Today was our last day. What a great week. Julie brought in celebratory donuts from Sara Jane’s Bakery. Thanks Julie! Here’s where we left off. She did color studies in colored pencil. Then Julie decided to try something new and gave gouache a whirl. Here’s a shot of some...
Jul192014
Illustration Workshop 2014 – Day 5
Jul172014
Illustration Workshop 2014 – Day 4
This year’s summer illustration workshop is coming to a close. Only one day left and there will be donuts. Thanks Julie! Here are a few shots of some of the projects where they stand today. I’m really enjoying seeing what folks are coming up with. Fun!
Jul162014
Frustration and Learning
Sometimes I’ll finish a piece and feel like I added a new layer of skill and be excited about the results. Sometimes it’ll feel like I’m pushing a boulder up a hill. There’s a new concept or skill I’ll be trying to grasp and incorporate into the latest picture....
Jul142014
Illustration Workshop 2014 – Day 1
Illustration Workshop Day 1 Today I gave talks on process and composition. Everyone is working hard: brainstorming, drawing out thumbnails, hunting down reference. They look so serious. Trust me, there were plenty of laughs. The process being: research (if need more information about a character or story); brainstorming with...
Jul92014
Learning as I Teach
Sure, I get paid to teach. That helps keep me in art supplies. But I also get something else out of it. I learn. When I prepare materials or talk with a student, I have to think about what I know. I need to break it down into steps...
Jul22014
Where’s Christine?
This weekend I’ll be spending my days at CONvergence over in Bloomington, MN. This year’s theme is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s all about Urban Fantasy. The official guests, panel discussions, activities, and movies all touch on this topic. I’m really looking forward to it. “CONvergence is an annual...
Jun182014
Maquettes for Reference
Today I offer up a peak into a bit of my process for creating the cover image of Llewellyn’s 2015 Astrological Calendar. I created maquettes for several of the animals on the cover. Why Make Maquettes? I didn’t want to fly by the seat of my pants for creating...
Jun112014
DIY Ink Filled Brush-Pen and Lightfast Test
I enjoy using the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen but I wanted to have an ink brush that I could sketch with in a color other than black. I wanted to put ink in a Niji Waterbrush to make my own. What I wasn’t sure about was how much I...
Jun42014
Women Destroy Science Fiction!
This Spring I was delighted to participate in an extra special issue of Lightspeed Magazine. The release was funded with KickStarter and is titled Women Destroy Science Fiction! It is an amazing collection of fiction and non-fiction. My assignment was to create an illustration for an intriguing steampunk mystery...
May292014
Quieting the Inner Critic
April was International Fake Journal Month (brain child of Roz Stendahl, a Twin Cities based artist and graphic designer). As I understand it the idea is to do something different. If you draw dogs all the time, draw cats. The project could also be as elaborate as a visual...