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!!

04.29.13 SPRING!!!

Hi there!
So this week Spring finally arrived in Minnesota and I am embarrassed to admit how happy it has made me!  So I spent most of the weekend enjoying myself in the park like a kid and not getting much work done--I know--Shocking!!! But I did finish up a few things I started the week before so I will start this post off with some fun, full color illustrations and then move on to sketches...

   First,  I want to show you the finished, colored Girafficorn--I went with purple because I like purple and it just felt right.  (:

And here is an image of ME(Beckarooo!) riding the back of the girafficorn, along a rainbow, across the sky--can life get any better than this?  I think not!

(:

 Well, now that that silliness is out of my system (for now!), here is an image of Joseph.  This started as just practice for his coat but then it ended up being more about the stars and the universe around him...I really love the dream-like quality of this image:

I've had this dream, before... (:

Now I'm thinking about doing something with the animal constellations....And speaking of animals.....
  This weekend I decided to go to the zoo and sketch--and what a great idea that was!  It was the biggest ego boost I've had in a long time--so many compliments from so many strangers!  And the kids were all way more interested in what I was doing than the animals--they stared at me like I was performing magic or something.  It was really sweet!  Kids give the best compliments because they are always the most sincere and creative about it.  The last thing someone said to me was:  "You have a beautiful gift!" How sweet is that?  So I decided to leave because you should always leave on a high-note ... also I was tired and wanted a nap. Here are the sketches I came up with:

This guy was so cool!  His horns are so incredible and fun to draw--he's called a Kudu, btw, and he's a type of antelope. 

Of course, I headed straight for the giraffes--they are so elegant and oddly graceful for how huge and lumbering they are.  They also--well, at least the one I was drawing, anyway--have very soulful eyes.  I swear she was trying to see what I was drawing, so I made sure to show her before I left. (:

Here are the Lions doing what Lions are most passionate about--sleeping in piles like giant kitties. (:   

I had so much fun this weekend in the sunshine it almost made the long, horrible winter worth it .... almost....But I definitely am back to the love phase of my love-hate relationship with Minnesota so here is the last image I'm posting this week...Two lovely Bald Eagles loving life!

It's great to see the Bald Eagles coming back from the brink of extinction--and they are kicking some ass!  I've seen five different ones just this month!  And only a couple of years ago you wouldn't see any around here.  It's really amazing to see them soaring above you--they kind of look like little stealth bombers because of their white heads. They make being an eagle look really good.  I'm jealous!!!

Well, now that I've finally posted for this week I'm going back outside!  Next week I'll have more to share but till then, be well!  Next week:  pictures of ducks....I love ducks!!!
Thanks for the visit!
Love, Beckaroooo!

04.22.13 Just playing around.... (:

Hi, there!
WELCOME to my studio!
Well, currently I am between projects and waiting to hear what I may or may not be working on in the next few months.  This is the time when I would normally lose my mind waiting to hear "yes" or "no" but I've  learned just to keep myself occupied with ... whatever--this time I tried to do something different and  I realized I haven't attempted a portrait or a self-portrait, for that matter, since college.  Some artists love doing self-portraits and others, like myself, are made very uncomfortable by them. So I decided to work on a cartoon image of myself and break out of my comfort zone for a bit.  Here is the first attempt....my eyes aren't really that big, FYI.

My hair is really like this if I don't clip it down.

 I have mixed feelings about that one--it's only the first attempt!! What I liked most was how the pencil lines look!  I always am compelled to take a drawing all the way to an inked line but, at the same time, I feel that my pencil drawings are always much stronger. SO....I decided to try something...check this out:

Here is a drawing of me manipulating space, time and matter to create a star.  This star will then create a system of planets around it.  Among those planets, one--maybe two--will grow life and that life will entertain me endlessly with their crazy-interesting stories .... (-:

Once I had the drawing I wanted, I decided to try a different method of coloring the lines so that I would not have to alter the pencil lines at all and this is what happened:

I think I might love this...I think I may be done with inked lines...Sorry, inked lines, we had such a wonderful thing for so long. but it's time to move on!!

 And now, the final outcome of my wee experiment:

I call this:  "Beckaroo's Dream"

  Well, I'm very happy with the final product and I think I'm going to work more in this looser, more sketchy style.  It has a more energetic feeling to it, I think.

  The next image I'm working on has a really funny story to it!  One of my friends told me that the night before that I had burst into their dream on the back of a giraffe with a unicorn horn.  This sounds like exactly something I would do so that's not the weird part--the weird part is that I had drawn said girafficorn in my sketch-book not one month earlier! (she hadn't seen the drawing, okay?!) I love when that kind of thing happens so I decided to draw the dream--here's the sketch:

Weeeeeeee!!!!!

 Okay, so obviously my world is pretty awesome these days--and lucky you, that I share it with you.  (:

Here's the Girafficorn of our dreams!

  I have one last little drawing/story to share that I love!  On my birthday I was walking by the Mississippi River and saying (sarcastically, of course, this is the Midwest)  "Thanks so much, Minnesota, for this AMAZING birthday weather!  I can always count on you!!"  you see, we've been in this endless winter from hell for, like, EVER and NO!!  it's not normal!!!  But, anyway, precisely when those words were uttered, the clouds parted!  the sky became that super deep Minnesota blue and I looked up and saw two bald eagles flying around! They weren't hunting, they were just enjoying being eagles--which is exactly what I would do if I were an eagle.   They are so magnificent to see and I was suddenly filled with a deep sense that this is going to be a great year for me.  And I think that's true so I decided to draw those eagles, just how I saw them:

I heart MN!

Sometimes I wonder why I've lived in Minnesota for so long and then something like that happens and I remember that even though the winter can be awful, the beautiful times are incomparable.  I think it just may be worth it...And plus, the lilacs will be here soon!  Yay!!!  Spring!!!  :-D

Thanks for the visit but I have to get outside ASAP!  To the river!

See you next week with more art, more colors and more Girafficorns!

--Beckarooo!!

04.01.13 April Fool's!!

Well, that blogpost title was an easy one and so clever--don't you think?  :-P
Thanks for coming back!
  I have been very hard at work, as you've probably guessed--what ELSE would I be doing??  Actually I have had a bit of a bizarre week ... they say stories happen to those who tell them, so I guess that would explain that. :-)   This week I've been working on idea development so I have mostly sketches to show you--but I do have one piece in color and next week, I will have an amazing an beautiful full-color image for you to see--for sure!  I really like full color images b/c the illusion is more complete that way.

  Well, let's get started--What, Beckarooo, are you working on this week?  Well, I love a good Aesop Fable.  They are very easy-to-tell stories so sometimes I will tell them to my friends randomly for the moral--and in a fake british accent, of course--how else would you tell them?? I am drawn to the more obscure ones, which is most of them, actually--hundreds of those things, did you know?  Aesop pretty much covered every possible moral conundrum one could face in life.  Some of them are more philosophical as opposed to problem-solving and this is a more thoughtful one, it's called "The Nightingale:"

Not much sketching needed for this--just a kitty and a birdy.

pp 1 and 2  (that's Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, the 6th--I don't skrimp on the details) 

pp 3 and 4  That sassy Nightingale! SNAP!

I have to say, Aesop's work is pretty easy to convert to comic form--he's so simple and very visual--we are a match made in heaven....and speaking of matches made in Heaven--here's the full color version of "Molly and Napolean."  I'm not sure if I mentioned this last week but Napolean is my cat and Molly is my step-dog.  And they love each other for real in real life and that is why they are such an adorable inspiration:

I am so happy with how silky-soft Napolean looks because he is the silkiest and softest kitty!

Okay, I'm so close to being done with all these story ideas and then I will be back to "Phantom of the Opera," which I know is what you all really want--and I like to give you what you want. It helps that I want it, too.  :-)  So, now, back to work!

Thanks for the visit to the old studio!
Now GET OUT!  (JK!!JK!!  don't be so sensitive!!)
Be well!!
Love, Beckaroooo!

03.25.13

Hey, there!
I am running out of creative titles for this blog so I'm not wasting my energy on it this week--I'll think really hard for next week, though!
  I've been working further on my "Princess and the Dragon" story (which is inspired by St. George and the Dragon, I hope know that story--it's the original and quintessential dragon-slayer story!!) and I have a good outline and some solid art for it which means I'm now ready to move on to the next story I'm developing.  Are you wondering how many stories I'm currently developing?  Well, that would be 5--omg, how did that happen??  I'm working on them very systematically so as not to become overwhelmed--it's kind of working.  You may wonder why I'm doing all this and I will say to you that this is just one of those times in life when I hold the answers to the mystery. That happens so rarely.... I kinda like it. :-)
  But I will share with you some of what I've been doing this week....I really like how these characters are looking and I'm pretty much settled on the color of the dragon, however, I'm open to your feedback so if you have a strong preference please let me know via email!  Now check it out:

Here is Helen, Adam and Rapunzel, the cat.  On a mission to slay a dragon.....

Here are some color ideas for the dragon--I'm torn between the green or the red but I've settled on the green b/c I think it works best overall and you'll see you look further on that I did try a lot of different options before settling.....

Here are just the black lines! I love just the black line....

Here is the red dragon option--I think the red is too overpowering, so I decided to try a softer color--this is a story primarily aimed at girls, after all....

I do really like how this purple looks but, as you may have noticed  above, Rapunzel the cat is also purple and therefore the dragon can NOT be purple....those are the rules!

And so here we are--ironically I started with this color, went through almost the whole spectrum and came right back this color.....SIGH....that's how it goes, sometimes.  Luckily, I'm very determined and not easily discouraged.  I'm also quite charming. ;)

 So I'm pretty happy with how that all looks and I happen to love the story so I'm at a very happy stopping point and ready to move on to the next story--which is completely different in tone and style!  It's for very young readers and it's a very simple tale of cause and effect--so obviously it's about a cat and a dog, stuck at home, alone, trying to clean up a big mess they made before their people get home--oops!  Check out my very preliminary sketches (because I literally just started working on this last night 45 minutes before bedtime)

Molly, the dog and Napolean, the 19th century European dictator--I mean the CAT--JK!!  although, FYI, he's named after the FIRST Napolean--that's very important!! (:

Well, thank you for visiting my studio--I want you to know that I'm extremely busy right now so it's a testimony to my love for you all (well.... mostly love for my art--honesty is important!!) that I'm posting right now!  So sorry that I have to hastily depart, but, like I said--busy, busy, busy little bee!!  I hope you like what I'm working on--there will be more to see very soon, I promise.
:-D
Thanks for the visit--come back next week for more art stuff that you love!
Love, Beckarooooo

3.18.13 A for a change of pace ... Dragons!

Hey Everyone!
Well, as you will see by the work I'm posting this week, my focus has changed slightly.  I'm working on  a new story--I've been doing mostly writing so I only have some sketches to show but I promise next week there will be some fun, full color pictures to look at!
  I don't want to reveal too much about the story so all I will say is there are princesses, knights, dragons AND Giraffe-icorns!  I know, I'm blowing your mind--but you love it so I won't stop!

Here are some sketches:

You can't have a fairy tale without a castle!  Here's my first attempt.

Here are the two main characters and their cat:  

A Princess, a Knight and a feline.  Watch out, world!

Check out my dragon!  It's a LADY dragon, see how graceful she is? 

 She's a komodo dragon meets a snake meets a .... lizard-bat, I guess...?

And here is the Princess and the Dragon--as you can see, this won't be your typical princess/dragon story--and it won't be your typical NOT-typical princess story, either!  

Next week in color, I swear!

Last but not least, for your pleasure, (and because I really wanted to post something in color!) here is Sayid, the side-kick with his magic flute--with it he can control you emotions so watch out, ladies!  ;)

  I think Sayid is one of my most favorite characters!  He is the most fun to draw but also very annoying because all those spots are a pain!  but they always looks good.  Giraffes always look good, don't you think?

  Well, Thanks so much for the visit but now, as usual for this time of the year, I'm getting swamped!  It's time for me to get back to work or else I will risk having nothing new to post next week!  Some things just aren't post-able, you understand.  At least, for a certain period of time they aren't.
  Luckily, today there is another blizzard which means I'll be skiing  a few more times before the end of the season, after all--thank you, Minnesota!!
Be well, my friends!
Love, Beckarooooo!!

3.11.13 three eleven three!!

Hey, guys!
So, this week I've been focused more on "Phantom of the Opera" which is always fun for me! The scene I've decided to focus on is the Masquerade on the Grand Escalier.  I'm also working on that part of the script so I will be posting some layouts of pages soon--swoon, Phantom Lovers--it's going to be amazing!  And I'm not worried at all about living up to that statement, FYI--in fact go ahead and get your hopes up--they will be rewarded.
  So this last week I've been working on a conceptual image for this scene that I will be able to use as reference as I go on to finish the pages for the graphic novel.  This image, as you can see, is really complex and, once again, I wondered if I had gotten in over my head but, as it turns out, all my obsessive drawing of the Paris Opera House pays off, again.  I am so close to being able to accurately draw that place without a reference--from multiple angles, too!  That's going to make drawing this graphic novel WAY easier.
 Now, on to the art!

This looks better in real life--it's a two-page spread in my sketchbook.  At first this was going to be very centered on Raoul and Christine but then I decided the focus more on the vastness of the space around them and the craziness of the crowd.

As you can see I decided to make this a taller format--have you taken a close look at the paintings on the ceiling? There is some crazy stuff going on up there!

The final black lines.  I gotta be honest, I hate how this looks right now.  I can't put any value in the image at this point because the color is going to doing all of that but the value is a really important part of the composition so it's just not working for me right now--it's just a jumble of lines!! I will get to coloring ASAP--I can't live like this!!!

SO!  I have a lot of work ahead of me and I'm going to take my time on this--but hey!  did you notice I threw a little self-portrait in there--"Where's Waldo style?"  I posed myself like how I always pose in photos--so happy hunting!

This is a fun thing I did a couple of weeks ago:  a commission for a portrait of a fabulous doggy who died not too long ago.  He loved the water the most so I put him in the water--he was a really good dog!  At first I was worried about capturing the right feeling because he was such a good and special doggy but when I sat down to draw, the final image came immediately and felt perfect right away--just like it was always meant to be!  It's such an amazing experience when it isn't at all a struggle, you know what I mean?  (:

Awwww!!!  Kirby!!  what a cutie!

Why don't I do things like this for my own pets??  Next on the  to-do list!

I'm so pleased with this image and FYI, Kirby's people loved it, too--I believe there were some tears, even!  That's the best reaction you can get so I'm very pleased.  I think I get to have an extra treat this week as a reward.  That would be a fun day of skiing, normally, but, alas!  the snow is already on it's way out. :-(  I don't think anything it quite as much fun as skiing...maybe I should take up sky-diving??  I obviously need to move to either Colorado or Switzerland.

Well, now, I am going to get back to work--then I'm going to do some yoga--I can do a head-stand now and I find that being upside-down as much as possible seems to be the key to happiness--at least for weirdo artsy types like myself--but I'm sure it's true for everyone, even the left-brained people!
TRY IT--you'll be like, "thanks for telling me about that, Beckaroo, my life is so much happier now!"
You are so welcome, as always!
Till next time, internet friends!
--Beckarooo!

03.04.13 More Phantom Art!

Hello, there, internet friends!
Welcome back to my (Beckaroo's) studio and I'm so happy you are here because I just finished this illustration of Christine Daae, from "The Phantom of the Opera," singing on stage at the Paris Opera House and I love Love LOVE it!  This image has been in my head for years--I drew the first really solid sketch of it over a year ago.  I did a ton of sketching since then of the space and of course, designing Christine and her dress.   And it was so smart that I did all that because when I sat down to finally produce this image it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would! I found that I knew every little detail already and it was a little like putting together a puzzle I had already put together many times.
 So Satisfying! (so much so it got a capital 'S')
On to the art!!

An extremely small sampling of sketches.

The final sketch.  I LOVE this drawing.  I gets to live and not be recycled.

Here are the final black lines.  With this image what I'm really trying to say is:  I am REALLY good at drawing.   I hope that's coming across clearly...?  (:

Here is the image with only the color and no lines on top.  I'm so pleased with how this looks that I could  just leave it but the lines add that little bit of detail that I love so much.

"The Chandelier"  The final image.  LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.  that's the only word I have for this image.  That's mostly because the  English Language is very limited in that way.  

Here are some practice images of Christine Daae.  Someday I'll have a dress like that.  Someday.  (:

   I titled this image "The Chandelier" but that is only temporary.  I'm open to more poetic suggestions but that has never been my thing.  Poetry, I mean. The title suggests, as I'm sure you are also made aware by the compositional elements that draw your eye upward, that this picture is really about the chandelier and less about Christine.  As anyone who knows the story of "The Phantom of the Opera" knows, the chandelier incident is one of the bigger parts of the story.  YOu also may have noticed (if you know the Paris Opera House) that that is NOT the Marc Chagall painting up there.  That's because Chagall was a 20th century artist and this stroy takes place in 1881.  I have tried and tried and failed to find any reference to what the painting was that used to be there so I finally decided to just make it the heavens with angels and stuff because that's what is in the Foyer.  Consistency, anyway.  Plus it goes along with the story. you know, "Angels of Music" and whatnot.

This actually isn't the only thing I've done this week but the other image I did was a commission so I will be posting it next week, after I present it.  It's pretty freaking cute, just FYI.

  Well, I hope you've enjoyed this week's peek into my studio!  As always, questions and comments are welcome via email and I have a new email address so be sure to double check!!
Thanks for the visit and thanks for all the Phantom love that's been coming my way!  Is there any better kind of love??
:-)
Love, Beckarooooo!!!