A Day in The Studio

There is little more I love than waking up grabbing some warm coffee and heading down stairs to my unfinished basement studio. Normally I work upstairs at the kitchen table. I sketch and digitally color items on my laptop. However, today I wandered downstairs to conquer my fear of painting. It's similar to writers block, only it's painters block. You see I've been invited to participate in an event at a local gallery and I have to have a painting on a 5 x 7 canvas by September. Well most of my work is done digitally and I wasn't able to locate a printer who would print on 5 x 7 canvas. So I freaked out for about two days, not wanting to pass up such an opportunity. I woke up this morning and knew it was time I face my fear. What exactly am I so afraid of? Well, I've though a bit about it and I think I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to translate the digital illustration to acrylics. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get the shading right, or the background colors correct. Even putting the pencil to canvas is intimidating. I guess it's so intimidating because it all seems so final. There's little wiggle room. However, when I do things digitally all I have to do is trash the current layer and move onto the next. At least that's the way I perceived it. So I pulled out four canvases and focused on getting my backgrounds down. I was surprised with how similar acrylic is to watercolor as far as washes go. Then I picked out my digital illustrations and went for it. These are the results. You can see both the acrylic version and the digital version that inspired the acrylic. These prints and originals are available in my shop: http://GumballGrenade.com

Oh and I did have a little helper, BoBo, who needs some credit for managing the cheap paper towel situation. I'm only allowed to have a paper towel if I'm willing to fight for it:

Illustration Friday: Foggy

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is "Foggy." So I thought the new illustrations I've done may fit in. I've been working to give some of my illustrations a darker, older, worn feel. Similar to the antique style photographs, ttv photographs, and old movies. So here is my submission called "Three Circle the Moon"

"All Hallows Eve is coming soon.
Ushered by three circling the moon!"

Here is another one done in a similar style called "I wait on Every Word":

A bit About the Whale...

You know I have this problem of creating one or maybe two related scenes, but after that I'm stuck! I'm fully aware that there needs to be a total of three to make a series complete (at least for me). I am now on a mission to make sure that there are at least three of a particular theme available in my shop. So can I just say how happy I was to complete the first set of three illustrations featuring the whale / nautical theme! I was so very close to not finishing this series out due to my discovery of an amazing artist (I promise I share more later when I'm in a better mood), who absolutely captures what I want to capture about childhood. Only he captures it in on a slightly different level. So self doubt came in to play, but I overcame it and was able to finish these out on the Fourth of July!

Did you know that the whale is a symbol of creativity and intuition? It's purely unintentional, but oh how my love for the whale has increased ten fold:

I just completed these! And they match this "Whale of a Wish Illustration" :

A bit about Love...

I have to say with all of the amazing artists out there a day can easily be spent, not wasted, on viewing incredible works. However, I've managed to stay somewhat productive! Here's the latest love themed illustration. I think one of the most thrilling parts of love is the anticipation of what's to come. The top is a digital version of my "Come Back to Me" illustration. The bottom one is called "I Wait On Every Word." Both are a vailable in my Etsy Shop: GumballGrenade

Made lots of stuff today!

I'm really surprised because I spent the morning digging up soppy, muddy, sod! All of my neighbors are putting in their yards and are over watering like crazy! I have a bog in my back yard. Seamus Heaney could write something fierce about it! But I digress, in the end I was able to post these lovely items in my two shops.

First up, an original illustration called "Come Back to Me." I haven't posted any originals from my soul series in my shop. So this will be the first of it's kind available!

Second, these two blank journals / notebooks that I silk screened with some of my watercolor designs. For those of you who only know about my illustration shop I also have a shop, Alternatebliss, where I list some fine silver work and now these lovelies!

A Touch of Creepy!

"All Hallows Eve is coming soon.
Ushered by three circling the moon!"

This was a project that brewed for a while. I had the sketch partially developed with the fox and little boy, but I couldn't figure out what they were looking at. So bats entered the picture and then a trick or treat boo bucket. Then the question of how to stylize it. Finally, and with a touch from inspiring sources, it became a Halloween illustration! I'm struggling right now with my focus being split between the themes of Love and Halloween. I can't help it. I'm drawn to them both. So the illustration below turned out to have a darker, yet still lighthearted, feel to it.

A Few Images on Love...

I developed a couple of illustrations over the weekend. I made this first one "I Bring Only This." I think young love can often be the sweetest. Who can resist the delightfully charming idea of there being a perfect soulmate out there for everybody. I even made two versions of it. I think I prefer the the yellowish background. It seems to change things up a bit from the background I've so loved in the past.

And then this one..."Moon Painter"

I came up with the idea for this one in the middle of the night. I am not detailed enough to sleep with a notebook next to my bed, as I've heard this helps to write down ideas that happen in the middle of the night. Really, I feel like I stay in a half sleep most of the time, never really falling into the deep sleep that I so love. Anyway, the next morning while I drank my coffee I was grateful that I was able to remember it!

Mmmm Cuff Links!

Wouldn't these bee the perfect gift for a loved one! I love these. I can just imagine how they would adorne the wrists of a great love. So symbolic. Made by esty artisan: BirdznBees

Intrigued...

By all things that represent love. Perhaps it's a loss, or maybe a gain. Either way it draws me to it. So I feel like I need to post this as a symbol:

Thomas Moore An Argument

I've oft been told by learned friars,
That wishing and the crime are one,
And Heaven punishes desires
As much as if the deed were done.

If wishing damns us, you and I
Are damned to all our heart's content;
Come, then, at least we may enjoy
Some pleasure for our punishment!

Illustration Friday "Baby"

It has been quite a while since I last participated in Illustration Friday. This morning I decided to pop on over and see what was happening. Yay! I have submissions! So these were both created this week. They are both custom orders for client's that had some wonderful requests.


"A Discovery" These two little ones have discovered a baby bird (to symbolize a baby named Kennedy). They are so caught up in their new discovery that they have failed to notice that they too have been discovered! This is a print of one of my original illustrations which has been digitally colored.

Here's a sketch of a little boy being held up by his diaper by a Thoroughbred horse. He's accompanied by two dogs, a cat, and two miniature ponies. A possible name "Boone's Buddies." This is a custom order in progress.

For Boone and his curious playmates!

New work in progress featuring a little one, two dogs, a cat, two miniature ponys and a thoroughbred (who is doing most of the work)! Making the colors balance on this was such a challenge so some shifting of characters had to take place for the final product. For Tucknzoe.

A Tall Tale of Three

Who can resist such an adorable combination! A zebra, elephant, and monkey. For msvintage

New Items in the Works!

This week has been crazy busy! Sometimes it just feels good to avoid everything and immerse yourself into making stuff. So this week I've been obsessed with silkscreening. I'm constantly looking at blank objects wondering "I wonder if I could silkscreen that?" If it's plain it's game. Plain journals, plain boxes, plain coffee mugs, plain jars, plain plates, plain face...a moustache perhaps!

New Illustrations in the works!

Here are three that I worked on last night. They are still in progress, but I plan on having them all finished up for next Monday!

Normally I only depict one or two little soul characters in my illustrations, but you'll notice the one on the your far right depicts three little boys sitting atop a kindly whale. This came about when a customer contacted me and asked if I had any illustrations with three little boys. Immediately I was taken back to my childhood. When I was a child our family befriended a family that had three little boys. I remember them moving in across the street. I thought it so weird that a little boy, gazing over the back gate, was wearing a hooded coat in the middle of summer! I went over and inquired, "Why are you wearing your coat. It's too hot for a coat."

He replied, "Because I have no hair!"

I had to inquire further, "Why don't you have hair?"

"Because I got a hair cut!" It turned out that he wouldn't sit still while his mom was giving him a hair cut. He wiggled about too much and finally his mom gave up and just gave him a very close buzz cut.

They were the most fun and the most trouble at the same time! We loved going to their house to play wildly as our moms visited about recent events over a cup of coffee. So cheers to childhood mischief!

Firsts - Wonder Woman

If you were to ask me who my first hero ever was I would honestly have to say Wonder Woman. So I decided to post this treasury as a sort of homage to the lovely WW.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=9850