Doodle Plate: Summer Briefs '14 entry

I entered this for a competition by Doodle Plate. I enjoyed getting the paints out and mixing all the colours! Inspired greatly by Shaun Tan, these quirky creatures sit on a hill during sun set. Keeping busy over summer!

Digital Illustration

Currently, I am teaching myself Illustrator. I am working on a character called Sharona Moon for one of my comic stories. All I am using is the Pen tool and Brush tool and I so excited already!! I love flat bold colours anyway. I could take these further and screen print them too...hmmmmm.

That's what I am working on at the moment during that month of my summer holiday!

Character sheet for 'Wind Spirit child'

digital illustration of a Wind Spirit child

Looks cool doesn't it?

For the past year, I have been working on an 'indie fantasy role playing game' with some friends from South Bank University and Wimbeldon College of Arts. I am in charge of character design so I made a test for a character using Photoshop so that another guy in our group can model it in 3ds max! This was my first time filling in my drawing with digital colour. I think next time I will try Illustrator (less pixelation). Other than that I think she looks beaut! 

The character is a child of the Wind Spirit. She can fly and manipulate the wind (totes fantasy derivative). In this alternate world, it is common to have 'children of the...' Wind Spirit, Fire Spirit, Earth Spirit...etc. It just means they possess the attributes of that spirit. And they get to wear a funky outfit!

To paint/colour in digitally is just like physical colouring in and drawing. For me, the more I work at it and practice, the more control I have over the stylus. Painting by hand would have been way quicker for me and I would physically have an original artwork but don't they say it's all about trying out new things?

Watercolour practice

I am trying to work out how I am going to render my manga comic series. I am thinking for the cover I could use watercolour and print it in full colour, and then for the inner pages they will simply be black and white pen drawings with grey pen for variation? 

Ideabook

I've started this new thing called an 'ideabook' where in this book I draw out ideas and sketches from my imagination. I already do a lot of drawing from observation so I need to balance the two. Plus, I want to work on my ideas and to strengthen them by practicing and training my mind to conjure up thoughts and ideas - hence: 'ideabook'.

So far there are mostly sketches of a new manga series idea of Wizard apprentices...

manga series

A manga series  I am working on. I hope to get the first few chapters down and printed this summer ^_^

These girls are in their battle outfits! Think X-men Evolution meets Tokyo Mew Mew.

Jasmine Ayres Grace

Just Flying About

I have been working on a story/manga/comic for some years now I am slowly bringing the characters and story to life. 

I love drawing these types of wings! 

Girl at Cafe

Girl at Cafe

Well, hello there blog. It's been a while. The summer is in rotation and here is a drawing simple inspired by my friend's hair.

How is Your Watermelon Going?

I don't think so, but is this Graphic Design?

I am intrigued by digital illustration, in particular using playing with vectors in Illustrator and Photoshop. If played with, there is an attractive slickness and powerful simpleness to the it. I question whether this could be classed as anything, be it Illustration or Graphic Design because I am not trying to communicate or solve a problem through this image. I have done this because I wanted to practice using my graphics tablet. I am unsure of where the idea for a watermelon came from. Although, I was envisioning this working as a Logo of some kind. And, I do know that the reason for the heart is as a solution to not being able to find a suitable font.

Fine Liner Pen Drawings

Morgan, and then she moved...

Watching TV in Jeremy's room

Ben

I like to draw people in the context of a location, and so I started with my friends.

When the Sicilians Came to Town

On Their Last Day

I moved up to London for University in September and I met some interesting people from Sicily who were staying for a couple of weeks. In the time they were there I learnt how to play Guitar Hero and how to greet one another in Italian!

What a beautiful drawing this is!

Enchantrum of a Place

I started it a couple of weeks ago, sat in the boot of my grandparents car (as all my horrible sisters and one of their boyfriends occupied the back seats). We drove through Bear Cross and I saw this quaint house tucked behind an archway of foliage. Instantly I knew it had to be drawn! I used good ol' Crayola crayons too.

Another drawing from the series of sketches in my A5 sketchbook that has just been completed! I have just moved to London into university halls of residence two days ago, and have no scanner. But! No fear as there are these funky tables in the common room that I have used to take aphotograph.

Sleeping in the Snow

I started seeing dots by the time I finished this! 

Owl Are You?

This was my first attempt on Paint with the Bamboo Tablet. It looks raw and unrefined but it got me hooked! And I tried to be funny by adding a pun.

Recreating Designs in Paint. Looking good eh?

Digital Illustration of the chipmunks on my socks

What is going on with my laptop?! I tried Internet Explorer and had to install Firefox to get this upload working in the end as Google Chrome refused to work for me.

Nevertheless, here is something new I have been trying out. I've been playing on my Bamboo Graphics Tablet and recreated the patterns on my socks! I wish I could say thought of it all myself but I just copied it. Sometime soon I will create my own!

Digital Illustration of my funky fruit earrings using Paint

In the Summer Where We Spent Those Many Happy of Days

More info to come! Or is there...

Spirited House Upon the Hill

Coloured pencil magic

I drew this one either on the way to Newquay or whilst I was there. I love it, I think its so cute and it reminds me a lot of the house Chihiro and her family  move to at the beginning of Spirited Away.

'The Cheer of Happiness' - Relief Printing

On Tuesday this week I went to a relief printing workshop at The Arlington Arts Cafe in Bournemouth. I had the idea of a jumping Chinese girl in a traditional outfit because this weeks topic on Illustration Friday is 'Bounce' and I was inspired by towels draped in my bathroom. 

I just need to decide which one to submit....I think the bottom print does POP adding that bit more.

Lonely

My Illustration 'Lonely' A6 Black Fine Liner Pen

Woop Woop! My first submission to Illustration Friday (IF) for the topic this week 'Lonely'. A few weeks back I discovered the site and last week I did make a drawing (a really cool one too) but was too late. So, this week I was like 'I'm gonna do this!'

I chose pen, partly because I haven't used that material in a while and I was inspired by other illustrations I'd seen.    

I decided on communicating loneliness through using two people and their relationship by using the space on the page. I decided on a girl and boy, placed on opposite pages (in my A6 sketchbook I often use when out-and-about, it was handy) separated by a Cherry Blossom tree and staring into the background of empty space. The tree growing with the gutter of the page suggests the two figures are connected but separated at the same time. Romantic and Poetic. A silent image that slows down time within the picture. Do the couple know one another?  Why are they lonely? Is it their past that connects them, or their future?

If I did not have 7 minutes till the deadline I would have scanned in and finished the illustration off in Photoshop. This time I had to make do with taking a photo and using Paint!! (Hehe, Good Ol' Paint.)

Lizzie Heath

Summer Photography: In commemoration of the new August month!

I think these are (extremely) pretty cool (and lovely).

Non digital enhancement whatsoever, all completely oh-na-tu-ral. I love the filter and texture effects. These photos were taken in-the-moment whilst sat in the paddling pool on a summery day. The reflections in the water.

A Really Sweet Digi Print

Digital Illustration using Brush and Bamboo

Drawing in sketchbook

My Cousin visited and I saw she was wearing the most beautifully cute top I ever did saw. The block pastel colours and shaped fruit design, and fabric used all were heaven to my eyes. When I asked her where she bought I top from, she told me the 'Strawberry' shop in America. One day I shall go to America!!

So instead I made a drawing of her top and used my Bamboo tablet (for the first time!) to create a digital pattern through Photoshop. I would have used the pen tool but sadly I only have Photoshop Elements, which I can't seem to locate it on. Thus, leading me to using the bamboo.

'We're in the Garden'

It's a little something I did for my Nanny's 70th birthday! Well, I made the sign and bought the flowerpot. When I go round their house we often are in the garden doing odd jobs. I hope she likes it!

Work In Progress

A photo during the making of this fine beauty. I created this piece in sections; I myself was unsure of how it would finally look but filled it in from one magical bridge to farmland cottage.

'Idyllic View Over Farmland and Town of Beautswano'

'Idyllic View Over Farmland and Town of Beautswanoa'; Soft pastel; 28.1cm x 20.4cm; 2012

I finished this little lassie today; my first artwork of the summer!

I bought some soft pastles at the start of summer and decided I would give them a go and created another artwork bringing to life a part of my enchanting Travel Lands magical world!

Magical Bridge Over Stream

Watch this space!

I am working on a magical drawing as we read this. I intend to add my first-artwork-made-this-summer once it is completed.

'...And Then she Looked Down Upon her Whimsical Wim-Bous Forever into the Eternal Surreal'

Mixed media on canvas 122cm x 156cm

Here she is!! Finally they have come back home with me.

The artwork above is one of mine which I produced for my Fine Art A-level (A2) course back in 2011.

Description:

'I began the process of working towards this canvas painting with the desire to combine my passion for both Illustration and Fine Art, and my interests into the imagination and surreal, and that which is beautiful and magical. On this canvas I painted these characters which I have created through my imagination, drawing inspiration from the natural world, bringing life and an emotive connection between them and me, and possible even to viewers. 

In the canvas are my Whimsial Wim-bou characters on the right, top: The elderly Whimsical Wim-Grandes, middle: baby Whimsical Wim-bou, and bottom: the parental Whimsical Wims, and on the left is my ethereal mermaid/bird/female creature who watches over them in their psychedelic world.

The Wim-bous were inspired by (fuschia plants) flowers and my ethereal Goddess by creating my own children's flip-book, morphing parts of birds, shells and a female figure together.'