More illustrations!

Value Study

Color Study

Finished Painting (but it's not really finished, just where I stopped before I turned it in)

So a new semester at AAU has started and I have almost finished my first project.  I turned it in, but have the option of continuing to work on it so I plan to make some more improvements, but thought I would post for you all so you can see what I have been doing since my last post.  Our assignment was to illustrate a scene from a novel from a list that was provided...I chose Harry Potter.  The scene that stuck out in my head was when Harry "blew up" Aunt Marge and she floated away.... too funny!

So this was my interpretation of the scene.  I used a walrus for the reference for Uncle Vern and a toy dog that I had for the reference for the dog.  We had to create a final value sketch, a color study (I did 5 studies but only posted my favorite), and then a finished painting.  I created this painting with a watercolor underpainting, then an oil wash, prisma color pencil in the background and then more oil on the main subjects to make them come forward and create a focal point.

I still need to do a lot of work on Aunt Marge and her skirt, and I want to still bring in some pen and ink.  But I think it has potential and I like the action and composition.

Final Illustration for Fall 2012

Ok, our last illustration in my AAU class was an advertisement.  I chose to do mine with the product Lysol.  They provided a tag line of "they had made breakfast for their mother" and we had to interpret what an illustration for this product might look like.  Being a mom myself an image came immediately to mind of my three little monkeys covered in flour, in the middle of a messy kitchen, making something special for mom.  The image felt so homey in my head that I decided to give it a old time nostalgic feeling with a warm color pallet and and old time bottle of Lysol.  I used a combination of my own children and photo-reference from the internet for my models, and partial views of my kitchen as the environment.  The mom is from photo-reference and I liked her bob and hairband because it fit in with the nostalgia of my piece.  My professor this semester was the best and he provided me some great feedback along with my classmates.  Together they helped me improve this painting to what you see below.  I still can make a few tweaks based on my last critique, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet:)  I thought I would post the painting by itself and then the painting done up as the ad using illustrator to place text and product.  Enjoy!

Finishing touches

A few more updates from the class I was taking at AAU this past fall.  I worked some more on my album cover for The Dangling Conversation.  I added the conversation and the title and worked on the values some more.  I actually used Illustrator to add the conversation and had fun remembering how to tweak, swirl, and warp letters!  It turned out pretty good for a first attempt at Illustrator in about 10 years!  So here is the final version.  I also have to mention that the painting in my painting is a Matisse Original that my wonderful husband bought me in California when we were visiting family there.  Matisse is one of my favorite artists and my husband thought the girl in the drawing looked like me:)

Inspired by John Koch

Here is the next illustration I had to work on for my course at AAU.  I was inspired by John Koch's painting called "The Discussion".  This was my own take on that painting.  It is designed for an album cover for the Simon & Garfunkel song "The Dangling Conversation".   I used a watercolor underpainting with an oil wash technique to do this painting.  It's a technique used by many illustrators, so it was fun to experiment with.  It's my second attempt with this technique and I think I'm getting better.

Change takes courage

Well, change has come upon me again.  I'm having a show tomorrow and after that I am moving out of my studio because my landlord is taking back the space.  I am not happy about this or the change.  I'm afraid that I will lose momentum, not to mention most of my paints and art supplies!  But I can't do anything about it so I might as well embrace it, right?

In the meantime I have been working on an illustration class at the Academy.  Here are the first three illustrations that I did for that class.  I am loving it and learning a lot.  And I have the best art teacher I have ever had!  Makes a huge difference to have a teacher that you like and who encourages you!  Enjoy the work I created.  The first is the Frog King, the second is Pirate Mice at the Sea Serpent Saloon, and the third is Taking the Merchant Ship.

Playing with friends

Playing with friends, charcoal and nupastel

Johnny's Dog Abby

Do any of you use the services of Schwan's Frozen Food?  Well, we do.  It's a company that comes to your house with a truck full of frozen food and they sell you meats, sides, desserts, etc. right on the spot.  The food tastes good and is very convenient, but is a little expensive because of the service.  We use it for those times we are in a pinch and don't know what to make for dinner.  What winds up happening is that you get to know your Schwan's guy pretty well, since they visit your house every two weeks.  You start to know them and they you.  Our most recent Schwan's guy is John and he loves golden retrievers.  We have a golden retreiver named Buddy and John loves Buddy.  He brings Buddy treats every time he comes to the door.  Recently John let us know that his golden retriever died and he was very sad.  I felt really bad for him.  Then, a few weeks later, he let us know that he and his wife got a new golden retriever puppy!  He has been so happy to have this puppy that he showed me a bunch of pictures of her that he had on his Iphone.   Now every time he shows up, I start the conversation with an inquirey into how Abby is doing and he proceeds to show me new pictures her.  One picture was particularly cute so I asked him to forward it to me.  I decided to paint it for him in oil paints on cardboard in a penture en l'essence style.  I can't wait to give it to him.  I think he comes again this week on Wednesday!  I have the picture right at the front door so it will be the first thing he sees when he walks up!  Here is John's dog Abby....