Game of Thrones Pause and Draw

Season 5, Episode 4

As the season progresses, quotes may be replaced with my laments with the terrible changes to the plot and characters.

This is another great example.

Season 5, Episode 5

More episodes to come...

Sacred Black: An Art Order Challenge Entry

I've been following The Art Order for awhile now and have wanted to participate in the challenges, but hadn't yet... until NOW! This challenge was a cover for F(r)iction #2, an art and literary collection. The guidelines were the color blue, surreal in nature, and inspired by the mysteries within the murky depths of the ocean. It was time to get sketching!

I've been reading Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, so of course the mysteries of the cosmos was on my mind. I think it's interesting how there are so many unknowns in the vastness of both space and the oceans right here on our blue planet. I started sketching a concept of a woman looking up into the sky which would transition to a strange, deep-sea mermaid within her imagination.

In the book, Sagan mentions the idea of "sacred black" and I was hooked on that phrase. He connects the adventure, awe and draw of the blue skies on our planet to the vast blackness of space. The chapter also goes into the different colors of the skies on various planets and how color works, so of course I was intrigued. I had my title. I still wanted to work in the girl staring at the stars and sky, but was finding it difficult to work as a cover. I was also concerned my concept of the mysteries of space and the ocean being connected might not be read well.

Some mermaid sketches and notes.

 

I decided to scrap the girl staring at the sky and instead focus on space meshing with sea. I'm also interested in black holes and the many unknowns about that phenomena, so I decided that would be the space connection. This way the illustration would focus on the deep sea mermaid and not be torn between two main characters.

Some final notes and planning.

Then it was drawing time!

Coffee is essential

I wasn't quite sure what pose I wanted the mermaid to be in, so after sketching some small thumbnails of mermaids in movement, I decided to get up and take some poses!

Posing. Posing with my arm. Posing...

Sketching from my references.

Then many coffees later....

The finished drawing!

Once I liked the drawing, it was time to ink.

Finished ink.

Then... PHOTOSHOP TIME. 

I listened to a lot of Coast to Coast AM.

And voila! The finished product!

Dat bioluminescence.

The Art Order challenge is still open for two more days, until June 14th! So if you have the time or a piece ready that fits, submit your work! 

Life Change and Game of Thrones

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. May was an absolutely crazy month. In the span of 3-4 weeks I visited Los Angeles with my partner, we secured an apartment, and moved. It has been a whirlwind of activity and I'm so very happy to finally be settling back down into normalcy. Now just to unpack my copious amount of art supplies and set up my new studio space!

In the meantime, I have been drawing--I swear! I started sketching some Pause-n-Draw with this new season of Game of Thrones. I have a time limit of 10 minutes per pause/sketch, and although that may sound like a lot of time, it really isn't! It's been fun to see how quickly I can capture the composition and mood of the scene. Also, it really makes me pay attention to the cinematography of the show more (this season is DARK).

For quicker updates on the Pause-n-Draw GoT project, follow my Facebook page or follow me on Instagram @datbootietho.

Enjoy!

S5E01

S5E01

S5E02

S5E02

S5E03