Illustration Friday - Flavor

No time this week for something new, so I pulled this gal out from my files. She's 100% digital and changes flavor with just a touch. Go ahead... try it! Happy New Year!

Illustration Friday - Holiday

We have decided to take a holiday from the holidays this year and simply enjoy having some time off to be together and see a few friends and some family. No tree, no mall, no traffic, no overeating, and no big bills in January. So in the spirit of my non-holiday cheer, I am posting a non-holiday drawing. I recently bought a set of Sakura Gelly Roll metallic markers in different colors, and this is the first doodle I did with them. I'm looking forward to having the time this week to start some of the drawings that I've had in my head. That's one of the best gifts I could get...time to draw!

I want to wish all my wonderful friends in the Land of Blog a very happy and healthy holiday season, and all the best in the new year - Peace, Love, and Happiness to you and your loved ones.

Illustration Friday - Imagine

I have always loved imagining what life was like in different times and places. What would it be like, for example, to time travel and visit ancient Egypt and be able to see the architecture and art that I've only experienced as photographs in books? Many years ago, I had the privilege of taking a course on ancient Egypt taught by Bob Brier, a well-known Egyptologist. It was a little bit like time travel as he shared his knowledge and passion for a culture that existed so long ago. These drawings are from a paper I wrote and illustrated on ancient Egyptian costume.

The ancient Egyptians were very concerned with aesthetics, and it is natural that this concern pervaded their costume. Their garments were of usually made of woven linen that varied in texture from very thick to almost transparent. When ornamented, garments were either dyed or painted in colors such as deep warm purple, indigo blue, dull madder red, dull apple green, and dull yellow-orange. In ornamentation, the Egyptians used their favorite decorative motifs on everything: temple walls and ceilings, tombs, furniture, jewelry, and clothing. The two most frequently used details were the lotus and papyrus put into varied geometric patterns and colored rhythmically. The drawing above shows the goddess Isis wearing an elaborate hawk headdress.


The most characteristic piece of ancient Egyptian jewelry was the pectoral. This drawing depicts a pectoral from the 12th dynasty (1991 - 1783 B.C.). It was made of gold inlaid with carnelien and lapis lazuli.


Lady and gentleman in festal costume of the New Kingdom (1570 - 1070 B.C.)



left to right: figure with the hawk-feather headdress of Isis, princess, prince


Music was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian lifestyle, whether played in temples, at the banquets of the rich, or in the ranks of a marching army. The musicians themselves had little if anything distinctive about their dress, with the exception of the royal harpists from the tomb of Ramses III (1194 - 1156 B.C.). Here the harpist wore a voluminous New Kingdom robe that fell loose but was rounded off at the bottom to prevent its trailing on the ground.

Illustration Friday - Surprise

Apparently with no surprise
To any happy Flower
The Frost beheads it at its play—
In accidental power—

The blonde Assassin passes on—
The Sun proceeds unmoved
To measure off another Day
For an Approving God.

Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

drawing/collage - metallic markers and micron pen on white and black bristol

Playing with color

I want to thank all of you who have left such kind, thoughtful comments and fascinating observations on my illustration this week. I am always incredibly honored to receive the feedback from this group of talented and creative people. I am often asked how I've created a particular illustration since I don't usually add that after my other commentary. I guess I don't want to ramble too much... Anyway, this week, the talented, witty, and always informative Jeope said that it would be interesting if I were to "dish on the process more often," so dish I will!

The drawing above is the original version, done with a micron pen and markers on bristol. I used a little bit of water on a brush to bleed the edges along the hair. I scanned it and then put in the background and a little bit of highlighting on the face using photoshop. I turned it blue for the illustration below by adjusting the hue and saturation and changing the background. Very simple!

Illustration Friday - Blue

In the darkest part of the night
Blue shadows conjure you
And at the brightest height of the daylight
Sometimes I blink 'cause I think I see you
Dreaming like you do

- Joni Mitchell

Throughout history, color has been used for its ability to evoke emotions and symbolize ideas. Although many of qualities associated with colors vary from culture to culture, some connotations also suggest deeper, archetypical sources. An examination of the history of color can thus yield insight into both cultural identities as well as human psychology.

The color blue is universally associated with the sky and the sea, suggesting heaven, infinity, serenity, wisdom, devotion, loyalty, and openness. Blue has been significant in the religious beliefs of many diverse cultures, often thought to bring peace or to keep evil spirits away. In many cultural mythologies, because blue is associated with sky and water, its symbolism extends to the heavens and of the primeval floods. In both of these cases, blue takes on a meaning of life and re-birth. In dream analysis, depending on the context of the dream, the presence of blue may symbolize either clarity of mind and a spiritual optimism for the future or melancholy. Because color has so much connotative power, artists and writers often go beyond its representational value in order to express and evoke emotions and concepts.

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. - e.e. cummings