This is a custom creature that I made on the 10th before the snail character. This card will be going to Singapore!
I also wanted to share a picture I took of all the cards. I think the color really looks great.
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Final bid 404 credits. This card is going to Washington D.C. This card was really fun for me today. I just started sketching noticing the bumps in the paper and moving with them. At one point I started to see a creature. The collar of this creatures shirt was originally a clawed foot, but as it continued that was not how it stayed. I was going to have some great story of how this card was made but everything after that I have forgotten. Perhaps I need to do the blog closer to when the card ends. Today I received one of my temporary replacement memory cards for the camera. I was able to reshot the precious images and I feel much better.
Before creating this Leprechaun looking fellow I found out I overspent myself this month... I wonder if the two were connected. Basically there are a few different ways that I keep making something new every day. My primary drawing strategy for this project is something called "free association" drawing. What I do is create a shape and basically start doodling until I start to see something coming out. Often times when I start to see a creature develop I'll rotate the card around to see if there is a different creature there that might be more interesting. I think "What could it be?" and then I do something else. I often remark that it feels like the creatures choose to be created themselves. Some come out really fast as if they know what they want to be, others I really have to fight with. My mother believes these cards speak from my subconscious concerning myself in ways I don't even fully understand.
Another method is by taking some inspiration either visual or conceptual and working from that. I have translated images from plants most recently in Watercolor card #7 and #9. I have also sometimes had people suggest I make a butterfly and the days I'm really blocked I'll go with that :) I very rarely ever see a concept in my head and then translate it into the art. I am very skilled at creating something from something as seen in my portrait works. Creating something out of nothing is much more challenging for me. Perhaps as this year continues more options will come and there may be a day when I can imagine something really cool and make that. I hope that helps explain. Final bid 621 credits. This card is going to Tennessee. This little guy is a water Kappa who lives in the Sarugaishi River in the city of Tono (in Iwate, Japan.) He is in his original form here, but can shape shift into the form of a little boy with golden eyes and blue hair. He likes to swim around in the river playing with the fish and other creature in the waters. He is a fast swimmer and races with schools of fish down the river. He is a playful fellow who loves to eat cucumbers. He calls himself Allen when in human form. His arms are reversible for him to be able to walk on land. He has befriended a young girl named Mae and wishes nothing more than to play in the fields with her when she is not busy in school or helping her mother. He sleeps in the sand at the bottom of the river right off the bend. If your lucky enough, you might meet him one day. This is actually the second card I made today. I'm hoping the other will be taken by one of the people I owe a card to. I figure I'll give them the chance to take it and if they don't then I'll keep or sell it possibly. I will post it when decision is made. I gave this creature the Dr Suess eye, it reminds me of his work. I think the sad look and the elongated eye reduce the potential cute factor.
Final bid 707 credits. This card is staying in Oregon.
Final bid 202 credits. This card is staying in Oregon. Happy Easter!
This morning we headed to church early for a breakfast that was happening there. We visited me parents church. Ash wore a very pretty white dress and Kaleb looked handsome in a button up shirt. After Breakfast we decorated a wooden cross with flowers. It's a tradition for that church that I really enjoy. While putting flowers on the cross Ashley found a baby slug on her dress. She wanted to keep it but was convinced to put it outside after a while of carrying it around on a red carnation. During the service I watch the kids in the playroom. I was able to sketch out this card at the time adding the slug based on the earlier experiences. I wanted to do an egg or a bunny due to the holiday. I sorta wanted the bunny to be in an egg as if it was inside waiting to be born, but that was hard to visualize so I started drawing and came up with this. I am reminded of my Robot from January that had a creature looking through it. I really like the way the slug turned out paint wise. Perhaps I'll shoot for something really simple tomorrow, if I remember. We had lunch at my parents with my brother and grandparents. The kids did a mini egg hunt in the back yard and we headed home. I was able to finish the painting right about the time when my brother dropped by. When I went to take the picture the memory card for my camera refused to work. I've tried what I could and enlisted my brothers help but it seems to be shot. I'll try a few other things tomorrow, but I ordered a replacement option to arrive before the week is out. This picture is from a cell phone. I will try to replace it as soon as I get the new card. This is one of my custom cards that I sold to get into the Raw art show in February of 2012. This was purchased by a friend from my Facebook game league who lives in Ontario, I believe. He wanted something scary and potentially demonic looking. I'm not very good at scary so this was one of the more intimidating requests. This card is what happened. Sometimes in the end I feel like the cards just happened to me instead of me creating them, for better or worse. I find it so interesting, when the entire creature is not defined, what the mind see's in the drawings. There is a strange flexibility to them possibly accomplished in the free association creation process. Sometimes I'm not exactly sure what it is. Are two hands holding a severed head. Are the hangs grabbing it or holding it with the backs of the hand. Things are not defined so the mind is freed. The various interpretations I hear from people are very enjoyable. I think that is part of the joy of letting people name them for themselves. They get to assign existence and purpose to their card, not me. There is a positive collaboration that takes place. These are the things that make my day.
I wanted to share a couple finished commissions with you. They went to Illinois.
I have learned through this process that, as much as I enjoy doing portrait commissions, commissions for creatures is not very much fun for me. I'm going to stick to the people and just make the free association creatures. If someone likes what is made they are welcome to purchase it. Forcing the style to make something specific to please a client is very very difficult for me. Good learning experience.
Final bid 448 credits. This card is going to Washington state. I have quite the entomologist there :) I am finally starting to make some headway on my commissions and cards that I need to make for the show I did in February. Oh how time passes so quickly. I will make a post after this to show some of the commissions and custom cards that I have been working on. I have also been asked a few very good question. I am going to start a FAQ blog category and answer them. I have been getting behind on my email messages, I think because of all my commission work. There just isn't enough time in the day for everything. Hopefully I will be able to get to them tonight.
Todays card was actually inspired by something tangible. I included a picture of the inspiration for your enjoyment. They are leaves from a plant I recently purchased after my move. I'm still trying to figure out what the best place for it is. I'm not sure where it currently is will work. The picture doesn't show the brilliance of the red veins quite right. They are beautiful. The texture of the leaves is very interesting as well. I find the creations of God to be so amazing. I make things inspired by them, but oh to make the originals. Final bid 972 credits. Let's say, for the benefit of this conversation, that the first view is 1 and then 2 is the top right and 3 is the bottom right.
I started drawing this from the point of view not shown here. I started with the layered spikes inspired by a dinosaurs feathered tail on my book. This creature is a bit abstract in a way that I still don't know which direction is best. Ash says it should go #3. I thought #2 was nice if I added a ground plain to the picture. But if I gave the creature a shadow it wasn't flexible so I left that off. With no shadow I tend to lean toward #1. I knew it was good friday but I kept forgetting when I was drawing the creature since nothing seems particularly "good" about it. I'm curious if anyone really cares what mundane things I did today... |
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