Looking Ahead

This is a self-portrait of myself, that is inspired by my series of work that I have worked on all throughout the school year. This was also my illustration final before graduating. 

Looking Ahead (Self-Portrait)

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

Wild West Chase

This piece is one of the final pieces in my series about the child's imagination.

For this piece, I have two children pretending to be cowboys and cowgirls out in the wild west. The environment surrounding them is a desert, with cactuses, a cow skull and even a steam train out in the background. Both children are catching a jackrabbit, which is running away from them.

Thumbnails

Final Drawing

Wild West Chase

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

Undersea Treasure

Even though my BFA is over, my series of the child's imagination continues.

For this piece, I have two children swimming in the ocean. While they are swimming, they see a shipwreck in the bottom of the ocean. When they look over a ways, they see a large box shaped like a treasure chest surrounded by small fish and sea animals, and also some seaweed hiding it. They swim over to it and open it up. When they look inside, there are gold coins, some jewelry and even a key. Before they can even take the treasure, a large red crab sits up on top to guard it. Will the children ever get the treasure, or will the crab keep it all for itself?

Thumbnails

Final Drawing/ Sketch

Undersea Treasure

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

BFA Piece 4- Safari Adventure

For my last piece of my BFA, I have two children pretending to be on a safari adventure.  While they are both sitting up in a tree, they look out onto the savannah and see a curious giraffe approaching them. A boy gets out his telescope (which is a paper towel tube), to get a closer look, while the girl tries to reach out and pet the giraffe.

Thumbnails

Final Drawing

Safari Adventure

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

BFA Piece 3- Superheroes

For my BFA piece 3, I have two children pretending to be superheroes. While they are out saving the world, they received the news that a small monkey is trapped inside of a box. When the children got to the box, there were squirrels all around, some flying out of the scene of the crime. Are the flying squirrels guilty or not guilty of trapping the poor monkey in the box? We may never know.

(Left: Thumbnails, Right: character sketches)

Final Sketch

Superheroes

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

BFA Piece 2- Pirate Adventure

For piece 2 of my BFA, I illustrated two boys pretending to be pirates out on the sea. While they are sailing, an octopus comes and attacks their ship. One of the boys tries to throw a ball at, but the octopus takes the ball away before he even had a chance to throw it.
The boy's ship is made out of a cardboard box, and the steering wheel is a bike wheel.

(Left: Thumbnails, Right: Character Sketches)

Final Drawing

Pirate Adventure

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

BFA Piece 1- Sword Play

I know that I have been not posting up on here very often this year, especially when it comes to my illustrations. All semester long I have been busy working on and putting together my BFA. The next several days I will be posting-up all 4 of my BFA pieces along with their processes of how I made them.

My BFA is inspired by the imagination of the child through play.  All of the props that the children are engaged with are ordinary items that are found around the house. Each of the environments show what the children envision, and how they use these props to create an imaginary environment that is real to them. Each of the scenes are from memories of my own childhood, and the games I used to play with my brother and friends.

This piece is of two girls playing and pretending to be knights and princess sword fighting. Even though what they are you using to play with are either toys or objects found around the house, the viewer can see what and where they are, just using their imaginations.

Left- Thumbnails. Right- Final Sketch

Color and Media tests

Sword Play

Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

Happy New Year 2015!

I know I'm a day late, but Happy New Year everyone! Here is my first illustration of 2015! I hope everyone has a great 2015!

Happy New Year 2015

Watercolor and Ink on Bristol

January 2015

Christmas Morning

This is my final for illustration 5! This is inspired by how every year on Christmas morning, I wake-up early to go see what Santa has brought me and see what other gifts I have received.

Thumbnails

Final Sketch

Christmas Morning

Acrylic on Illustration Board

December 2014

Magic Spell

In my fifth piece about the imagination of the child, I decided to have my little girl pretend that she is a witch, casting a magic spell.  When I started thumbnailing and creating the piece, it was right around Halloween. I have her standing over a large pot full of bubbles and other objects which works as her cauldron.  For this illustration, I decided to have different parts of my composition push out of the border, which helps activate it even more.

Thumbnails

Left: Final Thumbnail  Right: Value Study

Final Drawing

Magic Spell

Acrylic on Illustration Board

November 2014

Within the City

For my fourth illustration of the imagination of a child, I decided to have my little girl playing with some toy cars within a city made-up of blocks, Legos, boxes, and books.  When I was a child, I used to play with my brother's Legos and try to build cities out of them.  I even also used to play with his toy cars.  Both of those memories became the inspiration for this illustration.

Thumbnails

Left: Final Thumbnail   Right: Final Drawing

Within the City

Acrylic on Illustration Board

October 2014

Kayak

For my second piece in my series about the imagination of the child, I chose my character to be kayaking down a river or stream.  Instead of focusing on the shadows to tell what the child is imagining like in the last piece, this one I decided to focus on the objects that can be used at home to tell what she is imagining.  After seeing the outcome of it, I think that I will probably continue to do what I did in the second piece in some of my other future pieces in the series, since I feel like it shows imagination and play the best.

Thumbnails

Finalized Thumbnail (left), Finalized sketch (right)

Kayak

Acrylic on Illustration Board

September 2014

Knightly King

This is a small painting that I did a couple of weeks ago.  The original idea came from the silhouette illustrations from a year ago in my illustration class.  This was one of the original ones that I drew out and then painted.  I've always been told to never throw out old ideas, because you can use them again some day!

Silhouette: Chess Piece  Interior: Knight riding a horse

Acrylic on illustration board

July 2014

Astro News

After making my last illustration, Robot Reading, I decided to make another piece inspired by it.  This piece is of an astronaut reading a newspaper.

Acrylic on Illustration Board

July 2014

Robot Reading

Back in April, I participated in Dali Day at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, TN.  While I was there, I worked on a painting to demonstrate the process of how an illustration is made.  This is the finished piece.

I decided to do a piece of my robot sitting and reading a book.  My robot almost represents me, because my life almost seems to be taken over by technology, except for some things like books, which gives me a break from staring at a screen all the time.

Acrylic on Illustration board

May 2014

Fly Away

Acrylic on Illustration Board

8 1/2"x12"

December 2013

This illustration is loosely based off of the greek myth of "The Fall of Icarus".  I changed it to be a self-portrait of me, flying away in the city.

Wanting the Moon- Communication Arts Entry

Acrylic on Illustration Board

20"x9"

December 2013

This is the illustration that I submitted to the Communication Arts Illustration Annual.  

Three Final Silhouettes

Overall silhouette- Nintendo 64 game controller

Inside silhouette: 3 Sailor Gnomes holding the Golden Mushroom

Overall silhouette: Banana

Inside silhouette: Squid

Overall silhouette: Whale

Inside silhouette: A boat with sailor gnomes being attacked by a squid

Materials: Acrylic on Illustration board

8"x10"

September 2013