Character Dancing

I bought a version of Animationish and I've been playing with it. I have no idea where this is taking me. But I am sharing this little experiment I did last night. I love the way one can bring drawings to life with animation, even bad drawings.

Kids Making Art on the iPad

I came across this very COOL video about kids and making art on the iPad.

"Connecting the Dots" iPad Artwork Inspired by Peter Reynolds "The Dot"

Vector Flowers Painted

I am taking part in Wet Canvas's Weekend event again.
This week a photo of flowers is included from the reference photos. I might do a few more images before the week is out.

This is a digital painting created in Corel Draw as a vector file. Then converted to a Riff file and painted in Corel Painter with the colored pencil brushes.
If you look close you can see the details of the pencil lines. I saved it as a jpeg and posted it in a reduced size for the blog.

The bottom image is the first stage as a vector version.
Using vectors is sort of like cutting out shapes and pasting them down piece by piece. At least that's how I think when I am putting them together.
Does anyone out there know of other vector creating software?  A friend asked me this week and I could not answer the question.

Sketching with pencil

I thought I'd sketch this character this weekend. From a reference photo on wet canvas for the all media event this week.
He looks like he needs a visit to the groomers for a good clip. But the face is almost human. It startled me as I drew it.
Black wax based pencil on Stonehenge.
I'm not happy with it. But I am posting it.
It is on a sheet 8 x 10.
Scanned and cropped in Corel Photo Paint.

Thanks to WC member oldrockchick for the reference photo.

Five Years of Painting Puppies

On January 11, 2007, I started my Painting Puppies blog. At that time I had been drawing a lot of dog portraits. This is the reason for the title of course. I had no idea where it was going, but it has rumbled along with pictures from my camera and drawings and digital art as I tried out new things.
I am all over the place in topics, but I have ceased to be too concerned because I know I am what Barbara Sher calls a scanner type personality.
There are a lot of us out there it seems so it is a comfort to know I am not alone.
I probably have too many projects on the go and I hope to finish most of what I have begun. Hopefully I will finish most of it this year. Now there's a resolution for me to live up to.
Tonight I am having an imaginary toast to my little blog. Please join me. Champagne all around. And perhaps some cake from my friend Stacy Rowan at her blog Stop And Draw the Roses. She is near the east coast of the USA and I am on the far west coast of Canada. We have been friends online since 2000 when a few of us shared a digital board online. She began her Stop and Draw The Roses blog in the same week I started Painting Puppies blog.
Thanks Google for making it so easy to blog. Thank you blogging friends for taking time to visit my blog from time to time.

Illustration - Piggies from the picture book
 Albert's Old Shoe's by Stephen Muir. 


Illustrations by M.J. Muir

A Painted Canvas Impression

I wanted to make some wall art for my grandson's bedroom. He is four years old and he  likes chickens and cows and ducks and fish.

Since he is very young I was afraid of framing art under glass because he is active and I didn't want to use anything as breakable as glass. So I tried a little experiment.

I bought some small 8 x 10 canvases.
I printed out four of my designs from my color laser printer.
I glued each sheet to each canvas by brushing acrylic medium over the white canvas, pressing down the sheets into the medium.

When they were dry, I painted carefully over each laser printed images with acrylic medium. It is milky white when wet, but it dries crystal clear.
When it was completely dry, I painted another layer of acrylic medium. Then another.

I left them all to dry over night and in the morning I painted the sides with yellows or blues to give the impression of a true painting on a frame.
Daniel is very happy with his new bedroom art. I think it works quite nicely.

His favorite is the duck.
I took these photos just before I wrapped them in Christmas paper.

I know one can have photos applied to canvas but it is very expensive. This is a way to create the impression of the same thing for much less cost.

Christmas Week Thoughts

My poetry workshop group has been posting some amazing follow up conversation via email and my head is spinning to keep up with all the inspired thought being posted by these amazing writers about their creative process.

Yesterday I received an email from a fellow illustrator regarding free software for building an APP on an iPad. Once can create an interactive story with it. The thing is, if you build one and you want to sell it, you will be charged $499 to have them publish it for you.
Maybe this is reasonable? I don't have the answer.

For information about this software you can find it here. It is called Demi Books. You need an iPad to use it plus the ability to create pdf files.

I find this very exciting. Of course I am also aware of a lot of controversy among librarians and supporters of children's literature regarding Kids and APPS. Some people are passionately against kids spending time with iPads.
But I have seen how my grandson takes to both books and the iPad and how delighted he can be with both.
His parents are amazing in how they oversee his activities day to day. Not too much TV or computer. Just quality time in all areas of play and day to day.

For a three to six year old I recommend Nosy Crow's APP Cinderella and also their interactive APP Three Little Pigs. If you have an iPad and if you have little ones in your life I recommend them. No. I am not trying to sell anything. I am simply interested in these wonderful new creations. I have no authority as any kind of expert. I just LOVE what Nosy Crow is doing. And I love my iPad.

Lists & Checking Off

I've been spinning my wheels for ten days. Maybe it's the realization that Christmas is coming up very fast and I am not ready. If I actually write down all the lists I've made and all the things I have checked off over the past week I know I wouldn't feel quite so inadequate.

I hope you are having a lovely time out there wherever you are. I hope you are enjoying the festivities of the season with friends and family and those you work with.

Conversations With Cousin John

What I am working on this week.
Outside the weather is windy and rainy in this city of Vancouver.
Snow is falling on the mountains.
Winter has arrived.
I recently began a conversation with a long lost cousin who happens to live in Ireland. I have not seen him for over fifty years! But now we are talking through the wonders of the internet and email. He is a lovely man and because of our communications a story inspired by his memories and my memories is coming together. I love to work on projects like this and I am hoping it will become something lovely. These sketches and digital characters are developing as I make myself keep going. It is quite a lonesome thing to work on things like this but my cousin is interested and this is what I need. Whatever it is...it has begun. Wish me luck please? Stepping off another cliff...developing a new little world of characters and backgrounds....and story.

Digital Circles and Lines Painting

Playing with Corel Painter last night.

December Trees in Plaid

Today's experiment with Corel Painter11. First I created a sort of Christmas Coloured Plaid design. then I used the eraser tool to remove space around the shapes.
It took a while but the end result is satisfying to me. The design is a little wonky but I like the cut out look of it.
I can't believe December is coming up so fast.

Halloween Scary Pumpkins

I made these pumpkin guys last night while playing with the Art Rage APP on my Ipad yesterday. I sent them via email to my computer and converted the files from png to jpeg in CorelDraw.
I have a little Bamboo pen for Ipad which enables me to draw with a little more accuracy. I kind of like the teeth effect. And leaving out the noses had an interesting effect I think.
Do you have a pumpkin ready for carving at your house this week? Spooky time.

Portfolio Post

An update of my portfolio was my special project for this week. I am posting the link on my Maplepancakes blog as well. Having two blogs is complicated some days. I may as well post it in two places after all the time I spent on it.  If you have any inclination or  interest in viewing it I thank you from my heart.
This one is not included but it brightens up this page today. The cat in the tulips is watercolor, pen and ink I made years ago before the PC existed.

More Doodles

Doodles

I forgot how much fun this Zfrank web software is to play with. Easy especially with a Tablet and a pen.
Magical and free to try. Procrastination can be fun. Updated version where you can save as png files.