PiBoIdMo - ends :)

So 30 day and 30 story book ideas. Did I do it. Did I complete the task. Hell no! :) But I got 17 ideas down which I am quite pleased with, so I will work from there.  What I liked about this challenge was that it forced me to commit to paper thoughts that would usually only go on in my head. So what is next, 12x12 or Picture book dummy challenge. I think the latter as 12 books in 12 months is not doable by me and to create a dummy book in 6 months feels doable. So one step further towards publishing - yeah :D
The picture book dummy challenge starts January 13 2014
http://kidlitart.blogspot.com/2013/11/2014-picture-book-dummy-challenge-faq.html
So now the question to ponder over the next couple of weeks is which idea to do :)

PiBoIdMo day 3

Yes I have been doing it every day except today. My brain is zonked and I was just playing with "paint" and paper so to speak. So my picture book thought which is not very clear is sort of shown in the sketch.  I wonder what the story could be.... Maybe it will be tomorrows jotting.
:)
Mouse and I will be joining Sunday Sketches today. :) - yeah it is Sunday and we made it :)

A really good course by Will Terry- How to Design a Drawing

As some you may know I illustrate a bit, and many times I look at my work and something is off to me. I would add a bit more colour, more detail which would distract from that off thing, but it is there. Over the last couple of months I have been follow some webcast and blogs with illustrators and I came across a number of illustrators who offer courses, and this guy Will Terry some how gelled with my psyche.  On Thursday I came down with a cold and by Friday I was unable to concentrate to draw. So I was bumping around Will's blog watching some of videos, and on the side bar discovered he offers a number of "pay for" video classes. Now, this guy when he does his "free" videos he gives tons and I mean tons of good information, and the "pay for" video class is not cheap but is not expensive either.  So in the mist of tissues and snot I went and clicked on one of his photoshop painting and started the video. In the first class he says something that really hit home- it went something like this - if when you have done your illustration and something is not right it is most probably because something is off  with the design on the illustration and not the painting. If that is the problem you really need to do my course How to design a drawing. He hit a cord with me and he explained some more, I said what the heck do I have to lose besides some money, if he is telling the truth I will get some help. So a couple dollars poorer and with a new box of tissues I sat down and started to watch How to Design a Drawing.  What can I say other than it was fantastic. It was not a thrill a minute, it was rather grueling  and a lot of info to take in, but it was wonderful in what he taught me and what I learned.  I am mostly self-taught and while I have tons of art books which do cover basics it is very different to have someone sit there and explain things in person in "live time". In this video he talked about drawing rules and drawing elements (lines, space, value, colour, texture). I learnt a hell of a lot. Did it help me? Yes it did. I went back to the drawing board so to speak and started to redo the background on book I am presently illustration (thank God they are just simple silhouetted shape backgrounds) and with Horrible H's critical eye I was able to understand and correct the errors of the page.  So if find you are drawing and something is more times than not feeling off, I would definitely recommend you try Will Terry's How to Design a Drawing http://folioacademy.com/store.html?category=k&u=online-illustration-classes .  Have I finished the class I originally bought - not yet for I might get his one children's book first :)
Hope you have a great day.

A search party

a quick sketch

Pre-PiBoidMo  day 2 with Marcie Colleen where she gives 5 useful tips http://taralazar.com/2013/10/26/pre-pibo-day-2-marcie-colleen/.  Of the 5 tips, two I know I have to do 1. clean the clutter. It is really bad. I honestly can not find anything on my desk or in my study. It is not even organised clutter at the moment. The second (tip 3) "schedule some search parties". This will be super and I AM going to do this with the kids starting from today ( if it is not raining). We will take our cameras and head out. I will ignore the stress that wants to gather in my shoulders, I will unclench my jaws as I envision the sibling interaction of the kids as we walk through the bucolic country side :)
Selfie time is way over :)

PiBoIdMo - Registered

Registered, registered, registered! Yeah!  I am rather keyed up about this and think "Yes I can manage this!"
Registration is open till November 7th and the 5th Annual PiBoIdMo month starts on Nov 1 :)
The first inspirational post is up and it is all about taking 10 minutes for yourself to do what you want.  I think I should be able to manage that :)  Here's to my 10 selfie minutes :)
Jehanne
post link - http://taralazar.com/2013/10/25/pre-pibo-day-1-leeza-hernandez/

one of those days

A totally unproductive day in a way. I have a 13 page book in-front of me that I need to do the layout for but I think it will not get done today and for this evening I've got Natural science and maths test preparations I have to do with my kids as the mid term break is coming up which means test - yuck. Geez I am so looking forward to the break where I do not have to make sure the monsters have done their homework,  packed their bags,  brushed their teeth and hair etc .  Hmm I wonder if I should have added more shadow to the little monster's face. I am thinking so.
J.

and just a bit of colour

 

The monochromatic digitally painted. The sky was effected by that outside :)

Program - artrage4, watercolour and prisma crayons.

A monochromatic morning

Decided to paint something that did not require to much thought this morning. I got a blue tit reference from the web and then put on some you tube Adele and 7 songs later this little 5x7 digital watercolour was finished (I hope). Unlike other paintings I resisted the urge to use my prisma colour pencils (digital). Ahh well it is a good this was a quickie for my monsters are now beckoning. :)

My Sunday Sketches entry is this little bird. Join our friends at  Sunday Sketches.

Something a little simplier

Working a simpler style this weekend:)
Hope you have a great day.
Using this little dear for my Sunday Sketches entry. Join our friends at  Sunday Sketches

Creating Lino cut like prints via photoshop

coloured illustration to black and white lino print to coloured/inked lino print.

I saw an interesting job up on a freelance site and it asked for lino cut prints - traditional or computer generated. I had not a clue how to do this, but figured it should be possible. So I went off to google and play and this is the result. Yup I am rather happy with it :) This might be because I do not know the difference LOL
The tutorial can be found here http://www.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/multimedia/PSTip-linocut.pdf

Hope you all have a happy weekend and please join our friends at Sunday Sketches. 

Thinking of Halloween

I am thinking of Halloween and sort of scaring myself :)

Sleepy owls on a Sunday

Ahh back to the birds again :) Here are two sleepy white owls - a mama and baba. They are inspired from this little needle felting I did (below).  They are a digital painting using digital watercolour and "prismas" pencils.

Hope you have a great Sunday :)

Expectation on a Sunday

Below was my inspiration for this painting -  a little needle felted doll I made a couple weeks ago. It is funny how when you start to do something it seems to take a life of it own. The end painting was not what I expected as I am not a vintage chic person, however I covered an old diary (with lots of blank pages) to use as a journal of sorts and alas that also ended up being vintage chic. So I am being to think I am a closet vintage chic person - "gasp!"
Hope you all have a happy Sunday and please join our friends at Sunday Sketches. 

Digital oil and "prismas" pencils.
Art rage (painting)  and Photoshop (text).