A few new items

I haven't posted since before Christmas!  I have too many pieces, drawings, cards to post but will show a few of my bigger ones.

The first one is a study for a larger painting to go with a story about how Stars get their Shine.

The second one I just liked. 

I'm working on some dinosaur sketches for another story - here are a few pencil sketches - dino studies really

Holiday Cards

I'm starting to work on Christmas and Holiday cards.  Probably late, but the muse started nudging me so I've listened. It might be a Fishy Christmas theme this year.

Second Illustration Friday - Keep Rowing

I seem to have alot of "Journey's"  in my sketchbook, this one I call "Keep Rowing" 

Illustration Friday - Journey

It's been awhile since I've submitted anything to Illustration Friday - and I couldn't resist this prompt.  This piece has been shown here before, but it's a perfect example for "Journey".  It was conceived at Heathrow Airport in London, where so many people are taking a Journey from their homeland to a new unknown, hopefully safer home.

A brave Journey.

Praying for Peace

Two paintings completed based on  a view from Buenos Aires from the near by Ecological Reserve.   The first painting below is a calm view of a city from a peaceful tropical oasis. "Peaceful City" I call it.

The second one is called "Praying for Peace" and in my view, the outstretched arms and glowing orange rays depicts both protection and anger. Anger as to what we humans can do to each other, anger that no one is saying "STOP!". Protection because we all need it.

Thanks for the inspiration from Xul Solar, amazing artist.

Learning about production

What I don't know about production can fill a book.  In working on my portfolio I went to a printer on the advice of a friend and got most everything done and done well.  A few items needed to be redone, so I worked on those today and got them completed. Happily reprinted.  Asked husband for help putting the actual portfolio together and had a shock when the portfolio - advertised as 11x14 - only had pages that are 12x 10 or something like that.  OK, so the COVER is 11x14  - but they don't tell you that.  My production oriented husband was shaking his head that I hadn't measured the inside portfolio papers - but I didn't.

Well, it's all getting sorted out and I will have a good laugh about it in a few weeks.  Meanwhile, I'll have some lovely prints to sell if anyone is interested. Anything on these pages will be up for grabs in varying sizes.  I'll probably put them in my long abandoned Etsy shop.

The edges look funny here but are all white in person.  Ah well, live and learn.

Merging drawings

I need a refresher course in merging two sections of a drawing after scanning in. I'm not sure if it was me, or my computer that was being uncooperative, but it just wasn't working well.

I did get the two pieces together finally, but am going to do some research on how to do this more smoothly.

Heathrow

I did this drawing after my last trip to England - inspired by the enormous multinational lines at security and passport control.  I was also inspired by a painting I saw at a friends house by Stephanie Ho and loved the shadows she used.