I’m experimenting with adding movement to my illustrations using After Effects. Adding drifting leaves is really the easiest option I could think of. Start small, as they say. I’ll say it was a success mostly because I enjoyed it.
The Process
Here is a little bit about how I make my mixed media pieces.
The Final
How I Did It:
Sketching
I chose to do the finished piece on this sketch of the Camellia bush in our backyard.
Drawing
I take the sketch and create a series of drawings based on the sketch. I get to know the shapes and work out the composition.Palette
Next up is an investigation into a some colour combinations.Preparing the pieces
This part is fun. I get to go crazy laying down paint on paper. Here, I used watercolours, making sure to include a variety of different tones and textures. I just let paint do its thing.Prep
Here, I decide which of the prepared papers I’ll use.
The Ground
I bought the separate sheets at my local art store; the paper is 140lb cold-pressed watercolour paper.Background
I used watercolour and gouache for the background colour. The watercolour provided the base colour and I added the gouache with a dry brush to give it texture.The Flowers
I begin by cutting out broad shapes from the paper I had painted earlier. These shapes are based on my previous research and sketches, so it doesn’t take too long to get something I was happy with.Design
This is a very time consuming process: figuring out where all the pieces go. I go based on my intuition, using basic design principles as loose guide.Details
I added pattern with pencil crayon and gouache. The pattern adds movement and visual interest to the piece. It’s hard to decide when it’s done, but again, I just kind of feel it out.
Framing
Before wrapping, up I check them out in their frames. I try to make sure there are no weird flaws in the composition. Next- ready to hang!
Art for Decor
Living room walls... they are there during your private conversations, they accompany your tears and laughter, they let you stare at them for hours on end. And this past year and a half, we have all been staring at our walls for longer than usual. So, how do you want to decorate this flat, silent friend? With something neutral yet meaningful? Something that you won't get bored with, but that won't distract from the latest episode of whatever tv show you're watching? Will it offend your grandmother? Will it scare the kids? And above all else, should your art match your furniture? Can you be that unbearably gauche?
These are the question I'm asking myself these days, as 8 months after we moved into our new house, the living room walls are still bare. Being an illustrator, these are not run-of-the-mill questions. The stakes are high!
I will be creating the art myself, because my budget is small and my kids use too many colours for the decor.
Illustrators differ from fine artists in their level of practicality. And so I began by buying the frames: two (deeply discounted) matching wooden frames from Michael's. The colour of the wood is the same as that of the coffee table, and satisfies my artistic fussiness.
I let the frames sit in their plastic shopping bag for a couple months while I thought things over. Lately, I've been into gardening and we have a Camellia bush in our backyard. It has such beautiful flowers and I spent days sketching them. This resulted in one semi interesting sketch, and one day as I scrolled through my images, it hit me: it would be perfect for the living room! Non-offensive, natural, relevant.
Perfect, except for one thing: the flowers were pink and my living room is grey, blue and gold. I can introduce a background colour of warm green. But pink would be too much. The question thus becomes: can I make the pink flowers yellow. Do Camellias come in yellow?
Yes, they do. They are called Jury's Yellow. They are a very pale yellow, so there will be some artistic interpretation. Do they grow in BC? Are the petal shapes the same as the one in my yard? These questions will remain unanswered. One time in art school, I took an information design class and I almost failed a project because I wouldn't stop researching. Lesson learned: stop researching at some point and just paint it. That is coming up next. For now, here's my bare wall, my camellia bush, and my sketch. I also prepped some paper.
Working Digitally is Hard
I’m learning to recreate my collage style on Procreate because with two little kids, I don’t have a lot of time to get out all my art supplies and work in traditional media. But I haven’t had much success digitally, so I decided to do a little analysis. I started with this image of a little girl jumping. The first picture is a cut paper collage. The second is a drawing on the iPad using Procreate. I used the pencil tool and added colour with the pastel tool. What I found was that the first version was much, much better than the second, even though I spent the same amount of time on each.
Looking at both, I find the first version is livelier and more interesting. The linework is more varied, and uses colours other than black. The colours are layered and textured, lending the image depth and letting the viewer’s eye linger. The digital version is somewhat stilted, more generic and not as vibrant. The only pros to the digital version is that the colours are brighter and the face is clearer.
I tried a digital version again. This time, I inked in with traditional media, took a photo and then coloured in Procreate. But I stayed a lot looser, and used different layers and textured brushes. I also erased some of the black line and used the eraser to recreate the shape my scissors make. Success! I feel encouraged.
This is far from my first attempt at recreating traditional work in a digital format, but it is my most analytical. I find I am able to duplicate the original much better. I know it’s not quite there, I’ll keep at it.
Drawing in 2020 Vision
The start of a new year is time for change and renewal, a new self, new resolutions, new goals. Sounds good, but that’s a lot of pressure! Who can function under that? And how can you sustain a change that’s made under that type of pressure? Goal setting should be, above all, something that is doable and that you WANT to do. Right? Make it easy on yourself.
Or so I told myself as I debated what tasks I should set myself for 2020. There are so many things I want to accomplish in my illustration career. But setting resolutions has never worked for me. And yet… the pull to start something new is irresistible. What can I do that won’t cause me a ton of anxiety and derail me from the plan I already have for myself?
Luckily, I’m reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic.” Ok, so my big new year’s resolution: Live Creatively. With caps, no less. I haven’t finished, but I recommend this book to anyone, really. Gilbert’s writing is like listening to a conversation. It’s great.
I have no illustration to accompany this post. But writing is creative, too (says the illustrator).
Fun With GIFs
GIFS are fun! Ok, everyone knows that. But I didn’t until recently. So I’ve been doing some. They are incredible easy to do in Photoshop.
Instagram Challenges
Illustrators and creators of all types know about Instagram challenges. These challenges, begun by individuals or collectives, usually give participants a weekly or monthly task and are open to anyone. They are meant to provide creators with the momentum to produce work. For illustrators, the work itself can range from sketches to final art. I find them very useful. I get to meet other illustrators and for once, I feel like I’m not working in total isolation.
This year, I did Inktober, Illostories, Folktale week and the Advent_challenge. Look them up! They were all put on by other illustrators. Below is some of my work from these challenges.
I’ll be honest, I’m looking for more. Yes, I can make my own, and once I have a handful of illustrator followers, I will make my own. But I respond well to be assigned work, so if you know of any, please message me!
