#156 Owl Sketch

A rough sketch of an owl.

While bemoaning the fact that I did not have any toned paper to draw on, I remembered that I had stowed away an unopened pad of 18 x 24 charcoal paper in various tints. I simply folded a sheet in quarters, ripped them apart, and had four sheets of decently-sized drawing paper. Admittedly, the texture leaves a lot to be desired. I threw it all together pretty quickly, so there's not a lot of blending there. Brown Prismacolor Col-Erase, white Conté.

#153 Sketchbook 2012: The Falconer's Blade Part III: More Local Color

Sorry for the lack of updates lately - I've been busy with various things. This is the progress on the first painting for the sketchbook so far as of yesterday. I thought it was finished and ready for digital, but I started seeing even more areas that needed contrast and shadow. This really needs to be done in the painting stage, so some more work, and then we push into the wilderness of Photoshop! And after that, more drawings. Stay tuned!

#152 SKETCHBOOK 2012: The Falconer's Blade Part II: Local Color

Started in on the local color for the dragon & falcon. The red became a bit purple, but I think that in the end thats what I wanted anyway. Next: more color!

#151 SKETCHBOOK 2012: The Falconer's Blade

The Falconer's Blade - 10" x 14" pencil on Arches watercolor paper

(click for larger image)

I am really excited to show you guys the first piece of art for my upcoming sketchbook! I did this one on Arches 140-lb. cold press watercolor paper with (my new favorite) Prismacolor Sepia Col-Erase pencil. I won't be releasing all the art for the book on the blog, but I'll be giving away a few sneak peeks to whet your appetite. There are spots in the drawing that are a bit weak, but I felt like I needed to just move on to the painting stage and not dwell on any particular part of the process too long. Now that I have scanned the final drawing I can paint - I have to have high-quality scans of all the parts of the book before I move on to the next step. This will be in water color, but I plan to include a variety in the book. I hope to do some experiments in oils in the next couple of weeks, and I hope to get them into the final product. Stay tuned for some watercolor!

#150 Red & Brown

Been really loving these Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils for drawing & sketching lately. They are really inexpensive and the color combinations make me want to sketch more. The two colors can really add depth to a drawing. These thumbnails are for a "Sea Monster vs. Victorian Submarine" illustration for the Sketchbook.

EDIT: I'll fix the picture later, you can click I for the full version.

#149 Sketchbook 2012!

Out of necessity I've been posting a lot from my iPhone lately, so I have to keep things a bit short. But I wanted to share a bit of a drawing I've been working on this week... And share a bit of what it is for.
I am planning a printed Sketchbook!
I have a theme in mind, but haven't decided on a title yet. It will feature about 8 - 10 finished illustrations, along with all the sketches that go along with them, and will (hopefully) be printed in full color!
I'll share more details as they come, but I won't be posting all the finished art, but will keep you updated!
Look for a release sometime this summer. Stay tuned!

-Will