Illustration Friday: Camouflage

This week's topic made me think of the way nature uses camouflage, but it also brought to mind: hiding in the open. So I've returned to one of my favorite styles where two images

overlap.

Illustration Friday: Rejection

This topic struck a nerve. I'll never understand why artists (of all shapes, sizes and assorted colors), whose job it is to be more observant and sensitive to the world in general, are expected at the same time to develop a thicker skin than most other professions. How many times will a doctor be told, "Yes you do lovely work, but your style just isn't right for us."

So my little rooster, Bandi Boodle Boo, who traveled the world to find his crow, is now travelling the mail encountering rejection and hopefully (someday soon!) will find acceptance seemed the apt subject to illustrate this topic. I took a more emotional approach to creating this.

Illustration Friday: Suit

Why swim suit of course! We took a weekend get-a-way to Port Aransas, Tx. We left Friday, so I didn't know what the theme was--I just did the pencil sketch for my own amusement after we'd spent the day playing in the surf on Sat. I scanned it and colored it in Photoshop. (A little artistic license with the color of the water--it was pretty murky and filled with loose seaweed that would wrap around our legs--ick! The kids still loved it.)

Your Paradise

While this is not my personal vision of paradise, I'm sure the kids might have a different perspective. Last night I took them to Ready, Set, Play which is a nicely appointed warehouse sized storefront filled with inflatable bouncers--the fancy ones with mazes and slides. My daughter and I had been before but this was my son's first trip. His jaw dropped and he clapped his hands to the side of his face as we walked through the door and he saw a Kid's Playland Paradise.

Memorial

In loving memory of George Hansche.

Illustration Friday: Signs

This topic proved to be hard because I had too many ideas--it was difficult to sort out one and then put time into it. Originally this was a dragon reacting to a "Here there be dragons" sign. But when I scanned it in I realised I'd gotten impatient with the sign and it didn't match the rest of the drawing...

But it is Monday already and I need to get on with other things.

Illustration Friday: Citrus

This is another topic where at first I just thought, "Huh?" But I have found if I let a topic alone for a bit an image will come to mind. The other thing that I'm working on is faces. At my portfolio review she said she wanted to see more faces. And the more I thought about it I do tend to shy away from faces. So I'm trying to get more comfortable with faces. Also in this piece I was exploring working from memory. (Watercolor pencils)