ACEOs for the fall (WIP)

I started working on some artist trading cards last night for a Halloween card/gift exchange among members of one of my online communities. Here are some progress shots.

I like creating my ACEOs on large paper and cutting them down to size. The pencils I've used to color these are Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils. This is the first time I've tried them. I haven't "activated" the pigment with water yet, so I don't know how it's going to act. I wanted a good scan of these before I get them wet, just in case I mess something up.

I quite like my Pumpkin Witch. I think I'll do a few more of her over the weekend. I'm also digging my Totoro-influenced raccoon.

On The Road, Day 24 #30DoC

I'm traveling for business this week and I'm in Chicago. This evening, I sat on a rocking chair outside my hotel and sketched this as the sun was setting.

The front porch rockers at the W Lakeshore, Chicago. 24 June 2012

BONUS

I shaded "Pipes" from yesterday and added a gauge and a large valve. I like how it turned out.

Pipes #30DoC Day 23

Three Owls, #30DoC Day 21

A doodle. Pen & Ink with pencil shading.

3 Owls, Micron Pen & pencil.

Cone of Shame No. 2 - #30DoC Day 19

This time, it's a cat.

Cat in a Cone

I'm working up a series of get well cards for pets. I think when I do the final version, I will make the cone opaque. Still debating about whether to hand-letter or typeset the final card.

Flower Paisley #3, Shaded, Day 18 #30DoC

Here is the flower paisley, shaded.

Flower Paisley Number 3, Day 17 #30DoC

Flower Paisley #3, Inked.

I'm breaking in a new "proper" Moleskine sketchbook - one with a paper that seems to be at lease three times heavier than the other Moleskine I've been using (that one is called a "Journal" and now I understand the difference between them). I like that the image on the other side of the page doesn't show through at all. I'm going to try a watercolor or wet ink wash on some pieces in this book, so stay tuned.

I also have to be a bit more careful about letting ink dry before resting my hand on an area to work somewhere else on the page.

Flower Paisley #2, Colored. #30DoC Day 16

Cone of Shame, #30DoC Day 15

Inspired by a photo posted by one of my FaceBook friends.

The Cone of Shame, pen & ink

Eagle, 30 Days of Creativity, Day 14

Another pen and ink study for my totem pole project, which has languished far too long. This one is an eagle for the top of the pole.

Bear #30DoC Day 13

A pen and ink preliminary sketch for a cedar totem pole. This is the base figure, a Haida-style bear.

Doodle #30DoC Day 12

Between Red and Yellow, #30Doc Day11

The theme today is Orange, and I felt lazy so I didn't come up with my own theme for today.  Here is my orange drawing of the day, a rather literal interpretation.

Between Red and Yellow, pen, ink, and pencil

Graduation #1, 30DoC Day 8

Pen & Ink, started while waiting for an ice cream sundae at Friendly's Restaurant in Clark, NJ.

Spruce Tree, 30Doc Day 7

The Spruce Tree Outside My Office

Paisley, Day 6 30DoC

Pen an ink doodle, inspired by Zentangles®

pen & ink doodle, 30 Days of Creativity, day 6

Sol and Her Planets Mandala 30DoC Day 5

A sketchbook mandala composed of the astronomical symbols for the sun and the planets, with some additional whimsy thrown in.

Harlequin 30DoC Day 2

"final" colored-in version

Ink and pencil sketch. I used watercolor pencils, but I'm a bit trepidatious about attempting to activate them as it's sketchbook paper. I think this turned out nicely.

Inking done

Pencil shading done

Sketchbook cover, 30DoC Day 1

I am participating again in 30 Days of Creativity, which runs for the month of June. I'll be posting my work here and on (several) Pintrest boards, and making announcements via the various social networks of which I'm a member.  If you want to see what I did last year, it's on this pinboard.

So, what do you do when you've got too many projects going on at the same time? You combine them!

Today, I created a cover for my Art House Co-op Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

Sketchbook Cover

I will probably add some additional shading in pencil or a shading markers and I'd like to put some highlights in as well. Maybe some dilute white acrylic. Not sure yet.

EDIT: I discovered over the weekend that I have a white watercolor pencil. Added highlights that way.:

Sketchbook Cover, With Highlights. Pencil and ink.

 If you are also participating in 30 Days of Creativity, please let me know in the comments here, and I'll follow you!

Mandalas (an interlude)

The other day, I was directed to this video by one of my FaceBook friends, and I've been dabbling with these mandalas for a couple of weeks now. This past Sunday, I had a lunch date with some dear friends that I hadn't seen in much too long, and I was the first to arrive at the restaurant. Since I had a few minutes to kill, and had my sketchbook and micron pens with me (as I do most days these days), I started drawing a mandala. I finished it at home in the evening. I call it "Lunch with Friends"

Today, I decided to try re-creating it in Illustrator, as a vector drawing.

I like both of them, for different reasons. I will be pleased if I can manage to get a similar level of control as the woman in the video. The nice thing about the vector version is that I can play with coloring it in much more easily than the hand-drawn one.