Day 10: A Spider, a Cat and a Baby (or Bad Movie Titles 101)

I really hate spiders, so I'm not really sure why I decided on a spider for this drawing. I think I have a hidden self-loathing, because the reference photos I used freaked me out. Actually drawing the spider didn't bother me as much (I figure I can burn the drawing later). So here she is:

A drawing of my Pember. She passed away a few years ago. Today she's here to haunt people in this drawing:

Here is the baby I started yesterday. I'll probably finish the drawing by colouring it at a later date.

I'm pretty much a zombie now. I'm heading to bed before I eat someone's brains.

Day 9.5: A Quick Sketch

I'm not quite happy with this drawing. It's the one I'll be using for my bi-weekly illustration
The fly is a bit too big and could be a bit more squat. I'd like to create more of a
background for this, and change the positions of the characters. Also more detail overall
would be nice.

I did do a sketch of a baby today. I was planning to put it into illustrator, and ink and colour it.
I just ran out of time for today, so I shall have to work on it tomorrow. Que Sera, Sera.

Day 8: End of Week 1 + 1 Day

I haven't been able to get to the computer over the last few days, but I thought now would be a good time to give a summary of what's going on for me right now.
Here are my last two drawings:

The latter is really a part of week 2. The former I plan on finishing in colour sometime in the future. Here is a collection of all the sketches I did from this past week:

I will be posting some skeches tomorrow for the bi-weekly illustration I'm working on. I'm going to switch up my sketches so they reflect my illustration style rather than just sketches from things around me. I'll be using more photos for references, and my drawings will be more like my illustrations. I think I'll be working against myself if I don't make this change now. I have a lot of things to think about, so I'm going to call it a night.

Day 5: A Litte Bit of Colour

I wanted to try a little colour in today's sketch. I chose both the right and wrong time to do it. I was all set up, ready to go around 2:30pm, but I had all these silly little distractions. They were stupid little things, really. I needed to set up an appointment for the vet, because Toby (my cat) keeps limping on and off. I couldn't find my tubes of watercolour, so I had to use the colours dried on my pallet (So much for yellow!).  In a blink of an eye I realized that it was getting late and I was losing my light source (It was 4..ish? when I finally started, which actually was better than last night!). I started out light when it was still bright out, and started using darker, more saturated colours as I moved on. I stopped when my cat decided I had spent enough time in front of the window, so I had to get out of her way, or let her drink my paint water. I'm far from mastering water colours but I had fun!  Here's the result:

I've always found working with watercolours much like owning a cat. You can't really train them to do what you want: they do what They want, and You have to conform to their needs. If you tell them what to do, they'll tell you in their own way to get bent, and go right ahead and do whatever it was they had planned to do in the first place -- as if you never existed. Even if you think you've figured them out they will come back and surprise you... sometimes in very unpleasant ways.

Day 4: The Accidental on Purpose Self Portrait

I decided to do a Self-Portrait today because I couldn't think of anything else to draw that didn't make want to gag. I've always preferred to draw organic things. Still life drawings always kill me, so does drawing anything with strait lines. I know, I know, I'll have to force myself to draw these things to be a great artist. I think I'll try it tomorrow, or the next day... perhaps the day after that...

It's not a particularly wonderful drawing, but I had fun playing with the textures. If I did it again I could do better, but I'll wait awhile before trying it again. For now I'm off to make supper. Also I need to do something about my cat... she wont quit whining.

Day 3: Things are Already Going Wrong

On my third day things are already going awry! I decided to draw a glass, and the glass refused to be drawn. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I spent an ample amount of time on it, so I'm letting it go. This glass will have to be drawn on a different day, after it's decided not to be so difficult.

Day 2: Don't Laugh at Me (Unless I'm Funny)

So it's day two and I'm finding out how out of practice I really am. Sure, I've done the occasional drawing and started a few paintings, but I haven't been serious about art since... forever. It use to be a lot easier for me, this drawing thing. My faces actually looked like faces and not... well various other parts of the human anatomy.  I did find that it's easier sketching a sleeping cat than a sleeping husband.

I think I should clarify something about my Illustrations. The Illustrations I plan to do will be for children's books and magazines. Maybe I'm trying to recapture some part of my youth, maybe I want to be lazy and not draw to my potential, or maybe I think that children's illustration can be one of the highest forms of art. In any case: If you think children's illustration is inferior to other forms of art, then this is the wrong blog for you.

I don't mind posting every sketch I do, but I'm not sure if this website will take all the artistic wonder I will be bestowing upon it. Every week or so I'll be posting my sketches in a single image, so this blog doesn't become too cluttered. I will be working the better sketches into my blog, also I will be including drafts of my drawings as they progress. I have an idea, so I'm hoping to get some sketches ready to share.