Fun sketch - riff on Manet's Olympia

So, if I'm going to be painting pictures of peoples' pets as a source of revenue, I might as well spice things up. How about putting your pet in a old-school painting, such as Manet's Olympia? (link NSFW.) And maybe the pet owner too?

This prelim sketch was done on spec, (and without reference photos of the actual subjects) so we'll see how it goes. I'm tempted to start the real painting anyway, and just fill it in when I get a bite!

Pet Painting Commission - delivered!

Hudson the fluffy white dog has finally found his home, resting on the mantle.

Please keep me in mind if you are thinking about getting a pet portrait done!

Experiments in art!

Here are some experiments using acrylic ink. They aren't done, but I thought that I'd post them as is, since it's been a while since my last post.

The Owl and the Pussycat

I've been told that it would be a good idea for my portfolio to include an image based on a well-known fairytale or nursery rhyme. So I decided to give it a go.

This image is based on the Edward Lear nonsense poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat."














Here's part of it:

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

4 new paintings!

It may seem like I do things in spurts, and maybe I do, but really, it just takes me a while to upload it all to the blog. Here are some paintings that I've finished since the last painting I posted. That isn't to say they were started since then, too. These all stretch back for some time, since I spent the last year focused almost exclusively of children's book writing and illustrating. But now I realize I can do both. My paintings don't have to be heart-wrenching, soul-searching, or deep, just as long as they communicate. If you think that equates to having sold out, well then, boo on you. Anyhoo, having the art studio to work in is a real help also in getting these paintings done. I don't have to put everything neatly away at the end of each and every day, or worry about getting paint on the carpet. And - extra bonus - no embedded cat hair! All this to say, I'm grateful for my situation. I feel like I'm really making some good progress.

You can see these in higher quality (and order cards and prints, heh) at my Fine Art America page: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/julia-collard.html

P.S. I just have to say for my own sanity that the paintings really do look better in person - the colors are more vibrant in real life (especially the sea turtle painting!) Also, since I use a lot of acrylic medium to add depth, there's quite a bit lost in 2D. If you ever want to see them in person or see a side-view photo, let me know. Ok, I feel better now.

more drawings of kids

kids in color

sketches of kids

well, I've really been trying to determine a more illustration-y style for my drawings of kids. humans are a lot harder to draw than animals, because if the locations of features are even the tiniest bit off, the whole thing looks wrong. in other words, it's easier to get away with stuff when one is drawing animals. anyway, here are some kid drawings.

Illustrations of the Week: Echidna

Just for fun, just for practice, just what I can show without giving away my precious ideas....

And by the way, I do realize that I'm not posting an illustration every single week. I'll think about rectifying that, really I will. It's just that I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions this time around, so my level of blog upkeep has not increased proportionately with the time of year.

Prints Now Available!

I signed up on Fine Art America so that interested parties may purchase my original paintings and/or prints of my paintings and illustrations. So, now's your chance to prove that you weren't just saying it - that you meant it when you said, "I want that on my wall!"

Touché!

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/julia-collard.html?tab=artwork

Painting: I Can Has Banana Phone?

I finally delivered this commissioned piece, so I can now post an image on my blog: ta da!

This is HappyCat, the mascot of sorts of icanhascheezburger.com , enjoying the use of his many banana phones. (Don't know what a banana phone is? Search for it in YouTube, and you're welcome in advance for the earworm.)

The piece measures 18" x 24" and is painted using all acrylic paints and mediums. (yes, mediums, not media; it's a personal preference)

Over-worrying: I hope I won't get sued by the now-defunct Russian cat food company that initially used HappyCat in one of their ad campaigns. I definitely managed to add my own twist to it, and it's not like I'm rolling in dough Shepard-Fairey-style.

Enjoy!

Illustration of the Week: Rainy Venice

This one's just for fun. It's based off of an image I liked from the LA Times about the rain storms in Venice, Italy some years back. Thought I'd give it a shot, since I usually avoid leaving so much "blank" space, since light backgrounds usually feel unfinished to me.

Illustration of the Week: A Literary Giraffe

This little dude is slated to be copied onto bookplates for a donation program a friend of a friend is handling. I like to think Giraffy's reading up about knitting turtlenecks or something.
(click on the image to enlarge)

Illustration of the Week: Home, Tweet Home

Whipped this up yesterday as the front of a card for a housewarming party (we're going to one today). The inside of the card reads: "Home, Tweet Home"

It was made by dry-blending colored pencil on plain 8.5" x 11" sketch paper.

I just colored right on top of the original sketch, no transfer. If I had to do it again, there are a few changes I would make, other than the obvious of using real art paper and watercolor and more interesting background and lighting: I'd also make the birds larger, since their expressions are hard to see when the image size is reduced to fit the card. (Click on the image to see it larger)

on vacation...

Sorry for the long delay since my last post. First I was preparing for the SCBWI National Conference, and then, just two days post-conference, we left town for a 10-day trip to the East Coast. No rest for the weary! hah.

As I type, I'm chilling in the "Chauffeur's Cottage" of a historic manor in Bar Harbor, Maine, (pronounced Bah-Hah-Bah), resting after a day of lobster eating and bald eagle spotting. I haven't had a moment still enough for sketching. But that means I'm on the move, filling up my mind to the brim full of ideas to take with me to the drawing table!

For example, who knew there was a nightly Lumberjack Show just outside of town? I sure didn't! Who knew lobsters could grow to be 6 feet long? Prehistoric, man! And I didn't know pitcher plants and cranberries grew side-by-side in bogs, either. And one more: seals take 10-15 second micro-naps by 'bottling' - just sticking their noses out of the water so they could breathe while catching a little shut eye - by bottling, Harbor Seals don't actually have to haul out to sleep (unclear on whether this is specific to this particular sub-species).

Those were just a few of the little factoids that keep me smiling. I'll be back in a week!