Hello! I am still alive.

Hi everyone! Wow...I've been gone a year...a whole year! I don't believe how much time goes by so fast. Feels like when you are a child, time just crawls by so slowly and when you grow older, it speeds up much to quickly. I am sorry for my sudden departure from my blog, but I am back. I've missed you all so much!

I guess I needed some time away while I thought about my art, where I'd like it to be, where I really want it to go and generally to sort my whole life out. And I finally think I'm ready to tackle tackling the whole art business seriously, because, I realized during my working days at my day job, that it's where I truly want to be. So, I have been around the interwebs on various social sites that are my regular haunts, and trying to improve my work. I think I am finally getting better and to a place on how I want it to look.  I am totally looking forward to sharing that progress with all of you. *big Internet hugs*

So! I guess you could call this illustration my first after a whole year away. Looking at it, it has turned out to be a turning point drawing where I feel I've changed so much.

 

 

 

This little lady is called "Bewitched". She was for an October auction on Facebook last year. I am happy to say that she found a lovely new home. One of my first successful sales in a long, long time.  She was done with pencils and white ink on Deleter Art paper. She actually took nearly three months to finish! But, that was probably due to a hectic work schedule at the time.  When you work in florals, you come to dread the holidays. *laughs*

 

 

So again, so happy to be back! I hope all of you have been well? Cannot wait to catch up on lost time. See you all very soon! Cheers!

Springing back to life- Or known As Long art filled post!

Hi everyone! Happy spring to you all.  I've been gone from blogger for much too long now, longer than I would ever had wanted.  Things have been rather crazy lately and I had a serious bout of a very dark depression that robbed me of all motivation and drive to do or create anything. I'm very glad to say now though, that I'm finally crawling out of it.  I've never been in an Art Block before and I hope never to experience that again.  Now, with a fresh, new and happy outlook on life again; I'm overflowing with art ideas and story ideas again and I'm so excited to get started on doing work again!  I don't think I'll be able to draw fast to enough to get all the ideas out. *Laughs*

After this three month break, I'm so glad to be back here and to get back to blogging again. <3

So, I know it's not much of a return gift to you guys, but I have some line art up of Harry Potter, which you can see up there.  I hope to have it finished at some point.  This is a "Thank You" for always coming by my blog with all the awesome comments.  You all rock!

I turned thirty-four on the sixth of this month:

(I'm about eight years old here. ^_^) For the first time, it actually feels weird to be this age.  I kept going over and over that for the last week. *laughs* But, I'll still never, ever act my age or grow up.  I'll leave growing up for six months after I die, far in the future. Haha!  Cartoons and sugar cereals on a Saturday morning forever!

My mum bought me a DVD copy of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug".  I cannot wait for the final film to come out.

I also did a little bit of  video game fan art last month:

This is "Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time".  It's 8 1/2 x 11 " , pencil and white ink on Deleter Art paper.  It took me what felt like forever to get this done. *Laughs*  I've been playing so much of this game lately, that the art bug bit me quite hard and I wanted to show how much I adore Link and the Zelda games.  Plus it was fun to draw what Navi might look like, outside of a floating ball of light in the games.  

The Great Deku Tree came out a bit darker than I would have liked, but that's alright...I think it still came out wicked looking! ^_^


I also had a marvelous surprise in the beginning of March:

 

 

I was flipping through the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and found my submission for The Faces of Mixed Media art call, in their current issue...alongside of some pretty wonderful and creative artists.  I was so happy to see it there!  It was a bolt of sunshine in the chilly March weather.


Also did some random line art for a picture book I've put on hold for now,  as I want to focus on getting back to my novel with no distractions.  And adding a picture book to that makes it hard to focus on one story.

So this is a sketch of the main character, who for now is called "The Grey Girl".  I hope to get back to her when my novel series is finished.


*Phew* Okay, so that's all for today.  There's so much more I want to share, but I'll leave that for another day, as I don't want to bog you all down. *Laughs*  I am going to announce a challenge that my mum has given to me to keep me going next post.  It's worked wonders in keeping my motivation up.

Wishing you all a happy, creative week!  Many hugs to you. Cheers!

Empress: A Royal Elf

Hello! *phew* My bad for not blogging in a few weeks!  My laptop died and I had to wait a bit before I could replace it.  I have a nifty little tablet now, which I'm still trying to get used to.  It's only seven inches big, so seeing things on-line is hard. *laughs*  But I love it!  Been busy catching up with everything, since.

So, how was the New Year for all of you?  I completely forgot about the countdown, (I was busy playing Zelda for, like, six hours), until my mum woke up, she had a bad case of the flu, and reminded me.  I love opening the patio door and listening to the city as everyone makes noise at midnight.  It's such an awesome sound!

Anyway, this little lady here I finally finished!  I had to stitch some of the art together in an art program because it was much too large for the scanner, but I still did not yet quite fit all of the drawing in the frame.  She is going to be included in my book, though, she won't show up until the very end of the series.

As for the book, I am about midway through now and I'm guess that the first draft will work out to be around 90,000 words.  It's very hard not to edit as I write the rough draft, but I have to keep reminding myself to think of it as a rough sketch to stop myself. *laughs*  What I'm enjoying most out of the writing, seeing the characters come to life on the page!  I'm still in awe of them taking over my brain.

Well, my lovelies, I hope you all are having a wonderful week.  And I wish an early spring thaw for those of you going through the terrible winter storms. Cheers!

Tangled-Plus a NaNo and PiBoIdMo update

Oh hi there! My goodness, December already, where on earth has the time flown to?!  November was so crazy busy, but I feel that I got the most done out of all the other months past. Yippee!
I'll start with this drawing here.  I finished this actually close to the end of last month.  She's done with pencil and white ink again, as I'm running very low on my watercolour pencils and the like.

She's inspired by one of my favourite, and a little rare, Grimm fairy tale of  three women who are turned into flowers and only one can return to her good husband at night.  They form a plan and he rescues her from her enchantment.  It's such a sweet little story, and by little I mean very wee.  It's barely a paragraph long.  I wanted to illustrate something that might go along with it, so I hope I did it a fair enough composition.  Hmm, it might also make for some lovely writing paper.

I also participated in NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo this year as well.  It wasn't a challenge juggling the two as much as I thought it was going to be.  For NaNo, I managed to make it just past the 20,000 mark by the end.  Which I think is still quite good for my first try, since I didn't quite know what the heck I was doing in the first place. *Laughs*  But, I have a super awesome start (finally) to my first middle grade book.  It's all very exciting to see the characters, settings and plots come to life.  I'm still writing strong and have a goal to make it to almost 50,000 by this month's end.  (I'll try my best at least, so no biggie if I don't quite make it.)

And I totally completed PiBoIdMo! Woo to the Hoo!  I have about 40 ideas written down for a children's picture book and I've narrowed it down to five ideas now.  I've two really rough manuscripts started and I'm currently noodling around with some rough concepts for the illustrations.
It's a brave new world and experience starting for me and I'm very much looking forward to see where that sails me to.

I never knew at first that I would start to head in this direction of children's books and writing, until last year I took a serious look at just who I was reading out there in blogger land.  I was very surprised to see it was mostly mums who were writing, illustrating and crafting, but the largest majority was children's writers and illustrating.  That actually surprised me, as I've done comics for so long.  It's weird how you don't always know yourself, isn't it?  So a change was in definite order.  The thought of being able to one day inspire a little one (maybe one of own one day too), fills me with a joy I never got from doing comics. I just can't wait to get started!

Oh no! I'm rambling...I'll be quiet and leave you to your lovely tea! *laughs*

I've been doodling a lot lately.  More so than getting to finish pieces, really.  This one here, "Forest Elf"  is for my middle grade novel.  She's a lot nicer looking than she really is, so don't  be fooled too much by that elegant face. *wink*  I'm almost done with her, I just hope my colours will last long enough for me to finish.

And one more sketch to show you...

This again is for my middle grade book.  I'm calling her "Empress" for now.  She doesn't show up until the end of the series, but I wanted to draw her so I can flesh out her details in writing a bit better.  She a very nice young elf lady and has a twin.  I'm going to have to use pencil for this drawing, I wont have enough colours left after I finish with another drawing.

How was all of your Thanksgiving my dear American friends?  Did anyone dare to go Black Friday shopping?  Omgosh, I never do that kind of shopping, I'd like to keep all my limbs intact, thank you very much indeed. *laughs*  This is why I'm very grateful for having Hanukkah early this year.

Wishing you all a very merry and candy cane coloured week! Cheers!

Featured In Art Doll Quarterly!

Hellooooo! First I want to apologise for last week's sorta dark post that I wrote.  I've made a note that when feeling lower and low and not my happy self, leave blogging till that passes. *laughs* So, I'm also sorry for not going around to visit. Forgive me, please! *Giving Sad Puppy Eyes*

Anyway...I'm feeling sky high happy today, which is such a great feeling to have again. I think I said some time back that I would have some news in November? Riiighhhtt?? And if you've been with me on Face book during the summer, I kinda blabbed early, but I was so excited!  I'd like to announce now that one of my paper dolls, Toko has been featured in Art Doll Quarterly!!!  I'm still excitedly waiting for the issue to arrive in my mail slot, but I just couldn't wait to share!!

And here's the little lady:

And the gorgeous front cover this the winter issue:

I'm just so super happy to be part of this issue, with all the marvelous doll artists that are are always in there and to share a page with them is such and honour and treat that I could ever hope for!
So, in my uber excitement, I'm going to create some new paper dolls this weekend.  I have one here that is actually part of the book I'm working on:

Her name is Fable and I'll have a better photo shot of her up a little later on. She's fully articulated, her wrists, ankles, head, torso, knees, elbows and shoulders all move.  My first time making a larger paper doll.  I have another one waiting, for the past two months actually, to be inked and coloured, then put together.

My gosh, I still cannot go on about how happy I am.  I've spend the last four years really pushing at the direction I really want to go in.  Submitting things and submitting things and feeling like I've been getting no where. No even getting rejection letters....just a void of silence.  But with this, I strongly feel a change in that, I see a light at that dark tunnel's end.  Seeing that email in the summer, that joyful acceptance letter....someone saying "yes" and thinking that it fits in with their publication, has given me the courage and strength to keep fighting for longer now. You guys have given me that too! So thank you all and Art Doll Quarterly!  The future looks bright again!

Ooh! Before I go, I'll share a little sketch:

I originally posted this on Face book. This is "Juliet" from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Just a simple pencil sketch while watching a movie.  I always liked Clare Danes outfit from the 1996 film version and I wanted to draw something like it.

Well, that's all for today. ^_^ Wishing you a wonderful, happy and creative week! Cheers my friends!

Little Red Ridinghood

Happy November 1st everyone!  How was your Halloween? Did any of you dress up or take your kids out?

I stayed in, my street is a little scary to actually go out after dark on that night. So I stayed in and watched the Charlie Brown Halloween special on TV and also watched Paranorman. There was a ton of fireworks going off right outside my apartment! Just happy nothing caught fire. *phew*

 

So, as for this young lady you see here, this was done close to the end of last month. I wanted to post her up yesterday, but just plain forgot. I'm still feeling a little blue. Anyway, it's my own little take on the Grimm's fairytale, Little Red Riding hood.

I wanted the whole drawing to sort of tell the story and I purposely made the lines of the house a little off to make it seem like there was something not quite right about it. I'm still not too happy

about how the wolves look....but, I'm going to spend some time practicing drawing animals. This took so long to draw! A little too long, about three weeks and 1/2...I think. *laughs* 

 I did this with a mechanical pencil and white ink.

 

So, I've also joined a few challenges this month.  I'll be doing PiBoIdMo this year, and already have about ten ideas so far! Yay! I also signed up for NaNoWriMo. (wow...lots of acronyms! *laughs*) After my head nearly exploded from plotting my first book, I think I'm ready to start writing out the first rough copy of it. Don't know if I'll get to all 50,000 words, but I do my best!

 

I finally  started up my Face book page ! I'm doing this all in the hopes to get myself and my work out there. I desperately want to do this for a living...I want so much to be able to do children's book and write them too! I want someone to at least see that I can do good illustrations and I want to share that with so many people that I admire and hope I can be part of their ranks one day. I'm not good at marketing, but again, all I can do is try my best and see what happens.  Hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining,  never would, not that kind of person....I just want this more than ever to be a dream come true. Thank you my lovely friends, for always being my sunshine and I hope I show as much support for your work like you always do for me. Much Love to you all!

 

Wishing you all a lovely, and creative weekend ahead! Cheers you awesome people!

Captured Butterfly ATC

Wonderful evening to you everyone! Man, it's super foggy out tonight, the fog horn has been going off for quite sometime now.  At first I thought it was the movie I was watching, only to poke my head out and realized it wasn't. *laughs*

So, this has to be one of the smallest drawings I've done...ever!  It's on a 4" x 4" square card and I used a mechanical pencil and white ink.  I did this for a reader challenge call, "The Faces Of Mixed Media", over on Cloth Paper Scissors.  I have to get the original mailed off, but, if it doesn't make it in time I went and shared it on their reader forum today.  I had originally titled this, "No One Suspects The Butterfly"....buuuttt...I wanted something that sounded a bit more ethereal.

This one was done close to the beginning of this month and took about a week from start to finish.  I can't believe I forgot all about it sitting in my closet until I was tidying up and it fell to my feet. *laughs*

For a little size comparison:

Thank you all for the wonderful comments you guys always give me....I love reading them and they always make me smile. I've been feeling a little more up beat this week and I can't wait to feel like myself again.

So that's it for tonight....I wish you all a lovely creative and happy week! Cheers!

From My Messy Desk: Part Two: More Sketches On the Drafting Table

Hello you wonderful people! How are you this week? Halloween is coming ever closer, which leads to the best thing about this scary day....horror movies and chocolate! I'm partial to "The Shinning", but if you want cute scary I'd suggest "Paranorman", which is insanely cute and has one of the best heartfelt endings ever.

Which leads me to this drawing you see up there. This month's auction over on Femme Thou Art Collective is "Grimm's Fairy tales" and Halloween just a few weeks away made me think of Little Red Riding hood.  Which is a nice combination of sweetness and darkness.  I like the original French Folk Tale, which in that case the wolf is really a werewolf and there is no wood cutter in that story, but for this illustration, I wanted to put in Grimm's version as well.  I made it really detailed, so I hope I can finish in time.  The auction starts on the 21st of this month.  Doing this made me realize that I really have to improve my skills on drawing animals.  I found trying to draw the two wolves really difficult, to make them look right. So it's to the library! Tally-ho!

Here's the other sketch I'm also working on getting finished:

I call this "Tangled", as I was going for the idea of a summer nymph caught up in her own growing spell.  Weird thing about this one was it was already there is my head, and it just wouldn't let me get anything else done until I sketched her out.  It was the strongest impulse I had, and I haven't felt such a pull like that in a year. Which is awesome.  I think I might make thins into some fancy writing paper when it's done.

I wish I had more to show you guys, but I've been in a bit of a depression for the last two weeks due to some situations and I haven't been motivated to do much of anything else, other than just sketch.  I won't go into it, cause I'm not out to make anyone as depressed as I am. *laughs*

So my dear friends...

I wish you a very happy week ahead and the coming weekend. Love you all! Cheers!

The Dreaming Elf

Good evening!  I hope you all had a splendid week and are enjoying a good weekend.  It's been a busy few weeks for me.  There's been a lot of planning and preparing for Rosh Hashana this past week and now upcoming is  Yom Kippur. I wish you all a very happy L'Shana Tova this new year!

Phew, man, I didn't think I would ever finish this drawing...it has taken me at least three weeks to finish. I've been so obsessed with my current book project, that I have to remind myself to also juggle the other illustrations I have started on the side as well.  She's done with mechanical pencil and white ink.  I wanted the chance to brush up on my pencil and shading skills with this piece and it reminded me how much I love to work in black and white...and...with pencils too!  I found the pose in an old hair magazine and I knew I wanted to incorporate it in a drawing somehow as it was such an elegant and dreamy pose.

I wanted to have a background that sort of reflected what she was dreaming about.  Some far away land that maybe she had not seen in a long time, and missed.  The bird represents my own dreams where I'm flying and the egg meaning to represent unhatched ideas. (At least that's the best way I can describe it.)  An elf who has horns?! Well, I just can't help it, I love to draw horns on about everything...and you never know, maybe some elves do have horns. Right? *laughs*

Anyway, I've been taking daily walks down to the pier park in downtown New Westminster for a little inspiration and quite time to just sit and think by the water.

Ha ha..well, I'm not the best photographer ever, but I think I need something better than just my phone one day. I love going down by the water, nothing is more relaxing than watching the water lapping against the rocks. I'd love to make it out to Stanley Park one of these days.  I haven't been there in a very long time.

Wishing you all a very wonderful week ahead! Cheers!

The Little Birthday Girl

Hello all and happy Friday!!!  Wow, it's August already...which means the changing of leaves into those beautiful fall colours and feeling summer cool away.  I can't believe how the year is now at halfway point...it's all going by so quickly.

Anyway, remember awhile ago I was talking about working on a middle grade novel? Well, I still am.  I've been drowning in research for it for almost eight months now and it's still growing.  I'm still developing the plot and subplots, characters, backgrounds, settings and mythical creatures for the book.  I still want to do a blog about it, which I thought I would have up this past April, but as it turns out...I wasn't ready for that just yet.  I want to make sure I know the In's and outs of my story fully before posting about it.

For now, I bring you my lead character: Sandy.  She's just turned ten years old and is a sweet, rambunctious and imaginative young lass.  She's from the town of Bagshot in England, and lives during the Edwardian Period. (If you're thinking that the town of Bagshot sounds familiar....you're right!  It's my tiny salute to J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter books, which pushed me forward to try writing again.)  She loves, sweets, bedtime stories of fairy tales and myths and will spend innumerable hours making up her own fairy lands, imagining all the adventures she'll have there.

I really wanted to get the feel of old style illustrations from that time, so I did a fair amount of research on children's books of the 1900's and found that most young girls were always coloured with very pale to pastel colours, while the backgrounds would be deep and rich.  Oddly enough, that would make the central figure stand out.   I remember as a kid myself, that I would love to read books with illustrations that were insanely detailed and would stare at them for hours trying to 'see' everything hidden in the picture.  So I intend the same this for my book, which I hope will go over, at least, moderately well.

I'll keep you guys posted on the other characters as they become finished.  Wishing you a lovely and creative weekend. Cheers and love to you all!