Stars War... wait, what?

So listen.
I promise I still draw a lot, it's just that much of what I draw isn't post-worthy. If it is, I have been so entirely busy lately that I simply can't make the time to post.

.... And, uh, that's how I've felt for about 3 years, apparently.

So I thought I'd post a picture I just finished for a friend. I didn't plan on painting it all fancy-like, but why not? This friend loves raccoons and loved Rey from the newest Star Wars film, so I present

Reycoon (name coined by my friend) and her pet, BBH (the 'H' stands for 'hedgehog'):

Selfies and a Sneak Peek

Wow, I am totally into art right now!

I *finished this self portrait a couple of weeks ago. Oil paints, about 11"X14". (And can you believe the best picture of it was taken with my iPhone? Weird...)

I was so pleasantly surprised that working with oils was so much easier than it used to be (credit to my latest painting teacher, Joe Brickey) that I'd forget to do anything else because I enjoyed working on it so much.

*Keep in mind that "finished" means that I ran out of time to noodle things to perfection and would rather spend my time elsewhere.

Then there's this selfie. I will do nearly anything to get out of traversing the 5 flights of stairs up to my apartment. Thus, this one is titled, "One-trip Sheri." It was a lot more awesome and Western-y in my head, but again, I'm *finished.

I broke my own rule recently only because I really couldn't carry all the bags, a watermelon, and a gallon of milk at the same time. Blast.


And lastly, I'm really excited with how well this new project looks so far! So here's a small bit of it as a sneak peek... Partially as a way to make sure I finish some time soon. I want it to be a surprise, so I'm not telling anything.

I've been trying to use the mixing brush in Adobe Photoshop both more often and better (using some helpful tips from Ctrl+Paint videos) and I really enjoy color mixing! WHO KNEW? Not me, I can tell you that.


AND: 4 weeks and 1 day until I'm on my way to the Holy Land! Eeeek!

Bedtime for Bonzos

My adventures this evening (and every evening) after coming home from a late day at work.

This first one is titled "Everyday Goal," captioned, "I will draw something excellent so super-fast (insert list of the other 10 things I additionally thought I could squeeze in) and then go to sleep at 9:30 so I can wake up early to work out and get to work early!!"
Look at that naive hope glittering in my disembodied cartoon eyes:

As the evening goes on, my every attempt is met with being out of practice and being too impatient to count stupid scribbles (attempted figure drawings) as decent practice.

And thus my Spirit Animal turns into a mean babushka and refuses to give in so easily, pushing other "unimportant" things like sleep and food aside so it can achieve perfection and reach Drawing Nirvana, NO MATTER THE COST!!

After several more failed attempts at doing things as simple as copying an animation character sketch, my babushka Spirit Animal dies another day (did you see what I did there?) and the rest of me caves and realizes how funny it was that I thought I could go to bed at 9:30 and make loverly drawings.

Ah, well...

Try, try again tomorrow.

Still At Work

I survived the end of last semester (a miracle-- really), but got a little out of the habit of posting. But don't worry! I still draw and make things. :)

I unfortunately forgot to take pictures of the Coptic book I made for my friend's wedding gift, but I'm sure I'm going to make another book soon this summer.

So here are a few sketches, though some are rather old.

Hope I get to post something a little more finished soon. Have a lovely Sunday!

HP foreverrrr. Even though JK describes them as stocky, 

I can't stop imagining the Weasley twins as long and thin.

Hermione, giving one of those scowls she often gave to Ron that says

"That's a terrible thing to say, but also just a little bit funny."

This is the not-finished state, which sadly looks better than it does now.

Practice for something I'm working on. Drew this today in church.

Same story as above.

Old sketch-- I think I was thinking of Alice in Wonderland.

I accidentally gave her a scary hand and even scarier legs.

Old sketch of a frilled shark I recently colored up quickly.

THE SHERLOCK AFFECT: A Study in Sentiment

I can't believe it has actually happened-- my graduating art show is done, up on display, and I had my opening reception on Tuesday!

A short explanation of my concept:

For 126 years, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective Sherlock Holmes has been reinterpreted repeatedly for all sorts of media, but has recently come to a crescendo in film and TV versions. Though each of these versions have their merits, it’s becoming increasingly clear that many of them tend to leave out an important part of the great Sherlock’s character: emotion. They dance around it, letting the hungry audiences see just a sliver of soft interior to keep them coming back, or attributing his apparent lack of empathy to a psychological issue.

But this is definitely not Doyle’s Sherlock, who welcomes clients into his home “with the easy courtesy for which he was remarkable,” pats hands and forearms while reassuringly chatting with clients “in the easy soothing tones which he knew so well how to employ,” and who repeatedly apologized to Dr. John Watson when first sharing a flat with him for using their living room to meet with his clients. That Sherlock is most definitely not a psychopath or robot, and certainly has human emotions.

I argue that his bridled emotions are what make him the great detective. They’re his motive for trying his utmost in bringing criminals to justice as well as innocents away from false convictions and are what enables him to understand even the criminals’ points of view when investigating cases. Here I have showcased 6 instances in which Sherlock’s emotions are evident, showing that he does in fact have a heart."

Here are the illustrations in a test I did for order sequence and to make sure they fit well together.

And the flyer I used (kinda?) to promote the show... I probably should have printed some out, but I got really self-conscious about it and only put it on Facebook.

Pics from the show...

AJ my brother was a HUGE help in putting my show up.
It would have taken at least double the time if his awesome skills weren't present.

"I didn't know this would be happening today!"
Mom was an indispensable help as well.

All set up in the Gallery.

And no matter what other people may think of it (and of course I know it's not like it's the greatest thing ever), I really enjoyed making these illustrations. The backgrounds were so much fun that I was actually giggling while making them. I have studied and worked out Sherlock's character and face over months of study, both in the texts and in studying thin faces that resembled what I wanted him to look like. I made a Pinterest Board for collecting research pictures, websites and such, and almost reached 400 pins in my effort to nail down exactly what I wanted.

Anyway, my point is that I have loved working on this. I have very rarely felt good and comfortable before, during, and after making a piece of art, and these illustrations collectively are one of those rarities. I'm happy with how they turned out, and that, for me, is a big deal.

It's been a fun run! And now, for some other great news....

I found out yesterday that I was accepted into a study abroad program in JERUSALEM!! I am absolutely beside myself with excitement and gratitude for such a great (<-- understatement) opportunity!! Weirdly, one of the things I'm excited to do is sit on a balcony (I've seen pictures of some at the Center) and sketch the city in my sketchbook.

Wif a li'l bi' o' luck!

SO! I found a rather great Sherlock model! It just so happened to be the guy who came to model for my painting class, in a bizarre turn of events. So not only did I get to take some pictures of him, but I got to paint him for 12 hours of class time!

And here it is! Now, try to reserve judgment, I did my best, and these are just pictures I took with my phone-- the first picture is a bit truer to the actual colors.

I still need to finish the shirt and fix up the background. My oil painting skills are still not where I'd like them to be, but I feel like I've improved tremendously since I last tried. Or at the very least I enjoy it a LOT more. It could have something to do with listening to Harry Potter 7 while painting...

Also, even if I haven't been producing any new pieces for the Sherlock show, I sketch him ev-er-y-where! In my notes for other classes, on the church programs, and of course in my sketchbook. I feel like I'm getting to know him rather well, even though he varies slightly from sketch to sketch.

I hope you know it.

Ya know, to be honest, there aren't many T shirts I'm willing to spend more than about $10 on. (Exceptions include Johnny Depp featured as a pirate, but little else.)

So I know it's a bit rich of me to ask people to vote for my T shirt design that will end up costing around $15 or so.

BUT.

YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN THIS T SHIRT FOR FREEEE!! So cool, right? Winners are picked at random, and you only have to enter your email so they can send you advertisements for their products, but guess what? You can cancel those as soon as you have or haven't won the T shirt!

So. Just sayin'. You really have nothing to lose by helping me to earn money off of my art, which will not only give me the spring-board funds I'll need after I graduate, but help me and others believe in themselves.

Vote here.

And here are some behind the scenes pictures, since you took the trouble to be kind and read this:

Final "Seal" design. I wanted it to look like a stamp,
with a bit of wear and tear from all the times its been used.

Original sketch. I always tend to make my faces really long, especially the noses.

Thanks! And more to come VERY soon on Sherlock!