Zodiac - last 6 sketches

...and the rest of them.

Eager to start painting these on Monday!

Scorpio

Libra

Pisces
Aquarius
Sagittarius
Capricorn

Zodiac - 6 sketches ready to paint

I usually like to work on one painting at a time, from sketch to finish. My mind focuses on the image better that way, because even as I work on the sketch I start getting ideas for the color schemes and for little bits and pieces I want to incorporate when I get to the painting part.

Unfortunately, when working for a client, I don't always have that luxury. Sometimes I'll work on sketches for multiple clients at once, since the response time of ADs can vary, and the sooner I get approval for a finalized sketch, the sooner I can start painting it, in my own time.

Since this project is on a deadline, I don't want to waste days sitting on a sketch and waiting for the art director to get back to me about the pieces one at a time, so I have to work on several sketches in parallel. This art director was out of town for a few days, and I managed to make my way through 6 finalized sketches (all ready to go on the illustration board and set for painting).

I'm thinking that since I've gotten this far, I might as well finish sketching all 12 of them, and then I can settle into the painting part next week. The sketching is the hard part of a piece. It is the phase that I find most draining, because I have to actively brainstorm, think about composition, placement, and anatomy. Once an image is laid out, the painting almost happens by itself, even though it takes longer. It's meditative in a way.

Taurus

Virgo

Leo

Cancer

Gemini (was worried my male/female twins here wouldn't pass the AD approval, but yay it did!)

Aries

Shadowscapes Tarot Cover Preview

I got a preview of the Shadowscapes Tarot cover today, from Llewellyn. Exciting that the designers are finally getting to work on it! They chose the Queen of Swords image.

Zodiac - Cancer In Progress

Progression for Cancer.

When I first get a description for a piece, I start with sketches and thumbnails. In the case for this zodiac series, I was given a series of keywords and colors. I like working with this kind of very loose guidance for a commission because it leaves me free to come up with my own connections to the concepts. In this case: the crab, water, nurturing, the reflective surface of water (for the colors), focus on the family, protective, sensitive.

* * *

Once I have a basic sketch worked out, and the composition pieced together in Photoshop, I send it off for approval from the art director. When I get the okay, then I start to flesh out the details and correct anatomy with references if needed. In this case the latter required looking up pictures of seagulls, crabs, and lotuses. When I do the first concept sketches I don't worry so much about the accuracy of things like that, wanting instead to capture the flow and mood of a piece.

I picked up a couple of Audubon books for fairly cheap the other day from Costco with great references for all sorts of birds and animals.

Though of course the internet never fails for image references as well.

* * *

Transferred to the final painting surface (Strathmore 500 series illustration board), I refine the details even more. By flipping the image back and forth several times during process, it allows you to get a fresh perspective on the composition and work out any imbalances that might otherwise be overlooked. Working on a piece for too long, everything starts to look right. Flipping also helps for spotting strange anatomy flaws. When working with a symmetrical (or even semi-symmetrical) piece, looking at it in reverse is extremely useful.

All set for painting now. Just awaiting the final okay from the art director!

Gencon Exhaustion & Etsy Update

Whew, back from Gencon. Pretty exhausted now, but it was a good weekend. Thanks everyone who stopped by the booth!

I was introduced to the art of Omar Rayyan, who was the guest of honor this year. A different approach to the application of watercolors from my own with a whimsical fairytale touch. Which he somehow managed to maintain even when he painted gritty or bizarre subject matter.

Just this very quick update before I go crawl into and fall unconscious in bed (MY bed! It always feels so good to be home after a trip). But I wanted to post a bunch of things on Etsy. So here they are:

*14 new original paintings available* - these were the pieces that I did for White Wolf's Mage Tarot a while back. The Cups suit. Prices range from $125.00 - $275.00





*a bunch o' pendants* - new designs and old. As always, if you ever see a design I've sold in the past that you like, I'm happy to recreate it. $25.00 each.

Zodiac Scribblings - Virgo & Libra

Another two. 5 more to go! More to come after I get back from Gencon next week.

Sketch for Virgo:
Sketch for Libra:

Zodiac Scribblings - Gemini

A few more sketches. It was hard to motivate myself to get much sketching done today because it was so hot! I wanted nothing more than to stretch out on the couch with the fan next to me and a tall glass of icy water, and maybe snooze a bit. But I'm trying to keep myself to an early schedule for the next couple days because I leave for Gencon on Wednesday morning, in Indianapolis, and I'll have to be getting onto that earlier time zone. Might as well stick with the hours I've been doing lately and make things easier for myself.

Going to try and get all 12 sketched out before I start painting. Partially because for now I'm still awaiting feedback from the art director, so I can't really proceed anyway. But also because the deadline for the cover piece comes first, before all the interiors! Marketing department needs a cover to start advertising as soon as possible. This makes things a bit tricky for me since it means I have to figure out the gist of all 12 paintings within the next two months so that it can be incorporated into the cover.

Dreamscapes 2 had a similar situation, where the cover was required far in advance of the interior material. That was easier to deal with however because the cover didn't necessarily have to reflect the interior pieces, just to encompass the general theme.

* * *

1st sketch. Toyed with it a bit. Might use it someday for something else, but it wasn't really calling to me for this.

2nd sketch. Liking this one much better. Hopefully the art director does too.

Had to modify the format of the image a bit too from the sketches I did the previous few days, as my contact initially forgot to mention that the pieces didn't take up the full page area. The right margin of the 12x12 inch calendar is needed for all the astrological information.