Separation of worlds

Last updated December 28, 2023 

Keep reading to see more progress shots.

Queen Carmen

 Another image edit from 2010. I thought she was quite cute and deserved better treatment.

Baby

 Touched up an old drawing from 2010. Sometimes all it takes is a few minor tweaks.

Distant future dream

The finished artwork

Happy anniversary to this weird dream I had, 14 years ago! I tried to keep this as close to the original artwork as possible. It was a very intense dream, almost like I was there. Perhaps it was a psychic vision...

"I had a freaky dream last night, I saw the earth in the very distant future, perhaps after the fall of mankind?

This is basically what I saw... Huge rusty towers in a lush green forest. Maybe all the humans are long gone and that's why the forests are so healthy?

What purpose do these towers serve? I wish I knew.

Just hope this isn't earth any time soon..."

I took the original drawing and extended it on both sides, then traced over it with major guidelines. 

Adding detail to the sketch.

A work-in-progress shot.

Grandpa

Completely obsessed with my sister's friend's cat. His name is Grandpa. He is an older rescue cat. He is very grumpy. Poor thing's original name was Poop. I'd be mad all the time too.

Trying out some painting techniques and I am happy with how it looks so far. Once this dries I will add another layer of paint to really bring out his evil gaze and fuzzy booties.

Zoey Naptop

Digitally colored drawing of Zoey napping on my laptop, circa 2009. 

She still does this.

Walter Sullivan Gets A Glow-Up

Drawn in 2009

Sometimes I like to go over old artworks and see if I can make them better. I like this picture of Walter other than the fact that it doesn't really look like him?

Lookin good, gurl. 

Dante with embroidered button up shirt

I was going through some old family photos and there's a picture of me in a cute embroidered button up shirt. Of course my first thought was "Who would look cute in that shirt? Dante would look cute in that." 

This is just the first layer of paint, so he looks rough for now. I'm looking forward to adding more color and definition to this cutie. Dante always looks so fabulous with florals!

Gouache Swatch and the Abstract Eye (Complete)

November 6, 2023

She Is Complete!!

I planned to attach multiple jewels, but decided it was too much. I decided on one jewel near the center of the eye. For the finer details of the drawing I used gel pen. This was a very fun experiment and I would totally love to do more like this.

I live for these moments when I'm in the zone and having fun! This is what art is all about!

Keep reading for previous updates!

Oil paint color chart

As of November 1, 2023

Added five new colors: Ice Green, Leaf Green, Horizon Blue, Blue Violet, and Lilac. You can read more about them here.

Keep reading for previous updates

New colors!

Say hello to my new pals:

• Lilac (Holbein) - PV23, PW6
• Horizon Blue (Holbein) - PB15, PW6
• Ice Green (Holbein) - PG7, PW6
• Leaf Green (Holbein) - PY81, PY119, PG7, PW6
• Blue violet (Cobra) - PV23, PB29, PW7

I've been kind of depressed and low energy lately so I decided to splurge a bit on something nice. I was aware that Holbein had a line of water-mixable oils, and they have some unusual colors that other brands don't offer. I really wanted some lighter opaque colors, and these did not disappoint.

All of these except Leaf Green could be mixed using colors I already have... But I really enjoy having a consistent color every time. Plus they're just pretty to look at. We all have our vices.

Holbein's paint is much thicker than Cobra or W&N. I have yet to see how it mixes with other colors besides Titanium White. But I am so excited. Look at these fabulous hues!

Alien Sunset

Click "Read More" to see previous versions of this artwork.

Digital lineart practice

Trying out some new techniques for drawing and linework in general. I'm going to color code each type of line, starting with the heaviest and most prominent, to the lightest and most delicate. This is an arbitrary taxonomy for now, but so far it's done me good.

Lineart practice featuring Ennis from Baccano. I love everything vintage, so I added my personal flair to her design to make her more period-appropriate while still honoring her canon design. Love her.

• Red lines (level 1) This is for the main silhouette. Thickest line weight, but more varying degrees of pen pressure. This is the "main character"
• Blue lines (level 2) Major shapes. They should be smaller silhouettes within the main shape. Imagine them as the supporting major characters.
• Green lines (level 3) Minor shapes. 
• Yellow lines (level 4) Minor details. Smallest brush size. Very little pen pressure for consistent lines.

I need to upload a picture with color-coded lines but I'll add that later. In the meantime you can just wonder what it might look like.

Flower pots

I have to confess, I did something a little naughty... I traced over a photo for this picture. Don't worry, it's my own photograph! Mostly wanted to test out some coloring and toning techniques without starting something from scratch. I'm slowly building up a technique that works across both digital and traditional mediums.

Here is an artwork from last year, based off the same photograph. I like both versions but this one is my new favorite. The colors are much moodier and more exaggerated. 

Blue flowers, touched up

I painted this in March - April of 2020. Just recently I was looking at it again and felt it could use some more detail. I used a green posca marker to add definition to the leaves, and glazed the painting with a layer of phthalo blue. I used q-tips for the wispy sfumato look. 

Once this layer of glaze dries, I plan to add a few more details, then call it a day - for a second time!

View the rest of this post to see some progress pictures.

Barn owl + Dante's Inferno

Did some Halloween painting and crafts with family. These were done in acrylic, but I'd love to give them both the proper oil painting treatment!

Balloon flower

Digital color glaze.

Click Read More below to see previous versions of this artwork.

Weston flame eye

Last updated October 26, 2023

Added some titanium white using a q-tip. Looks kinda grungy right now but once this white dries in 3 months I can glaze over it and bring some color back into this painting. I would like to glaze the entire surface to make it look warm. Or, well, hot.

Click "Read More" to start from the beginning.

Pixel art eye

 Randomly felt like trying out pixel art. This isn't something I've tried in years. But I am enticed by the simplicity and precision of pixel art. The smaller you get, the more every pixel counts. Much of my art studying recently has focused on the fundamental elements. 

I started with a relatively large area to help me ease back into pixel art. I like the colors of the eye itself but don't ask me what's going on with their cheek.  

Second attempt with a smaller picture size. I wanted it to be more defined than the first attempt. The lines feel too heavy, though. It's not as delicate as I would have liked, but since I've rarely worked with pixel art, I'm not expecting 10/10 results right away. The journey towards perfection is more exciting than the destination itself.

If I were to do this a third time I would exaggerate the shapes and colors even more. There is an abstract element to this drawing that I would like to emphasize. 

Image is based off this gouache painting I did recently.

Calcite

Last updated 10.24.23

An application of soft gel to bring out the texture. The photo is blurry because it is cropped out of a bigger photo. 

Taking an experimental approach. I want the underpainting to show through. I used transparent colors and light application of paint instead of aiming for complete coverage. However, once this dries, there are areas I would like to make more solid.

The soft gel brings out depth and transparency to enhance the crystal-like look. Plus, I love the way the paint interacts with it! It can be easily wiped off. I scratched away paint with a toothpick.

Colors used:

• Titanium white buff (Cobra)
• Naples yellow red (Cobra)
• Grayish blue (Cobra)
• Cadmium yellow pale hue (W&N)
• Burnt sienna (W&N)

Halloween Pumpkin Party

My sister hosted the yearly pumpkin painting party. Her friends are all very cool and very talented.

I painted Dante's face on a pumpkin. He Is The Night!

Cats Nightmare.

This is my submission for a free printable coloring book, organized by Rhymes With Twee. Look out for the 2023 update that will be posted soon. All are welcome to color!

On Halloween, placing a teal pumpkin outside signals you’ll be handing out non-food items on Halloween. For further information about the Teal Pumpkin Project, visit www.foodallergy.org.

My piece was directly inspired by Cats Nightmare by Louis Wain. I love the original piece so much I have it framed in my bedroom. It was only natural to make my own version of this drawing with my own kitties!

Materials used

• Micron pens of various sizes
• Black color alcohol marker
• Posca white paint marker

Bonus work in progress photo. I sketched in erasable colored pencil which was not a good idea. Gonna stick with regular pencils next time.

Mini flower painting

A small practice piece featuring some coral-pink flowers. Once this dries, I would like to add some additional detail to the flowers. 

Mini wood panel paintings

 I've been starting a lot of these mini eye paintings on wood. Very cheap stuff from Michaels. But it is the perfect size for experimentation. I am having a lot of fun just toning the canvas before I even start painting with actual colors. So much happens in the underpainting. I love doing art for myself because I can get lost in the process and take my time. 

I will make a separate post for each of these paintings and update along the way:

• Angry Tearful Eye
• Two Eyes
• Weston Flame Eye

Morbid Figure

Angry tearful eye

Now those are some funky colors! Not sure how I feel about the color choice for the pupil itself (too much yellow), but I plan to add a glaze once this dries. And maybe some other flair. I'm trying to go for a cartoon flair but I'm still interested in pushing it further.

Skin

• Persian rose (Cobra)
• Permanent Red Violet Light (Cobra)
• Permanent rose (W&N)

Eyes

• Titanium white (W&N)
• Phthalo green blue hue (W&N)
• Naples yellow red (Cobra)
• Cadmium yellow pale hue (W&N)

Lil Ienzo

Small practice drawing of Ienzo from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. I haven't done much character art lately, especially anything digital, so I'm feeling a bit rusty. But it's fun seeing how my art is evolving as I continue to experiment. 

Can I just say, I love Ienzo's design because of his hair. It's such a cool color and I had to make sure I got that part right. That's mainly why I wanted to draw him. : D

Here's the rough color version. 

Two eyes

Underpainting: See this post

I will upload a separate image sometime later

Cartoon eye #3

Painted her alla prima. The goal is to paint with completion in mind. But some things will need to be added later and the existing paint needs to be dry for that. And of course I need to add the jewels, but that's for another day!

Got a bunch of Princeton brushes discounted from Michaels which helps with better paint coverage. I used my beloved filbert brush to get soft, clean blending. Overall, other than some color mishaps, I'm quite pleased with this painting so far!

Skin

• Base color: Persian rose (Cobra)
• Shading: Permanent red-violet light (Cobra), cadmium yellow deep hue (W&N)

Got the skin tone almost to my liking, but the blush/shading is too intense. Need to aim for lower contrast next time. I will try a lighter mixing yellow.

Sclera

• Base color: Titanium buff (Cobra)
• Shading: phthalo green blue hue (W&N)

I intended for the sclera to be a light green but the colors got muddied from traces of alizarin crimson on the palette. Plus titanium buff is too yellow. Next time I'll stick with good old titanium white with the green. And no cross-contamination! 

Iris

• Cadmium yellow medium (W&N)
• Alizarin crimson (W&N)
• Phthalo green blue shade (W&N) 

Once this paint is dry, I plan on adding more definition to the eye. I want it to be dazzlingly jewel-like. My favorite part about coloring eyes is adding the rainbow light reflections. See the previous eye to see what I mean.

Cartoon eye practice - acrylic gouache on canvas

I have been starting a lot of eye paintings lately. It makes for great iterative practice. The first eye painting looks nice so far, but the colors are too plain for my liking. 

For this sketch I wanted to get a little more abstract. Make it more like a design than a practical eyeball.

Acrylic underpainting works wonders!

For this next painting I used Holbein acrylic gouache. Painting gouache on canvas was an unusual experience. I'm glad I tried this out, but I wouldn't do it again. The texture of the paint isn't well suited to canvas in my opinion. The paint feels very soft even after it's dried, as if the slightest accident could deface the artwork. 

The perks of using gouache on canvas is the quick drying time. I was able to glue on the tear jewel right away. (I plan on doing this for all of the eye paintings.)

Definitely liking the colors more than in the previous painting, but still have a ways to go. Tried to keep the colors as pure as possible, with some mixing where needed. I want the colors to be more exaggerated and intense, this still feels in the realm of "normal".

Overall, I like how she came out. For my oil paintings, I plan on adding more detail once the first application of paint has dried. But with the acrylic gouache paint I can call it a day.

Mini cartoon eye practice painting

I love these little canvases because they can be painted in one sitting. I do plan on going over to add more definition once this first layer has dried.

Colors used:

• Titanium buff (Cobra)
• Phthalo green, blue shade (W&N)
• Naples yellow (W&N)
• Yellow ochre (W&N)
• Alizarin crimson (W&N)

I like how this is coming along so far, but the colors are far too literal. For my next eye painting I would like to do something more interesting. How about neon pink skin? Make those scleras REALLY green!

Find out next time... on Dragon Ball Z!

Mini practice paintings

These were drawn during a slow day at work yesterday. Setting up a good drawing gives me something to look forward to later in the day. The bigger one is 5x5" wood coaster from Michaels. Got a big pack of them for a decent price and I thought why not. The little one is a 3x3" canvas. The arts and craft store tells YOU what to buy. 

I alternated between the two drawings but focused on the flower. It is my second attempt at the trumpet flower, and this came out much better than the original. Credit to using new brushes (they had discounted Princeton brushes at Michaels!), actually using my reference photo this time, and being more mindful of matching colors to value placement.

Paint colors used for the flower:

• Titanium white (W&N)
• Persian rose (Cobra)
• Grayish blue (Cobra)
• Dioxazine purple (W&N)

Colors used for background:

• Emerald green (Cobra)
• Phthalo blue (W&N)

For now, the eye painting is still in the underpainting stage. I haven't decided which colors to use yet. I am thinking of doing a series of eye paintings in fun colors.

Five-minute September studies

I haven't done any digital photo studies in a while, much less my beloved five-minute grayscale studies. What better time than now? I took a different approach this time. Treating it like a sketchbook page. Just start drawing and see where it goes. I started off at 5 minutes per sketch before moving on to the next picture. But after that I took a few extra minutes to fine-tune the details. 

These are all based on photos from early fall of 2010. Ahh, what a time!