IllustrationFriday: Juggle

Juggle: my life as a stay-at-home mom/wife. [quick mixed media: photos, scanned fabric textures, pencil line, PhotoShop.] This is me juggling my life... I'm pulled in multiple directions. Some things that I juggle are relationships, feeding my family, art, chores, and play. Behind all this is a clock. Some real-life things I included in this are: the stuff at the bottom is a horizontal stack of diapers in our changing table. The basket of clothes is a real picture of one of the fast-filling laundry baskets in our house. The "floor" is a real photo of the toy-scattered carpet of our living room. The background is our wedding memory quilt which hangs in our house. [ask Linda about one here]. Also, "my" hair is made of a photo of my daughter's beautiful curls. The dishes are always waiting for me...forget those, they're not the picture. :) Anyway, the two heads in this are nothing but my being pulled in different directions...I am not a two-headed monster, don't have split personality and I don't call myself a gemini or any other astrological sign. Both faces in this have the same content/happy steadfast look because "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We [the believers] are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 corinthians 4:7-9) This is named "Juggle," not "Struggle" for me...... because They who wait upon the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

IllustrationFriday: Wedding

( i did not paint this :) This is an altered photo. This picture was taken of my daughter peeking out from behind the ring bearer before she took her brave little walk down the aisle in my brother's wedding this summer. I didn't have time to make a new illustration so I put artistic filters on this photo, exaggerated some things, enlarged their heads, and drew her basket, flower, petals, his bowtie and rings.

name tag

I've been tagged over at Becky's blog. Whoever reads this is also tagged! :) List one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (my middle name is long!) Encourager, Learning Love, Introspective, Zebras are cool?, Artistic, Belongs to Christ, Edifier, Tranquil, Hopeful. If you do this, at the end of your blog post, choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

IllustrationFriday: Momentum

Andy measures how far the momentum of the tree swing can launch his sister's doll.

To view my process of this illustration, click here!

My process of "Momentum"

Here's my process of creating my illustration "momentum:"

I started with a very rough thumbnail sketch.

I scanned in the thumbnail and printed it out larger. Then I worked roughly over that in pencil, refining and moving things. On top of that pencil work, I refined more with pen and made some more decisions. If you notice the boy's legs in the foreground I decided his position was too placid and my little pushing gesture is at the bottom.

I then worked on top of that with tracing paper to move things around and draw even more refined again.

After I scanned that in, I could move or shrink things with Photoshop instead of redrawing the entire boy smaller, for example. The changes here from the previous one are that I shrunk and moved the boy, and I tipped the swing and shortened the ropes.

And finally when I print that out, I can carefully draw the final line drawing exactly how I want it on another piece of tracing paper on top.

I scan the final line drawing and first do color testing with Photoshop--quick coloring in of areas with flat color and making color adjustments. Finally I make swatches of all colors to sample from for the final, then erase this temporary sloppy color.

I fill in each element by selecting an area one by one and "cutting" and "pasting in" different scanned fabrics.

Finally I add a lot of white to the edges of things, and my finishing touches for this one are little shines on some things.

IllustrationFriday: Momentum (Line)

(I finished coloring this in! click here) Andy measures how far the momentum of the tree swing can launch his sister's doll.

A shiny technique

I tried a new technique for a birthday card which yields instant good looks: You paint on foil then while it is still wet you draw on it. Here's a closeup although it's kinda crinkled.

that's TheSquirrel's (age 3)