Portrait of Hannah and Evelyn

Another project I finished before going on art break was a small watercolor portrait of my sister Hannah and her baby Evelyn for Hannah's birthday. It was a spur of the moment thing and compared to how long the "Phoenix Warrior" painting took, this one was a snap. It actually felt great to finish something I liked in such a short bit of time!

Anyway, on to the artwork.

I worked off of a photo of Hannah and Evelyn I really liked (one of the reasons why this painting came together so quickly). I made a few minor changes from the original photo while sketching it out, so that it would translate better as a painting. And, of course, I forgot to take picture of the sketch stage. Again. =_= Here it is after being inked.

To keep it simple, I decided to just use shades of brown, rather than full color. I also think that helped give it a simplified, classic look. 

After that, I bought a frame for it and sent it on it's way. I really, really love how it turned out (which feels rare, unfortunately) and Hannah loved it, too! ^_^

onward and upward,

Bethany

"Phoenix Warrior" painting commission process

Back from break and I've got some new stuff to share! Right before taking some time off, I finished up a painting commission for my friend Brandon. He asked for a piece of fantasy art with an epic looking warrior in it. After a lot of brainstorming, I came with the idea of a warrior silhouetted against a fire bird. Here's my initial composition thumbnail. 

I did a bunch of rough sketches to figure out the armor, helmet, and weapon details.

I also did a small, painted thumbnail to figure out what colors to use.

I even did a digital mock up version to help me think through how the lighting would work.

With all the prep work out of the way, there was nothing left to do but start (which is always really scary!)

(Also, sorry for not including a picture of the drawing before I started in with the watercolor. I never seem to remember to take pictures of paintings when they're in the drawing stage! :-/)

Painting this was definitely a nerve-wracking process. One false move and the whole thing could be ruined. But through persistence (and praying), I got through and am pretty happy with the final results. Brandon really liked it too and it's now happily sitting on his wall. :-)

onward and upward,

Bethany

MerMay '17 pt. 2

Three more mermaids for MerMay! These might be my last ones. I kind of wish I'd done more of them, but my heart wasn't in the challenge this year like it was last year. Fortunately for me, mermaids can be drawn at any time of the year, not just in May! ^_^

Also, I will be taking a two week break from blogging starting next week. I've decided to schedule more art breaks throughout the year in the hopes of avoiding burn out and other unpleasant things. See you then!

onward and upward,

Bethany

Rat Dragon (a break from Mermay)

Sometimes, in the midst of the general overwhelm of tasks and responsibilities that seem to define what it means to be alive, you get a bizarre little distraction. This week, I was supposed to be drawing mermaids, working on a painting commission, developing a web comic project I dearly hope comes to fruition, and surviving the onslaught of life. Clearly, there is no room for anything else. And yet, when this dragon idea plopped his smug  little self on top of one of my other projects, I shoved everything else aside and sketched him for pages, trying to figure him out. 

After lots of terrible drawings (more terrible than the ones pictured here), I decide he was a Rat dragon, that he was greedy, mischievous, bratty, and probably considered by most to be a nuisance, and that I totally loved him. 

Sometimes, a bizarre little distraction is just what you need.

onward and upward,

Bethany

MerMay pt. 1

MerMay (an art challenge to draw a mermaid every day this month) has come again. While I haven't been as consistent this year as I have in the past, I've been sneaking in a mermaid here and there. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few more done before the month is over!

onward and upward,

Bethany

Sketches from Hiatus: Random stuff

Last batch of hiatus sketches, most of which are pretty random. I think it's funny that I ended with cats, since that's where my hiatus sketches started. =^._.^=

onward and upward,

Bethany

Sketches from Hiatus: Human and Animal reference

Next batch of hiatus sketches are up! I did some reference sketching while on break of human and animal poses. I'm particularly pleased with how the animals turned out. 

onward and upward,

Bethany