Scrooge and the Three Spirits

lost Girl redo

After meeting with a couple of Art Directors during the Illuxcon 2009 show, I got a bee in my bonnet to rework the Lost Girl illustration to incorporate their suggestions. Now it looks finished. Thanks Jon and Ben for your advise. I appreciate it very much.

red door sketch night 112109

Red Door drawing Group. I dug out some old paper... fought with it a bit due to it's low brightness and intense saturated color, but had fun with the group. A good turn out. Join the fun on Saturday nights.

Mojo and the X-Babies prelim.

After absorbing the conversations that I had at ILLUXCON2 during the Thursday and Friday sessions, on Saturday I decided to apply what I took away from a couple of the artists that reviewed my work and offered what opinions that they had. One artist, Justin Gerard, a fantastic artist and delightful speaker offered up a comment that I take my work to the next level. REALLY finish it out. A full cast of characters, every bit of setting that needs to be there, don't skimp. This way, I get a taste at what level I consistently need to produce, and when I produce at this level on a regular basis... how do I feel about it? IS it something that I love and can't get enough of? Is it something that I like, or is it something that was a "grass is greener" scenario? We will soon find the answer.

werewolf dwg on the airplane

Note to artists out there: if you have an opportunity to go to a Comic book convention, an Illustration convention, a Gaming Convention, and you come home really inspired and ready to work... don't be surprised if as you are working on the plane or in the airport on creepy drawings if you don't get a couple of whispers and pointings directed your way... and not all in a good way. In the land of "Heightened Airport Security" leaving your illustrator unattended and unsupervised can get themselves, shall we say, um.... noticed? No body cavity search, but just about everything else.

I didn't know that I even had a maiden name.

hurakan

ILLUXCON sketch: 4am Friday morning. Lee Ann is still asleep, So I pad off to the bathroom and close the door. I sit on the floor on some towels and bring in my drawing book and some pencils that I grabbed in the dark. CRAP! blue pencils... I knew I should have never packed the blue ones. Oh well, I start working a doodle up that turns into a bit of a sketch for me to begin to think about a scratchboard illustration for Jon's Challenge for Hurakan. I filed through all of my father's Machu Pichu/Equador/Peru/Galopagos Islands photo shoots to look at wildlife, surroundings, things like that. Jon once asked of someone, "what does a bad weather animal look like? And what did one look like to the Mayan's?" So I thought, Ocean, and looked at all the galapagos animals... most of which are way too cute for words. Iguana's arent too bad but they look like dinosaurs... Sea turtles just look like that tootsie roll turtle; "Ask Mr. Owl, I never made it without biting." So I went with a dinosaur looking (protosceratops) and a turtle (snapping, hey Don't give me any lip out there...), but had it arive down from the eye of the storms like out of dimensional rift. I am considering working it up in the scratchboard technique that got such strong comments... but with a wrap around format, of course.

doug doodles from Illuxcon

A lot of Eyes, Ears, and Heart wide open on this trip to Altoona Pennsylvania to Illuxcon2. A convention for Illustrators of the Fantasy/Science Fiction genre. There were lectures and demos. There were portfolio reviews for students and people that want to follow a dream or follow a fool's dream depending on how you look at it. I am looking to see where I fit in the world. I asked some questions, met wonderful people, and got to have my work seen by a professional audience outside a gallery setting for the first time in a long time. These are of a girl at the airport and a quick selfportrait early Thursday morning around 5:30am. Too excited to get this thing started.

Wednesday sketch group... a better day than recent ones. I think the Red Door Studio drawing sessions are starting to really help.

Red Door Studio Drawing Group night moved to Saturday nights. For the first time since it started, I wasn't late. It is good to get out there and reconnect with others, to reconnect with drawing, and to get away from the TV. I have actually seen an improvement since I have started going... and seen an improvement in the Wednesday Noon sketch group drawings as well. Little tiny steps forward, but when I look over time at the drawings and doodles, it shows. It always does.

Frankenfamily

Frankenstein for Drawergeeks, for some training, for some learning, you name it.This is the file that launched a thousand projects. From demos in CS4, to working in Poser again, to really getting off my but and doing some more involved work.

Wednesday sketches

Wednesday was a good drawing day. Had the Red Door Studio tonight. Got do draw the girl with the hat. A good result. And had the Wednesday Noon Sketch group. The first result that I wasn't ashamed of. I think it was due to finding my magic gray paper again. Ahhh, thank you oh mighty gray paper.

Mr. Sendak, you make my heart sing

Drawergeeks: Topic, Where the Wild Things Are. I Couldn't pass up the opportunity, what with the baseball playoffs and a Drawergeek topic to honor the great Mr. Sendak. He is one of the reasons that I draw today. His pen and ink work is most inspiring. (Although, personally, I still love In the Night Kitchen best.)

wildthings sketch

I haven't participated in Drawergeeks for a while... in 2 weeks Where the Wild Things Are is the topic due. This will align with the Movie release. Can't wait to see that. So, here is the sketch that I will hopefully be able to render out for a finish in time. I would think that this would bring out a lot of submissions, being such an iconic book.

Red Door 92309

Wednesday night sketch group. A long pose, but I chose a series of shorter drawings. I don't have the command or the eye to yet attempt a long pose successfully. Too much to learn. To much to know what not to draw in. Filtering out what I think I see verses what I actually see is a challenge.

envelopes

sometimes a doodling becomes a bad habit. While Lee Ann was napping, I found myself doodling on whatever I could find. (I didn't take my sketchbook stuff with me). So, Thank you Chase Plaza and their envelopes. Normally I wouldn't post something like this... but it just goes to prove a point. Draw! Whenever, wherever. It doesn't have to be on a fancy book, as long as it's yours, and nobody will be upset if you draw on it. That last part is a biggie. But, how many episodes of dancing like a fifth grader can we all take?

squirrel sketch

been working on the squirrel story again. Had some time and did a quick character study of the main character for focus. Now I need to really focus on the Mother figure.

Red Door Studio Group 9/16/09

Red Door Wednesday night drawing session 2. Way rusty, but it is all about getting together as a group, but exploring as an individual. Quite a unique approach to a solving a challenge now that I think about it. Next week, starts a two week series with a male model.

Red Door Studios: first figure drawing night.

These are some of the quicker drawings from the first session of the RED DOOR STUDIO Drawing Group. They meet on Wednesday Evenings from 6pm- 9pm and for $10.00 a session for a great live model, how could I resist. It's a good group that will
hopefully grow as the word gets out.

Version 3

Ok, one last shot at some introduction of color... staying away from such a cold bluegreenblue. Getting rid of the complimentary colors, this should let the drawing speak while letting some part of color ad to the story as an accent instead of an interruption.

Poison Ivy Gray

Ok, so sometimes the simple way out is the best way out. I was looking for validation from one of my trusted inside critics... and got a "hmmmm" about the color piece. When I showed the halftoned version, that individual felt that the color was not adding anything to the story. In fact it was detracting. I have trouble, because I love black and white illustration. There is a drama, a raw drawing construction that I never get tired of. But I was fearing that my bias was taking over. With a second vote to confirm, I will stay with the black and white version. I feel better now... don't you?

poison ivy

Poison Ivy: for Drawergeeks. Should be a good week for submissions. It will always be good to see how everybody solves the same challenge so differently and creatively.

ILLUXCON2

Illuxcon. The second annual convention for, about, and dedicated entirely to illustration of the fantastic. Whether it be Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Sculptural, Concept Art, The Creators are here. Here to talk, here to learn, here to get together with one another. And I am going to be in the thick of it for the entire time. Thank you Lee Ann!!!

The link to the site is available when you click on the title of this post. There you can find guest list, photos and news clips from last year's show, links to the Artist/Guests websites, convention directions, dates, prices, and other information about the convention. I have been looking forward to this all year.

Flying Monkeys

Ok, I finally figured out howto update the blog with images right now... I still have updated the blog by posting the illustration via the website. This was supposed to be for Drawergeeks, Monkeys. But it just took to long to complete. Sheesh what a job this was. Click on the title of this posting and it will take you to the illustration that I am writing about.

http://www.dougbuddy.com/

Hokey Smokes!!! After 2 weeks of watching tutorials in the evenings and weekends, and 2 more week evenings of fighting with dreamweaver... the first site is done and live. Go take a peek, please. No, it isn't fancy shmancy. But, it will get better with time... as I get more adept at knowing what does what... and more importantly what does NOT.
I have learned a ton on what not to do, and still am shutting my virtual fingers in the door.

click on the title of this post is the title of my site, and the post title is a hot link to my site. Just click on the title to get there.

snow monkey

Snow monkey
For Drawergeeks. The conventional piece that I have planned is not even close to being completed. So, a digital solution will suffice. And snow monkeys are just fun do draw.

been away... teaching myself dreamweaver, then have been attempting to build a site for myself and Lee Ann, over half way there on both. What a task that is. Started a new piece... had to piece it together scan wise... the baby scanner at the house is too small for this piece. But when it's finished, I will have digital lab take good care of it.

wednesday sketch group catch up

I haven't been attending Wednesday sketch group for a few months. I have just recently started back. These are the last few attempts. About 20 minutes in length. Rusty, but getting back into practice.

Angel

Drawergeeks: Topic, Angels. This one had me conceptually at the very beginning. I had the idea from the moment the topic was delivered, had the technique known, and how it was supposed to look. For once, it turned out for the most part like what I saw in my head. Some changes occured but for the most part... yeah, it was a fun time.

Indigo-Man

Indigo-Man:
I just started "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. Very good so far. We have just been introduced to The Indigo-Man... the guardian for the SLEER, who guard the Master's Treasures.

hen and chicks

airport sketch/ plane ride sketch... keeps me from getting too fidgitty. I don't do well when I can't move around. Never could sit still. Still can't.

The Borg

Drawergeeks: Topic, Star Trek. In honor of the new movie release this topic for Drawergeeks is to honor Star Trek and all it's branches. I have submitted a Borg. It will be interesting to see who submits and from which era they choose their inspiration. The title above is a hot link to the drawergeeks site itself... check it out this friday.

Space Girl -final

Space Girl: the final as it was supposed to be, I just ran out of time. I couldn't sleep so I have been poking at it and finished it up this morning.

Space Girl

Space Girl for Drawergeeks. just in time for the cut off submission. Whew!

Drawergeeks: Trolls

Finally a chance to do an illustration, and the time to do one. The Fates have smiled upon me.

Steampunk: Woodcut Cigar

Steampunk 6: Woodcut Cigar
For some reason, perhaps just out of nervousness, this one dove back to my rendering days. An all out, go for broke wood cut simulation. Very soothing for the nerves. Very peaceful to work on. Thought out, but still some wiggle room to have experimentation time. Much smaller piece too. I was able to get this out quickly as the time permitted. Sometimes I just need to get out my security blanket. I think I need a triple decker these days.

Hobbs Building Open Studios April 10th 2009

I am participating in the Hobbs Building Open Studio Artists showing on April 10th and 11th 2009. Click on the link above to take you to the Hobbs building link itself. I will be part of a large group of artisans of a wide scope of mediums and expressions. It should be a very fun evening. I participated 2 years ago and had a blast. So come one come all. Hope to see you there if you are in town.

Steampunk 5

Steampunk 5. The 5th in the series and the smallest, 5x7". Just a small study that I couldn't get out of my head. So, add it to the gang. I may be able to pinch one more out before the Hobbs Building Show on April 10th. If you want, come on out and see us. There are a bunch.

Sanabel Gull

playing around with loosening up. Seeing if I can incorporate the line from the scribbles into other applications and mediums. This is a first attempt.