick drawing to come before the full-sized. I guess what I'm getting at is that there should be more drawings and sketches to warm up to the final drawing. Skills are always more productive after a little warm-up and practice.

http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/the_creative_process/

I like what Dilbert creator Scott Adams has to say about his creative process: When speaking about how he comes up with his ideas, he likens himself to a grizzly bear trying to catch a salmon. If the bear misses, he just waits for the next fish; he doesn't dwell on the one that got away. In 19 years of strips, that's a lot of salmon!

A Dilbert strip doesn't materialize instantly; Adams sketches the first panel and the next and the next, letting his brain figure out the details during the initial drawing. Then, he goes back to finalize the wording and refine the drawings.

Neat to know that everything doesn't need to be neat at first.

Post 2: Prefered Pieces

2009-08-30T15:02:00.001-07:00

Out of all the art I've made the piece above is one of my favorites. I had fun during the entire process of designing these stamps for my illustration class. It's also the first time that I've created separate pieces with the intent to put them together later. Every part of it turned out the way I envisioned it!

This is a scratchboard piece, an illustration for the Arabian Nights tale "Sinbad." Everyone who has ever seen this drawing has loved it, and it's certainly another personal favorite. One of the reasons people enjoy it is its level of detail and loving craftsmanship that I put into it.

This informational page I made in Intro to Computer Graphics is one of my most surprising works. Ordinarily, I feel I'm a mediocre graphic designer at best, and I was extremely happy when this page was so well received by my teacher and my class.

Thumbnails are very important to me, and that importance lends itself to a certain level of beauty. This is page 9 of my upcoming comic "The Nine," a sort of suspense story about a hotel in Ukraine.

A sketch of my hubby, asleep. After all, he was my model first. I like this doodle for its line quality.

This lady is a drawing for a logo project that I worked on under the direction of Tom Martin. I love its simplicity.

Who doesn't love a cartoon chicken? Reminds me of old timey comics and cartoons.

The story behind this very angry woman? I was bored one evening on the farm, so I thought to myself, Hmm, I feel like drawing an amazon in a heroic pose! So I did. Maybe I might make a finished piece out of it a little later. By the way, I do not endorse militant feminism, so don't go there with this little sketch.

Retrospection

2009-08-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

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Yes, it’s that time again; I’m back in school and my last semester! Nutty!

For my Illustration 5 class, I have been asked to look back on my work from the last 3.5 years and start to look at what it means to me.

sketch for my upcoming comic "The Nine"

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I would have to say one of my favorite media for drawing is ye ole china marker, a.k.a. litho crayon. I love its buttery smooth stroke and its ability to create a lot of value with a little effort. I also like to paint, mainly watercolor and acrylic, although I used to love oils. I haven’t produced any of those in a while, as they tend to take an eternity to dry, so they’re not ideal for school. Scratchboard is fun for me, as well. It’s so satisfying to reveal positive forms from a negative space.

Charcoal is a medium from hell—er, well, it’s just burnt willow twigs. Not only is it extremely smudgy, it gets in your lungs and turns your boogers black. Gouache, if used in a watercolor-like way, is all right, but trying to push the paint to make flat shapes with consistent thickness is infuriating.

Somehow, I’ve never gotten into collage during my art career. It looks beautiful, and I’d love to try it one day. I’ve also never had any instruction on the subject, so I’m a bit scared to just jump in on my own, but who knows? Maybe some day…splash!

planar development drawing

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I’d have to say that Life Drawing with Fred Burton was and still is a huge help to me in my illustration. Of course, knowledge of the figure is crucial to any artist creating representational work of any sort. Graphic Design is next in line just because an illustrator needs to understand the relationship of his or her work and its final destination. Then there’s Drawing Composition. Pardon my bluntness, but if you can’t make a pretty picture, you’re not likely to be a successful artist.

One can’t help but be influenced by her peers. Seeing their projects turns me on to new techniques, new media, and ideas I would have never conjured up on my own. Also, it’s good morale to work with each other to bounce around ideas and have work-in-progress criticism.

personal painting from last semester

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000189 EndHTML:0000001965 StartFragment:0000001525 EndFragment:0000001929 SourceURL:file:///My%20Dungeon/Users/admin/Desktop/FA09/blog%20posting/post_01.txt The subject matter of my work is almost wildly varied. I prefer fantastical creatures or epic scenes, but there’s a place in my heart for quiet, serene pictures, too. I really like things from the imagination, from fiction, myths, fairytales. Drawing from life is fun, though it doesn’t carry the same giddiness for me.

graphic adaptation of Steven King's The Dark Tower Books 1 & 4

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It stems from my love of fiction. David Burton (my Lit. Survey teacher, not related to Fred) put it best, that mankind has loved stories since our creation. I’m no exception. And I’m a sucker for romance novels.

The music I love almost doesn’t fit with what I read for leisure. Metal, rock, and alternative are about the only genres I listen to, coupled with a bit of opera and the occasional Weird Al. That man is a genius, doing what he loves and making money off it at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrowbOGZJwg Pure genius! Amish Paradise by Weird Al

Thor, Squeaky, and Fonti: Rhode Island Reds

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I grew up on a farm, and many of my hobbies and interests reflect my upbringing. I know how to drive a tractor and ride a motorcycle, though I’ve never ridden on pavement before. I love keeping pet chickens and turkeys, just like my mother and grandmother, and her mother before her. Bit of a tradition, eh?

I have an affinity for really small cars, little four-cylinders or smaller, so underappreciated by their owners and mocked by SUV owners. Fossil fuels, people.

canopic jar

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000189 EndHTML:0000002071 StartFragment:0000001525 EndFragment:0000002035 SourceURL:file:///My%20Dungeon/Users/admin/Desktop/FA09/blog%20posting/post_01.txt Speaking of fossils, if I could own any museum item from around the world, I’d enjoy a calendar stone from the Maya or the Aztecs. Their intricacies would amuse me for many hours. I’d also appreciate a Japanese painting or print because of their flat, illustrative qualities. A canopic jar would be cool, but I don’t know if I could deal with having someone else’s organ in my home. That might be too creepy, even for me.

dinosaurs and tats

2009-05-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

This is a painting, about 9" x 12" for a fund raising event, I think for Delta Axis. The initial sketch is in one of my earlier entries if you'd like to see it. As for my actual technique, I did an value underpainting in red, orange, and yellow, then used greens and browns on top. Concept: none, it's dinosaurs. No concept needed. Period.

This is my tattoo design. I want to have them on my shoulder blades to imitate wings that were cut off, leaving only stumps.

The latest development in my business cards. As you'll notice, my name changed because I recently married my high school sweetheart, M. Maxwell.

Busy, busy!

2009-04-19T17:47:00.001-07:00

This is the beginnings of our current project: using paper craft to illustrate an article. My chosen article is a piece about the airline industry making obese people buy two tickets if he or she can't fit into the single seat. The long piece is the rotund torso of the overweight person, and the gray thing is the airplane seat row. The one that looks like a division sign is the person's head.

This is just a sketch for a painting I'm doing during my Internship hours. It's for a show where people pay a lot to get in, but they can pick one painting off the wall and take it home for free. I'm not getting any money out of it, but I'm getting press.

Here's a version of my business card. I haven't got any printed yet, since I'm still deciding on my permanent logo. I'm going to try a version with my "vamp" logo.

This was a t-shirt contest entry for a Memphis in May BBQ team. It didn't win, but I still made a sweet picture!

2009-04-08T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is the first sketches of the album art for the band Molten Sphinx. I've already made some revisions, and they're soon to come.
Flier

Cover

Back

2009-03-25T18:23:00.001-07:00

These babies are thumbnails for my next assignment in Illus. We're to design a cd jacket and a promotional flier that incorporates the jacket. I'm using my friends' garage-metal band Molten Sphinx, so I delved into the plethora of Egyptian symbols and images to create these. The final image will be a photoshop/photomanipulation beast, and I'm excited. Cd covers are probably my favorite thing to work on.

Once more my logo progress. Tom likes them both, although he prefers a different chicken than the larger ver. He likes the right-sided text one. My next step is to take these and design some business cards with 'em.

2009-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is my pretty well finished The International poster. I might alter it some if critique dictates. Overall, I'm satisfied with the end result.

In graphic design 2, we each picked a kitchen utencil, did some research on it, and created a diptych composition from it. Although I was pleased with it, my class felt it had some unresolved problems dealing with the assignment. They also commented that the headliner font was too generic. We will make one more version of this piece, so I'll have to do a overhaul on it for next week.

Finally, my two-headed chicken logo. It needs some tweaking, but my Illustration internship boss really likes it.

spring break—not quite

2009-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on my logo. For the Vamp Co. idea, I've turned various fonts into outlines and adjusted the v's and p's to resemble fangs. I can see now that my geometric shape needs to be a little darker in order to read better.

The International

2009-03-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Our latest assignment in illustration is to see a recent movie and create an illustration that conveys what the movie is about. It also has to include a celebrity's portrait or caricature. I picked The International, with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. It's a pretty good movie, even if Watt's character is completely pointless. That's why she didn't make it into my art. This sketch will be blown up to 10" x 14" and transferred to a art stock, on which I'll paint the final version.

These are more ideas for my personal logo. My internship boss asked me to pick a word that fits my personality and portray it as sort of "my own company" logo.

He also advised me to take some photos and experiment in Photoshop to see what I could do. I took an old picture of one of my family's chickens, and I gave her two heads. Then I used both Photoshop and Illustrator to create different versions and effects.

Stamps!

2009-02-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

So this is the latest in the Muffin Stop development. It's inspired by band posters of yesteryear.

My new internship "assignment" is to come up with a logo for myself. Currently my ideas have focused on my name, more specifically my initials.

Here's some Adobe sketches for my personal logo. The smaller ones on the right side of the page show the progression I made from earliest to latest.

My finals for my stamp project. They were painted in acrylic, and the text was added in Adobe Illustrator.

2009-02-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the next development in the Muffin project. The client wants a more playful, less representational drawing, however.
These are thumbs and sketches for our stamp project. We are doing a series of four.

These guys are sketches for the accompanying paintings in the Baker's Dozen t-shirt contest (the shirts are posted on my last blog). I've done the paintings and had them photographed, but I'll have to post them next time.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Or if you prefer, Singles Awareness Day.

Mind maps, t-shirts

2009-02-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

These little sketches are known as mind maps, which incorporate both note-taking and sketching.

Our next assignment in Illustration is to create a set of four postage stamps. The art on them must relate to a culture that has been integrated into our own. I chose Mexico, and I plan on having one stamp each for salsa dancing, Mexican food, art, and chihuahuas.

Once again, I'm doing a t-shirt design for my Internship. I need to create a painting to go with each shirt. The painting cannot be the same design as the shirt, but it still has to relate in some way. They're my entries to the Baker's Dozen sponsored contest, so I think I'll get back to work on them soon.

The beginning of my designing

2009-02-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

For my internship, I've been altering a couple of logo designs that my employer created. These are just the beginning, because I don't have much experience yet.

The above is for a girdle-type thing and below is for a BBQ sauce.

This is a sketch for my death penalty piece. Sorry about the orientation; I didn't catch it until it was too late.

This is a bad photo of the final piece. It was done in gouache, and I used a lot of photo reference for it. I hope to get a scan of it soon.

I'm also in Design 2, but it's very difficult for me, so I haven't posted anything from that class yet. I'll be putting up more of my Color Studies soon.

Until next time,
Vicki

First assignment of the new year: death penalty

2009-01-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

So as the title says, our first assignment in Illustration 4 was to write out our opinion on capital punishment. Then we had to create an illustration conveying our message. Mine was complicated, but I narrowed it down to the position that it is right for the U.S. because of how our flawed law system lets out too many dangerous people.
Just another version of "American justice." And of course neither one of these are completed pieces. At our next meeting, the class will pick which they feel is stronger, and I will take that one to completion.

I'm also taking Color Studies this semester. The instructor pointed out that the class isn't called "Color Theory" because we aren't theorizing about colors; we're using them.

Our first task was to come up with some simple compositional ideas that could be turned into a motif to be used through the rest of the semester. My idea is to utilize quadrilaterals of different kinds.

In the words of Marty Stouffer, "Until next time, America."

2008-11-22T14:20:00.001-08:00

Um, these are a couple of sketches for our newest metaphor assignment. I have two more, from different points of view, but Firefox is malfunctioning, and won't let me upload the other file.

We read several articles and made thumbnails for all. Then, we narrowed it down to just one, which will be taken to finish. This particular article was about the overfishing of small fish, like anchovies, to feed people, pigs, and chickens.

More work to come....

2008-11-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

These illustrations are for my Intro to Comp. Graphics class. We're making an illustrated book of the alphabet as a class, so each person has some of their own work and can choose others' work, as well.

I'm proud to say I can spell zucchini.

Halitosis

2008-11-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

I think I'm finished with my bad breath editorial illustration. Here's the piece. I feel like I've forgotten something for it, but I can't image what it was.

I also made some girls' totes for the upcoming Holiday Bazaar. I really hope I sell something, because I've never had time to enter anything before this year. I also plan to put in a couple of paintings from my freshman year.

This next piece is for my Computer Graphics class. We've been learning Photoshop and various ways of photo manipulation. For this assignment, we had to create a surreal picture, so I went with a giant chicken eating a car. The chick is my pet Squeaky.

bad breath and Charlie Brown

2008-10-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is my large scale drawing for the editorial piece, done at 125% of the final print size. I have no idea how I will be printing it, but we'll see. My apologies for the low quality photo; it's from my cell.

We have also been doing research on illustrators. I picked Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes, as my subject. His main influence was Charles Schulz, who everyone knows as the creator of Peanuts. Then my research took me all the way back to Schulz's main influence Billy DeBeck, creator of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. Sounds like one of those "Abraham begot Isaac" linage listings in the Bible, huh? I guess that's art for you; none of it is truly "original" and all that.

Here's a work in progress from my Computer graphics class. We're learning photo manipulation in Photoshop. Note: I do not own some of the photographs used, but I'm not making any money off of it anyway.

Editorial assignment

2008-10-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

The next project for my Illustration 3 class is to do an editorial illustration based on a reporter's story/notes. We started by making 40 thumbnails, then we picked the best three to become 5"x7" sketches. I posted these in backwards order, but the first picture is the illustration that I plan on taking to full size, 10"x14".

I decided to avoid this one because it is too common a metaphor/image. But I still love the girl's expression.

This one works, but it doesn't have the severity of the first.

These are my thumbnails. A lot of them are just variations of a particular theme, and every so often I switched themes. I feel that this way I can make the most out of each idea. I am also able to weed out the ones that really won't work.

Visual Metaphors

2008-10-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

These are a series of visual metaphors made from a specific list of class criteria. I can't explicitly say what they are yet, in case one of my classmates views this. Usually our teacher has us guess the meaning before the artist tells us. That way, we narrow down what works and what doesn't.

t-shirt finale!

2008-10-07T18:11:00.001-07:00

Here's the t-shirt in full vector glory. I used the mesh tool like there was no tomorrow. Might have something to do with the fact that I just love drawing chickens. Who knows? Anyway, I would like to enter it into the Threadless.com ongoing contest, but that's a time-issue. In other words, I may not get around to it, what with the rest of my homework and all.

Our next project is about visual metaphors. I've already done some sketches, which I will post within seven days.

Also, another site to see my work is whiterose54.deviantart.com, my sort of personal blog. I don't update it as frequently, but there is a small gathering of some past pictures worth checking out.

NPDA continued...

2008-09-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

These are my swallow heads from scratch to more refined. The last one will also probably need some fine tuning before the final print. I draw the birds and my design partner sticks 'em on the poster, a great division of labor.

I also did a four-page comic for Illustrated Story 2.

National Portfolio Day Association poster

2008-09-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Erg. I would have pictures of my upcoming project, but apparently blogger doesn't accept pdf format. I will keep this in mind next time.

Anyway, I'm in a three-person group working on a poster entry for the National Portfolio Day Association. Right now I have several rough illustrations that will be used in five mock-up posters, and one will be chosen for my group to take to finish. I would have posted them, except I only scanned them in pdfs. However, I do hope to post them possibly in the near future, if I get a chance to change their format.

Our group is leaning toward a concept involving swallows and their migration patterns. The design will incorperate all of our best skills, and it is probably our strongest concept, as well. I will post the chosen design.

Until next time, America.

Progress...

2008-09-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

A color sketch for my t-shirt, then what I did with the extra paint.

I'd like to post some of my other work, like from my computer graphics class, but I'm struggling with my older version of Adobe. I'll try and figure it out later.

For now, courage.

I also hope to post some comics soon.

T-shirt winners (sort of)

2008-09-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here are my final three designs. From here, I'll pick one to recreate in Illustrator. I've chosen the chicken one, a bit from a comic I did last semester. The greatest thing about it is that it needs no text and no explanation. Well, maybe.

The other two are good, but they don't hold the same charm as the chicken. Now all I have to do is come up with the chicken's color scheme.

My first post! T-shirt designs.

2008-08-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! This is my first time to have an actual blog, so here goes:

This week our class is working on designing t-shirts. So far I have 60 thumbnails, and I have about 6 pages of printed designs I found at www.threadless.com and various other sites. I must admit I'm heavily influenced by stuff like tuxedo and bikini t-shirts. Also, I really love novelty t-shirts that have a funny picture and relating text. So I built my designs around these two ideas, and here are a couple of quick scans of what I came up with.

They are in pencil and sketchy, so if there's anything you can't figure out, just let me know.