In progress

A couple paintings I am working on at the moment.

watercolour. gargoyle lion thing.

oil. from a picture I took off the ferry heading back to the island one weekend. The clouds where pretty spectacular with the sunset.

Both still need a fair bit of work. but I'm pretty happy with what I have so far. Especially on the oil one I just made it through the part of painting that you're really not sure whats going on and if it's going to work. So, I'm excited to keep painting and see what happens.

My roommate and I are planing to start up a web comic in the near future. I think I'll be posting some character designs shortly.

She writes stuff.

One of my current projects is for my roommate who is a great writer. It's a great set up, she gets an in-house designer and I get a copywriter! Very convenient.
I'm working on her website (mentioned in the previous post) but also on her business card.

It had to be one colour and one sided and easily printed somewhere like staples. Something with a bit of cheek to match her tagline "she writes stuff". I'm pleased with the outcome. It was a fun little project. Its nice to have the advantage of knowing your client fairly well, also very convenient to yell down the hall for proofs.

I am available for commission if anyone is looking for business card designs etc. drop me a line @ elisestevens(at)gmail(dot)com

now onto sponsorship brochure for work. and go!
-élise

Summer time

Every summer I think "I'm going to get so much done this summer! It's going to be great!" and i make all these lists of things I'm going to do in my time off (hahaha). There are post-it notes all over my wall and my white board is full of list. I even have post its on my desktop. For one reason or another, usually work, I never get any where near my summer goals. But this summer I might have actually made a dent in some of my lists. Or at least given them a good start.
I'm working on getting my site up and running.
Also working on my roommates writing portfolio site up.
I'm also doing some design work for C&C Cakery.

My goals is to update this with some art this weekend. Lets hope this summers productivity keeps up, because i'm sure going to need it in the new school year!
-é

My evening

So school is finaly done for the semester and it is my summer goal to not neglect this blog. 

I finally pulled out my watercolours again last night. Figured it was time for a new profile pic self-portrait just to get back into the swing of things.

I took pictures of my process. I'm sure in years to come I will cringe, but thats part of the fun! right....

So here we go:

Reference picture, and start drawing. Halfway through a cup of earlgrey tea already.

Adding more detail and marking shade and shadow.

Ready to start painting. and get some more tea!

Painting in the darkest parts first. 

more darks.

Throwing some colour in there. This is where I kinda stop having a prosses and just go with the flow. Still painting dark to light mostly but i bounce between colours and just feel it out. It's fun and scary all at the same time :P

And time to make some dinner!

While that's going on I throw some more colour at it...i swear this looks normal at the end and not like my eyes are bleeding and my jaw is molding. Oh although maybe next time i'll do a zombie portrait. That would be fun.

I start smoothing some of the shade edges with that yellow thing. It's meant to clean between your teeth kinda like a pipecleaner toothbrush. But its great for smoothing out edges and lifting up paint to lighten areas.

Here we go, things are starting to come together.

Mmmm and dinner is ready. and almost finished my second cup of tea.

Watch some Star Trek while i eat...I'm not predictable...what are you talking about.

Little bit more colour in the face and neck, starting to look a little more like my skin tone. Adding a background wash of green. 

More colour in the hair. Also pulling some highlights back with that yellow brush thing, taking the colour off back to the paper. And a fresh cup of tea, peppermint this time, or i'll never fall asleep with all that caffien.

And there we are! I havn't decided if I've finished fiddling with it. I have trouble stoping painting once the painting is done. So i think i'll leave it as it for a couple days then come back and see if I still think it needs anything.

I've got another painting on the go so hopefuly i'll post that when it's done. 

My goal is to update this blog twice a week over the summer....wish me luck.

Also, my instructore Kiff Holland just got his website up @ www.kiffhollandartist.com and you should all go check it out. Amazing painter and teacher. 

He's going to have a blog up and runnign soon that will show his prosses and current paintings. I'll post a link when that is up.

Sketchbook

I've been working pretty hard on school stuff over the Olympic break, but with very little to show for it unfortunately. Mostly it's been a lot of organization and preliminary stuff.
hopefully by the end of the weekend i'll have a little more to show.

couple scans from my sketchbook.