Illustration Friday: Obsession

Because there is no better obsession than a beautiful woman.

Illustration Friday: Perennial

I know I skipped a few weeks, but I actually got my Illustration Friday drawing done Friday night, so here it is.  The theme this week is perennial, so I went with lilies of the valley, which are...well, perennials.  I like taking things literally.

Illustration Friday #6:

The theme for this week's Illustration Friday was 'remedy.'  I don't even drink tea, but I've been watching a lot of  the new "Dr. Who" and the Christmas Episode where tea saves him just in time to save the planet immediately popped in my head.

Illustration Friday #5

This is my fifth Illustration Friday and the theme this week is Midsummer Night.  Simply put, here is my interpretation of Titania, one of the lead character's from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream."

Illustration Friday #4(.2)

I know, I know, I know.  I already did this and I said I didn't believe in using something made for another purpose for the Illustration Friday thing....but this particular painting was done after I received this week's theme and it just seemed to fit so well.  (Reminder: the theme is launch.)

I haven't named it yet.  I was going to call is "Escape" but I have to admit, I'm liking "Launch" better.  It's done technically a mixed media piece (the sailboat was hand drawn and collaged in) but it's mostly acrylics.

I love this painting because it was so unintentional and came out so well.  I started painting on the panel, fully intending to paint some of my usual trees and weird plants, and there I was spackling blue and white paint on with a filbert (my most favorite of brush shapes), when suddenly I just knew it had to be a seascape instead.  Then I started painting the sea and knew there had to be an island looming. I painted the island and knew there had to be a boat (and that the boat needed to be paper, not painted on).  It was a painting that just felt right to do from start to finish so I had to share.

The whole reason I did this painting by the way is for the upcoming Community Mosaic at Seed Gallery in Winston-Salem, by the way, so if you live up that way, you should go when it opens.  There'll be more on that later.

Illustration Friday #4

This week's theme for Illustration Friday is 'launch.'  The first thing I thought of upon reading this was a watercolor and ink painting I did several years ago of several people in flight on great wings over the ocean.  However, the painting is long sold (or given away, perhaps), and also, I don't believe in using old work for a challenge like this, feeling the whole point is to make something new, so I did a little sketch of just one person, on great wings.

'Launch'

 You'll be pleased to note, this week, that I waited until good light to photograph the illustration, and so it's not all yellowy.  It actually took a lot longer to draw than I expected, because it had been so long since I've done much figure drawing, but I think it turned out decently for something done at 1 am while I was lying in bed (which, so far, is how I've done all my Illustration Friday stuff...but I'm hoping to move past that soon enough, because it would be hard to use paint in bed).

Illustration Friday #3

The prompt for this Illustration Friday  is 'swept'  The very first thing that came to mind was an image of a woman in heavy skirts, all Rococo and beautiful, sweeping down a hall.

So that's what I drew.  Once again, I apologize for the poor picture coloring, but I always get so impatient to get these uploaded when I draw them (always late at night) that I can never wait until good daylight.

Illustration Friday #1 (On Wednesday)

A few weeks ago, I was using my favorite boredom web-tool, StumbleUpon, when I came across a website called IllustrationFriday. The general premise of this website is that every Friday they assign a simple topic and you have until just before the next Friday to upload it to whatever web browser and link it on their site. Then, everyone looks at it and 'oohs' and 'ahs' or maybe they don't.  Basically, it's just a fun little weekly drawing challenge and, frankly, I could use more of those.

So this past Friday, the topic was "Asleep."  Here is what I drew (Tuesday night).  Please excuse the poor photograph (it was taken with my cell phone by the light on my nightstand).

Rather than draw a person sleeping, I drew a tree, as that is what (in my opinion) they do all winter, every winter, just like bears.

I plan (hope) to keep up with this, though in the future, I am hoping to make Illustration Friday actually on Friday and draw the topic on the day I receive it, so people on Illustration Friday have all week to gawk.