Painting a Cute Halloween Charm

It is almost September!

For many it is back to school time, for me it is one day closer to Halloween!

My next coloring book is Penelope's Garden, out in a few weeks, and in celebration I made a cute witchy Penelope charm.

I drew her on a three inch Shrinky Dink circle with Sharpies, put her in a 325 degree preheated toaster oven and cooked til flat.

Very important! I punched the hole in the top before toasting.

She looked a bit muddy so I added some acrylic paint highlights.

Here is a quick vid of the highlights at the end.

Enjoy and Happy (getting close to) Halloween!

Nine Ways to Tell You Are Creative

Aaahh the creatives--we all know a few. 

Maybe they work as graphic artists or interior decorators, or maybe you know a mom who puts together crafts that rival Picasso.

Or maybe you are one of these easily distracted, constantly doodling idea machines.

I know many in this interesting group, and here is my list of creative characteristics:

This list is in no way official, comprehensive, or complete.

I would also add sensitive, self-confident, night owls, addicted to at least one thing: coffee, tea, cigarettes, chocolate, potato chips...you get it. 

Tell me if you fit into this category and if you can think of any other symptoms. :)

xo

Drawing vs. Writing--Which One is YOUR Thing?

As an author and artist I spend much of my day either imagining then sketching images, or thinking about a story and then writing it down before it fades into the ether.

Someone asked me recently which I prefer to do, and initially I was a bit befuddled. I've been doing both since I was a young child (like most authors and artists) and had to really think.

But I have an answer.

If I had to do ONLY one for the rest of my life, I would have to choose writing. 

My posts and pages on Facebook and my blog are filled with my art, but I get a more fulfilling buzz from words. The images are great attention getters, and I am happy to share them.

I find drawing satisfying, especially when the picture is done. I can hold a conversation while I draw, and funny enough even watch TV (something I rarely do anyway). But there is something missing.

When I write I am almost completely absorbed. Time flies, and I get the feeling I am a bit lost, which I love. I get to create worlds and people, and it feels like a special privilege. It is magic.

My stories are almost never exactly right on first draft, and I even like the rewrite part--it feels like a puzzle, and each fix feels like another reward.

I usually have ideas to go with the stories--what the people look like, the settings, and I am happy to sketch them out, but once that part is finished there is a pull, and it is usually another story clawing its way to the surface.

Creepy Carrots--I am in love with the illustrations by Peter Brown. Peter, if you are reading, boy do I have a book for you!

 It would be a wonderful thing to write a story and have a fantastic artist flesh it out and make it a thing of beauty. I recently did some sketches of one of my characters and a wonderful artist did them in digital, and I was amazed. I have every digital do-dad there is, but I can't recreate what she did.

That is not to say that I will never write a book and illustrate it myself, but from now on I will really think it over, and if my art fits, then it's off to the races, but if I think someone else could elevate my books and stories even more, then I will gratefully turn it over to another more suited talent, and anxiously wait for the stunning results.

We can't be and do everything--we have to pick OUR thing and run with it. Get better at it, then eventually get great.

This realization was freedom to me, and I have renewed energy about my work that I haven't had for some time.

Disney had it right when Elsa sang Let It Go.

xo

Tea, Coffee, Soda...What Do YOU Drink During the Day?

If you are anything like me, you spend at least part of your day sitting in a chair behind a desk.

Although I do not drink coffee first thing in the morning like most of the world, by two o'clock in the afternoon my body is crying for caffeine.

For me this caffeine fix comes in the form of tea. I feel there is something magical even in the ritual of the brew.

My fave is black tea, although I know plenty that drink green, white, or herbal tea these days.

I love chai, but I seem to favor it in the winter, and I prefer iced tea in the summer.


My jolt of choice used to be Coke, but after realizing it had far too many calories, and was possibly causing me to gain some weight, I dropped soda altogether, and hopped on the tea wagon.

The most consumed drinks worldwide are:

1. Coffee
2. Tea
3. Orange juice (this surprised me)
4. Beer
5. Coca Cola
6. Wine
7. Vodka
8. Energy drinks

Where is water?

I know many sit at a desk for work, to color, to write the next bestseller on the New York Times list, or even pay bills--and I am curious--what do you drink during the day? If you have any tea faves I'd LOVE to know.

xo

Coloring from the Past

I spent many hours coloring when I was a child and I loved every minute of it.

I loved Disney, and Cinderella was a favorite. I think I still have one of the coloring books. I loved the page where the mice made her dress. :)

Another Disney fave was Chip and Dale.

I also liked to color Scooby Do, The Munsters, Casper, and The Flinstones.

Now I loved The Beatles too--but this is one coloring book I can't say I remember. Is it my imagination or is this kinda creepy...

I am glad coloring is making such a comeback. If any of you remember any coloring books from the good old days please tell me!

xo

iPad Pro for Illustration with $6 Worth of Apps and I'm in Love

I opened the lovely (and probably expensive) box of the iPad Pro and the iPencil.

I did not read any directions.

I signed up and entered the correct WiFi numbers.

Then I uploaded the three apps that the girl at the Apple store told me were good for illustrators: Procreate ($4.99), Tayasui Sketches (free), and Adobe Photshop Sketch (free), and one I found myself called Amaziograph ($.99), and after trying them for about five hours last night I am happy to say I am very happy with the results.

The learning curve is practically nil, and the results were better than anything I was ever able to create on the Cintiq after a year.

I love this thing. 

The apps make drawing very intuitive and take out the guess work. The brushes, pens, and airbrushes are listed with a large sample of each stroke, and one click takes you to a new page to modify if you like.

The iPencil is the perfect weight IMHO, and the tip can draw microscopic dots to super wide background fill, and everything in between. Charging is amazingly fast--fifteen seconds gives you thirty minutes of use. 

I have to give some accolades to the apps too. The additional $6 I spent turned this thing into a drawing machine. Yes, I just got it yesterday and of course I have not run the gamut of drawing situations, but I can only compare it to what I had been using in the digital world and the ease of use and results can't be beat. 

The iPad itself is a great size, light enough to use on your lap, and unencumbered by any cords.

I'll keep you updated as I progress and improve as I use the iPad Pro.

Fun with the Amaziograph app

I was up all night using this thing, and although I am tired today, I am looking forward to using it again today.

I'll be checking out some more apps this week--I'll post about them soon. Off to draw!

xo 

Cintiq vs. Surface Pro vs. iPad Pro IMHO

(Spoiler alert: I am not trying to find an all-in-one to get digital drawing and a laptop in one. I do not own the iPad Pro yet.)

As an illustrator I use paper and pen virtually all day. 

I sketch my images first with a 2H Staedtler pencil, then go over the whole thing with a Micron, brush pen, or crow quill, dipping every 10 to 20 seconds--and praying that I do not mess up the entire time.

I love to draw, but inking is scary stuff.

A few years ago I got a 13 inch Cintiq and had big dreams of transitioning from pen and pencil at least part of the time. Fast forward to today, I still have issues.

But I am getting ahead of myself here--back to inking.

Sketching is great because of erasers. But inking makes things real, real fast.

I have screwed up too many images than I care to remember, and I DO NOT like to start over. Ink blotches, hand shakes, and just outright mess-ups are inevitable, but then some of the magic is gone and I am aggravated.

Thus the Cintiq.

In my head I could mess up all I wanted, correct it, start some areas over...you get the picture. The reality was a bit different. 

I love the actual drawing area of the Cintiq. The surface has a slightly scratchy feel, not unlike a piece of nice drawing paper. The pen itself has buttons on it that are supposed to reduce the back and forth motion of changing modes, pens, tips, etc., but I found then to be a bit cumbersome. I accidentally click them often and wish they were not so close to the tip. And speaking of the tip, there is a gap between where the tip touches the screen and the line or stroke created. My Cintiq connects with cables to my laptop and to a wall socket. Again, kind of cumbersome. Also, the 3 in 1 cord has died several times and when I try to repurchase it has been on back order for weeks and weeks, leaving me with no Cintiq. I use Photoshop with the Cintiq, and find it counter intuitive.  

I eventually went back to paper, pen, and pencil, but my original issues still bothered me.

Back to the store. I tried the Surface Pro after several designers told me it is what their companies supply them with to work. I found it similar to the Cintiq in drawing capability, but with a smaller screen. I also realized it is probably great for work because it is also usable as a laptop--no need to connect your device to another device with wires. It also uses Photoshop.

Then I tried the iPad Pro with the iPencil and it seems to be exactly what I was looking for. With many apps to make drawing, sketching, editing, and designing simple, it feels like this will be the answer to my Photoshop dislike.

There is no space between pencil tip and drawing mark. There is no lag and no visible pixels, even when I make images bigger to correct a mistake. I can easily smooth lines and correct. The iPencil, (although a separate purchase) is a great size, feel, and weight. It charges super fast. Be aware that the iPad Pro cannot handle tiffs, and has no place to store or connect the pencil. The surface is as smooth as glass, so there is no nice scratchy, paper kind of surface feel. It is light, super portable, and uses no cords. The 12 inch surface is big, and when I rested my hand there was no interference at all, the iPencil kept working fine.

I will purchase the iPad Pro today and do an updated review after I use it for a week. 

I have also discovered some very cool apps for creating and coloring. See you in a week!

xo