Art Bloggage

Marker Tutorial

2012-01-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

Marker Tutorial - Barred Owl

Hello!!! Due to popular demand from many of my friends, classmates, and coworkers, I have finally put together a technique tutorial on how I color with markers. I do want to point out, however, that 99% of my work is trial and error and is rarely ever planned out. Though I try to plan out values and color, I still like to be spontaneous. Sometimes things don't come out the way I'd like and I have to start over, but I can always learn from that experience. In the end, it helps me figure out what works and what I need to do differently next time.

1) So let's start with the very first step: Knowing what you want to illustrate. This could be a character, an environment, a prop, or even a combination of the three. What are you going to be portraying and how do you want to portray it? I like to work from reference. Reference is the foundation for everything I do, and because I draw a lot of animals (mostly birds) I need all the reference I can get so design is believeable and accurate to what I'm portraying.

I used "Owls," by Floyd Scholz for this image. It is, by far, the best owl reference book out there.

2) It's time to draw! This part is fairly quick and sets up the blueprint for the rest of your illustration. Some of my instructors were very kean on thumbnails and rough sketches before the finalized sketch. I always start with a rough sketch or a couple rough sketches and pick the one I like most for the inking. I like to draw right on the paper I'm using for the final if my illustration since my marker works are always small in size.

Sketch materials: Tuscan Red Col-Erase pencil.

and then I go right inking! This is one of my favorite steps. It's almost theraputic for me because it's a slow and precise process. 95%of what I do traditionally is drawn in ink. Sometimes I skip the sketching process and draw with ink and color what I've drawn. For this illustration, I chose to draw it out first just so my the form and feather placement was better planned out.

Inking materials: .3pt and 1pt Copic Multiliner

3) It's time for color! Layering is key with markers. Much like watercolors, maker color isn't very opaque and needs to be layered. I like to use Copics, which layer beautifully and are very vibrant in color. It's also very easy to muddy up the colors too, so planning out your color palette is the best way to avoid any unwanted mistakes. Sometimes, I like to test out my colors on a piece of scrap paper to see how well they layer on top of one another. I also sometimes use a blank index card and color in swatches of each color I think I may want to use and make note of the marker numbers I used. this is extremely helpful for future illustrations of the same or similar character.

I set down the base tones with warm grey and skin colors

I add more warm grey.

I then move to medium tones with browns and more skin colors

I keep layering my colors

I end with the dark tones.

5) Don't forget the highlights! My all time favorite part of any illustration is putting in the highlights. Since the marker tones have already darkened up the illustration, you will need to apply an opaque high light color to achieve proper lighthing. Lighting has never been my strong suit so I find it kind of tricky. I'm also slightly lazy about it, so I like to use White-out because it dries quickly and is the most opaque liquid out there. The only downfall of white-out, is it clumps easy so you have to be very careful when applying it to the drawing. You may also use gesso or a white acrylic to apply your highlights. Keep in mind, however, that a lot of acrylic has to be layered. Sometimes I prefer the acrylic to the white-out because I have more control of what I'm applying and I'm layering to build up the consistency that I need. Acrylic also allows me to pick the type of light temperature I want for my highlights (cool or dark). I like using titanium white (or I add cyan to the white acrylic) if it's a cooler light and a warmer white/cream (I might add golden or ochre yellow to the white acrylic). Lastly, soft lead color pencils or pastels are great for highlights, and I would recommend using fixative after you're done coloring if you choose to use dry media. It's all up to you in the end.

I apologize for my grammar. It's time for bed.

Hope this is useful to you all! I am so thankful you stop by and visit my blog. All of your support means the world to me.

<3

Chameleons

2012-01-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

Copics, soft yellow gouache and white-out for highlights.

This is an old character I designed back when I was at Ringling. He's still under construction which is why these two drawings are so different.

I work so much now, with both SkyVu Pictures and my clinic job, I don't have time to draw. When I'm a full time character designer (which is a possibility coming up soon!!) I will be updating a lot more often.

Flirty Bird

2012-01-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

He may be a little dark for some of you to see. I apologize. As soon as I get a background going he will lighten up a little.

Nanday Conure. He's a flirt. Currently, he has no name.

Also, his feathers are not accurate in number or anatomy, but that's ok :)

Progress...

2012-01-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

This is a preview of something I'm working on right now. I started on it late tonight and I'm already too tired to finish. Hope to have the finished piece up by tomorrow!

I also want to thank everybody who has stopped by and taken a look at my blog, followed, and/or left a comment. Your support means the world to me! <3

Wolves from the Sketchbook

2012-01-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

I was trying my hand at some Wolves, except one of these looks like a Husky.

Copics and white out

2011-12-11T20:30:00.001-08:00

An Eagle Hawk. 98% of this was colored with Gradients :)

because I'm so terrible at digital painting.

one day I'll get it.

I know the birds are getting old but they keep me going. I love them too much <3

New Sketchbook - Eagle Hawks

2011-12-05T21:20:00.001-08:00

Bought a new sketchbook today. It's orange, faux orange leather. The paper is a dark cream color.

I love it.

Here are some eagle hawks to fight my artist block. Reposted from my BIRD BLOG

Thanks for stopping by!

Bears!

2011-11-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

So, I am a huge fan of Jill Greenberg. She is an amazing photographer and her animal portraits books are so much fun to draw from. I was so inspired this weekend after buying David Colman's grizzly bear book and I had to take a stab at doodling some monstrous fuzzies :)

I hope to turn these into paintings and work more on them later.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Bear reference from:

Portfolio 2011

2011-11-23T14:18:00.001-08:00

My portfolio is finally up! Many thanks to all that I met at CTNx and others who have visited my blog. Your support and compliments mean the world to me. Thank you thank you thank you! Anyway, you may access my portfolio by clicking the link below:

Rachel Wolfe Visual Development Portfolio 2011

When I have a litte more time, I will be posting more about my experience this last weekend and of course, uploading more art. I cannot thank you all enough for supporting me. Have a wonderful thanksgiving!

Sketchbook :)

2011-11-07T20:21:00.001-08:00

From the sketchbook. I haven't had a lot of time to draw between work and getting ready for CTN. I'm super stressed about it but at least I get some sketch time in between calls at work.

Check out the Bird Blog. New stuff there as well :)

Identity

2011-10-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

I did a self portrait! not finished yet but it works for now.

Business card Design. Still used my Llama from '09. I like it too much to toss it.

CTN in 20 days <3

Work drawing

2011-10-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this from my bird blog because I don't have anything new to share.

Today was one of the slowest days at work since the summer. I drew an Owl during my down time :)

This was done with micron .03 and brush pens, prismacolor markers, warm grey copic markers, col-erase color pencils, and white-out. <3

Harpies

2011-10-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Harpy Eagles!

I'm reposting from my BIRD BLOG.

Conchords Revisited

2011-10-17T23:03:00.001-07:00

Added some color to my favorite dynamic duo. I also re-dressed Jemaine because I was not liking the shirt I had on him before. It was too plain.

there is more to this picture, but I'm still working out the details. I hope to have it ready for my portfolio. ONE MONTH TILL CTN!!!! <3

marker fun

2011-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

I draw a lot at work on the weekends. Because the call volume is fairly small now that football is in season, I doodle between calls. All of these were done with markers and white-out. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my favorite way to color my sketches.

The top drawing is a collage of my betta sketches, and the one below it is a page of silhouettes. I have two bettas at home. The oldest (2 years) is a double-tail half moon named Marcello. My other is named Serge, and he is a dragon scaled betta.
Monkeys have always been a challenge for me. I am pretty proud of these though.

Also, I updated my bird blog. check it out!

stripes

2011-10-10T21:57:00.001-07:00

more faun exploration

2011-10-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

This took me a couple hours....and most of it was done in Sketchbook Pro. Laid out the rough sketch, linework, and solid colors in SBP. The rest was colored in Photoshop. This is not nearly where I want it to be, but I'm at a point where I can share. There will be an animatic, someday, involving this character.

Lady Faun and some Conchords

2011-10-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

I doodled a Lady Faun in sketchbook pro. She is the same character from my "Ready, Able" project last year. I really enjoy the layout of sketchbook pro and the line quality. It reminds me a lot of Open Canvas (I love that program), which was the program I used way back in the day when Digital Painting was my forte. Autodesk is winning me over once again, and I definitely prefer it to Adobe.

However, photoshop was needed to these two. I freaking love Flight of the Conchords; Jemaine Clement even moreso <3

Satyr

2011-09-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

The other night while I was drawing, I was a little frustrated with myself for being fresh out of ideas. This is usually the norm, my creativity has dwindled away over the years but I've been actively trying to ignite it again. Anyway, I took a break and drove out to the grocery store to pick up some things. On my way there, an excerpt from Swan Lake (Clint Mansell's version from BLACK SWAN) started to play on my ipod. The song started to stir up ideas in my head; a ballet of sorts. It then got me thinking of something I put on hiatus last year.

I've always had an idea for a story involving a Satyr or some kind of other mythical being like a nymph or forest spirit falling in love with a human being. Because of their forbidden love (you know, mortals can't be with immortals, etc.) the forest god punished the immortal for breaking the rules. The outcome is yet to be determined but I've been wanting to work the idea a little more to come up with a solid story to board and a concept to visually develop.

So after I got home, I doodled a little in my sketchbook and came up with a Faun/Satyr character I could possibly use. He's semi-mischievous, and I haven't decided if he's an antagonist or supporting protagonist. I really like the previous idea I had with a female forest spirit or nymph disguised as a deer. Maybe I'll find a way to work them together. At this point, the idea is still very cloudy and underdeveloped. we will see how it goes.

On a different note, I find it very difficult to update this thing as much as I'd like.

figurative

2011-09-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

Figures! I've got some strippers, some sketches from THE SATORIALIST fashion blog, and some from a figure book I purchased from my previous place of employment. The figure book is a great reference, but the values are limited in the photos and there isn't a variety of figures in the book. All in all, it's great for reference in terms of quick drawings for loosening up or ideas for simple poses.

If you're interested, the book is called: THE HUMAN FIGURE, by E. A. Ruby

can be found HERE

(Also, I apologize in advance if you are interested in this book, it runs kind of pricey new because it's out of print. It serves it's purpose wether it's new or not :)

Here are my sketchies:

It's been a while...even more so than before

2011-09-16T14:15:00.001-07:00

So, there's no denying that I NEVER update this thing. That's hopefully changing, because I do have art to show to you all....but most of it belongs on my bird blog. Yes, I finally have a bird blog :3

CLICK HERE

I've been working a lot at my new job, which I hope to replace some day with a REAL job. I've also been very busy getting ready for CTNX!!! I get to go this year, and I am thrilled out of my mind. I'm going to meet a good number of the people who have inspired and motivated me over the years to pursue a career in the animation industry. I don't have much to show for myself at this very moment, but I am hoping to have a killer portfolio put together by the end of this month. I will be posting a link here when it's up and running on it's own blog. Very excited. This is by far the most important step I've taken towards my career since Ringling.

I don't have much to show for myself today, but I can at least share the following:

"The Hills Have Craig" - comic concept. I'm trying to find a photoshop style that works for me. I enjoy traditional media much more.

environment value studies and thumbnails :D

Possible cover art for a comic I would like to do for my bird blog and storyboard practice. It will be called "My Experience with Cockatoos."

Fin.

2011-04-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

environment copied from a photo I found online. warmin' up for thesis time.

15 min.

Cockatiel

2010-07-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

I just got out of Despicable Me....and oh my lord was it amazing. I was completely blown away by the film. The characters were so well defined and the story flowed beautifully. I also noticed a lot of the humor of the creators from Horton passed on into Despicable Me. I am truly privileged to be able to view such a film.And, of course, it left me with some motivation and energy to draw something before bed. It's 3am here in Nebraska, so I bid you farewell and leave you with this:

I apologize for the Lack of updates. I've been super busy with school and work. I am happy to admit, though, I am almost done with both children's books and now working, once again, for Skyvu Pictures. Not as an intern this time, no. I have the honor of being the newest addition to their 2D team.

Things are looking up :)

Now, I gotta start drawing something besides birds.

Ed Droste

2010-03-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Funny what happens when I'm suppose to be working on other things. This is a quick, out of proportion, sketch of Ed Droste.

portfolio preview

2010-02-22T15:41:00.001-08:00

My portfolio cover page...... finally getting somewhere with these applications for internships.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T21:49:00.001-08:00

2009 is almost over, and I'm happy to say that it was a good year, for the most part. I think my art has improved greatly since I went to Ringling, and though I'm not there now I am feeling a little better about myself and how things are going. I feel that if I get my mind back in the swing of things, by surrounding myself by as much visual motivation as possible, I can make it back and do what I was meant to do.

I don't belong in Nebraska working for Petland. I belong in a studio, working with minds like mine, as a storyteller.

In the meantime, I have some Cockatoos I'd like to share with you. I love my birds at work and they provide a lot of inspiration for character designs. These are based off some birds I've had the privilege to work with in my past two years at Petland.

The first two on the left are Sulfer Crested Cockatoos, the crazy one with the fluff is an umbrella, and the one on it's back is a psychopathic Rose Breasted (Ghala) Cockatoo.

Someday I'll design character representations of all the species of birds I've worked with,(budgies, parrots, finches, etc) but for now, I just don't have the time to draw all 35+.

Ink Portrait for a friend

2009-12-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

For one of my friends this year, I decided to do an ink painting while applying the watercolor technique I learned at ringling. I used Liquitex acrylic ink with Dr. PH. Martin india inks. My pallet consists of combined Carbon Black, Quinacridone Magenta, Napthol Crimson, Dioxazine Purple, and medium yellow. Total time I'd say was about 2 hours, and I'm pretty happy with it.

My friend loved it and I forgot how much I enjoy this technique. I'm thinking of eventually working on a few more portraits and giving them to people.

Anyway, here's some art for your viewing pleasure:

Bird Lady self portrait. The birds are my birds from work, all hand raised by myself and the store.

Self Portrait 2

"Ready, Able" Rough value studies

W.I.P. Of my buddy Blake. (unfinished)

Nerdy Boy #1

Nerdy Boy #2

I know I promised I'd update this thing more often, and I now have more time to make that effort. I went ahead and re-did the layout and the banner, because my old one was a makeshift/lazy/crappy sort of set-up and now I'm more comfortable giving my link out to people. Stay on the look out for more work :D

Ready Able - animatic work in progress

2009-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, time for an update.

This is one of the first steps in the next series of finished illustrations for GRIZZLY BEAR'S, "Ready Able." There are videos out there already, but I am determined to do one of my own, with the intent of it not being nearly as creepy as the original. I'm pretty excited, I've had some really good ideas, and it feels great to finally start working my way out of my rut. I haven't done any serious art since I dropped out of Ringling. Anyway, here's one of the main characters. I'm not 100% sold on her design yet but I know I want her to be a forest nymph.

She falls in love with a hunter (or vise versa, I haven't decided yet) and her father is outraged and all hell breaks loose...etc. It's a work in progress.

Birds

2009-07-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

The first is a Macaw, speed drawing 5 min

The second is the congo african grey.

we have three of them at the store.

biggest talkers

biggest pains in the ass.

illustration project

2009-04-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

alice and wonderland adaptation.

WIP

playing around with environments

2009-04-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get some things done for my portfolio, and I will keep adding and subtracting things until I get it done. Bluesky's application is due friday, and though I'm not a junior, it's worth a shot.

These are some environments I'm working on. They aren't super detailed, my teacher told me with the time I have to work on them, they shouldnt' be super refined but should get the point across. I am still having a lot of trouble with lighting (what's new?). I feel, for the lack of experience I have doing this sort of thing, that these are somewhat decent. Still gotta touch up a few things.

The first one is done in photoshop, in about 30 minutes. I wanted to play around with colors and try to get a good idea of placement. I'm still not completely pleased and it could use a few touch-ups. The second is done in illustrator with vector shapes. I've also used the brush tool for a few of the lines. I've got a couple more shapes to add for that one.

Portfolio

2009-04-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have of my portfolio so far. Keep checking back and I'll have more pages up.

Inkage

2009-03-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have some new things to upload! First is a portrait of Sam Rockwell done with my new colored ink set. Acrylic and india ink with some linework in brush and small sized faber castell pen.

Bernard designs for my portfolio:

Figure :D

Zoo drawings

drawings during class

Another zoo drawing

Sketchin's and portraits

2009-02-25T17:19:00.001-08:00

I say, it's time for an update:

Bradley Tyler Moore

Gordon Pinkerton

Zack

and then there was an update

2009-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

SKETCHBOOK TIME :B

From The Sketchbook

2008-11-19T10:33:00.001-08:00

This operation is now up and running

2008-10-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya'll. It's finally time to get this blog started. I wanted to wait until I got to Ringling before I started posting in here. So far, I've stared five different sketchbooks, all containing different things. I've started one for figure, one for character designs, one for studies, one for mindless stuff, and one for assignments. I also have a couple others laying around I've started since my arrival, and those will be uploaded soon as well. Oh yeah, I've also got some killer watercolor portraits to add too. :)

The first few drawings are from a couple of different sketchbooks. The first three images were drawn in the back of my figure drawing journal. I don't believe my teacher has even seen them yet.

I really want to sculpt this.

This is a Whale Lizard...

These next sketchbook drawings are from figure class. I really enjoy short pose days because it gives me a chance to embrace my speedy drawing tendencies. I also have a slight case of ADD when it come to drawing. I get very disinterested, very fast.

That's all for now, I will have much more later on today.