The Unsquished

Zombie Bug • Digitally colored pen and ink

The Unsquished

The bug you squished is back once more.
He's standing right inside your door.

Just one antenna did he lose,
and from his side drips greenish ooze.

With legs reduced to only three,
he takes each step quite carefully.

But, soon he'll sit upon your head
as you lay snoozing in your bed.

The Unsquished ©2012 Teresa Rodriguez

'Tis the season for spooks and creeps. The above illustration pays homage to the unfortunate victims of swatters, rolled up magazines and well-aimed toxins. We've all dealt with the fly that wouldn't die. Did he have friends? Or, did he just...change into something else?

Click below to feature your creature at 

Aquariann's Zombie Blog Hop:

Cookin' Up Something New

Something's Cookin' - Digital

The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity
than the discovery of a new star. 

- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

When artists develop, they can occasionally find a style they feel too comfortable with, defining themselves by the medium or style and sticking to it until they burn out. It's a safe place to be, to stay with what you're good at and what's expected of you.

But, we are programmed to evolve. Everyone, from the old masters to the new amateurs, will show changes in their work over time. Those who embrace this process will lunge forward, making mistakes and glorious discoveries. Those who resist will eventually set aside their art for something more safe and predictable, never knowing what might have happened if they had stretched themselves.

The internet is a virtual buffet of resources from artists who generously offer their wisdom through websites, blogs and tutorials. Watching other artists won't necessarily affect your style overnight. However, you'll be armed with new possibilities as you work. Knowledge and experimentation takes you out of yourself, so you can reconnect with yourself again.

Here are some favorite web resources for tutorials, demos or general knowledge, a few grains of sand from an enormous beach:

FolioAcademy.com  
Schoolism.com  
ChrisOatley.com  
GurneyJourney.blogspot.com 
PaperWingsPodcast.com
 
UStream Channels:
Dani Draws  
David Petersen

YouTube Channels:
Jean Baptiste Monge  
Will Terry

Feelin' Squirrelly

Feelin' Squirrelly - Digital

Acorn's Lament

I fear that I will never be

A towering grandeur of a tree

with leaves that dance when winds pass by,

and limbs that stretch toward beckoning sky.

When spring returns, no birds will race

to build a home in my embrace.

I won't be here, alas, alack,

for I've become a critter's snack.

But...

if there's to be a desperate plea,

one final hope and prayer,

then Mr. Squirrel will bury me,

and won't remember where.

Acorn's Lament ©2012 Teresa Rodriguez

This tree-hopping traveler was born of a doodle that begged for completion. And, though I initially tried to think of a suitable story for the furry subject, my sympathy went to the poor nut clutched between his paws. Perhaps instead of becoming a meal, an oak tree's potential will be fully realized, and someday Mr. Squirrel (or his children) will be happily frisking along its great branches.

The Sea Girl and the Pearl

Digital - 7x8.25

The Sea Girl and the Pearl

She found a pearl,

the little Sea Girl,

upon the ocean floor.

She took it back

to add to her stack

of objects to adore.

The orb glowed bright

and offered delight

atop her trinket pile.

The Sea Girl's eyes

gazed on her new prize, 

and twinkled with her smile.

A giant eel

in search of a meal,

swam by the Sea Girl's home.

He saw a glimmer,

a shiny shimmer, 

in dunes of sandy loam.

The eel swooped down,

disturbing the ground

and searching for his prey.

The Sea Girl fled

into a thick bed

of seaweed where she lay.

The hungry eel,

who still had no meal,

went somewhere else to feed.

The Sea Girl packed

the treasures she stacked

and moved to the seaweed.

There was one thing

that she would not bring,

one thing she wouldn't miss.

She tossed her pearl,

the little Sea Girl,

into a deep abyss.

The Sea Girl and the Pearl ©2012 Teresa Rodriguez

The image above was the result of much experimentation in digital painting and painting in general. It was a rewarding venture, where I played with different brushes and techniques. Ironically, my work in Photoshop is helping my skills with traditional media such as gouache and watercolor. The main difference being the material expense that doesn't exist in cyberland.

I love to watch tutorials and demos by artists such as Will Terry, Chris Oatley and Dani Jones to see what how they develop their masterpieces. A search through YouTube can find lots of other educational nuggets by generous artists.

This week I am happy to be participating in Aquariann's Mermaid Blog Hop, where you can find lots of other sea folks who may have a less traumatic tale to tell. Click on the button below to visit. And if you are here from the Hop, welcome! :)

Aliens, Romance, and Pie

Scene from Twilight Zone's "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?"
- Ink on Yupo

This is my favorite TZ character, Haley the counterman at the HiWay Cafe. Big spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen that ep, but it's definitely watchable multiple times.

I've been experimenting with Yupo, a synthetic paper. Painting on Yupo is like painting on plastic - since the paper is polypropylene. Watercolor will pick up easily, ink will not. Lots of layers of washes are required. The resist factor of the surface takes some getting used to. I may do more pieces in ink, watercolor and pencil. Graphite glides on it like a marker. It's very cool and makes for richness in shading.

A previous study using inks was done on hot-press watercolor paper. Gone With The Wind was playing on TCM, and it's a nice background movie as you're working. I watched a bit, however, and became intrigued with the color palette of the scene when Rhett leaves Scarlet at the bridge to go off and join the Confederate army. Simple oranges, blacks and browns. I have those inks, I thought, and out came the supplies. A somewhat decent screenshot was found online for reference. Again, the ink won't budge like watercolors, but the brushstrokes and quickness of drying do create a nice texture.

Ink on Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper

I used inks won in a couple of different contests through the Grumbacher and Koh-I-Noor FB pages. Grumbacher holds an ATC Swap every few months. It's great fun to enter, occasionally there are prizes, but the best part is receiving a little piece of art from someone else.

Koh-I-Noor held a Supply Closet Cleaning contest, offering a box of art goodies to two winners. Entrants were to illustrate the name Koh-I-Noor. I went with one of my favorite themes - pie. Apparently the judges were pie fans as well, and mine was one of the two chosen for a prize.

Ink and Watercolor on Bristol

I expected a little box and instead, at my doorstep after work one day, sat a carton big enough to hold an ambitious contortionist. They cleaned out the closets, alright. Paints, brushes, inks, pencils - all kinds of implements of creation were in there. Enough for me and a few of my artsy friends. Christmas in June!

Jaw-dropper

Mouse and Commander: The Far Side of the Puddle

6x8, Pen & Watercolor on Bristol

Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate. 

- Captain Jack Aubrey

Peter Weir's 2003 film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, has become one of my favorite movies of the past decade. Its rich detail and captivating scenes transport you to the world of an early 19th Century British frigate chasing a French privateer around South America during the Napoleonic Wars. The combination of gorgeous photography, editing, composition, visual effects and music serve to accentuate the brilliant performances of its cast. Although, I haven't seen all of Mr. Weir's work, this film surely deserves to be hailed as his masterpiece.

An afternoon viewing of the film, followed by a sketching session, inspired the image above. It's been a while since I used the pen with watercolor, and recent experiments have ignited a long dormant enthusiasm for this combination.

One such exercise was to copy a work by Brian Froud, a masterful fantasy artist whose work has inspired characters in films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The piece I chose was a creature identified as a Shetland Trow from the book Faeries, written and illustrated by Froud and the equally excellent Alan Lee.

Two Trows - Left, by Brian Froud - Right, by me.
Oh, to someday have Froud's command of tone and texture,
and subtleness of line.

Copying a master's work has been used as a way to stretch one's artistic muscle by students through the ages. The idea isn't to change your personal style to someone else's, but to gain insight into the decisions that the artist made in the composition, tone, and color selection. The lessons learned are then applied as you develop your style and skill. I recall the times in art school, when these kinds of assignments came up, and while they were difficult, they were always rewarding in ways that revealed themselves in later projects.

Getting away from the tablet and stylus once in a while to reconnect with traditional elements that don't have an undo key is exhilarating every time.

Critter of the Week: La Luna

Moon Hug • Digital

 The moon's an arrant thief,

And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.

- William Shakespeare

This past Saturday saw the full moon reach perigee and look 14 percent larger than other full moons throughout the year, earning it the term Supermoon. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that night in my area, and I was left to create a big moon of my own to enjoy, with little Agnes to give it a great big hug. 

Here's some additional loony fun stuff:

Chinese mooncakes are made for the Chinese New Year and an autumn harvest festival. A thin crust covers a rich filling made from red bean or lotus seed paste with an egg yolk in the middle. Many recipes are available online, from quickies that look nothing like this pretty picture to more accurate versions that still use more familiar ingredients.

The first children's book written by L. Frank Baum was a collection of stories based on nursery rhymes called Mother Goose in Prose. Each nursery rhyme was expanded to a longer narrative with more detail and character development. We find out how the old woman ended up living in a shoe, a situation which many modern parents can relate to. The black sheep has an interesting attitude towards the wool industry. And the Man in the Moon longs to be a part of the world below, only to find difficulties arising from unexpected contradictions. 

I loved this book and especially loved the marvelous illustrations by Maxfield Parrish, such as the one above of the Moon Man.

Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, to date, is the only human being for whom the moon is a final resting place. Some of his ashes were on board 1999's Lunar Prospector when it was deliberately crashed into the lunar surface after a mapping mission. Dr. Shoemaker was best known for discovering the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with his wife Caroline and David Levy. He founded and was the first director of the Astrogeology Research Program and was involved in training the Apollo astronauts.