Been having a play with the video camera today and, as I’ve been asked often about my inking process I thought I’d put one or two inking demos together. This birdie was was doodled for that purpose, I’ll be putting the video up on youtube in a day or two, but here’s how he looked when I’d finished, I definately tipped my hat in Arthur Rackham’s direction for this (and make absolutely no apologies for it)… Happy weekend everyone!
So, at last I have a new website. I’ve spent the last few days on this and not much else, I’ve been wanting something a little more managable for quite a while and took time out of what I was doing to (finally) make sure I represented myself and my art properly. Here’s the link:
Feel free to let me know what you think….
I drew Puddleglum a number of years ago and thought I’d have another go, he’s such a melancholy old bugger and his features make for fun drawing….
You can hear the gentle music if you still yourself and listen carefully.
I’ve been reading a LOT of Charles De Lint’s books lately. I’ve been a big fan for the past seventeen years or so, and am rereading some of the old stuff and a fair bit of his new stuff, even managed to bag a signed copy of one of his books for Christmas last year (you fanboy Aaron…). The remarkable thing about CDL’s work is his ability to just lay all that magic out there, it’s tangible and lingers for the duration of the book (and a long time afterwards too…), his characters are hauntingly believable (even to the point of feeling like old friends) and the tales are unique… weaving old folklore into modern settings… incredible.
favourites of mine are: The Onion Girl, Memory and Dream (my absolute fave…), Someplace To Be Flying, Mulengro and Trader, but I’ve yet to come cross a book of his I didn’t like. If you haven’t read any of his work, check him out….. Today’s doodle is a quickie based on a couple of his characters.
I started this one a month or so ago, and due to the illustration work I’m currently involved with, I haven’t completed it, but I did do a session earlier this week, here’s how the painting’s looking so far… (See earlier posts for the previous version.)
figure model, the beautiful:
sitara-leotastock.deviantart.com
This mornings’ doodlings to get the had loosened up for work…
I did a demo, meet and greet at the local bookshop yesterday. It was wonderful to see people who had an interest in my art. Signing prints and greetings cards and copies of my art book is a cool part part of doing what I do.
This is what I managed to produce in that time, I’ll finish this off when I’m less busy and will post it when it’s done… (medium- acrylic)
model:
http://sitara-leotastock.deviantart.com
Here’s the cover to the book I was promoting, available from Amazon.com:
link to model on front cover:
…Been playing with this sketch for a night or two. With my colour work, I’ve been almost exclusively digital for a few years now but it’s my intention to get my traditional media chops up and move as much back into using ‘real’ paint for projects as I can, I enjoy using watercolours immensely but don’t have the necessary skills to knock the digital colouring on the head so I’ll be doing more and more of these doodles and we’ll see how I go….
the model is the lovely:
Ah, great reference books… ideal for loosening the hand before starting work on commissions.
This seems to be a theme with me doesn’t it? I draw the little people on the back of a bird often, don’t know why. Anyway-here’s another.
I recently found this old drawing in my files and thought I’d post it here.
More scribblings from in front of the TV last night… needed something to take my mind away from all the carnage raging through Queensland. Thankfully, we’re having a day of sun here in brisbane so hopefully the rivers and water systems’ll settle down and give people a much-needed break. I’m sending out as much love and best wishes as I can to all those victims and rescue workers trying to make sense of this craziness.
I haven’t been able to get myself into work mode over this holiday period, so, instead of becoming stale and incapable of knowing which end of a pencil is which (it’s true… after a long period of no art, I go loopy and temporarily forget how to draw), I’ve decided to just doodle myself senseless in front of the TV at night, here’re a few drawings from the last few evenings….
Just a quickie before I start work for the day, I’ve got a big job on right now, it’s taking up a lot of time (in a good way) won’t be able to post any of it for a fair while but in the meantime, here’s a wee fae feller riding a birdie…..
More doodling. I love wildlife books- have heaps of em’. I also love drawing birds, owls particularly…..
I haven’t sketched to loosen myself up before I begin work for a little while so I’m going to get back into it again, here’s today’s little offering, a small 6×4 watercolour wash laid over an older piece of line art…
I LOVE painting birds, and I think the owl is just about my favourite of them all. Here’s one I sketched up last night in watercolour, finished off digitally…..
I usually ink with drawing pens but I’ve lately had the itch to use dip pens (which I haven’t used for 20 years or so…). This is the drawing I made whilst playing around with one after so long…
Today’s sketch. I’m going to take this one further and use it for the book I’m currently working on…
This job has been a lengthy one. After two false starts, the lady who commissioned me is finally going to receive her painting.
New drawing… It’s no secret that I enjoy drawing fae folks, but I have to admit that drawing the crow (and it’s cousins) pleases me no end. I based this drawing on a photo I took of a crow in flight a couple of weeks ago, it’s hard to capture a moment like this so I made sure I’d use it.
Here’s the original sketch (before inking)
and a few more crows…
Last night’s telly sketching. I seem to enjoy these sketches much more than my commissioned stuff at the moment. Maybe it’s because there’s no pressure or rules attached….
I spent yesterday afternoon in the rainforest with my son and came back with all kinds of inspiration. I love old roots curling and twirling around rocks and into the ground… just had to draw some as i was winding down after finishing my quota of work today….
Last night’s sketching in front of the telly….
Back from Holidaying in New Zealand today. Had a great time with the family and now it’s back to the drawing board… Lots to do….
here’re a few pages from my sketchbooks over the past three weeks…
I’ve been wanting to splash some colour over this sketch for a little while. It’s not exactly what i had in mind and I’ll probably do this properly one day, but here’s what I came up with…
Last night’s sketch.
I’ve been very interested just lately in drawing whatever comes to mind when I’m doodling in front of the telly- without too much of a plan. Things have been a little up-in-the-air in my life lately and I suppose I’m trying to find out what makes me tick again. I’m 40 in a couple of weeks and I seem to have deviated a fair bit from my original path these last twenty years or so (don’t we all…?). So for me, it’s time to take stock, discard the old, find a new path and start walking the yellow brick road again.
I’ve been working on this one for a few days now and have reached a stage where I’ll call it finished (for now). I started it off in oils and couldn’t paint anything more as I had to wait for the paint to dry, so I took a photo and carried on working on it in Photoshop and Painter. I’ll be returning to the oil painting soon as I now have a pretty solid preliminary ‘sketch’ to work from.
The model was the lovely:
Sorry for not posting anything for a little while, I’ve got a few things on the go and am also currently working on a personal piece or two. I’ve attached a WIP of one here. Enjoying this immensely- very freeing!
I drew and inked this one last night.
The result of tonight’s doodling. I’d already drawn this pair in November sometime. I didn’t have much time before bed this evening (early night very much needed here), so I inked it.
Anyway, I had the thought to use this as a little giveaway prize thingy for the first person to see it. Whoever you are, send me a message and it’s yours. We’ll arrange adresses etc via my email address and i’ll mail it off to you. Good luck!
I’m on a shameless watercolour kick right now (when time allows)… and I’m very keen to improve. It’s great to look over old work and see that there was maybe something there to build upon. As I mentioned in my last post, watercolour is the most difficult (for me), yet most satisfying medium to work with, it’s totally unpredictable and a constant challenge, and to try and tame it seems to be a worthwhile pursuit, so I’ll keep plugging away at it. the pic below was painted quite a few years ago… I’ll add my newest efforts here as and when I get the chance to paint them.
It’s a special day today! Enjoy the energy.
It feels like I haven’t drawn anything for myself for a very long time, so tonight I decided to scribble something whilst sitting in front of the TV.
I’m feeling very very up and down at the moment, if I said the words ‘Earth changes’ would anyone reading this have any idea what I meant? There’s a whole lot happening right now and it’s running people through the wringer. I’m both (strangely) exhausted and elated. It’s a very important time for us. watching how the banks are taking a tumble, the changing weather patterns, people’s spiritual growth, watching the younger generations with so much potential, watching how the so-called ‘powers that be’ are taking a nosedive into their breakfast cereals-(hooray!)…. So much happening out there. I sit and think about all this stuff all day as I work and given how many things I’ve experienced in my lifetime be it physically, psychically, spiritually and emotionally, I feel qualified enough to say that we are in for some surprises very soon. Strap yerself in Bub it’s gonna be one hell of a ride!…..
…Here’s another owly drawing from last night, sketched it in front of the telly. As it’s all workworkwork right now, I needed to sketch something quick for me….Sorry about the crappy scan, I had to use the camera and I’d drawn it with a pencil that was far too light…. silly me.
Here’s a fairly recent sketch of an owl. Birds are among my favourite things to idly sketch as they pose such a challenge and to get the look anywhere near correct is a great buzz for me. rather than drawing this one realistically, I’ve gone for a more ‘illustrative’ look.
-And here’s a typical page of drawings from my sketchbooks.
Way back, before I became a full-time illustrator, I’d spend a lot of time (a LOT…) painting and drawing birds and animals. Nature has always fascinated and captured me, even as a lonely young boy, I had a very deep respect for nature. A lot of my time was taken up poking around woodlands, climbing steep hills and mountains and experiencing the elements at their most fantastic, fearsome and powerful. I try and put as much of that respect as I can into the work I produce nowadays.
here’s a paiting I did around 2002-03. Gouldian Finches (watercolour and gouache).
and another: Eclectus Parrot(Watercolour and Gouache) 2002
Here’s a painting of a black swan I did back in 2003-04…
I’m very busy with family stuff this weekend, but managed to slip out to catch my breath. Here’s a recent sketch I did on the PC…
One of the (many) projects I currently have on the go is a (quote) Spiritual (unquote) children’s book. The subject matter is quite heavy and rather a strtch for most people, so my take on this book involves stripping the art back to it’s bare bones and injecting as much humour as I can to make the ‘message’ sink in more easily. It’s great fun every now and again to draw in a style that doesn’t involve over-rendering, or little tiny details- the brain can only cope with so much at times eh?
here’re the pencils for one of the illustrations…
Here’s the inked drawing…
…Speaking of detailed artwork… when I first moved to Australia, I focused most of my creative attention on the drawing and painting of wildlife. It was a great time for me and I think I evolved artistically rather quickly. I immersed myself in the diversity Australia offers as far as it’s animal life is concerned. My wife and I travelled a lot to National parks and zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. Here’s a painting from that period, painted in watercolour, gouache and a scratch of coloured pencil here and there. Sorry for the crappy image, the photo was taken behind glass..
and here are a couple of graphite drawings from around that time….
Oh joy…. I woke up from a very fitful sleep this morning. After having intense dream after intense dream, I woke up and found it very difficult to get back to sleep again. Today, I have a photo shoot. Great… I look like I haven’t slept for a week and I have to try and get my wits about me for 2pm when the photographer arrives. She’s doing a project about the working methods of artists in the area and I was one of the chosen ones. I’m not a big fan of having my photo taken but professionally, it’ll give me more exposure so I’m not complaining. Much.
Wish me luck!!!!
Here’s a WIP of a young lady and a fairy having a chat high up in a tree. This is one of the drawings I’m currently working on in my spare time when I get a minute to crash in front of the TV and just scribble away for my own amusement. Traditional-pen and ink
Here’s an old sketchbook page containing heaps of birds of prey. This is fairly typical of what I get up to to keep my hand in when I’m not feeling particularly creative. Reference books and DVD’s are an illustrator’s friend when the muse buggers off and goes on holiday or pops away for the weekend.
A recent warmup drawing. Traditional- line art.
I’ve been having some rather intense dreams of late, lots of new symbols and things I’ve never seen before. I went to a place last night when I slept- (only had 2 hours…) that had the most ‘otherworldly’ tree I’ve ever seen. It seemed to be some kind of ‘gateway’. I’ll post more on this if I have any more experiences with it.
Got lots to do today… The ‘horsey’ book I’m working on is nearing completion and I’m very happy with the way it’s looking. Not sure when the publication date is, but I’ll add a link here when it’s ready. Very exciting stuff.
Whilst we’re on the subject of horses, here’s a recent page from my sketchbooks.
Also…. I’ve just found one of the songs I played on 12 years ago with a band I recorded with during my time living in Wales on the net…. feel free to have a listen, I’m playing lead and one of the rythm guitars, so good to hear after many, many years, it’s a bit rough and ready but you’ll get the general idea…..
Very often, before I begin work on my illustration commitments, I’ll scratch away at something to warm- up with. Today’s subject is the clever crow. I never tire of drawing them….
Pen and ink.
