Fear of Repetition?

So here's number two of the ABC speed paintings.  It's good that tomorrow isn't a favorite snack fruit that we're currently out of, because the boys were begging for apples and bananas all yesterday and today.  What a compliment!  :)

On today's painting I wondered about how to choose background and shadow colors.  I started with an idea of a different background color, but it wasn't working.  It's pretty tricky to build up a nice Y/YO banana on a sky blue background.  I fiddled with it as I went and wound up with a background very similar to the apple speed paint's.  This kind of worried me.  I don't want to have all my work be the same.  Instead of dwelling on these kind of fears and concerns I decided to put them aside and look at the pros of what I was doing.

     -I'm actually finishing little paintings for practice!  WOOHOO!!!

     -If I end up practicing the same thing for the whole alphabet then I might be getting onto something that I really like and would be starting to get familiar with. 

     -I don't feel like my work has had as much of a consistant feel as I'd like it to.  Doing the same/similar thing might help me find a groove that I can work with in any application. 

     -I won't actually be doing the same thing every time even if it may look like that.  I'll be learning and applying new things every time.

     -These little paintings make me feel really good.  

As long as I'm working to get better, even if it all looks the same, I'm still moving forward.  

Take a hike fears.

:)

B is for Banana

Speed paint ~2hrs

Photoshop CS5

Feeling Inspired!

I did this speed paint in about 2 hours.  That may not seem very speedy, but for me to get something "finished" that quick, even a little study of an apple, is pretty sweet!  I got inspired after watching a video Hollie Hibbert put up on her blog of a study she did.  I still have some questions about specific parts of her process, but it was a great exercise for me.  I even made an ABC's list of subjects that Brandon helped me choose for further speed paint exercises.  

PS: if you haven't seen Hollie Hibbert's work, you can check it out at her blog here.  She graduated a few semesters before I did and her work has always been very inspirational to me.  Thanks Hollie!

A is for Apple

Speed Paint ~2hrs

Photoshop CS5

Crazy Bunny Story - Line Illustration

This is my most recent commission.  It's of an experience a friend of mine that wanted to remember the story visually to share with another friend, but he didn't have a picture to go with it.  Thus the illustration commission was born!  It was a great story and I had a great time illustrating it.

Share and Enjoy!

Final 12"x12" Line Illustration

Closer....

I love this little guy!

Hooray for illustrating 

and hooray for fun stories to illustrate!