Wedding card: watercolour, pencil

 

 

 

A few photos of a beach themed wedding card completed for a friends wedding. The illustration contained a mixture of water-colour paint with coloured pencil over the top.

Best wishes Jasmine and Nathan x

Wedding card — progress sketches: watercolour, pencil

 

The last few nights have been spent busily illustrating a card for a friend’s beach wedding. Now that the card has been given, I thought I would share some progress photos of the illustration coming together. Not one for always keeping with pictorial tradition I had hoped to tie the location of a beach wedding into the card. After a bit of aquatic research seahorses became the animal of choice.

The illustration began with a watercolour base and was later built up with standard colour pencil over the top once the paint was dry.  The initial paint layer is shown in the photos above.

Seahorse — sketch: watercolour, pencil

Seahorse — sketch: watercolour, pencil

Photo experiment— digital photo: slow shutter speed

 

The other night I procrastinated from completing an illustration by spending some time experimenting with the shutter speed on my G11 Canon camera. The aim was to see how much distortion could be created via use of an extended shutter speed as opposed to manipulating photos in photoshop afterwards. I was surprised by how much information the digital camera retained.

Dinosaur —sketch: brush and ink

Compositions — photos

 

 

Liquid face — sketch: brush and ink

This morning I woke up with a nasty head cold. It were as though my face was a mass of heavy liquid hit by a train. Not a pleasant day at all.. hopefully the worst has passed ready for a new day.

Grizzly Bear — sketch: brush and ink

Wolf abstracted — composition sketch: acetone photocopy transfer, ink

Over the last week I have been experimenting with acetone. After some trial and error I've come to the conclusion that the most effective paper stock for the transfer technique is standard bond paper. For this piece I enjoyed the nice little 'accidents' that occurred on the reverse side as well so I included in the post. Why not..

 

Doritos bag — sketch: grey-lead pencil

 

Bird (Golden Whistler) — sketch: watercolour, acetone transfer, photocopy, ink and brush

Sleep — sketch: acetone transfer, photocopy prints, watercolour crayon, marker, ink, wax crayon

Dedicated to the odd nights where a deep sleep would be divine but you find yourself awake pondering instead.

Bird — sketch: watercolour, brush and ink

Composition 3: photocopied prints

Photocopied prints transferred onto watercolour paper using nail polish remover. May have to look into getting some proper acetone to play with this technique a bit more.

Texture composition 02: photocopied prints, ink

Texture composition 01: photocopied prints, ink

Abstract texture from a tissue — prints: photocopies, ink

 

Over the years I've always enjoyed exploring abstract textures as well as playing with photocopiers. The grainer the photocopy the better as it only makes the textures more intricate and beautiful. Tonight's textures were produced with a photocopier and an ink splattered tissue. Some new prints to build from for the weekend ahead.

Violet-bellied Hummingbird — sketch: watercolour, pencil, crayon, ink and brush

Hotdog and Fries — necklace: Fimo

 


Do you want fries with that hotdog?

Yes.


Over the week I've been trying to secretly make this little necklace item as a birthday gift for Laura. Crafted out of Fimo it was a bit of a challenge getting the shaping right. As simple as that dog in a bun looks it did take a few attempts before the best method to sculpt the shapes was reached. There were a few dud trials where things squashed or collapsed a tad nastily. Hopefully after the chains are tightened up a bit more it will hold tight for the long run.

And why a hotdog and fries?...

Just because sometimes the world can do with a bit more silliness.

European Greenfinch — sketch: watercolour, brush and ink

For Tanya W- thanks for the clock radio.

Glass — sketch: ink and nib

 

Stuff around my room— sketches: Pen and nib

 

Contact prints

During a clean out at my parent’s place a while ago I found some old pieces stored away from my high-school days. The following item, a collection of contact prints made in the photographic dark room, was dug from underneath a big pile of sketchbooks.

Though it is old, and not well executed, I thought I’d share anyway - it’s reminding me of the nice-ish things that can happen with a bit of experimenting.

There should be more of it this year I think..