Pastels

If you are like me, you enjoy experimenting with different mediums. I decided to try using soft pastels after watching Lynn Chapman create one of her illustrations. Since I am just practicing and on a budget, I get most of my supplies at Michaels using a coupon. That limits my selection quite a bit, I know, as all they had on my trip was Artist Studio (which I read are not very good), and Faber-Castell, so I bought the FC pastels. Go to an online outlet like DickBlick.com, and you will find an overwhelming selection of pastels (their catalog has a whole section devoted to them).

Above is my first illustration with the pastels. Not bad for a first try, though, never having used them, I was a bit unprepared for the dust and mess. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you do have to be careful as the colors spread easily, as you can see on the sides (I used my fingers to blend). Another thing is you have to be really careful with the black. After I added the mouth and eyes, I dumped the dust in the trash, only to find some of it attached itself to the flesh color. My attempts to remove or blend it in only provide futile, much like cleaning up an oil spill with water. Will need some pastel pencils for the details. Also, have to research on how to get clean lines between colors without them smudging together.

All in all it was quite enjoyable, and I plan to do more in the future.

Below is the video of Lynn creating an illustration in pastels.

In the details...

It amazes me sometimes how much of a difference the smallest change can make to an illustration, like adding eyebrows to your characters. May seem obvious, but it is these little details that each person must discover for themselves, I guess, in order to grow as an artist. Not sure if that makes sense, but there it is...

Below are a couple of boys I painted, one of which you have seen before.

Now for some color...

Happy hump day to all! Below is the colored version of the illustration I did for last week's IF: Metropolis. It is done in watercolor and pencil. Overall I like it, but the shadows on the boys came out a bit too muddy. And the composition needs work. The tree with the single branch just is not working. If you remember the sketch, you will notice I made some changes to the drawing before I colored it. I moved the boy on the left so he overlapped the box closest to him, and moved the tire swing further away from the boy on the right. I tried some experiments with both pencil and a 90% gray Prismacolor, but they did not turn out well, though I do like the fence lines. I plan to redraw this

My next illustration is a small one of a little girl feeding chickens. This one I like a lot better, though, in hindsight, it needs more in the background. I love how the little girl turned out. Still watercolor, but I did the shadows differently, and I outlined her lightly with a Micron 02 pen. The original sketch is below as well.

Still trying to make the goal of the grant deadline, so stay tuned for more on that.

IF - Metropolis

I had hoped to have this more completed before posting, but alas, the day job has to take precedence. Anyway, it is complete enough that that you get the idea. At the top is my initial thumbnail, and on the left is me trying to get the boys' hands correct (hands and hair still give me trouble).

My goal is to complete this, along with others, in time for the Don Freeman Grant deadline (getting really close). Prayers and encouragement always welcomed!

Making progress... sloooowwwlyyy

As the deadline for the Don Freeman grant approaches, I can say with certainty that I am making progress, though not near as fast as I would like. I will say, however, whether I make that deadline or not, it has forced me to really buckle down, and I see so much improvement over these last couple of months. And making the goal of the grant deadline will NOT be a deal breaker in my goal of getting a book contract by the end of this year. Lofty perhaps, but there it is.

As I have worked to get some finished illustrations, I continue to see areas for improvement, which in turn, puts me further behind. But, I do not want to risk turning in sub par work in what could be a stepping stone to my next goal (portfolio).

One thing I have been working toward is developing a character style that I like, and works with the way I already draw. The image below is an example of what I aspire to for all my characters. I like how both look, and the fact that I have found a way to create children of different ages. Still needs a bit of work, but I am so close, and I could not be happier with these drawings.

Another thing I have discovered about myself is that the faster I draw my characters, the better they turn out. What I mean is getting the whole shape of the character down quickly without too much thought on details, then going back and defining details. May be a no-brainer to some, but I am sure many of you can attest to times you got caught up in the details first.

Getting 10 finished illos by March 31 is getting tougher as the days go by, but I am confident that I will continue to work toward my ultimate goal of illustrating for children.

Thanks for looking!

Ball player

Progress

a quick update on yesterday's post... My plan is to do this illustration in different mediums to see how each turns out. If it isn't obvious, this is digital.

Fishing - Sketch of the day...

...late or early, depending on what time I hold myself to!

Little dog found...

Another quick 3am sketch...