Sunday, March 28, 2010

ANATOMY OF A DRAWING TUTORIAL (Or at least the way I do it....)

"Tutorial Post"
My dear friend and I were talking recently and she asked how I went about creating a drawing.  I kinda explained it to her and she asked if I could write it out so she could more clearly understand my creative process ... thus became the topic for this Post!


I begin first with an idea or inspiration.  In this case I was looking through some of my old sketches and found two that I had done back in the 1970's or 19780's.  I thought it would be fun to update the drawings and combine them in one picture.
I now proceed to redrawing each for use in my updated version.




As you can see, I have changed the position of the Piper and began plotting out my color scheme in the Drummer.



















Now I make a photo copy of both pictures.  Cut them out and position them on another piece of paper and photo copy that.  I now have the layout of my illustration.
I then take this drawing over to my light table and lightly trace it onto a clean piece of Bristol art paper.  Once this is done, I begin inking in the lines with a permanent black ink pen until I have a completed drawing.


Here I end up with a drawing that is great for a color book illustration or having made into a rubber stamp.  I make a copy of this inked drawing in case I want to use it in the future, for whatever reason.  I then take the original and begin to color  in the characters with colored pencils.


While I am coloring, I keep a sheet of paper besides me for testing color schemes, color combinations, etc.




I complete coloring the lads and adding details with my ink pen and end up with the following:


At this point I could quit, but decide some background would probably be nice ... so I add background!


Now I study the drawing and determine that I want to add a bit more detailing with the pen and adjust the density of the colors by layering on more colored pencil.  Once this is completed and I am happy with the results, I have my completed illustration!


Once I am happy with the results, I scan it into my computer and add my watermark!  
Sometimes I'll even have a little fun with the photo shop I am using and "tweek" the drawing a bit to give it a different look.


Here I changed it from full color to Sepia Tones  ...  figured this would be good for people who didn't care for the color scheme I had chosen but still liked the drawing.

AND THAT IS HOW I CREATE A DRAWING!  


Sunday, March 21, 2010

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE "TITLE MY DRAWING & WIN" CONTEST

Hello!  Well, after reviewing all submissions, we are proud to announce that the winning entry "IRISH LADDIES PLAYING ON ST. PADDY'S" is the winning entry that we received from Jan Schultz of California!  Jan's choice of prints as her prize was, naturally, "Irish Laddies Playing On St. Paddy's"!


We want to thank all of those who participated with so many delightful ideas!  This was  fun!



Friday, March 12, 2010

An Incredible Portrait Artist - Heather Mitchell!

I just stumbled across this incredibly wonderful portrait artist's Etsy Shop.  Do yourself a favor and check out her work!  It is simply amazing!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherMitchellDraws


Her drawings look BETTER than photographs!

Monday, March 1, 2010

A New Illustration - YOUNG HIGHLAND DANCERS

HI!  I just completed my latest illustration.  This one is titled "YOUNG HIGHLAND DANCERS" and is a perfect accompaniment to my "IRISH DRUMMER & PIPER" composition.  I hope you like it!