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!

Ouija: In Progress

I've got to tell you, after living in a basement for several years (and a predominant part of my youth), windows just never get old. Scottish Play feels the same way.

I've been doing studies, shooting and gathering reference, and sketching a lot for a personal illustration about a girl and her ouija board. Now to knock out the drawing and get painting and inking!

New Illustration Process: Studies and References

I'm working on a new illustration involving a young woman using a ouija board to contact a strange spirit. It's in the beginning stages so there's been a lot of thumbnail sketches, studies, and I took some photo references to work on lighting, pose, and mood.

First, head studies. This really helps me to flush out the character and figure out who the girl is. I know I want the character to be a young woman, between 18-20, and very goth/rocker chick in style with perhaps a dash of nerd.

Some preliminary head studies. They're getting somewhere and I think I'll combine a few elements from a couple and flush her out further before drawing the illustration.

After deciding upon a pose and composition via my thumbnails, I took some photo references to establish the lighting and poses. I'll use more than just one, but these are vital for nailing those details. Also when taking my own photo references I often will stumble upon new ideas for poses or story-telling.

Next will be a few more sketches to solidify the character, sketch some concepts for the ghost, and search for more reference for her outfit, the ghost's clothing, and details in the environment. Then to the drawing! I will be using watercolor and inkwash, along with inking lineart separately and then bringing that into Photoshop to merge it with the watercolor. This should be fun!

More to come in the following week or two!