Faerie Day (and Sunday Sketches)

I absolutely adore anything to do with magic, mystical and faeries. I was so excited to read on Victoria's  Pencil and Wing blog that June 24th is Faerie/Faery Day. Over the years I've drawn quite a few faeries. I've picked a few of my favourites to share here, along with a drawing of a Faerie Tree (that looks very simplistic but took a very long time to complete) I'm working on a new one to add to the group for next Tuesday (June 24th). I haven't drawn anything magical in a bit so I'm excited by this.

**Even though these are pics weren't drawn specifically for Sunday Sketches, I've never posted them there so I'm going to include them for this week. Hopefully we can get more people knowing about Faerie Day that way and adding more to the magic.

Full Moon (Sunday Sketches)

A full moon on Friday the 13th... that's gotta be giving off some magik energies. Apparently it's called the "Honey" moon and it won't be seen again for another 35 years. If you are interested in reading a blurb on it click HERE.  I found this pic in my facebook feed from a crystal place that I follow. It doesn't have quite the same impact without colour but it's still kind of cool.

btw...can anyone tell me if they can see a slide show of my art in the "at a glance" section on the upper right side of my blog. It's not showing up for me anymore but it says it's because my security blocks it. If no one can see it though, I might as well take it down. Thanks! (EDIT: I've removed it. It's been gone for a while for me and it's driving me crazy every time I sign onto my blog...thanks Tammie for the the feedback)

Tree WIP (Sunday Sketches)

I've been working on this tree but unfortunately I have to put it away for a bit this afternoon. I do plan on getting back to it tonight but right now real life is interrupting. There is still a lot of detail to add and maybe (most likely) there will be colour.  (The inspiration is on the Art with Mr. E blog)

There is so much gorgeous sunshine outside right now though it's still -14. It's funny how the sun can just make your day. Happy SS

Jump In (Creative Tuesdays)

This year, for me artistically, has been about trying a lot of new things. I'm hoping to join some art communities like Creative Tuesdays so I can experiment, learn from other artists and have time goals to get a sketch done.

This drawing really isn't something I'd normally think to draw. I took the theme "Jump In" and drew something quite literal. My scale is off and I'm not sure if you can tell that the girl has her knees bent when she is jumping but it was fun to try this and realize that if I did take the time and keep trying, this could turn into something more. I've been so focused on using colour lately because I'm desperately craving it with all the white we've been living in for months... it was almost weird just to use a graphite pencil on this.

My hubby and oldest son both like some of the new pics I've done but have asked me when I'm going to start drawing something in my 'real' style. Maybe that's a compliment on my portrait style but I'm having too much fun trying new stuff right now to focus on one type of art. This was a good theme for me because I feel like I am 'jump[ing] in' to all sorts of new and good things.

Zentangles

I was so excited to start this new drawing. I really think that zentangles look so cool and you can make them so colourful. I started this last week, following this YouTube tutorial. This woman is good at what she does. It's funny because the actual face, I think, is supposed to be such a minor part of the drawing with the focus on all the hair details. I'm so used to drawing portrait style that it was really hard for me to put such little effort and no shading into the facial features. I erased it so many times, then realized that no matter what I drew, it really isn't my drawing style and was never going to become what I thought it should be... so I took a deep breath and moved on.

Unfortunately, life does tend to change plans. My oldest son was in a drama festival this past week. Drama being a very accurate word. The stress levels and dramatic disorganization in our lives was through the roof. So of course, I got sick. I didn't actually realize I was getting sick until the day everything was over because honestly, who had time for that. I went to see his show and though I'm normally always freezing, I was so hot that my friend sitting with me said she could feel the heat coming off me. Should have been my first clue, but of course it wasn't until I could barely get out of bed the next day did I realize I had a fever.

So why all this rambling...well I'm not even close to done my picture but I'm just going to add what I've finished already, just to get me back on track with working on my art. I'm hoping now that I'm feeling a little better I can finish it today or tomorrow and get to use my new markers that I bought before all this started.

I Love Snow...

at Christmas. All other times, I'm all about green grass and flowers. beach sand and sunshine.

Now don't get me wrong, I do see the beauty in snow... well fresh snow anyway. To be honest, I think snowflakes are one of the most beautiful and fascinating things I've ever seen. There is actually a study here talking about how different snowflakes are formed. It's interesting but I mostly love looking at the photos...lol.

My kids are home from school today because it's too icy for buses. Seems this year, we've had more 'extreme weather' school cancelations than I remember ever having when I grew up. (and I've lived in Newfoundland and Northern Quebec, where snow is plentiful). Needless to say the boys are thrilled... I'm still working on seeing the bright side here.

Segueing into art now... I've been trying a lot of different styles because I don't want to fall into the rut I got into last year, where I drew nothing for the latter half of the year. So yesterday I decided that I'd try animation. Simple lines and textures...quick, easy and fun, right? Actually, it's a little more work than I realized. It was fun though. Ironically, when I sat down to think of what I wanted to draw, I realized that the two characters that I found most gorgeous in the movies I've seen, were Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians and Elsa from Frozen... the Winter characters....go figure. And yeah, my snowflakes are not even remotely symmetrical...my 7 year old just wanted to make sure I knew that.

FINALLY...

It's been months and months (July 2013) but I finally picked up my pencil yesterday and did, not one, but 2 sketches. Just simple sketches without a lot of details (meaning they took about an hour or so each instead of the regular 5-6) but I'm just so glad that I did something. Even better, I've already started a 3rd one that I'll hopefully finish today. I would like to thank Ginny, from Special Moments in Time, for taking the time and sending me a lovely email when I was feeling very uncreative and down about procrastinating.

**Update- I finished the tree I was drawing. If it looks familiar, it's because I drew it from a craft I found on Pinterest. (where I get a lot of the pictures I draw)  The quality isn't great because it's too large for my scanner and I had to take a photo. Hoping to get it coloured today and posted tomorrow. Hopefully, with something new. From creative block to not wanting to do anything but art...need to find the balance.

Live without Boundaries

I was out shopping today and saw this t-shirt on display with a picture of a road travelling off in the distance and the logo "live without boundaries." I had already paid for my purchase but I had to go back and find the shirt. I loved the colours and honestly the first thing that came to my mind was that it was perfect for my youngest son.  He's 7 and he is mighty. I call him my Force of Nature. There are times he can drive me to absolute exasperation and other times, he's the sweetest and most gentle little person you could meet. I use to say I wish he'd out grow the parts of his personality that wouldn't seem socially ok but then I realized he is resilient, strong and will stand up for himself. Yes sometimes it's still frustrating but I don't want him to change. Oddly enough, no one outside our immediately family has ever really experienced these particular personality traits (thankfully) and his teachers always say they can't see the child I've told them a story about in him at all...lol.

SO, obviously I bought him the shirt...even though it's going to hang on him like a dress. I also decided I wanted to try and draw it, in colour. Unfortunately, the picture is too big for my scanner and apparently my camera sucks. There are actually some lovely blues, greens and purples here, I swear ;) Still, happy I tried it cause it's a picture that I will associate with good feelings. Also, underneath this pic is another I drew a couple years ago of my little Force of Nature, when he was looking up at me from the pool. He was 3 or 4 when I took the photo that I drew from.

Happy Sunday Sketches.

Auction Drawing...check

I haven't drawn for a bit...like 2 plus months. Sucks, but I have no real excuse. I have however spent a tonne of time watching a guy name Leonardo, do all these amazing drawings on his FineArtEbook YouTube Channel. I would love to have the talent this man has, of course it would help if I took more time to draw.

On a good note, the auction I was in back at the beginning of March has ended and someone did bid on me to draw something for them. The picture they chose was not exactly my favourite because it was very dark (both the person and the background) and also her hand is very prominent. I am not very good at drawing hands. So, when she emailed me the picture I kind of put off working on it. Then life got busy and the deadline I promised her started closing in, so I finally sat down yesterday and started on it. I had to stop midway because I wasn't really loving what I was seeing, so I figured I'd take a break. Today I went back to it and things seemed to be flowing better. There are things that probably aren't 100 % to the picture she sent but if I weren't trying to make it look like a specific photo, then I'd be pretty happy with it. I'm hoping the auction winner will be happy with it too. Also, though the hand isn't perfect, it's much better than I had hoped for, so...YAY!

the Green Man... in black and white

Ok, this was a lot of work...lol. As I mentioned before, I ended up erasing it twice before I finally started getting the way I wanted. If I were to do it again I maybe would choose not to worry about symmetrical leaves, cause those babies took a tonne of time (rulers and calculations...gah!) I'm really happy with the overall result though. I'm wondering if I should keep the outer lines of the individual leaves so sharp. I didn't blend them at all because I wanted to make sure the layers were obvious. Should I blend them to soften them some? Thoughts?

Now comes the fun/scary part for me. I've decided to colour this one. Well a copy of it. I just have to decide on coloured pencils, markers or watercolour...or all.

I mentioned in my preview post that there is a local artist, who's work I love, that painted a green man and got me hooked. Her work is beautiful so you should check her out.

Faebyl Art
and on Blogger HERE

Unfortunately my scanner is just a tad smaller than the picture so his antlers got a little chopped.

Yes, I sucketh at resolutions...

So it's the 10th week of the year, which means I should have 10 drawings done. Um, no...this is my 2nd.  My only true excuse is procrastination. I'm gonna keep working on that.

This is a drawing I've done for an auction that a friend asked me to participate in. I don't have all the details but she's a good friend so I was quick to say yes. Plus it was good for me to have a drawing goal with a time limit. Apparently this is a sample that I post and if someone bids on me then I work out something with them and draw what they want. The only requirement for the sample was it had to be related to The Vampire Diaries. My favourite would be Elijah but until the new series starts I think he wouldn't be as popular. So I went for a pic of the actor who plays his brother, Klaus.

The pic with the original photo is unblended and I had to tweak it a bit. I'm happy with the final drawing, though I wish the eyes were a bit more hooded. Not going to change it up anymore though.

first drawing of 2013...yay!!!

I've finally decided on an art goal for this year. One new picture a week. This is doable and the practice will definitely help. I had a slow start in just coming up with a goal, so here we are in the third week of the year and I've only completed one drawing. It's a start though.
Anyway, what I'm happy about with this one is her lips, eye and nose...her face has beauty and character without looking cookie cut out beautiful. I'm most disappointed with her hair (which oddly enough is usually my strong suit). I ended up cropping the drawing because I really didn't like how the hair on her right side was laying. Also, I think the bangs covering her right eye are too heavy so I may rework that a bit. Any tips would be awesome.

Another Actor

Gabriel Macht (from Suits), yes he's quite nice on the eyes but I think the best thing about his face are all the gorgeous laugh lines around his eyes. I had to try and draw him.

2011-

lock/keyhole

I love things that are rustic looking. A friend and I were talking about trying new stuff with our art and also talking about texture, so this kind of fit the bill for me. At first, when I just had the keyhole part done, I thought it was going to be an epic failure. Then once the wood started getting filled in behind, it all started to take shape. So yeah, I kinda like this one.

2010-

Force of Nature

This is my youngest son, looking up at me from in the pool. I think he was maybe 3 in the picture.  He truly is a force of nature. I love how it turned out because I can really tell that it's him. I don't draw people I know much because I find all the mistakes seem more noticeable and I worry that I can't capture the depth of their personality. His mouth looks a little awkward but that's how it is in the picture. I guess he was kind of pursing it.

2010-

Entwined

This is a pic from a German show with a male 'super couple'. Beautiful actors but mostly I loved how comfortable they were with each other. Plus gorgeous men with their hands entwined... hot!

Faerie Tree...

Ok, it doesn't look like much but I gotta say this took forever...and I kind of love it. I think I might end up making the background dark to make it stand out more. (Again...no scanner)

Actors

From May 2010 to Sept 2012, I was honoured to do the web design and upkeep of an unofficial website dedicated to a very humble, talented and kind actor... basically he's just an everyday guy who loves acting. He's amazing to watch and his low sexy laugh just adds to his appeal. Plus because of him I've become friends with some wonderful people I never would have had the opportunity to connect with had I not taken this website on. Anyway, I would randomly come across a pic of him or his castmates that I wanted to draw.

2010- It'd been a long time since I'd drawn anything so my style was all over the place in the beginning.  Three of these pics are from real life, two are in character.

2011-

Castmates 2010-

Castmates 2011-

Faeries and Elves..Love'em

I love anything to do with the land of magik. My new obsession is toadstools, though I'm yet to draw any... keep looking at the blog and I'm sure you'll see them soon enough though.

I drew these 3 faeries in 2010. They are from the original paintings of Jacqueline Collen-Tarrolly (yep that would be Maeve from the tv series Adventures of Sinbad) She's got a tonne of beautiful stuff, go check out her site.

http://www.toadstoolfarm.com/

These are from 2011. Dark Winged Faerie is loosely based on a picture by AGalloway. (Though in the original one isn't a Faerie...I just love adding wings and pointy ears)

This is a little Snow Faerie (details of her origin will be posted when I can find what I saved it under)

These two weren't originally meant to be a set but they ended up looking like they belonged together. The strong female warrior elf is from a picture drawn by Brigid Ashwood. She actually saw my version and wrote me a nice little note. This is another artist worth checking out. I love her stuff.

 http://www.brigidashwood.com/

My version of this isn't as soft and feminine looking as hers but I like the strong warrior look on mine too. So this is Female Warrior Elf and the second drawing is her mate (he's my original)

Night Elf from World of Warcraft. This was a lesson in patience. I love how she turned, out even though I do see so many things I could fix.

This is a male elf. This drawing is from a painting I saw by "heisejinyao". (at least I think that's the spelling) Funny, I showed this to one of my friends and she pointed out the sign on his forehead was for Scorpion...which is both her and my birth sign. Again it's one where I had to take a photo because there was no scanner, so the paper is a little bent.

Parts of the Face

I tend to draw faces a lot so I did a couple of YouTube tutorials...There are some great and helpful artist who are so willing to help on YouTube. These are some of my favourites...

http://www.youtube.com/user/MyaWho
http://www.youtube.com/user/everythingmary
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrianAlanVH
http://www.youtube.com/user/matthew39arch
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sycra

Eyes-

Noses-

Nose/Mouth-

Mouths-