In production...

Hello, here are a few production things from my latest piece (my panel for my web comic)

 I scan my very quick layout sketch in and re- draw it on a new layer (like when I use my light box in the real world). I started on the boat this time using the one and only material I use when drawing digitally- its the same thing I use as my drawings on paper. I like to try and draw as 'realistically' as possible, otherwise my digital work looks a bit to plastic fantastic and loses its charm.

 When an area in one of my drawings has a lot of colour, i always build up to the end result with layer...

 ...after layer of different colour. These are all on the same digital layer too, so if I make a mistake its tough really, although I do make use of the 'undo brushstroke' function on occasion.

 This time I even added the lights over the colours...

 I use one type of blender on my drawings too, and I use it on some selected areas of the picture too, I don't blend absolutely everything because I like some areas to look sketchy still with each pencil stroke visible.

After illustration where the light is coming from I add highlights to the rest of the coloured areas in my picture. I always light with darker colours and add the light afterward, I find this part the most fun, and my work is quite dark any way I think.


Hope you enjoyed that, more work soon,
If you liked reading my blog perhaps you would like to follow it?

Rose x

Cassius and Gustav

Hello there, two posts in the same day today.

I'm going out in an hour so I have to start getting ready but I just have time to show this this new piece of work I finished today. I have been writing a web comic these last few days and I have started the first few panels, the very first one I finished today:

The theme of the running story revolves around the adventures of a boy and his pig toy (who, in the world they find themselves alone in, is able to talk and move about of his own accord).  It didn't take me very long to finish so I think the web comic will be easy to maintain, it's really fun to and thats the main thing, I do find it difficult to motivate myself with a self- initiated project if I find it boring.

I hope you will chose to read it when it is live :)

thanks for coming here
Rose x

A package and a little promotion

Hello, thanks for visiting this small space I occupy on the world wide web..

I would like to show you this generous little package I received a few days ago.

Its from Alessandra Fusi, an illustration I much admire I originally bought this Edward Scissorhands postcard for a small wooden frame I have for my bedroom, but She sends all the other nice things too- like the bookmark which is printed on the nicest grainy paper, It really made me happy to get this little package.

Im working on panels for my web comic each day now, My poor little shop has been pushed right to the back of the list, but I keep painting when I can (sometimes on the evenings while I watch tv).
At the moment I spend all day drawing for my web comic and occasionally I do an additional piece of work to enhance my portfolio. I'm nearly ready to launch my site, I would like just a few more pieces before I do- it's daunting trying to chose which illustrations to include..

You can find the links to Alessandra's shop and everything else at her beautiful blog: http://alessandrafusi.blogspot.co.uk/ 

happy shopping!

see you soon with more updates.
Rose x

"Just my usual look of haughty derision"

Hello my minions of illustration, or lovers of art, I have something new for you...


"In a second when I gloat, over the failure of this enterprise, how do you prefer I do it?- The standard 'I told you so' with a classic 'ne ner, ne ner', or just my usual look of haughty derision":

Now I'm VERY late to the 'Big Bang' party, (I actually saw it for the first time recently at my sister's house). I had a bit of a downer week this last week, I was ill and didn't have a lot of energy to work at all :(, so I started watching it and it really kept me in high spirits while I was in bed. I started this for fun a little while into watching the 5th season and finished it today, It's from one of my favourite scenes of Sheldon, and I have a lot of favourite Sheldon moments!

It is a digital drawing, I just wanted to let lose with something, I had lots of fun doing it so everything worked out well. I will be putting this onto my shop available as prints in a variety of sizes, if you would like one in the meantime then please get in touch: rose@tothedepths.com

Thanks for coming, I do enjoy your visits :)

'Rock! paper! scissors! lizard! Spock!'

Rose x

New work

Hello,

Today I have been working on a little digital drawing- a concept sketch for a very simple web comic I have been working on in short stages between larger projects:

I also put a new Moleskine page featuring some of my other drawings from this project on the Moleskine page on my blog.

Just a quick one today but come back soon :)

Rose

Working process for latest piece

Hello, while I was working on my newest drawing I took some pictures of my screen at different stages like I did before.
I started with the sketchiest sketch in history and scanned it (the composition was hard to place and it took me a while to sort it out on paper). I drew around it and built it up on a separate layer, then transferred that layer to my 'nice paper' file I use for digital drawings.

 This is how my composition looked before colour, it took quite a long time of sketching and messing about to get it to look like what I had in my head..

 I coloured their clothes on two separate layers, then collapsed them so I could use the blending brush..Marie's dress I liked right away, I expected to have to change the colour several times but it wasn't the case, Pierre's jacket I darkened slightly and changed the shade of brown.

 Building the background was very tedious, I wanted it dark, but I didn't know how dark to sketch it, so I just kept building it up every now and again..

 ..In the end I just saved it and coloured the background- it worked out just how I had pictured it strangely, in the future I think I will be more inclined to just try things instead of thinking about them. I used a very thin brush (I think about one pixel), to draw the glow around the lamp. Then I coloured everything on completely separate layers- Marie's complexion had its own layer, her hair, and a clean-up layer. Pierre had a complexion colour layer and two layers for his hair (one for the auburn colour and another for individual darker brushstrokes). 

The Radium samples I put on the top layer and just worked into it with different shades of blue, and a tiny bit of red and purple :) Very small brush again..

So there- I saved several variations of this piece because sometimes I like to re- draw things with different colours or in just black and white. This picture took about 4 straight days to finish on my computer, I used a lot of reference from text (chiefly biographical and autobiographical writing about and by Marie and Pierre Curie), oh and photographs too.

Thank you for coming, you know I love seeing you here

Rose x