Dalmatian

Back to animal portraits after my stint in sewing. Just a flatcolour this time, but I don't mind that on patterned animals. Today, a purple dalmatian.

"Dalmatian", Digital, February 2013

I used to draw a lot of dogs, since I wanted to get artwork accepted into the image bank on a website called Furry Paws (an online game where you show and train virtual dogs). I was mostly on there to look at the art forum, trying to sell character sheets and such for game cash. Strange, looking back at it, how motivated I was by something which had no real value. I didn't really want to spend it on anything. I just wanted to know that somebody wanted to pay for it, however insubstantial the currency was. Every sale was very validating.

I still probably couldn't get an image accepted into the Furry Paws image bank (the site's juried gallery of portraits which you can attach to your dog). They maintained a very high standard of anatomy, realistic patterning and technical artistic skill. But the fact that my work wouldn't be accepted doesn't bother me as much now as it did then. I don't really feel interested in heading down that particular path. I like to focus on colour and pattern, simple yet recognisable images. I like to work quickly and spontaneously, and have something to show for it when I'm done.

Maybe one day, I'll be spending hours on meticulous shading of an artwork, or carefully recreating the exact shape and proportions and textures of a poodle's nose. But not today. Today, I'm just creating fun, happy images that I enjoy looking at. That's good enough for me.

Printed Clutch Plans

I've been wanting to make myself a clutch purse lately. I like my purse, but it's bright yellow so it doesn't match most of the dresses I wear when I go out. If I made my own from the scrap fabrics I have laying around I could have one in every colour and not have to break the bank buying them.

I'd like to make one with a zip, but I think it would be better to start simple. I tend to ragequit at sewing machines. They always break as soon as I start using them and do odd things for no reason (They're secretly printers).

So while I've been looking at pictures for inspiration, I started to wonder if I could make one out of a sample swatch from Spoonflower and have my own design printed on my clutch. This is the first one I've come up with. Doesn't really solve my easy-to-match accessories problem, but I like it. Would go well with a black dress and colourful jewellery.

"Multi-Clutch Pattern", Digital, February 2013

Next job is to make up a sample or two in scrap fabric to practice. Fingers crossed.

Caramel the Orange Cat

Another cat portrait today. I tried a softer shading style with this one. I was feeling a little lazy so I was hoping to come up with a quicker, sloppier shading style that didn't compromise on the finished look. Still prefer the crisp shading, but that's what experiments are for, I guess.

"Caramel", Digital, February 2013

There's a gift shop in town with decorative items like paper mache cats and painted wooden giraffes. I always liked that they gave each piece a name on the price tag. You weren't just buying a mosaic penguin, you were buying a mosaic penguin named "Larry". I think that's adorable. So I'm thinking about naming the critters I draw. This handsome fellow I'm calling Caramel (most likely because My Kitchen Rules was playing in the background while I was drawing him).

Loving the gradient backgrounds too.

Butterfly Cataclysm

This is an abstract piece I created late last year. I wanted to see if I could make a long symmetrical mandala image by fusing smaller abstracts. It reminds me both of butterflies...and explosions. Hence the title.

"Butterfly Cataclysm", Pen and Coloured Pencil, November 2012

I should probably post more of my abstracts on here. I'm thinking of doing one of those "One Per Day for 365 Days" projects, but I'm guessing they would all just end up as simple abstracts and wouldn't teach me much. I'd rather work on making my work more complex and detailed rather than give myself a reason to rush though it.

Charlie and Lily

So glad to have this one finished. I've been working on it since before Christmas, but couldn't quite get it how I wanted. This is one of my few forays into using acrylic paint and canvas. Paint really isn't my medium - too messy, too hard to control. I've seen such pretty effects, some lovely glowing, luminescent backgrounds done by some very talented painters. However, that particular effect illudes me, and when I can achieve that so much easier with Photoshop I'm not going to worry about it for now.

"Charlie and Lily", Coloured Pencil and Acrylic, December 2012

The cats in this picture are Charlie and Lily. I drew them for a friend for a Christmas present, which is why I spent so long tinkering with it to make sure it looked right. In the end, I made some colourful collage elements using coloured pencil and glued them on to the background to lighten it up. The cats themselves are also drawn with felt tip pen and coloured pencil.

I might redraw this digitally in future, just to see the difference in style it makes. Will definitely have more background pattern/texture options that way. Either way, Merry Extrodinarily Unbearably Late Christmas, Becky. I hope you like it.

Kids Animal Illustrations

A few other things I've completed during my blogging drought - kids t-shirt designs. Or kids wall art designs. Cutsey little animals, for whatever purpose. Hoping to get them printed somewhere like Cafepress in order to sell them online or at markets. Still just trying to build up the confidence to put feelers out and get expressions of interest. I know a few people with kids, so I guess that's a good place to start.

"Purple Quokka", Photoshop, January 2013

"Contemplative Panda", Photoshop, January 2013

"Yellow Duckies", Photoshop, January 2013

Also thinking of putting them up as collage sheets on Etsy. I've sold some cat silhouettes on Etsy before, just need to put them back up for sale and add a few more images. Feeling pretty confident about this at the moment. I've been getting a lot done lately, learning new things and generally getting a pretty consistant style together. This blog is definitely helping me to see my progress, and hopefully that will continue.