Illustration Friday - Adventure

A Blustery Day - Watercolor, ink & paint pens

"Suddenly the wind ceased. The air seemed motionless around us. We were off..." - Alberto Santos-Dumont

I don't think she cares where she is going. This lovely lady is in it for the ride. 

Loving the latest prompt from IllustrationFriday.com. This week is all about:

"Adventure"

Here is a windy wanderer from a few years ago. She's been floating around in my Etsy shop, matted and ready to be popped into your 11" x 14" frame. She's also been marked down to $20, mat included - time to free up some inventory. 

Do you have the heart of an explorer? Share your nomadic dreams today! Upload your take on adventure and add the link over at the Illustration Friday website.

Illustration Friday - Old

the lepidopterist

Exiled Princess? Retired villainess? Once famous for her wild parties, she now prefers to spend her time with butterflies and a bit of Nabokov.

Dusting off an ancient scribble for Illustration Friday's latest prompt: "Old". This butterfly collector is the third painting in the Rogues Gallery series. It is a mix of drawing & watercolor painting on patterned paper and measures 12"square. 

Feeling inspired to share your golden oldies? Ready to check out creations based on the week's challenge? Pop by IllustrationFriday.com. The key word changes every Friday. Feel free to play along! Make something relevant and post it to your site or fave social media and then link up. If you do share, let me know. It is always fun to see where the latest prompt takes people.

Illustration Friday - Danger

pigma, pitt, paint, metallic pens & watercolor pencils on paper and board

Illustration Friday's stimulating new prompt, Danger, has me finishing up this doodle I was playing with last month. These ladies look like a couple of trouble makers to me. 

Danger also brings to mind this fun little ditty from a few years ago on HitRecord.org. Peppina & Puppycat shared what has to me my favorite musical riff off the Red Riding Hood tale. I don't see a way to embed it, but you can have a listen here: http://www.hitrecord.org/records/723671  

What does "danger" make you think of? Want to play along? Share your take on your fave social media and link up at http://illustrationfriday.com. Or just pop over to see what other folks are coming up with. No judgement there - creations range from primitive to professional. Just creative folks having fun. Hope to see you there!

Illustration Friday - Summer

Sharing this mixed media reworking of an older drawing for the sunny IllustrationFriday.com prompt, Summer.

Click the link above to visit the I.F. site & enjoy what everyone is sharing. Please feel free to post your summer-inspired creations; the challenge is open all week. If you do play along, pop by and let me know so that I can check it out.

Illustration Friday - prehistoric

Super fun challenge from IF today = 'prehistoric'! 

Don't know if I'll have time to draw this week (busy prepping for one of our big trade shows, the NY Toy Fair), so I took a few minutes of precious TGIF time to dig up & play with a dusty ole negative.... yes, from the ancient days of *gasp* film.

However I don't think IF accepts photos, so I won't bother submitting. But, hey, if you feel inspired to create: (1) share your antediluvian adventures online (2) link up to illustrationfriday.com & (3) be sure to tell me about it so I can check your primeval self out.

Before you leap back into the future, be sure to comment below. It'll get your name into the hat for my next random drawing. On 2/13 one winner picks their fave ACEO  (mini art print) from my etsy shop,Artsnark's Artifacts, to add to their collection.

Illustration Friday - Stripes

Envy

The new IF challenge prompt, Stripes, brought to mind an old charcoal portrait. I tweaked it a bit in P.Elements just for kicks.  If you feel inspired by this theme create & post your interpretation. Be sure to add a link over at IllustrationFriday.com. Or you can just visit them and enjoy the variety of striations other folks are sharing.

Did you know that leaving a comment here enters you into a new random drawing? On 12/1 two lucky readers win prints of their favorite pieces from my Etsy shop or blog. Giveaway is open worldwide. Click here for details.

Thanks for popping by. Best wishes for a creative day!

Illustration Friday - Scary

Halloween 2011 WIP

A belated entry for Illustration Friday's new prompt - Scary. This creepy nature-girl is cropped from a piece I am playing with for tomorrow's post.

Special thanks to these stock providers for the inspiration:
http://ashensorrow.deviantart.com
http://tasastock.deviantart.com

Pop back later tomorrow to catch the whole piece. Unfortunately my computer is acting up tonight so I'm calling this day done. Best wishes to you all for a fantastic week!

By the way, visit Illustration Friday for more Scary stuff this week.  Be sure to add your own interpretation if you are feeling inspired.

NOTE: Click here for final piece, added 10/31

Illustration Friday - Hibernate

hibernate

Once again loving IllustrationFriday's new prompt- this week it is the evocative Hibernate. Many thanks to stock photographer/model daylight-calling for sharing her wonderful images on deviantart.com. Anybody who pops over here regularly knows that DeviantArt is one of my top go-to spots for models. I was super happy to stumble onto daylight-calling's stock tonight.

Dredging the itunes library for some torpid inspiration led me to Jude's No One Is Really Beautiful.  (The only clean version of "I know" that I could find for sharing is from the City of Angels Soundtrack)

I've also been mulling over a line from Wilde's Dorian Gray, which I'm rereading for for the Etsy Time Travelers Team book club: "The world belongs to you for a season.... The moment I met you I saw that you were quite unconscious of what you really are, of what you really might be."

Toss in an uninvited visit from my regular muse, Little Red, and you've got today's digital illustration for Hibernate. Click the pic to enlarge.

Want to see some more grand yet sleepy art? Check out IllustrationFriday.com. 

Feeling inspired? Post your own & link up before next Friday.

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Technique & Tool chapter from The Pulse Survey

It was great fun participating in the 5th incarnation of Seth Apter's ongoing Q&A project, The Pulse. 130+ artists answered a variety of art related questions . The latest chapter, Techniques & Tools, asks what technique or tool the artists couldn't live without. Some great answers can be found now on Seth's blog, The Altered Page, with links to each artists creations.  (yep, shameless plug - I'm in this round). Click here to check it out - it is interesting to see the mix of responses & styles. Be sure to visit The Altered Page each Sunday for a new installment of The Pulse.

Seth Apter's The Pulse artists' survey

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Entered my giveaway yet? Yep, changing topics on you again. If you answered "no" then leave a comment & your name goes in the hat. I'm drawing 1 random winner next Thursday from anyone who has commented on this blog in the last 2 weeks. By the way, I've been a lazy blogger so comments are light & your odds are good. Winner gets 1 ACEO of their choice from my Artsnark.etsy.com shop.

Well, gotta fly. Hope you are feeling inspired & wishing you a creative day!

Illustration Friday - Ferocious

a woman scorned

I'm a little late to the party this week. Finally stole some time to play with last Friday's I.F. art challenge. The new word is "ferocious" - fun, huh? You have until 9/29 to post your interpretation & add it to the IllustrationFriday.com site.

This little doodle is a mix of stamping, drawing & digital illustration. Might add a few tiny flames in the future....but responsibilities beckon, so this is it for now.  Catch you later! Hope you have a creative day

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By the way, I'm holding a random drawing on 10/6 - 1 winner gets their choice of ACEO from my ArtSnark etsy shop. Any comment left on this blog before then get's your name in the hat.

Illustration Friday - Mesmerizing

I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. 

- from Walt Whitman's Song of Myself

Mesmerizing - another inspiring prompt from the always fabulous IllustrationFriday.com. Just a quickie from me today - this one is colored pencil and marker with digital tweaks. To enlarge, click the pic.

I do love making stuff - the act really is mesmerizing. I get lost in the zone and everything else falls away..... best meditation I know.  

Does this challenge stir your creative side? If so, slide into your imagination and scribble down those mesmerizing thoughts. Then float on over to I.F. and share them with the rest of us. Or just pop over and see what is hypnotizing other artists today.

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By the way, have you entered the new random drawing yet? Leave a comment before 9/22 to toss your name in the hat. 1 lucky person takes home a pair of snowy owl earrings from The House Of Decadent Delusion. Click here to view prize & enjoy an interview with the designer.

Illustration Friday - Mysterious

Red Handed - charcoal, ink & digital

Wow - is already time for IllustrationFriday again? Another fabulous art challenge this week - the new prompt is "Mysterious." Come out & play if you get a chance. Just post your mysterious interpretation and link up over at IllustrationFriday.com.

Skull doodles WIP

Sadly, I missed last week's prompt, "disguise." Time slipped away from me.... but I am playing with the mask doodles again this year. So happy to find more paper mache skelly parts when cleaning up my messy space. Last fall, I found that although I don't stick to art journaling, skull scribbling somehow clicks for me.

2010 WIP skull, since finished

I'm thinking about listing this 2010 mask on Etsy. It has been finished (oops - never did take a final photo) & is displayed on a modified doll stand. The question is - should I add holes & ribbon so that it can be hung on a wall before listing? What do you think? I'd love any suggestions.

Time to get back to my day. If you are feeling doodle-iscous remember to post your mysterious creation & share over at IF.

   

Oh, & if you haven't entered the Sept 8th random drawing for 3 pendants from LilyBellesJewels and would like some more info, click here. All who comment on this blog before the drawing are automatically entered.

Illustration Friday - Imperfect

the eyes have it

Imperfection is beauty, 

madness is genius, 

and it is better to absolutely ridiculous 

than absolutely boring. ~ Marilyn Monroe

Another fabulous challenge from IllustrationFriday.com!  I could post just about anything I've done & have it fit. But on further musings... for me it is all in the eyes. While I am also obsessed with hands, the eyes make or break a piece for me. By the way, the peepers featured above are from misc. works o' mine.  Most are in my etsy shop.

Oooh.... I feel a game coming on.... tell you what - try to identify pieces that these eyes appear in & you could win 1 of my prints. Could be fun! How many can you guess right? It just happens that they are almost all available in my etsy shop. My shop is ArtSnark.etsy.com. 

C'mon! Have a go. Leave your answer in the comments here (or if you want your guesses to remain secret send an email to ArtSnark@verizon.net). If you guess the most correct answers, you win. If there is a tie, I will do a random drawing from the folks with the same # of guesses. If anyone decides to play along, I will announce the winner next Friday. Cheers!

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By the way, I'm also running a random drawing for my Portrait of Mary Shelley ACEO. Leave any comment on my blog before 8/18 to toss your name into the hat. Click here for more about this giveaway & to see the piece

Illustration Friday - Gesture

Gesture

"Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence. " ~Henri Matisse

I had fun with the new prompt from IllustrationFriday.com - Gesture. Click on the pic for larger view.

Many thanks to these fantastic free-use stock providers:

LetzteSchatten-stockfor use of image Stock4

Mjranum-stock for image That's the spot -2

Do you feel inspired by this week's challenge? If so, make something cool, post it online and add a link on the I.F. site. If not, skip over there anyway & check out what everyone else is up to.

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By the way, I am holding a random drawing on 7/28. Winner gets their favorite ACEO from the new prints I've ordered. To enter, leave a comment on my blog before June 28. For details & to see a few of the new art cards, click here

Illustration Friday - Stay

Stay - mixed media on cut paper - click image to enlarge

Stay, the new IllustrationFriday prompt, hits close to home this week. I don't tend to get too personal on this blog & have debated sharing TMI this week. I don't do emotional very well in the real world (let alone the virtual one) so that is why I have been scarce around here. (who knows, I may come back & delete this later).

About 10 years ago my Dad was diagnosed with a nasty case of cancer. It did not look good.  Luckily he was accepted into an experimental study with some new heavy-duty treatments, and he beat it.  Now he has another kind & has surgery today. Needless to say, we are all hopeful & worried.

I wasn't worth a damn today so  drifted over to DA and trolled through my stock photo faves for some inspiration. Then played in PE9 for a while. Since I have no time to paint anymore, I've been mocking up some digi-sketches in case the calendar clears someday. 

Stay - digital sketch - again, just click to enlarge

I've still got a way to go on this one but it includes my thoughts on "Stay", crossing over, and of course a version of Little Red. I went too faded,need to tone down the white light & give the wolf a bit more ooomf. But as a sketch it is a decent start, I think....

Many thanks to these talented DeviantArt folks for sharing their fabulous stock images:

xCrystals: Arctic Wolf 17

MyBluelight-stock: Cold Winter

AshenSorrow: Premade Background 1277

But I still felt a need to wrap my hand (& mind) around a pencil. On impulse I challenged myself to make something using only a handful of items from the pigsty on my desk. So, there is a scrap of torn patterned paper (it has typewriter-style text with words like -  "sudden", "alone" & "I remember", which seemed apt). Then 2 Pitt Pens, red & blue; a pigma micron brown 05; Plus a handful of Derwent Pencils - metallic Red#7; my go-to Lemon Cadmium watercolor pencil; & a Chinese White Drawing pencil.

Plugged in a Monoral Mix I haven't listened to in a while - it includes this great tune that anime fans will recognize - seemed to fit my mood....

Then I shut out the world and doodled away. Lucky for me, my wonderful husband covered for me in the kitchen and with the kiddo for a couple of hours. Little Dude came in about 3/4 of the way through & declared the illo "meh" - I had to agree. But plodded on & then had a go with some scissors. The cuts seem to let some of the fun texty paper show through without being too dull a background. 

The final is at the top of this post - I had to scan it on black , sorry if the background is distracting. It measures about 5.5" x 12". I was going to just add it to the never ending stack of dusty drawings but am thinking about matting & framing for the ArtSnark etsy shop. What do you think?

Are you inspired by Stay today? Pop on over to I.F. & see some other fun takes on the topic. Please add your own too - come out & play!

Illustration Friday - Remedy

ink, marker, colored pencil, sheet music

Great IF prompt today - Remedy - it brought all sorts of grand themes to mind. I kept having visions of absinthe fairies & other phantasmagoria all day. But (as usual) time is limited. Playing with the cliche that "All You Need Is Love", I'm sharing this little doodle today.

If you feel inspired by Remedy, post your piece & link up over at IllustrationFriday. Be sure to visit some of the other interpretations while you are there.

But before you go, leave a comment here & you will be entered in the 7/14 random drawing for Myke Amend's Coloring Book For Grown Up Kids. Click here for more info

Illustration Friday - Launch

Ship of Fools

 Laura stretched her gleaming neck

  Like a rush-imbedded swan,

Like a lily from the beck,

Like a moonlit poplar branch,

 Like a vessel at the launch

When its last restraint is gone.

  - from Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

The new Illustration Friday prompt, Launch, was rattling around in my head when it dislodged this poem from my school days. Remember Goblin Market? Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth English teachers used to assign this poem to get the symbolism/feminism discussion rolling. If you're intrigued by lovely ladies, goblin men & forbidden fruits it is a fun one. You can catch it here.

Ship of Fools was  was originally created for a collaborative self portrait book. It measures 4" sq. and is a mix of watercolor pencil and metallic inks/paints on paper. It it now in my ArtSnark Etsy shop. 

Rossetti reminds me- I don't think I have mentioned yet the wonderful Pre-Raphaelite exhibit we enjoyed at the Musee d'Orsay last month. The dryly titled A Ballad of Love and Death: Pre-Raphaelite  Photography in Great Brittian, 1848 - 1875 showcased classic photos and paintings from some of my favorites, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll, John Ruskin, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Christina's brother) and others. Several models/poses/scenes were similar (or almost identical) in these early photographs and the paintings. Some of the photos were handcolored, increasing the resemblance to the famous paintings. While I knew these folks were reading the same material (and in some cases hanging out), it never occurred to me just how much the photographers and painters were influencing each other. 

Loaded with lovely images, the exhibition book, The Pre-Raphaelite Lens was too heavy to lug overseas.  I've since found it (cheaper) on Amazon.com and am saving my pennies. Another interesting source for Pre-Raphaelite info is mixed media artist Maureen Tillman's blog . On her right sidebar you'll find links to some of her great posts about these artists and their models/muses. 

Sorry if I've bored you with the ramble. I'm on some heavy cold meds, so the synapses might be misfiring more than usual today. If you are feeling inspired to "Launch" - make an illo, post it online and share the link over at IllustrationFriday.com. Or just pop over there to see what everyone else is up to. 

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Before I go, I'm hosting a new custom printing giveaway for Uprinting.com. Next Thursday 1 random winner gets 250 color printed nightclub-style flyers. To enter leave a comment before 1 am (EST) on 6/23. This particular giveaway is only open to USA residents though - sorry about that International folks. Click here for flyer details.

IF - Journey

Work in progress - digital manip. 

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Greg Anderson

I am such an art-addict. Each Friday I eagerly open my email (usually over coffee while still in p.j.s) to check out the new IllustrationFriday.com prompt. Then I pray to have some free time!

Loving this week's challenge,"journey", and the quote that came with it.

I recently finished a fabulous online workshop, Photomainpulations 3, with the always brilliant Susan Tuttle (I absolutely love her  blog, Ilka's Attic) and have been looking forward to playing with a few of the things I learned.

There are a few things I still need to tweak, including some subtle faux hand coloring which is a little too subtle. And some more blending/ shading.  I'm trying to show motion but wanted her face to be clear. This has been fun to play with... But I have to run & don't know if I'll get to work on it again for a few days - so best to post as is. By the way click on the image for a larger view.

Stock used is from these generous & talented deviant-art stock photographers:

Spectral Stock's Steampunk XII

Its All Stock's Old Airplane

If you are inspired by the thought of a journey, I hope you add your creation to  IllustrationFriday.com. You have all week to play along. Or just stop by & see what other folks have made.

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And if you want to see some amazing figurative/fantasy art, click here. It'll take you to yesterday's interview with the insanely talented Bethalynne Bejema. You can also read about the 3 awesome prizes I'll be giving to random blog commenters for her

Illustration Friday meets Diary 2011

"I always say,  keep a diary and someday it will keep you." 
- Mae West

Seems like ages since I've contributed to Illustration Friday. Each week I am inspired by the  latest prompt but haven't had the time to transfer my ideas from brain to paper.  Last Friday's word was "Diary" and came with this fun quotation.

It just happens that I've been running behind schedule on my pages for Fantayza's Diary 2011 project. Due to my perpetual procrastination, I've retooled some older drawings to fit the bill rather than start from scratch. (The drawings are faint so that the pages can be used by the diarist. click image to enlarge)

(Were you around for last years Diary 2010 posts? If not, the links to those pages are here & here if you are curious)

Are you wondering What is the Diary 2011 Project?  Now in its 4th year, the Diaries Project was founded by photographer/fashion designer Lucy Baribeau of Fantazya. Lucy gathers pages from artists worldwide into a fantastic Diary/day planner that she then sells online at Fantazya.etsy.com.  Last summer Lucy stopped by the blog to say hello; you can find her interview here. She recently remodeled her studio so I'm hoping to sign her up for a Saturday Studio Tour sometime soon.

Want to contribute a page? Here is the link to all the info, including dates that still need some love. Though this phase of the Project is technically over, there are a few pages that need artists. (As you scroll down the Diary 2011 page they are the ones in red.) If you can finish one in the next couple of days, drop Lucy an email to reserve a specific date.

I'll be pulling together a couple more pages in the next few days & will toss them up here for your perusal. Then it is onto making cards for an ATC swap I signed up for a while back but haven't even started yet (eek! Lately the one thing I can count on is my procrastination).

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 Inspirational Cards from the Original Paintings of Laura Koniver, MD

Speaking of waiting until the last minute, it is the last night to enter Heartsong Fine Art's random drawing. Laura Koniver, MD (the artist behind Heartsong) has generously donated this week's Thursday Giveaway prize. 1 lucky winner gets their choice of a set of Art Greeting Cards & Envelopes. Click here to see some of the choices. Leave a comment on my blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 7/15 to enter. If you'd like a second entry, check out Laura's guest post on creativity & health and leave a comment there as well.

IF- Ahead

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~Henry David Thoreau

Don't Look Back

Today's Illustration Friday email came with this great Thoreau quote. The new prompt is Ahead.

This drawing is charcoal & conte' on grey paper. It is embellished with watch gears. The wooden frame is decorated with gold colored leaves. The portrait is mounted under a hidden mat & is not touching the glass. This piece is available in my ArtSnark shop - just click on photo for details.

Want to see more images for this prompt? Click here to visit IllustrationFriday.com. If you're feeling inspired, join the party & add your own piece. If you do, please let me know - I'd love to see what you've created.

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By the way, I'm hosting 2 random drawings right now. 1 is for a matted print of my drawing Blue Dryad. The other is for a paper robot puppet by Winona Cookie. To enter, simply leave a comment. Click here for giveaway details & photos of prizes.

IF- Flying

Night Sky Diver ACEO

This week's Illustration Friday art challenge is FLYING. (Yay! I love it when my obsessions mesh with the art challenges.) This paper collage ACEO, Night Sky Diver, is my response. It is also for sale in my Etsy shop, ArtSnark. Click on the image to visit the listing.

Flight appears in my world rather frequently. Click here to see a June post which features 1/2 dozen of my flight themed pieces. I've got a few others on the table right now - I'm busy feeding my airship & hot air balloon fetish at the moment. Hopefully will finish them one of these days.

Got a few minutes? Hop over to I.F. & check out some other takes on the prompt. If you have your own spin on Flying, make sure to link up & share it.

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Final Note - I'm hosting 2 Giveaways right now, click through for details:

Random Drawing for a Teresa Chipperfield Spring Blossoms art print (ends 10/15)

Custom Printed Vinyl Banner with grommets from Uprinting.com (ends 10/22)