This week I challenged my virtual drawing class to draw a pet portrait using pencils. I wanted us to try to recreate fur. I turned to Pixabay and found a beautiful photo of a dog by Ingo Moringo. I broke down the stages in my video on YouTube [Blood Bath Cards Channel].
This is the final picture.
Dog
And today has all been about drawing my friend’s dog, Louie.
If you’d like a portrait of your dog, please connect with me on facebook. I just need a photo you love of your dog. Unframed pencil portrait on fine grain cartridge paper £50.
The Order of the Darkness is the dark force in the graphic novel, EMILY CORN, DISCOVERING DARKNESS. Although they are not evil, their mission on Earth is morally blue and orange by our standards and their presence marks the end of life on Earth. They can transform into any life form within a bionetwork. On earth they appear in human and crow form.
Arrival on Earth. The Order of the Darkness. Still from Charatcer Drawing video on Instagram
Bell, Rose, Phlox and Holly are the four sisters in the story and Emily’s Aunties. I wanted each sister to be a different age to tie in with a hidden aspect of their personalities which is later revealed. Bell is the youngest (mid-twenties) and Holly the oldest (early fifties). It’s not obvious they’re sisters from their physical appearance. Hopefully this casts doubt in the reader’s mind from the outset, that something isn’t quite right with this family set-up.
Below are the early drawings which captured the essence of the characters and the final characters sheets.
Early Sketch Holly
Early Sktech #2 Holly
Early Sketch Phlox
Early Sketch Bell
Character Sheet Rose
Early Sketch Rose
Early Sketch Four Sisters
Alternative Character Sheet Rose
I wanted the characters to wear clothes people I know wear, rather than overly stylised costumes. This story has an earthy feel and the characters all look like they’ve spent two nights at a folk festival.
It’s a cunning disguise.
Graphic Novel Emily Corn, Discovering Darkness is out on 27th April 2020. Written by Page Wooller, Artwork by Ali Vermeeren, Published by Markosia Enterprises Ltd.
I’ve created a Blood Bath Cards YouTube Channel to post weekly drawing challenges and techniques to try out. My lovely drawing class in Westbury Leigh (Wiltshire), can’t meet for the foreseeable future so we’re going to keep in touch this way and push forward with learning new techniques.
These videos are for anyone who loves to draw for fun and wants to improve their drawing skills. Each week, there is a different challenge and a technique that I think might help.
I’m very happy to announce that our graphic novel Emily Corn ® Discovering Darkness (writer Page Wooller/artist Ali Vermeeren) is currently with our publisher, Markosia, and will be out on 27th April 2020.
Now i’m on the other side, I am going to pull together the early sketches and finished artwork to show how I developed the characters and settings for Emily Corn using krita. If you want to illustrate your own graphic novel but you’re not sure where to start or you don’t work digitally at the moment, I can show you what I did, what went wrong, what i think worked really well. It all started with working out how to use krita and watching David Revoy tutorials!
New drop-in classes for anyone who loves drawing for fun and wants to learn new techniques. I’ve hired a beautiful hall in the village of Westbury Leigh for Friday morning classes, starting in September.
I love drawing. I work in many different styles and I’m constantly researching new techniques to use in my own work. The focus of the class is to introduce a new drawing technique each week. It won’t be about drawing with sticks and unlocking your creativity. That is not this class.
In this Friday class, we have a different theme or drawing challenge each week. We look at artists who have mastered it, look at the technique they are using, learn the technique and then tackle the drawing challenge!
Living in England and not on Sesame Street, I have never experienced the joy of playing in a cracked open fire hydrant on a hot summer’s day, in slow motion, counting to 7 with a Transylvanian accent, with one of those kids, doing his own thing…stopping at 4.
But this lack of fire hydrant knowledge, together with my
inability to identify images of sheds, cars or road signs, means I failed the
‘I’m not a robot’ test again….Why would a robot want to access the airB&B
app anyway, they don’t sleep?
You want to catch a robot; you’ve got to start thinking like
a robot. Put those tests on AI sites, you know that’s what they’re into.
What we don’t know however, is whether Emma is welcoming us
to her lovely cottage.
Moving house is apparently one of life’s most stressful
events. It ranks just under dying or getting divorced, which I haven’t had time
for as I’ve been too busy moving. An excessive, and maybe even suspicious….27
times. Where am I? I’ve no idea to be honest. I have however picked up some tips along the
way which I want to share in case you are currently moving house and finding it
all a bit much…..so here goes:
#1 The Letting Agent’s Mind
A letting agent does not concern themselves with petty
issues such as hot water, heating or the electrician having sex on your bed.
They concern themselves with serious issues, such as Blutack marks. To
establish a good relationship with your letting agent, you first need to
understand, everything you think is ‘not right’…is in fact, perfectly ok.
#2 The Vetting process
Do not make small talk with the Letting Agent or any office
staff during the vetting meeting. Wait in silence. Look over the contract for a
long time, in silence. Initial in silence. For £150 administration fee, they
can ask the questions.
Leave in silence.
#3 Private Landlords
Whether or not a flat has toilet rolls and lightbulbs when
you move in, tells you everything you need to know about your new landlord.
#4 Take-aways during the moving process
Like biscuits at meetings, all take-aways you consume during
the moving process are calorie-free.
These meals are necessary and life-sustaining. You’ll know when it’s
time to use the cooker. It comes roughly the day after getting the sh*ts.
#5 Packing soft toys
Your children’s soft toys should be packed face-up, cuddling
with another soft toy as if they were going for a little sleep. Otherwise they can’t
breathe. And they get sad.
#6 When someone packs soft toys face down and without the
buddy system.
Alarm bell. Put your trainers on….
#7 Essential Check
Before you unload all your furniture, soft toys, bedding and
clothing, just take a minute to walk around the empty property without socks.
Any fleas will be attracted to a living host.
#8 New Neighbours
For home owners, don’t answer the door to any neighbour who
calls round the day you move in. Their motive has less to do with welcoming you
to the neighbourhood and more to do with adjoining walls.
For those renting, you know not to open the door.
#9 Say goodbye.
If the house was a safe little home, a roof and 4 walls,
where you and your family grew together and loved each other, doesn’t matter if
it was rented, before you lock up, just kiss a wall (or blow a kiss if damp is
a problem) and say, ‘thank you’. It did
good.
