…stings like a bee

I was supposed to finish this drawing in early 2014 (read: I said I would — much more of a failed promise rather than a request).  I’m only almost a year late.  Finished in record time!
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The Sketchbook Project 2014

This thing has to be postmarked in three days. THREE DAYS. I’ve been making progress — more progress in the last week than I made in 6 months — and I still have a bit to go. 9 pages, I believe.

My biggest issues with this project (or any creative project) are fear, poor planning, and choice of medium/mediums/media. When I’m making something for someone else, terror strikes and I feel paralyzed. If it’s for me, then I don’t care and somehow it turns out well. Anything else, though, and I feel incompetent. Smooth lines become jagged from a shaky hand, choosing a color palette is nerve wracking, subject matter–forget about it.

However, in the past few days, I discovered a workable theme, a palette, and — most important — the medium! The pages of the sketchbook are not typical heavyweight paper; they have their limit. In the past, I’ve attempted marker (which bled through) colored pencil becomes time consuming depending on how it’s used (I like to make it saturated and blend blend blend), pastel gets all over the place, and paint wrinkles the pages too much. I have a tin of Derwent Inktense pencils. I use them once in a while for various things, but didn’t use them on the sketchbook until recently. HOLY HELL! They’re magical!

Granted, I’m only using a variety of reds, but still. The paper doesn’t buckle, the color is saturated, but isn’t bleeding through, and adding water gives my hand a much-needed break from the blending of colored pencils.

So, with three days left, I’m pretty sure I can swing it.  Also, sorry for the bad photo!

Etsy shop update…

I can’t remember how long it’s been since I put work in my Etsy shop, but I know it’s been a looooong time.  It’s also been a long time since I updated this blog!

At the moment, there are only 4 ACEOs in my Etsy shop.  Halloween themed ones because, well, Halloween is awesome (as if I have to tell you that)!  It’s the best excuse to dress up as someone else or dress up as a sluttier version of yourself!  Everybody wins!

Here is an Owl.

Illustration Friday: Heights

When I was younger, I had to wear a Milwaukee brace. The name sounds fun because “Milwaukee” is involved in a lot of neat things, including beer, but this was not fun. Though it did a variety of things to me, the relevant-to-this-post thing is that it did not allow me to look down. It held my head up and forward and it took a lot of getting used to. With each step, I felt like I was going to fall off the edge of whatever I was standing on, even if what I was standing on had no edges – didn’t matter. Thus, I became afraid of heights. Walking on ground was frightening enough…walking on anything elevated was a nightmare. Thankfully, the elementary school I attended was kind enough to give me a key to the elevator so I could completely avoid the stairs.

So here is my translation of Illustration Friday’s “Heights”: