5.27.13 Comics, Cats and Squirrels

Hello There!
I have not posted very much this month and that sucks, I know.  I'm not between project anymore and now I'm really busy and haven't had a lot of time to post or do much of anything but work on stuff--that's how my summers usually go, so I was prepared for this!  Plus, I am working on some really fun stuff.  I love drawing. (-:
  A couple of weeks ago I was at the ComiCon here in Minneapolis and it was really fun.  I was reminded of my love of mainstream comics and all things Batman.  A couple of years ago I had a really annoying sexist experience, nothing new but it was the limit for me and I vowed that day that I would never draw a mainstream book or character again--except for Disney because it's Disney!!--and I have kept this vow because I'm a girl of my word.  However, I decided it had been enough time and it's just for fun so why not?  So, I made this image for a friend of mine, who's been wanting me to make him a Supergirl for a LONG time!

Supergirl!! 

That turned out nicely, so I decided to make an image of MY favorite character, Catwoman!  I prefer Catwoman in her 90's incarnation, in the purple suit.  She was such a badass then.  She lived in a penthouse and when she went out at night to steal jewels and such, she would just leap from her balcony and fly through the city with her whip, Spider-Man style!!  With that idea in mind I made a few sketches.  I used to draw Catwoman all the time but, since I refused to draw mainstream characters for so long, I had to get back in the groove.  But it didn't take long to loosen up:

I normally wouldn't post a page from my sketchbook like this but a friend of mine insisted that this is the sort of thing people like to see...But, anyway, note that I chose my favorite pose and inked only that one....I may mess around with the others later...probably not, though.

I love how this turned out!  I used the Chicago skyline because Gotham City is originally based on Chi-town.   But, really, how amaze-balls is Catwoman?  She's got night-vision goggles in her mask.  I like this one way better than Supergirl.

Then, I met up with another friend and asked him who his favorite badass DC heroine? Because I'm a DC kinda girl. He said Wonder Woman!  Like he'd been waiting for me to ask him this whole time.  So, I let him art direct me a little, which was a lot of fun.  He even acted out the pose--he was very specific about this image!! And here is the end result:

Diana, Queen of the Amazons!!

I think she turned out nicely, I don't think I've ever drawn Wonder Woman before and  I want to do another, more action-oriented pose...when I have time...maybe next fall?

Anyway, a strange thing that happened this last week is that Marvel's totally obscure X-Man character, Squirrel Girl, came up in conversation, randomly three different times with three different people and they all started this way:  "Hey, Becky, have you ever heard of that X-Man character, Squirrel Girl?"  How strange is that?  At first I thought they were in cahoots but it turned out that that was not so.  But, I was, three times, reminded of MY "Squirrel Girl,"  Rabbit St Cloud, who I haven't thought about in a while...She's still up to no good, FYI.  So I decided to make a nice cameo portrait of her and her little friends, who are WAY cooler than Marvel's squirrels. I might add. Here's the first sketch:

First I drew the profile and then, months later I drew in the squirrels and now, months later, I'm about to finish it....that's how it goes sometimes!

Rabbit St. Cloud.
I am really happy with how her character is evolving.  (:
 

 WELL, I just finished a big chunk of work and now I'm ready for a nap.  I love sleep.  So much.  And lately, I've been noticing that the solutions to my creative problems are solved in my dreams about 85% of the time. The more sleep, the better...and it also is really good for your skin.  Bonus!
Thanks for the visit!  Enjoy your time on the inter-webs!
Next Week:  More Joseph Art!!
--Beckaroo!

05.07.13 May Day in Minneapolis!!

Hi there!
  This last week I've been trying to get back in touch with what I love the most about drawing and being an artist.  Once you start making work professionally, it can be easy to forget those things.  Whenever I have a break between projects, or I am waiting hear about a few projects (like I am, right now!) I try to take that time to just have fun with my gift because it makes up for the rest of the time when being an artist just means you don't quite fit in--except for with other artists, of course!! :-)
  My favorite thing to draw has always been movement--which is why I was initially interested in animation, as opposed to comics, but then I changed my mind b/c I like the challenge of story-telling much, much more.  At MCAD I took a really awesome class about drawing the figure in motion--there's a whole technique to it, did you know??-- It was one of my favorite classes and so, this week, I decided to do just this--draw the figure in motion--and lucky me!--in Minneapolis we had the May Day Festival which is this weird Pagan/Native American mish-mash ceremony to welcome the Sun every Spring. It is so fun--a HUGE pageant with puppetry and costumes and a parade and lots of street performers, arts-and-crafters and, of course $5 cups of lemonade!!  So I decided to head out there and focus on drawing people, specifically, because I'm often distracted by cute, aquatic birds--I'm sure you know what I mean! :-P
  Here are some drawings from The May Day:

The first thing I came across were these two girls swinging on swings--their scarves and skirts were so pretty , fluttering in the wind.  So I drew them.  Because that's what you do when you see something beautiful and you can draw.

Then I really lucked out!  This lovely lady was dancing with a hula hoop and check this out--even though she was dancing right there, a photographer wanted to take a picture of me drawing her, instead of her actually dancing--how flattering is that?  I think drawing in public is probably the best thing for my ego! :-P

  These next drawings are of the actual pageant--mostly I watched it so I didn't draw a TON of it but I like what I got.  I loved the design of animal costumes!  I could get into a whole thing about the Art-Historical influences on the designs but I won't here--if you really want to know how obsessive I can be about Art History you can always just ask me but I won't force it on you..... But, really--you must learn your history or you are doomed to repeat it!!!  And there are some really ugly "works of art" out there.

I love, not only the design of the masks, but the way the fabric of the feathers, wings, and fur moved with the performers. 

This sketch needed a little color!  This was the last part of the ceremony when the final gigantic puppet was raised out of Powderhorn Lake and  the crowd screams "Welcome, Sun!!"  So fun and colorful and since then--nothing but sunshine--it SO worked!!

So....I promised you ducks last week and here you are:

Also two Penguins!

I love aquatic birds.   Ducks and Albatrosses are my favorites!  We don't get any Albatrosses around here but I've seen at least three different kinds of ducks so far this year.  Mallards are a sentimental favorite--I love their emerald heads.  Also, ducklings?  The Cutest of the Cute!!  I would LOVE to be a duck.  SIGH....maybe someday... :-P

I will close today's post with some sketches I made inspired by art from the book  "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Expury.  This was one of my favorite books growing up and also one of my favorite cartoons!  I love the simple, sweet message.  Everyone should read this book.  Also the art is charming, which is why I decided to have some fun with it:

I love the colors and the simplistic design.  Sometimes the very simple things carry the most meaning--which is something I learned from reading this book!

Here is what happens when I get too focused on details.  you may not see the subtle  differences in these poses but it's all I can see...sometimes I have to just stop myself before I fill several pages of the same drawings with only slight differences.  It can and has driven me crazy!!!

  Well, I've been really enjoying my vacation from structured, time-sensitive projects!  I am going to make more motion drawings in the future because they are so fun and the outcome is always pleasing.  And with that in mind, I will close this post so that I can get back outside to enjoy the sunshine and draw more strangers moving all about....they love it! and so do you. (:
  Thanks for the visit to my studio--I hope you've enjoyed the fruits of my boredom this week! (I do!!)   :-D
Be well and stop by whenever...but let me know first--I hate pop-ins!!
:-)
Love, Beckarooo!!