12.18.13 Xmas-time dancing!

Well, I've been HORRIBLE about keeping up with this blog!  So Sorry!!!
  That's because I've been working on a show and that's SO much work.  I'm also working on a book which is also a ton of work and I also work....it's just quite a lot, okay?  But, no excuses, I'll try to be better!  Today I'm going to share some of the work I've been making for my show in April, which focuses on these dancers and motion sequence drawings I've been making.  Let's jump right in, shall we?

With this one, I wanted to play with the figure in space.  I like how quickly my eye lands on the final figure and is happy to stay there. Composition!

 With this one, I was also playing with composition.  If you grew up reading left-to-right, then that is how your eye will naturally want to read an image.  So with this I wanted it to read the opposite way, right-to-left, and still feel right and natural to your eye.  I think I was successful (and that's not as easy to do as you would think!!) which is why I'm posting it and putting it in my show...of course, if you grew up reading right-to-left, then this is all mute for you!

These next two images are solo figures from within that sequence.  A friend of mine photographed this girl and she had such a big, beautiful smile which is so refreshing because usually ballerinas have a serious face on all the time.  It's nice to see someone enjoying the fact that they can leap like a gazelle--it looks fun to me!

So, I have also been working with a friend on a collaborative project and his photos are all really well lit so that got me interested in playing with lighting.  To me, from a very young age, ballet was always typified by  tutus and toe shoes so I decided to give them a light glow and keep the dancer's skin and hair normal.  It has an eerie/magical feel to it and I'm really pleased with how it looks. I have two more motion sequences and few solo figures I'm working on that will look like this one:

  So many people have suggested that I animate these sequences and at first I was really into that idea but then I decided not to do that just yet.  The whole point of this project, other than being pretty, is to celebrate the artistry of animation.  The fact that EVERYONE says they want to see it animated, tells me that I've been 100% successful in that mission.  I probably will eventually animate this stuff but not for a while.  Till then, I guess you'll just have to think like an animator and use your imagination to make the movement happen! (you're welcome!)

So, yes, lots going on in the studio this week and in the coming weeks!  Also, it's present-giving time and I have at least 3 arty-things I'm working on for that...how did I get so busy? SIGH....well, I will have more to show in the coming weeks so be sure to check back, soon!
Enjoy the snowy winter fun times!
Love, Beckarooo!

11.5.13 More Ballerinas and Bhangra, also Kitties!

Hi internet friends!
Well, I had a very productive week so I'm super happy!!  that's all I need, I'm easy to please.  I got a lot of really good drawings done and creatively and technically I've gotten noticeably better which is awesome!  I also had a couple of dancing dreams in which I was drawing the dream as it was happening--I love those!  I have them, usually, when I'm deep into a project.  I read somewhere that it means you are improving if you dream of the task you were performing throughout the day.  I'll take it!
  I didn't just draw ballerinas this week, I also drew another little lady dancing the bhangra!  I think I will draw some adults dancing bhangra, too.  I love small children dancing, they are so full of joy it's hard not to smile and laugh when they do it.  And I love the images I get from it.  Check her out:

Study for Baby Bhangra, Naari, 2013

Now, on to the ballerinas!  I love drawing ballet so much.  I've also been learning lots of new words like "epaulement" which refers to the position of the head over the shoulders...which I then became obsessed with getting just right, just like a ballerina!
 So this time I did things a little differently.  At first I was just drawing figures willy-nilly all over the page and then I tried to be a little more deliberate. This is what happened:

sketchbook, 2013

I loved how fluid the movement looks.  For me the movement is clear but I wonder how well it's coming across to those who aren't trained in animation--anyway, the next thing I did was, naturally, to exapnd on that so I did this 2-page spread (Which is called a "folio" in book-making terms, just FYI!)

sketchbook, 2013

 Okay, that I love.  So, this was the next thing I did, which I was really super, super happy with! :-D

sketchbook, 2013

  So, for sure, the movement is clear.  I'm so happy with how this project is going.  I feel very confident I Can fill a large room with these.....no worries, guys!!  I'm really excited to work on the final images.  Drawing pictures is so fun!  And I'm super excited to draw Bhangra, next!  I love how their skirts twirl around when then spin. :-D

 I also think it's good to switch it up and study the anatomy of other animals b/c all vertebrate skeletons are basically the same structure with just variations in length or assembly.  I find that a good understanding of human anatomy makes it easier to draw animals and vice-versa.  So, here's my kitty, Christopher Robbin.  He's all, "Whatchoo doing? Stop that and play with me!!"

Kitties!!  (one of them is not Christopher, it's my other cat, Napoleon.)

Kitties are so cute and fun to draw.  I love all their curvy lines and I love how they move.  They are like living sculpture to me.  Also, my cats happen to be very sweet and cuddly which is also awesome.  Here's my favorite kitty fun-fact:  their shoulders are not attached to the rest of their skeleton by bone, only by tendons and muscles--cool!  This is one of the reasons why they are able to survive falling from great heights. How neat is that?

Well!  Thanks for coming by for a visit!
Oh, hey!  You can also visit my tumblr, here:
http://beckylaff.tumblr.com

See you next week!
Love, Beckarooo!

10.30.13 Ballerinas, Bhangra and a Tiger!

Hello, internet friend!
Well, this week I've been staying focused on gathering materials for show, so I've been spending a lot of time seeking out opportunities to draw dancing.  I've been really lucky!  I know two little girls who are very good dancers and I thought that very young children dancing would be the perfect addition to the collection.  Here are a series or sketches of my friend Maya, who loves to dance Bhangra!  (And she's WAY better at it than I am!) check out her moves:

"Baby Bhangra, study" 2013

  

super fun baby-dance sketches!

Well, my life is pretty adorable a lot of the time, I have to say.
  I also finally got an opportunity to draw some ballerinas!  (I love drawing pointe shoes) So I will have some ballet in  the show, too.  How could I make a series of dancing images without including ballet??  I love what I've been coming up with so far, check it out:

Pointe Shoes, study  2013

"Ballerina, study"  2013

  I have lots more drawings but I'm not going to show you everything all at once--you will just have to come and check it out when it's all finished!  I have a few more drawings to make and then I will begin creating motion sequences with them.  That is the most fun, like solving a jigsaw puzzle!  I can't wait!!!
  I sometimes wish I didn't have to sleep but unfortunately, I'm really tired right now...so I'm going to sign off and take a nice, long nap.  Then, back to drawing, which is fine by me!  So check back next week--I'll have some new stuff to share!
Thanks for stopping by!
Love, Beckarooo!

10.15.13 Posters, Dancings, and Half-Birthdays!

HI there!
Well, tomorrow is my half-birthday (and also my twin's!), which means, obviously, that in 6 months I'll have an actual birthday!  So today I will have to make rice krispy treats b/c that is the tradition in my family. I know, you're jealous.  I would be, too.
  I've just finished up a coloring book and set of posters for Columbia Children's Theater in Columbia, SC.  It was a lot of fun and a ton of work.  I'm really happy with how all the images turned out and especially the posters.  Theatre posters!  I can't get enough of them!!  I showed three of them in the last post so I wanted to share the last two, here you go:

Stinky Cheese Man!

 I really love the quirky colors I used in Stinky Cheese Man, they were referenced from the book.  It's not the usual color scheme I go for and I liked the weird feeling they give.  This one is more my usual color choices:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!

 I am so happy with this one!  It was quite a struggle, too--I went through at least two color schemes before I came to this one.  Being an avid adorer of Walt Disney, I felt very intimidated creating this image at all.  I have a really cool story about Walt's movie, BTW, an EXCELLENT one.  If you want to know it you should email me--it's one of my favorites to tell but it's too long to share in this post!
  Well, the Disney influence in my style is clear but that's cool because I own it.  My earliest drawing memories are of drawing Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty and later on I refined my drawing skills by drawing Disney movies frame by frame, once I learned how the pause button worked on the VCR.  That's right.  I was a teenager in the 90s.

Well, I admit that usually when I finish a project I go through a little post-project depression as I'm trying to figure out what I'm working on next...but not this time!  I got some really good news which is that I am going to have a solo exhibition of my dancing drawings next year at Altered Esthetics, a totally awesome gallery here in Minneapolis!  I'm so excited and I have lots of work to do so I am already hard at work on that.  When I got the news I was so happy and I thought of these two because I felt like twirling and spinning!!

Twirling, 2013

Dancing Arms, 2013

I'm so excited!!  I am also showing some work in two other, upcoming group shows in the cities and here's some of what I'll be showing in those:

L'Ennui, 2012

I love this image!  Of course it's Rapunzel and she's really bored, as you would be, too, if you were her!  But most everyone thinks it's about waiting for her prince(as if!),  but that's fine because it can mean whatever they want it to, that's art!  To me, it's just about waiting.... for anything! a person, an event, a change--whatever!...there are a lot of things to wait for in life because we are bound by the constraints of time. (That's what the calla lilies represent! SNAP!!!)  Blah blah blah, right? on to the next one!

The Chandelier, 2013

I love this one even more because it came out SO nicely! I can't wait to see the Paris Opera House in person, I hope it lives up to the one in my head...

  There is a reason why I chose these particular images to share.  I was noticing, as I was looking over all this work I've done in the past year, a distinctive pattern in my compositional choices.  These three exemplify that pattern the most.  It's good to go back through your work and find these patterns because you can use them more effectively if you know what's going on and that can lead to all kinds of better ideas down the line.  I can't wait to see what I come up with in the next 6 months!  (And neither can you!!)

  Now that I'm done with the all consuming coloring book I will be able to post more frequently, so be sure to check back next week!  I'm thinking I will make another Catwoman image...and, of course, more dancing drawings!! (:

Thanks for the visit, friend!

Enjoy the crisp, autumn air and have yourself a Rice Krispy Treat!

Love, Beckarooo

9.23.13 Dancing, Drawing into the Fall...

Hi friends!
I'm finally back to post some new work!  I'm sorry I took a whole month away from this blog--that does tend to happen in the summer.  I had a really good summer, though!  Not only have I been drawing a coloring book (how fun is that?) AND making theatre posters (art fantasy-come-true!) I also got to draw the Zenon Dance Company's dance classes!  I get to keep doing this all through the Fall and I'm so excited about it!  Before I share some of that work-in-progress, I want to show some of the book and poster set I've been working on....

The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, 2013

Ho! Ho! Ho! 2013

I chose to post these because they were the most difficult for me.  Neither of them were particularly inspiring for me and I was worried I wouldn't come up with anything because of that.  But!  I'm actually very happy with how they both turned out!  It's always good to be challenged that way and I love the colors I chose....that's probably why I chose them. :-P
  Now I will move on to one story I was really happy to work on because it has always been one of my favorites:  Puss in Boots!  I decided to show more of the coloring process with this one--here you go:

Puss in Boots, coloring page 2013
You should print this coloring page, color it, scan it, and email it to me!!

Puss in Boots, black line 2013

Puss in Boots, 2013

Theatre posters--especially for children's theatre was a big goal of mine when I was a young artist and obsessed with Disney and Mucha.  This is the second set of posters I've done now and more to come! Awesome-sauce.
  If you want to know more about these plays and ticket information, you should go to this website:
  http://www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com

No, onto the dancing!  The main reason I have not been able to post much this summer is that I'm working on about three projects at once and I also work full-time, guys!  So give me a break, I'm really busy sometimes!!!  The project that has been consuming me the most is the dancing drawings!  I'm having such an amazing time with it.  I can't get enough of it!  I have been working to gather as many sketches as I can to work with to make more of the movement sequences I've been doing.  Here are some spreads from my sketchbook:

I have a ton more than just this but for the sake of time and space, these are all you get for now!  As you can see, I already have a lot to work with and I'm super excited for what is to come ahead!  I will be drawing these classes all through the fall session.  What a treat!   I wish I could fast forward to see what I'm going to do!!  :-D  !!!

I will be posting more next week so be sure to come back and see what I'm doing!
Thanks for the visit but I gotta go--it's Monday and I'm running late!
Love, Beckarooooooo!!

08.20.13 More Dancing, More Drawing!!

Hi there!
Thanks for stopping by!  This week I'm posting more dancing drawings--I got to draw a dancing workshop that was put on by Company BLU, a totally amazing dance company from Italy.  Here's a link to some youtube videos of them:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsckd-yAjI

They were so nice and fun to work with! I love drawing dancers because even when they are just standing around talking to each other they can't help but move.  They either stretch an arm or kick a leg or something--they don't even realize they are doing it--I love it! Here are some pages from my sketchbook:

Stretching Sketching!

I really like how the figures all work together in these to spreads.  I have a lot more, of course, but for the sake of time and space I will move on to the movement sequences I made:

Company BLU, 2013

Dancing Arms, 2013

Twirling, 2013

I really love what I've been able to do with movement within this project.  I am going to be able to draw classes at the U next month and I'm so excited!!!  Here are some solo figures....I suck at titles so I'm just calling them "Solo..." and then a number....I know, boring.  But I'm not relying on the title to say what I want, so I guess it's not super important.  Anyway, here's some solo pics for you:

 I love the very different feeling these two images have. They perfectly illustrate how important body language is in conveying how we feel, which is one of my favorite things about drawing people and characters.....and one of the goals of this project.

  So here is the poster for the Company BLU show that was here.  I love how it turned out and I can't wait to do more:

  Well! It was really fun to share with you but I have to get right back to work.  I'm getting so near the end of this coloring book, I can see the finish line!!!  And once that's done, I have a whole other project in line to take its place. Sigh, my life is so full of......work. And that's a GOOD thing!  (:  Every time I make one of these coloring books I feel like I'm 9 again, when I would color in coloring books and think:  "I could do this.....and I would do it much better!"   I was so right on, dude.  Life is so funny.  (:
  Oh wait, before you go here is a fun, fun pic of me and my two friends who just got legally married in MN (we are SO the best state in the union!!!!)

So blurry but so fabulous! 

We had so much fun!  I love those guys!  And then there was this awesome indie music/art/comic convention here in Minneapolis, called Autoptic, which reunited me with all my college buddies from every spectrum of my MCAD life.  OMG, art school memories.....hee hee hee....
SIGH.....I had such a great weekend.  :-D
Come back next week for more art from me for you!!
Love, Beckarooooo!!!!

08.12.13 Line Drawings!

Hi there!
SO....as stated many times previously I'm working on stuff I can't post right now.... because of that I've decided to re-post some of my line drawings--I always just scan them and tuck them away immediately upon finishing them so when I was moving a couple of weeks ago I was surprised to see how many I've so far accumulated--WAY too many to post all of them, which is a shame, so I just went through and picked out a few to share.  I think I could tile an entire wall with them now....
  The reason I don't usually post these is because they are just the first step in my process and so I tend to view them as unfinished and therefore not worthy of posting on their own.  However, I've recently changed my point of view:  these simple, black and white line drawings are a perfect way to highlight my drawing skills b/c there is nowhere to hide laziness or bad drawing.  For example:

"Trio, Journeying"  2012   from "Hero's Journey" 

 So, as you may notice in the above image, there is very little depth and all the lines are blending together.  But if you take the time to look closely you will see that everything is working together technically and compositionally and it did end up looking fabulous when it was done...which you can see on my tumblr. (link at the end of this post!)

"The Chandelier, lines"  concept art for "The Phantom of the Opera" 2013

"The Masquerade, lines"  2013  concept art for "The Phantom of the Opera"

The above two images for "The Phantom of the Opera" are really good examples of how you can't cheat with simple black and white lines.  I say "simple" but really, there was nothing simple about these two images.  It was months of drawing to be able to draw this space (which I've never seen in real life, BTW)  at this level of detail--tons of research, tons of sketching.  Okay it was more like two years of that before I could draw it this well....sometimes it takes that long--and have you looked at how ornate this space is?  There is something on everything.  And I can draw this space off the top of my head now so THERE!!

  So, as simple as black and white lines may seem, they are very difficult, very specific and unforgiving BUT ultimately very rewarding. When I found these again after months of not looking at them, I was pretty happy with how my skills have developed. (:

"L'Ennui, lines" 2012

This image has been re-blogged so many times!  People really like seeing images of pretty people being sad, apparently.  But she's actually more bored than anything, hence the title. 

 Boredom can be torturous, trust me on that.

"The Frog Prince, lines" 2012

  This is an image that has yet to be finished...I should get on it!  It's already half-way done, actually, but then another project came up and I sorta forgot about it...it happens!!  It's on the list of things to do when I have some extra time...whenever that may be.

"The Princess and the Dragon, lines" 2013

  And my original fairy tale:  The Princess and the Dragon.   I love how this one looks--you should print it, color it like a coloring page, scan it and email it to me!  That's my favorite thing about making coloring books--each year I send one around to all my friends to color in.  You're never too old to enjoy coloring books.  At least I'm not.

  Well, I'm off to work on more coloring books, line drawings, fairy tales and what-not.  I love it.  Really.  This is exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up....I hope when I finally do grow up I'm still doing this.
 :-P  before I go I will post these two images:

After!  

4.5 inches!!

I highly recommend cutting all your hair off.  It's SO liberating and refreshing and a new haircut is the perfect complement to a new apartment.  Everyone go and cut all your hair off!!!  :-)
  You can see all these images in their finished state (except for the ones I told you I never finished!) on my tumblr:
http://beckylaff.tumblr.com
Be well friends, and thanks for the visit....back to work now.  (:
Love, Beckarooo!

07.31.13 Comics, process and posters!

Hi there!
Well, I've finally found some time to post and it was really hard because I am SOOOOO busy right now and I'm also moving tomorrow on top of all of it.  Exciting!!

This year I decided to submit a comic to the City Pages annual Comix issue.  I only heard about 3 days before the deadline so I had to come up with and execute this very quickly and I'm happy with what I did!  In fact, one of my former professors from MCAD--who was famous for being extra harsh and stingy with the A grades--he liked it!  What a compliment! SIGH.....So ..... I'm happy.  :-)))   Anyway, I approached this with the idea that this one-page comic would be exemplary of my storytelling style, a piece that just says what I'm about as an artist. And, yes, I met the deadline.  Because MCAD-ers ALWAYS meet or beat their deadlines.
  AND .... I kept track of the process for you:

Here is the sketch that I used for the layout for the final lines.

Here are the inked lines.  I will say this, even though a line drawing like this is very flat, there is no-where to hide bad drawing.  So feast your eyes on my totally naked and exposed skills!!

"The Swing" 2013

    Immediately, upon finishing this piece I realized how many pieces I've done lately that involve light, either looking up at, reaching toward it, flying toward it, etc.....I guess I will call this my period of "light" when I look back as an old, old artist, retired in the desert somewhere.  The landscape there is so gorgeous.

  As I was going through all my art stuff, packing for the move, I found my ever-growing stack of inked line drawings which is fun to rediscover.   Once I'm done with a drawing and I scan it, I just put it away immediately and forget it and I have now amassed quite a collection of really nice black and white line drawings....I think next week's post will be a line-drawing retrospective!  Which will be good b/c I have been working on the annual coloring book and set of posters for Columbia Children's Theatre in Columbia, SC.  Since I'm still in the ideate-ing part of the process I am only posting these three (of 15), all of them are going to be posters, eventually....

"Puss in Boots!"  One of my favorite fairy-tale characters!  I based him on my cat, Christopher-Robbin, who is my own puss-in-boots!

"Snow White!"  Character design challenge of the year:  The Seven Dwarves.  Success: achieved,

I love this image of Snow....I'm torn about which one should be the poster image....thoughts?

  Well, I'm overwhelmed and stressed out but most of all SUPER excited to move to my new apt tomorrow!  I have been saving a bottle of mead just for this occasion....Have you tried mead?  OMG, it's good and I don't even like wine, particularly.  Try it!  And come back next week b/c I promise, promise, promise I will post something!

  As you go along with the rest of your day, I will leave you with this pic of me sitting in a tree.  A tree-house, like The Swiss Family Robinson is where I'd REALLY love to move....but where I'm moving has a lot of leaves in the windows and I have an excellent imagination so.....it'll do....for now....(:

Thanks friends of mine on the internet!  It's always nice to have a visit.
Be well!
Love, Beckarooooo