So, as I previously mentioned, I got a little sidetracked from my "Origin" comic.  I had an idea for a "swamp elder" and just had to go for it.  See below for thumbnails, sketches, studies and at last...the "final" piece. There is a lot of fine-tuning to be done with it as well plenty of stuff that just plain isn't finished yet.  I need a break, though, before I dive back in.  I'm also hoping to get a critique on it, so if I do, I'm sure lots of things will need to be changed!

 First thumbnails with a (photo) study of an old woman's face

 Character sketches

 Large thumbnail

 Final thumbnails with shell sketches

 Close-up of final thumbnail

 Live study of snail shell

 My little set-up for studying the shell

 Photo study of some mossy branches

 Photo study of a hunchbacked old woman

"Final" digital painting

Just a little study of a snail shell (dredged out of our local lagoon by my dearest just for me). Took about 3 hours...I think (I didn't time myself too closely).  This is preparation for an upcoming piece--yes, I got a little distracted from my comic, "Origin". I promise I'll get back to it ASAP.  First, though, I'm going to tackle this totally sweet idea I have...

I've been meaning to mention that "L'Angoisse de Méduse" was featured this past summer in 33 Contemporary Gallery's 7th Annual National Self-Portrait Exhibition--click on the link to view all the pieces that were exhibited!  It was a fantastic exhibit!

Ack...so, this is taking some time. Having trouble with the firelight lighting, and of course the feathers are taking forever (in part because I am an idiot and didn't devote enough energy to finding good references and doing some studies beforehand...when will I ever learn?). I also realized (rather late in the game, I know) that there is NO WAY this is going to work as the second panel--way too sudden. I'm going to need to ease into this shot a bit more gradually--I think I know what perspective I want to do for this additional panel, and it will also permit me to distribute the text more evenly. Sucks, though, because I was definitely ready to move on into the next part.

In other news, did a little bit of work on "Leviathan Queen" this weekend--nice to get back into the oils for a change.  Also did some anatomy studies...need to do A LOT more of those.  :\

So...this is what a critique will do to you! This is so different from the first version that I can't even look at them side by side because my brain explodes. Just to be clear, though, the big changes that came from the critique were the darkening of the mountains and the tweaking of the composition. Everything else is a result of working on it more. Is it the final version yet? Probably not.

New stuff--whoo!  I spent the last 2 months alternately being sick and slacking off, and I apologize. BUT by slacking, I mean of course doing awesome stuff like sword training, trapeze, reading and writing!  Well, ok--I played some video games, too.

At any rate, first off:

 "Koi-Ai"

Finished this just recently--those scales took me quite a while. I'm calling it a digital illustration because it's inspired from a short story (think fairy tale) I wrote recently. I suppose that, technically speaking, it's not an illustration, though, because it's not illustrating a particular scene. Whatever. In any case, hoping to get it published at some point...

Next off, my big project: a mini fantasy comic. I've decided it's HIGH TIME to get serious and really move forward with focus. Doing various personal paintings is interesting for me, of course, and I do learn a lot, but it's probably not the best way to market myself in the concept art arena, which is what I'm going to target.  So:

Panel 1 Progress

Panel 1 Final (?)

I put a question mark because I was setting out for more realism, but it ended up like this--was it meant to be? I sort of suspect that by the time I get to the final panel, I'll have learned so much and my style will have developed more, so I might have to come back and redo this. Oh, well. This is the first "environment" I've ever painted!

For anyone wondering--the Leviathan Queen is still in progress and probably will be for some time, especially in light of my new project.

Anyway. Stay tuned.

Finished!  Actually, I'll probably tweak it more--you know, 'cause I always do...

24 hrs later - Yup, I tweaked it just a tad.

So..."It's Not a Phase" is finally finished.  I put up the photo in the gallery last weekend, but I'm going to take some more photos once I put the galkyd on.  There are about half a million things I can think of to fix or improve upon, but I needed to move on.

Check out the upcoming "Leviathan Queen":

Pencil drawing traced over with brown ink--the arm was totally too short.

 Burnt sienna wash, then blocking in the shadows.

First few layers of colors--some parts are more advanced than others, and I've lengthened the arm.  (I apologize for the grainy photo--will be sure to post a better one soon!)

Then just tonight, I made myself do some digital painting, and something finally clicked:

F***ing finally--I'm starting to get it!

I can't wait to work more on this--not sure exactly where I'm going to take this piece, so it's pretty exciting.  This happened earlier on when I wanted to see what a red background would look like--thought it was sort of cool:

Reminds me a little of the video game WET.

Anyway, more to come soon!

I am sponsoring a contest over on Sketcholic.com--have fun and submit your best!

Just wanted to gripe a bit...the three phases I hate the most in a painting:

1) The beginning: getting the drawing down on the canvas...painstaking, and you know you're going to have to fix something soon or later when you're painting
2) The middle: when you're past the fun "everything's coming together" phase, and you feel like you have a million years to go
3) The end: when there seem to be a thousand tiny details you could fine-tune, but you have to finish it already

 Over and out.

Couldn't get motivated to work on my oils, so instead I fooled around with the Wacom tonight...this is the result of one evening's work, yo!  :P

"Sea Meadow Dragon"

FINALLY got around to finishing my first digital painting (I started it way back in March)!

"The Perilous Journey"

It's pretty much a hodge-podge of experimentation with no training whatsoever, so I'm looking forward to doing a more serious/focused piece and learning some tricks from the pros.  The width is 1280 px, so it should make a good wallpaper--feel free to download it, and email me or post a comment if you want a different size!

Sorry for the lack of updates!  I have, however, been busy painting!  Currently, I'm working on "It's Not a Phase" and am really looking forward to finishing it.  It has been quite a challenge because of the size (32" x 66")!  


This painting itself is what I have been calling a "double subversion" of my least favorite fairy tale (guess which one), but the title is a tip of the hat to my (incredibly) awkward adolescence: I ran around in over-sized T-shirts with glow-in-the-dark wolves emblazoned on the front and fashioned "spears" out of dowel rods my dad brought home from the hardware store (my career goal at the time was to become a hermitess).

 Pencil sketch...took FOREVER (a special thanks to my instructor for helping me)!

 Outline in ink, then burnt sienna wash

 First few layers of color

 ...and more layers

 Finally got to the legs...

 Worked on the wolf face, plus background detailing

 The body and face are nearly done (with the exception of the right arm/hand and feet)...next up: the sheepskin, spear and shred of red cloak!

The digital painting is ongoing--right now, my oil paintings are still the priority for me.  I have one on hold (because I got distracted with "It's Not a Phase") and just started a small self-portrait for an upcoming contest.  I'm very excited out my next big work--its working title is "Leviathan Queen".  Think lots of tentacles.  :)

OK, I'm still here and still keeping busy, I promise!  I bought a Wacom Intuos 4 a few weeks ago and have been experimenting with digital painting--I can definitely see the advantages, although at this point I still enjoy oil painting more.  I also bought a new phone after about 6 years (no, not an iPhone) and have been having a blast rough-drafting my ideas with the Autodesk Sketchbook app.  I have an ongoing "exercise" painting and will be stretching my canvas tomorrow for my next serious painting.  Stay tuned!

Complete!  Check out the Gallery for this new addition and detail shots!  I might try shooting it again once I've put on a coat of Galkyd to see if there's a difference.  I've started a new painting--will post pics soon...

Well, this took longer than I thought it would, and it's still not finished!  I only just started detailing the shell and the background.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted for the background--in the end I opted for roots, rocks and steps because I wanted an environment that seemed natural but not entirely friendly.    

Some have asked what "L'escargot aux yeux écarquillés" means; it means "The snail with eyes wide open". 

There are multiple meanings depending on your interpretation, yet it remains a personal reflection. Perhaps I, the snail-woman, am attempting to withdraw from my shell--in that sense it may symbolize rebirth and leaving behind apathy and fear. Or perhaps I am resting, tired from dragging the shell along with me, yet I cannot leave it behind. The background is meant to represent future challenges as rocks, tree roots and stairs will bring fatigue and discomfort to those unfortunate enough to have to crawl over them.