Knitting, Crocheting, and Bears, Oh My!

I might make this blog more focused on my knitting and crochet projects, as opposed to my artwork. Because my art, I upload onto my behance portfolio, and this blog is just an afterthought at this point.

It might be a good thing to separate the two entities - illustration from crafting. It would keep me organized.

I like it, this new idea. I'll keep my previous posts on here, because why not.

I have several yarn projects in the works right now:

1. Mom's Blanket - a double-sided blanket, crochet, dual-colored with the Swarthmore College colors of burgundy red and white
2. Granny Square Scarf - an infinity scarf for my sister, crochet, dual-colored with forest green and white
3. My First Sweater - basic sweater design, knit, tri-colored with tan, cool grey, and burgundy red; I completed the torso and neckline, now I'm working on the sleeves
4. Doctor Who Hat - TARDIS design, knit body with crochet ribbing
5. Green Arrow Hat - design still undecided, knit body with crochet ribbing
6. My Infinity Scarf - infinity tube scarf for myself, knit, dual-colored with freckled tan and light brown
7. WCU Scarf - infinity scarf for Shay, knit, dual-colored with the West Chester University colors of purple and gold

That's what I've got going so far. I'll upload photos of the WIPs and my completed pieces (which I still have) pretty soon.

Knit ya later.

African Violets

I still haven't sketched anything new. Been working all weekend. However, I recently scanned some old work and decided to mess around with animating on photoshop. Just some simple stuff.

So, here are some violets!

"African Violets"
ink stippling

"African Violets"
watercolor pencils

Black and Blue

Since I seem to be on a bird kick, how bout I post a bluejay I drew last year. It's only recently been scanned, and because of my new and wonderful job schedule, I haven't had time to paint or draw anything new.

"Black and Blue"
colored pencil

I'm updating my behance portfolio as well. Check it.

Feathered Friends

Okay, so a lot has happened since my last post. I got an awesome job, for one thing, which is absolutely amazing. Not sure when I start, but I think it's soon. That means I'll have to limit my blog posts to once a week now. Not a big difference, really.

Second, I finished my cardinal commission!

"Feathered Friends"
gouache

I'm starting to really prefer using the paint for the detail, rather than colored pencils. I'm going to keep doing it.

I'll be going on a trip this weekend to the Adirondacks to see friends and family for Canadian Thanksgiving, so no posts until next week. I do plan on painting some flowers before I leave, as a gift for some people I'll see on the trip.

Next post in a week!

Sort of a Sweater

I mentioned that I knit, right? Well, I do. Recently, I finished a sweater (though, more of a cozy short-sleeved shirt, if anything). It took a long time, trying to decide what the design should look like, but I'm rather pleased with the results. First top and all.

photo courtesy of my mother, the darling

I think it would look really nice with a tighter long-sleeved shirt underneath, either dark red or blue.

More Red Birds, Le Gasp!

It's been a day or two longer than I should've posted, but I fell into another motivation funk. It took me two days chilling outside in a tent, crocheting, to get out of it. Which, compared to my previous funk of about a month and a half, is rather fast. I think this blog really helps with motivation, too. It gives me a reason to keep going, a task to look forward too.

I've completed the first cardinal in my commission. Here's a peek:

The other one will be female, so the colors will be slightly different.

Also, I've only used gouache paint so far on this piece, as opposed to gouache and prismacolor pencils combined (as in the first cardinal painting). I like layering paint for detail just as well, if not more, then the pencils. It gives it a consistent texture.

Anywho, another posting soon, to make up for the lack of one in four days.

Commission Preview

I've been working on a commission of more cardinals for the last couple of days. The branches and background are 99% done, but the birds are still sketchy voids.

Here's a work-in-progress scan of the piece.

I might make a few adjustments to one of the twigs, but other than that, it's bird time.

Two Sides of the Captain

I love Marvel movies and characters, especially Captain America. And I had an idea earlier today to design a poker card deck with the theme of Marvel Superheroes. I have them all planned out, too - which hero will be the King of Hearts, Jack of Spades, etc. It's very exciting.

The first sketch I worked out was for Captain America, of course. I was thinking I could do a hero/identity parallel on each card. Captain/Steve. I've only got the sketching done so far.

Captain America

Steve Rogers

It's on watercolor paper, hence the texture. The plan is to use watercolor pencils for better detail.

Let's see what it looks like in a couple of days.

The Way Out is Through

I babysat my nephew yesterday, so I didn't have much for a new post. Today, however, I have many a thing.

One of the areas of my portfolio I would like to improve is my book illustration. Luckily, I have an opportunity to experiment, for an amazing writer I stalk online (kouriarashi on ao3, and gingersnapwolves on tumblr) is working on publishing a book. The running title is "The Way Out is Through," and it's about werewolves. So I spent the day making her a book cover.

Here's just the illustration:

"The Way Out is Through"
gouache

And here is the book cover:

Thoughts?

Crimson Winter

First day, and I already have new art to post. I've been working on portfolio building, and decided what it desperately needed most was a red bird in a snowy environment.

"Crimson Winter"
gouache, india ink, and prismacolor pencil

I'm a big fan of this layering technique. I plan on using it more often to develop an actual style to my work. After all, recognizable styles are just as important as an artist's signature.

Graduation Celebration

WOOHOO!

I may have graduated from college in May, but after a wonderful summer off, it's about time I became a full-fledged adult. You know, with a job. And a car. Hopefully a tricked out mobile home that I could drive to the Grand Canyon whenever I wanted to. That's living the dream, I tell you.

I also needed an updated internet presence, so this blog - which I started at least four years ago and have remodeled twice now - is still my weapon of choice. Banner is changed, colors are new, and my identity has been salvaged from the gutter.

The plan is to post something every other day, whether it's a work-in-progress or a completed project. Might even be a stupid doodle. Or the superhero hat I'll crochet when the weather decides to shit snow on me. Who knows?

Other internet presences will be created as well. For now, there's this beautiful beast of a blog, my behance portfolio, and my twitter page. I'll likely create a professional tumblr as well, and I'm still working on posting stuff to sell on sites like etsy, zazzle, or society6. I still haven't decided if I should put any effort into a deviantart page. Perhaps I'll only post fanart there for my favorite shows and movies (of which there are many). If you have any opinions about what I should do, leave a comment.

Yay for finally doing something with my existence!