Lauren Reeser

I'm Back - Sortof

2010-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Why have I not been posting? Well, simply because almost every piece of artwork I do is top-secret, cannot be published for a time, or in the case of my former employer, cannot be published EVER, even when it's become public. It's then quite hard to maintain a sketchblog (even though I know you're all saying, "yes, but don't you sketch like ALL the time?" .. no, I don't)

Anyway, I thought I'd put up a couple drawings I have been doing for myself. I'm a product designer by trade now - I design figurines, toys, storybooks, wedding invitations, posters, costumes, clothing. All of it is made into a consumer product, something to go to market and be bought and loved. Some is done for various companies, some is done for myself.

Here are some clothing designs I've done for myself. It's not so much that I yearn to be a fashion designer, but more that I just can't help myself. I sew costumes and clothing for fun and sometimes for profit, and I have a great passion for it, so naturally I had a go on a website called Garmz.com, where you can submit drawings of your fashion designs, put them to a vote, promote them, etc., and if a design is popular enough, it has a good chance of being accepted for prototyping and then manufacture by the Garmz company. The end result is your fashion design, made in all sizes, for sale in the Garmz shop, internationally. It's quite exciting. Here are some of the designs I've done for their site:

This is my latest one, inspired by Mad Men 1960s New York Fashion.
If you like this design, please vote for it by clicking the image and
going to its listing on Garmz.com

"October Foxhunt." This design became the
#1 most popular on the Garmz site, and was
prototyped and released for sale on
December 8th, 2010. They did a really beautiful job!

"Raindrops." This designs has received 527 votes! It's
the #2 most popular design on Garmz.

"Holly Day Dress," a mid-century look with a
boat neck, made up in heavy satin, with quilting
at the hem. If you like this design, please vote
for it!

"On the Thames" coat design. I know it's a silly name! This one's doing
alright in terms of votes, but it still needs more - it's #4 top voted right now.
Please click the image and vote for it, if you like it!

I know these aren't outstanding works of art, but working as an artist in "the real world" can sometimes do that to you. Art as Work comes to have a specific purpose - if it's for a product design, it needs to be simple, effective, straightforward, able to be understood by manufacturers overseas. There's not a lot of glamor in product design, especially when it has to be done THAT fast. The glamor and satisfaction come when you see your creativity on the shelves of a retail store. On the other hand, artwork done for poster design, invitiations, decal onto something like a photo frame or a ceramic base, etc., has to be top notch. I'll have more to show you later with regards to "real" artwork, if you like :-).

Self Portrait 2010

2010-01-14T18:47:00.001-08:00

Look, I made a picture! I haven't done a self-portrait in AGES. I like this one :-) Of course, I don't wear my hair like this at all...I'm actually sitting in my pajamas and haven't brushed my hair today...so...hey, it's ART!

Skadi - Snowboard Apparel For Freestyle Girlies

2010-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I never update this blog and nobody reads it anymore! I've been putting all my energy into other blogs, of which I have maaaannnny, and into running my businesses.

So, the news today, is that I've mini-launched another clothing line, this one for women's snowboarding apparel. The cool thing about apparel is that it involves graphic design and illustration, funneled into a different venue than hanging-on-the-wall, or published-in-a-book.

Right now it's all about the buzz. Please visit the Facebook page and become a fan of Skadi. We're on Twitter too, and I've put up a blog (needs work, but it's there). Go, follow, join, enjoy!

American Duchess Apparel

2009-11-25T22:50:00.001-08:00

Did you guys know I started a clothing line? American Duchess Apparel creates graphic tees that interpret the whimsical, natural, and feminine ideals of the past, with a particular focus on the 18th and 19th centuries.

It's getting towards holiday gift-giving time, so here's the flier to let you all know that the online ADA shop is up, running, ready to receive orders:

www.AmericanDuchessApparel.com

It's a pretty cool experience as an artist, working up a brand from nothing. I've done all the t-shirt illustration, of course, but also the graphic design on the fliers, labels and tags, and website (and coding too!). The business side - the world of wholesale and garment manufacture - is fascinating as well. I'm hoping to do well enough with graphic tees to release three new designs each season (once I get rolling), and to expand into other kinds of apparel, like jackets and hoodies.

Photo Post-Processing in Photoshop, featuring Avi

2009-10-12T18:18:00.001-07:00

You don't have to be a good photographer to end up with a great photo. Well, it certainly helps, but if you don't know what all the little dials on your camera do, there is hope for you yet!

I worked with what I did know - composition and basic lighting knowledge - to snap this picture with my Not-a-DSLR Kodak camera. Popping it into Photoshop, I cropped it to create a more interesting composition, then lightened the bright side of her face, and darkened the other, using the dodge/burn tools. I made sure to keep the eye on the darker side a little lighter. I sharpened some areas, where I wanted the focus to be, and blurred other areas, such as her feet and the background (more). To punch up the color, I upped the contrast and saturation slightly. The last bit was to create the faux "lomo" effect around the edge, using the burn tool.

Introducing the Great Basin Costume Society

2009-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone from Reno/Tahoe/Northern Nevada, go have a looksey at the new blog for The Great Basin Costume Society!

Black Avies

2009-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

AHAN.org has posted two dogs for adoptions recently. They both look like black versions of Avi! It pains me that I cannot adopt another dog from Taiwan, especially one that is similar in beauty to The Best Dog In The World. So I'm passing the info on to you.

Taiwan dogs like Avi are quite remarkable - they are medium-sized (about 30 lbs) with long, willowy figures, and beautiful faces. They are extremely intelligent, loyal, and loving. Avi has a very soft coat, which somehow has the ability to stay clean. She does not smell at all, not even her breath, and she is not destructive to the house, just her toys.

Of course, I can't guarantee that all Taiwan dogs are like this, but I can guarantee that all of these dogs are loving and loyal and looking for a better life. If you are thinking about adopting a dog, please consider these two, "Inky" and "Nana."

Visit AHAN.org
Click Here for INKY
Click Here for NANA.

Avi in Fierce Competition... SHE NEEDS YOUR VOTES!

2009-09-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, Avi has gone head-to-head with several other cute pets in "The Cutest Crafting Pet Contest," over at The Dreamstress Blog.

She needs your votes!!! Go take a jaunt over to The Dreamstress and leave your vote in the comments section!

CONTEST! What Should Avi Be For Halloween?

2009-09-11T16:48:00.001-07:00

Let's have a contest!

What should Avi be for Halloween!?

To Enter:
Create an image (draw it, color it, compile it in some way) of a costume for Avi. Keep in mind her size and body type, and that she is a very active pup. For pictures of Avi, join the Avi Fan Club on Facebook.
Upload your costume idea to an image host like Photobucket, Flickr, or even your own blog, and then leave a link to your image in the comments section of this post.

Prize:
There will only be one winner, and the winner will receive an Avi t-shirt or product of their choice from Avi's shop, and will see his or her costume concept created and modelled by the famous "blog dog" herself!

Contest END OCTOBER 1st, 2009: HURRY!!

Gold Rush Days

2009-09-06T20:24:00.001-07:00

Couldn't resist posting it. No, not a drawing, but certainly the inspiration for a future one :-)
Taken at Gold Rush Days, Old Downtown Sacramento, September 2009

OWLstravaganza Embroidery Pattern

2009-08-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

One day I sketched up a bunch of owls, all in a row, all different shapes and personalities. I cleaned up the linework, vectorized, and turned them into embroidery patterns, hooray! They're for sale on Etsy if you're into hand embroidery. Here are some love pictures, too :-)

A Friendly Little Poll

2009-08-10T23:04:00.001-07:00

A friend asked me to help her with this poll...ladies, please take a second to click an answer!

LADIES ONLY, what size t-shirt do you normally wear?(survey software)

The Foxes...

2009-08-03T22:11:00.001-07:00

...go for a drive!!!

The Snarp Cat

2009-07-28T15:42:00.001-07:00

Another Red Kitty sketch....

Avi On the Bed Again

2009-07-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

Inspired by that photo I took and posted a week or so ago.

Avi Play-Play

2009-07-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

Avi likes to play play, for real real. Typical Avi play play position involves skyward puppybuns, helicopter-like tail gyrations, and enticing gurgling noises. Opportunistic expressions and pumped-up cuteness factor are also apparent.

The AviWorks

2009-07-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Avi's first experience with fireworks did not go well. We had her swaddled in a blanket in J's lap, where she could bury her nose in his armpit. Poor baby! I feel really bad for putting the glow-stick collar around her neck now...

Avigoddro Artiste

2009-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a week-long trade show at which I saw myriad showrooms choc full o' fabulous home decor, furniture, giftware, and art. I came back with my sense of style re-fueled, and a curious desire to redecorate my pint-sized one bedroom. Luckily for me, the bedroom part of that one bedroom is actually quite nice, with all the complimenting furniture, the pleasingly bold color palette, and the masculine lines with the girly tidbits.

Back in October of 2008, when we were picking out a puppy to add to our lives, color was a factor. In fact, all things were factors, everything from the expected size and body type, to the flop of ears, length of nose, undeniable cuteness factor, snuggle potential, eye and coat color (J doesn't like two-tone eyes, nor two-tone dogs in general!). It's surprising that the perfect puppy came from Taiwan, and is so much a mutt, with such a long mutt lineage, that she and her exotic pack of feral dogs has become homogenized into something called a "Taiwan Dog." How convenient that they are most common in colors black and white.

All that being said, Avi seems to fit perfectly into the color scheme I've somehow compiled for my home decor. These shots of her bored stiff, stretched out in the middle of the bed (sans bedcovers - in the wash), seemed more like art than dog, especially with the hall light casting just enough warmth into the scene. It's like...puppy glam photography of the 60s with sultry, Mondrianesque overtones....

...or just a couple snapshots with one bored dog.

Lady From My Head

2009-07-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

I like this one better than the last. I like the limited palette. No reference, just blobs of pixels pushed around.

Regency Lady Paint Scrib

2009-06-26T13:00:00.001-07:00

I should paint more. I miss it. I made a halfway decent oily brush in Photoshop and felt compelled to test it out. This lady is out of my head, and I started the Titian way, just splattering pixels on the canvas and working the shapes up rather than making a detailed line drawing first. I only rendered her face, and even that is maybe too much. I like having texture in my paintings, but have a hard time "keeping" it. I most time render things to DEATH, a leftover habit from art school. I should go back to watercolor (real watercolor) to try'n break that habit. Anywho, I left a lot of this squirrely, and I like it :-)

I bet you guys are happy to see something besides a drawing of Avi the Dog, huh?

Elizabethan Embroidery Pattern of Insanity

2009-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Color guide for the embroidery, with the stems of the flowers worked in metallic silver

The linework finished in Adobe Illustrator

The roughly traced and altered sketch

The original gauntlet, a photo from a V&A catalog

I'll count this as art on this here art blog, since it did involve a) drawing, b) Adobe products, and c) color, material, a finished flat image.

Anywho. For those of you who don't know, I'm all about historical costuming, and spend most of my off-work time sewing some such from some century or another. For my Elizabethan costume, I am in need (and want) of gloves for the couple Renaissance Faires that are cool or cold.

Elizabethan gloves are not like modern gloves. The hand part is relatively the same, but Elizabethan versions flare out at the wrist, forming a wide, open gauntlet that was decorated with lace, embroidery, and spangles. The flare was to so that the gloves could be put on over the sleeves, which were always complicated to untie/latch/button/hook, and always tight at the wrist. Under the sleeve was a shirt cuff with pleated or gathered ruffles. This too would have to be undone in order to get a tight-wristed glove on...and then all that re-attached, and then all re-undone if you wanted to take the gloves off! Simply not practical.

With all that gauntlet just sitting there like an open canvas, ladies and specialist began to decorate them with all manner of trimmings and whatnot. Several extant examples of embroidered Elizabethan gloves survive today, and are shockingly complicated and beautiful.

All that being said, I've endeavored to make my own pair. I will do this by adding a gauntlet onto an existing pair of store-bought gloves. The gauntlet will be embroidered by hand, using a polychromatic assortment of flosses, including metallic silver.

Original Elizabethan/Jacobean embroidery. See the spangles and the silver threads?

Yes, this is nuts, BUT it so happens that I will have a lot of idle time between now and the first of August, when I am to wear the gloves. A stupidly long road trip, and a round-trip flight from the West Coast to the Dirty South should provide me ample time to at least make a big dent in the work.

A little about the pattern - the original gauntlet shown in b&w is from the V&A. I hate squirrels, so I replaced them with my trademark owl. The pattern was sketched, then cleaned up in Illustrator, and the color guide done in Photoshop. The design will be embroidered twice, on the top sides of the gauntlets only, on a re-inforced ground of white linen/cotton blend. The circles on the pattern are as yet undecided. Some period examples show these as embroidered "tufts" or little lines to fill the negative space; other examples have them as single silver sequins, which is alluring to me. They could also be pearls or some other lovely bead. We'll have to see, but for now, one thing at a time!

Viral Avi

2009-06-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

All of this week and part of last I've had trouble with VIRUSES on my work computer(s). My main comp got infected with a nasty thing called a "rootkit." When I moved to a temporary computer so the first could be cleaned, the virus FOLLOWED me and infected that computer as well! Luckily the third computer I migrated to did not become infected (uh, yet), and now both previously infected computers are back up and running again.

What does this have to do with Avi? Absolutely nothing, but I did sketch this little doodle of her looking NOT AMUSED, as I sat idle, unable to get any of my assignments done, to express my own feelings of discontent at having single-handedly demolished two work computers.

I'm Kyoot!

2009-06-17T15:49:00.001-07:00

I sketched this with a real pen, on real paper...then I really scanned it and, well, you know the rest...

I'm thinking of making some Avi t-shirts on Cafepress. Which Avi masterpiece is your favorite?

Que?

2009-06-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Apparently someone (or two someones) somewhere in the world HATES Avi. How this is even possible I do not know. Perhaps they are cat people.

Why do I draw these Avi pictures in the first place? Some of you might think, "hey, this used to be an art blog and I used to like to look at her sketches and paintings, but now all that's here are these stupid dog pictures." True, although the blog has not changed. My time restraints, however, have. Now I'm a "workin' stiff." I work from 8:30 am to 5 pm, with a little too much time spent before and after on the commute. By the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of my computer and paint something. My creative expression, what is left after pouring myself into my design work every day, is now manifest in my costuming projects.

So why do I draw these silly Avi pictures? Throughout the day I need little breaks. Sometimes it's just to look at something new for awhile, and sometimes it's to sketch something that doesn't have to be precise or rendered. It must also be very quick - I don't have liberty to spend any more than about 10 minutes on a doodle, or else I'd be a very bad employee indeed. These elements, combined with missing my puppy daily, lead to these "less-than-brilliant," always ridiculous scribbles of a dog nobody here has ever met. I spent 4 years at SJSU trying to be precise, rendered, "brilliant" and devoid of ridiculousness, so that's just about enough of that drudgery.

By all means, if you love Avi and like the silly drawings of her, let me know by using the poll at right. If you hate Avi, follow Thumper's advice: "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," and mosey on to the next blog, por favor.

Avi StringBean

2009-06-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Did you guys see the fabulous poll to the right? Check it out, and let Avlar know how much you love (or revile) her!

Avi the Carpet Crawler

2009-06-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Avi has a couple odd and vastly amusing behaviors. One is that she likes to hide her chewbone in whatever lump of fabric - blanket, t-shirt, my $15/yd silk - happens to be laying around on the carpet, and then "finds it" again. This involves pulling the blanket (lets say) every which way, stringing it across the floor, locating the lump that is the blanket-covered bone, sandwiching it between her puppypaws, and then chewing it....through the blanket. If, on occassion, she finds the bone and it is exposed, she might toss it in the air a couple times before hiding it again.

Sometimes she places the bone on the bed covers, lays down next to it, and proceeds to toss her head into the covers, in what appears to an attempt to knock the bone away from her. However, when the bone does indeed go flying from the bed, she looks after it as if to ask "why did it run away?" A moment spent waiting listlessly for it to return, and she decides to go after it herself. Rinse and repeat.

It, of course, is not always the bone. The Minkus loves to play hide and seek as well, and takes on a whole life of it's own, to Avi. I sometimes think they play together all day long, and hold great philosophical conversations as she gnaws lovingly on its stuffed little foot.

As for the drawing, she's never fully in this position, but she does push herself across the floor, head and shoulders down, in what looks like the best method of itch-scratching ever devised by canine or human alike.

The Real McAvioy

2009-06-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

There is an actual dog that goes with all these little drawings I've been doing. Scientific name is Canis Avis. She is a source of never-ending inspiration, cuddles, and love-ups! Despite her uncannily photogenic puppy-features, sometimes she just doesn't have the patience to sit there and look achingly cute while I take a snap, especially when there are birds to be stalked or The Minkus looking at her from across the room. And so I give you Avi of the Penetrating SnarkyPup Glare.

Avi the Rocket Dog

2009-05-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

We don't actually strap rockets to her...there's no need to.

Avi and the Minkus

2009-05-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Avi loves soft, fluffy anything. She once had a tiger toy, when she was just a tiny off-the-plane puppy, that lasted a long time, until her razorfangs grew in. Efforts to provide her with cuddley soft toys has ended in piles of polyester and bits of carcass spread around the house, showing up in places like the bed and loads of clean laundry. We quickly discovered, as she tore into the stuffing of her doggie bed, that it was the fluff that enticed her so, and the goal of her interactions with soft toys was to destuff them as quick as caninely possible. Knowing this, I found a toy at Target that was plush, soft, and floppy...minus the stuffing. That's right, a stuffed animal with no stuffing. GENIUS!

Avi, full of glee, quickly ripped out the brains of the new racoon toy, locating the squeeker in record time and demolishing it. Any and all polyester fill that accompanied the squeeker was removed and flung about the livingroom. However, when that was all gone, the toy somehow remained, decapitated, and has remained to this day, relatively IN TACT.

We now have great fun with it - it's good to tug on, nurse on, cuddle with, and nibble. It has been dubbed "MINKUS," since J, despite the striped tail, thought it looked like a mink skin. Minkus is almost as long as Avi, and trails behind her when she triumphantly parades it around the house. It is slept with and tugged upon, and layed lovingly in the lap of myself or J, as an offering of play.

We figure some day Minkus will meet his end, but until such time, I'm happy not to be bending over plucking polyester stuffing out of every corner of my apartment!

Art History Dopplegangers

2009-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've had this one floating around in my head for awhile now (like YEARS). Forgive me for not posting art, but it's art-related, right?

Ever notice how people - your friends, family - seem to have matches? Sometimes you see these dopplegangers walking down the street, they show up on TV, or they pop up in your art history lectures! Have a looksey and enjoy. Are there any MORE famous art-history reincarnations out there? Post in the comments below!

This last one is from Fuschia's 18th Century Dress Project (blog), comparing Miss Jay Alexander (from America's Next Top Model) to Adolf Ludvig Badin, a servant of the Swedish Queen Lovisa Ulrika, from the 18th c.

The Return of Avi, The Blog Dog

2009-05-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done anything Avi-related, and what a shame! I've been consumed by my other blogs, but now it's time to come back to these daily doodles (and in this case photo). I am determined now, more than ever, to gather enough drawings, doodles, and Avi-related images to create the book I mentioned ages ago, in an effort to raise money to help dogs in Taiwan, where Avi came from.

Today's little image is about speed. As Avi gets older, she is losing her puppy gawky-ness, and learning how to use her stilts to great advantage. This dog is like a rocket! We take her to the park at least every other day, where she tears from one end to the other at great velocity, turning, darting, and full on racehorse style galloping. It's great fun to watch, as she obviously quite enjoys herself. Her zippiness inspired this little photoshop mash up :-)

Horse Painting in Photoshop

2009-05-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the step-by-step Reeser guide to horse painting in Adobe Photoshop! Before you start, it's important to have reference for lighting on a horse (pick one close to the color of horse you'd like to paint.) I chose this bay mustang because it had great lighting on the skin. You are using this image as a guide for how light hits the form of the horse's muscles, so choose a picture that is easy to "read."

Next, see to your brushes. I am using Photoshop for this painting, but would like it to have the nice "real media" quality you can acheive in Corel Painter. I created a set of 3 brushes to emulate hairy-oily brushes, with one of the brushes only having a few "hairs" in it. I will use the thickest brush for the majority of the painting, and the thinner hair brushes to add texture and particularly to paint in the mane and tail. Too see a tutorial on how to make custom "oily" brushes, click HERE.

Now about the horse. You've already got the sketch, so now it's time to paint. I layed out a color palette directly on the canvas, so I could sample from it. There are light yellows, golds, reddish browns of multiple values, greyish blues in couple values, and a collection of blacks and very dark greys.

Using the gold color and you thickest oily brush, block in the color all over the horse. Don't be careful about this, just slap it on. You're laying down a warm undertone that will help establish depth and a richness of color.

Next, continue with the warm color, using the golden brown, and blocking in basic "darks" according to your picture. Don't worry about getting these areas to their full darkness yet. You're just establishing basic lighting and placement of shadow and form.

Continue establishing your darks with a rich brown, but still leave some of the original yellow and reddish brown showing through. If you need help seeing the darkest shapes on your reference photo, squint at it or blur your eyes. At this point, don't worry about rendering, just the blocky shapes of the shadows and lights. You might be thinking this looks like a mess now, but forge ahead!

Now it's time to start working with your blues. Using blues, instead of black, for your darker shadowed areas lends your subject a life and interest. Blue and orange are compliments, and form a lovely balance and richness for the eye when paired, even in their subtlest forms. Start blending the darkest grey-blue into the shadowed areas.

You may need to adjust the overall color of the horse to match your reference coloration. Mine was not looking red enough, so I added in some richer red-browns, all the while keeping my light golden starting color showing through, and continuing to darken and blend the shadowed areas with blue-grey and darker greys.
With the lay-in of colors complete, begin rendering by smoothing and blending. Continue to build up colors, and don't worry about brushstrokes, sketch lines, and base colors coming through in some places. Keep the edges of the shadows and lights fuzzy - hard lines will make the horse look plastic or flayed.

You will notice that even though the legs of the horse are black, I have still made sure to delineate the planes of the legs by highlighting with the lighter grey-blue and some warmer tones. Even if you can't see the light on the legs in your reference photo, it is important that you include it in your painting, so the legs don't go flat.

You may decide at some point that your body color is too hot or saturate. I desaturated my reds by using the "Hue/Saturation" tool and reducing the reds only.

My darks, particularly on the legs, needed some adjustments, as well as some of the darkest areas under the jaw/cheek of the horse, the belly, and the chest. I worked in some black-black, but in very small amounts.

Once I was happy with the painting on the body of the horse, I blocked in the mane, then switched brushes, to the middle-thickness oily-hair brush, and continued to work with the mane and tail.

Just like the body, I incorporated blues and warmer tones into the mane, and used some straight strokes and some slightly wavy, moving generally in the same direction, but not as one clump. For the finishing touches, I switched brushes again to the thinnest hair brush, with only a few hairs, and swept in some more strokes on the mane and tail, to make it look natural.

For finishing, I used a regular round brush, with opacity and flow on pressure-sensitive, and cleaned up the edges all around the horse, erasing some of the rough linework and stray paint. I liked the look of the sketch showing through the painting in some places, so I left a bit of it. I also rendered the hooves roughly, with clean edges, and painted in the eye.

For a large image, to see the brushstrokes and the rendering, click the finished painting below:

I hope you enjoyed this step-by-step! Please notes and comments in the comments section, or post links to your horse painting!

Horse Painting Step-By-Step

2009-04-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

I'm going to do a couple posts on painting horses in Photoshop. Here's the lay-in of the drawing for the horse, performing a pretty dressage pirouette. Of course, before any painting happens at all, it's most important to get the drawing right. This guys' left front leg went through at least 10 redraws to get it to look natural and correct. Bust out your anatomy books and look at photos to get the shapes and lines correct. Sketch in a rough skeleton (not a real one, just some lines and scribbles where the joints go) and some basic shapes to begin....

Dressy Sketchy

2009-04-23T14:22:00.001-07:00

Here's a decent sketch I did for a dress design over at my "American Duchess" blog. I drew the human figure out first, then "dressed" her on a different layer in Photoshop. The enormous wig/hair makes her head look very large, but the proportion of the whole ensemble is correct.

A Lil' Gibson

2009-04-13T16:56:00.001-07:00

I was looking at beautiful Lenox figurines today (see them HERE) and when I got a chance to sketch something of my "own" this is what popped out. I like that it's unfinished. I don't think I've ever drawn anybody, anything, any costume from the Belle Epoch. I generally don't like that fashion, so why does it suddenly seem appealing!? Maybe it's the rash of BBC productions and perfect porcelain Lenox dolls I've been innundated with lately....

Garden Avi

2009-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

I can't resist the scrap! I'll ride the scrap wave for awhile, 'til I find something else cool and dart off spastically in that direction.

I thought that "The Avi Book" (working title) could have not just cartoony images, but all kinds of pics, doodles, scribs, drawings, and paints...like a bound shrine of Avi-love. What do you all think?

Equine Light Study

2009-04-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Another study of light on horse. I sketched the horse from memory, and started in on the painting, trying to remember what I learned the other day with Stubbs. I referred back to "Mambrino" to check my accuracy, and adjust things. The shapes are starting to make more sense, and I think there is an element of memorization as far as the lighting landmarks goes - divet here, highlight there. I need to know the anatomy behind it, though, and it will make much more sense.

MOAR STUDY!

Happy Birthday Sketchblog!

2009-04-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

This ole' Sketchblog turned 3 years old on March 23rd! As a belated birthday present, I finally FINALLY figured out how to change the template to something entirely more awesome, and very much ME (at least the "me" that is right now). I hope you all enjoy the new look and keep coming back for more!

And Now For Something Scrappy

2009-04-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I know, this isn't "real" art, just design (and yes, it is design), but I needed a break from what I was doing today and something quick I could moosh together for instant satisfaction. Voile, Scrappy Owl. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like a bunch of vintage images tossed together, complete with an owl on top? Plenty of people make a living doing this kind of thing....

Stubbs-ey

2009-04-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a fabulous time painting horses at work, the finished pieces for which I will someday be able to post up here (in a humungoid art dump sure to come sometime after June/July). I do not have Corel Painter on my work computer, so I spent a little time developing a set of Photoshop brushes to mimic the hairy-oily effects I love so much in Painter, and those effects that have come to be essential to me when painting horses.

I'm not a very experienced horse painter. I've maybe drawn 100,000 sketches and doodles of horses, throughout my 25 years, but I've only recently begun to render them both tonally and in full color. I think now that it's not so much the anatomy of the horse that my professors tried so hard to make us all fear, but instead the play of light on the musculature, all tucked neatly under a thin, tight, glossy skin. Simple shapes suddenly become not-so-simple when you look at a photo or a painting of a horse's flank. Even the lighting on their barrel-shaped tummies is not how I would expect essentially a cylinder to be rendered. It's perplexing!

Enter George Stubbs, the quinticential painter of horses, in his time (the 18th c.) as well as today. Stubbs is maybe known better in the artist mainstream as the fellow who did those intricate anatomical plates found in quite a few animal anatomy books. However, he was also a very successful painter who was commissioned to paint the studs, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, and other shockingly expensive and high-bred horses of the English nobility. There are many of Stubbs' paintings that do not appeal - skinny, posed, wild-eyed equines, or horses that look cartoonish and fat. We must not forget the aesthetics of the time. When it comes to that lighting and the anatomy, however, the paintings are simply incredible. They are both strong and subtle, with perfect light and color. The horses may not look like *real* horses (as in a photograph), but they all seem full of personality, uniqueness, and as if you could walk up and have a conversation.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time with "Whistlejacket" (coolest horse name ever, btw) and "Mambrino" yesterday, and feel I've come a long way in the rendering of the horse for having studied those two paintings so closely. I still do not, however, have a firm grasp on WHY the light performs the way it does, so for my warm-up sketches today, I took a look at some basic musculature in the flank, and tried to deconstruct how exactly things connected, moved, and would be lighted. I've a long way to go!!

And in the spirit of coolness, I used my favorite "old paper" background. Enjoy!

Stitchy Avi

2009-03-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Avi of the Day

This time she's an embroidery pattern. How cute! It's so her. It's also available for sale on Etsy - at my completely silly "Happy Fun Time Embroidery Co." shoppe. So. Silly.

BTW, special thanks to certain crafty people who bought my "Celtic Creatures" pattern! You know who you are!

Happy Fun Time! Embroidery Co.

2009-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

I always have to give lofty names to my many shopfronts and selling spaces on the internet, and this one is no different. I am quite pleased to report that I put up my first embroidery pattern for sale on Etsy.com last night - two owl patterns in one lil package - and this morning I had already sold one!

I plan to add lots more, so hopefully people will continue to like them and buy them. If you'd like to see the total silliness of the shop, here's the link:

Happy Fun Time! Embroidery Co.

Owl Embroidery, for Real Real!

2009-03-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

I finished my (faux) blackwork embroidery on the owl pattern I made the other day. I think it looks really spiffy, and I'm very proud of myself! It's almost completely backstitch, which is one of my least favorites, but the fabric was so thin, or my needle too thick, that I kept popping stitches with split stitch (my fav). I used a little Holbein stitch on the tail, but that's the only place.

I'm thinking about creating more of my own patterns and putting them up for sale on Etsy.com. It might also be cool to make cauls, patches, and other embroidered stuff for sale, too, and only embroider something when it's ordered. I keep looking for more things to embroider for myself, since I can't just do something without having a *purpose* - like making it to wear with a costume, etc. The Etsy thing might be a good outlet. :-)

Foxy 'Broiders!

2009-03-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

I promise this won't turn into an embroidery blog, but I will say that embroidery is not unlike drawing, just with thread. You're basically just making little pictures - lines, fills, tone, hue. I made this pattern for my costuming partner-in-crime, who loves foxes. As you can see, the style of the fox is similiar to the owl I did yesterday. This one is a bit more "full" and complex than the owl, so I might have to add to mine a bit. Mags and I go to faire and other costumey events together, so we'll be sortof "matching" with the renegade anachronistic hand-embroidered cauls. Gotta love it :-)

Embroidery Madness

2009-03-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I learned how to embroider. That's right, after reading an incredibly enlightening blog - Sublime Stitching - I got me some embroidery flosses, a hoop, and started stitching. I am shocked at how easy it is! I made a small daily and felt quite proud of myself, and now visions of amazingly embroidered everythings are running through my head.

Embroidery is quite popular for Elizabethan and Jacobean clothing, particularly blackwork. I've always loved blackwork, and now intend to decorate the collar and cuffs of my new shirt. It's mono-chromatic, and I have a not-too-complex pattern all ready to go, so I'll start on that sometime soon.

I also want to embroider a caul and a purse, and thought it would be fun to try to make my own design. My costuming partner-in-crime has assigned me The Owl as my "familiar," since I'm making the insane Barn Owl Gown for Halloween, and generally love them, so I made up this little half-Jacobean-half-modern-looking circular owl design. The caul will be worked in black, and the purse will be polychrome (fancy word for multi-colored). Is this overly complicated? Not too much...only a couple fills, and the rest just lines. Fun stuff!

Scrappy Avi

2009-03-24T16:42:00.001-07:00

This day has been about scrapbooking, starting in the morning when the radio host said he would never in his life do scrapbooking because it was so boring. I thought about it a little bit and realized that scrapbooking is just design. It's the combination of elements to create an aesthetically pleasing whole. It has first, secondary, and even third reads, and works with multiple patterns and palettes.

The same basis of scrapbooking forms, and essentially IS, the foundation and technique of creating anything in the Shabby Chic or modern French Country styles, with which I worked today, for a new line of music boxes from Westland. And how much fun! After finding oodles of PS brushes and patterns, and sourcing bunches of random clipart and fabric swatches from the web, I was off and running, combining elements, shifting things around, and creating shockingly pleasing compositions. Hooray for collage! Today I was, in a sense, a professional scrapbooker.

So having finished my work stuff up, I decided to do the same for today's installment of Avi. Silly, yes, but fun! Try it!

Oodles of awesome free Photoshop Brushes HERE: http://www.brusheezy.com/

Inspiration

2009-03-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have added a few new links to the sidebar over yonder. These are links for design more than illustration - the sweet, sweet combination of just the right elements to create that wonderfully pleasing card, picture frame, trinket box, or whatever else! I've been loving French Country and Shabby Chic design genres lately, which all ties in with scrapbooking, and somehow is vintagey at the same time. I'm also digging the "new" mod design - I'm not sure what to call this...it's kindof indie, mod, childlike, cute, bold...soemthing like that.

Here are the links right here to click on an love:

http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/

http://secretsofabutterfly.typepad.com/secrets_of_a_butterfly/vintage/

http://printpattern.blogspot.com/

Go and be merry!

Owl Gryphon Goodness

2009-03-23T11:43:00.001-07:00

Owls are awesome. Lions are also awesome. Gryphons are even more awesome.

I always find it fun to think outside the mythical box when doodling beasties, and try to go at something a different way. I'm sure all combinations of bird and cat have been done before, but I like to think I'm original :-). At least they've never been done in MY style! I've been thinking a lot of about owls lately, and how cool they are, so I sketchied up this owl-gryphon-beastie. Enjoy!

The Barn Owl Gown

2009-03-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have set up a new blog to track the progress of a year-long costuming project, uninspiringly dubbed "The Barn Owl Gown." For those of you who don't know, I am an avid historical costumer in addition to being an illustrator. I don't bring my costuming stuff into this blog, to keep it focused, but occasionally you'll see sketches for dresses, or I'll post a link like I'm doing now. Anywho, for anyone interested in costumes, craziness, and FEATHERS, CLICK HERE! Or click the image...that works too :-)

St. Patty's Avi

2009-03-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

The other day we decided to take Avi for a little walk around the larger park surrounding the dog run. There is a large soccer field up a little incline, through a lovely meadow of tall grass and bunches of bamboo. Once up at the field, Avi raced around, full of joy, and occassionally stopped to roll in the grass. Normally I don't allow her to do this, but it seemed like she was just rolling in grass clippings, like dogs sometimes do to feel good. After a few minutes, however, I realized that the field was full of large clumps of what appeared to be unidentifyable animal dung! Before I could catch her, though, Avi whizzed by me and across the field, completely ignoring my commands, and found a particularly large, dense, gooey, green pile of whatever this stuff was, and went for the roll of her life! She came up completely coated in green slime, with chunks of it adhered to her back, and large, chartreuse smears across her shoulders, flanks, and face. Straggling bits of the offending mulch were caught in her collar, and while the pup could not have been happier, I could not have been more disgusted. She was wrapped in an old beach towel and carted home for immediate washing, shampooing, rinsing, more scrubbing, more rinsing.

We now think that the gooey, fetid pile o' green was a a composty chunk of grass clippings that the industrial lawn mower spat out. It had a strangely chemical smell (far more alarming than animal poop, since it was all over our dog's skin!), and was toxic-slime green. Avi seems to be okay, and has not sprouted any additional limbs or developed super powers as of yet, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on her ...

Get Inspired by Africa...

2009-03-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

I found this incredible article whilst researching African tribal art, costume, and whatnot for a project at work. I will hopefully post the resulting artwork inspired by these images in the future, after the release of the new "Tusk" elephants, but in the meantime, I found this so cool that I thought to recommend it to you all! Go and be inspired by Africa...!

Here's the link again:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-516490/Out-Africa-The-incredible-tribal-fashion-inspired-Mother-Nature.html

Scribs

2009-03-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Penwork a l'Shop...not the best sketch...head too big? Buns too small? Whatever...it's something besides a picture of my dog!

Avi Unleashed

2009-03-09T16:38:00.001-07:00

In an effort to chronicle Avi's behaviors, personality, and cuteness, I have revealed Avi's personal life...her joys...of chewing up my underwear...

Avi Power-Pup

2009-03-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Your Avi-du-jour! This is the most accurate depiction of Avi thus far. To be TOTALLY spot-on I would have to put a shred of toy carcass in her mouth. :-)

Avi of the Day - Little Patient Waiter

2009-03-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

Avi likes to ride in the car. The problem is she is not very good at it. She stands in the front seat and looks out the windshield, but she doesn't quite have the balance down. She doesn't understand that if she just sits down, or even better, lays down, in the seat, all her problems will be solved.

While Avi likes going to and from destinations, she doesn't like waiting in the car at all. She lets loose the most pitiful and heart-rending series of puppy-cries you've ever heard, in a desperate plea to convince me to come back to the car. She stops keening when she can't see me anymore, and typically curls up and snoozes.

Upon returning, whether it's been 30 seconds or 30 minutes, I've never seen a happier dog. It's like I've been gone for the entire day. Perhaps in her little puppy brain it has seemed that long! She is a bundle of wiggles and joyful kisses. She is either truly happy to see me, or this is her attempt to get me to drive to the dog park, for that is the REAL and ONLY reason to get in the car, no?

Jump & Push

2009-02-25T16:53:00.001-08:00

Avi is sick today, and I'm really worried about her. I made a couple half-hearted doodles of her with a thermometer in her mouth and an ice pack on her head, but it didn't fit with the whole series. These drawings are about Avi as she really is, not as a character doing or experiencing human things. I decided instead to celebrate her liveliness with an illustration of her favorite game: "JUMP & PUSH."

The game consists of Avi leaping through the air, growling ferociously, while Josh gently deflects her away from his body. This is great fun. She jumps; Josh pushes. Happy growly joyousness ensues. Occassionally, because Avi has bad agility and paw-eye coordination, she will flop back to the ground on her side or her back, at which point the game is over. She doesn't hurt herself, but we the hunams get all concerned and pick her up and pet her and snuggle her...chances are she'd much rather play some more Jump & Push!

Avi of the Pillows

2009-02-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

During all hours except when we humans are sleeping in it, the bed is Avi's domain. She rolls her little white body into the puffy comforter and disappears among the white and red floral print. She has a funny way of wiggling her tail, kindof like a rattlesnake, whenever one us humans walks in - it's the moment right before her leap of joy, kindof like a cat flicking its tail before it pounces.

Mud Puppy

2009-02-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a very muddy Saturday at the dog park. Luckily, Avi is of an economic coat - she is self-cleaning. I'm not sure the exact science behind this, but between the dog park fence and the car, the mud and dirt magically disappears. It's quite convenient!

But then there are other days when there's just THAT much mud...

The Murderer of Marigolds

2009-02-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

I did not include any copy on this picture - do you guys think it needs it? I was thinking "I'm in your pots...eating your flowers." or some such. Keath, you're good at LolSpeak, what should it say?

I have a little seed of an idea to, after awhile, compile all of these little LolPup drawings into a little book - maybe publish it on Lulu.com? - and make it available here on the ole blog. I see a lot of sketchbloggers doing this and it alway seems pretty cool, so what do you all think?

As for the drawing, does anybody else have trouble with their dogs digging out the flower pots? For the longest time, the three flower pots and Avi coexisted in peace, but I think she got bored one day and dug half the dirt out of one of them. A great mystery remains as to how she managed to transport the large pile of dirt from the pot to the other side of the patio with no trace of scratch marks or trails of dirt. I may never figure that one out. I theorized that something was perhaps living in the pot, but then realized that the only thing living in the pot was a single stubby marigold, which I now believe Avi made it her business to destroy with great relish. She has since abandoned the pot.

The Culprit...

2009-02-18T13:59:00.001-08:00

How is it that a little dog can take up so much bed? How exactly does she manage to steal the covers and push me to the edge of the mattress? She weighs 30 lbs!

I know I'm probably breaking some kind of rule by make drawings of my dog and using LolCat language, but it's funny! It just seems appropriate for her :-).

Torrential Downpour!

2009-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

I think if I'd had more time for this warm-up sketch, I would have made it look like a paper cutout. As it is, this expresses the true emotions and reactions of my little dog whilst it rains upon her.

Avi Valentine

2009-02-09T12:36:00.001-08:00

Avi says "I RUV ROO!!"

Head Sketch

2009-02-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Of what else but a horse? Painter sketch, pretty much over worked. I didn't use reference or anything for this, just sortof scribbled it out of my head. I love how things look in the desert after a rainstorm when a little light hits something just right and it glows - but I think my painting skill from memory doesn't quite reflect that yet! Blah, values al over the place...

Photoshop Brush Tutorial #1 - Making Your Own "Real Media" Brushes in PS

2009-02-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Photoshop comes with a whole mess of brushes that can be tweaked here and there to create rather nice "real media" effects that look and act like real paint on real paper. We all know this, but somehow making those brushes work is a huge mystery. I have only recently begun to delve into the world of Photoshop brushmaking, after being inspired by JP Balmet's unbelievably realistic PS "oil" paintings. I bothered him to give me some tips, and here's what I've just started to come up with. I know this is a vexing part of PS for many people, so I've decided to do something useful with my blog and post a tutorial! SO! For your consideration:

SMEARY OILY GOODNESS:

Making Great Brushes in PS With Whats Already There!

(This tutorial is written for Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Windows, and uses a Wacom tablet.)

Step 1 - Open a new file, sized 200 x 200 pixels, 300 dpi. Then simply speckle some dots in a row, neither evenly spaced nor uniform in size. They should look something like this:

To save the brush set, select Edit > Define Brush Preset.
Name the brush (you will be re-saving it later, so name is not all that important)

Your paintbrush tool will now show the large brush in outline, and the new brush preset can be found at the bottom of your brush list.

Step 2 - In your brush settings (the small icon in the toolbar, next to the tab settings, and the icon with the magnifying glass), highlight "Brush Tip Shape," and spin the rotation tool. The settings are shown in the screenshot at left - you can copy these or spin it yourself. Also, I have the "Spacing" turned all the way down, but you can space the brush as you like.

(At this point, do not be alarmed if your brush does not look like the one shown in the screenshot - it will!)

Step 3 - Shape Dynamics. With your Wacom, your "Size Jitter" should be set to "Pen Pressure," but select that from the drop down menu if it is not. More importantly, select "Direction" from the "Angle Jitter" menu. This will cause the brush to react like a real flat brush.

Step 4 - Select the "Texture" menu. You will need to load some new textures into the thumbnail dropdown menu. To do this, click the tiny arrow next to the texture thumbnail, and select the other tiny arrow on the right side of the box. This will drop down another menu to select "Load Patterns." From the load screen, select "Artist Surfaces."

(If your "Patterns" folder does not appear, you can find it here: C:/ > Program Files > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop > Presets > Patterns)

You will now have a nice selection of fabric textures to choose from. Find one to your liking - canvas, linen, denim, etc. Depending on the size of your canvas, you will need to adjust the "Scale" slider to repeat the texture at a size you like.

Under "Mode" select "Darken." You may also like "Hard Mix," but play with the other options to find what you like.

Step 5 - Select "Dual Brush" from the menu, and find the rough square brush shown (this comes standard with PS). You may use any brush you like to get the desired effects, but this one works pretty well. Play with the diameter if you like, but you want the brush to look natural.

Step 6 - Select "Other Dynamics." Under "Opacity Jitter" and "Flow Jitter" select "Pen Pressure." This is very important for controlling the pigment of the brush and making it look and act realistically. You can leave one of these settings on "off" depending on your preference.

Save your new brush by clicking the small arrow to the right of "Brushes" tab at the top of your brush settings. Select "New Brush Preset" and name your brush (something good this time!). All your settings will be saved and your new brush will show up at the bottom of the brush menu.

Now play around with your settings until you get something awesome - experimentation is the best way to learn how to make awesome brushes, and develop a brush set all your own!

Complex Artistic Expression

2009-02-02T16:47:00.001-08:00

Black Beauty

2009-02-01T15:53:00.001-08:00

I often paint Black Beauty - he's just a horse that keeps coming back to either inspire or haunt me. I felt compelled to push around some paint-pixels in Corel this weekend and made something narrative out of it instead of just a sketch. It's dismal, but so was the book! However, I'm liking the implication of horse rather than the anatomical study...

Red Elephant

2009-01-29T16:45:00.001-08:00

Not as spontaneous as I wanted it to be...but I kindof like it. End-of-work scrib.

And Tiger

2009-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

I liked the lion so much I made a tiger too. Something feels really good about just scribbling until something happens, then knocking in some color and values.

Red Lion

2009-01-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

Parting sketch from work...scribbling out all the kinks. Turned out pretty cool :-)

Buckskin Horse

2009-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Morning warm-up. This is kindof mooshy...played with it way too long.

The Cats Return

2009-01-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched Miyazaki's "The Cat Returns," which was a perfectly wonderful little movie. See it. It will delight you.

At any rate, I spent ALL DAY today drawing cats (in hats, no less!), and cat-like-humanoid-carpetbaggers, and as a little break I sketched these two red cats. I've never been very good at drawing domestic cats, cartoony or otherwise, but I think perhaps I'm getting a little bit better....?

Brown Lady

2009-01-22T12:02:00.001-08:00

Hey, a figure drawing. Random pose out of my head. Boy am I out of practice!

Yellow Horse

2009-01-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

Fat. Little Wings. YELLOW. Woot.

Morning work sketch.

Belgian Scribble

2009-01-20T20:37:00.001-08:00

Wow, I haven't worked in Painter in awhile now, and I MISS it! I scribbled out this Belgian horse tonight...felt compelled to paint something loose and oily, after a day of precise rendering. I probably should've left this drawing even chunkier.

As a horse-dork side note, I find it interested that the European version of the Belgian draught horse has this dark reddish brown coloring, with black points, while we recognize Belgians as blonde here in America. My conformation in the drawing isn't very Belgian-like...much more Percheron, but oh well...my heavy horses are always a little too tall, I think. I'll have to make a point to make the next one short and stout.

GreenHorse

2009-01-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

Hooray, the first "real" post of 2009! I'm going to start doing warm-up sketches at work, especially on Mondays, after the weekend. I use a Wacom Cintiq at work, which takes about 3 seconds to get used to again, but I would rather get back in the flow of things with a little sketchy-sketch, than spend time stumbling through my first drawings of the week.

Anyway, here's a green horse for you!

AWOL?

2009-01-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks. So it's the time again, that wonderful time when I actually have a REAL job, as an employee for a company, doing art, but am unfortunately unable to post any of the awesome stuff I've been working on. However, the end results of my work are lovely little figurines, statuettes, photoframes, jewelry boxes, and a host of other knick-knacks to set around and adore. I've only been working at Westland Giftware for a short time, and while one or two of my designs are in productions right now, they will not be released to the market for quite a long time from now. When that time comes, I will certainly post a photo of the product, and if at all possible, I'll post the drawings for it as well, but until such time, here's a Westland Painted Pony to look at....

Queen Victoria Miniature - Finish

2008-12-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

Here the finished Victoria miniature, for Laurie. I have to remember, when working on these paintings, that they will only be 30 x 40 mm large. I really get into rendering little bits here and there, mostly because I really enjoy portrait painting, but you can't even see that stuff when the piece of jewelry is complete!

The oval version of this is just a preview, not the final setting. The original Victoria painting has quite a lot of head room, which I want to include in the new one, though perhaps not quite so much room. I left the bottom part of the painting merely suggested (and missing buttons!) because I knew I would be cropping most of it out. It looks like I'll need to add another button in there, though :-P

Queen Victoria Miniature - In Progress

2008-12-13T14:48:00.001-08:00

This painting has been commissioned by the wonderful woman who plays Queen Victoria at the SF Dickens Faire, Laurie Tavan. I was asked to "combine" the photo reference of her with this existing historical portrait of Victoria. I'm posting the first color sketch where you can see my outline, and also where I am in terms of progress. It is possible that I will be changing Laurie's dress to resemble the historical portrait, as well as adding the braid -- these things are yet to be determined.

The original painting, at least in this digitized form, has a distinctly green appearance which I am not including in the new portrait. I want to maintain the watercolor-on-porcelain texture you see in the background, and will need to work on it a little more later. The danger with this portrait is rendering TOO much, getting it too smooth. Laurie has a remarkably smooth complexion, and I cannot change her face too much or else it will not resemble her, so I will need to add in the painterly detail to her hair and gown.

Rosie and Tosh Christmas Portrait

2008-12-10T16:38:00.001-08:00

Here it is all finished and pretty! :-)

Rosie & Tosh Portrait Progress

2008-12-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

I spent a good chunk of time today adding Rosie into the picture, and I got fairly far on rendering her as well, whereas Tosh still has a ways to go.

Pet Portraits for Christmas

2008-12-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a couple pet portraits for Christmas gifts -- one for a lovely little lady with a great big black horse, the other for my dad.

I already posted about Bernie, but here's a slight revision. He was looking kindof cartoony before, and it's not all that different, but I lightened the background and worked a bit on his jaw.

This second one is of our family's two hunting dogs, Rosie and Tosh. The yellow lab is Tosh, going along nicely, and Rosie has yet to be added, but you can see the spot for her. I'm thinking this one is going to be pretty large, and I'll want to do some hand painted details, sign it, and varnish it before matting and framing for Christmas.

Bernie

2008-12-05T16:04:00.001-08:00

A Christmas gift portrait of "Bernie," the former stallion. Blocked in in Photoshop using the lovely canvas texture brush, then worked in Corel Painter, leaving some of the canvas to show through, and working with a very "hairy" brush.

I Couldn't Resist...

2008-12-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

This is just too much fun. Has anyone played the board game "Settlers of Catan?" It's CRAZY fun -- anyway, my brother has the game; we have his puppy's favorite toy (Mr. Buffalo). It's a RANSOM!

Photoshop Actions

2008-12-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

I have discovered Actions, those lovely filter effects that other people make to enable photo-editing novices such as myself to create awesomeness. Here are two that turned out really cool...at the click of a button. This last one is just for fun - Jehan did such a lovely "dirty polaroid" image on his site that I wanted to try it -- you can see his HERE.

New LRI logos!

2008-12-04T12:12:00.001-08:00

I've been needing to create a self-contained logo for Lauren Reeser Illustration for awhile now, and here it is! I originally had two more windmills in the circle, but it seemed like too much. Also, instead of putting the windmill smack center, I left it off to the side. I like the negative space it creates. Maybe this is actually a REALLY BAD logo and type design according to "real" graphic designers, but I like it! I hand-kerned the letters, and edited some of the letter shapes. I'll probably update my website with the new banners sometime soon.

Bad Self Portrait

2008-12-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

This is a terrible self portrait, but a good exercise. I set up "bad" lighting conditions - a spot light somewhere behind me, some ambient light from the kitchen, a candle (no real light there), all behind me, so the majority of my face with kindof one tone and dark and difficult to see. I used the color picker and just smooshed color all over the canvas. It actually ended decent from the way it was going before (I looked like a zombie)! All my self portraits look this way, with this kindof "I'm going to kill you" feel to them, even though I am really a nice person! Maybe my soul is black as tar and it's coming out in my paint sketches? Hahaha.
If you click on the image you get a super-huge version, and when you look at just little pieces of it it actually looks quite nice, thoughg the whole thing doesn't work AT ALL.

Painterly Landscape

2008-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

I wanted to paint something loose and vibrant, without much pre-planning. I just want to GO, and was inspired by some really great landscape color sketches I've been seeing on random art blogs. I know Corel's real-media effects are infinite, and I've been wanting to try out as many different brushes and whatnots as I could. This was my "experiment" painting that ended up being something actually kindof nice. Hooray for the natural beauty of the Badlands :-)

Click on the image to see a super-huge version that shows all the brush stuff.

Jacob Cass - Just Creative Design

2008-11-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

I want to take a moment to profile Jacob Cass of JustCreativeDesign.com, a graphic design blog choc full o' great articles and tips on design. Most of you (and me) are on the more illustrative side of design, but that is not to say that we should not learn about what makes great typography, etc.

The reason I am so enamored with Jacob Cass right now is because he is 20 years old, an incredibly successful graphic designer in Australia, a savvy and influential blogger, and a good-looking Aussie to boot! He's not even out of college yet and already has so many terrific examples in his portfolio, and accomplishments under his belt.

I urge you all to visit his site: http://justcreativedesign.com. This fellow is an inspiration!

The Large Purple Queen - in progress

2008-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

I have a wonderful job to paint Deborah, the amazing actress who portrays Queen Elizabeth I at nearly all the Northern Cali Renaissance Faires. I took photo reference at Folsom, which I have just gotten to and began to digest. A lot of digesting involved here. What an enormous challenge this portrait is and will be. She is wearing a gold gauze veil which will need to be re-interpreted on the black background (reference has a brown wood background), as well as a whole lot o' purple velvet encrusted with jewels and pearls. Myriad jewels and pearls, and these are the elements that will define the bodice and separate it from the sleeves. I am heightening the highlights of the purple velvet, to give it more form and definition, and I had to skinny poor Elizabeth up a little, as was absolutely customary and expected in the actual Elizabeth's portraits! Primarily I did this because the angle at which Deb was sitting, and the angle from which I took the picture, made the bodice look much larger than it actually is. She also has hanging sleeves that in this sitting position sortof just meld with the bodice. I trimmed off the right side, sitting her up a little straighter, and I will need to reinterpret the pearls, jewels, and piccadills on that side. I may also lower the neckline, again because of the angle of the picture. It seems like it needs to be lower.

So much work to do on this one. It will be quite some time before the lay-in phase is complete and I can begin rendering.

Edit: I just realized it looks like she is giving us a thumbs up! She is holding a long strand of pearls, actually, but I may attempt to make her hand look a little more graceful and posed in the finished painting, lol.

Winter Belgian

2008-11-18T18:30:00.000-08:00

Edit: I noticed and changed a couple hard lines one this painting, posting here the revised version, a little softer through the chest and some of the face. If you click on the above image, you can also see the huge version, with all the pretty brushwork.
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I like this one -- it's got a different feel from the others. More light, less snow, more shadow on the ground. A little movement, but not much, and a fuller frame. As I mentioned, I did this one entirely using the pastel brushes in Painter, and have included a detail to look at the pretty marky-marks :-).

Winter Belgian - In Progress

2008-11-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

I started this one in digi-pastel, and began developing the pastel instead of switching the oil. I like both feels -- this one is chunkier and depends a lot of light, I think. I run the risk of overworking things and having them feel mushy if I over-oil them, I think -- the Clydesdale suffers from this a bit. So I'm going to keep this card strictly pastel, and bring in some of the watercolor crystal brush for the dappled underside, at the end. I think I may also play up the drama with a warmer golden color to contrast with the blue background -- why not?

Winter Percheron

2008-11-15T22:13:00.001-08:00

Another "Winter Horse" painting complete. I didn't like the green for the halter -- the painting needed more warm contrast, and something about this wintry blue and bold red together makes me think of Christmas :-).
I used the incredible watercolor crystal brush for the dapple grey spots. I can't imagine anything working better! This brush was created by Erin Middendorf, but I have no idea where the download is posted for it (go ask her, it's worth it!). I think you could also create your own with a little work.
What's next in the Winter Horse series? Maybe a Fjord, or a Belgian -- I'm missing that most recognized draught horse, as well as a Shire, so perhaps I'll do those two next.

This and all the other Winter Horse cards are available at GreetingCardUniverse.com

Winter Percheron - In Progress

2008-11-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

So, a series! I think I like this one the best of the three so far. I love dapple gray percherons, their conformation and power. This piece doesn't have the action I thought I originally wanted in all of these, but I like the variety. I wanted this to be a strong "in your face" kind of pose. The feet will not be visible in the final, and you can see I still have work to do on the front legs and head. Then onto the dapples! The best part! I'm looking forward to using the watercolor crystal brush for that, though I doubt it'll solve everything, so I'll probably need to get in there and work out the dapples by hand too.

Winter Clydesdale

2008-11-13T00:52:00.000-08:00

Finished this one at the library tonight -- I don't get internet there, so I really have no choice but to paint. It's really a wonderful alternative to sitting at home with all the temptations of doing something besides what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm showing a detail of the painting too, since I'm in love with Corel Painter and love looking at these brushstrokes.

The next in the series is a percheron, dapple gray, which I think will be a cool painting with this snowy foggy effect. Plus I'm itching to use these watercolor salt brushes a little more. Should be fun.

Pendragon Portrait - Done?

2008-11-11T14:11:00.001-08:00

I think he's about done! What do you all think? I like that some parts of this are left a little looser, while other parts are very rendered. I don't want to overwork it. I'm thinking about developing some "antique varnish cracking" filters to use. Could be fun.

Christmastime Cuteness

2008-11-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

I've caught Christmas fever from making Christmas art in November. I can't help it! I was so in love with the graphic design and illustration of Bath & Body Work's winter line of lotions that I was inspired to make this cute little landscape. It felt empty without a cute little snowbird, so I added him in and I think it makes the whole picture :-). I think I might like this better if each color were textured, so it looked like cutout fabric and paper. Perhaps I'll work on that and make a Christmas card out of it. For now, this vector illustration is on Vectorstock.com, and will hopefully generate some pennies :-).

Friesian Holiday Goodness

2008-11-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Friesian horses running through the snow?

I'm putting this image up for sale, like, everywhere...

Greeting Cards at GreetingCardUniverse.com

Posters, mugs, t-shirts, other stuff at Cafepress.com

Portraits - More WIPs

2008-11-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

Oh the amazing things to do without paint...I am in love with Corel Painter X. I usually block in a lot of these in Photoshop, then take them into Painter and render render render. "Pendragon" has a ways to go - he's got a LOT of buckles and things on his costume, not to mention that hand, and I want to work more on his face and the beard obviously. "Ron" is a miniature, so he's actually almost done, hooray! It's all shapes, shapes, simple shapes.

"Toni" - Miniature In Prog, pt 2.

2008-11-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the progress on one of the miniature portrait commissions, from Folsom Faire. I posted the underpainting last, and after some major paint-surgery, I finally got the proportion of this lovely lady's face correct. Toni has a very unique look that needs to be spot-on in her miniature, so I am paying particular attention to the eyes and lips. This painting is shown way larger than its finished size, which will be 30 x 40 mm.

Friesian - In Progress

2008-11-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is an underpainting for a "holiday friesian." He'll be charging through the snow, and be decorated with a red halter and maybe some jingle bells and holly in his mane...things like that. It won't scream "CHRISTMAS!" but it will be wintry and pretty :-).

Cross-posted from Sketch of the Horse.