Parkour

Working on this pic:



Wanted to do something super-hero-esque.

Today was Very Boring

Three-Colour Study

Actually, it was supposed to be another two-colour study, but the instructor wasn't quite quick enough with the instructions and I was a little too quick with the paint.



The class material list said to bring ultramarine, raw sienna and burnt sienna to class. I didn't own any raw sienna so I had to go out and buy some (along with all those greens and purples for the last study). When we started painting in class, the instructor said that we could use ultramarine, burnt sienna and a little bit of orange. I didn't have any orange, so I decided to use the raw sienna that I bought. I started painting the background blue, and then the instructor said "you'll need to use the white of the paper". Of course by that time I had covered my whole board in blue paint.

Anyway, it turned out very nice in the end, but I was the only one to use raw sienna so the other students accused me of cheating (as a joke -- we all laughed about it) and started calling me Raw Sienna. So now that's my artist name! Also possibly my porn star name and hippie name, if I ever decide to take up a life that requires a pseudonym.

I had to mess around with this painting quite a bit in Photoshop, because there was too much light coming in from the east. It's quite dark, but the colours are a little more subtle in person.

Tentacles

I had this dream where tentacles came out of my heart. It was horrible. Then I realized that the tentacles were just hungry, so I gave them a piece of cheese. The tentacles ate the cheese and then everything was okay. I walked around with a bunch of tentacles waving happily at everyone.

That woman up there is not me, but it was such a great dream I had to record it.

Aminals

Perhaps not my best characters ever.

Vetiver

Green Study

This was the homework assignment for the week, a study using different greens and violet for the shadows.



This week I learned that my little studio is freezing cold and the paint doesn't dry nearly as quickly as when I'm in class. This painting worked out a little better than the last one. I like the blue-green glass jug on the right. The plant pot (bottom left) was very frustrating.

Foosball

Some friends playing foosball at another friend's going-away party. The music was really loud and it was very difficult to have a decent conversation with the people around me.

Another One Rides the Bus

Back to sketching on the bus a bit:

Blue Study

This was the in-class assignment, a monochromatic study using cerulean blue, white and black:



I didn't like this one as much. We were a little rushed, because there was also a survey being done at the start of the class and we did another study in greens after this. I didn't like the way the in-class green study went and it's on a huge sheet of gessoed paper (ugh, gessoed paper -- like painting on slick plastic; I do not like it) so I'm not going to post that one.

Monochrome Study

So this was my first homework assignment for painting class:



A monochrome study in acrylics, on 16x16" hardboard. Teapot, apple and cream jug.

The Frog Page

I have a frog in my comic now, so I had to practice sketching them from photos for a bit.

Dittany & Vetiver

Palms

Another quick environment sketch from a Flickr photo:

Back to Basics

Something quick and familiar, the sort of thing I used to do by the dozen:

Jabberwock Revisited

Perspective! Aurgghhh!

Cups & Eggs

Hey, here's my value study from my first painting class!



Acrylics on illustration board. The actual painting is a little larger than my scanner, so the composition here isn't the best, but it's close enough. I'll be doing another one of these this week and a monochromatic study next Thursday.

My painting class is a lot of fun so far.

Oh yes, and I have some sketches to scan. Hopefully I can get around to that soon. I'm still keeping up with my sketch-a-day resolution!

Pillars

Environment from a Flickr photo:

Lace

Now this was me screwing around with some Mars Graphic Duo markers and a reference picture off Flickr:



I love traditional media in that it's so limited. I had these colours in my pack, so that's what I had to use, and it looks great (in my opinion). If I'd done this digitally I would have completely muffed the colours up.

My only beef with the Mars markers is that there aren't enough lighter colours and that the colour of the ink doesn't always match the colour of the cap. I love the brush tip, though. It's not only flexible, but the ink fades very gracefully.

Dit & Mrs. C

No real time for sketching today, but I did work on the comic:

California Fro

I picked up a Pentel pocket brush pen sometime around Christmas, on someone's recommendation. Finally got around to trying it out on Sunday:



Alas, I don't like it. It's not the flexibility of the brush that gets me -- no, I have a decent amount of control now. It's the ink flow. I get going and it's time to draw a long, sweeping line and -- oh no! -- there isn't enough ink in the bristles and the line fades. Suck.

Nun

Phobulous

Finally went and got a haircut. Due to misunderstanding about dinner with my husband, I ended up at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant waiting in line for a table. Amused myself by sketching plant:



If by some miracle you end up in Edmonton, I definitely recommend Phobulous on 109th and 87th. It's tiny but the food is great.

Bus Time

It was the bus ride that would never end. We were stuck in between the hospital and parkade for nearly an hour.

Southgate

Last year (at least, I think it was last year...) they started construction on the new train station just a few blocks north of where I live.



I never remember to take photos of things until they're already gone and it's far too late.

At least the construction seems to have spared my favourite tree, which I will have to take a photo of soon.

Mrs. Cleavers

I just loved doing this panel. Mrs. Cleavers, the housekeeper, is such a welcoming character:

Dittany

Being scheduled on the Helpdesk is usually productive. I cloned a whole labful of computers while sketching this.

Winter Woman

I was lying awake last night when I thought of a little short story about a winter spirit that suffers from loneliness.

Nom Nom Cow

...

I *really* didn't feel like drawing today. You get a square cow because I had the 2008 Lowell Herrero square cow calendar sitting on my table.

GAP

Well, I guess every day can't be a winner. It was the first day back at work and all I managed to do was a few comic panels on sticky notes. Over the holiday season Neil's relatives made a point of telling us that they liked the little biographical comics I occasionally do, and now I feel I should update them more. But I only have time when I'm not doing anything else at work, so I can't do them digitally and I can't spend a lot of time on them.

Anyway, here's the first panel to prove I actually did something today. I'm going to get the rest of them inked and cleaned up tomorrow.



Speaking of bike trainers, that's what I've just finished doing and man, am I out of shape.

Happy Gnu Ears!

Okay! New year, new go at updating the blog regularly. I made it for a whole month last year, let's see how long I can keep it going this year!

Part of a speed painting I was working on today:



Using this stock photo for reference. Obviously I'm taking some liberties with the colours.