Weekend Painting

I'm learning so much from painting with actual physical paint it's crazy. I really need to do this more. It's funny, I wanted to use oils so badly when I was younger because i thought that's what made a painting great, but now I'd much rather use acrylics for so many reasons, the main one being toxic substances are not required for thinning or cleaning...and it's way more affordable...and...easy to clean...not toxic...easy clean...cleeeean. Yeah, I don't really like to fuss over a mess.

I remember wanting to paint traditionally when I was young, hating traditional mediums when I discovered Photoshop, and coming full circle after taking a painting class in college and wanting to learn traditional again. It's amazing how different it feels to get the paint to the right consistency and brushing it on a canvas than simply drawing on a smooth tablet. I actually feel my creativity comes more naturally with the tablet, but I truly love both methods of working. Each have their own challenges, perks, and magic. I hope they never lose that magic and, as long as I keep playing, learning, and experimenting, I don't think they ever will.

Caricatures!

This week we had to do caricatures and I had a ton of fun! Well, to be honest, I hated it at first. I just couldn't seem to figure out how to exaggerate the model and still keep the likeness, but after lots of thumbs and fiddling I started to loosen up and enjoy myself. I hope you enjoy them as well!

Changed My Mind! Muahaha!

Last night (or was it this morning?) on Facebook I assured my "fans" that I would spare their eyes of my icky rushed painting homework this week. Well, I changed my mind. I'm sharing it and you're going to feast your eyes! I have the actual painting sitting upright on the floor right now and, since the paint at the bottom pretty much blends in with the carpet, it looks like a disproportionate police officer is growing out of the floor. It amuses me.

A Promise Kept

It has been a long week of drawing, sleeping, and eating birthday cake for every meal, but it's finally time to put down the stylus (well, at least for the next couple hours). I'm pretty sure my butt is square at the moment. I need to get up and run around the block a few times to get my body out of "slouchy drawing sloth" mode. Eating a well rounded meal consisting of more than cake might be a good idea as well.

Anyway, on to the reason I'm writing this blog!
Today is a grand day, my friends. I, Holly Wade, actually completed a task I promised myself I would do. I entered the Rising Stars 2012 competition. Granted, I lucked out when they extended the deadline by a few days (and took full advantage of the extension down to the last hour), but I got some artwork turned in nonetheless. Now, I'm not expecting to win by any means, but I am still proud of myself for not flaking out as I so often do. The artwork isn't as polished as I would have liked (usually why I flake out of these things), and some of it is just plain boring, but if I always waited until my art was "perfect" to make a move then I would never get anywhere. So, entering this competition with my much less than perfect pieces has been a step forward in finding my place in this crazy, saturated industry.

Thank you to everyone who cheers me on and supports my work. I truly appreciate all the words of encouragement and wouldn't be where I am today without you! I just hope my work continues to improve and inspire for you all to enjoy!


Oh, and if you are curious, here are the drawings I submitted to the competition. Yes, I took some homework assignments and drew over them. It's okay, you can laugh.

Birthday Time!

Well, I am officially another year older, hopefully another year wiser and definitely another year...bloggier. I had a great day with tons of birthday wishes from family and friends and sincerely thank every one of you. You melted my heart and made me feel super special. Yay!

Now, what you all REALLY came for - my homework update! Oh wow, it sounds super boring when I put it that way. Let's call it - my epic artistic progress adventures! Yeah, I like that one much better.

 Landscape painting!

Thumbnails and value comps, oh my!

And last, but not least, the well received Gibson Girl with progress shots to boot!

Nostalgia

Nostalgia. Just had a flashback to a moment that kind of changed my life (well, more like my identity) a long time ago and the person involved probably doesn't even remember it. It's strange how a moment can be so profound for one person and totally insignificant to another.

Anyway, thank you, Nameless, for the beautiful exchange which you surely didn't realize was so important to me and likely don't remember. I will creepily cherish that moment forever.

Recap of Today

My day started before the previous one would call it quits. I was working through the wee hours of the night and before I knew it, yesterday melted into today. Why, you ask, was I working through the night and into the day? Homework, of course! I have something of a tendency to put homework off until the last day, so this is pretty much my routine for Sunday nights and Monday mornings/afternoons/nights.

I try really hard to get things done early, but it just never seems to work out that way. I had an especially hard time focusing this week, what with my fiance's birthday and  the death of a very sweet woman who was also a family friend and our neighbor. Those kind of things have a way of throwing a person off.

Anyway, since I had to do such a boatload of work today, I thought I'd go ahead and dump it all here for your enjoyment...or dismay. Torture, maybe? Any of those options work here.

A.M drawing before crashing and catching some z's:

Morning-Afternoon drawings after catching some z's:

I colored it in the afternoon:

Prepared for a painting (still lots to fix before jumping in):

Deadline nearing - Rushed this painting:

Made small changes as per instructor's request:

And there you have it - my day's work in all its varied glory and embarrassment.
Thanks for checking it out.
Now, time for some shut eye.

Dumbo?

I drew this teapot for an assignment last night and am just now thinking it kind of looks like Dumbo from the beloved 1941 Disney animated film. Dumbo. I wonder how many times I can say Dumbo before you get tired of reading it. Oh, you're tired of it already? Sorry!
Anyway, the emotion I was trying to convey when I drew it is meek or sheepish, but now all I see is a sad little elephant without ears. Poor little sad elephanteapot!

Speaking of teapots, I think it's time for some tea! Or maybe hot chocolate? Mmmm, hot chocolate.

Getting Ready for a Makeover

I'm really not happy with the quality of my work as of late, so I'm just going to start sketching. A lot. Hopefully from life. This sketch is just a doodle-fart before the big sketch boom.

Today's Doodlephant

Warming up for some homework! Note: My homework has nothing to do with elephants. I just like elephants.

Stage Fright

Making art makes you vulnerable, kind of like being on stage. You try to envision the audience naked but then look down and realize you're the one who's stripped of all disguises. You put your art out there and you let the world take a peek inside your head - hoping to connect with another human being. Sometimes no one gets it though, and that's when you realize how strange you are...or how bad your market yourself.

Challenge of Balance

There comes a time during every semester when my brain crashes much like a computer. An overload of relevant and irrelevant information flood the mushy folds of my knowledge bulb until I can't sort out red from Cheerios or mustard from Lord of the Rings. It usually doesn't happen THIS soon into a semester, but it does occur eventually. As an intelligent reader, you've probably already picked up on my befuddled thought process as I spew incoherence from my finger tips. I almost don't even remember what I came here for...

Oh, wait, I remember now. I was feeling embarrassed about doing poorly in school as compared to my normal standards. You know, it's really not that big of a deal. I mean, yes, it IS a big deal (nearly a $100K deal!), but there is still time to fix things. I've only had a couple of slow weeks and there are about nine or ten to go. The only way to do better is to be positive!

*cough*...and stop procrastinating till the last minute *cough**cough**hack**cough*
*clears throat* Whoa, sorry about that! I've been sick the past couple of days.


Alright, so after all that gibberish I just threw up, this is what I really came here for - to share a drawing I did for fun instead of the homework I should have been doing.



Am I happy with the drawing? Kinda.
Could I have made it look better? Yes.
Was it worth putting off homework for? I think so.

I've been in a creative rut for a long while now. Every day I become more and more self-conscious about my abilities and less confident that I can do anything properly. The longer I go without drawing "just for fun," the worse it gets. Yes, homework is important, but when I forget to draw for myself, I forget the point of studying to be an artist at all.

...But from now on I need better timing for my therapeutic drawing sessions. Homework gets done from now on. No more excuses.

Storyboarding is Fun

I know I say this all the time, but it's been way too long since my last post! I'm getting worse and worse about keeping up with the ol' blog. There are just too many sites to keep up with these days - too too many. Oh well, it keeps me on my toes (when I remember to update said sites!).

Anyway, just wanted to post the first half of my storyboard homework while I'm thinking about it. We had to analyze a commercial and break down each shot into a storyboard. Fun stuff! The actual commercial can be viewed here.

On a side note, I think I start a ton of paragraphs with the word "Anyway." It has a nice flow, but I should probably looking into extending my vocabulary to give you, the reader, a more diversified and literary experience. Just a thought.

ANYHOW (you like how I did that?), here is the storyboard:

Playing with Flash

Just wanted to whip up a quick update since I haven't in forever. School is out for the summer, I passed all my classes with acceptable grades (yay!), and I have been feverishly searching for a job. Actually, "feverishly" isn't exactly the right word to describe my search - desperate yet laid back seems more accurate. Kind of an oxymoron, yeah, but pretty much the only way I can describe it.

Lately I have been having weird dreams starring people from my high school days in odd situations. The first dream in this "series" conveyed a strange mixture of emotions including regret, contentment, and doom. You wouldn't think those feelings would work together harmoniously, but they really did. I don't remember much of the dream now, but I was in one of the top floors of a building about ten stories high with two or three people from high school. It was night and we were all about to die. The building was collapsing or a nuclear explosion was imminent, I don't remember which one. I think it was the nuclear thing. The room reminded me of an old chemistry lab. There was a guitar and small amp plugged in to the wall by the beakers. We all took turns playing and reminiscing and gazing into each others eyes with regret. There was regret for the things we did in the past, but mostly for the things we didn't do. I think the most regret we had was not being able save ourselves, though. It was pretty intense!

Just last night I had a similar dream with another group of high school friends from a whole different phase of my life. This dream uprooted feelings of longing and invisibility that I haven't experienced in forever. No one was doomed to die in this manifestation of my subconscious, but I was so expendable I might as well have been.

Anyway, all these dreams stirred up some emotions I haven' felt in a while and have been strangely enjoyable. I actually felt like drawing today thanks to the overflow. I started drawing a gal trying to listen through a door and ended up with the following interactive flash...thing. I couldn't figure out how to draw her arm/hand so I just took it off and had fun with her hair. Click on the hair thumbnails under the girl to change her do.

Thanks for listening to my crazy dream stories! I was really wanting to tell someone and I feel better now, even if it's just my screen that I'm typing to. :)

(it cuts off some of the file, so you can check it out here for the full thing)

Final Stretch

These last couple weeks of the semester are going to be brutal. So much to do...definitely not enough time to finish everything. I've had my fair share of set-backs throughout semester and can't wait for summer break so I can focus on freelance. My brain is about fried and needs to recuperate. :)

Okay now random pictures:

Speed painting to loosen up and pretty much relax. He was bald but now he looks kind of like a monk or something.



Earthbound. Dnuobhtrae. Moonside is twisted and scary but I like it.

Vote if you like funny bunnies!

As you may know, I have been reluctant to submit my apparel designs anywhere other than Teefury, but that is finally starting to change. I still check Teefury every day because I love love LOVE the community and tees, but that doesn't mean I have to limit my artistic growth or success! I'm excited to say that I've been working harder than ever to get designs printed and work my way out of this debt monster I seem to have fallen into. Yay for being productive!

Speaking of productive, if you're interested in an inspiration article on the subject you should hope over to Jimiyo's blog!

Alright, so now to the necessary evil: shameless self-promotion. I've just submitted a revamped version of "Don't come in! I'm naked!" to Threadless in hopes of getting it printed. You might remember it from a previous post. It's much more muted now, very subtle coloring with a slight pop of color. I really like the change. Hopefully the design will be approved within the next day or so. When it is, you can vote and help make it a tee!

You can vote by clicking the image below:








Okay, now it's time to be productive on HOMEWORK! :D
Have an awesome day/night!

The Froggy and the Fly

This is what I'm turning in for homework RIGHT NOW!....or well..right after I finish posting this post. Ahhh I still have homework to finish! Gotta run! Enjoy!

The Exchange of Power

Sky and earth, light and dark, good and evil. ...Yin and yang?

There is always balance.

I am sick with a sore throat and a runny nose. I guess it was time to balance out all the good luck and health I have had for so long! So I happily take on this sickness (but I'll still complain to Dustin like a baby, ha ha).

HomeworkHomeworkHomework!

What do you want first...the good news or the bad news?

The bad news, huh?

Well, even if you don't want the bad news first, you're getting it! I've always been one to save the best for last.

Okay, the bad news:
The list of projects I need to do aside from school is overflowing! OVERFLOWING I say!! Off the paper and onto the FLOOR kind of overflowing! Yeah, it's pretty scary when that happens, especially when the list of stuff to do for school is starting to boil over as well. So yeah, bad news is I am a slow-poke and all progress on non-school related things has come to a screeching halt. Sorry!

Alrighty, now the GOOD new!

Was there good news? After spewing about the bad news I kind of forgot.

Oh yeah, the good news is that I should be able to buckle down and get lots and lots of school work done very soon. At the beginning of the semester, I found it very hard to start any homework due to the dread of opening giant programs and being consumed by them, but now I am wielding knowledge! Yes, this knowledge helps me open programs without fear or dread and instead makes them bend to my will. So now that I have acquired some guts I should be able to have even more fun animating! Yay!

You know what that means, right? That means I'll be able to get to non-school related projects one of these days...hopefully soon! Double-yay!

Okay, enough of that crazy-ness. Here is what you've been waiting for (or not). My homework for the week! If the animation looks funky that's because it is. This was me animating before I was wielding knowledge and guts. They will become much more awesome in the future.

More ASL Kitties

Just playing with color. Don't mind me.

I'll have to say I like the blue boy and pinky idea for shirts, but the hot pink/blue cat would be a nifty looking sticker.