Challenge – Day 11

Challenge – Day 10

Getting back into the swing of things after a not so fun weekend (see post below). Keeping busy has made it easier. Thanks for the kind comments so far.

I am really happy with this drawing. The movement, proportions, pose. It came out great for 10 minute sketch.

And I also want to thank Edrian and Carli for the awards they gave me last week.

Farewell Tiger

Hard for me to write this...

Friday we had to have our cat Tiger put to sleep. He had been sick, and over the period of two weeks, two of his legs got to where he could not put weight on them. I took him to the vet Friday for an exam, and blood tests revealed that he had FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). Similar to HIV, but not communicable to humans. We weighed all the options, but in his current condition, and no cure for FIV, we felt it best to put him to rest.

One of THE hardest decisions ever! The way I have felt today, you would have thought I lost one of my children. But in a way I have. It is amazing how much a part of your life a pet becomes! How attached we are to them, and they to us. And the joys they bring to each day. Life truly won't be the same around here.

We miss you, Tiger. Rest in Peace!

Challenge – Day 9

Won't have any time to draw today, so I am posting my watercolor painting of the giraffe sketch I did the other day. Overall I like it, but I overworked the head, and did some experimenting shading with colored pencils. But, it's all good... good practice!

Challenge - Days 7 & 8

Busy day yesterday, so I didn't get to post, so today I have 2 drawings. This one I started yesterday at a doctors appt., and finished today.



This one I did right after the one above.


One funny thing about when I draw is that my sketches never end like they began in my head, sometimes drastically. I hope that proves to be a good thing should this journey become a career.

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One another note, I would like to thank Jess and Diana for the great awards they bestowed on me the past couple of days! Once again, though, I am going to have to cheat and send these awards out to all who take the time to visit my blog and leave encouraging and helpful comments and suggestions! During this journey, I have met many wonderful people, all deserving an award for their mutual support of each other—whether newbie or veteran—in a field where we are all competing to some degree. That is rare in many other professions, and I am glad to be a part of this group!

Challenge – Day 6

Started this one over the weekend with a small thumbnail sketch. Not my usual routine, but I most likely will begin doing this. Not too happy with the boys head and face. I fixed it a bit in Photoshop, but now realize that he should be looking down more at the dog. His proportions look OK, though. I haven't been redrawing these daily sketches, mostly due to time constraints, but I think I will be happier if I spend a bit more time cleaning up each one before posting.

Did this giraffe over the weekend as well. Quick sketch for my wife. I like it, so I am going to color him, hopefully tomorrow.

Challenge - Day 5

One week down! Thanks to all who have commented. Keeps me encouraged!

Challenge – Day 4

Challenge - Day 3

Challenge – Day 2

Challenge – Day 1

Here is my first post on my new self challenge. My goal is to draw a human character (and maybe some animals here and there), each day until I feel I have developed a consistent style from drawing to drawing. I also want to focus on action poses, and different angles to work on foreshortening. For now, I am just going to sketch, then progressively add color.

My goal with all this is to work toward an decent online portfolio by the beginning of the new year.

On this, his arms are a bit long, and I was trying for a strenuous, "going-to-hit-the-ball-as-far-as-I-can" kind of look on the boys face, but not sure how well that worked. Overall happy with this, though.

Check back tomorrow!

Dragon and boy painting FINAL

Here is the final version of the dragon and boy painting I have been working over the past weeks. Except for the initial drawing of the boy, which I did in pencil and scanned in, everything was done in Photoshop. I am really happy with the way it turned out. It was a great learning experience, both in using my Bamboo tablet, and drawing and painting entirely in Photoshop. Don't know how much a of a portfolio piece it would make, but I will most likely use it as part of my blog header.

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A NEW CHALLENGE...
Drawing people is my weakest skill when it comes to illustration, so I am going to challenge myself to draw at least one person per day—children and adults—in an effort to better my skills, and explore more actions and expressions. My goal is to try and loosen myself up some so my characters don't look so stiff. No time limit on this... I am going to continue until I am happy with the results. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!

Dragon and boy painting update...

Here is a newer version of the boy and dragon painting. It is, for the most part, finished, except for coloring the easel, and I may add some "paintings" on the ground around them.

Would love to know what you think and any suggestions on how I might improve.

thanks!