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I don't think this is the most original idea I ever had for an illustration, and not the best execution ever either. But I am trying to produce more, and trying to stick with certain techniques and within a certain style, and that is working out well. I'm off all week so let's see what else I can make happen!

good advice

Frank Chimero did a series of inspirational posters "to help clarify a few thoughts I had about the creative process". You can see them here. *The one I always think about when I'm procrastinating reads:

Remember! Looking at design is not making design

I desperately need to remember this. I could happily spend hours and hours looking through illustrators' portfolios online, looking at good illustration blog/sites (illustrationmundo is a current fave), and oohing and aahing over a pool of illustrations on flickr. I need to produce more, and "look" less.

Above: A little illustration I did based on a drawing I did of two of my students during class this week.

*I was totally unsure about just lifting that pic off his portfolio, so I only put the words up here...I know I have to save the picture to my desktop and not just link to his, but somehow, for something that fantastic, I don't know...Just putting it up here feels totally wrong. Go look at it. It's awesome.

Playing with Textures

Playing with texture = tons of fun. Today I had a bit of an epiphany in Illustrator, realizing the enormous potential of the Brush tool. Somehow, though, adding these textures makes my computer/Illustrator enormously tired...I mean, not that that will stop me or anything, but it sure is a pain!

Meanwhile, in life, I have a big break coming up and plan on going all out producing illustrations so I have enough that I'm proud of to put together an online portfolio in January. I currently own cleverviolet.com, but it forwards to my etsy site...I wonder - should I use that as my portfolio site, or look into buying my full name? Or both??? What do you think?

winter wonderland

I'm working on lots of projects all over the place, trying to build up the number of pieces I can put in an online portfolio later this month...eek! I am happy with this new one but there's so little time left till my Christmas/New Year's deadline, and so few pieces that I'm happy enough with! I gotta keep moving.

on the up and up

It makes me happy when I create a new illustration and promptly hate everything else I've done. It indicates progress, right? Here I was trying to do something that's mainly digital, but without any fake textures...I don't know, when I add textures, it's so clearly, "Hello! Look! She dropped in color, pasted in a texture, and played around with some options! Whee!" Bleh.

This feels better, somehow.

feeling better

The style is coming along more. Kind of. Yes. I'm experimenting more with photoshop, putting illustrator work on hold for now. I read a tutorial on how to isolate pencil sketchings, and have been a lot more successful with it than I expected at first. I love all the smudges that are visible!