Pages

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Messing Around with Character Design

Thinking about some ideas I have for a middle grade graphic novel.

Character design is hard!  There is so much to think about in terms of recognizable sillhouettes and, well, a lot more.  Not the least of which is my ability to actually draw a character over and over, in a bunch of poses, with emotion.

Sometimes it drives me crazy how limited my skills are.

But, I have to work with what I have.  I want to move forward.





Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Puppy Portraits

Different media.

A German Shepherd puppy and an adult Dutch Shepherd.   Such fun to draw their ears at any stage of life!






Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Sketching A Theatre Performance


Last spring I attended a performance of a play entitled "As We Go On," which told the stories of several LGBTQ persons.  It was very moving, especially in this current political climate in the United States.

Because this performance was essentially people telling their stories, I decided ahead of time it would be a great change to sketch.

Here are the pages that resulted.  I did these on prepared backgrounds (completed for a course I took on background creation, with no idea what I might eventually put on them).  I did them all in real time, in the theatre, so in very low light conditions.

I wanted to catch impressions of each speaker, as well as the most meaningful quotes.







This proved a great way for me to "take notes" and/or journal about the event.  I certainly remember it clearly!


Thursday, September 14, 2017

More Sketching on Prepared Backgrounds

Dog toys and my own feet.  Two subjects that are always around.

The backgrounds--prepared weeks ahead and with no plan as to what I might sketch on them--make these pages really interesting!








Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Sketches from Tulip Time 2017


Back in May, I attended the Tulip Time Muziek Parade with a newly homemade accordion sketchbook.

My goal was to fill the whole thing with ink drawings in real time, as the parade passed me by.  I could add watercolor later, if I wanted to.

I drew very fast for over an hour!  WHAT FUN!!!  I was exhausted from such intense attention-paying, and from the exercise of my visual memory as the parade moved by very fast, but it was great.  I can't wait to do it again next year!

Here are the results, two pages at a time.












Thursday, September 7, 2017

Sketching on Random Backgrounds

Last spring I did a terrific class in how to pre-prepare acrylic ink  backgrounds, just to add a different dimension to my sketchbook.  Now and then I take them out to sketch on them.  I don't plan ahead--just use whatever background appears on the page to draw whatever I was planning on drawing.

Sometimes it works out in a funny, appropriate, match, like this portrait of my wonderful teacher, Roz Stendahl, which I drew during a live webinar.  I had started it before she told us she had a cold, and said she might look a little "splotchy."  Perfect pages to go with this quote!


This next one is just the next page in my sketchbook, as I sketched during the webinar.

What I discovered was that the blank background page and design (it had the blank insets there just waiting to be filled) impacted how I listened.  I was listening for something that would fit on the page as I had designed it.  So the notion of a plan, of 1-2-3 steps, just seemed to fit.



This next page is something I did later.  One of the cool things I find when working with pre-prepared backgrounds is that I'm less likely to fil up a page with words or sketches.  Instead, I find a few words or a small sketch that seems to fit the background design.  I leave more space.  I think this has the effect of adding more impact to what I do put there.  And it allows some space for my eye and mind to wander a bit.



I enjoy the same sort of space and wandering in this next spread.  When I did it, I wasn't thinking about traveling at all.  But when I turned to it in my sketchbook, it seemed like a page about traveling to me!  And so, I just made a list of all the travels I will be lucky enough to take in the next year (it's a big year for me travel-wise!  I never travel this much!)



And sometimes, the page doesn't really inspire me to do anything in particular, so I just proceed with my sketching as I would do if the page were completely blank.  I did that here, with a funny left-handed exercises I had wanted to try.


I am still exploring how I want to work in a sketchbook with prepared backgrounds.  Do I like it better than blank pages?  Are there certain circumstances in which I do like it better than blanks? Other circumstances in which I do not?  Lots to learn and discover --and more backgrounds to make!



Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Mirrored Aviator Sunglasses

People laugh when I tell them I keep a sketchpad and pen with me at all times.

I do.

So when I am in a car waiting for a train, or to meeting someone, I can spend the minutes drawing something.

My purple aviators were sitting on the dashboard of my car while I waited to meet a friend.  Not only were they upside down, but they were reflected the buildings behind the car--curved!

Now that would be really hard to draw, I thought.

Yep.  And fun too!


Done on a 4 x 6 Strathmore sketching pad with a Uniball Vision black pen.

Don't leave home without 'em.