Day One Hundred Three

First off, I’d like to explain the recent drastic changes to the look of this blog. I spent most of the day yesterday (as I said in yesterday’s post) working on an online portfolio for my work. Published within that portfolio will be my new, shiny, clean Ink Drop blog! As soon as I have my domain name secured, I will be posting a link to my website to enable all of you readers to have one art-filled location to explore.

Onward! Following a long, long day kayaking on the Kansas River, we collapsed at home.

Yay! Crazy face. 

Rolling off the couch full of enchiladas, I decided I’d better get to work on today’s piece. Having had younger brothers, (Well, I guess I still have them. But, ya know.) I really identified with today’s word.

tug v. To strain and pull vigorously; n. A hard pull; a strong force.

It made me remember having long hair and, also, having it yanked, pulled, and tugged by the younger kids. Gah! I remember how, after a while, I began to get used to it and stopped reacting. Around this time, I think, was when they stopped being amused by it. (There’s nothing fun about getting zero reaction when you’re trying to bother someone.) So, for today’s piece, I decided to illustrate this (somewhat fond?) memory.

I liked that the person doing the “tugging” was much, much smaller than the girl. I thought that her expression was adorable; she’s kind of in pain, but also confused by the rather strange little character tugging on her hair.

Thank you so much for reading; I’m looking forward to getting to show off my new portfolio soon! Have a great night.

Xx

-r

Day Ninety Six

That was one quick weekend! It’s strange, though; I find myself looking forward to the enormous amount of work this week is sure to present. I can see the end of the insanity (at least schedule-wise...much of the insanity is probably here to stay) and am ecstatic to be finishing this year of schooling around two months ahead of schedule (sorry, people, this much work requires a little bragging). Today was one of those days in this blog that I plan, before beginning, to “just get it over with” and make something quick and easy. This was also one of those days that I was swept up in it all and fell deeper in love with art. What was going to be a quick pencil sketch before bed turned quickly into a full-on project with research, careful shading, color, and *gasp* A HAND!

house-coat n.  A woman’s informal garment to be worn around the house.

Although I already knew what a house coat was, I did a little research to get ideas about styling in order to do a glamorous, vintage take on today’s word. Immediately after reading today’s word, I thought of a very sophisticated woman who, although she was simply lounging around, did not in any way lose her glamour or beauty. In fact, I tend to think that an effortless, raw look intensifies it.

I took photos throughout drawing today’s piece in order to show the steps taken to create it.

I began, as usual, with a pencil sketch and then inked it to increase the definition.

After this, I took a bit of black pastel smudged on a q-tip and did some shading.

Finally, I took another q-tip, this time with red pastel on it, and colored her “house coat”. After several layers of pastel to get the color correct, I was finished.

I am very pleased with the way this turned out; I have never before drawn a character in this position.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post; thank you for reading.

Xx

-r

Day Ninety Five

Well, it has been a wonderful Saturday. Although I got little or no (more like NO) actual work done, today was a very satisfactory start to my weekend.

Today’s word tied in perfectly with a conversation I’d had the other day about spotting a vintage car downtown. We were admiring the timeless elegance, the long-forgotten class, and the way those cars just seem to...

purr n. The low, murmuring sound characteristic of a cat. purr v.

At first I dismissed the car idea; I have not drawn a car since elementary school (you know the ones that look like cardboard boxes with wheels?) and didn’t want to completely bomb today’s project. But then, I thought, how will I ever learn to draw anything new if I don’t start somewhere? So, I took out a pencil and started to sketch. After a lot of erasing and even more intense studying of a page on Google images, I can safely say I have not progressed much farther than those cardboard-box cars...

Although it isn’t the greatest (or even the most recognizable) image, I had a blast drawing it. I know that it’s important to work outside of your comfort zone and see what works (or really, really does not work) for you artistically; it’s something I need to continually remind myself of. I think, despite its wacked-out perspective and lack of...well...car-ness, this sketch is growing on me.

Enjoy your night and, as always, thanks for reading.

Xx

-r 

Day Ninety Four

It’s Friday, eh? The weather was wonderful, breezy, and light. I managed to finish another sketch today, and color an older one:

Now, knowing what to do with today’s word stumped me, it confused me, you could even say it served to...

con-found v. To amaze, confuse, or perplex; to confuse one thing for another.  

I thought long and hard (and even began a few other drawings) before I knew what to do. I finally decided on a rather comical take on today’s word. It occurred to me that what I (and many other ladies) thought of as amazing, beautiful, and wonderful really confused most guys. I decided to illustrate that for today’s piece:

I love the mix of interest and mild disgust on his face coupled with the bright and excited look on her face.

I truly enjoy this time each day to close off from the (increasingly) insane world and draw pretty characters in poofy dresses. It’s a great escape. I hope it offers a bit of what it offers me, to you.

As always, thanks for reading.

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Eight

Phew! Late post, people...apologies.

Today’s word is one that I think I don’t appreciate enough. When constantly striving to be best, first, different...whatever you may wish to be, it is hard to appreciate just how great the middle can be. Not that you should aim for mediocrity; far from it! But, I think it’s important to remember to give yourself a chance to appreciate the usual.

u-su-al  adj. Ordinary or common; regular; customary.

With today’s word, I wanted to illustrate an obviously stylish, driven, and (most likely) a workaholic character embracing the “usual” in terms of dress. I love conveying intelligent women who are serious about going out and accomplishing things without losing their femininity, grace, charm and elegance. While today’s character has a relaxed, slightly undone look, each aspect of her has still been carefully chosen to give a carefree look. In other words, I tried hard to make her look like she tried hard to look like she wasn’t trying hard. A lot for a piece of paper and a few smudged lines of pencil? I say never, but I’ll let you decide:

Thank you for reading; I hope you have a great night (or day, for those of you who retire at a decent hour).

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Seven

I send my most sincere apologies, dear readers, for not writing other than excusing myself from doing so.

tent n. A portable shelter made by stretching material over a supporting framework.  

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Six

I had an interesting, semi-productive day today. I managed to churn out yet another sketch and attend a play at an old school...

That's me, on the right. Well, my feet.

For today’s project, I attempted a different, more abstract style of illustration. Maybe it’s just the constant episodes of Project Runway and Next Top Model that air on afternoon television, but fashion (as an art, an idea, a way of life) has sunk it’s perfectly manicured nails deep into my all-too-willing brain.

So, at the risk of becoming every other young woman my age, I’ve decided to indulge this recent obsession with all things (good or bad) fashion related and continue to illustrate and study. Why not, right?

far-ther adv. To or at a more distant point. adj. Most distant; farthest.

Without thinking, I just began to sketch. I was inspired by a few dresses I’d seen today, and a vintage-y look. I used the runway to illustrate the concept of “farther”.

I like the way this turned out; it was very freeing to draw a simple sketch of the (greatly exaggerated) human form without obsessing over how each curve looked and if everything lined up in a semi-realistic way. I like that the runway is as long as it is; it makes the whole experience seem larger than life. In a way, I think, it is some kind of unreal, fragile existence. It’s fascinating that so many people dedicate so much time, energy, and obsession for a few moments and a short (often devastating) career. All for something that does not feed, heal, or house anyone. But, in a way, it does all of these things (except feed...I would really argue the opposite). It’s an interesting dilemma; does something so superficial and pointless on the surface really have a deeper meaning? Maybe I’ll never figure it out; that’s alright. I don’t mind being perched between cynicism and awe.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post; thank you for reading!

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Five

Oh, it’s a late night. Today, I worked over at the Auntie’s house. Having recently taken a class on bookmaking, she taught me how to make my very own reporter’s notebook!!

We used a couple of giant (scary) clamps to keep the paper straight, and glued it on one end.

Then, she guided me through gluing the cover to the pages!

She even made one (much, much nicer) herself!

I can’t wait to use my brand new notebook! To see what she’s been up to, check out her page; “MacKomics Studio” on Facebook!

Today was very productive, as I managed to get another sketch completed:

Now for today’s post...

I had never heard of today’s word before and, frankly, didn’t think it sounded all that great. After a little Google image search, I had cleared up some confusion and was ready to sketch.

snood n. A type of band that can be worn in a woman’s hair.

I began drawing a woman’s head from behind, showing her wearing a “snood”. Not wanting to stop there, I drew the rest of her. As I kept drawing, I decided to create a fitted dress that was interesting and classic at the same time.

I left the dress partially backless; I like the contrast between the eye-catching openness of the back of the dress and the prim and proper look of the buttons all the way down. I added a polka-dotted bow to the top of the “snood” to give it a little extra decoration.

After I’d inked the drawing, and gotten a consultation, I decided to use pastels to color the dress (and the bow) a deep, red wine color. I layered red pastel over gray to darken it a little, and blended it with q-tips.

I really like the way this came out; I’m very happy with the way the color came out. I’m not sure I would change this drawing if I could, so I guess that is a good sign.

I hope you enjoyed this post; thank you for reading!

Have a great night!

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Four

Apologies in advance for the short post-I won’t bore you with the details of falling behind on my pushed-to-the-limit, self-planned school schedule. As much as I would like to work solely on The Ink Drop, this is not yet possible. For now, we press on.

I was reminded of a corny joke I’d heard in elementary school by today’s word. Remember the one that goes “What’s black, white and read all over?” (a newspaper) As sigh-inducing as it is, I’ve always liked the confusion that comes with...

hom-o-phone n. One of two or more words that have the same sound but different spelling, origin and meaning.

For today’s piece, I took a version of my bad joke and illustrated it. I used two shades of pastel to give it a little variation. (And learned just how difficult it is to wash pastel form your fingertips...) Can you guess the words?

Thank you for reading; I hope you have a great night!

Xx

-r

Day Eighty Three

Ah, long Monday. I rose early, but made up for it in time wasted with distractions. I managed to get quite a bit of work done, though, AND came along quite a bit on a new piece of art:

Before I fall asleep, I’ll go ahead and share today’s sketch with ya.

fake adj. Having a fake or misleading appearance; not genuine. v. To make a brief, deceptive movement in order to mislead one’s opponent in certain sports.

“Fake” made me immediately think of a doll. I decided to stick with just a bust in order to make it more obvious that the figure was a doll and not a person. I believe my cousin and I shared one of those Barbie makeup/hairstyle practice plastic heads when I was younger; I remember us giving her “cat eye” eyeliner and piercing her nose. I think she was probably the coolest Barbie to ever exist. I drew on this memory for today’s doll. Although she is not that edgy, she’s a little cooler than the average Barbie.

I liked the addition of the cardboard box in order to make it a little creepier. I wanted to make it look like she had just been unpacked.

I hope you had a decent Monday; thanks for reading!

Xx

-r

Day Eighty

Today was a sleepy day. Time seemed to alternate between speeding by and dragging on endlessly. I managed to squeeze in a couple hours in the darkroom and emerged with a couple prints.

I experimented with the new(ish) technique of scratching the photo in order to get rid of parts of the emulsion.

I really like the look of it on the left side of this photograph, but I don’t think it works as well on the right. I hope, sometime, I will be able to find the appropriate use for this technique. For now, I will keep trying.  

Today I decided to get my drawing “mojo” back. Things in the illustration world have been a bit...blah...as you may have been able to tell. With 285 days left in this project, I can’t begin thinking of it as a chore, or I won’t be able to stick with it. So, picking up my dictionary with gusto, I got down to work.

Today’s word took me a while to figure out; I had quite a bit of the piece done before I knew what direction I wanted to take it in.

di-ver-sion n. The act of diverting from a course, activity or use; something that diverts or amuses.

I wanted to draw a very business-like character who’d gotten distracted. I wanted the “diversion” to be something colorful; something childish.

I started by drawing a pencil sketch and then going over it in pen; I planned to use pastels and didn’t want the pencil to smudge with the pastel when I blended the pigment.

Then, I used a different color of pastel for each balloon and blended the pastel to give the balloons a smooth look. I really like the way this came out; I’m happy to have my “mojo” back.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post; thanks for reading! I hope you have a great weekend!

Xx

-r