American Recorder Cover

I posted the rough draft of my idea for the American Recorder Magazine cover last time. Here is the final draft that I sent in. I enjoyed the challenge of working with this specific assignment and deadline. I know for myself, I like the discipline of real and self-imposed deadlines. I've been committing myself to a new piece for Illustration Friday every week, and I think it has really helped me to loosen up and experiment with different ideas, materials, and style. It's a fun, low-pressure way to stay motivated and get feedback on one's work.

Time to Play

I've been working non-stop since December for a freelance design client. I desperately needed a break, so I took last week off. As luck would have it, my son and I both got a horrible cold. In an ironic twist, germs were the subject of this month's experiments. I pushed work aside earlier in the month and found time to play with gouache mixed with other materials: colored pencil, pens, collage, etc. Today I made a little more time to play and really let loose. The larger versions of these are on my sketch blog along with details about the media used.
I had been working on 3 different projects during the week, just in sketch mode - but something about working on that many things at once really clicked. I let go of that sense of work order, and actually worked like I think an artist should - by gut, and feeling. How rare for me and, it turns out, how totally productive! I felt like ideas were just popping up everywhere!!! I really needed this time to play. I spent a few days earlier in the week mourning the things I was 'going to do' and just gave myself a pass. As artists I think we too often let our head get in the way of our process. I hope I can keep this creative spurt flowing, or at least be present enough to tuck the best ideas away for future projects.

Flashback Friday

Here is some sequential work I did a few years ago while taking a class in visual dynamics. It was a preliminary work for a magazine spread . I ended up using photos for the project. The instructor emphasized concept and I had fun developing this idea of a whisk trapping an egg. This concept gave rise to other related ideas which I may use at some time.

Work in Progress

I showed the gals last night at our monthly meeting a black and white piece I'm working on, that I'm having some trouble with. I want to create a few vignettes in black and white to go along with my full color piece entitled "Crush". And I'm struggling with translating my nerdy girl character into something without color... I don't want to use too many shades of gray, especially in the skin, because I'm afraid she'll look like a corpse, but using linework doesn't seem so right either since my art in color doesn't use any ...

Here's Crush :

And what I showed them last night:

I got a lot of great suggestions, and I plan on working out several variations. Here's just one revision, with someone suggesting the lines of the arms and face be a lighter gray, so her black glasses really pop :

What do you think? Am I one the right path? Would all shades of gray be better, and I shouldn't worry about a corpse girl? Or should it be only linework, with no gray?

Change is in the air...

...literally and figuratively! I'm only kind of sure it's my turn to post right now. I seem to have lost all sense of time...my weeks have been spinning by in a blur.

I just started a new job today--the first full-time position I've ever had in my field. I started working as a graphic illustrator at a company in MA. I'm absolutely thrilled. I feel as though I've reached of one of the many goals I set for myself when I returned to school nearly 3 years ago. There have been many trials and tribulations along the way but I've made it this far. Support from friends and family has been invaluable when things have been rough. After this semester, I'll only have two classes left before I'll reach another big goal - to have my certificate in hand. Woo-hoo!

I finished my previous job this past week...my last day of work being Saturday. This left me only Sunday and the remaining two evenings this week to scrape together Thursday's homework (Tuesday is a loss because I have another class that night). Unfortunately, my last job was part-time with weird hours. My current job is your regular 8-5 with a 45 minute commute tossed in for fun...and my schedule is all thrown off. Sleep-wise, I'm in trouble.

Still, I haven't forgotten you guys and just wanted to say I hope your creative juices are flowing... and that you're all much more well-rested than I am! In the meantime, I'm posting a little sketch I did a while ago. You probably have seen it already. In any case, here's Super Frog to remind you of something I've learned recently -- that you can do accomplish alot through hard work and a little belief in yourself:

American Recorder submission

Like Jane, I too have tried my hand at a cover for American Recorder Magazine. I did mine for the June issue which has a summer theme. I don't know if they'll actually use it, but I enjoyed drawing it! It reminds me of the way our dog likes to sing along with our girls when they practice their instruments! :)

Here is a version with a mocked up Masthead just to give a feel for what it would look like...

oops, my turn

I went to check the blog today and remembered it was my turn. I am going to call this, What am I going to do with you Wednesday. This is Lila Mae, she is a sheep (yes sheep, not bunny) that I made a poseable doll to draw from and had different outfits to dress her in, etc. and a story or two that went with her. She has not been a muse for a while, should she get packed away for good? The picture was made with a styrofoam print on black paper. Maybe the medium stays and the character goes.