Ninja FLIP: Otterly Adorable

Jessica had a great idea to get us through the awful month of July.  We had a long narrative project that lasted the whole month with weekly goals.

Did I procrastinate?  Yes.  Did I not meet the weekly deadlines?  Um, it's true, I did not really meet the deadlines, though having them there was a really great incentive and it was helpful in proceeding. I actually learned a lot this month doing this.  It was great!

The weekly goals involved writing a story that could be told in four images, making a storyboard for said story, and then completing the images.

I did all of that, though I completely shifted gears halfway through and changed things up unexpectedly.  I had written a nice little story that was okay and short and, I thought, to the point.  And it was.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could condense it and condense it until finally...it just ended up being a single rhyming line, lol.  And the images I had cooked up worked so well together on a single long page that I thought I'd better just roll with it.  Originally I was not going to do all this calligraphy, but it called for it.

Story board for my original piece:

Completed image:

"So many things to pursue,

but giving big hugs is what we *otter* do!"

Now we just have to get through August!
...

First storybook-type zebras

Took me a while to finish this one; I got blocked and distracted halfway through.

I'm particularly excited about this; at first I cringed at the background, think it's too bright, but I'm going for a storybook feel and it ended up fabulous with the zebras.  I'm also thrilled with the incorporation of line, mass color, and fine detail...it's something I didn't think I'd be able to achieve, so this combination of media is enchanting to me.  I'm really looking forward to more now.  Hopefully I'll stop getting so blocked (though I find that unlikely; it's summertime and summertime is always miserable).

Just an update to show I'm painting

Still trying to get into a mode where I can actually do this painting thing regularly.

FLIP: Broken

I am so majorly late on this and I don't even have a reason.  Sorry, Jessica!

Anyway.  This week's theme was in honor of my fridge, which is now thankfully *not broken*!  Yay!  I guess it did some good.  :D

This may not seem very broken to you, but this is my old character from the game City of Heroes, which *is* broken and it makes me sad.  (It was an online game and they have since taken down the servers so it is no longer playable.)  It still makes me very sad to think of it because I really loved playing it.

(I need a large bed scanner!)

FLIP: Shoes

Back again this week with Jessica with more randomness.  :D

As I was doing this one, I kept thinking, babies of all species are all so silly.

FLIP: Spikes

I took a longer break than I had expected with various painful developments, but I hope I'm starting to get back on track again.  I am glad to be flipping out again with Jessica.  :D

Actually this worked out well.  When she told me our theme weeks ago, I had an image in my mind and I really did not know how to do it.  I went ahead with thinking of other ideas (which haven't gotten finished themselves, either).

Then I got these awesome manga models and I figured it out.

So here is my random idea for this week.  First time using a pose from Body-kun.  (Hahah, yes, that is really his name.  His friend is Body-chan.)

My husband told me it's creepy.  Do you think it's creepy?  I was just going for a general image that could be used for various things; I dunno, I guess it could be creepy...

FLIP: More Cowbell

"Guys, I've gotta fever..."

 Don't forget to check out Jessica's, because...we need more cowbell.

FLIP: Wasabi!

I loved this week's theme!  It gave me fun ideas.  I'm looking forward to seeing what Jessica did.

I actually drew several characters named Wasabi, but this is the one I was really after.  I've tried to do my own dragons before, but this is the first time I've ever really been pleased.  (Oh my gosh he's soooo cuuuute!)

I actually had to draw Wasabi the cat before I could get this one down right.  :D

Acryl gouache, again.  :)  I love it.

FLIP: Prohibition

This took me a little longer than I expected because I had to readjust to my new glasses a bit, and I was a little slow in figuring things out.  There's still a lot more I'd like to do with this theme, and to ultimately come out with a finished product I have in mind, but here is today's offering.  :)

Acrylic gouache in my large watercolor Moleskine.  (Bonus points if you can tell what the original reference was, lol.)

Yay I can see again!

After a very painful week, I finally got new glasses!  Yay!

New paint!

I may have gone a little overboard, but it was in sale...

FLIP: Crystal

My glasses broke, but here I am still!  Actually I got this done last week and I have another that is unfinished that would also fit under today's theme.

Jessica did something really cool this week, I love her color gradients!

This week, Racoon-kun is back at work, precipitating crystals.  :)

This is acryl gouache and oil pastel on top with transparent gesso in between.

FLIP: Smoke

I'm excited to see what Jessica came up with this week!

I don't know if I mentioned before, but one of my purposes is to do some pictures that my toddler would like to look at.  As a side note, I love love love how this acryl gouache scans!  I tested a bit of regular acrylic with this one and did not like it as much (look at the fox's back; it's really darker but didn't scan as well).  I do think this image needs a bit of tidying up still with some ink and whatnot, but overall I was pretty thrilled with its outcome.

FLIP: Sparkle

First, sorry for the really, really bad picture.  Maybe I'll fix it later.

Second, as expected my sparkles are not showing up well.  *sigh* I wish you could photograph sparklies.  I am sure Jessica knows that this theme would not be complete without a pony, so here she is.  I had wanted to use my new paint on this, but I can't yet mix a good purple.  This is actually not done, sketch though it may be.  I can't yet find my silver ink and this needs a number of color adjustments, as well.

I am pleased, however, with the drawing.  :)

Sea Turtle Quilt, concept design 1

My eldest needs a baby turtle quilt.  :)

So here is the first design for it.

ACEO Owl

Matthew "helped" me with some pencil work.  (Thankfully *only* pencil!)

Acryl gouace with oil pastel, ACEO

FLIP: Messy

Jessica and I are starting a new Motivating Project.

I mentioned wanting to do more illustration/design work and so Jessica suggested we begin FLIP...fun loopy illustration project.  :p  I'm very excited about this.

This week's theme is Messy (totally a theme, not just the state of my existence right now).

I did some scribble work of the cats.

My scanner is horrible at this type of thing, so it only scanned sections of the pages, but I thought all things considered I'll just go with it.

Cassowary

Life has been pretty crazy, but I hope for regular posting again!

I got some acryl gouache paints that I have been experimenting with, and I have discovered the Cassowary.  They have them here at my new zoo.

This is a sketch in my Canson XL mixed media sketch book, 7x10

 This is an ACEO, acryl gouache with a touch of oil pastel.  Not much oil pastel as I was just testing, but I was amazed how well it blended with the paint!  I have a hard time telling where the op is, it blends so well.  I am thrilled!