Summer Fun

 A friend of mine asked me to draw her son as a superhero for his birthday. Brooks just turned five and he is adorable. It was a lot of fun to just mess around with this. It was nice to be able to just play around and draw whatever I wanted. I need to do that more often. Flex my creative muscles and just play a bit. I hope you are enjoying your summer. It's a beautiful sunny day here and I'm getting ready to go for a swim :)

Surrender

Well, I finally got this one finished.  I think... it's one of those illustrations that seemed to take me forever and I just finally decided to stop messing with it.  I will quite possibly change my mind when I look at it tomorrow. lol    I'm having deja vu, I must say that a lot. 

I'm already working on an illustration for IF's prompt Sweater and I'm determined to do something quick and simple, so I can get it posted this week.  That being said,  I'm not so great at simple; Sometimes I can do quick.  I say this to myself often and then the illustration takes on a life of it's own and becomes, well, complicated.  I envy those artists who can make a few lines or a loose sketchy image and simple color into a creative and solid piece of art. There is something to be said for simplicity and for me anyway, it's harder than it looks to make something very simple, yet very special. 

Finishing Up Just for Fun

I was doing this one for Illustration Friday several weeks back for the prompt Paisley, but life got in the way, so I finished it up today, mostly anyway. Just trying to make myself go back and at least take things to a level of finished that I can be happy with. It's great practice and a promise I made to myself to try and not leave things half done. I may keep playing with her tonight, I had initially intended on using her in a retro school or library setting.

...and again Jack has saved me from a lack of creativity and time, so thanks Jack, again!  I am using this for Illustration Friday's prompt Artificial, looking at the world through rose colored glasses doesn't seem to have improved her disposition, but it works for the prompt I think, no time for something new and I was totally stumped on something different for this one...

Tutorial for Linked part 1

Ok, here is part one of my tutorial as promised. Sorry it is taking me so long to finish it. I have never done one before and it is different from teaching one on one( taking screen shots and trying to write it all down and making sure I don't forget anything). So if you have questions or suggestions let me know. I'm still working on the photoshop portion. The first half is in painter, however it could all be done in photoshop using similar methods, I just prefer starting in painter.

Circus/Carnival pt 2 completed

amended version

Ok, so here is the finished version, or at least the tentatively finished version of the second piece in my series for the Circus/Carnival theme. I feel like it still needs something, but I'm just not sure what it needs at this point. I like it; I just don't, really, love it. I think it needs..., 

...I'm not sure, something.  Maybe it is just not as dramatic as the previous one and that is why I feel like it is missing something. So, let me know what you think. I am open to ideas. I am thinking of doing something with a fire eater or flame thrower next, but I'll have to see what comes to mind. I think I am going to stop and work on Monday Art Day's theme Castaway first though. Thank you for visiting, for your interest and for taking the time to let me know what you think. I really appreciate your point of view.

amended version, I highlighted a few areas on the ring and added a little lighting in other areas of the spotlight, I'm liking it better now, but wondering if it is enough or if I should change the ring color as suggested by Carolina Buzio. Thank you Shirley you were absolutely right about the highlights, made a world of difference, to me anyway. I know I am very detail oriented, but sometimes it's all about the details.
amended version 2: Now, I am happy with it,  for today anyway.  Thanks for your help everyone!

WIP Circus pt 2 continued

Here is the second days work on my Circus/Carnival Series. I'm actually almost finished with it. It needs just a few more little details.  This is what I had planned to post yesterday, but never got around to the posting part. I actually have most of it done now and I hope to add the finished piece by the end of the day. Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to let me know what you think.

How I work

So I am trying to get Monday Artday done and the theme is, for one more day anyway, horse.
Sometimes I do iterative saves just to have in case one day I want to do a tutorial because I am self taught and tutorials from wonderful and generous artists were, and still are sometimes the bases of my education. I'm not an expert by any means but I love digital illustration. I stopped painting for a long time and it is only because of painter x and my wacom that I work everyday that I am able to now. I take care of my grandson who is visually impaired and it is difficult to work on anything that can be messy. Working digitally I never have to clean brushes, worry about spills, wandering little curious fingers, smears, ruined work or starting and stopping what I am working on. It is such a blessing for me. I can start and stop with ease and I am usually pleased with the results that I get from it. Storage is also much easier than having a multitude of canvases and such. This is not a tutorial but more of a how I work. Let me know if it is helpful. Most of you may have better ways of doing things. This is just what seems to work for me.

If_Pioneer progress

Progress yeah! Maybe I'll get finished this week. I'm thinking of doing the shower curtain dark blue and sketching clouds in white chalk. Just have to see how I feel about it when I get back to it. I like it so far for the most part though, it seems to be coming together. I really love it when it works the way you want it too and it's not too much of a struggle to get it the way you see it.

If_ Pioneer sketch

This is my sketch for the Illustration Friday prompt this week. I am running behind because of the holidays. My sister is here visiting for the first time in a year and my daughter left today to finish college. I swore I wouldn't cry but I did. I am not linking this to IF yet, I want to try to get it colored first. I had first started a wagon train on the moon but a couple of people did something along that line so I started anew. Hope you like it.

finished illustration

So, I finally finished the illustration from my first IF entry and I like it. I don't love it, but I did finish it. I may work on it more later or just let it go and be happy with the fact that I made myself go back and finish it. I have really been trying to do that lately. I am notorious for starting a project and not finishing it. The older I get the more I try to make myself finish what I start even if I am not completely happy with it.

Christmas Card

Christmas Card idea, I'm thinking of using it for a winter mailer, haven't decided yet.

IF: Unbalanced

~this weeks Illustration Friday theme is Unbalanced, I just kept thinking of Baby's first steps and how they are so off balance. Thanks for looking and please leave comments!

I started teaching myself digital painting in January. I keep my grandson during the week. He is blind and a toddler so there is not much time to paint anymore. It is so hard to start and stop painting that I just don't start. I've had an unfinished canvas sitting in my den for..., well since just after he was born. So, I started playing with painter x in January and fell in love with it almost immediately. Actually that's not quite true. I started with a essentials because it came with the wacom pad I got for Christmas. I hadn't had a new wacom in many years and my previous one had died a couple of years ago so my wonderful husband got me a new intuos. After the first digital painting, which I did of my grandson, I was in love. Then my daughter said I should try painter x and I did a trial with it. Love it! No more dirty brushes. No more spilled paint. No more worrying about stopping and starting or being interupted. And you can fix your mistakes! It's fabulous! I still love photshop and illustrator but, I had never done actual illustrations with them, only touch ups on scanned pieces. At the top is my first digital painting. It's of my grandson before he really had any hair.

These are my latest attempts at learning painter 11. This time I tried working in digital watercolor. It isn't exactly what I wanted but I am pretty happy with it. I'm sure I will get better at it with practice.

see my website

So, I am new at this. Since I don't have anything posted yet if you'd like to see some of my work please see my website @ karenwhitakerillustrations.com