2012 Reflection

Doing this grid was a cool way to put the year into perspective! It all feels like such a long time ago already!

April and May were entirely consumed by costume making. This has been a trend of mine for the past couple of years... I should start posting my costumes on this blog, shouldn't I? They really are very pretty! Lots of hand-painted details, jewelry crafted of metal, clay, and resin-- and sewing, of course! :) This year's costume is very low effort, so there will be plenty of time for drawing! 

I didn't turn up any completed projects in July or August! Oh no! During July, I was a comic teacher's assistant for the summer youth program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I did a lot of sketching and reading comics during that time.

The fall was my most productive season in 2012. Maybe what they say about northern weather affecting productivity really is true. If you're not able to run around outside, you might as well be running around in the fields of your imagination and MAKING stuff! ^^ I also sold artwork at three conventions during the fall. They provide nice, solid deadlines-- versus my flexible, self-imposed ones.

This year, I'm kicking off with a handful of comic strips! Mystery, mystery~! I'll post them soon. ♥

Little Girls

This is a birthday present for my Mama! She comes up with cute stories about these two little girls, one of which lives under a rock! <3 I wanted to portray them in a simplistic children's book style... This is what I landed on!

The Lollipop Gent

Isn't he a sweetie?

Copic Drawings

I love how portable copic markers are. For these drawings, I printed copies of my line art and took them on the road with me. I wound up coloring one on an airplane and the other at a library. I felt like a kid with a coloring book and a box of crayons! It was fun and relaxing.

 I like having copies of the line art in case I want to try different color combinations, and also to try out different opacities for the lines. Howl and Sophie's lines were reduced to 60% opacity. Doesn't it kind of look like pencil? I like how soft it came out. 

Rainbow Star Girl

I was inspired to draw a bright, colorful chibi after watching Disney's Wreck it Ralph. The Sugar Rush characters are so cute!

Sketch Night at the Opera: Anna Bolena

This week, I had the pleasure of attending Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti, performed at the Ordway Theater. As always, the Minnesota Opera has put together a grand production, tense with drama!

Here are the sketches I made during the show. I fiddled around with ink for a bit before catching my groove in pencil. As always, my approach was a bit gestural, as I tried to capture as many instances as possible!

 

  

 

 

Thanks for checking out my sketches! If you're interested in seeing a performance of Anna Bolena, check out the Minnesota Opera's website-- it will be running 'til November 18th! Sketch nights at the opera take place during the final dress rehearsal of each production.  If you're interested in hoping aboard the sketch train, these events are hosted by the lovely Black Hat Collective, a twin cities comic-making club. We are very welcoming to newcomers! Well, that's all I've got for now... Have a sketchy day! <3

Inktober Conclusion

October's daily ink challenge, "Inktober", didn't make it onto my daily to-do list after all, but I did get a small batch of ink drawings and doodles out of it! It was just what I needed to kick into convention commission mode. Also, it feels good to get my hands inky after spending so much time working digitally lately! The ones below were the very first few I knocked out.  The drawing was fast, because I was so eager to get re-acquainted with my inking tools! From left to right: Hunt 102 nib, Pentel pocket brush, Hunt 108 nib. Above, Howl and Sophie were inked with a G-nib.

 

That princess' arms are just "ouch". Not my finest work, but the challenge was way fun! I recommend it. Next year, I'll hop on board, day one.