Detail of Hiroshige's Akasaka Kiribatake, from 100 Famous Views of Edo, 4th month of 1856.
I loved the foggy outlines of the leaves, the extreme foreground, the colors. And his skies! His skies are magical.
The exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum closes in 2 days on August 5. It is wonderful.
#museumsketching #hiroshige #sketch
"The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." - John 10:2-5 (NIV). And, apparently, they really do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e45dVgWgV64
I have given my students the problem of creating 100 self portraits in 20 days on 5x7 in paper. The challenge is to create something other than an image that depicts a 'dead-pan' stare. When the brain is given a problem, it goes to work immediartely to solve that problem. I have seen some wonderful solutions. This is a tall order for teens who are sensative to judgment and still developing in thier perception. It has generated wonderful discussions of self-awareness, world view, and judgment. Those who engage in the exercise in an authentic manner have only good things to say about the experience. It is not an exercise for everyone. We are on a journey. Be Bold! Be Honest! Draw what you see. Draw what you think. -Peace
4 of 5 of the characters I scrapped due to changing the tone of the story. This character is half mythic-a ziburinis but flames are purple and half human.
For the 26th of Chibijuly today is crinkle cookies time
For this day I decided to draw Ruby Gloom's shy bat friend in chibi version called Scaredy Bat who to calm down a bit eats some crinkle cookies
I am delighted to share that I Am a Dragon! has been named to the Pennsylvania Center for the Book's 2024 Baker's Dozen: Thirteen Best Books for Family Literacy!
Here is the list
( I am in such a good company!):
- “10 Dogs” by Emily Gravett
- “ABC and You and Me” by Corinna Luyken
- “Bear with Me” illustrated by Kerascoët, Sebastien Cosset and Marie Pommepuy,
- “The Concrete Garden” by Bob Graham
- “How to Count to ONE (And Don't Even THINK About Bigger Numbers!)” by Caspar Salmon and illustrated by Matt Hunt
- “I Am a Dragon! A Squabble and a Quibble” by Sabina Hahn, published by HarperCollins.
- “If I Was a Horse” by Sophie Blackall
- “The Kitten Story” by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Brittany Cicchese
- “Mr. S” by Monica Arnaldo
- “Night in the City” by Julie Downing
- “Ruffles and the Cozy, Cozy Bed” by David Melling
- “Simon and the Better Bone” by Corey R. Tabor
- “You Go First” by Ariel Bernstein and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
A character concept drawing of a pirate vampire character I created for a collab writing project that died. His clothing and even his hair borrowed aspects from various jelly fish as inspiration. " The snap of inky sails catching the wind punctuated the subtle wooden creaks of the Sea Nettle as it slid over glossy black waves. The night was oppressive. With the moon obscured by clouds, the ship, with its doused lamps and its dark wood was nearly invisible as she crept closer to her prize. Tallis stood on the forecastle, one foot propped against the railing, his hands supporting a spyglass. He drifted the lens between the lights below deck, counting each of them and making note of any movement on the upper deck and in the rigging. A single sailor was at the helm. Another was lazily standing beside him, possibly engaged in conversation that distracted him from his watch. This was to be expected, not many would dare to disturb such a well-equipped vessel of the Luthen royal fleet. Nettie's crew was lesser in numbers, but they were experts in what few on the high seas could manage. Tonight, would be a quiet strike. Open combat spelled unnecessary danger for his crew."
Watercolour on A4 watercolour paper. This was so much fun to paint, and it reminds me of holidays at my grandparents' house in Greece when I was a teenager.
This is the largest canvas thus far for me. In progress!! Multiple projects are in sway with this baby of mine. Feel free to check the link for updates on all the moving parts, including video and still shots with hidden treasures added in between (little surprise pop-ups of newness) along the way. https://photos.app.goo.gl/eNiH1mwVbFHaAyAZ9
Here's some music that inspires me, along with links to listen live or on replay.
Phenomenal! - DJ OTB for your creative journey. I love getting lost in the music while I dig deep to paint or create my soul expression. Much gratitude to all those out there who inspire me every day.
https://www.mixcloud.com/djtruebrit-otb/
https://www.mixcloud.com/djtruebrit-otb/a-journey-in-house-afro-melodic-progressive-chill-13072024/
https://www.mixcloud.com/djtruebrit-otb/a-journey-in-house-afro-melodic-progressive-vibes-13072024/
They say Prometheus brought fire from the sun concealed in a hollow fennel stalk. They say tarragon came to be when a flax seed was pushed into the pierced root of a sea onion and planted after dark. The Minotaur simply likes the smell of chopped herbs.”
- Steven Sherrill
For some reason out of all of my drawings, this one went viral on Tumblr. So when I got to the Minotaur on the list of hybrid creatures, I had to (re)make this one.
The sentence is from “Minotaur takes a cigarette break” by Steven Sherrill. It’s wonderful.
I wanted to share with you this meowgical rainbow I drew! I love drawing silly cats and creating colourful art. I made this artwork using colour markers.
Hope you enjoy!
This quick sketch of an impressionist painting is a reminder to me of how we cannot see anything until we are taught to see it. I was enjoying the painting because of the way Tarbell captured light, when a man and his wife joined me. The man said to his wife: "This is a wonderful painting, but I wonder whose lap the baby is on.". I was shocked because I was not able to see the baby till he mentioned that there was one. I noticed that it was indeed difficult to tell whose lap it was on. It was a transformative and humbling experience.
for the 7th of Chibijuly today it's the witch's turn
For this day I decided to draw a chibi version of the somewhat lonely warioware witch girl known as Ashley along with her little assistant imp known as Red..
Pen over pencil with contemplations that hint at child development and parenting strategies. A very wise person told me that it is our life's work to forgive our parents. Another wise person told me that sometimes there is no forgiveness, just forgetting.
Gone are the days... Digital sketch combining loose brush pixel line work with clean vectors and photo; plus a little typography. https://leglessmermaid.blogspot.com
For the Asian Tiger Moms out there.
Fierce Eye - one stare and you know you need to behave
Soft colour tone and lots of curve to the body - display of femininity
Clouds - a powerful aura
Two cartoon fries containers are smiling, with one of them saying, "Fries before guys!!". The colorful and playful design adds a humorous and light-hearted message.
Anubis and his box of threads.
I am going through the wiki list of mythological hybrid creatures and imagining their lives and what they might be like and what they might like to do. It's been fun - sometimes; some of the myths are dark and sad.
The Watermelon Folk is an Acrylic painting on canvas measuring 61 x 61 cm. It is an intuitive painting. I practice Raja Yoga Meditation .which is an open eye meditation; so while I am painting I am in a meditative state. What appears on the canvas is straight from my inner being. If I like what appears I will let it live but if I don't like it , then it needs to go, and I will paint over it. My paintings go through many lives before they are complete.
From the world of Under a Hostile Sun . . . Crater Recluse Spiders can be a huge asset when they are on your side . . . and a bit of a problem if they think your rover is food.
