Black Hole

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/25/14, the topic was Space.  I had a lot of ideas for this one, but not a lot of time, and the only concept I could come up with was the one I ended up doing!!!  I did enjoy this one, it's just too bad I was so pressed for time on it, I would have liked to have cleaned it up a bit more, added more contrast, etc.  It's entirely digital done in Painter.

A Modern Inconvenience

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/14/14, the topic was Twisted.  This was another topic I had a hard time with, and due to time constraints I had to make a decision quickly.  The subject I believe is something most people can relate to, the twisted mess that your earbuds become when you attempt to unravel them ( and for some reason no matter how nicely I wind them up they somehow get tangled)!!!  This piece is similar in style to the Beginning topic, I wanted it simple, and thought it would be nice if they spelled out the topic.  It's entirely digital done in Painter.

Sineya the First Slayer

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/7/14 the topic was Prehistoric.  This one was a struggle, and I wasn't thrilled with the topic, but eventually I was able to find "myself" in it, and it easily became my favorite so far.  The piece is of Sineya, the First Slayer in the series of 'Slayers' (which began during the Prehistoric era), based on mythos from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I was a huge fan of the show, and it was great to be able to celebrate that through this work.  It is done entirely in Painter.

Late Bloomer

IF (Illustration Friday) 1/31/14 the topic was Exotic.  This one turned out nice, but I really wasn't thrilled with the topic.  All the ideas I had were a bit too lofty, and considering the time constraints...none of them were going to work.  I settled on the Blue Rose, which originally was going to be a Lotus Blossom.  It is entirely digital, done in Painter with some manipulations done in Photoshop.

A 'Cheesy' Disguise

IF (Illustration Friday), 1/24/14 the topic was Disguise.  I had a really hard time with this one trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  I started out with a chameleon, then a superhero, but it was all too literal for me.  Then one day (close to the deadline), as I was driving, it came to me!!!  People put cheese on literally everything (especially in the US), generally to disguise the taste of things!!!  This piece is one of the few traditional works I've done in some time, it's Prismacolor and Sharpie Markers on Cardstock.

Eve of Expulsion

IF (Illustration Friday) 1/17/14 the topic was Beginning.  This one was probably one of the easier ideas I've come up with for the Illustration Friday projects.  It was simple, but effective and I was really pleased with how it came out.  I'm also trying to change the style or approach on them so that there's some variety to it.  I like the contrast on this one, and think that I'll try this technique with more work in the future.  The concept for this piece is Eve in the Garden of Eden before the expulsion of man.

Searching for Answers...

IF (Illustration Friday) from 1/11/14, the topic was Search.  After some searching of my own, I finally came up with something satisfactory....a mug with tea leaves.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.