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

Massive Sketches Post

2015 has been the year of sketching and drawing more frequently which has been great. Thus, an obligatory sketch dump.

I've really been enjoying participating in drawing challenges. A lot of these sketches were from a draw-every-day prompt #doodleordie in February. I'm also still working on my 500 figure drawing challenge (only at about 20/500). I'll keep sharing more sketches here but for more frequent posts, check out my Facebook page or follow me on Instagram @datbootietho.

Contact

I recently finished a new personal illustration inspired by ghost stories and ouija/spirit boards. I had a lot of fun painting this one, although it did take longer than I wanted. I took a lot of in process photos, so brace yourselves.

first came thumbnails

When I first had the idea, I tossed it around in my head for a bit. I knew I wanted it to be a dark image with one limited light source, so I went straight to value studies when I thumbnailed. I also make a lot of notes which may be scribbled a bit beyond understanding.

Who is our main character?

I wanted to reference my time as a teen in Chicago, messing with spirit boards, ghosts, and getting into goth, punk, industrial, and metal music. I got a lot of inspiration for creating the character from my friends and our teenage experiences. In earlier sketches, I had a group of teen girls, but decided to isolate it to one for less of an action feel to more of a creepy, alone-in-the-dark vibe.

Take all the reference photos!

Once I had my composition decided, it was time to get some reference. My first reference shots (on the left, cooler light) weren't as natural as I wanted. I knew I wanted candles as the primary light source, so I bought some candles, borrowed a tripod (yes, I still need a tripod... it's on my list), and retook some reference. Much better.

drawing time

Then it was drawing time. I did a relatively detailed drawing, knowing that most of the background was going to be darkness and texture, so I didn't bother with too many details there. Again, notes are my bad memory's friend.

transferred drawing to watercolor paper

begin painting!

so many washes...

painting site

I listened to a lot of Coast to Coast AM while working which really helped my mood. I also love working in front of my windows, especially at night. Don't mind the clutter... 

time to add the warmth

lots of evening and late night painting

I wanted to add black, but was wary about adding it directly to the original watercolor in case it wasn't what I wanted. I also felt the need to pull back before I overworked the painting and lost some of the spontaneous texture from the watercolor. It was Photoshop time for the finish.

creepin'

And the final illustration!