PBR Contest Entry

Pabst Curlers, acrylic, graphite, & colored pencil, 18 x 28", 2011.

This is the completed version of my Pabst Blue Ribbon art contest entry.

I was inspired by turn of the century poster artists like Theophile Steinlen.

Illustration Friday: Dusty

Dusty Miller, acrylic & colored pencil, 6 x 12.5", 2011.

This week's theme for Illustration Friday was "dusty".  I work in a library; I see dust all the time.  I definitely didn't want to draw plain old dust, so I decided to draw the plant, Dusty Miller. 

My original idea for this was to have a lot of detailed pencil work, and to make it look like an old fashioned bookplate.  Once I drew the outline of the leaves it reminded me of batik fabric designs, so I ended up going in an entirely different direction.

The whole thing looks almost abstract, which is not at all my usual style.  It's Dusty Miller, but I could also get away with saying that it's an illustration of dust under a microscope.  Whatever it is, I think it's kind of interesting looking.  What do you think?

In Progress: PBR Contest Entry

Pabst Curlers, graphite on paper, 18 x 23.5, 2011.

Pabst Blue Ribbon has an annual art contest, and the deadline is January 31st.   I'm trying it out this year;  this is a first look at my entry.

Check back soon for the completed version!

Illustration Friday: Chicken

William Morris Chickens, watercolor, graphite, & color pencil on watercolor paper, 13 x 5.5", 2011.

Illustration Friday is a site that posts weekly topics for illustrators to explore.  I've decided to use it as a kind of weekly warm-up exercise.

The theme posted yesterday was "Chicken".  Fun, right?

I challenged myself to work within a much shorter time frame than I usually have, and also to work on a much, much smaller scale than is normal for me.  I tend to get caught up in little details like every single individual feather, and this forced me to just get an idea down without fussing over it.

My inspiration came from a book of William Morris prints that I got for Christmas (thanks mom!)

PS:  If anyone has any tips on photographing artwork, let me know.  I definitely could use some guidance there.

Welcome!

I've decided to start a blog to post drawings and artwork, and talk about my work process.

I tend to reject and abandon ideas before they are seen by anybody, so I thought that starting a blog would be a great exercise for me to get my work out there and finally seen.

I am definitely open to any critiques, even criticism, so I can continue to grow as an artist and illustrator.


Thank you for looking!