Sketchbook Update 7

The latest offerings...

Um, so, little known fact about me... I like Pride and Prejudice. I was watching the 1995 TV version yesterday and Mr Darcy's Shirt ruffles grabbed my attention. I paused it and quickly sketched it down, then later on Elizabeth's hat caught my attention. 

The bottom picture is my friend Rose again, it is another of the poses she did for me the other week, I have just cleaned it up and worked on it a little more. She had a great expression on her face.

The x-ray I found via google (AJ Photo/Science Photo Library) and thought it was just fantastic! If anyone has any other x-rays they want to share I would love to see them!

The baby hands belong to the children of a friend of mine. The centre hand belongs to a 2yr old and the rest belong to a 4yr old. Thank you Oscar and Dexter for being great models!

Sketchbook Update 6

I think I've pretty much done adult's now, so I'm starting on children. The references for both pictures are from Facial Expressions Babies to Teens by Mark Simon. Oh, Mark Simon, where would I be without you?!

The top picture is of a 3 week old, a 7 month old and a 17 month old. The bottom picture is a newborn skull. Not an alien...

Sketchbook Update 5

What happens why you find out your an alien?

An idea I have been developing for a while now, 'Ghetto Fairies' Copyright Claire Carter 2011. I have spent ages trying to find a way to do this and I think I've done it. The reference image came from a google images search. I hope to develope this idea a bit more so keep watching!

Sitting in my car, waiting, I got bored and drew myself through the mirror. Yes, that is a spider, I have one dangling from my mirror...

Met with Rose and Dan on Sunday (as previously mentioned) and Rose sat for me. 

Sketchbook Update 4

An updated version of My Feet. In my sketchbook I printed out the page and cut out my feet then added the words on top and slightly raised. It looks really good, I keep smiling at myself whenever I see it. The text is from the Wikipedia page titled Foot. 

I have a few more pages done and I will upload those tomorrow. As for tonight, I have just got back from meeting with the Bristol Fantasy and Sci-Fi group. Really tired!

Art Related Rant.

**Edit** Since writing this something has been nagging at me, a little errant thought growing and growing. I am not mad at the these people for giving in or standing on the side-lines waiting for someone else to do the leg-work. I am mad at me. Here I am saying 'damn it, do something about it' and then adding that I can't because I don't know how, or I don't have the sponsorship or the funds. Well, I live by the edict that if you don't like something, change it. I don't like the fact I'm ranting about people unwilling/unable to do something that I am unwilling/unable to do, so I am going to start asking questions, I'm going to ask the local galleries what they can do, then the local businesses what they can do. Who is willing to put artwork up on their walls? Who is willing to sponsor a show? How many artists would be willing to put work into that show? etc.

I recently listened to a pod cast where there was  a discussion about getting art for a show, it sounded like a lot of hard work but ultimately worth it.

I will keep you updated.
Claire

http://www.jamaicastreetartists.co.uk/ They had a show on this weekend which I mentioned in my last post.. A lot of the work there was done by illustrators, not necessarily fantasy and sci-fi, but artists non the less. They have a building in Jamaica Street, Bristol where they work from which is also a really good gallery when they open it up. 

They have 3 floors of gallery space, and a lift that isn't working so they used the space at the bottom to display more art. It was free entry, drinks and cake were cheap and they were selling a booklet of the event. Also all the art was for sale and I actually saw a huge wad of cash being handed over at one point (huge by my generally broke standards). 

I am going to find out more about them because it looks like a great place to work. 

Then you have this http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Banksy-comes-home-Bristol/story-11242753-detail/story.html If a renegade graffiti artist can get into the City of Bristol Art Gallery then I honestly believe Fantasy art can. 

BristolCon http://www.bristolcon.org/ have been doing a fantasy and sci-fi convention for the last 3 years and have wall space they are offering up to artists.

And so you don't think it's all Bristol... http://www.drsketchylondon.co.uk/ A life drawing class with a twist.

I'm mentioning this because of a conversation http://artorder.ning.com/group/ukchapter/forum/topics/growing-the-market-for-fantasy where it has been mentioned that there doesn't seem to be a big market in England for fantasy art. Well I say that is because we haven't made a market for it. Fantasy artists in the UK have got to stand up and be heard, but it seems we are waiting for someone else to do the work for us. 

There was another conversation a lot like this on the Guardian website when the government cut art funding. 'Oh woe is us what are we to do now?' My answer was to carry on with what we had been doing before. I admit my opinion came from not having used arts council money before and so not really missing it, nothing has changed for me. 

I believe we should get off our backsides and do the legwork ourselves. If you want your work in a gallery, set it up, go to the gallery and discuss the show you want to put on. If you want your work published, then go to http://www.lulu.com/ and publish it. I'm tired of people saying they wish things were different. If you want it to be different so bad you have to mention it in a group forum, then bloody do something about it.

For my part, I helped set up http://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Frontal-Lobe/176127692403804 Full Frontal Lobe, because I want to get my work in print. I have got my ticket to BristolCon and am going to see about getting some work on their walls. I am going back to college and then to Uni so that I can learn more about the art I want to do and to get the knowledge and the contacts to do it. And now I'm seriously considering looking into a http://tatagala.org/ style gallery show for fantasy art. This may take some time because of the other things I'm doing and getting funding and sponsorship, but if no-one else is willing to do it, I bloody well will.

Rant over.

Jamaica Street Artists

It's Art Sunday again. Rose, Dan and myself started at a random coffee shop where I got all hyped up on caffeine and drew Rose a few times (pictures to follow later). Then we went to look around the art show Jamaica Street Artists. http://www.jamaicastreetartists.co.uk/ Three floors of arty goodness.

One of the artists was this lady http://www.viewartgallery.co.uk/artists/trish-lock.html who had a whole wall full of little toy doll faces. Absolutely stunning. We wanted to touch them.

Another great artist was http://www.rosesanderson.com/ Her work is beautiful.

Sketchbook Update 3

Only one picture today although I have been working on a few others. I'm learning to paint with watercolours which has been a lot of fun. Need to do some more work on those and I will update when they are finished.

These are my feet, with my fat dumpy little toes. Never thought I would allow them to be in the public eye so you should feel all warm and fuzzy that you get to see this.

On another note, I had an idea for some fantasy work I want to do for the upcoming BristolCon, Oct 22. http://www.bristolcon.org/ I have got some wall space to put up some work which I can also sell, very excited. I will post the results after the show. Now I just need to do them. 

Sketchbook Update 2

I am warning you that there is one slightly graphic picture only because it is a fetus and some people may be upset by that. It will be the last picture posted so hopefully you wont see it unless you scroll down.

So, update 2 has arrived, I have done a few more pictures, mostly skeletal. I'm still on the human body parts stage and I am learning a lot from these skeletons. So here they are.

Skeletal foot taken from Anatomy for Artists by Barrington Barber.

Skulls taken from Facial Expressions by Mark Simon.

The last picture was originally going to be a page of skulls with a bone border, and I honestly believe I should have stuck with it, but this is a learning process and next time I will know not to give up on an idea just because it's going to take a few days to finish. We live and learn.

Sketchbook Update 1

I have begun. I did 4 pages last night, and today I put together some title pages using Photoshop. I am noting down a few ideas of things to draw and I pretty much have the whole thing set out. Very excited.

The skull and the skeletal hand were both taken from Anatomy For Artists by Barrington Barber.

Holiday Homework

Ohshitohshitohshit - Terry Pratchett

Today I received an email from college giving me my holiday homework. So now I'm thinking really hard about what to do with it. Comic based? Steampunk? Pure Fantasy?

I have at this moment decided on Life Drawing. It's a subject I really love and enjoy. I'm going to another Burlesque Life Drawing class in August so I can add to it then, and I could just sketch random people in the street or in cafe's. My only worry now is how to make it individual and interesting? How to tie all the pages together? I thought about giving the pages borders to link them.

So many thoughts! So little sleep! I shall go and lie awake in my bed all night until I come up with the answers. Until then here is the homework assignment.

Access to H.E. Creative Arts Homework for Summer 2011.

Drawing Project. It is important that you arrive at your university interview with evidence of considered and developmental drawing. I am asking you to produce a body of work on a selected subject. You decide what that subject is, although making a connection with the degree programme you wish to study is a good idea.

Go to Google images. Type in the word, Sketchbook. Collect copies of all the work you admire. You can print a few of these up and include them in your sketchbook project. Annotate alongside stating why/what you admire about the work.

Suggested topics. Fashion illustration. Character development. Typography. Still life. Landscapes. Interior space. Human condition/interaction. Abstract composition. Self. Narrative. Fantasy. Organic/mechanical/architectural form.

Rules.

• Select a sketchbook of an appropriate size to the type of work you plan to do. Somewhere between A6 and A4. You must fill the book. No empty pages at the back. I will expect you to draw on both sides of the paper. It may be a good idea to buy a sketchbook that has between 35 – 75 pages.
• Any medium is acceptable just remember this is a drawing project not a painting project.
• Additional items can be included with the drawing project, e.g. photographs, annotations, materials, colour swatches and magazine cuttings, but the rule is 75% drawing and consequently, no more than 25% additional imagery.
• The layout of the drawings, going across the middle seam, working vertically/horizontally or putting things in varying size boxes etc is up to you. I suggest you vary the scale constantly.
• Drawings must be developmental i.e. they must show that you are trying to learn/understand something, complete a narrative, improve a skill, analyse design elements, devise the construction of something or alter the composition of self selected ideas.
• The work should be completed by the first week of term and will contribute to a designated credit.

Birthday Sketches

It is my Sister-in-Laws birthday tomorrow and so I drew her a picture. It was going to be Tinkerbell (she loves Tinkerbell) but as I was doing reasearch I thought, why not do her as Tinkerbell?

Here is the result.

I didn't have time to colour it, and I was afraid of ruining it. Maybe I'll colour it another time. Very happy with the way this turned out.

Happy Birthday Kellie Hutt. 

Some Sketches.

I've been doing some sketches here and there and have just had a battle of wills with the scanner, Adobe, and myself to get them scanned in. I think I won...

The top picture is of my cousin Sophie and is not finished yet, I still need to do her hair, also the bottom one is not currently finished as the butterfly needs more details, but I thought I would put them here anyway as proof that I am doing something!