Just posting a couple of owly warm-up sketches from earlier this week.
Have I mentioned that I LOVE owls?
Because they're pretty great.
Sketchbook Thursday: Owls!
Howdy folks,
Just posting a couple of owly warm-up sketches from earlier this week.
Just posting a couple of owly warm-up sketches from earlier this week.
Fun With Paper
Hallooo all,
Work life has been busy of late. I recently started freelancing in-house at HarperCollins a couple of days each week doing design work in the children's department. Awesome stuff. It's nice to add some variety to my work week. But it does mean less free time for updates and random projects. Much of my painting time these days is for freelance jobs.
I did, however, have a little time in the past few months to make a few birthday cards for a couple of friends who live across the country. My camera is behaving a bit wonky right now (it may, in fact, be time for a new one...), so I only have one of the cards documented. And some of the images that I do have are only so-so.
Anywho, for the holidays, N sent me an AMAZING paper-cut chicken (which will soon be hanging in my kitchen), and inspired me to play around a bit with paper. I had an idea of what I wanted, but I knew it was going to be fragile.
The first card I made was paper-cut text glued onto a solid piece of construction paper. For this second card, I decided to get fancy and do a couple of paper-cuts layered together. First, I cut out the main text.
And the different sets of secondary text.
And because this one was a bit more fragile, I decided that it needed a case.
I'm a sucker for birds, and I just happened to have a bit of old wrapping paper lying around. It wasn't quite big enough, but with a few construction paper additions, I had myself a shmancy looking custom case.
Once I had the case and all of the text cut out, I got to gluing. I love the smell of proper paper paste - it reminds me of sunny, dusty libraries and old books. No photos of in-process gluing - I didn't want to get any glue on my poor, malfunctioning camera. It certainly didn't need anything else gumming up the works.
Ta da!
Work life has been busy of late. I recently started freelancing in-house at HarperCollins a couple of days each week doing design work in the children's department. Awesome stuff. It's nice to add some variety to my work week. But it does mean less free time for updates and random projects. Much of my painting time these days is for freelance jobs.
I did, however, have a little time in the past few months to make a few birthday cards for a couple of friends who live across the country. My camera is behaving a bit wonky right now (it may, in fact, be time for a new one...), so I only have one of the cards documented. And some of the images that I do have are only so-so.
Anywho, for the holidays, N sent me an AMAZING paper-cut chicken (which will soon be hanging in my kitchen), and inspired me to play around a bit with paper. I had an idea of what I wanted, but I knew it was going to be fragile.
The first card I made was paper-cut text glued onto a solid piece of construction paper. For this second card, I decided to get fancy and do a couple of paper-cuts layered together. First, I cut out the main text.
And the different sets of secondary text.
birthday text in process
birthday!
instructions under construction
instructions!
I'm a sucker for birds, and I just happened to have a bit of old wrapping paper lying around. It wasn't quite big enough, but with a few construction paper additions, I had myself a shmancy looking custom case.
Once I had the case and all of the text cut out, I got to gluing. I love the smell of proper paper paste - it reminds me of sunny, dusty libraries and old books. No photos of in-process gluing - I didn't want to get any glue on my poor, malfunctioning camera. It certainly didn't need anything else gumming up the works.
Ta da!
Naughty Cookies
Halloo there loyal blog readers,
February always seems to disappear. Yes, I know it's shorter than all of the other months, but only by a few days. And yet, somehow, it always seems to zip by me. (March, on the other hand, lasts forever.)
This year, February sped by faster than usual; it was entirely swallowed up by life and work things, and all of my plans got lost in the shuffle... including a wry, tongue-in-cheek, illustrated Valentine's Day post. Alas, instead of illustrated or wry or tongue-in-cheek, this year you're just getting cheeky.
In addition to a hand-illustrated something, Valentine's Day cookies have become an annual tradition for me. I always make an assortment of very silly, rather naughty treats. However, even the cookies were late this year, and so this blog post is a little less than timely. Regardless, enjoy:
February always seems to disappear. Yes, I know it's shorter than all of the other months, but only by a few days. And yet, somehow, it always seems to zip by me. (March, on the other hand, lasts forever.)
This year, February sped by faster than usual; it was entirely swallowed up by life and work things, and all of my plans got lost in the shuffle... including a wry, tongue-in-cheek, illustrated Valentine's Day post. Alas, instead of illustrated or wry or tongue-in-cheek, this year you're just getting cheeky.
In addition to a hand-illustrated something, Valentine's Day cookies have become an annual tradition for me. I always make an assortment of very silly, rather naughty treats. However, even the cookies were late this year, and so this blog post is a little less than timely. Regardless, enjoy:
The full assortment
Close-ups
Rainbows!
Stars and bows
And don't forget the duckies
Sketchbook Thursday
Hey there blog readers.
It's been a while since I've done a sketchbook post, and it just so happens to be a lovely Thursday... so why not?
I've been playing around with a new manuscript, and as of Tuesday night, I have just finished my first thumbnail dummy and started character designs. While I like the images, the pacing, the compositions, and the page turns in the dummy, the manuscript (I am quickly realizing) needs a major overhaul. That being said, (as I dutifully open Word,) I'm still having a ton of good old fashioned sketchbook fun with a handful of new characters... and yes, one of them is an 8 ft tall alligator. Well... 8 ft tall when he doesn't slouch.
His name is Randall.
I've been playing around with a new manuscript, and as of Tuesday night, I have just finished my first thumbnail dummy and started character designs. While I like the images, the pacing, the compositions, and the page turns in the dummy, the manuscript (I am quickly realizing) needs a major overhaul. That being said, (as I dutifully open Word,) I'm still having a ton of good old fashioned sketchbook fun with a handful of new characters... and yes, one of them is an 8 ft tall alligator. Well... 8 ft tall when he doesn't slouch.
His name is Randall.
Tu BiShevat
Hey there blog readers,
I recently did an illustration for a Jewish children's magazine about Tu B'Shevat. Tu B'Shevat marks the beginning of spring in Israel, and the New Year for trees; more or less, it's the Jewish equivalent of Arbor Day.
Usually around this time of year, New York is quite chilly, and we planned a playful winter illustration about the holiday. Trees feature prominently in the background, and the snowman's basket contains all kinds of traditional foods - barley, wheat, grapes, pomegranates, olives, dates, and figs.
Another Tu B'Shevat tradition includes planting trees, or if you live in a usually cold (though-currently-unseasonably-warm) place, donating to orgs that plant trees elsewhere.
Trees!
Jewish National Fund
Arbor Day Foundation
Trees!
Jewish National Fund
Arbor Day Foundation
Paper cranes
I've been back from visiting my sister for not quite a week yet, and it's already been a bit of a rocky homecoming. Two days after I arrived, I received some incredibly sad news. A college friend had passed away.
I have been struggling with how to process it. Between the cancer diagnosis late last year, her death earlier this week, and the funeral yesterday in D.C., I feel all wrung out. Words fail me as I try to write this.
She was an extraordinary person bent on saving the planet and helping anyone and everyone. She had a smile that could light up a room, and today the world is just a little bit darker.
I have been struggling with how to process it. Between the cancer diagnosis late last year, her death earlier this week, and the funeral yesterday in D.C., I feel all wrung out. Words fail me as I try to write this.
She was an extraordinary person bent on saving the planet and helping anyone and everyone. She had a smile that could light up a room, and today the world is just a little bit darker.
Kirby Capen
(1983-2012)
Up, up, and away
Hey there blog readers!
Today I'm headed out of Brooklyn, off into the wild blue yonder. My very talented, lovely sister is currently an art conservator at the Mauritshuis, and I'm off to pay her a long overdue visit.
And what better time than to post a recently-finished piece... it seems thematically appropriate, somehow. This piece is from a personal project I started a few weeks ago, and this particular painting is actually the third in the series. I have the other two images all sketched out and ready to paint, but I tackled this one first because it was my favorite. (More posts about the project when I return.)
Up, up, and away!
Next post from the Netherlands!
Today I'm headed out of Brooklyn, off into the wild blue yonder. My very talented, lovely sister is currently an art conservator at the Mauritshuis, and I'm off to pay her a long overdue visit.
And what better time than to post a recently-finished piece... it seems thematically appropriate, somehow. This piece is from a personal project I started a few weeks ago, and this particular painting is actually the third in the series. I have the other two images all sketched out and ready to paint, but I tackled this one first because it was my favorite. (More posts about the project when I return.)
Up, up, and away!
Next post from the Netherlands!
2012
New Years resolutions stress me out. I just don't like them. Whether it was trying to get organized, exercising more, or eliminating m&ms from my diet, January's well-intentioned resolution often became December's guilt trip. Rather than continuing to fall into an inevitable cycle of December angst, I decided not to make any more annual resolutions.
While I have stuck to my resolution against making resolutions, I do, however, think it's valuable to have goals and high hopes. So this year, I made a list of hopes for 2012. Rather than pressuring myself to be someone I'm not or do something that will make my stomach lurch with guilt come December, I did a little journal doodle about angst-free things for the new year.
And I can say with certainty that the year is looking like a happy and hope-filled one.
Auspicious beginnings
Happy New Year blogville!
I hope everyone had lovely celebrations. I rang in 2012 in Brooklyn with champagne, fireworks, and some of the folks I care for most in this world. I have a good feeling about this one... good things ahead.
In the meantime, I just wanted to share the view outside my studio window on this lovely, chilly evening.
I hope everyone had lovely celebrations. I rang in 2012 in Brooklyn with champagne, fireworks, and some of the folks I care for most in this world. I have a good feeling about this one... good things ahead.
Taken in Prospect Park at midnight.
In the meantime, I just wanted to share the view outside my studio window on this lovely, chilly evening.
Chanukah birdies
Hey there folks!
Another holiday process post about my promo piece. In that first post, I mentioned that I did two new pieces for my holiday promo this year. One was a small piece for the back - Christmas with Coco and Oscar - and the second, a new Chanukah related piece. I deliberately made the Chanukah piece slightly ambiguous. When you look closely, you might have an "aha" moment, but then again, you might not. You might just think it's a pretty spiffy winter-holiday-related painting of some penguins and a flamingo.
As mentioned in that first post, I came up with a vague idea for some holiday penguins, and I ran with them.
Here's a quick run through of the penguins and the beginning painting stages:
(Apologies for the crappy resolution/color balance. I'm having some trouble with my camera, and I neglected to scan the piece in-process. Oops.)
And we're done.
Another holiday process post about my promo piece. In that first post, I mentioned that I did two new pieces for my holiday promo this year. One was a small piece for the back - Christmas with Coco and Oscar - and the second, a new Chanukah related piece. I deliberately made the Chanukah piece slightly ambiguous. When you look closely, you might have an "aha" moment, but then again, you might not. You might just think it's a pretty spiffy winter-holiday-related painting of some penguins and a flamingo.
As mentioned in that first post, I came up with a vague idea for some holiday penguins, and I ran with them.
Here's a quick run through of the penguins and the beginning painting stages:
(Apologies for the crappy resolution/color balance. I'm having some trouble with my camera, and I neglected to scan the piece in-process. Oops.)
Penguins... check.
And we're done.
Sort of.
I actually ended up doing the entire piece over. First, I wasn't super happy with the flamingo. I thought he could be better. Second, I thought my Chanukah birds just might be tooooo ambiguous. Third, I wasn't thrilled about some of the color choices. So I adjusted the sketch and started the whole thing over. Success.
Happy eighth night folks!
Christmas Process
Today I'm going to share a bit of holiday process work.
My first step is always visual brainstorming. This is my favorite part of the process. I try a whole bunch of ideas and see which fits best. My first idea for this little project was a Chanukah Coco & Oscar image.
Nothing really seemed quite right, and I almost abandoned Coco & Oscar in favor of a handful of penguins. (Fear not, I didn't abandon the penguins entirely. They'll make a reappearance in a post next week...)
Until finally I tried combining holidays and came up with this.
And this...
After all of the brainstorming, I prep the final piece. I take my final sketch and do a really loose version on good paper.
I use those loose guides to do a new sketch on the good paper. At this point, I make any necessary adjustments to the characters and composition.
Once I'm happy with the characters, I can start painting.
Until finally...
Merry Christmas!
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