SUMMER PROJECT: SWIMMER

Well, I finally finished my summer project and, as always, eagerly ready to start a new one. This was really fun. I loved working on this piece. It was fun trying to figure out all the water droplets. Not sure I've precisely captured their delicateness. And his mouth seems puffier than intended, but overall it was fun and challenging.

IF: acrobat

This is a portrait of the squirrel that I watch everyday as she dances across the fence that lines my backyard. She's the most amazing acrobat I've ever seen.

IF: immovable

This week's challenge, immovable, perfectly describes my son whenever he sees an animal. He loves to crouch down to its level and try his best to engage it, and removing him from this endeavor is next to impossible. This image was rendered with watercolors and colored pencils on Stonehenge paper.

IF: star gazing

on the shore: sketch/finish

Trying to beef up the illustration portfolio so I thought I'd do a series of Ethan at the lake pieces. These are a combo of watercolor and colored pencil. I'm trying to capture the light and speed of the watercolors but maintain detail with the colored pencils. This is my first attempt at using the two mediums. Pretty pleased with the result. Also including the pencil sketch which always makes me melt with love for my little boy.

Swimmer Update

IF: Giant

This week's IF challenge is "Giant". Whenever I hear that word, I always think of Jack and the Beanstalk. It's one of my favorite fairy tales.

New Project: Swimmer

In the spirit of summer, I'm doing this.

I saw this ESPN ad of Jim Fiscus in one of my magazines and had one of those "lightning-strike" moments of "I need to draw this." So here it is so far. I'm chin-deep in my least favorite part of the whole thing, which is always the first third of any project. It's a time full of self-doubt and indecision. I'm hoping it passes soon.

Fairy Forest from the Fairy Series

Medium: Prismacolor Colored Pencils on Canson drawing paper

Trying to stretch the brain a bit by veering from the photo-realism technique and trying something more illustrative.

"First Round" finished!

Actually finished this a few months ago; I just haven't had time to post it. But here it is. I think it's okay. Slight morphing here and there, and the colors aren't as bright as they are in the photo, but trying different techniques and tools to combat the dulling wax "bloom" that often accompanies colored pencil projects.

I showed my boss the piece and she liked it, but she was most impressed with the fact that I filled the ice to the brim of the glass. Ahhhh, corporate mind washing.....