Before starting the cartooning class and getting back to life drawing.

Just now able to post some of the sketches I did of Sam in January. It's neat to look back at them as they show him before he started crawling and when he was barely attempting to roll over. So much has changed in a month or so. I love the smile I was able to capture of him laying on his back. It is so much him. He's a happy little guy most of the time.

Sometimes I wish it was possible to regain the clear vision and wonderful way we capture the essence of things when we draw as children. This is my son Ben's drawing of a germ. He clearly gets the message across.

Sketching over the last week, or so: Jan 06-Jan 13, 2010

011310 - Second attempt at capturing the idea of multi-task dad, adding a second son..the one on the right works better, pulling dad along. Now I think I need a light table or doing it on the computer to keep improving on sketches, keeping what I like and changing what I don't.
011210 - Working on a sketch for Jon on the multi-task dad. First attempt - I like the feeling of baby on the right.
011110 - I'm a little tired and distracted these days
010810 - This is a first sketch of a visual representation I had of Manda and one of the games she enjoyed a lot with all of us, connecting pointing fingers. Something I want to develop more.
010710 - Working on capturing Sam and Theo, more than me.
010610 - This is a very common sight in our house. Ben looking like he's squeezing poor Theo, because his expression is so intense (didn't capture that expression in my sketch though:)
010610 - Practicing turning Ben into a cartoon (Theo's legs need some work?!), and some action poses from my Cartoon Retro Drawing "Cartoon Cool" book. Check out Chris Hart's site: http://www.chrishartbooks.com/ for more great books of his.

Adding a little color in between my sketching

Hmmm...this is kind of fun

I'm starting to sketch some ideas on motherhood, mine that is. Sometimes easier to say it in a picture than in words.
More interpretations, trying to figure out what makes Ben and Sam look like themselves.

Aaaah.... already getting behind

The cartoony version of Ben captured his excitement about Spongebob much better than my first version.
Poor Sam doesn't like when he's stuck like this...had to pick him up and then interpret from memory.
Great characters out of Christopher Hart's book #2.
Great characters out of Christopher Hart's book #1.
This exercise of drawing the outline of a figure without looking at the paper or lifting the pencil used to make me want to crawl out of my skin....doing much better with that now...and I like the feet actually.
Jon watching TV. I don't think the paper was long enough....

Day 5 and I'm already behind?!?... It's a little funny that I'm under such pressure posting things, since I haven't really told anyone to look at my blog and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one reading it so far...but - I'm a pretty harsh critic myself, so, I'm afraid...very afraid...:-)
Seriously, since it's so new to me...(the whole character design thing) I have to admit I don't really like having a learning curve and posting less than stellar work...but that's the price for seeing growth some day...and after feeling a bit intimidated and in a rut with life drawing it was quite freeing to look at how to draw the kids, not realistically but as cartoon characters. Love the book "Cartoon Cool" How to draw New Retro-Style Characters by Christopher Hart. It is helping me simplify and exaggerate features and have some fun with it. Demystifying the language of cartooning so to speak. I think I've also found a class around the corner and I'm wanting to figure out other pens to use beyond graphite pencils.

Learning from Others

Inspired by a page of Spiders...kept me working on variety.
Went thru a Swedish Children's song book of mine to copy the way that kids were drawn. Helps me pay better attention to how different artists approach simplifying and exaggerating.

The Family that draws together draws closer.

Ben got his own new sketchbook today and Jon introduced the drawing game to us. The robot is Jon's and one of the things I hope to improve in as well...drawing characters.
We looked at animal drawings in Ed Emberly's "Drawing Book of animals", a book my husband learned to draw from as a child...It was fun to add my own spin to it and give the crab something to do.
Achieved some likeness of Ben...but there's something about the proportions that doesn't seem quite right...Ben helped me out with the stripes on his shirt though.
Some ear studies and my first attempt at Theo, the dog. I really do have great moving material.
Sam likes to fly on the floor. I look forward to working on different drawing assignments for myself. So far this is more of capturing his proportions and pose. Someday I'll be fast enough to get his face too.

I have a feeling Ben will be adding to both my sketches and my learning. I just love kids drawings! Here we both drew Sam.

already the new year?!!! 2nd sketch (from yesterday) - Ben's first attempt at posing:-)...he's going to be a hard one to catch as fast as he moves and as little as he sits still.

The very first sketch! Yeaaah. The one I will come back to, to see my progress:-) Sam is still sitting...it probably wont be long until he starts crawling...which will add even more challenge to my practice. It was so much fun to draw him today. To think I can be creative in my very own home - marvelous.

New Year - New Goals - making this blog a gift to myself

So...since it is New Years Eve today, it's just the right time to start fresh and get active with this blog of mine. What I'd like to do is to use this blog as a road to accomplish some of my goals for 2010. Perhaps not the easiest task, since I will have to give up being a perfectionist - that is, if I actually want to post anything....and I will have to find time in between (getting Sam up from his nap, helping Ben dig a canal, feeding the dog, making lunch, dealing with contractors, and the list goes on and on...), just simply, life's busyness - and give myself permission to make this gift to myself a priority! At least no one is throwing up today...as of yet. Okay...am I ready:-) here goes....

My goals for 2010 and this blog:

1. I want to improve my drawing skills enough so that I can feel comfortable putting together my own pitches and/or write/illustrate my own children's stories. To that end I will use my children, the dog and my husband (if willing:-) to sketch every day, and post at least 365 sketches to this blog.
2. I also want to take some kind of creative class that will give me an outlet and the opportunity to learn something new.
3. I aim to participate and/or exhibit at the CTN-X (CTN Animation Expo) in November 2010.
   
4. Last and most importantly; I want to create a fundraiser in Manda's memory that will help children with life threatening illnesses, such as cancer, have as much normal fun and play as possible (a better quality of life), which would include supporting the research to cure those illnesses. My goal is to do something in the same vein as the Totoro Forest Project, http://www.totoroforestproject.org (I know it's an intimidating thought, but I believe it's important to set your sights high), combining the heroic life of my niece Manda...with my love for art, to do some good.
   

More Traditional Backgrounds

These were done in Acrylics (Cel Vinyl) and Gouache working for Richcrest Animation (now Crest Animation)

Traditional Backgrounds - Land Before Time DVDs