What Time Is It? (D)

Aaaaaadventure Time!!!  And also Birthday Time.  After the Get Well card I was commissioned to do for my work blog was such a big hit, I was asked to do another e-greeting card, this time for a co-worker's birthday post.  It was somewhat intimidating, because the birthday girl is one of the other artists, and a very talented one too, so I knew I had to step up my game and do something impressive!  I was at a loss as to what to do for a while, but then I remembered that she's a big fan of Adventure Time, so I decided to do something in that style (though not necessarily in mine), sure that she would enjoy it.  And she did!  And the people who hadn't heard of Adventure Time and followed my link to the original short will be forever grateful, I'm sure.  So here it is!  Happy birthday, Chelsea!

Sunday Sketches -- Shadows That Are Dark (D)

Over the weekend we went to see the new Burton(/Depp/Bonham Carter/Elfman) movie, Dark Shadows. We really liked it!* It was of course odd and campy and at times bizarre, but it had some really beautiful and amusing and unexpected elements. It wasn't Burton's best, but they can't all be Edward Scissorhands or The Nightmare Before Christmas, now can they? In any case, the characters were soon to be found in my sketchbook, and I even tried to present them in a sort of Burtonesque style, which they unsurprisingly lent themselves to, character design-wise. I'm actually really pleased with how most of them turned out! (Carolyn... you could use a little work.  You too, Dr. Hoffman.)

* Not to ruffle any feathers, but overall we actually liked it more than the previous week's The Avengers...  Which we still liked!!!

Sunday Sketches -- Thomas Times Three (D)

Today's post has been a few months in the making.  This year I've been reading through a favorite author's entire published works, starting with his literary debut and moving onward chronologically, and the often tragic and always glorious tales of Thomas Hardy have therefore definitely made their way into my sketchbook on the occasional Sunday.  And so, with entries ranging from February through April (but always on Sunday!), I present a trio of character collages from Hardy's first three novels.

Desperate Remedies (1871)

Desperate Indeed!, or, One Cytherea Too Many

 Under the Greenwood Tree (1872)

The Many Loves of Fancy Day, or, Oh, COME On, Fancy

 A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873)

What's a Girl To Do?, or, Poor Elfride and Her Big Blue Eyes

Sunday Sketches (J)

It's been a long time since I did some Sunday Sketches.  Lately I have been feeling low on the inspiration scale, and recently this was what I could come up with--exercising little Pencil People (there was no pen at hand...I tried to resist using an eraser).  Hurrah for fitness and for arts!

The archer man is one of my favorites, as is that ribbon dancer, whose pose is probably totally impossible in real life.  Side note: many of these were inspired by the thought of "What other games are there on Wii Sports...?"

Springtime Well-Wishes (D)

Today my boss at work asked me to draw up and post a little something on our team blog for a co-worker who hasn't been feeling very well.  This was the result of the morning's work:

What but daisies (or, I guess, a daisy) to help someone feel better?

Sunday Sketches -- Mr. Cabret and Friends (D)

Last week I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and over the weekend we watched the movie too.  I liked them!  I didn't love them, but I liked them.  I think both the book and movie do some things better than the other.  I don't necessarily think it was one of the best movies of the year (and I definitely don't think it was better than the last [or any] Harry Potter...), but I thought it had a certain charm as I made my way through the book's text and illustrations, and then saw it realized on the screen.  In any case, of course the fairly vivid characters were in the forefront of my mind today, so they found their way out of my pen and into my sketchpad.  I actually really like how they turned out for the most part!

Have you read the book or seen the movie?  Do you recognize the characters?  I should hope so if you have, since they're largely inspired by some combination of the book illustrations and the actors in the movie.

Sunday Sketches--The Big Top (J)

I've spent most of February lying around and working on non-art things. But now that a few non-art things are taken care of I can work on arts again! I decided to do some more little pen peeps. They started off without a theme, but then I decided to do a batch of circus people. I drew them in two sittings and you can tell I started to get frustrated towards the end. It culminated with the last one, which is basically me being frustrated.
The trapeze girl is definitely my favorite, but I'm fond of the weight lifter as well. Pretty much that top row is my favorite.