Best posts made by LauraA

Autumn reflection

Just trying to produce more finished work so I can evaluate it and have it evaluated online. This is a waiter I saw in a (coffee) bar in a tiny mountain hamlet near Aosta, Italy. He looked fierce and eccentric and I thought he might make a good character. I am always torn, though, between whether to exaggerate for comic effect or whether to keep things relatively realistic.

I didn't have much time to be on the forums while I was taking the Backgrounds course, but now I'll try to start posting and commenting again ️.

Because it rains every day in November where I live, and even a little patch of color brings hope.

Thanks for inventing Slowvember, Lee!

I spent the last week doing a brick and mortar workshop at which we assembled a lot of traditional elements into a digital collage. Our assigned story was The Musicians of Bremen, and we had to choose an environment, so I choose the rural US in the early 20th century, probably because I had to choose quickly and it was so far away from where I really was.

I spent most of the week developing sketches of the characters, and I did a super quick storyboard, during which I was amused to realize that the donkey thought he was going to play the lute and told the dog to play the kettle drums, but it will never work because the donkey only has hooves! In my story, the donkey became a she, and the instruments changed as well, but during the process I got an image in my mind of when things are settled, they finally get to play, and the donkey is found out.

This JPEG loaded really green for some reason. It doesn't look that green on either my Cintiq nor on my computer monitor, so I don't know what to do about it! But the original has much more muted, almost taupe-ish greens throughout, including the donkey's skin and the drum.

I'm supposed to go see relatives the end of the week, but I really wanted to get this piece to a decent point first. I'm tired of not finishing things! I'll probably get to my relatives' house and realize I didn't pack any shoes or something...

This drawing is, ironically considering it's Slowvember, an attempt to produce something quickly. It only took a few days' work off and on, which for me is unusually fast. It's based on a friend's son who likes to come home from preschool and dress up as Rapunzel. He's definitely a boy, but who doesn't like the idea of going around with swishy blonde hair now and then?

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been around. Like many of you, I got into the holiday season/present negotiation/preparing to travel crush. But I was also determined to finish the piece I was working on a while back of the little girl with the dog and sausages. Only a week or so ago it became a little girl with a dog and ribbon. Today is my deadline, because I will be traveling and can't take my tablet with me. I may come back and redo this piece at some point, but it's also important to be able to work to some kind of deadline, so here it is:

Before I put it on Facebook and Instagram, is there anything you'd change that I could accomplish within about an hour? You can also give more comprehensive critiques, but I just won't be able to carry them out until later. I know what's still bugging me, but I'll let you decide. For now, I'm just pretty relieved that I finished something! Thank you so much in advance and maybe I'll be able to check in more often!

Getting in the game this month for the first time. It really did help me to finish! Thanks!

This is intended as a final page in the Musicians of Bremen.

Along the lines of Gary's 100 kids, I'm trying to draw a lot of characters at the moment to work on style. One problem is that I am too slow, so I made this quick illustration based on a little girl I sometimes see in my neighborhood. Her mom was calling after her, "Topo!" which means "mouse" in Italian.

I don't think I'd always work like this, but I rather like it as an alternative to a more rendered style. I'd like to know both what you think about the style as such and whether you have any specific critiques. I have my own ideas but I'd like to hear what other people have to say independently. Thanks!

It has been a really hard week to get anything done, so I just wanted to post something! Today I'm knocking out color schemes and struggling to use a fairly realistic color palette for a dark building in my neighborhood. (I have another scheme in which the building is red.) I added a texture to this one and rather like it because it's simple, but I'm not convinced the color mood is right. The rest of the process is in a thread called Children in the Neighborhood Series WIP and eventually I'll post all the color schemes there.

And I signed up for the book cover class! Have a good end of the week, everyone!

Simona, you expressed my sentiments pretty much exactly, though from a more experienced POV. You are especially right that the fair takes a thick skin and a bit of assertiveness, and there are too many publishers to do all your research on the spot so you'd need a game plan. And I didn't realize that there were actually 10,000 attendees daily, but that makes sense in terms of the sheer numbers of people I saw.

I'm glad you had some success with showing your portfolio. It looks great! And I enjoyed meeting you as well. I knew a few other people there, but not many.

And finally, here is my recap from my blog: The Bologna Book Fair--an illustrator's glimpse I post this link with some hesitation, because my blog is going through a bit of a personality crisis right now, from American-expat-in-Italy blog to illustrator's blog, and back and forth with other stuff thrown in. So just don't expect to find a neat and typical artist's website. That's still to come!

Just finished listening to the first podcast! Like everyone else, I think it's a great new addition. The main reason: Everyone else mostly seems to just interview famous artists (mostly in vis dev or animation) and say, "You're so cool! Did you draw when you were young? How did you start working for Disney/Pixar/insert famous company here? And what is your next big project?" A few podcasts might do something similar for children's books, and sure, that's interesting, but the emphasis is more on stardom, not the thick of the struggle in which you wonder if you'll ever be able to support yourself. I really like that you guys are more specific and have practical information that applies to everyone.

Re this first episode, I particularly liked two things: One was Jake's story about how he upped his character creativity level from generic to more interesting by intensive study.

The other was the mention of the need for tough critique. I went through a fine arts program many years ago, and my professors were flippant, merciless and sarcastic. They also pointed out that I hadn't lived yet, so how could my work be interesting? Now, maybe a critique doesn't have to be as mean spirited as some of the ones I received (not to mention that some of them would now be outed for harassment), but we beginners NEED tough critiques so we won't waste our time. Sure, we've all had those critiques where someone pointed out what we already sensed, and of course style and opinion vary, but we want to get better, and that's why we're here! This is one reason I'm trying to take more live courses now. Critique helps, and sometimes I think it could be tougher.

Really looking forward to episode 2, which I hope to listen to sometime today. Keep up the good work!

Torino (Turin), Italy. I've just dropped a pin on the royal palace, in case anyone wants to go for a gelato and a stroll through the adjacent painting galleries (not at the same time!).

Hi guysl,

I haven't posted in a long time because I was taking the book covers class and it required all my art time just to keep up. Now the class is finished and I'm revising some of the interior illustrations assignment for Les Miserables. While doing these, I accidentally developed a new "charcoal" technique and was still figuring it out when I submitted things for the last critique, during which Lee and Jaime rightly pointed out that my first two interiors had a more developed and atmospheric style than the last two. This is actually because I hadn't worked on them as much, so I'm continuing to revise them in order to make them more "atmospheric."

To that end, here is an example of one of the more finished interior illustrations:

Here is my third of four illustrations prior to revisions, i.e., in the less atmospheric, more "graphic novel style":

And here is the revised, more "atmospheric" version with darker and lighter backgrounds:

They do come out a little grainier on the forums, but the jpegs get the idea across. I'd welcome your thoughts! In addition to adding lighting and background, I also revised the drawing slightly, but what I am really curious about is do you think the last two are a good match in style with the Cosette drawing, and do you like the darker or lighter background version better?

Thank you, and I look forward to catching up on the forums!

You are so right, Lee! I wasn't so happy with my piece in the end, but in the end I thought of whichever of you is was who said, "Challenges help because they make you put your work out there and say, this is the best I can do right now." In fact, I think that was you, Lee, reflecting on your art school exhibition days.

Today I am taking stock of my Slowvember experience, clearing files off of my almost full computer, and cleaning my neglected house. Tomorrow it's on to putting the Slowvember experience to work! (Along with preparing to go visit the relatives for Christmas.)

I actually wrote a blog post this morning about my first Slowvember experience. This blog is a mixed bag and not strictly, or even primarily, about illustration, and also I am convinced that the only person who reads it is my mom. There! Don't say I didn't warn you! But this link goes directly to the Slowvember post.

I listened to episode 2 yesterday. Like Miss Mushy, I'm 54. I started training myself in illustration about a year-and-a-half ago after going through some very major life changes. So when I hear people asking if 35-40 is too late, I think, "Oh, stop it!" Similarly to Jake's example, I have a friend who (professionally) published a truly interesting memoir last year, at 91.

My main age-related problems are 1) Doing the math and seeing how far I have to go to build a portfolio I can be proud of and enough work to support myself, and related to that, 2) giving myself permission to prioritize art and not get too distracted with the rest of life. In the end, you have to find a balance. If I'm going to make good art well into old age, I also have to eat well, sleep enough, exercise and develop good friendships. I think that last part is especially important for people who work alone!

Like the guys said, when you've already raised a family/had a career/gone through hardships your art won't be the same as a young person looking to be a phenomenon. The problem is more that you have so much experience, but little time, and therefore you have to choose your tasks wisely. I've been looking at art for years and the ability/taste gap is huge. How can I narrow it without wasting too much time? Especially when it seems that failure is an inherent part of the process?

There's a whole woman problem here somewhere as well, since I strongly suspect there are more woman who find themselves in this position than men (or at least they have different challenges when they do), but maybe that's another podcast.

But what I loved most about this podcast episode doesn't even have so much to do with starting late as it is good sense generally for self-starters: It's Jake's three-phase self-study battle plan. It helped me to get a realistic idea of where I am (trying hard to kick it into phase 2) and how far I still have to go (so impatient to have a good portfolio!)

And like I said in the thread about the first podcast, I like that this podcast fills a hole in the illustration podcast world, just as this site does generally. I'm looking forward to hearing future episodes!

In the spirit of what the guys said in episode 6 about doing enough studies before finishing a piece, I have been working out this pose. The line drawing should be finished enough to show that I've thought out the anatomy, while the shadow version is just to give a rough idea where the light is coming from. I think, for instance, that the cast shadow over her upper body should be much more obvious. But I want to see if the drawing needs correcting before working on it any more.

I thought a lot about this pose, and I know that the arms are crossed (anti-silhouette) and one foot is foreshortened, but it's really all about the psychology of the pose. She needs to be pigeon-toed, but any more is going to move into the realm of anatomical impossibility. The head and feet are somewhat enlarged, and the shoulders somewhat narrowed as part of the character design. And I need to make the near hand look more childlike. But does it all make sense, anatomically and perspective-wise? Is the pose appropriate for a sulk? Is there any point at which you think, "Why does she even want draw it that way? What's the point?" Or, "It's obvious that she should learn to do such and such."

And as an aside, this pose really reflects my feelings at the moment. This month has just been one interruption after another. But I'm fighting to keep making progress!

This podcast was just the kick in the pants I needed. I listened to it twice while working yesterday and I do think helped me to up my ability to self-evaluate. Thank you!

@AnnaDaviscourt I love your covers!!! Thanks for linking them, because I was so curious to see them after listening to the podcast. And I really appreciate your point about more ideation and less drawing.

Yeah, where does one get a mentor?!

@Aleksey. I am lucky enough to have some financial support, but it feels tenuous, I work in isolation, and I get no emotional/aesthetic support unless I take classes. Basically everyone thinks I'm living in a dangerous fantasy world because I'm in my 50s and not producing portfolio pieces yet. What keeps me going is: knowing that I love drawing, looking at the difference between what I did two years ago and what I do now, looking at how beautiful illustration can be, and having a group like SVS for feedback. Illustration is an uphill battle, but hopefully it will have been worth it!

Here's an update on the window-licking piece. Still working, especially on making those cakes look appetizing, but I'm wondering, is it starting to lose its freshness? Also, any tips on the face-pressed-on-glass aspect would be especially welcome. Aleksey, I did use your photo reference--thank you!

And now that I see it enlarged, I'm not too happy with that signage and will probably draw over it or modify it in some way. It's just too obviously font type.

Thank you for your input!

Take 2! Actually 4, because there are two versions I never posted . Still need to loosen up the sausages and of course work out a lot of details including consistent shadows for the dog, and either that's a small girl or a big Jack Russell, but want to make sure I'm heading in the right direction first. What do you guys think? Is this an improvement over the previous version?

Thank you for your patience and help guys--I'm uploading yet another version! Something about those taut sausages was attracting too much attention for me, so I worked out a version with the dog jumping at, but not reaching, the sausages.

The sausages are tighter and jumbly-er, but in my research on the physics of flying link sausage (a limited field indeed) the string of sausages always curves a bit and acts as a whole.

I also decided that the POV is low enough to the ground that perhaps we really can see under her boot.

Any other critiques you'd like to make before I move on?

Boy, is it ever going to be satisfying to move on to color and texture on this thing! But I think that in the process, I am learning to draw much better from my imagination. And that's kind of the point, isn't it?

Thanks so much for your help!