Captian Piglet And Jenny's New Ribbons

Hi!

Hope you had a great Easter weekend!

Mine was pretty good.  I went to a Good Friday service at a church I'm checking out—and managed to get some sketching in each day.

Today, I considered going to an Easter service—but they're always so crowded I opted for some extra sleep instead—and that felt good.

: )

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Let's get to the sketches:

'Captain Piglet' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ Started with another light scribble—Captain Piglet was a lot of fun to create.

I looked at several reference photos of pigs to help me finish this up—and that paid dividends with this next one

'Jenny's New Ribbons' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  I obviously still had images of pigs floating around my cranium—and sat in a nearby coffee house stifling my laughter as I drew this one.

: )

I started this sketch with a few sweeping scribbles on the page (of course) and quickly "saw" Jenny's head in them—and added an appropriate body and background as I went along..

Recently—a lot of the characters I've created like Jenny and Captain Piglet have happened very quickly—and then most of the time spent after that is simply refining the sketch. That's been really enjoyable—because as I've written in other posts—sometimes ideas don't come along so easily.

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Thanks as always for stopping by.

See you again soon...........

New Drawings! March 22, 2019

Hi!

In my last post I shared about getting a nasty infection to a wound and seeing the Doctor about it.

I'm happy to report that after taking nearly all the antibiotic I was given—it looks like the infection is GONE—thank you Jesus!!

: )

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I still managed to get a couple of drawings done while I was recovering and will share two with ya today.

'The Claim '- Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  I had so much fun creating this one.  I'd said another quick prayer before starting it but REALLY struggled to get going.

I'd drawn something (can't remember now what it was) and added a couple of mushrooms as part of a background for it.

I worked and worked in that direction and finally gave up and erased EVERYTHING < fortunately the sketchbook paper I use is VERY forgiving and takes a lot of abuse : )

After a break and with a clear head I set out again to sketch something I'd be more satisfied with.

The idea for the mushrooms was still percolatin' in my noggin'—so I quickly redrew the two larger ones—and then on a whim—drew the little prospector guy peeking around the one to the left.

I had some sweeping lines left over from experimenting with some other ideas—and at first tried drawing a big ol' monster type character—creeping up on the little dood—making it fill up most of the page to the left.

Nope!  That wasn't working at all for me.

Then—as I scribbled other ideas—it occurred to me to add a mine entrance (and one off in the distance) and some wee pals for our little friend—and finally everything started to feel right.

The last step was adding the focus of their attention—two claim-jumping varmints on either side of the page.

: )

'TWEET' 2 - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

 ^ ^ ^  If you visited my March 2, 2019 Post—this one may look familiar.

It was originally scanned and shared to this blog straight out of my sketchbook—and although I liked some aspects of it—there were some things about it that bothered me.

Here's a look at that original sketch.  See the larger version in my March 2 Post.

'TWEET' - Original Sketch (Small)
Copyright-2019 - Jephyr - All-Rights-Reserved

Anywho—while I was recuperatin'—I took the scan into computer drawing software—rolled up my sleeves—and started sketching away at it (aided by my trusty Wacom Tablet Interface!).

As you might note—I altered the background the most (and added a couple of feathered friends)—and also sketched darker values into the entire image.

Over-all, I ended up being happy with the changes and feel it improved on the original idea.

Hope you'll agree.

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BTW—I prayed before starting 'TWEET' as well—and highly recommend the practice!

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Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon!

February 21 - Four New Sketchbook Drawings

Hi!

As I wrote in my recent posts, I've been doing more "full" characters—rather than just the wacky "portraits" I've been concentrating on for ages—and have been allowing myself to create more "cartoonish" images as well.

It's really been an awesome change of pace—and I feel it's helping take my original work to a new and more enjoyable level.

Today, I'll post five recent pencil drawings/character designs from my sketchbook.

"Careful Little Fishy" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved

 ^ ^ ^ It's really awesome when a sketch practically draws itself in a very short time.

Sometimes though—it's a struggle to bring a drawing to life—and it can be a more frustrating and tedious prospect.

With the sketch above—both were true.

I began this one—as I often do—with some lightly scribbled, unconscious lines and shading—and almost immediately "saw" the little fish-face at the top in them—and began trying to expand the drawing out from that.

I tried adding a body to that face—a kind of Madonna figure with a miter hat of some kind—kneeling in a long flowing robe—with wings for arms that were holding an infant.

I've begun to rely on a "feeling" I get as I work on a piece—but after the initial surge of energy and excitement after I "saw" the face—that just wasn't happening—and the more effort I put in that direction—the less I was enjoying it.  

I worked that way for too long—and finally decided to call it a loss, erase the whole thing, and start a new direction.

As I began erasing everything—I hesitated around the face—and ended up leaving it (along with a few left-over lines).

Then on a whim still not sure where I'd take it—I mirrored the first fish face I'd drawn just below it—and using some of those left-over lines sketched in the LONG body and then added a fish body to the first head—and WHAM—the feeling was back—and I was able to finish this pretty quickly afterwards.

 : )

"Monkey Bid'ness" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved

 ^ ^ ^ Just a silly character sketch that—unlike the one above—happened fairly quickly from beginning to end .

Though meant to be light-hearted and very cartoonish—I experimented with perspective and a tree background—and it ended up being enjoyable to create from the first lines to the last.

"Father II" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved

  ^ ^ ^ Obviously this one isn't as cartoonish—but I decided to work on some human and "creature" anatomy in it (and used some reference images to get things looking kinda right).

A few years ago, I took a number of anatomy and life drawing classes—but for some reason have really let that kind of work slide—and even though I'm now VERY rusty at it—I plan to do more and try to get back into the swing of it.

"Deep Swamp Boogie" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights reserved

^ ^ ^ While admittedly pretty cartoonish and silly—this sketch practically EXPLODED out of my pencils and onto the page.

Before I started it, I said a quick prayer to God—just asking that He help me create a light, fun image.

I used to do this more often—but haven't done as much of it lately.

After my prayer—I made a FEW rapid, soft, sweeping lines that I could "see" as a cartoonish body and legs with HUGE feet—and then experimented with some ideas.

I took a break and as I thought about how to finish this—it popped in my head to make it into a "croc" or alligator dood with a big ol' tail and appropriate head.

When I set about to do just that—in very short order the complete image/character had taken shape.

You may scoff at the idea of praying about a drawing—but it worked for me!

: )

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BTW—these type of drawings help me strengthen my creative muscle—and work at becoming stronger at creating original characters, designs, and backgrounds from my imagination—but I hope to be able to post a new, color digital painting soon as well.

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Well—that'll do it for today.

Thanks as always for looking in.

Ciao fer now!

Drawings Galore! Jephyr's August 2016 Sektchbook Dump! : )

Hello!

I've been going though my sketchbook and picking out a few of my drawings to add here.

I'll start with some "lighter" fare and then get on to some "darker" schtuffz below.

^ ^ ^  I'm still drawing a lot of wacky faces—and am still on the "hulking doods" kick too.

As I've mentioned before, I start a lot of drawings by scribbling on the page.

Then I usually erase a bit and then scribble some more.

As I repeat that process, I'm looking for shapes that jump out at me that "lead" me to interesting subjects and drawings that I might not come up with otherwise.

The guy above came about after I did a quick scribble.

After a bit I started to see this guys eyes and nose and then—when I saw the big ole mustachio—I KNEW I was on the way.


: P

^ ^ ^  One night I was sketching with a friend and this rapper, mallard-dood came flying out of a "scribble."

Get it?  Flying!

I'll be here all week.........

hahaha

I'll admit there's more than a little "Daffy Duck" influence on this one—but it was done without any references—so I'll just hafta blame all those years of watching TV when I was a kid!

^ ^ ^  Before anyone accuses me of sexism with the caption for the drawing above—I'll let you know what the inspiration was for it.

One night I was talking to a young woman and she asked me what I liked to do.

I told her I was all about art and photography—and then asked her what she liked to do.

She thought for a moment and said, "I like to shop and hang out with my friends."

The next day I drew "Karen" and added the caption thinking about the young woman from the night before.

^ ^ ^  I decided to call the little guy in the drawing above: Opie P.I.—figuring he'd be the most unlikely tough-guy, private detective you'd ever meet.

(Clearly, I entertain very easily!)

: D

^ ^ ^  I don't have a clue what part of my brain this guy came from—but I did have fun naming him.

" /

A friend gave me a book called "Art and the Bible" by Francis Schaeffer, and he writes about art having both "major and minor keys"—and that the Christian artist should be able to use both in their creations—and that ultimately an artist cannot be judged by a single work, but by the sum of all the work they create in their lifetime.

That spoke to my spirit and has freed me to create all kinds of light and dark subjects.

Since I plan to create a graphic novel about the "end of days"—and will need to populate it with all kinds of characters and creatures—for now I'm allowing my subconscious freedom to bring out a lot of different images.

In this post—I will admit my drawings lean towards darker themes however.

^ ^ ^  I'll let the captions above speak for this one—I call him "Spurtz!"

: )

^ ^ ^  Dunno why—but I've done several bird type creatures with a massive bill like the one on this guy.

It started as a scribble and I got the head done fairly quickly.

Then I struggle to get a body I liked.

I began with kind of a stocky, stubby, bulky body and kept trying and trying to re-work it to get something that "felt" right.

Finally I decided to give up on that direction and took an eraser to what I had on the body at that point—and once I did that, in fairly short order I came up with the elongated version you see above.

Since there is no "undo" in a sketchbook—I call that kind of eraser use a "bravery test"—after the late, and much loved painter Bob Ross who coined that expression.

^ ^ ^  Since it's a skull creature—I'll admit this one is similar to the one above.—but even when I go "dark" my work still (more often than not) winds up kinda "cartoony."

This "evil wild boar" look has also made appearances in other characters I've done as well.

This one also began life as a scribble sketch.

^ ^ ^  I'll end with this drawing.

Again—it began as another scribble—and I eventually ended up with this squat looking fellow.

Recently I saw a photo of a Hillary Clinton's minion—Webster Hubbell—and thought my character looked a lot like him—So I'm calling this one "Webster."

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Thanks as always for stopping by!

Please feel free to leave a comment and join my blog before you head out—and please close the door—I have the AC on.

: D

God Bless!

Early June 2013: Jephyr's Most Recent Sketchbook Drawings

Hello,

Hope your summer is off to a good start!  We've already been having 105 to 111 degree days here in Phoenix.

I'd promised myself that I would tame the jungle in my yard as soon as the spring semester ended so I've been working both early in the morning and late in the evening...avoiding some of the heat...to accomplish that. 

I'm nearing the half way point...at least on the initial go-round...but these temperatures are ridiculous.  Whew!

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Fortunately, as I wrote in my last post on 5-22-13 I've still been finding a lot more time to work on my own art since school ended too.

I have several digital "paintings" I'm working on...and have been enjoying drawing a LOT in my sketchbook.

It's pretty interesting to discover how quickly I get rusty if I don't draw all the time...and then how rapidly it seems to comes back once I start up again.

Today, I thought I'd share some more of my latest sketches:

^ ^ ^ ^  Not to sound like a broken record...but this guy started out by using the "scribble technique".

I just begin putting down some random scribbles on the page and then look for patterns in them.

Once I start to "see" something in the scribble I begin to work that into a final sketch.

Since the human eye is fine tuned to see faces many of these wind up as my cartoony/caricature people like the guy above

In this case I kinda saw Keith Richards at first and worked toward that. 

Later I began to see more of F. Murray Abraham's, "Salieri" (from the movie Amadeus), and finished it with more of that in mind.

- BTW...as I sat in a coffee house finishing this drawing two separate guys came up to me to talk about it.

When I mentioned Keith Richards and the movie Amadeus, neither of these two 20 somethings really knew who/what I was talking about.

That made me feel ancient...like some old codger when I was a kid going on about a silent movie star I'd never heard of.

OUCH! 

LOL    ;)

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I wish every drawing I did was as easy as this guy!  ^ ^ ^ ^

 

I started with another scribble and immediately saw that magnificent profile.  As I worked on it...it was like it was almost drawing itself!

 

I'd just watched all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and clearly had pirates on the brain.

 

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^ ^ ^ ^   Not a whole lot to say about this guy...just another chance for me to play with exaggeration and "caricature" of the face. 

If this was going in a portfolio...there'd be a lot I'd tighten up.  But I called him "done" so I could move on.

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^ ^ ^ ^  I tend to like drawing craggy old male faces because they can be a lot of fun to exaggerate...shading and rendering all those nooks and crannies.

But for this one, I decided to draw the face of a young woman I'd seen in an old movie on TV.  She had amazing eyes...and so I set out to capture her from memory.

The final drawing above ain't even close representing her...but I was enjoying just letting this drawing "happen"!

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Man did I sweat over this one!   ^ ^ ^ ^

I call it Prisoner Jx-25.

I met with my friend Elkanah to have some grub and draw...and was scribbling on the page to get started.  At first I "saw" an astronaut type guy in a space chariot and kinda sketched some of the details in.

I kept saying that I wasn't happy with it at all but Elkanah said he was confident I'd figure something out.

I found that to be very encouraging...and so over the next few days kept working on this page.

Finally a weird head with horns all over it began to emerge.  I still wasn't very happy with it...but as I eliminated some of the horns...I began to see a wart-hog type head...and at last I felt like I had something going on.

Then I began to add the body...and later even used some reference photos and anatomy books...trying to make the musculature, though exagerated, a little more legit (although I still took a lota liberties in the end).

The last piece of the puzzle fell into place when I was looking at this drawing across the room and realized I had it's eyes too high on the head.   Once I moved them down to where you see them now...this sketch/character design finally felt right to me.

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Well...that's it for now.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Jephyr Posts Recent Sketchbook Drawings

Hello!

I've finally found some time...just before school starts again...to go through my sketchbook from last year and scan some sketches.

I'll post a few today...and say a word or two about them as well.

Let's get started with this guy:

Sadly, during the first half of 2012...I'd let some loser "critic" get in my head and hadn't been drawing as much as I usually do.

I know I shouldn't let that happen...but have been reminding myself we all do this from time to time.

From reading many biographies of well regarded and famous artists...I know they also allowed these pathetic "chiggers" of humanity get under their skin on occasion too.

So...I figured I had a lot of good company...finally brushed it off...and got back to drawing.

I sketched this guy sometime early last fall.

I felt very stiff and rusty...but it was good to start drawing on a regular basis again!!

 

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As you can see ^^^^ I still haven't gotten these hulking brutes outa my system.  I hope to put them to good use in a graphic novel that's germinatin' in my mind.  (see my December 29,2012 post about it)

 

This time our brute, "Grak", has discovered a life-form...but was a bit too rough with the poor little guy. 

Reminds me of my childhood days as an amateur entomologist...and the carnage of insect carcases left in the wake behind me.

 

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Around Halloween of 2012...this guy just mysteriously appeared in my sketchbook!  :) 

 

But seriously...I'd just bought a book on caricature by Mad Magazine's Tom Richmond...and was inspired by the way he draws wacky teeth on some of his characters.

(Amazon:  The Mad Art Of Caricature - Tom Richmond)

So...with that...and Halloween in the air...I done draw'ed me this guy!  :)

 

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I'm working on my stretching my "imagination"...something I feel I always need to think about when it comes to my artwork. 

This horse came outa my pencil one day last fall as I just let the drawing "happen".

 

The thumbnail sketches of the warrior were some ideas for poses I had in mind for illustrating the Bible reference to "put on the whole armor of God". (Ephesians 6:10-17)

 

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Speaking of trying to stretch my imagination...I'll share this final sketch.

Last summer I was sitting in a restaurant and noticing how many of us Americans have gotten fat. 

I was also thinking about how many chemicals are added to our foods and all the genetic manipulation of our food crops, chicken and cattle etc.

This sketch of a fat astronaut with three legs was the result.

I call it:   "NASA / McDonald's / Monsanto 2018 Mission To Mars"  :)

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Well...that'll do it for today...hopefully I can post more of my sketchbook scans soon.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

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