IF:Beginner

Beginner's Guide to Middle School. At least that what you think of with the book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". I watched the movie and it got me thinking about characters.

The sketches above are some of the characters I drew to depict a variety of personalities and ethnicities in Middle School.

Life has been hectic, so I hope to get it in color sometime before the summer. In the mean time, your comments and suggestions are welcome!

I'll be making an exciting announcement in the next coming weeks, so stay tuned!

IF: MODIFY

I was so excited about this week's word because it applied to my current project. You could say it also applied to my last posted illustration with the robot too, since that one was an old sketch I modified. This week, I am doing another one of those 'before' and 'after' pictures. The before is actually a rework of a previous IF prompt 'rambunctious'. I liked the idea, but was never quite happy with the end result. It was time to MODIFY the old one and play around with composition, line, color and well...see for yourself. I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Hope you have a great week and don't forget to check out my contest.

BEFORE: (Acrylics on watercolor paper)

AFTER: (Pencil colored with Photoshop)

WIN A KID'S NECKLACE CONTEST

It’s been a while since I had a contest on my blog, and I thought it was time to have some fun!

What will you win?

The necklace on the picture! It is from a new line of custom beaded necklaces that I have on my Etsy shop. It is made with polymer, stones, and Swarovski crystal beads. I realize the prize is very specific to little girls, but even if you don’t have kids, consider entering… your niece, or cousin or friend’s daughter may appreciate receiving a gift from you. No one has to know you won it!

What do I have to do?

This is a simple contest; All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (make sure I have a way to contact you in case you win). If you want more chances to win, you may 'follow my blog' or ‘heart’ my store on Etsy. The contest will end at midnight on Friday August 14^th. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post on Monday August 17^th. Good Luck!

Finished Illustration Rambunctious Children

I finally finished this one! I went back to acrylics this time. This scene had more characters and more elements, so it definitely gave me more to think about. Without adding all of the countless interruptions...I spent about 12 hours on this. I know it is a lot of time, but I didn't want to rush. I really liked how it came out. The actual size is 10"x15". I think I will add it to my portfolio.

I am off this weekend with my family, so once again my creative time is limited... but I can't complaint!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Oh, this is my latest addition to my ETSY store:

IF: Similar

These kids are dressed similar as they prepare for Santa's arrival.

I'm not sure if I still have time to get this illo printed for my x-mas cards, but I will try!

I still need to add some text to it. I'll repost the finished piece at a later time!

If you would like to participate in my giveaway scroll down 2 posts below for instructions.

Sketch :: Kids Running

This is a work in progress. I am not sure yet if I will paint it or not.  As I look at my portfolio I see that I may need more 'action' pieces, and this may be one that I include. I also need some adults. I'm realizing that most of my work is children... I guess I just love children!

I have one character study, but that may be the next thing I tackle ... a character study of an animal...maybe...

I've had a ton of ideas and not enough time! I've been writing my ideas down, not even having the time to sketch them. I guess it's better to have ideas, than to be wondering what to do next, right?

Illustration Friday: Strings

This week I'm submitting a quick black and white sketch with gouache for illustration Friday. I have been on the road a lot and away from my studio, so I've only had time for sketches or graphite work. I miss my paints, but I really enjoy pencils.

This little girl was inspired by my oldest daughter. 

Illustration Friday: CANNED

SUMMER IN COLOR

I have one season left to finish. I hope to post it in the next week or so. I am really enjoying these cards. 

I just became an aunt last week! so I will be busy with family this week and won't be posting as much.  Thanks for your input.

FALL IN COLOR

I completed this one today! I am pleased with the outcome. I am looking forward to finishing the last two seasons! 

sketches and spot illustrations of children

I took my son to the playground yesterday and was very inspired by all the kids that were there. I made a few sketches and then turned some of them to color and timed myself just for practice. I was pleased with the outcome.

Sketches

This one is from a couple of weeks ago at gymnastics

Girl with teddy and blanket. Acrylics and ink (under 1 hour)

This little girl was just adorable!

Sad Girl. Color pencils and ink. (about 1 hour)

IF: Worry - Color Version

So I thought I would be taking a break from illustration this week, but after reading so many blogs and web sites... one of them Dani Draws and finding a ton of very useful information there, I had to get back to my studio. By the way, Dani's site has great tips for illustrators and artists. Check it out if you haven't already. His work is amazing!

So this morning I set out to try something a little different with my technique. I used acrylics, colored pencils and ink.

I used the sketch from an older post for IF.  This one took me 2.5 hours. Once I scanned it, I muted the colors a little to help the mood.

Illustration Friday : Worry

This is my first post for illustration friday and the theme is ‘worry’. I am a little late on posting it, because I just joined the group today. Since I am trying to enter the realm of children’s books and I need to get proficient at drawing children in a stylized manner, I sketched this little guy. His biggest worry in life at the moment is his broken toy. (Boy, if life was that simple, right?) I’m not sure if his expression is more sad than worried. I was having a hard time with that…anyone has any suggestions?
I may try to do this one in gouache since I haven’t used gouache in years.
I really welcome your feedback and comments.

I’m finally blogging!

As one of my birthday (tomorrow) resolutions, I decided to join the world of artists, designers, illustrators and other creative minds that blog.

Since this is my first post, I thought I would introduce you to my family! Theo, my adoring husband who supports me in every way, and my children Ana-Gabriella (Gabi-6) and Alexander (Alex-3) who are my main inspiration and source of energy.

I will be posting my artwork, sketches, ideas, and an occasional family photo.

I hope this blog forces me to maintain my creativity regularly and maybe serve as a resource to others. I plan on updating this blog at least once a week.