It's That Time of Year

Hello!  Art Every Day Month is over, but I am trying to keep the momentum going.  To that end, I'm still drawing.  Also baking, and cooking, and decorating.  Because it's Christmastime!!!!  Sadly, I haven't been doing much mixed media stuff.  And that's really because I'm lazy and have not taken the time to clear off my desk, and there's tons of stuff piled up on it.  Hopefully I'll get to that this week, though, since I have a couple of projects in mind! 

But enough of that mundane talking stuff.  I know you're really here for the pictures.  Just a few drawings to share, because of course, the main project I have going on is a secret until Christmas.  Here we go:

I started experimenting with dryad variations of my former faun girl.



I like the idea of leaves and branches growing among the dryad's hair.

I think I like her best as an oak nymph.  Oak being my favorite tree, after all.

 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the cookies my dad and I baked on Saturday, but I can add those later.  They're so good!

 

So, what are you up to this season?

Week Four, a Little More

This week I did manage to do some drawing every day. However, instead of doing individual finished drawings, I kept a running collection of practice drawings. I'm trying to work with my faun girl and get to be consistent in drawing her so she can be a recurring character in my art. At some point I plan to work on practicing the faun guy too. As it is, in considering a couple of changes to her design. I might change her from being a faun to being a dryad. As much as I like the look of her with antlers, it just doesn't make much sense, since does don't normally have antlers. Anyway, here are my sketches for practicing different expressions, and a couple of attempts at a chibi version. 

One more thing. A friend had requested a drawing of manta rays, AKA majestic sea flap flaps (the Internet has renamed them thus). So, while we were at a charity gaming event on Black Friday, I drew him his majestic sea flap flaps :)

Week Three, Kinda Weak

Well, I did get back to art this week, but in a much looser application of the term. Some nights I counted cooking, dancing, and running lights for a dance show. So I don't have photos of everything, but here's what I can show. 

Practice for more faun drawings. 

Not particularly happy with how this is turning out, particularly her face and hair. 

Butternut squash soup. Yum!

Coloring totally counts, right? Right. 

Tonight's effort. She turned out okay, not great. Needs more curve to the spine. 

It's been an exhausting week, to be honest. Hopefully I'll be able to keep the art momentum up this week. 

Week Two, Not Much New

Best laid plans of mice, as they say... well, I'm sure you know the rest. My Art Every Day Month was sadly interrupted by a family tragedy. My grandfather passed away very suddenly. He was a great man and a great father and grandfather; he had a great sense of humor, a great faith, and a great heart. I travelled out west with my parents to see him laid to rest, and to spend a few days with my dad's side of the family. As you can imagine, I didn't have much time or energy for art after the first couple days of the week. When I did, I worked on lettering a title page for a notebook I'm using to keep notes as I work through a tarot card book. 

So, here's my meager update, with two fauns I drew before we had to travel. 

She's supposed to look like she heard something behind her and is turning to look. 

He's supposed to be what she heard, and he likes what he sees ;)

I still need to ink these, and then I plan to Zentangle inside the outlines. 

Tonight I felt more culinarily creative, probably owing to my inclination to nest at this time of year combined with having spent time in the kitchen with my aunt who is a home economics teacher (and a fantastic cook and baker - she and my other aunt made our wedding cake!).  So I tried a three-ingredient beer bread recipe I found, and threw together a butternut squash and cranberry something-or-other to put in my bento boxes this week. 

Next week, I hope to be back on the wagon with seven days' worth of art to show!

Spirit Animals

I tell ya, making art every day is a lot easier when you're drawing.  I don't need much in the way of supplies, and I can keep it simple.  For the beginning of Art Every Day Month, though, I've been mixing my media.  Drawing but also adding a bit of my favorite mixed media techniques.  Later in the week, though, I started not having as much time, so I ended up with just plain drawings.  I'll add the pizzazz later. 

I kind of stuck with a theme for the week, and it was forest animals.  I wanted to try a more minimalistic, expressive style, rather than my old semi-realistic style or the manga style I've been trying to learn.  In the end, Mr. Pocket said they have a mystical or spiritual look to them, and that maybe I should call them spirit animals.  I think he's right.

My fox was well received on my tumblr blog, and overall I think it's my favorite of the series.

I'm mostly happy with the squirrel, but not so much with the background.  I kinda just didn't know what I wanted to do with it.

Of all of these, my stag was the most liked and reblogged on tumblr.

A tumblr friend of mine said my bear looks gentle, like he's "thinking cute bear things."  I kinda think she's right.

I had fun doing this little wren.  Wrens are so cute.

Not my best two.  The raccoon is better than the hedgehog.

Hummingbird, on a suggestion from my mother-in-law.  I think he turned out okay.

 

I'm really enjoying exploring ink drawing.  In case you're wondering, I'm sketching in pencil and then inking over that with Sakura Micron pens (for these I've been using a sepia set that I got recently, using black only for eyes and noses and such), then erasing the pencil lines.  The highlights in their eyes and beaks are done with a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen.  If you need a white gel pen, that's the best I've ever used.

 

My animal ideas are running out of steam a bit, so I think I'm putting aside the animal series for a little while.  I've already started feeling limited by it.  So this week I'm starting something new, and will probably be mostly drawing people (though not necessarily human ones :)).  There will probably still be a strong woodland theme running through the drawings, but more fantasy oriented.  But we'll see, I may change my mind ;)

Inktober

I may not have been blogging, but here I am to tell you that I HAVE been making art!  This year, I found out about Inktober, a challenge started several years ago by an artist named Jake Parker.  The idea is to create an ink drawing each day in October.  Well, I started late because I didn't find out about it until a couple of days into the month, and because of other commitments, I missed several days.  Not such a good showing for my first Inktober.  But the good news is that I demonstrably improved my inking skills AND my manga style over the course of the month.  I'm really enjoying this stuff!

So, having told you about it, here are my drawings for the month.  I did each one on an ATC, to keep some degree of consistency.

This was my first attempt at drawing my favorite character from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.  His name is Ronan Lynch.

Another character from The Raven Cycle, Adam Parrish.

The main character of The Raven Cycle, Gansey.

My other favorite Raven Cycle character, Noah Czerny.

The main female character, Blue Sargent.

This raven is supposed to be Ronan's pet raven, Chainsaw.

Because I was disappointed in my original drawing of him, I tried drawing Ronan again.  Much  happier with this one.

A friend from Tumblr requested Makoto and Haruka from Free! dressed as black cats for Halloween.

My new favorite RWBY character, Qrow Branwen.

from RWBY

An early view of Ruby Rose from RWBY.

The spirit of her mother, Summer Rose.

Last night, I finally had the chance to do more to fulfill my friend's request for Mako and Haru as black cats.  Haru is kind of obsessed with water, and will strip down to his swimsuit and hop into any quantity of water that will hold him, at any time, anywhere.  Apparently, he found the apple bobbing tub at the Halloween party too irresistible.  Haru's best friend Makoto is, as  usual, distressed about Haru's lack of self control.

Since I kind of failed at being consistent for Inktober, I'm trying a new challenge.  For November, I'm trying to participate in Art Every Day Month.  I'll try to post weekly updates on how I'm doing with that.  Have any of you ever participated in a challenge like this?  I know there are quite a few around out there.  

Where have I been?

Hi Pocketeers! I hope you're still around. Sorry to have left you for so long, but I've been away and then busy and just not getting a lot of art made.  Where was I? 

Deutschland!  We had a fantastic time. Lots and lots of time with the family and lots and lots of sightseeing :). 

When we got home, I launched right into tech week for a play I was costuming for. That was full of adventures... And misadventures... 

I'm still not sure how it bent that far. 

But since then I've been trying to get back into the groove. Been doing some sewing for myself. Finished the last of my 52 Pick Up cards (will show those off soon). Been doing a bit of drawing. Oh, and I finished this box I started last year:

I'm working on a Halloween box now, and trying to keep my drawing muscles in shape.  Hopefully I'll have more to show soon. In the meanwhile, enjoy the Autumn!  Yay, it's finally my favorite time of year!