Treehouse Sketchbook Spread #2

I spent a fair chunk of my holiday playing with my Sketchbook Project book and exploring the treehouse theme. Here's another spread. Click on the image for a larger view.

I chose to go with a more ordinary backyard treehouse because I wanted to get in some practice drawing kids. Then I decided to add a cat. (I thought of drawing a dog, but that didn't seem quite right up in a tree.) Then I added the squirrel to amuse the cat. The bird in the nest (another form of treehouse) at the top was an afterthought.

IF: Asleep

This week's Illustration Friday theme "asleep" fits with this pen-and-ink and watercolor piece I did two and a half years ago for a now defunct blog:



The blog was a short-lived project I called "Rat Manor." It was to be a journal of my days (what was really going on) as observed by rats that live behind the walls in my house (that part was fiction -- I hope). This character's name was "Cob."

It was an ambitious project. Too ambitious. I had developed several rat and mouse characters and tensions between them. I had intended to illustrate each post. It took away time from all other creative projects. My novels were gathering dust. And, as to writing about what was really going on in my life, the rats were getting awfully close to narrating scenes of me trying to come up with the next illustrated blog post. Still, it gave me a lot of material. I suppose someday, these rodents may end up in a story of their own.

IF: Soaked

Sketchbook Project 2012 - Page 1

I have begun to fill my 2012 Sketchbook Project sketchbook. I'm taking a doodly approach with the sketchbook this year - not planning out a series of pictures ahead of time. I save it for the evening when I'm watching the news. It helps keep me happy despite what's coming out of the TV set. Here's the opening page -- sorta grew into a title page -- which I've been doodling the past two nights.

Before that I did the front and back covers:

I'm having a lot of fun with this. My theme (Treehouse) is pure play.

Do you keep a sketchbook for your own personal amusement?

Time Out with watercolor

Today I finally got around to finishing my "time out" drawing with its watercolor wash.

I can't decide how I feel about it. But I do know it's not blowing me away.

My characters need more ... something. They seem as if any anonymous artist might have drawn them. They're not clearly Jeanie Wogaman's work. They need more that sets them apart from one another too. Good thing I have more time to draw these days. I have my work cut out for me.

IF: Safari

IF: Beginner

How fitting that my first Illustration Friday attempt should be for the theme "beginner."

I noted that I was not the only illustrator to think of waterwings. Guess my little girl's not going to raise as big a splash as I'd hoped ...

Time Out

I'm working on a new portfolio piece. I had originally intended for this to be for Illustration Friday's theme of  "lesson", but that week got away from me. I still wanted to draw it, however, as I could stand to have more portfolio pieces in school settings.

Here's the pencil sketch (nice and smudgy):

And here's the composition after transfer to watercolor paper and inking:

OK, so essentially the same, minus the smears.

And here is the color study done in colored pencil on a photocopy of the ink drawing:

I'll make the shadows more subtle in the final, but I'm pretty happy with it overall.  Now, on to the watercolor. I have a bunch of writing to do today, but I hope to have the final image ready to post by the end of the day tomorrow. Stay tuned!