Illustration Friday: Poise

Though I have some other ideas rolling around in my head, I thought I'd use one of my favorite Turtle Tots for this week's topic. Isn't she sweet? So full of grace and poise.....she doesn't know that turtles are known for being awkward and slow. She sees herself as a beautiful ballerina. Poise is just an outward sign of an inner confidence. Hope you like her, you can check out all the other Turtle Tots here. Happy Monday!

Illustration Friday: Subtract

Woohoo! I did it! And early too! Here's my submission for this weeks topic, "subtract."

Seems this little thief thinks that if one tasty treat is subtracted no one will notice! I had fun drawing these cupcakes...if you stare at them too long they might make you hungry. I have another cute idea for this subject. Maybe I'll be able to submit twice in one week....imagine that!

Spring Gala 2009

It was an hour before the ball when Cinder-Elena looked up from her drawings in her cold part of the castle. Where was her Prince Charming? Where were her furry attendants? There was only silence....

All of her friends had fallen into a deep slumber. Who would take Cinder-Elena to the ball! She had no magic wand or fairy godmother to help her. Instead she tiptoed up to them and gave them each a kiss. Wake up Sir Yoshi, wake up Princess Kita, wake up handsome prince!


Yoshi helped the Prince get dressed. And off they went....

...and they had a wonderful time!

Illustration Friday: Legendary....almost

Well, I tried. I know, you out there in the blogging world are so disappointed in my inability to prioritize my time and get these unpaid, just for fun, Illustration Friday assignments done! I understand, I'm pretty disgusted myself....so I've decided to cut out a few things. Like going to work, showering, and paying taxes. Something radical has to be done.

Alright I'm being melodramatic again but in all seriousness I really ALWAYS want to submit something for IF. It's so fun to see what other people think of your work. To participate with all the other artists....I wanna be in the cool club...pick me, pick me! Oh, sorry, sudden flashback to middle school. Boy I'm pretty sarcastic when I'm exhausted....

I'm showing you my very undone illustration for the topic of "legendary." I tried to think of legendary figures, icons that stood out to me. I was either going to draw a great photorealistic drawing of Ella Fitzgerald belting out a song in a nightclub or this one....

this will be my childrens illustration version of this famous picture....if you don't know what this is from I might have to disown you as a friend (sorry that's cranky Elena piping up again).

Gene Kelly's famous "Singin' in the Rain"

I ran out of time and could have tried to hurriedly fill in the rest just to finish before Friday. But decided if I was sensible, I should really take my time and make these illustrations GOOD. Because good illustrations make up a GOOD portfolio. So I will take my time and finish this one...maybe I'll just have to watch Singing in the Rain again for inspiration!

Gene Kelly is to me a legendary actor/dancer extraordinaire. I LOVE old movies, musicals and variety shows. I ate them up in high school when most people were dating, getting cars....I didn't really do normal stuff like that. I raced home to sing to my musicals. I loved the colors, loved the costumes, loved the dancing, loved how everything was sweet, innocent and uncomplicated. Incidentally, Gene Kelly grew up in the exact area of Pittsburgh that my sister and her husband are living now. I walked around Gene Kelly's neighborhood! Neat!

So here's to Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Fred and Ginger, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Jack Lemmon, Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Victor Mature, Burt Lancaster, Maureen O'Hara, Jimmy Stewart, Audrey Hepburn and all those other screen legends. They bring me fond memories of time with my family and a life less complicated....

I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feeling

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain!

Two more babies in the jungle

So I had Yoshi (whose full name, by the way, is Yoshi Shinga Dewey Alexander French...a regal title if there ever was one) offer his inspection and critique of my work. The Siamese ninja gave me his perceptive pointers and helped me complete the next two Jungle Babies!

Now there's 4 in the set and I will probably go put them into my Etsy shop for the world to see. Still have more jungle babies in mind and a million other things....ah, so many projects so little time!

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is "legendary." I have a couple of good ideas....we'll see if I can make it happen! We have a bunch of special events going on this week. A CareNet banquet and the annual Spring Gala for my work. Lots of good food and dressing up, maybe not so much time for artwork.....we'll see.

Illustration Friday: Intricate

It's almost Friday! Hooray! Everything seems a little bit better on Friday doesn't it?! Well, here is my submission for this week's Illustration Friday. The little boy loves his shiny red tricycle and although fixing it is probably much too intricate for him....he wants to try it...all by himself!

There were a bunch of little issues with this one. BUT instead of critiquing it...I'll let you figure out what's wrong! What did I learn from this assignment: you should always fix your perspective BEFORE you add color and if you're looking for reference pictures on the internet you just might find an awful lot of little President Obama. Like this one:

Isn't he the cutest president you've ever seen? I'm glad he has a hopeful heart and childlike determination because being in charge of our country is an INTRICATE mess!

My favorite IF submissions this week:
http://artistamuvek.blogspot.com/2009/03/intricate-for-if.html
http://fadasecompanhia.blogspot.com/2009/03/illustration-friday-intricate.html
http://cockyerdoodle.blogspot.com/2009/03/intricate-dreams.html
http://abaasch.blogspot.com/2009/03/if-intricate.html
http://moongazinghareillustration.blogspot.com/2009/03/illustration-friday-intricate.html

What amazing artists!

Bamboo and the Jungle Babies!

Well, I happened upon the Inspire Me Thursday website and their topic for this week is "Bamboo." What joy it brought to my face as I have been working very hard on the jungle babies who are framed with bamboo! Here are the first two I've finished so far. The giraffe and elephant are on their way and I hope to do more (a monkey, a zebra.....any more suggestions?).

I'm still not convinced that colored pencils are my thing. When I start drawing something I really fight with them and think I should ditch them and go back to painting but then when I'm done it doesn't look half bad. Opinions anyone? Compare them to the original painted Jungle Babies and tell me what you think! Happy Thursday!

A little discouraged...

Feeling a little bit bummed lately....sort of a combination of these two guys....

I'm not exactly sure why but I think it's because I try too hard. I am a planner, a goal setter, a person who likes to get the job done. All those things are good, but when your plan doesn't work out and your goal isn't achieved you start to feel disappointed and negative.

I didn't make it for the Illustration Friday submissions this week or last. Instead I concentrated on redrawing the Jungle Babies artwork I wanted to put up on Etsy today. But I just couldn't get them done.

I had my trusty Prismacolors, my desk all set up, my sketches, even Kiki the hula-dancing monkey to help me out....but it just didn't happen. Then in my Eeyore-ish state I started to think of all the other things that just aren't happening either. Cleaning the bathroom, for instance, doing our taxes, getting my fur babies their shots, getting more exercise, reading my Bible and spending time with God....ending world hunger, bringing peace to the Middle East, paying off my parent's mortgage, finding a cure for cancer, securing a loving family for every orphan.... you see where this dramatic pity party is going don't you.

So I'm gonna have to knock that off. Obviously my attitude and my priorities need to be shifted.

It's really not about what I can do anway. It's about who I am and who God wants me to be. The refining process not the achievement of my own goals.

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded, YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36