The nape of the neck

Another late night post:

Reclined figure painting

This is it finished. I've come to that point that I know if I add any more to it, I'll ruin it. I'm not 100% in love with this piece. Honestly it looks better in the photograph than in person. But... it's my second finished painting this year. Just gotta tweak the teeth in the squidi painting and that'll make 3. Yay! But for now enjoy this one.

Late night robot girl:

A quick sketch in marker. Hope you like it. I do!

All Souls Day: Post Halloween

Should be celebrated with a dance. Here is one that I do believe was choreographed well and executed beautifully. She will eventually have an encore in full color. Enjoy!

It's been a while, I know.

So I was looking over the old blog recently and noticed that before my last post I skipped a month. I wish I could say that I was working on something awesome, but in reality (as I feel most artists I know) I was actually feeling down to be artistically unemployed for so long. Trudging away in the "real" world for so long starts wearing you down. I feel like I am down to nubs at this point...

Which is why the post. I don't really know you, and you may not even care about me anymore, but here I am to get myself motivated. Even if its something as simple as my competitive edge to get more number of posts this year than last year. Simple, but it can work. I have another painting done. Pictures to go up soon. It's the last one I posted, but with a little more added to it. I'll discuss that one when I put it up. But for today: I went back to figure drawing after, oh I don't know, a year or so of not going. So here are only 2 pages from that session. Not bad, but not great. Gotta keep plugging away. Either way hope you enjoy.

I have been painting

This is based off a tiny sketch that I took from Liam Murray. This is the second pass at the painting. I'm taking a small break from it tonight, to allow myself to contemplate its future and what the final outcome might be. But either way I like how it stands now. I hope you do too.

Painting again... Final version?

I went back to the this old painting which has been sitting on my easel for an eternity. Is it done? I don't know. I'm not fully happy with it, but I'm tired of looking at it. I want to move on, so I'll be putting this away. Let me know what you think, what I can do to bring more... something... to it, so that it can be finished proper.

Birthday toast

It's my birthday, and I made this quick sketch of my midnight birthday toast. Try it, you'll love it!

Maya Animation and the story of heartache...

As you know by now I took a course on Maya essentials. For said course I had to do a 10 to 20 second animation, based off a toy that I choose. I picked the "Gazillion Bubbles Bug" and proceeded to hate every minute of staring at him and my screen to get even half of his details right, while learning the program. I screamed, I cried, I bitched at the screen, program, on FB and to my husband. BUt I got not only a decent resemblance of the toy, but also a 15 second animation out of it. Just for point of reference on how... hopeful... naive... enthusiastic... and over-acheiving I was at the beginning of class, I am also going to show you the original story boards for what I had conceved as the animation I was going to do.

But first the Animation:

And now my SB's:

Melting Man

I guess this pic has something to do with the over 100 degree weather we had today, but also cause I felt a little drained right now as well. I feel like it looks a little like a Picasso, but I can't remember which... The Guitar player perhaps? Let me know. Either way, another quick sketch on the computer. I think I may get to liking this drawing on the computer thing after all. I can "undo" "markers" which is great. Maybe I'll finally splurge and get Corel Painter, but we'll see. Hope you like.

"Concept art"

This is for my project in Maya. Basically it means I got to draw in Sketchbook Pro a couple of cute little trees and color them in Photoshop (cause my Painter "demo" expired). After cursing Photoshop for an hour I remembered everything I needed to do and I like the way it ended up. Hope you do too!

Antique Figure Drawing 2

Blues and Browns...

That is what I called these when I scanned them in. I was working with 2 Copic markers that are dying and another japanese brush marker that was a mustardy yellow brown. I look at these and I know I still have a lot to learn. I still cheat (which I know all artists do a bit, well actually all humans do it, without it we wouldn't be able to recognize different styles of tables that we encounter, but that is another story) but I shouldn't cheat when I have the figure in front of me. I should just draw what I see. That is the hardest thing to do. Anyway I hope you enjoy these. Finally started playing with the cintiq at home, so maybe I'll have something half-way descent to show you soon. Sorry for the long absence.

Flickr and then some

So I've been looking into getting myself a new camera. Mostly for Stop Motion, but also for regular photographs. I have a friend who has been quite encouraging with said goal, to the point of lending me his (quite out of my price range, but only if I DON'T win the lotto) camera. With that and my old one I have been putting up a lot of pictures up on Flickr. I had actually opened that account a while ago, but now I'm finally putting it to good use. I'm not sure if I want to use it to showcase my other art, that's why so far it's just my photographs. The good news about all this is that it's been helping my eye in framing. I feel like now I can get a better idea of framing any of my shorts so that they don't look too much like a stage play with wireless puppets and more like an engaging narration. That, I think, is sometimes the hardest thing to learn. The camera is a narration tool, and using it wisely can make or break your story. With that in mind I'm also taking a course in Maya (finally right!), which I know is like going over to the dark side for stop-mo. But basically I want to be able to use my skills in the widest range of mediums to better the animation. Ultimately that is what we all want right? To be better animators or artist or whatever it is that you do and want to be good at. I guess I just take a more wholistic approach which also usually means a longer more round about road. Now without further ado here is a sample of my photos as well as the link to see my Flickr gallery.

Roller Derby Queen

I have an old photograph of when I won (with my team) the season championships of my derby league. I was thinking about it this morning and it blended in with an image of FLCL. So I sat and drew this image instead. Yes I cheated by only drawing one arm. And yes the skates are off. But regardless I really like the way it has turned out. Hope you like it too.

"Weekend" sketches

I did these two over the last 2 days, but didn't get a chance to put them up until now. Found an old ziplock bag filled with markers and I'm trying to keep myself limited to just what's in there. Sometimes placing limits frees you up more than having all the freedom in the world. Don't you think?

Sherlock Holmes

I got you with that title didn't I. Well I saw one of the "new" BBC mini-series of Sherlock Holmes. A scene in that show inspired this... design. It's abstract, and colorful, and a bit random. But a drawing a day needn't be figurative all the time right? Just fill the page and enjoy making marks. If later on it inspires something more thought out, even better. Just be free.

Friday the 13th

Not really inspired by the day yet. Still just trying to wake up. Maybe if blogger gets going again you'll see this and enjoy.

A new sketchbook

And new sketches to go with it. There are 68 pages in it. I will not use the first or last page. So that leaves 66 pages front and back. 132 drawings to fill the book. That's about 4 months of drawings to fill the book, with one drawing every day. Here's to hoping, and finishing another book. Fingers crossed.

An old GIANT puppet that I found

photos of and I helped to build. The client eventually changed their mind and they had to redo the entire thing. But it was fun to help build and set up. I even have a funny story about it. I got a bruise on my thumb from all the cardboard I had to cut to help build it. The scissors I used had a really hard, non-ergonomic handle, that put repeated pressure on my thumb. When I asked the pharmacist if an arthritis finger pressure wrap would help, so that I could continue cutting on day two, she asked if I got the bruised thumb from texting. Ah, to still look so young!

Anyway, enjoy the photos as they show some of the fun we had in building and setting it up for shooting.

So this is how he stood at the end of the day, with the "3D" cardboard words the were going to be stop-frame animated with us as the "models". See those shingles. Hand cut, stapled and glued cardboard and fabric, made by yours truly.

First photo of the yeti being changed. They didn't like the shingles. Bah humbug.
as he stood after the "de-shingling". Cute right?
His arms are too long. Sorry yeti, need to amputate those arms.

His final phase. Framed by the paper set, with tissue water and ice. And here are the final clips:

Movistar Patinaje, Movistar Flamenco, and Movistar Cueva.

Remember me?

I started this puppet head over a year ago. She was meant for a body that had been made as practice and had sat forgotten. When I tried to put them together... they didn't work. So she sat aside forgotten as well. Today I started working on the torso figure, recently acquired, and saw her once again. I have decided to use her for lip-synch and facial expressions. So a proportional bust was made, and the third bobble on the back of her head removed. She should be closer to use, possibly tomorrow or soon after.

About the torso, a couple of technical issues have arisen. I will take tonight to think them over and start tackling her once I've figured them out.

I also noticed that I have no male puppets. I think I may need to correct that soon enough.

Either way, enjoy.

What you see in front of you:

Is madness! But also my next project. I was at Micheal's picking up paper for a framing project and I saw this pre-made form. Instantly I had an idea how she would move, the possibilities of the world she'd inhabit, and I knew I'd have to take her home. So tonight and tomorrow, I will give her arms, legs, and a more solid personality. And soon... soon you will see her LIVE!

Weird drawing of the day

Hadn't drawn in a while. Been doing a lot of knitting and writing, and thinking lately. So I decided that I needed to put some pencil to paper. I tried to leave my wrist and arm loose, let the lines dictate the form and figure. Play with the palominos some, their ability to make good markings are an inspiration all alone. May continue with other similar figures on this page throughout the rest of the day, but work with my WC pencils instead. Let's put some color on this baby! Either way, hope you enjoy.

Antique Figure Drawing

So I was looking through some old sketchbooks as I try to continue keeping my workspace organized and I found these old figure drawings that I had meant to scan but I never did. To be honest it is a lot of them, so I will only be placing a couple on today. And actually anytime that I don't have another update for whatever project I happen to be working on I will continue to do so as well. The first set are some pen and ink stuff, that i liked the way they came out.

Enjoy:

PS: an old friend of mine also reminded me of a throw down challenge I had given him on FB late last summer, but we both got to busy with other stuff to do it. It is the redesign of a couple of DC characters that we love that will be voted upon by our peers. I will be posting those up here as well, so be sure to check in and vote soon.

End of Phase 1

So I took one during and one "end of phase one" picture of the painting. I'm sure it won't look any different to you, or at least that much, but the first part to finishing this painting for me was getting away from the watered down paint layer. The colors are brighter and more solid. Next phase will be to bring in the detail work on the skull and squid. I mostly chose this image because I wanted to work with color and swirls. Yeah I know that sounds weird, but I like the feel of the brush as it swirls... it flows for me. And skulls are cool. Give me a day or two and I will have more "behind the scenes" of this painting.

Enjoy!

PS the color will be weird on these photographs because I am using a special truColor light to help me paint, but it reflects of the white skull during photography. For the final photo I will be sure to correct that, but for now, it's all good.

At home with paints

This is my home studio now more organized, swept and ready to go. Just thought I'd give you an idea of where I work, since I showed you my traveling studio in Ireland. Today I start the painting. Wish me luck!

Next!

This painting I started a couple of years ago in Ireland. I got frustrated half way through it because I had purchased a cheap beginners acrylic paint set and the colors kept washing out. Basically not enough pigment in the tube. So I brought it home with the hopes of finishing it here in NY, but it never happened. I just placed it on my easel and ignored it.

Today I am setting up my work space (which a while ago became more of a cluttered storage space than an art space), so that I may finish it. I will be painting again, and building again, and animating again. I vow to no longer ignore this art of mine. I think it was the drive to digital that did it for me. I LOVE the smell, feel, and touch of paint and pencils and paper and canvas. I love ending the day covered in plaster, or paint, or glue, or with tiny little cuts from xacto knives (well maybe not the cuts, but glue gun burns, how I laugh at thee!). I am physical! That is why I couldn't finish my computer animation courses. I didn't want to do my art in only the theoretical sphere of virtual images. Where the only proof of a long day at work, was sore eyes, sore neck and back, and a wider derrière. Where walking down the street people know you only by the slumped walk and the hollow eyes of a computer nerd....

But I digress. I know it's not like that. And with Cyntiqs and faster and better computers, well I can see how much faster and better it can be. But you can't take away the joy I get from walking into an oil studio and smelling the paint and turpentine. And so I paint. And build. And continue to animate in the physical realm. That is my joy, and hopefully it's partly yours too.

Don't worry boys and girls, more to come very soon. Until then, go get dirty and have fun doing it!