Tulips are blooming! Here are some samples of my work.
First, I painted traditional watercolor.
Then, I painted using Daniel Smith watercolor sticks and tons of water. I wanted the flowing, blending, oozing affect. I also painted this entirely up-side-down. Fun! The watercolor sticks are vibrant, alive. Hope you like it.
Have you ever caught your reflection in a Christmas tree ornament? Or maybe, when you were young, Grandmother had a gazing ball in her yard, perhaps by a fountain. Do you remember how it reflected the world in dramatically curved lines? That’s spherical perspective. It’s easy to do. I won’t give you a lesson in how to do it — there are tons of great videos on the internet. Instead, I’ll show you what I created.
What do you think?
I had fun painting valentines this week. I experimented with shading to create the illusion of roundness. I used watercolor and color pencils. This is useful experimentation as it helps me to come up with even better ways to show how round and “full” my characters are. Here’s the heart series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo6mXiWRYSU
Here’s the link to a video of various color schemes I experimented with using the information I learned last year in Mark Mitchell’s illustration course. You can find his course at www.markgmitchell.com
The BEST GRANDMA IN THE WORLD! I’d like to hear from you! View the video and tell me what you think.
No kidding, this is actually my teddy bear from childhood. I remember the day I received him as a gift. I was about 4 years old and my Irish twin brother, not quite 5. We got them on the same day; I think it was my birthday. We named them Tanny and Yellowy. Hey, all our pets and the neighbor’s pets were similarly named – Blackie, Pepper, etc. Whatever color it was, that was its name. What we lacked in imagination, our crafty mother made up for with sewing jackets for them.
Where has Tanny been for so long? Funny thing, I recently needed a model with a snout suitable for helping me work out a trouble spot on one of my illustrations for The Best Grandma in the World! (which is still on the drawing board). I could hardly believe that I still had Tanny. What luck that I should find him stored in a chest in my home. And luckier still that he smells and looks wonderful. I think Tanny has held up better than I.
Another funny thing, I was just at my brother’s house for Christmas. Can you believe that he still has Yellowy? His eye is cracked, a little bit worn around the ears and head, and still has his hand-made jacket.
Tanny has been renamed Tinny and now sits on my drawing table. I feel happy with him here. I think Tinny is smiling in this photo. Do you see it?
Here’s a 5 minute clip of me reading The Best Grandpa in the World!
