Precarious Places

When I read the SFG challenge last Thursday, I grabbed a Starbucks' receipt (my preferred drawing surface as of late) and did a quick scrawl. As the week progressed I found myself liking it more and more. This morning as luck would have it I woke up with the sun and decided to go at it. So here he is, in all his dragon-y glory:

Fashion Sketches and Looming Deadlines

I'm really excited about this project, because it's pushing me out of my normal zone. I'm creating a line of characters with fuller, luscious figures. My girls tend to be glorified sweethearts of the toothpick variety. These new illustrations are different. Here are a few of the very early development sketches I did a month or so ago. As I've been sketching it's become clear that the end result will be very serious. I like bubbly and happy, but it's a seriously sexy world. My client wants a clean pout. I guess it's OK to be brooding and cute at the same time, right?


I'm learning about myself on this project. One of the main things I've learned is that I'm totally a deadline oriented kind of girl. If something is due on Saturday morning I'll stay up Thursday and Friday night and work myself into the ground in order to deliver on time. This client is by far the most laid back of any I've ever had. Surprisingly it's thrown me off! I've always known that I'm comfortable with deadlines and high stress situations, but I didn't think that working without them would be so hard! I thought working without them would be nice! Instead of relaxing I fell off the wagon. I'm back on track now. I hadn't made a date sheet for this client, now that I have one everything can keep rolling smoothly. I keep date sheets for my own good. I have one for each gig or client and I put them all on the wall in my studio next to my computers. Here's a peek at an old one I created for a client that I had last winter-
For starters I block out any vacation I'm giving myself. In December I scheduled a week off from the 21st to the 26th for days that I would in no way lift a pencil. Of course I lifted a pencil for my own projects, but that's because I can't go a day without doodling. I get to be selfish with that time. I color code the boxes with the start date, the sketch deadline and the box with the final line art deadline so they all work together. Sometimes I actually deliver calendars to my clients. Other times I only use date sheets for myself. When they're only for me I make them a few days ahead of the delivery date. That's the most comfortable way for me to work. That way when I've promised something it's already sitting in a clean pile in my outbox and I'm not sweating trying to get it finished. I create a date sheet for every client who has a deadline. I have a template I've created for every month of the year. The deadline calendars live in a comfy place on my desktop. As things change or bulk up I print out a current HC of a client calendar to replace the other. I have these great little square document hangers on my wall that I picked up at the Container Store.
check them out here:
Cute Little Document Hangers
If I'm working with six clients in a month, I have six calendars in a vertical row next to my computer. If a client's project bleeds into the next month I place that date sheet behind the month we're in and hang them together, one on top of the other, that way I can just lift a page to see where I'm going. The color coding helps me extremely, if I see a blue preliminary box and can't find the blue final art box, I know that I've got to think ahead. I also try to hang the most recent version of the artwork up near the calendar it belongs to, that way my brain keeps thinking about it, even if a final deadline isn't coming up for a week or two.

Happy Spring!

It's that time of year. . . insert deep and satisfied sigh. . . . I woke up this morning with the sun shining in my face. I jumped out of bed and threw open the window. My face was hit by a bitter cold wind.... That can't change the fact that something has changed outside. It's freezing, but it's definitely not winter, so in my book it's spring! I belong to the very lucky school of childlike people who find whatever season is just beginning is my favorite! I'm excited for Tulips and Gerber Daisies. I can't wait to wear my pink coat and dance in the rain. Pretty soon kids will be out by the dozens, running and playing in the park. As you all know my friends, that's when this blog really gets hopping. XO and Happy Spring!

The Workday that Wouldn't End. . . .

It is 8:05. I have been here, here being in my office, in my office chair, for 9 hours and 55 minutes. Of course I went out to lunch at this fancy-shmancy cafe' and I ran around the block twice because I thought if I just sat here I might die. Other than those three excursions, I have been here, in the chair. I will most likely be here for another two or three hours. Then so help me, I WILL expense a cab home. I was supposed to go to a party in D.U.M.B.O tonight. . . .sigh. . . I HATE having a deadline on a Saturday morning. WHO DOES THAT?!!? At least I get to sketch in between exporting out various versions of various Flashy movies and animation. I thought today might be a nice time show off a little teaser for some character development work I'm doing. I'll post more sketches next week. For now, here's a little guy to wish you 'Happy Cicada Friday.'

Pet Peeves

I had a hard time coming up with what to draw for Illustration Friday this week! I know I'm the one who suggested it, so I need to sketch something out and get a post up. I'm getting over a cold and I'm still a bit stuffy and whiny, all I want to do is lie in bed and watch 'Dirty Dancing' on TNT. However, I have to go to work and animate my little heart out all day and somehow find time to draw for this topic! Yikes, I guess that being a grown up and having responsibility is one of my pet peeves.

Originally I'd wanted to draw a bunch of stuff, because my pet peeves conveniently fit into three categories, I have pet peeves as a 'New Yorker', as an 'artist' and as a 'dater.' These sketches were going to be charming and funny and quaint. This week I was reminded of how annoyed I am by the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day. Can that be a pet peeve? It's Thursday morning and If I don't put something up you're not going to see anything from me on this topic this week.

As a Dater, which rhymes with hater.... My largest dating pet peeve has to do with men and their need to stare at my boobs. I understand my they're there, and that they may need to be glanced at from time to time just to make sure that they're still there. . . Often though, and I mean usually, a guy won't glance at them, they'll ogle them. Oh, they'll catch themselves if that 'normal, functioning, human,' part of their brain takes over, and then they'll look at my face. . . . until they lose that part of their brain again. Sometimes when this happens I'm tempted to flash them, just to see them go into sensory overload.

I have to give credit to the sidelong ogler. It's less awkward for you to look down my shirt if we're not expected to make eye contact. Dates to art openings are excellent places to pull this one, guys. Oh wait, you already knew that. . . .

Oh yeah. . . I also hate it when my mom calls me just to ask when I'm going to put up my Illustration Friday post. I especially despise it when she does it in a passive aggressive way, like, "Did you put a drawing up yet? I can't see your little picture under the categories. You know tomorrow's Thursday, right?" Okay mom, you can run over to http://www.illustrationfriday.com/ right now. It's up.

PS. I promise my little blog stalkers that I'll be back to my sunshine-happy self tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

Rainy Day Color Samples

Board Meeting at 1pm

Today's 'bored' meeting was aptly named.
That guy to my left wasthisclose to proposing that we build a school for kids who can't read good.

Heavy

These illustrations were prompted by the word of the week at Illustration Friday. I kind of got on a sketch version of a rant with this word and had a lot of fun. My mind immediately jumped to the fat lady at the circus, and then stayed with the circus theme. I fell in love with a few of these little guys. Hopefully you will too :)

This little elephant is more big-boned than he is heavy. . .

Oh my! A heavy hairdo!

Swim with the Fishes

It's that time of year! Oh you know. . . YOU KNOW. . . what I'm talking about. Today I went outside without a coat on! Yippee!!! Anyone who knows me at all, knows that today, 'first day without coat on day,' was prime for the Coney Island Aquarium. However, I had things to do and couldn't get down there today. I did the next best thing and went through one of my old sketchbooks. These sketches were all done at there on the last day of Fall when the weather was pretty close to what it is today. It was considerably colder down on the water and frankly I froze my a off. However, it was the good kind of freezing, the kind where frigid sea water hits you on your nose and your teeth chatter because you're too happy to stop smiling and they're suffering the consequences. On that particular day, the fish seemed happy to see me. I'm afraid it's been slim pickings for them, friendly-cute-girls-coming-to-sketch-wise.

I think that I might use this chunky guy for a children's book. I want to put together a folk tale about how the nautilus became 'chambered'.

This puffer fish refused to get puffy. I coached him for a good long while. He wasn't having it.

This little racoon fish had moxie. It was as if he knew I was drawing him and was willing to pose a bit.

Apparently Lisa Frank draws at the Coney Island Aqauarium too, because I came away with a few sketches that really looked like they belonged on the front of a puffy three-ring binder.

This fish below looks like it could have done with a unicorn or two for good measure.

I think this eel fish below would make a great design for a surf board.