03.19.14 Baby Bhangra, Pandas and Tigers!

Hi there!
  I'm so excited because I have awesome news....but I'm not allowed to say anything for another couple of weeks....curse you, art world for moving so slowly!!!  But I will be posting about it once I can, I promise!!
 :-D  SO....in the meantime....I've been still collecting images for my show....now I have plenty of images to work with so I'm starting to focus more on how well they flow together.  I've been focusing on the images I got from drawing the Zenon Dance Company's rehearsals and classes....I haven't done that in a few months and going back through this work I want to do even more!!!  BUT, till then, here are some of the newest additions to my series....

"Zenon ONE" 2014

 There I go with my super creative titles, right? ...Someday I'll figure that out...it's just that HATE pretension and so many titles of art are exactly that. I'd rather be simple than pretentious .... anyway, the title isn't the point, the drawing is.  

"Zenon Warrior" 2014

"Zenon Perfectly Balanced" 2014

  These two were fun.  Balancing on one foot like that isn't just tricky to do , it's also tricky to draw.  I'm so happy with how solidly grounded both these figures are. Also I tried a little design theory experimentation.  Vertical composition vs. horizontal and how does that effect the perception of stability in the image?  Basic 2-D Design Theory tells me that you, the viewer, should find both images to be stable but the majority of you will be drawn to the lower one because the vertical composition is a little more boldly balanced and so your eye will be drawn to it.  The top one should be giving you a nice comfortable and serene sense of solidity, so even though your eye isn't immediately drawn to it, it will linger on that image longer.....tell me, which one do you like better and why? (Design is fun!)

  Now that I'm done with that little tangent, here are some new additions, as well....These are drawings of the twins that I nanny for.  They love dancing Bhangra, we have to have a dance party at least once a day!  And they are such good dancers, too!  So I was having fun drawing them, lookie-lookie:

Maya Panda sketches,  2014

Naari Tiger sketches, 2014

  So, after having done a bunch  of sketching, I then go through and sort out which ones will work well in  sequence.  Some days that's easy and some days it just doesn't happen, so I drink some tea or cocoa instead.  I was intending to use these for my show, anyway, but when their mom saw them, it ended up turning into a commission and I've been working on triptych portrait in the style of this series I'm working on.  It's nice working for a family who really loves what I'm doing! Lucky!
Here are the 2 images for the twinsies:

"Maya and Panda," 2014

"Naari and Tiger," 2014

Then there will be this centerpiece:

"Tiger and Panda," (in progress) 2014

   I want to play around with the two patterns but I'm not sure yet how that will work.... here are the other two as a diptych.  (The would be on opposite sides of each other with the centerpiece added, FYI)  I love the heart shape they are making....I heart hearts!

"Tiger and Panda Dancing Bhangra," diptych 2014

  I wish someone had captured my baby moves like that. I love how 2 year-olds dance--they have their own unique way of moving and it's totally free and super adorable.  I love it!!!
  Well, I'm really happy with how productive I've been the past couple of weeks....but I still have much more to do and other projects to work on, as well, especially Joseph! :-))))
  Thanks for the visit, internet friends, but I have to get back to business...the business of drawing pictures.  It's very serious business!! :-P
Be well,
Love, Beckaroooooo!!!

03.04.14 Animated Figure Drawing!

Hello There, internet friends!
  Well, I'm continuing to amass work for my show in April... I have almost all the animation nearly completed for this show and that's good!  But, of course, going along in the process, I had a new idea for how I want to present them but for now I have to keep along with what I've started....so think of these as a mock-up for what I ultimately want to do.  here's the most completed one "Perpetual Pirouette, 2014" :

The figures in the background are all the drawings that make up this movement.  You can see here, without the animation on top:

Pirouette Figures, 2014

There is one more thing I want to do to it to finish.  These next two are a little more rough but also very lovely....

That is titled (for now) "Spiral Arms, 2014"

And here is one that has been making me want to pull all the hair out of my head!!!  But it is almost done, just a little more smoothing out....and it's really what this project is all about...let me show you what I mean.  First I sketched and laid out this image:

"Twirling, 2013"

 Then, from those figures and the title, I choreographed and drew out this movement:

"Twirling Figures, 2014"

And from these figures I am in the process of completing this animation, which is called "Twirling, 2014":

So, as hair-pullingly frustrated as I am at this point, I'm also very happy with how it's going and I sense that when I look a back this, months after it's over, I'm going to be very pleased with it....but right now I need a break.....So I'm on to writing stuff now--mostly to give my wrist a break because it hurts!!  OUCH!
  I could maintain the illusion that art is some big mysterious thing that shoots out of my eyes like beautiful rainbows but I'm going to be real, it hurts sometimes! I've got scars and giant callouses to prove it.
 But, I love it and I won't stop doing it!!!!
So, now that I'm done complaining, here is a new movement sequence because I just work through the pain:

"Zenon ONE, 2014"

This is one of the movements I got from drawing the Zenon Dance Company's classes.  They were amazing and super fun to draw.  I have a ton more from these sessions to put together and when I'm totally done with this series, which should be in the next couple of months, I'm going to set up a tumblr page of all the work, so you can see it all together even if you can't make it to the opening and have a drink with me!  It's going to be fun and a beautiful collection.  I'm so excited to see it finished and all on in one space. :-))))

thanks for stopping by and checking out my work!  but, as usual, I'm running late, so I have to go!!!
Be well and stay warm, friends!
Love, Beckarooooo!!!

02.03.14 Animation!

Hi there,
Welcome back to my studio! I've been continuing to work on the animations for my show so I have more of that stuff to share this week. If you scroll down, you can see the rough animation for this pirouette I've been working on...here are the cleaned-up lines for this movement:

The next thing I'm going to do is add tone to it so it will look more like this: 

"Neon Tutu" 2014

That will probably take a little while...Animation is frustrating  because for the amount of drawings you have to make, it only ends up being one figure in the end.  And it takes SO many drawings to create a very brief amount of time...It messes with my head a little bit....so, I decided to arrange all the figures in such a way to show you, who do not do animation, just how many drawings actually go into creating the illusion of one movement...check it out:

"Perpetual Pirouette Figures," 2014

I like how that looks, it makes me think of Chinese scrolls or something when it's shrunk down really small. So I decided to do the same thing with the figures from the spiraling arms animation--look at this:

"Spiral Arms, figures" 2014

FUN! Just as a reminder, here is how it looks when all those figures are animated:

I love that one.  SO, even though it can be frustrating, animation is also SO satisfying....it helps that I draw super fast, too, that's kind of a necessity.  And this show is going to be so pretty....I can't wait to see it in real life--and neither can you!!

Well, back to work, so much more to do... there is so much more to come.
Love, Beckarooo!!

More Animation!

Hello, there!
 I've been having so much fun with animation, I feel like I'm in kindergarten. And that makes up for being stuck inside because it's so ridiculously cold outside.  I'm moving somewhere warm--it's official.  Probably California and then, eventually Hawaii, because I want to live atop a chain of massive underwater volcanoes and also be a Hawaiian surfer chick--two birds with one stone!  I love volcanoes because they are full of liquid hot magma and that's really warm. Also, Hawaiian lava is really smooth.  It's the pretty kind...Anyway, on to the fun art stuff that has been distracting me from the frigid, evil cold that haunts my waking life....Here are a couple of drawings I've posted before:

Spiral Arms, 2014

I loved both of these and they are actually part of one, continuous movement.  I needed to see it move, for real, so I whipped this up this week.  A bit rough, still, but I'm very happy with it!

I love it so much!  Animation is more fun than anything else!  It's like magic. :-)  I could geek out on here forever about how much I love it but I will spare you and move on....I realized that I posted the wrong video format last week and some people with macs couldn't see them.  Sorry!  so here they are, again, in case you missed it:

                                         

  I had a lot of fun with these sequences of movement and, of course, with the animation.  Ever since I was a little kid, when I see dance or opera or theatre I always think about drawing it and so it's been really fun and freeing to actually do this. And seriously, nothing is more exciting to me than seeing my drawings move in real life because I always see them move in my head...I'm excited to make more but I am focusing on these three for my show, so keep posted and you will get to see how I turn rough animation into fancy, smooth, clean animation.  They both have their charm. (:

Ugh, I just remembered it's -14 degrees outside.  This cold is so intense, I swear I can feel it creeping through my walls and into my bones.....  But now, sadly, I must don my polar gear and face the elements--it's alright though, I have a really cute outfit underneath the polar gear.  .....and I'm not afraid of you, Polar Vortex, 2.0! In fact, thank you, for making the summertime even more delicious.
  Thanks for the visit and if you are somewhere in the world that is warm, soak it up for all of use who can't right now!!! (I would totally do the same for you!)
Love, Bekaroooo!!!!

01.20.14 Drawings Dancing!

Hello!  Welcome back to my little studio....
 I have been busy building up work for a show in April, so I haven't been to good about posting....but I've been working on some fun (but very time-consuming) things!  so let's jump right in....

I know last time I posted I was set on not animating my motion sequences but (as usual) I changed my mind.  It's good to be change-able!  Ultimately, I really wanted to see how they moved.  I haven't done any animation since my MCAD days and that was like a million years ago!  So this is still rough but I'm really happy with how well it turned out for how rusty I am. :-D

So, once I've finished smoothing out that movement, I'm going to render it so that it looks like these:

"Neon Tutu Twirl" 2013

"Neon Tutu" 2013

Hmmmm.....that shouldn't take too long.....As you can see, the drawings for the pirouette that I animated came from the top image, so you can get an idea of how the figures move and also how the animation will look like, eventually.  It will be fun to play with lighting!  Now, on to the next one!  here is a familiar image, a movement sequence of a dancer, leaping:

"Leap" 2013

 And here is a rough animation, based on those drawings:

Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I was just learning about animation, it was WAY more difficult do this stuff.  Now it is SO easy!  I'm going to make lots of little animations now.  And I have lots of material to work with, too....speaking of, here's another movement sequence, which I'll also be animating for my show.

"Spiral Arms" 2014

I can't wait to see those arms spiralling all around! :-)))  This is going to be a lovely little show, I think.
 ...but for now, I'm feeling pretty sleepy, so I will sign off and take a nap. Thanks for the visit and check back again, soon!
Love, Beckaroooo!!!

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!!