It's Good To Be A Princess: WIP

Working out some ideas for T-Shirts to sell in the future at conventions. I came up with an idea for a cool Princess t-shirt, using Leia, Dejah, and Xena (all kick butt princesses!). It's cool to work with iconic figures that I haven't tried to draw ever before. Here's a sneak peek at the design so far.

They aren't old enough to realize how kick butt these ladies are....well...maybe they know Leia.....but I am hoping that my friend's two daughters will wear a shirt for me cause that would be rad! Yeah...can't wait to wear one myself!

Jynx: Tattoo Sleeve?

"What did you think I meant when I said blow job!?!"

So, I started doodling Jynx at close to midnight cause I had a thought that she would be a flippin' sweet tattoo sleeve! Not that I can afford that at the moment, but some day it will become a reality. Right now I'm just working out some compositions. I really like the way this sketch is looking thought I think I need to add another trooper helmet and do something about the symbol behind her. 

Jon posted up a t-shirt challenge on ArtOrder....I already use Jynx as my mascot and have been wanting to paint her onto a button up shirt I have (like a greaser would wear) and a jacket I have. So I figured why not also make her into something that could be tattoo art or even a temp tattoo or sticker?

I still have some clean up to the lines to do and some other work too. I want to put some type in but am not sure about it yet.

CGHub Challenge WIP: The Vaudevillains

So, despite still having commission #3  to finish up for Cyptic Strudio I decided to enter....or try to enter, into another CGHyb challenge. The premise is a weird freak show of sorts. There was a comment about Siamese twins with a chainsaw and a wolf man, but I asked if we had to include those and was told not really. 

My idea is inspired by Alfons Mucha. I looked at some of his work as well as some old posters from Barnum  and Bailey, and some freak shows and vaudeville posters from way back when. It kinda hit me to try out a twist on a theme, so I went with fairy tale maidens. But instead of being the damsels in distress they are more like the femme fatals I love so much in old pulp fiction stories. 

I started the sketch out in Photoshop. After finishing the last piece in this media I decided why not try it out again and do things a little differently? Besides, I am still painting a lot for the other commissions I have. 

This is where I am at the end of the day. Line work on the computer is as tedious as it is by hand and while it's not perfect I am pretty happy with where it is going. This piece is all sorts of outside my comfort zone, using multiple figures, a designed composition, and type. But it's a great exercise. The challenge is for an illustration, and that has been left open to anything from a card to a book cover, which is why I chose a poster.

I still want to add in some type to suggest a little bit more that this is a poster for a freak show talent. The ladies are all insane cougars of course....of course. The Fire eater is supposed to be like a Cinderella (I keep thinking this stupid phrase 'Cinderella dressed in chrome, burned her lover to his bones). The lady in the bottom left is Snow White and is going to be a cross between a vamp and an albino (researching freak shows it seemed that any oddity made it into the show).  The woman in the center was going to be the Bloody Belle, but that became an issue since Little Red is leaning towards her. So I changed the middle figure up to being the Bearded Belle instead. Little Red is leaning in and is gonna be like a cannibal or Lizzie Borden (on account of the ax behind her back), and the last figure is going to be a take of the frog princess, or little mermaid.

There are some details that need to be added in still, some decorative flowers and what not before I start to color it in. So far I am happy with this piece. The due date is the 7th of October...only one week! But...I know I can get this done. It'll be a nice piece  in my portfolio.

Ok, it's super late now. I just wanted to post up one more progress pic before I hit the sack. I started to color the image in (sometimes it helps me work out last minute kinks. Right now I am liking the color scheme and can see how my original idea for a color layout is going to work. However I think it needs more of a creepy feel to it so I plan to add in some darker colors here and there, perhaps some wear and tear once I am done. Kinda like aging a piece. 

Already I can see a big difference as opposed to my tata piece I just finished. I am using a lot of airbrush in photoshop to get the feel I want from the old fashioned posters. I think it's appropriate for this type of image. 

I am also noticing the type is disappearing. I kinda figured it would....not gonna say what I plan to do with it just yet. It's fun working on this and I am surprised I have as much of it done as I already do. 

Well...time to get some sleep. Yawn. 

Day three (ok day 2 and a half really).  Been working for about an hour or so on this now along with doing some other things. I'm still liking how this piece is coming along. Still need to add some creepiness to the ladies. Right now the bearded lady with her five o'clock shadow is creeping me out the most. I think she looks like Jesus in drag giving me a sultry glance over the top of that fan, which makes working on Red Ridding Hood hard. 

I've been thinking a lot more about the type and searching out some reference materials for flowers to add into the bottom two corners. I still want to add in some roses on the lower left near Snow White, and some water plants on the lower left by the Frog Princess. 

Not a lot of other people getting in on this challenge on CGHub so far, probably due to the shorted deadline this time around.  I'm gonna just keep updating this post in particular....I like it this way and it's my blog so I can do whatever I want! =p

Day three. I haven't spent to much time working on this piece over the weekend. And I am a little flustered to find that some of my custom brushes have gone AWOL. I blame the gremlins....

That aside...this piece is looking awfully bright and chipper. I think it has a lot to do with the colors and the fact that my villainesses don't look so...wicked. Little Red and Snow White look a little more macabre than the others but that has to do with the blood I think. I might have to go in and add some weapons...but I wanted them to be like the cougars of the carnival. O well, you win some you lose some. Overall I am pretty happy that I was able to do something outside of my comfort zone even if I am falling a bit flat. 

O Snipe!

2010 TaTa Gala Entry

Yay! I just finished Jynx for her tatagala.org entry! It's been a blast to do this piece though I am sure that in a few months I will hate it. It's different to work on the computer as I mentioned a few times. But, I think I did a pretty descent job. Now....to send her off! Wish us luck!

-Kat/Jynx

O Snipe: Progress

So, I received an email from the TaTa Gala organizers that the deadline has been pushed back to the 16th of October....which rocks since I had to put that aside to work on some other things. So here's an update of the progress. I've decided not to submit in two pieces, for the sake of time and dealing with other commitments. Oh well, all's fare in art and work....right?

I've still got a bit of work to do on this piece before I submit it into the gala. I have to admit I am feeling rather nervous about entering the piece in....but I'm gonna do it anyways. I am really enjoying how this piece is coming along, especially since it's a digital piece. I still like my watercolors and can tell this is going to be one of those great learning pieces I look back on in a few months and see how far I've come. 

Wish me luck!

Influence Map

This is my influence map. A friend of mine suggested I make one when I have some down time. It was fun, and neat to see where my interests still lie and what is new after the last few years. And no, this isn't all of my influences but it's pretty close. 

1) Jamie Hewlett

2) Norman Rockwell

3) Adam Hughes

4) Toulouse Lautrec

5) RK Post

6) Alfonso Azpiri

7) The Rockin' Jellybean

8) Echo Chenrick

9) Raven Mimura

10) Arthur Suydam

11) Iain McCaig

12) Dean Yeagle

13) Massimiliano Frazzeto

14) John Howe

15) Tommy Lee Edwards

16) Luis Royo

17) Joshua Middleton

18) Jon Foster

19) Barbucci & Canepa

It's MADNESS! (aka The Gremlins Attacked My Computer!)

So...I know you aren't supposed to feed them after midnight, but I was tired and wasn't paying attention to the time at all. What happened? I was having some issues with my internet all this last week: something something about my wireless router. I dunno cause I am not a computer nerd.

Anyways, I finally got it back and saw an email from Fred Hicks, the art director at Hero Games. What for? Well, seems that I was commissioned to do work on 5 characters for Villains #2....but I never got the email. Not even in my spam. I suppose things like this happen.

He was wondering why I missed the deadline of Sep 19th. Yeah....not good at all.

Consequently we spoke over email about the situation. I told him I had info on book #1 and #3, and thought it was odd I wasn't assigned on book #2. I guess it's cause I was, and the gremlins decided to eat that particular email. I had submitted pencils in for work on #3, so it did strike him as a little odd I hadn't done anything with #2.

So, I spent all morning toiling away over pencils to send in and am currently and anxiously awaiting approval. Looks like a busy week for me now with a rush commission....I think I can finish all five characters in a day or two....shooting for one day. I am hoping any adjustments to the pencils will not be needed (or if so quick fixes).

I've never been so anxious about an assignment before. I feel horrible but all I can really do is get it done. I mean, the world needs more foxy lady villains to rule it, right?

On the downside, that means putting my TaTa Gala pieces on hold while I am waiting  to finish up this commission, and I also noticed that I still need to work on the GM screen for the D&D game group, which they want by November.

So, lots of coffee, listening to some laid back classical music, and trying to destress.....what I wouldn't do to kick back and shoot some zombies right now.