Guess who?

Lately, I've been trying to practice my portrait skills, by doing some 15 minute 'quick portraits'.  Hope you all enjoy this one, of a young Helen Mirren!

Life is too short to be bored

I am obsessed with Polyvore.com! I need to get a life. 

Holy Cow!

I hope everyone's summer has been going well so far! I can't believe that it's back to school in a month. Right now, i'm at the cottage (with internet, I know - hardly roughing it!). I was about to go for a jog when I encountered this little guy by the tree in our yard:

Isn't he just the cutest! I BELIEVE it's a polyphemus moth caterpillar, but correct me if i'm wrong. AND then, I caught a couple snapshots of this monarch butterfly. They've unfortunately been quite a rare sight this year...

Anyways, I HAVE in fact been doing quite a bit of drawing, but (alas) I have no scanner at the moment. But on the bright side, I have updated my blog design a little! I now have tabs at the top of my blog (I am NOT computer savvy, so this was quite a feat), including an ART tab, which has a simple slideshow of some images. Please let me know if anything is not working, and i'll try to fix it! 

Summer Lovin'

Long time no see! Here's another Polyvore creation!

Week Nine: Eye of the Tiger

Okay, so no artwork today (I've been busy getting ready to go to FLORIDA!), but I want to share an amazing video from the World Wildlife Fund:

I've been reading a lot about tigers lately, and this video just astounded me. I find this so inspiring, and I hope you do too. 

Let's Just Call This Week Eight (Part II)...

I ALMOST FORGOT to share this creation from polyvore.com! What a great website!

Let's Just Call This Week Eight....

Guess what??? I'm done exams! And marks are in....everything went waaay more successfully than I thought. HOWEVER, i've hardly had a spare moment since exams finished. I've started work for the summer, and I'm getting ready to go to florida (woot!) next week. I'm planning on hitting the Universal Harry Potter park, which is essentially a complete DREAM COME TRUE for me. Literally. Anyways...I have a couple of drawings on the go, but nothing is complete yet. I've been getting a lot of inspiration from books lately. Here are a few of the novels (besides Harry Potter) that I find inspiring:

• The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
• Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier 
• I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak 
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt 
• Shelf Life: Stories By the Book, edited by Gary Paulsen 
• The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown
• Tigers in Red Weather, by Ruth Padel 

Princess - Pencil Sketch (An older drawing, inspired by  'The Diana Chronicles' 

Week Seven: The Long Haul

Okay....it's the home stretch now. Two midterms and an essay to go, then just a couple of labs, and then final exams. I'll be completely done on April 28th.

I gotta say, this year wasn't exactly what I signed up for. It's been tough as hell. Chemistry is the bane of my existence. I hate it. I HATE it. H-A-T-E. I do not use that word lightly. And math, geology, and even biology (that's my degree!) aren't much better.

Science is not my thing....but still. I feel a lot of pressure to finish this degree. I'm not even sure if switching to the arts is an option for me. Science scholarships are pretty much paying my tuition. If I switch out of the sciences, I'll be broke (and probably, so will my parents). On top of that, I work in a lab, so I'd probably be out of a job.

So, you can see my predicament.

But, I've got a little bit of hope. I've been looking at doing a masters program at the University of Toronto, in Biomedical Communications. It's a perfect blend of visual arts (lots of scientific illustration) and science. If anyone who's reading this has any advice or knowledge about this program, i'd be really happy to hear it!

Anyways, not much time for drawing lately. Here's just a quick "stress-relief" sketch I did this week.

Pointer - Graphite Pencil

Week Six: Ugh

Amur Leopard

Well, I haven't been having a good time lately....I have the dreaded stomach flu. So, needless to say, my motivation to do anything is pretty much zero. But, just for kicks, here's an old drawing I did a couple of years ago.

Week Five: The Fun is Over

The Flying Hound - Pencil Crayon 

Today's the last day of my "spring" break. I'm DREADING going back. From now until the end of April, I can say goodbye to my life. Anyways, here's a fun drawing I did a while ago that makes me laugh every time I see it. Hope it cheers up others as much as it cheers me up!

Week Four Cont'd: Illustration Friday - "Layer"

Layers

Here's my submission for this week's Illustration Friday topic: "layer". I was really stuck on what to do for this one (cake, onions, and lasagna had already been done!). But I saw the chessboard on my shelf, and was inspired to draw the "layered" chess pieces. Hope you like it!

Week Four Cont'd: La Dee Daa

Sulphurite Prism

So, i'm loving "spring" break. I'll I've done is shop, draw, sleep and eat. Anywhosit, here's another piece, just for  fun. If anyone knows why this flower is called a "sulphurite prism", let me know. I haven't gotten to the Illustration Friday topic for this week yet...i'm not finding it very inspiring. Maybe i'll ask my crazy brother for some ideas...

Week Four: I have a life again

The Hunt - graphite 

So, midterms are over! I made it through (barely). Last Friday was my brother's bake sale at school (it was for Valentine's Day, even though the day had passed...don't ask me why). So...I baked. Of course. And decorated. Four hours of icing and sprinkles and spatulas. And after all that, I forgot to take a picture of my edible masterpieces. So, instead I've posted a sketch of a horse and rider. Three quarters of my drawings are of horses  (I've been riding English style for about 11 years). As of late, I've been trying to move away from horses a little, and experiment with some new styles. But since I couldn't show you my cupcakes (as planned), you get yet another horse. Oh well.

Week Three: When a tree is chilly

When a Tree is Chilly

Midterms are over! Here's my submission for this week's Illustration Friday Topic: Sweater. Better late than never!

Week Three: Almost There!

My attempt at knitting

I just have to hold out until Wednesday, and mid-terms will be over! Then my plan is to make some BEA-U-TI-FUL cupcakes for my brothers' bake sale, and then get going on this weeks Illustration Friday word. In the mean time, here's some more art!

Week Two Cont'd: Oh boy oh boy oh boy

Tranquil Blue on the Lake 

Ugh. Not much time for drawing this weekend. I've got two mid-terms left to study for, a lab report to do, and a biology lab to prep for. In other words, I'M GOING CRAZY. Anyways, I whipped up this quick landscape last night before bed (when I was too tired to study anymore). My inspiration was the colour blue (if that's not obvious). I'm hoping i'll get a chance to work on this week's Illustration Friday topic sometime soon!

Week Two: Mid-term Art

Leaf Study

So, even though I am INCREDIBLY busy with school (mid-term, mid-terms, mid-terms), I managed to use my creative juices a little this past weekend. I guess I had biology on the brain, and decided to take inspiration from nature when I painted "Leaf Study" above. It's a new style for me, but I think I like the faint outlines and bold color blocking. I'm planning on trying out this style some more, maybe with different color palettes and subjects. My spring semester break is in two weeks, and i'm hoping to fill up my sketchbook during that time...I've got to say, it can't come soon enough!

Illustration Friday 02.04.2011 - Reverse 

This is my take on this week's Illustration Friday topic: "Reverse". It was done digitally using a pen and tablet. I started with the idea of the glasses on the back of the girl's head, and then just drew on from there...the wings sort of came out of nowhere, but I think they add a touch of whimsy and imagination to the image. Since it's very cold, snowy and dark where I am right now, I decided to do a background that reminds me of summer. My job in the summer is washing the dishes after meals of summer salads and barbecued hot dogs....just as the winged girl is doing here. Oh, and bubbles are always a good thing.  

Week One Cont'd: Inspiration

I've been searching the internet for some creativity boosting ideas...here are a few of my favorites:

•  Sketch each part of the body individually
•  Open a drawer and sketch the contents
•  Draw your sketching supplies
• Arrange several glass items and sketch how the transparent items overlap
• Draw a micro image by zooming in on an object
• Go through the alphabet and draw something for every letter
•  Draw an imaginary place rich in detail
• Draw an object from 3 different views
• Draw inside of a mechanical object
• Using color (no black) and light (white) create a Impressionist style landscape drawing
• Design a CD cover for a music group
• Make a book cover for a novel
• Draw instructions for a recipe

Week One: Procrastination

So, no artwork for this week YET. But, my deadline is Saturday night. Right now, i'm focusing on studying for midterms (even though it's not actually 'mid-term'). Times are tough, but reading week is in sight...just gotta hold out until then. Anyways, more content to come!