Jen the Mum

Solano County 2009 Crop Report

2010-06-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have indeed been neglecting my blog, but fortunately not my work. Recently I completed a series of graphics for the 2009 Solano County Crop report. I was approached by the Ag Office Supervisor with the idea of giving this year's report a hand-drawn, old-timey feel. This year being the 60th year of the crop report, she felt it would be appropriate to do some sort of commemorative seal to use as a watermark, and possibly the cover, while also creating two maps: one of the entire county, and one of Dixon Ridge, which is this year's highlighted region. Also needed were small graphics of all the county's major commodities for the maps, and for placement throughout the report.

Reviews have been very positive from the Ag Commissioner and various county board members. This has been a very successful collaborative effort, as all of the graphics were hand-drawn by me, and all save one were digitally colored by Jeremy.

For the full report: http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/agriculture/crop_report/2009_2018.asp

For the Board of Supervisors meeting where the report is presented, it's in the 1 June 2010 video at 2 hours: http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/bos/meetings/videos.asp

Coat of Arms stuff

2009-12-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

New biz cards arrived yesterday. Jer did a great job of taking my pen and ink, coloring it, and then inserting my calligraphy. Some of the info is a font, but some I did myself. See if you can tell which is which?

Work, work, work

2009-11-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

We have been up to our eyeballs in work! Which is a good thing, but crazy when it all hits at once. I designed some new biz cards, which Jer is coloring fantastically, and have finished all but the painting of my coat of arms. This week he has also had me working on logo ideas and lettering for two different clients so far, and I still have one more to go... that's due today, in fact. I wanted to take a minute to update this anyway.

When the new cards are done, I'll post them up here- they are going to be great!

Accardi's Logo

2009-10-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here I find myself cross-posting again, but that's okay. I think Jer and I can link back and forth all day long and it's acceptable.

We recently did a logo for the Accardi wine bar/cafe in Dixon, and as it so happens, they picked one that was completely hand-done by me.... well, it was scanned and tweaked, but the initial work was all mine. Jer has a way of taking whatever I sketch and making it look wonderful. The client is happy and so are we.

It also seems that I will soon be adding "herald" to my illustrator resume. I don't want to say too much until things are more certain, but I've been working on a coat of arms, and may be given freelance work painting coats of arms for people who need them. I will think of it as theoretical until I get the first actual job. When I do, I'm sure I'll be posting finished ones up here for perusal.

Actual Work

2009-09-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has posted a new entry highlighting the new Merchant & Main sign for Attitude Adjustment Hour. Check out the link; he posted the finished header as well as the initial designs.

More background-y stuff

2009-09-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

My fab and talented husband has created yet another background utilizing my CropMarks ambigram. He can do that whole collage thing that I stink at, and it always turns out beautifully.

In other news, we have collaborated on a project for Merchant & Main. The signs should be up soon, and then I'll be able to post a link to the artwork. I drew a 40s style guy with a clock for a head, and Jer turned out a fantastic design reminiscent of old baseball park style.

More artwork to come soon, I hope.

PVC (but not what you'd think)

2009-06-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

I just finished a few sketches for a logo for someone who is in the photovoltaic cell business. This is my second project involving putting hands, arms, etc., on a thing (the first was "Puzzie" for the Jordan Ralls Foundation), and apparently there may be another one in the works soon. I find it interesting that people are really into this anthropomorphic inanimate object idea. Now, I'm not down on those who like it- I mean, for me a job's a job, and if that's what someone would like, and they need an artist to get it out for them, I will by all means do it. I'm just kind of amused at the little characters that come out of these kind of requests. Cool, friendly, innocent, angry... you can make these little guys represent anything that the person wants you to feel about this object and its association with their business.

My two-and-a-half year old son watched me pen the new characters and pointed out what each one was. "He's happy!" "He's funny!" "He's cool!" (The last to the one with sunglasses). I guess that means I did a good job. Maybe I'll be able to post it when the client decides which one to go with.

Shark Tale design

2009-06-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

I don't usually remark on others' designs, but here I am, watching Shark Tale with my son, and trying to decide what exactly makes this movie so hard to watch. The screenplay is pretty average, the animation is definitely choppy, but I have decided that the worst element of this movie is the design. All the fish are weirdly half-human in their movement, and some even have hands on their fins. Not anthropomorphic enough to be comforting, but too anthropomorphic to be correctly fishy. They have human-ish heads and are just lumpy and strange in all the wrong places.

Some movies can overcome poor execution simply because the story and voice performances are charming enough to grab you (The Swan Princess comes to mind). This one.... not so much. I think we'll be donating this to someone who wants it.

How could I forget this!?

2009-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I started a project awhile back that he finished a couple weeks ago. He came up with the concept, I finalized the drawing, and he colored it using Illustrator and Photoshop. So here is our lady assassin in all her glory (with the bonus CropMarks ambigram graffiti on the wall).

The silence...

2009-05-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

It has been two months since I've posted anything, mainly because I've not drawn a thing since Fin and I came home. I've crocheted a blanket, three hats and two scarves, but not so much with the sketching. Having a nursing infant and a two-year-old definitely changes the life schedule. I should be getting back into things before too long, though.

The Medieval Fantasy Festival (which was April 18-19) was fairly successful this year. We took the kids out and had a good time watching rats be flung and people dress up as various medieval characters. There were many pirates out this year, and of course the dragon man, and something called the Danse Macabre which scared Toric with their masks. We got the news afterward that Betty Lucke is resigning her post as festival guru in favor of retiring and relaxing. A bit sad, but by all accounts the festival will go on.

Jeremy has been working on an updated version of our online portfolios. He has changed the display style and culled some older projects in favor of newer ones. It's very gratifying to see the progress both of us have made in our artistic ability in the last three years. I feel I've come a long way in a short time.

So that's the update of the last two months- Jer has been hard at work, and I have been hard at work taking care of our newest family member. As I said, I anticipate having some new projects to share very soon.

IF: Subtract

2009-03-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Is it kind of gruesome? Yeah. But I think it represents the idea of "subtract" very well. The dinosaur I modeled this on is a coelophysis.

This I completed Monday while trying to pass the time wondering if I was in early labor or not. Turns out I was, and wound up being admitted to the hospital around 4pm on Tuesday in active labor, and gave birth to little Findabhair Andromeda Hodges at 9:52pm. It went wonderfully; I feel well (if recovering), she's great, and we came home from the hospital this afternoon.

IF: Legendary and MFF map

2009-03-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about St. George and the Dragon when I came up with this week's installment. However, I couldn't be bothered to look up whether he had a lance or a sword, and so made an executive decision to have a sword. Then, as I neared completion, my darling husband said he thought it looked like the dragon was about to eat the knight. So in the end we have, not St. George, but a random knight in the moment before he either fells the beast or is turned into a fritter. I like to think he wins; my husband thinks he becomes crispy.

In other work news, I didn't finish the map on Tuesday, but I did pen it yesterday and send it off to be scanned and colored by my more technologically inclined other half, which is a huge relief for me. It looks good and definitely fits in with what I did last year. I also got to add in a few dragons peeking around the map (last year we mostly had rats hiding everywhere in honor of the introduction of the rat-a-pult).

Working slowly

2009-03-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

My goal for the day is to finish AND pen the updated MFF map. We'll see how it goes. I definitely have that last couple weeks of pregnancy lack of focus. My brain has switched into "the baby could arrive at anytime" mode, which makes it so difficult to complete anything. It also doesn't help that my belly is physically in the way of all comfortable drawing and painting positions. I can only do short sessions before I have to get up and stretch myself out. This isn't complaining, either; just facts. I know there's only a short time left, so I'm working the best I can.

I have had a little bit of a break from doing cards of any kind, and hopefully if I finish the map today I can work up something for Illustration Friday this week, whose topic is "legendary", which fits in with the medieval mindset I've been cultivating with the MFF map and logo.

Solano College and MFF news

2009-03-12T10:48:00.001-07:00

I am behind on my work this week after having been out of the house all weekend and Tuesday. We met with Betty (the Medieval Momma), and found out that the new program (which I am drawing the map for) needs to be done by March 25th. Not only is that less than 2 weeks away, that is also when Findabhair is due to arrive, so my goal is to finish before she makes an appearance, though that technically could be anytime as I am over 38 weeks along.

Tuesday afternoon, Jeremy and I gave a presentation to the Lettering/Layout/Graphic Design class out at Solano Community College. Actually, Jer gave the presentation while I spread out the examples and answered a couple questions at the end. He did a great job, as usual, though I can never tell what things the students are absorbing when we do things like that. I hope it helps them to hear about real-world examples of what they may try to do in the future.

IF: Breezy

2009-03-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a last minute deal this week, but I still was pretty happy with it. The lighter colors through the tree and wind didn't scan as well as I would have hoped- the tree should be more pink, and the breeze is more blue, with the leaves/circles a slightly darker pink.

IF: Instinct

2009-02-26T11:51:00.001-08:00

"Instinct" had way too many possibilities, so I wound up with something super-cute in the form of this kitten chasing a fly. I hope to come with something really dark and brooding next week to make up for it.

I drew this while taking a glucose tolerance test at the local lab (that's the test where you have to fast, drink a really sugary drink, and then wait in the lobby for an hour before they take your blood). Nothing better to do in a lobby for an hour than sketch, I say. Maybe it was all that sugar that made me draw such a sweet picture.

Dixon Public Library! Their new website is finally up!

2009-02-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

We received some good news at the end of last week: the Dixon Library's new website is operational! We finished the artwork for the children and teen pages about a year ago, I think, and it's good to finally see it working. We were also mentioned in the library newsletter, which is neat for us. It's good to do work and see it in use, but it's even more cool when it is for something that we also enjoy and feel is a useful community resource. I have been taking Toric to storytime since he was about a year old, so we are at the library at least every other week, and every week sometimes. I used to work in the library field, so I have a soft spot for libraries, and our whole family loves to read (well, Tor doesn't quite read the books yet, but he loves to look through them).

All the illustrations for the children's page were drawn and penned by me, and colored by Jeremy. There are four sets of illustrations, each differently-themed, that will be rotated throughout the year (at least, that was the original idea). The one they're using right now is the "Science" set. Here is the link and a couple of screenshots:

Children's Page

The teen page was entirely done by Jeremy. He'll be writing about that one on the CropMarks site soon, but here's the link to check out:

Teen's Page

There is also a link to the CropMarks site on the left of this page, or click the footer and that will get you there too.

IF: Celebrate

2009-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the baby trend... I couldn't think of something I will celebrate more than when little Findabhair arrives, so that's what I went with.

In other work news, I've just completed another thank you card for some good friends of ours. This one I did by cutting out different kinds of paper. Kinda takes me back to second grade; though my work has improved somewhat, I'm sure.

IF: Time

2009-02-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

As I am 34 weeks pregnant now, my mind naturally turns that direction when I'm given freedom to consider a topic. My clock revolves around the calendar right now, so that's what I went with, and I enjoyed this start to finish. It's done in watercolor with pen and ink.

Logos

2009-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

So, for anyone interested in the process of how we create logos together for clients, here's how it goes:

1. Jer meets with the client

2. Jer communicates to Jen what the client's interested in- this includes the company name, and any illustration ideas or simply adjectives the client used alot; such as "kid-friendly", "spiritual", or "gritty"

3. Jen sketches out a few ideas and shows Jer

4. Jer grimaces, or says "oh cool" and the "oh cool" ideas are pursued (or sometimes he will sketch an idea and Jen will work from his sketch)

5. Jen finishes several sketches and delivers them to Jer to polish up for show

6. The client picks one, and usually Jen wishes they had picked a different one

Such is the case with the Medieval Momma logos. Though all three were pretty good, and I'm glad the client was happy with her choice, she preferred the one I liked least. I recognize that this is probably because I like more thematic ideas, and the two she tossed back were an ambigram and an extremely Medieval logo. I admit the one she picked is the most simple and readable one, but the other two were so much fun, especially the one with all the fill around it.

Here they are, in order starting with my personal favorite, and ending with the one she picked. Feel free to leave a comment about which you would have picked- I would love to hear thoughts on these or any of my designs.

Again with the not having pics to post

2009-01-22T13:20:00.001-08:00

I finished the overdue gift (Huzzah!), and am now starting on some different cards. I currently am sans scanner, so it's more of a pain to get examples posted, but I will have a couple new things up soon. If you click on my portfolio, the latest birthday card design is up there already. I was incredibly happy with how that turned out- I used our lightbox to trace my original sketch onto parchment paper, then colored it using metallic inks and outlined it with the rapidographs. The final product I glued onto the green paper you see in the background, then glued all that to the blank card (which is a brown). It's in the mail now, so hopefully the person it's intended for doesn't read this before it arrives. If they do.... well, these things are always neater in real life than in a jpg, so I think it will still be appreciated.

My goal is now turning toward finishing the book that has been pushed to the backburner for weeks now, and of course the fresh card designs. I am also revamping the project for the Ag Dept office, so that will take some time. Back to work then...

Erg

2009-01-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

So... I didn't make the deadline for IllFri this week- I did finish the pic and will probably post it for the next one, as I think it works for that, too. I DID finish the birthday card, however, and am in process on the overdue gift, so I feel like I'm at least gaining ground. I received a very nice pad of paper for X-mas, and have been experimenting with what projects I can do on it- I'm thinking I can make cards from it and just purchase envelopes in which to place them.

I am over 30 weeks pregnant now, and definitely starting to feel a bit more tired again, but feel blessed that now my occupation is such that I can accommodate rest times into my day if needed.

Back to work

2009-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

... but not much to show for it. We got back in town on the 2nd, and then had a crazed week of playing catch-up. I finished up the new MFF logo (for my part), so Jer will be vectorizing and coloring it. When it's complete we'll have a link to the MFF posted here and probably on the CropMarks page. I was also enlisted to draw a silhouette of an oak tree, which was surprisingly easy to do. I'm definitely getting faster with some of my skills. My other projects have been mostly thank you cards (and one birthday), as well as a late gift for someone in the family. They're all overlapping as far as which I'm giving attention too. If I concentrate too hard on one I start to hurt my brain and my creativity. Anything with intensive lettering takes longer and is more complicated to finish, and of course all the lettering I really like is not simple to replicate on a large level. It's always worth it in the end, though.

Today I aim to finish up the birthday card, and possibly the gift. I also will get kicking on the next Illustration Friday entry. That's it for now- hopefully I will have pictures for posting next time.

New new header!

2008-12-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

Today the header at the top of this blog is the one which has been magicked by my highly talented husband. He demanded that I draw a crazy map scroll to embellish the titling, and it turns out his idea was good. I am exceedingly pleased with the result. Maps and sea serpents make me happy.

Influx of new stuff

2008-12-19T20:55:00.001-08:00

So here's some of the stuff I've been working on so madly lately. The first is a thank you card for some friends of ours who have been a great help to us lately. Jeremy titled it "70's house" for obvious reasons, I think. The second is a sympathy card utilizing a poinsettia design- even though it's not Christmas-related, that flower makes a nice element and I was in the mood to use it. The last one is what I was hoping to use on my holiday cards this year; but though I did get the painting done, I don't know that we'll get around to actually having cards made before we leave state. We'll see how it goes.

Also, the new header is up! Well, the in-between header anyway. I did a little work on the initial scan in order to have it ready to use, but I know Jer will be working his magic on it at some point, and I know it will probably turn out a million times better. For now it will do, and I used it as an opportunity to learn my way around GIMP a little better.

Last item of recent business- Punjabi Dhaba had its opening last night and a ton of people showed up. It was standing room only for a good while, and the food was so tasty. In all, it was a great success for everyone involved. The restaurant had good business, the marketing queens got props and probable future gigs from other business owners who attended, and Jeremy and I got compliments on the new designs. Good times...

Aaargh! So much to do...

2008-12-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Besides catching up on our finances, I have a backlog of cards to produce before the holidays. Sympathy, Thank you, and X-mas all just waiting for me to get on the ball. On the upside, I did finish a fantastic new header for this blog, which I will debut as soon as my co-conspirator in art works his magic on it. He is also backlogged, mostly with mundane ad work and meetings.

We will be out in Texas for a week beginning the day after X-mas, so we have a bunch to get done between now and then; for I know we never do any work while we're out of town (whether we swear we will or not).

Punjabi Dhaba menu

2008-12-08T16:16:00.001-08:00

This last week we finished up the menu for a local Indian restaurant called Punjabi Dhaba. Jer had been working on the menu and asked me to work up some corner and cover artwork for it in mehndi style. After doing a bunch of research I inked at least three corners and a split mandala; they picked one out of the three (the one I also liked best- my final effort) and also approved the cover. We had them printed and delivered on Saturday- man, they look good!

It's always pleasant to do good work for someone else who also does excellent work, and believe me, their food is fantastic! Their grand opening as Punjabi Dhaba (they were formerly Torch of India) is on December 18th at 7800 Batavia Rd in Dixon, CA. If you're in the area and would like a taste of superior quality Indian dining, that is the place to be, as the buffet will be only $8.95 from 5-9pm.

IF: Balloon

2008-12-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

This week's illustration is based on a conversation that occurred between my husband and I a few months after we were married. We were heading out of town to visit my dad when I saw a hot air balloon descending, and the dialogue was pretty much what you see in the comic. We laughed for a good long time, and we still will occasionally reference the "it's either that or weasels" when we are looking for an absurd option to something that is otherwise an obvious explanation.

Apparently, I accidentally linked this to the new IF topic, which is "similar". I guess you could say this works for that as well, as my husband and I recognized that we had things in common that we may never find again with another person. Like thinking a weasel attack in a hot air balloon is funny.

Disappointment.... and amusement

2008-12-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I had entered a painting into a contest and it didn't win. I would like to blame part of that on the fact that I finished it last minute and watercolor never seems to scan well on an amateur scanner. However, I still really like the pic and so am going to post it here for my own personal edification (and hopefully for anyone who reads this as well).

Practically all of the green faded out of the wall, and believe me, the rest of the colors are richer in the original as well. I am hoping to get a better scan and fix done on this soon. All the rest of it I am happy with. The subject was finding something unexpected at Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy.

Business cards are in

2008-12-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

And so the long-awaited and worked-on business cards have arrived in the midst of a busy holiday week! Here they are in all their glory:

IF: Pretend

2008-11-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

I guess this pic speaks for itself :-)

Business cards

2008-11-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ah, the biz cards are finally FINALLY done. Not yet printed, but at least our part is done and they are off my plate. I will likely post a copy up here soon. I also have finally come up with a promising idea for a contest I've been thinking about entering. I only have a week to execute it, but now that I have something in mind, it should go pretty fast. All my paintings have been on hold, as painting with two small children around gets a little scary. I will pick them up again soon, though.

Illustration Friday: Wise

2008-11-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

In considering this week's theme, I first thought about the biblical wise man building his house on a rock. Instead of drawing him, I turned to the "wise man" of nature- the barnacle. Talk about building your house on a rock; they can hang on through the worst of storms! I did a quick sketch, inked and scanned it, then colored it in Photoshop (which I am not normally accustomed to doing, as I greatly prefer hands-on media to digital). I was pretty happy with the background, especially considering this is a strictly for-fun project and backgrounds are something I generally only do for other people when absolutely necessary.

Sample for Alphabet

2008-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a super rough sketch for review:

Illustration Friday

2008-11-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

So this is my first attempt to participate with the Illustration Friday crowd. This week's topic was "vacant" and when I was doodling ideas, this caught me the most. She is completely empty, and even her mask is devoid of real expression. But she's wearing stripes, which makes me happy for some reason.

Thank you card! Finally done!

2008-11-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Finally, after much stalling and delaying, the latest thank you is finished, and I am so thrilled. I also finished the toughest Medieval Momma design at about 1 this morning. I say it was the toughest only because of the detail that had to go into it, and the time required to do it right. I will post those later (after we know which one she's going with), but for now, here's the thank you- done with pen and ink on watercolor paper, which gives it that kind of rough look.

New stuff

2008-11-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Finally we have finished the design for the last Medieval Momma option, and it is way crazy and highly medieval. Can't put it up here yet, of course, but when we know which one she picks I'll share. Am still trying to find the time to finish my thank you card, and sympathy card, and book, and a couple of illustrations for a website and a contest. All this while caring for my almost two-year-old, a friend's eight-month-old, and being pregnant and keeping my house cared for. I feel like supermom, or maybe superillustrator. Or both.

Yet another ambigram...

2008-10-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

...is completed for the Medieval Momma herself. Don't know if she'll like it yet (or more importantly, will she be able to read it?) I think it's really good, but of course I drew it, and have no problems seeing both words. Now I'm on to doing a couple of different versions for her to choose from.

I am also wrestling with a new thank you card. I started a border that is neat and interesting, and then did some lettering that is neat and interesting, but unfortunately they don't go together very well. So.... back to the drawing board.

I was talking to someone just the other day about this process of trying things that seem like they should work in your head, and sometimes don't turn out. They were saying that they have these ideas for pictures, but are afraid they won't turn out right; or that they can do basic drawing from life, but would like to move past that and don't know how. My advice to anyone who is looking to progress with any kind of satisfaction as an artist is to just draw. Most artists will tell you that. If you have an idea, put it down. If it doesn't work, play with it until it does. If it still doesn't work, put it away and try something different. Sometimes you just have to let it go and it never will work, or maybe it will work after you've forgotten it for awhile. One thing is for sure: you can't move past basic if you never even get to and practice basic. Besides; who knows but that what seems basic to you might be amazing to others?

Crop Marks Ambigram

2008-10-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

So here it is- unfinished as of yet (Jeremy still has to clean it up a bit), but for the most part, it is what it is. The opposite direction says "illustration". Doing this kind of project definitely stretches the brain...

Meetings, work, life

2008-10-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

I finally met again with the author of the children's book I've been working on- she likes the last two panels I came up with, and we're meeting again the beginning of December. I should definitely have them done by then. I'm very excited about these last two; I believe they are better work than the first five were (not that the first five were bad, I just like the compositions on the last two better). The last page took a while to come up with because she had so many scenes going on at the same time, and I was trying to make an idea work that really just doesn't. After I tossed that, the page laid itself out easily.

I am also thrilled to have been able to purchase a book with 100 variations of Gothic and Old English fonts. As I will very soon be doing a new logo for the Medieval Fantasy Festival, and for its heart, Betty Lucke, I will be needing to have a visual reference to work from without tying up the computer.

Also in the works: a new card (sympathy), and my book.

Also also: Here's a card I just did for my sister

Ambigrams and suchlike...

2008-10-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have actually been briskly working away at a variety of things, one of which is the challenge of creating an ambigram for my business card. Jeremy asked me to do one for Crop Marks, and after a couple of less than amazing trial sets, I think I have what promises to be a really cool one. I'll post it up here when I'm finished with it.

Random projects

2008-09-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been concerned with some other pressing issues, and so haven't been keeping up with either my art or this blog. So now that I have caught my breath for a moment, I thought I should update.

I am in the process of designing a nautical-themed card for my father-in-law (it's long overdue, believe me), as well as still working on the color tests for my mother. I have also been working on a picture with Jeremy- he sketched a super rough idea of what he was thinking, I made it look like a human, he went through and added details and a sword (he is much better at weaponry than I), and then I went through and fixed any problems and refined it. He's going to do one more round of detailing before I ink it, and then he will color it in Illustrator/Photoshop.

There is a more personal project in the works also. I have wanted to do my own kids' book for awhile, and I finally came upon an idea I think I can execute well, and would have value for my son at the same time. I will probably post some in-process work after I get out of the initial storyboarding stage and into finals.

Until next time...

As the cow flies...

2008-09-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Work has been moving along on the color sketches for my mother's office. I will be sending the full files to her when they are all complete, but here is a sample of the completed ones:

And here's the clip from the second one. I couldn't help but make it a tall slice, as the color is what is best about this sketch, while on the other one I really liked the cow:

Card do-over

2008-09-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy bee lately. Here is the latest card (the redo I spoke of in my last entry). The colors are all different than the last time I did it, and I like these better, as well as being happier with the layout (the cutouts were kind of an afterthought the first time).

Rather than paint this one, I inked it on a purple paper, then glued that to a embossed design black paper, which in turn was glued to a natural cardstock. I am very pleased with the result.

Cat thank you

2008-09-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have finished the last of the current list of cards with this "thank you" to my husband's aunt. Apparently she likes Siamese cats, so rather than do another letter-based card, I worked with the cat theme. Here is my original sketch:

And here is the final product, done with watercolor and pen/ink on a cold press watercolor paper (the color is fairly close to what it should be):

And as a bonus, here's what we wrote inside:

My next project (besides finishing the book) will be to redo a card I did awhile back and forgot to scan. I didn't really like how I painted the background anyway, so it's good I have to do it again.

Kathy

2008-08-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

This card is one I just finished for a friend of ours who has been unwell and I thought might need a little cheer-up. Also done with pen and colored/black ink on watercolor stock.

Mother's Day cards

2008-08-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

These are two cards I did for my mother and mother-in-law this year. Both were done with pen and black/colored ink. I'm particularly proud of the blue and black design, but I'm a nerd when it comes to Medieval lettering. I love it.

More...

2008-08-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

The next "thank you" is one I actually completed awhile ago, but didn't mail until this week. I was thankful to these friends before, but had even more reason to be after a couple of weeks ago. I am fairly proud of this design, and the execution. I sketched the design, traced the outlines, transferred it onto heavy maroon paper, and cut it out painstakingly with an x-acto knife. Once that was done, I mod-podged it to a brown paper card stock. The recipient is an engineer and his wife, so I thought it would be an appropriate style for them.

Thank you card

2008-08-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have been working on ideas for a few "thank you" cards, as I have needed to send a few to various people. I'll post them as I complete each one. The first is for a friend in Spain, and here's the graphic from it:

Our families are both fond of garlic. Not an excuse, just a reason.

It was done with super subtle watercolor with pen/ink on textured paper. Textured paper with subtle watercolor doesn't scan very well, so it looks even cooler in real life, but the idea is there.

More painting updates

2008-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

The fourth panel has been completed; I've begun painting the fifth and the other two are completely sketched. I'm happy with the progress I've made lately. Here's a detail from one of the sketches:

I have also started the sketches for the color-test paintings I will be doing for my mother's office at the Ag Department. I'm doing minis first so she can decide which of my initial sketches she wants to go with and what color schemes she would prefer. There are two sets of matching scenes to choose from. One is a little more abstract in composition, while the other is a more traditional set of rural scenes. Both contain all (or at least most) of the agricultural contributions of Solano County between both panels. The last is a long scene of hills, a fruitstand, and hopefully some hot air balloons. I think this project will be fun to work on, especially as it will give me an opportunity to get back into acrylics for a while.

On a personal note

2008-08-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

I discovered recently that we will be adding another member to our family. The new addition is expected in mid-February 2009.

Work resumes

2008-08-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

So I am back at the drawing board. Have finished three complete pages (Huzzah!).

This week I finished painting the fourth panel and am in the process of inking it today. I have also nearly finished the pencils for two more pages, which leaves just the one that is yet to be started. Still not sure exactly what I'm doing for that panel, but I'll be working on it as soon as I finish the ones that I am sure about. I think I'm on schedule to be done with everything I said I would be for my meeting next week with the author. That's always a good thing :-)

Here's another sneak peek at one of the pages:

A little preview

2008-07-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a scan of part of one of the pages from the book I'm working on:

Work... or lack thereof

2008-07-26T14:54:00.001-07:00

It has definitely been a crazy week. I've spent more time cleaning and entertaining than doing almost anything else. I shampooed the carpets thanks to the loan of a steam cleaner from a friend. It's amazing how much better I feel about my house now.

I did get a little bit of inkwork done early in the week, not much, but something. And then today I volunteered for three hours at the Vacaville Friends of the Library book sale. I organized books for the entire time, though I am sure people will have wrecked it within an hour of my leaving. Such is the way of library work. And slobby people. I enjoyed myself anyway; it reminded me of my old days as a library tech :-)

This afternoon I am supposed to help Jeremy work on his sermon for tomorrow, and tonight I'm taking Toric to a birthday party. Therefore, no illustrations are likely to be worked on until Monday.

How the web rolls...

2008-07-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Day the Third of learning the web stuff. So far so good. Html seems like a lot of work, but makes pretty decent sense. I have to get back to my pen and ink before too long, though, or I'll never finish the book.

Website

2008-07-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

My husband is now convinced I am a genius because I set up our domain name to forward people to the Crop Marks blogger page. If he thinks that was good, he'll be even more thrilled with having email addresses with our domain name forwarded to our regular email. Now all I have to do is figure out how to actually get the website to work at the website instead of having to forward it.

But apparently I am a genius, so it should be no trouble at all...

Oh, and the web domain is http://www.crop-marks.com/

Illustration

2008-07-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is now my official Crop Marks illustration blog. There's a slideshow of some of my work, and I'll update and show progress as much as I can. I hope that any of you out there that like what I do will keep me in mind for your next project.

Currently, I'm working on a series of watercolor illustrations for a local author. I'm done with almost four of the paintings, and still have yet to finalize my last two pencils for the book. Should look awesome when it's completed and I will have samples up here then.

I also have a set of pictures in the works for my mother. She works at the Ag Dept in Solano County, and wanted to cheer up her office. I have some interesting and very agricultural sketches for that going on.

Until next time...

Poor lonely blog

2008-04-28T23:36:00.003-07:00

Wow, this was some really random stuff I put here so long ago.

I should try to write something real on here sometime. Myspace has taken over my sensible ponderings; mostly cuz it gets more circulation.

Alas, poor blogger, I hardly knew ye...

The awesomeness I like totally have...

2008-03-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

There's something so tense about working on illustrations for someone else. You talk to them about their idea, you discuss it over coffee until there are nothing but stray grounds in the bottom of your cup and you know you have to get back home before your one-year-old wakes up and daddy has to get to work, and you and the client go your separate ways full of hope and vague trepidation. The stages are thus:

1) Optimism: I CAN do this! It will be so easy! I can see those characters so clearly! She will love it so much she will dump a mocha on my feet and wipe them with her hair.

2) Sketching: Yes! These vague stick figures will look better when the finals are done!

3) Procrastination: I have two whole weeks to get this done! Piece of cake. I'll just think about it and settle the pictures in my mind before they really get down on paper.

4) Pessimism: Why do I even bother telling people I'm an artist? Who am I kidding? The only people who think I am any good are my mom, my family, my husband, and everybody I've ever done a picture for, but what do they know? Michelangelo would have dropped a chunk of marble on me for passing this crap off as art! And I would gladly welcome that chunk of marble because it would put me out of my delusional misery.

5) Work: I guess I actually have to do this picture. The worst they can say is that it's crap, and I already think that anyway.

6) Surprise: Hey! This doesn't look as much like crap as I thought it would. In fact.... it's rather good.

7) Optimism/arrogance: This is the most awesome thing I have ever created. If the client doesn't like this, she's looney and blind.

The final step is the show-and-tell with the client, where it is to be hoped that they approve, with or without changes. However, since step 7 is optimism and arrogance, your feelings ostensibly can't get hurt too much. If you like your own work, you assume that their personal taste just differs from your own (though their possession of anything resembling "good taste" is then called into question). Work moves forward from there.

I have been blessed to have the positive experience today of showing work to a client and having her not only approve, but show her co-author/daughter, who then almost peed herself from happiness. Makes me feel all warm inside. And despite all the talk about optimism/arrogance, relieved.

First one... generally I avoid computers

2007-05-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hmmm. Seemed like a good thing to do. Write online for no good reason and see who might care to read it. Haven't written anything for ages. I could say random things that may or may not be insightful, such as "If a baby poos all over his crib and no one is there to smell it, does it still stink?" or "How many chucks could a wood chuck..." wait, no, that's wrong. Nevermind. Anyway. Random first post. Boo-yah.