In honour of my first Burlesque class, I coloured up my Burly Girl.  I have named her Cherry Rose after Emyrs provided it as a suggestion when I was harassing the internets for Burly Alter-ego names (more on that later…)

While I love Cherry Rose a lot, I am kinda pissed off with her.  I am still having scanner issues. No matter what I do, every single time I scan my colour work, it looks like balls.   The original is much, much nicer.  But you wouldn’t know it from these images.  The colours are even and much richer. This one looks like a washed out, patchy version. And it makes me cranky because ideally, I’d like to start getting prints made of some of these illustrations.  But I can’t do that if it looks like ass. Grrrr.

I’m starting to think I am completely ineffective when it comes to my scanner. Boo.

Speaking of Burly, yup, I started my Burlesque class last night. And man, it’s going to be a hoot! I had so much fun in the class. I met a lot of fab girls who are also doing this all on their own. We had so much giggles! Though, I’ll admit it, I’m a bit sore today. Mostly because a third of the class is warm-up (including some ballet, jazz, and jive moves), a third is pilates and the rest of all dancing!  I am out of shape. So sore.  But still, funs!

As part of our homework, Di (our instructor and the creator of the class) has told us that we have to come up with our Burly alter-egos. Hah! I am toying with Kiki or Koko. Either would be hilarious.  But I am also accepting any other suggestions that the internets might have! Leave a comment below if you have one!

With this class, we have the opportunity to perform at the Brazilian Burlesque Student Showcase & Gala on May 7th.  Originally, I was unsure if I would perform or not cuz nervous! But after last night, I have decided that no matter what happens, I am going to perform. I think it would be an amazing and scary (scary-good) experience for me.  Eee! So expect a lot of plugging in the next couple of months!

Plus, there’s a bar and I get to wear pretty things!

Now, I just need to buy some pretty things.  KW offered up a couple of inexpensive online corset stores that I might look into. Or there is always Hips & Curves. I want a ruffly bum!  It does amuse me that I want to be so girlie. Normally, I am decidedly un-girlie.

On a completely different note, I also started working on my latest portrait – another self-portrait.  I think I wanna bang out my self-portrait series before I start working on the other portraits. But I am still looking for volunteers if you are interested!

Just a quick sketch from my lunch break.  The star-shaped pasties are cracking me up.  A lot.

It’s interesting the more I do these little illustrative non-drawings of girls, the more I am kinda figuring out what I like from an aestethic perspective.  It has been an interesting journey.  I like Burlesque. I like pin-up. I like circus freaks.  I like curvy, busty girls.  I love Steampunk. I love Geisha. I love ukiyo-e.  The latter three I figured out a loooong time ago. I like propaganda art (especially by those good old Commies), but I suspect I figured that one out from a web-design that I was working on a couple weeks ago. I have no Commie girls – yet!

I also discovered tonight that I might also have a penchant for fetish. The visuals (outfits and what not), not the acts themselves.  Though, I have a few friends who would probably debate that last statement. Ahem.

Any-way, after some discussion at tonight’s Art Meetup coffee event, I realized that there are certain aspects of the fetish “look” that are really appealing.  For example, I would love to do a fetish mask portrait. Now, the masks themselves creep me the fuck out. Especially the ones with the zipper mouths. Gah! But visually? Brilliant!  Love them! Then again, I have always had an affinity for masks – like Noh masks for example. Perhaps this is an extension of that.

I guess it’s just really interesting to figure out the things that are inspiring.  I just need to remember those things. Didn’t I mention something about a freaking inspiration board. I should get on that. Or at least write some of this shit down.  Jeez.

On a related note, the coffee event was great. I met some fantastic art-shaped beings, caught up with a couple that I had met before.  Great people.  There was some great discussion. Its really nice to sit down with fellow artists and just talk.  Most of the other people in my meat space aren’t really art savvy.  So when I find some kindred spirits, its, well, rad.

Then Sunday, more errands  I had every intention of doing some sketching but a  headache really put me down and kicked my butt. So instead I spent  the evening lying on my couch, watching the atrocious Oscars.  They were terrible.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were terrible hosts (moreso Baldwin). Just not funny.  Too bad NPH only did the opening musical number.   He would have made a fantastic Oscar host.  I really didn’t like that they eulogized the Best Actor/Actress nominees. Ugh, too much ego-stroking. Did not like.  Plus, I think they forgot Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur in the memorial section of the evening. Whut?!

And do not get me started on that sad Horror montage. I’m sorry, but there was nary a Romero zombie or Bruce Campbell in sight?! How do they figure that Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands are horrors films!?  And those Twilight films just shouldn’t even be represented at the Oscars. At all.

I am very pleased that The Hurt Locker took Avatar down. I know I am in the minority, but Avatar wasn’t a particularly good film. Beautiful and technologically amazing, yes absolutely! It was stunning! It certainly deserved all of the  technical achievements. But the story itself? Meh. Some of the writing was truly awful and the dude who played the Colonel was absolutely cringe-worthy.  Plus, Kevin Costner did the same story years ago with Dances with Wolves. Avatar is just fancy because its pretty. Meh. The Hurt Locker, on the other hand, was fantastic all around!

In the end, the Oscars were just really boring this year.  Painfully boring.

I will say this though… that Sharlto Copley is a very handsome man (especially without the ridiculous Wikus moustache)

Beyond that, last night also afforded me the opportunity to discover some new artists – Lisa Brawn, Ricky Fraser, Rachelle Kearl, and the fine designer toy folks at Nation. There are a couple more wonderful artists that I discovered, but I forgot my notebook at home and my memory blows.   But believe me, they are wonderful!

All in all, fun night. Looking forward to some more.

Apparently, the internets is rife with how to scan line art tutorials, but has almost nothing when it comes to completed colour work. I suspect that is because illustrators do a lot of their colouring in Photoshop or Illustrator. So scanning line work is probably more common.

Still, its a bit frustrating.  I don’t want my illustrations to look like ass when I try making prints. I’d like them to look like the original.  It might seem like a simple request, but it isn’t.  Most of the time, when I scan coloured illustrations in, my scanner lightens them – a lot. Black lines look like medium gray and a lot of the lighter colours get washed out. Grr.  And when I try to adjust them in Photoshop, I usually end up going too dark.

It’s a tenuous balance at best.

I did find a couple of suggestions at an art forum that mostly involves tweaking Photoshop settings.  But I guess the most important things I learned is that I should actually look at my original when tweaking and tweak the blacks with an on-screen reference.

With my scan tests last night, I am cautiously optimistic about the couple suggestions I have received from the internets. I have printed off a couple of these scans and while darker on different monitors, they seem to print pretty well and that is the important part.  The next step is to get a scan where I want and then ship it off to an external print company to see how “pro printing” would fair.

In other news, I already have several people who have volunteered their mugs for my portrait project.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will contact you via email by the end of  the week (hopefully!) with release forms and what not – as well as directions for anyone who is providing me reference images. Local models will likely get photographed by me. And if you haven’t volunteered and are still interested, please drop me a line!

Speaking the portrait project,  I’m considering expanding it to two projects (technically).  While I want to do the portraits, I have been toying with some ideas about creating additional mixed media works using prints of the portraits (once complete). Essentially, I am putting the cart in front of the horse because I haven’t even started a single portrait.

But I’m having ideas! And that’s the important part.

Hah! I coloured her last night! Wait. It would appear that I forgot to colour the flagpole. Oops. How embarassing!

Anyway, she cracks my shit up.  I am so in love with her.   To be truthful, I am in love with all of these pin-up-ie type sketches that I have been creating lately.  They are just so amusing to draw.  I don’t even care if no one else likes them or if someone prefers my “very serious” portrait work to these wacky drawings. The fact is that they bring me happiness and that’s all that matters!

Though, admittedly, I am not loving the scan of the original. It really looks like ass on my work computer. :(  Too dark. Too muddy.  The colours and blending look waaaaaaay better on the original. They aren’t this dark. You must take my word for it!    I really wish I didn’t struggle with scanning as much as I do.  It’s ok for black/white/grey, but the second I add colour, it goes to shit. Boo.

Oh, while we are on the subject of my girlies, I’ve done a few other ones as well.

The Harley one was completed on Friday.  She is fun.  I think she is probably funner than the first one I did.   It feels more Harleyesque.   Can’t wait to colour her.

As for the Dorothy sketch, so far, so good. I like her shape, but I loathe her left hand. It looks like ass.  Part of her dress needs fixing too.  I will probably try and fix them  if/when I colour her. I dig her shoes a lot though. 

In other news, it has come to light that apparently I have an affinity for Communist propaganda art. What. Who knew?

And finally!  Just a reminder (expect a lot of these) that I am looking for some volunteers!

If you’d like to help a girl out, please leave a comment or contact me.  I’ll fill you in all of the specifics at that time.

I guess I was feeling a bit patriotic yesterday. Hah. I drew this little sketch while watching the Olympic Closing Ceremonies.  There are a few problems with her (her boots and legs for example), but I think I wanna try colouring her. Could be fun!

Beyond that, I’m trying to figure out what I want to do next for my really-real art. I really enjoyed doing the self-portrait in markers and I had thought to work on a series of self-portraits, but I’m not entirely sure I want to look at my face that much.   It might be interested to do it to other people’s faces though.  I’d just need someone to send me photos of their heads.

Any victims volunteers?

On a completely unrelated note, make sure you watch the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics tomorrow night. My girl, SMc, is participating! She says that she isn’t a featured performer, but she’s the star of the show to me (and the only reason I will probably watch)! So watch! Enjoy! Cheer her on!

Title: Self-Portrait 2010
Size: 8½ x 11″
Medium: Prismacolor Marker on Aquabee Manga Artist Paper
Time: 6.25 hours
Status: Completed

I think I am done!  There are a couple things that I will need to tweak before I slap it into a frame and ship it to New York, but mostly, I am done!

It’s kind of nice to get something finished, I gotta say. As this blog can attest, the last few months have been mostly about practicing and learning. I don’t think I have finished something good enough for a frame – let alone a show – since last year.  So deeming a piece complete is kinda of gratifying.

Especially since self-portraits are probably the best indicator of whether or not your skill has improved.  It’s always interesting to review what you have done with what you are doing now. If you look at the self-portrait I completed in 2008 and the one I completed yesterday, you can see a difference.

While I admit to loving the hair in the 2008 one, I think the new one is overall a stronger piece. And I don’t think its because I am still in love with it. It just seems more interesting to me.Now admittedly, it might not be very fair to compare them as they are in completely different mediums. But still, I think it does illustrate that I have improved a lot over the course of two years.

Then again, I might be biased.

Title: Untitled
Size: 8½ x 11″
Medium: Prismacolor Marker on Aquabee Manga Artist Paper
Time: 5.0 hours
Status: Work In Progress

I finally snuck in some time to work on my self-portrait.  I am pretty pleased with how the mouth is shaping up.  Especially the teeth.  Though, I might look at softening some of the lip creases.  They feel a bit… harsh right now.  Too line-y!?  That said, with any luck, I should have this baby done by the weekend. Then it’s off to New York!

I also finally used some of my DAZ reference images.  I was just messing around on my lunch break. Overall, I think its going to be very, very helpful.

I might go back and do some more inking of this particular drawing during my lunch. Her hands and feet (as usual) need a lot of work.

In other news, I signed up for the intro class at Burlesquercise. It runs from March 10th to April 12th (I think!?) and I might have an opportunity to perform. In public.  Scary! It should be fun though!

I need to buy a boa.

Speaking of which – well, kinda – I made a trip to Mona Lisa’s on Thursday.  I finally picked up the Cool Gray set, some additional flesh tones, and some more paper. I also discovered that Strathmore is now offering ATC related goods!  I’ve always wanted to give art cards a go. I’ve even talked about it here. So I scooped up several packages (they were very cheap!) and have put ATCs on my ever-growing To-Do list. Trading some ATCs might be a hoot.

Yes, I said hoot.

And that To-Do List! Oi. It  also includes replacing the glass on my lightbox with some plexiglass that I picked up on Friday.  I attempted to do it yesterday (I was too impatient to wait for W to help me). And I managed to crack the plexi when I was cutting it. Boo.   I will probably swing by the Home Depot on the way home today and pick up a replacement.

On a different note, Saturday, Mom and I spent the morning at Market Collective. I have never been, but it was very fun. I came away with several purchases – three prints from Tara Put (1, 2, 3) and a couple of weird pin-up girls with elephant and giraffe heads from Browyn Schuster. For Mom’s part, she scored a bunch of jewelry.   I really enjoyed the atmosphere (art, yay!), but I’m not 100% certain how Mom felt about it. She might not have been as keen as I was.  So, I might go on my own next time.

I am in love with The Girl.  Totally and completely smitten.  She is so much fun to play with. While I will likely use Victoria for all of my portrait references (she is much more “realistic”), G4 is definitely my Go-to-Girl for pin-up work.  Her curves are awesome and her morphs allow me to play around and make her even curvier (or not).  She’s just so soft and squishy! I love it. She is going to be a fantastic reference.

Plus, a lot of her available poses are very pin-up-ie already. All of the images I have included in today’s update are preset poses (there are many more after the jump).  It’s kinda fun.  And there are even a few that are suspiciously familiar.

And lighting! I didn’t realize until last night how much this will help with lighting. It’s weird, but I always struggle with light source when I am drawing figures.  Mostly because when I am working in portraits, the light source is pretty much always the same – straight on (boring, I know). So when it comes to figures, my light source is never dynamic or interesting.  I think DAZ will help me with that.

In other news, I am off to Mona Lisa’s at lunch today. I going to finally score some more Prisma grays and maybe a new pad of paper. It’ll be fun to be back in the old neighbourhood for a little while .

Downloaded a new model base last night, The Girl 4. She cracks me up. I love her big head, big boobs, big bum and teeny, tiny waist.  Gorgeous!  I suspect I will have a lot of fun with her when it comes to creating pin-up references. Hee!

Admittedly, I am still in the middle of a learning curve though.  And mostly I have been experimenting with the interface, materials, and that type of thing. I have been researching materials and how to apply them and increasing my database of usable morphs/materials. So, I don’t think I am 100% ready to start using DAZ for my original purpose (reference images for portraits).   I’d to get a better handle on basics.

But tonight, my plan is to work solely on creating a few pin-up references that I can use when I am messing around in my sketchbook.  Kinda like what I use from PoseManiacs, but more attuned to my sensibilities.  Figure. Textures. Lights. Props. You name it.  And I figure once I finish the self-portrait for the show, I’ll seriously look at creating portrait reference images.  That might be my March project.

Title: Untitled
Size: 8½ x 11″
Medium: Prismacolor Marker on Aquabee Manga Artist Paper
Time: 4.0 hours
Status: Work In Progress

I’ve been playing so much in DAZ that I have been woefully neglecting my self-portrait. As hard as it was, I put the shiny new toy on the back burner and drove into some really-real art making last night.  I only did an hour – mostly because I was having dog issues – but I am happy with the progress.  I’m still in love with the markers. Most so, in fact. I think my adoration grows exponentially each time I use them.

I also found out that I probably won’t be able to mat my drawing for the show.  Understandably, Art House Coop is restricting the size of each piece to 8×10″. This includes any framing you wish to do.  I’m a bit disappointed because I have a specific way that I like to frame my work. Seriously. I might not have an art style, but I have framing style!  Just look at any work I have done in the last five years.  They are always matted the same and in the same type of frame.  But, I guess its not a huge deal. I’ll be able to use my standard frame, just not mat.  I can re-mat it when I get it back.

Oh speaking of which, if you are planning on participating in the Self-Portrait project and haven’t signed up, this is the last week to sign up to participate!

I’m a cross-eyed from copious amounts of work on my computer this weekend.

It took virtually all weekend, but I have finally got my DAZ setup where I want it. Plus, I managed to resolve a couple rendering quirks, like a wrong surface shader messing up some of my fancy skin textures,  I organized my assets and materials so they actual make sense. I also figured out how to use morphs to change my base model so all my girls don’t look the same. Woop.  Also? Look at her skin in the first image, how amazing is that?  It’s one of the Elite textures that DAZ sells (Lana I think?).  Beautiful, huh? I might have to invest in a few more because it really is stunning.

Wow, that was a whole bunch of techno-babble gobblity goo. 

Anyway, once my set-up was where it should be, I was able to play around a bit last night. Nothing major. Mostly experimenting with posing and light.  I have a long ways to go before I’m a master of this, but I was pleased with the results.  I also have to invest in backgrounds. Or at the very least learn how to create my own backgrounds.  A dark black background is nice and moody, but it doesn’t give one very much variety.   Realistic hair is also proving to be a challenge.

There are more images after the jump but  there are more boobies and other girl parts so needless to say, NSFW.

The last one? Not so pleased. I just wanted to experiment with clothing, but I am finding that I don’t particularly care for them. Mostly because a lot of the clothes I have don’t really fit my morphs very well. Or rather, I am not 100% certain how to get them to fit better. Learning curve, I guess?

Lookit! I rendered!  Well, I rendered again and this time I will let you see because it is pretty and doesn’t look like assballs.   

Using DAZ Studio is proving to be a lot easier than I thought. Sorta.  I am still trying to understand the use of materials and assets and that type of thing. Sometimes when I add a material to a model it doesn’t show up and I’m not sure why.  I have probably set the add-on up wrong. But generally, I think it is going to be a fabulous reference tool for me. Woot!

I mean, look at her! With some proper lighting and maybe some hair (or not), I could totally draw that! I am pleased.

Speaking of hair, it is also proving difficult to find hair assets that don’t look like ass.  Most of the ones I have found aren’t very realistic and mostly look like stripper hair, which itself isn’t bad, mind you, but I would like some variety.  I’m also hoping to familiarize myself with adjusting the models specifications and posing on my own. Right now, I am relying on presets and material assets to do it for me.  It’s the lazy, easy route.

But rendering is fun!

I’ve also posted a couple additional rendered images under the cut. But there are boobies involved and you may not wanna open it at work. So consider this your warning!

She’s so pretty.

The goal was to get used to the interface, loading models, and perhaps learning a thing or two about positioning.  So far, so good.  Though, I will admit to spending the better part of an hour organizing a lot of my assets.  I’m not convinced that DAZ does this very well.

In my anal-retentive head, each asset should have its own category – People, Clothing, Morphs, Hair etc.  And when they are installed, the new assets should be populated in the appropriate category. Somehow, the different install packages do not file the assets by category. It’s really annoying.   If I wanna select a person, I just wanna go one place, not six.

Tonight, I wanna finish my asset clean-up and maybe do a couple more tutorials.  Perhaps I’ll even have something to share.

Title: Untitled
Size: 8½ x 11″
Medium: Prismacolor Marker on Aquabee Manga Artist Paper
Time: 3.0 hours
Status: Work In Progress

I worked on my self-portrait for the show last night. I am extremely pleased with my progress so far.  And I am completely and totally enamoured of using markers for portraits. I think it looks fantastic, but more than that, it makes me fast.  Under normal graphite circumstances, what I did last night would have taken me about five or six hours. Last night? An hour and a half. Woot!

Though, I really need to invest in the rest of the Prismacolor greys methinks. Right now, I am only functioning with (maybe) five different shades of cool greys. It would be nice to have a larger repertoire to choose from.  It would probably allow for less contrast and more subtle shades.

In other news, here are the girls that I drew on Friday.

I added a little colour via pencil crayon yesterday.  I’ve decided that there is definitely a strong Katie Cook influence (probably due to the fact that they are comic related and cute), but I’m feeling a bit more confident that I am developing my own style too and not just blatantly ripping her off.  And let’s just be honest, my skill level is nowhere near hers.  I firmly believe that her influence is part of my style-discovery quest.

As of today, I have learned that the idea of drawing skinny, teeny girls makes me tense.  I like girls with some curves.  It’s just sexier, in my wee opinion.  My girls will always be squishy and curvy, so knowing that helps. It’s the start of figuring out some of my style choices.  A lot of these pinup sketches and the girl portraits I have been playing around with are more about exploring my style than creating anything significant.   Learning what works for me and what doesn’t. Believe me, there have been many, many things that haven’t worked. Just look at my sketchbook sometime.

As for influences, right now, today, Katie Cook is an influence, tomorrow it might be Vargas or Bruce Timm or even HR Giger.  I think having a multitude of influences is extremely important. Each of them teaches me something else and all of them are important to my growth.  Hell, if it wasn’t for Dali, I seriously doubt that I would even be an artist.

The most important thing for me is that influences take me out of my artistic silo. There is a whole big world of art beyond my desk and it’s vital to my growth to know that.

Not entirely sure how I feel about the revamped versions. They have an obvious Katie Cook style influence to them – especially the new She-Ra.  Mostly because they are more voluptuous than their previous incarnations.  Soft and squishy.  But I won’t lie, I’m a bit worried that there is too much influence in them – if that makes any sense?  Not a flat-out copy, but enough that it makes me take a pause. Do. Not. Like.  While the influence of other artists is a given, I want to discover my own style, not rip someone else’s off (which isn’t to say that I feel I am in Katie Cook’s league – I am nowhere close – she is awesome).  I guess it’s a work in progress – this style finding thing.

Beyond some sketching, this weekend was actually for a project – creating my own lightbox!  I found several sources on the internets that I used for inspiration, but overall, the entire build was of my own creation.

I’m pretty proud of it. Is it perfect? No. Is it fancy? No. But it will work for me. The lights give off approximately 50w each and I think that it should be sufficient. It allowed me to trace through some pretty thick bristol and that is the basic paper I use. So I think it will be sufficient.

Initially, I was going to chronicle the build, but I got lazy.  But here’s a quick step by step (it’s so easy!) of what I did:

Materials:

• 1 pc   16″ x 20″ plywood
• 2 pc  4.5″ x 15″ plywood
• 2 pc  4.5″ x 20″ plywood (all of the wood was cut at Home Depot)
• 1 pc  16″ x 20″ glass
• 2 Illume Xenon Task Lights
• Wood Glue
• Nails

Steps:

1.  Glue one piece of 4.5″ x  20″ to the base piece (16″ x 20″) and wait for it to dry.

2. While waiting, affix the Illume Xenon Tasklights to the base using the screws provided in the tasklight packages.  The package will also come with all the cords you need (including the ones needs to connect the two lights together).

3. Affix the the cords to the base (so they are flopping around) with the plastic connectors provided in the tasklight packages.

4. Glue one piece of 4.5″ x  15″ to the base piece (16″ x 20″) and wait for it to dry.

5. Take the other piece of 4.5″ x 15″ and make a notch where the cable will exit the light box. I made it on the left hand side because my electrical plug is on the left hand side.

6. Thread the cable through the notch, glue it to the base piece (16″ x 20″) and wait for it to dry.

7. Once all three sides are dry, glue the final 4.5″ x 20″ piece onto the base, which will create the “box”, and wait for it to dry.

8. Once all sides have dried (I waited overnight), then hammer nails in to ensure that the pieces will not come apart.

9. You box is now created!  Next up, add the glass. This step is actually a work in progress. Right now, I am using the glass out of a picture frame.  But, ultimately and permanently, I would like to add a piece of plexiglass. But for right now, the glass will be sufficient.  As I use my box on a sloped desk, I added some nails to the bottom of the box to ensure that the glass won’t slip off.

Here are some additional photos:

The only couple of things I would change is that I would have made it angled and perhaps a bit less than 4.5″ deep. It’s pretty tall.  I might also go back to add some reflectors (tin foil) to the sides to boost the light (if needed).  I also think when I am ready to add the plexiglass that I will see about some sort of diffuser.

But all in all, very pleased. I think I will get some good use out of it, I hope!