IF-Double

"Double Trouble" turns into "Quintuple trouble"!

This weeks Illustration Friday topic is "double". The first thing that popped into my head was twins and the "double trouble" they can get into...so I thought this plasticine illustration I did for my good friend a while back, would be perfect. She has 5 great kids...the last 2 were twins!! She is one great mommy, who is a master multi-tasker. She even chronicles some of her hilarious family stories on her blog Five All Mine.

In this illustration the twin are in the middle goofing around with the rest of her bunch...now that is double trouble...maybe even quintuple trouble!!! I'm sure all of us with kiddies can relate to this one!

Enjoy :)

My first Illustration Friday- Breakfast!

"Ohhhhh, look Wilbur... mmmmmmuffins for breakfast!!"

I have wanted to start taking part in IF for a while now, and worked late last night to get one done in time. I doubt I will be able to participate every week, but it is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and add portfolio pieces :)

 My take on "Breakfast" is a cute little girl with a head full of unruly curls(bed head-heehee) sharing  yummy blueberry muffins with her beloved teddy, Wilbur. I tried to use a limited soft palette of colours, and lots of fluffy, and soft textures. 

I hope you enjoy, and it reminds of you when you were little and loved having breakfast with your favorite furry friends(real or stuffed) :)

Playing with Polymer Clay

I have been wanting to try out polymer clay again for ages. I used to use it exclusively a few years ago, but was frustrated by how stiff it was and how I always felt like I was fighting with it. Not anymore!!! After some helpful input from some amazing clayers like Paula Pindroh and Gera Scott Chandler, I have discovered Premo, which is a much softer brand of Sculpey polymer clay, and the wonders of the clay conditioning press(very much like a pasta machine) which helps to warm up, mix and roll clay nice and thin. 

I bought a few blocks of Premo(they have some gorgeous colour too) once my clay press arrived in the mail, and gave it a whirl the other evening.

Here is the result of my first attempt....I tried using the same techniques I use with plasticine, with some success :). I  find the polymer clay to be less soft, and more "rubbery" and therefore it doesn't allow you to smear it and blend with my sculpting tools like I can with plasticine.   That's OK though, it is a completely different material, so it will just take some adaptation and some "playing around with it" to see what works.

I like that it it is curable by baking it in your oven. And Gera has shared how to go about adhering uncured polymer clay to stretched canvases, then baking it (canvas included) in the oven. This is something I'd definitely like to explore.

Many of the links I have under Dimensional Illustrators over on the right do polymer clay illustration...they are all so talented and amazing...if you get a chance check some of them out, they are very inspiring.:)

Arrrrr matey...

I did a few rough sketches last night for a portfolio series idea. I have so many family photos of my boys dressed up as pirates, so I thought, that would be a great theme for a series of portfolio illustrations that show continuity of character, different perspectives, and different facial expressions. Luckily, my boys are always very willing to pose and goof around for me, so I have live models to use for reference photos or sketching. I can't get anymore real then that! Hopefully that will help me to fully capture children's true inner sparkle.

I can't wait to clean them up, and get on to the final sketches then start the plasticine illo.s....

I'd love any crit.s or suggestions as always :)

Jumpin' into the Digital World

Guess what just arrived in the mail!!! My very own Adobe Creative Suite CS 5. I am giddy with anticipation to delve in and get cracking...I know it is going to be a work in progress, as there is a humongous learning curve, but it is a program that is used by everyone to some degree in this business, so I might as well learn it while I am just starting out. 

Did you know that if you are a student or a teacher you can purchase Adobe products through there Adobe Education Store for North America and if you qualify you can purchase products at a HUGE discount...we're talking 80% off!!!! Holy mackerel!!! When I came across this amazing info I just about fell off my computer chair!

So if you are STILL a student go and buy your software NOW before you graduate! And if you are lucky enough to have a wonderful hubby who happens to be a Vice Principal (moi) then you are in luck too!!!

My hubby jokes that I am fused to the keyboard of my computer right now, as I am having trouble tearing myself away..hahaha. Adobe has some great tutorials and I know I will be using that HELP feature about every 5 or so seconds at first to figure things out.

Wish me luck!!!

And if anyone has any great tips please through them my way :)

Now...what to do...hmmmm

Wait!...can't...remove...fingers....from...keyboard...stuck....send....caffeinated beverages....and....reinforcements for kiddies.....

Ahhh... summer time...

We were up at the cottage for the past few days, soaking up the glorious sunshine and keeping cool in this crazy heat(43C- with the humidity- wheeewww). My munchkins were in the water the ENTIRE time...I think they may have grown webbing between their toes!

It was such a nice break after the hectic school year. There's nothing like some fresh air, outdoor play time and cool, fresh water to tire out my gang and have them sleep like logs, to awake refreshed with smiles on their little faces :)

My boys looooove getting "action" shots of them jumping off the dock. Here is one of the best, it's tricky with my little point and shoot camera . My youngest wouldn't jump off the dock but she did end up going in the water and assembled quite a large rock collection for a wee-one. 

Each one made really great progress in the water; learning new floats, swimming, jumping further down the dock, - they are a brave little bunch! I can't wait to get up there again soon!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far...and that it is filled with good times with friends and family, to create some lasting memories. :)

Where it all happens...

Today is the last day of school for my kiddies. The excitement and energy in our house, with the anticipation of summer,  is so abundant you can just about taste it. It will be nice to not be ruled by the clock for 2 long months and to really get in some good quality bonding time with my little monkeys.:)

 I hope to get a whole bunch accomplished over the summer too...website up, more portfolio pieces, and business side of things up and running.  And my wish list of illustration related items keeps growing....eeek !sorry hubby :(.  The more I delve into this wonderful world of illustration the more I realize that I am really going to need to get myself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I tried each out this year using the trial version. I am hoping to get the Adobe Creative Suite at some point....it looks so fantastic.  I'd also like to get a scanner, for my sketches...if only I could scan my plasticine illos...grumble.  For this reason I am also looking into digital SLR cameras, so I can hopefully take good photos myself for portfolio work etc, and then only need to hire a professional for illustration work.....I'm looking at the Canon Rebel XS and the  Nikon D3000. If anyone has any thoughts/ suggestions or preferences I'd be happy to hear them!! :)

I just purchased the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. It is chalk full of everything I will need from contact info, pricing, forms, copyright info ...the list goes on. I know it will be full of earmarks and well worked-in over the next few year. If you don't already have it I highly recommend it.

Now I should go tidy up my desk!!! I know,I know it is a MESS! It's like a plasticine bomb blew up all over it!!! :)