IF - Drifting - 6-19-09

I love how this one turned out...just may have to turn this sketch into a painting!
I have an image sketched out on one of my canvas at home; she's growing impatient with me. Hopefully I'll be able to give her some life soon!

IF - Unfold - 6-12-09

A quick pen sketch for today's Illustration Friday, "Unfold"!

New Sketch - 6-12-09

A new sketch for the end of the week, untitled and done in plain old ball point pen on a glossy cardstock. I have several paintings at home waiting impatiently for me! Unfortunatley time does not seem to be a friend right now...I just don't have any to spare for my poor neglected paints!
But I do have some amazing goodies I've managed to get my hands on recently. Scraps of mounting boards and rolls of spare raw canvas are finding their way into my little house. I'm hoping to create some unusual pieces with these treasures!

IF 5/8/09 - Parade

New Sketch! 4-27-09

Another little ballpoint pen sketch, this time a little more fanciful.
I took some time out in the last couple of weeks, and even snuck in a little vacation with my family to Disneyland. We had such fun! Perhaps that's where this idea was inspired from...I love Fantasyland and the Alice in Wonderland ride!

Happy Easter!

A bit of a character study, in ink again, and in honor of wonderful Easter!

New Sketch for Spring!

I've felt my muse return a bit with the glorious spring weather that drenched us in sunshine recently. Unfortunately, due to having no time to paint, which forces my medium of choice to either pencil or pen, my sketches are lacking the color I crave. But I found this wonderfully glossy cardstock that takes ink from cheap ballpoint pens like nothing else, and I was able to do some great detailed line work in the hair of this lovely spring lady that I haven't been able to do in a while!
Happy spring my friends! Hope you're feeling the joy and renewal of the season!

Illustration Friday - Talisman

"She used her favorite book, 'The Complete Works of Jane Austen', as a talisman against the evils and sorrows of the world. It kept her quite content!"

Illustration Friday - Catch-up... 'Rambunctious' and 'Voices'

I've been naughty in not keeping up with my Illustration Friday posts! So here are my quick little sketches for the last two weeks...far from perfect, just very rough sketches from my doodle book. "Voices" didn't come out nearly as nice as I'd have liked, and I just couldn't get the shooting star affect right in "Rambunctious", but here they are. From my Christmas-infused mind and straight to paper!

Sketchbook Finds - 12/16/08

My production of artwork has dropped drastically as Christmas winds it very quick and merry way toward us. I know I've been remiss in posting here, but thought I'd do something I haven't done in a while: I'll share a sketch from my ever-present doodlebook with you!
This is something I did back in May, and is my version of Rapunzel, with the rampion of the story about the base of the tree. I'm hoping one day to make it into a painting...eventually!

What am I Thankful for...?

I feel so very blessed for all of you, my blog friends! This community has been such a God-send to me. Your encouragement and kind words have done so much to keep me working hard at my art, even when my hope seemed to have gone.
Thank you, my friends! I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, and to those of you outside the U.S. I send big warm hugs as well!
Affectionately yours,
Christina

IF - Pretend

My quick little sketch for this Illustration Friday's topic of "Pretend", straight out of my doodle book!

Wise - IF 11-7-08

Here's my very quick and very silly Illustration Friday sketch for the topic "Wise". This poor lady thinks that osmosis will work to help her become wise? I think the owl is doubting her technique...

Work in Progress 11-4-08

It seems ages since I've done a work in progress! I've been working on a private project for a little while now, but need to take a break from it for a short time. I liked how my sketch for the Illustration Friday topic of "Strings" came out so much that I've decided to do a watercolor painting of it. Here you can see that I've inked the main image, but I'm keeping the background of the marionette stage lightly sketched out in pencil to bring it less attention. I'll be filling it in with color soon!

IF - Repair

My new sketch for today's Illustration Friday. I sketch straight in pen, so it gets a little messy. Plus, I chopped my hair off last week and now I seem to be drawing more and more ladies with short hair! ;)

IF - Late

I am so loving these Illustration Friday themes. They really jump start my imagination!

Illustration Friday - "Strings"

Sketchbook Finds - 10/6/08

My doodle ideas of new hairdos for my Jane Austen inspired ladies.

Sketchbook Finds - 9/22/08

The sketch that eventually became "Sweet Abandon". Knowing that she was in a pile of autumn leaves, I wound up giving her slightly warmer clothes in the final product! You can see the painting here!

Sketchbook Finds - 9/17/08

Some ideas for layouts I was playing with. The middle 2 I wound up painting as a set.