Small Keed Time

Stephen King Quote

2011-11-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was going to post this on my writing blog, but for some reason it's not letting me log in, so I'm writing it here. It pertains to all forms of art, anyway.

It's a quote from Stephen King in his book called On Writing:

"If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that's all."

This is so true!!!

Loin de Toi (work in progress)

2011-10-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a work in progress. I actually started this over a year ago, but never finished it. I had the pencil sketch and painting down before. I just added the permanent ink today with my trusty Micron .25mm pen. I'll have to complete the painting and maybe add some more drawing to it later.

I was looking for some art supplies and I came across this piece of unfinished work as well as another piece which I will also work on later and post.

Portable Palette and Brush Pens

2011-10-22T00:33:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite portable palette. It's Winsor & Newton. The colors work well on a Moleskine sketch book, better than Sakura Koi Watercolors. You can basically take this palette, a sketch book, pencil and this water brush pen out sketching and you're pretty much set. Or draw in waterproof ink and paint over it with these paints. Oh, and this palette comes with its own paintbrush if you need it. Just use a paper cup for water and throw it away when you're done. Less hassle.

I have larger palettes, but I like these colors better than the palettes that have more of a variety. These colors seem to be richer and you get what you see moreso than other paints where you think you're getting a bright pink, but it's a light rose, or you think you're getting alizarin crimson, but it's a watered down version or you think you're getting a dark blue, but surprise! It's purple. What the...

Also shown here is a Pentel brush ink pen and the Japanese one I posted in my last entry.

Things in my art bag

2011-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

These are a few things I like to use: Naruto and Totoro pencil cases, Pentel ink brush pen, black Prismacolor pencil, black Micron .25 point pen, Naruto :o) pencil, blue col-erase pencil and Pentel brush thingy that holds water.

I use that water brush thingy pretty often with watercolor paints. It beats having to dip a brush in water all the time when I'm out and don't have water available. I also use it to smear ink after I've drawn with the ink brush pen or other non-waterproof pen. It cleans up easily, too.

Those water brush pens used to be hard to find, but I saw one in an art kit a couple of years ago. The problem is, you have to buy the whole kit to get it. I found this one at Kinokuniya bookstore in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. They carry them in different sizes and were fairly cheap.

Male pen drawing

2011-10-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

I did this today at lunch. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted, but that's how it usually goes anyway. I used a Zebra F-301 ball point pen (probably the finest point it can go) in my Moleskine sketch book. I like to use the finest points possible because if I make a mistake it's easier to cover up since the strokes are so thin they can be hidden by multiple darker strokes.

The sketch book is too small so there is no room to rest my hand. It's a good size to put in a purse or pocket, but not really ideal for comfortable drawing.

The proportions got away from me because I didn't use any construction lines. I got caught up in the details too soon which I knew not to do, but I did it anyway. Bad habits are hard to break.

I am going to try to draw more guys because I hardly ever draw them and I need to get better at it. I tend to make them look feminine and I need to learn to emasculate them. Practice, practice, practice!

Links for Artists William Basso & Anne Bachelier

2011-10-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Appropriate for Halloween, this is an artist whose work Ilike:

http://www.basso-art.com/

His name is William Basso and his artwork can be found andpurchased at Halloweentown in Burbank, CA. It’s a cool shop open year round and is nowsplit into 2 shops a few yards from each other: Halloweentown for Costumes andHalloweentown for Props, Books, Accessories and everything else spooky.

Another artist I like is Anne Bachelier. Her work can befound here:

http://www.cfmgallery.com/alice.htmland this is her blog which is in French, but you don’t have to know French toappreciate the artwork: http://annebachelier.blogspot.com/

I’m so jealous!

2011-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I went to see the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and was inspired. I haven't drawn in so long even though I've wanted to. I've seen other artists' work that has inspired me and seen faces I've wanted to draw, but didn't grab a pen to draw anything. The creativity in Tim Burton's work somehow got me to pick up that pen again to draw.

Yesterday I forgot to bring a pen with me to lunch because I was so out of routine from drawing like I used to. The only decent pen I could find around me was someone's chewed up green one. The pen was kinda running out of ink, but what distracted me most was the thought of my hand getting dirty with someone else's spit as I drew. To make it worse, I used Sakura Koi Watercolor Paints on Moleskine sketch paper and discovered that the paints just soaked into the paper like a sponge. It turned out looking like a bad rug-burn. Don't ever make that mistake. I learned something new that day. It was a bad drawing day.

The drawings I have posted here are also on Moleskine, but I used Windsor & Newton watercolor paints (always good) and a set of Russian watercolors whose name escapes me. I really had no idea what I was going to draw. I was going to let my creativity flow, but when I looked at that blank piece of paper, I couldn't think of what to do. I was thinking of all those wonderful monsters Tim Burton drew and tried to do something weird like that, but what I drew was lame.

I really don't know what is going on with the boy at the top. It's my attempt at being weird and creative. lol
Then I reverted to a style I'm more comfortable with with the girl in the red polka dotted dress. Some things never change.

Woman in Blue Cowl

2011-10-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

It has been a year and a half since my dad died and I haven't drawn or painted much since. I think this was the last thing I was playing around with before he died. I've gone back to it and doodled here and there on it since then.

Instead of drawing and painting, I have been watching a lot of TV shows and movies, working out (I love the UFC Gym!), reading and just trying to enjoy life and my family. I closed my online shops and relaxed a bit. The business of selling artwork (the invoices, PayPal, setting up & maintaining the shops, taxes, keeping records), marketing it, drawing, painting, working full time and taking care of kids was just too tiring and stressful.

I'm planning on drawing more and posting them on this blog and on my Flickr site again, but this time I would like to write more as well. I think that would make this blog more interesting. I'm kind of a private/cautious-borderline-paranoid person, so that might be a bit of a challenge for me.

More from my Faces Moleskine

2010-02-25T20:51:00.001-08:00

Faces on Moleskine

2010-02-25T20:36:00.001-08:00

These are pages from a moleskine that I started to contain only faces. I also started another one intended as a sketch journal.

Sasha and my foot

2010-01-10T22:16:00.001-08:00

Some Cat Drawings

2010-01-10T22:14:00.001-08:00

Some Zoo Drawings

2010-01-10T22:12:00.001-08:00

I quite like my little warthog here. I drew it with a cheap pen I got from Staples that has been discontinued. Quel dommage! :o(

Life Drawings

2010-01-04T23:01:00.001-08:00

Some life drawings from my student days...

Girl Touching Hair - work in progress

2009-11-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

This is an oil painting on canvas board that I've been working on. It's a work in progress. I was going in one direction, then decided to go in another direction. I decided to go for a blue look. I'm not sure what else I'll do with it.

Palette

2009-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

I had a bunch of tubes of watercolor paint that I've bought here and there at different art stores/expos, but I wasn't using them because I like to use portable palettes. So, I found this palette where I could squeeze whatever paints I wanted in the wells, close it up and go. Some of the paints in other palettes had colors I would never use. I wish it had a few more wells because I didn't have space for Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber, but I have a small Winsor & Newton palette that has those, so if I plan on using them I'll just carry that palette with me. Otherwise, I just use the Van Dyk Brown that I have on this one.

Illustration Friday - Skinny

2009-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday - Frozen

2009-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Korean Chefs

2009-10-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't quite finish this one. I'm hoping to have time to work on it later.

Korean Chef

2009-10-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday - Magnify

2009-08-29T20:53:00.001-07:00

Glasses that magnify the world.

owls

2009-08-27T23:37:00.001-07:00

Another version of my owls. I like the idea of different colored eyes.

girl in big shirt and skirt

2009-08-27T23:23:00.001-07:00

Testing out the Japanese brush pen again. I love the texture of the Canson watercolor paper. I found it sold in a big bulk of looseleaf sheets in a craft shop with an art section. I've never even seen this in the regular art stores I go to. They usually just have the watercolor blocks, not loose sheets. I'm less afraid to make mistakes on it since I have so much of it.

Girls in Blankets

2009-08-27T23:14:00.001-07:00

I was thinking of the artist, De Grazia, when I was creating these and how he sort of treated the body and clothing as one big mass. I used my Japanese brush pen again. I still can't get the ink to flow. I have to keep dipping it in water which dilutes the ink and I get a gray color instead of black.

Illustration Friday - Caution

2009-08-24T23:56:00.001-07:00

When you walk under birds, you have to proceed with caution.

brush pen and watercolor

2009-08-21T22:52:00.001-07:00

Testing out my Japanese brush pen with some added watercolors. I like the texture of the Canson watercolor paper. I did these while watching Project Runway which is quite entertaining. I don't know if something is wrong with my pen or if the ink is old, but the ink never seems to flow well. I just changed the cartridge, but I've had the cartridges for a few years now. The brush tip is a brand new sable one, so I don't know what the problem is.

2009-08-17T00:28:00.001-07:00

IF - Wrapped

2009-08-17T00:23:00.000-07:00

2009-08-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Red pencil and watercolor.

girl with skim board

2009-08-12T22:05:00.001-07:00

My intention behind this was to come up with a fashion illustration style. Something you could see in a magazine.

How I Dearly Wish I Was Not Here

2009-08-03T23:31:00.001-07:00

I was experimenting with the color in photoshop and liked these two.

in progress

2009-07-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

This is a preliminary drawing before I paint it in watercolor. It was meant to be a fashion illustration piece.

IF - Hollow

2009-07-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

Hatful of Hollow
Inspired by the album of the same title by The Smiths

Mute Witness in progress

2009-05-05T21:23:00.001-07:00

This is still in progress. I just added some paint to it.

ACEOs in progress

2009-05-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

These are some ACEOs that are ready to be painted.

Dancing

2009-04-14T23:47:00.001-07:00

I came up with this idea today to do drawings of people dancing and make them into ACEOs. I am most interested in people who dance funny, but they don't care or even know they are dancing that way. There is always someone or several people at a party or a dance that have an odd way of dancing. You know what I mean. They're having fun, though and everyone has fun watching them.

Bookmarks

2009-03-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

I am giving away a free bookmark with every purchase at my Etsy store, www.artofkimberly.etsy.com. One of these 2 designs.

Illustration Friday - Breezy

2009-03-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

"Oops! Too Breezy!"

It has been a long time since I have participated in Illustration Friday. Each week I look at the topic, but never get to it. I decided to do this one. I should make it a point to participate every week. It's good practice.

Alice

2009-02-27T23:16:00.001-08:00

This is an oil painting I did the other day for my painting blog. I named her Alice because she reminds me of Alice in Wonderland with her blonde hair and blue dress. I didn't plan to paint Alice in Wonderland. It just ended up looking that way. It was taken from a camera, so there's a bit of glare. I will scan this as soon as I get the chance.

I like the way this one turned out and it has become one of my favorites.

Bar Le Baltard

2009-01-26T19:19:00.001-08:00

ACEOs in progress

2008-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

These are a few ACEOs that I haven't painted yet. I haven't finished the drawing in the second one.

Hapa Girl in Progress

2008-10-23T13:34:00.001-07:00

Illustration Friday - Clutter

2008-09-07T22:19:00.001-07:00

Space Clutter

Illustration Friday - Memories

2008-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Memories of the old fashion.

Conté drawing

2008-07-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a preliminary sketch I did on watercolor paper. I am going to start painting it, although I like the drawing as it is. The discoloration is in the scan, not the original.

Ukraine Woman

2008-07-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a book on Egon Shiele and liked how he used paper with a mustard color background. This was probably the type if paper available to artists at the time because I noticed that a lot of others also used this paper. I also like the way he combined conte crayon and watercolor, so I gave it a whirl.

I watched a movie about Modigliani and noticed that those painters back then all wrote their last names out as their signature. It makes more sense than the initials I use, so I'm going to start signing my last name.

It's sad that so many artists had tragic lives.

Wintergirl in Purple Scarf

2008-06-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

This was done in graphite and Prismacolor.

Chuck Caricature

2008-06-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

Zachary Levy as Chuck in the TV series "Chuck".

Sarah Connor Caricature

2008-06-18T21:44:00.001-07:00

Lena Headey as Sarah in the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Ned Caricature

2008-06-18T21:43:00.003-07:00

Lee Pace as Ned from the TV show Pushing Daisies.

Charlie Sheen Caricature

2008-06-18T21:43:00.001-07:00

Blair Caricature

2008-06-18T21:41:00.001-07:00

Leighton Meester as Blair from the TV show Gossip Girl.

Julia Louis Dreyfus Caricature

2008-06-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

ATC exchange

2008-05-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

I participated in an ATC (Artist Trading Card) exchange with elementary school kids in Lebanon, Indiana. The letter and card on the top is from a boy name Blake. The one on the bottom is from Emily. Their teacher, Nicole Hanley, guides them in ATC projects for their school. She put together a book featuring artists and students which you can read more about here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9241275

I was very excited to receive these cards and decided to post them. Thank you Blake and Emily for your wonderful creations!

Lily

2008-04-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

I will either keep working on this a bit more or redo it. I like it, but I think it could be better.

Illustration Friday - Homage

2008-04-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

I recently saw Into The Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport. I have never heard of the Kindertransport before. It is a documentary about the children that were put on trains in their Nazi occupied countries and sent to Great Britain during the holocaust. Their parents sent them away in order to save their lives, but most of the kids never saw their parents again. It made an impression on me so I did these doodles for this week's topic Homage. I may not have gotten the clothing right, but I remember them wearing similar things in the film.

Illustration Friday - Heavy

2008-03-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

I didn't create anything specifically for this topic, but this is what I had done recently. It's really called "Going For a Dip".

Urchins

2008-03-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

Princess ACEO in progress

2008-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

I actually finished painting the rest of this, but lo and behold, the "waterproof" ink wasn't so waterproof after all. It bled a little, so I'm going to have to paint the face over with opaque paint. I like this version better. Oh well. Tant pis pour moi.

ACEO damaged

2008-02-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

After I did the drawing for this as an ACEO for my Etsy shop, one of the edges got bent so I'm not able to sell it. I decided to go ahead and paint it though, so here it is.

ATC donations

2008-02-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

There is a schoolteacher in Indiana who has her students create ATCs. She has asked artists to donate cards for an exchange with her students. She is putting together a book of all of the ATCs traded (students and artists). These are two that I am donating.

After I had posted my Little Red Riding Hood for the Illustration Friday topic Tales and Legends, I found the drawing for this one that I had already started, but hadn't painted. I had forgotten that I had drawn it. This version is a little different than the one I submitted previously for IF. I decided to go ahead and paint it to donate to the kids.

Illustration Friday - Blanket idea

2008-02-06T21:11:00.001-08:00

This was my first idea for the IF Blanket topic that I was sketching out, but I came up with a better idea and went with that.

Illustration Friday - Blanket

2008-02-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sharing a blankie is best when you put it up next to your cheek where it feels the softest. It makes your thumb taste better. However, sharing a blankie almost never happens. You have to have your own.

Illustration Friday - Tales & Legends

2008-01-27T23:17:00.000-08:00

For this week's topic I've done Little Red Riding Hood. This is also an original ACEO card for sale on my Etsy site www.artofkimberly.etsy.com.

sketches for new characters

2008-01-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

I did these sketches for new characters yesterday. My favorite is the one with stars. She's my "starchild".

Illustration Friday - Stitch

2008-01-12T00:09:00.001-08:00

"I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear."

That's a line from a Smiths song called This Charming Man. The next line is, "This man said it's gruesome that someone so handsome should care." It's funny that the words "gruesome" and "handsome" are in the same sentence.

She Waits For Him - in progress

2008-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

I've finally decided to sell prints, so my new projects for this year are to create artwork for prints. This will allow me to keep my originals. This piece is one of those I'm working on. I've got new paints I'm excited to be working with.

When this is done, I will be selling prints of it off of my Etsy site at www.artofkimberly.etsy.com.

I've got lots of new ideas for projects this year. I am seriously looking into doing portraits on commission and my plan is to start doing that in the next few months. I'm going to create some examples and most likely do graphite, watercolor and possibly oil or acrylic portraits on commission.

So many projects, so little time...

I hope this year is a good one for all of you!

Illustration Friday - 100%

2008-01-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

100% BFF (Best Friends Forever)

Girl with Teddy Bear Preliminary Sketch

2007-12-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

I'm planning on selling prints sometime in 2008 and this is an idea I was sketching out that I'm probably going to turn into a painting that I will sell prints of.

Dancing (in progress)

2007-12-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

This is a partial of a painting in progress that I've been working on. I thought I would post it since I haven't been posting much lately.

IF - Zoo

2007-11-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

Faces in sketchbook

2007-11-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

My mom gave me some of my old sketchbooks from over 10 years ago. This is a page in one of the sketchbooks. It's interesting to look back at old drawings. I posted some on my flickr site. I should start writing more text on the pages. I did that from time to time, but it was more about stuff that I wanted to remember, like quotes from people, rather than what was happening in my life and around the world at the time. That would be more interesting to look back on than just drawings. I like when other people add text to their drawings. Some have really funny things to say!

Illustration Friday - Hat

2007-11-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Jack Skellington on Pumpkin

2007-11-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

My son likes Jack, so I painted this for him on a mini pumpkin for Halloween.

Butterflies & Lanterns in progress

2007-10-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this on and off for about 2 weeks. It's taking me a lot longer than I hoped, but I like the way it's coming along.

Untitled in progress

2007-10-27T23:48:00.001-07:00

This is something I started working on the other day by just applying paint on board and seeing what came of it. I plan on adding one small thing, but if I don't like it, this may evolve into something completely different.

Trick or Treat, Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

2007-10-17T21:31:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished product. I had a lot of fun doing this although it took me longer than I expected it would.

Chicks & Ghosts in progress

2007-10-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to do something different and started this acrylic painting on illustration board. This was inspired by the artist Alex Noriega and is not yet done.

Little Witch preliminary sketch

2007-10-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

Since Halloween is coming up, I decided to do a little witch painting. This is the preliminary sketch for it.

Illustration Friday - Open

2007-10-10T16:33:00.001-07:00

This is a Jack-in-the-Box that popped open.

Indian and Japanese Girl - In Progress

2007-10-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

These are what I've been working on the past couple of days. I'm almost done with the Indian girl painting and will post it tomorrow or Friday on www.artofkimberly.blogspot.com.

Illustration Friday - The Blues

2007-09-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post this for Illustration Friday. This is a painting of an elf I did in monochrome blue.

Schoolboy & Blue Elf in progress

2007-09-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

These are my latest preliminary sketches for paintings in progress.

Family Portrait preliminary sketch

2007-09-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is a preliminary sketch for my next painting which I actually already started after I took this picture. The final paintings of these "in progress" and preliminary sketches can be found on my painting blog at www.artofkimberly.blogspot.com.

In Progress - Girl with Blue Butterfly

2007-09-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here is another work in progress. I haven't had much time to do anything for Illustration Friday, so this blog has been a been a bit inactive, so I thought I'd post some of the things I've been working on. I was sort of thinking of a modern day Snow White looking character, so this is what I came up with.

Works in progress with Pixie

2007-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of works in progress on my desk with my Pixie at the top. I'm working on painting a circus girl with a pink background. The one at the bottom is my Girl From Ipanema. I've been listening to that song a lot lately, so it was in my head while I was drawing and painting this.

Side views of Pixie

2007-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

These are side views of my Pixie that I just finished and that is up for sale on my painting blog www.artofkimberly.blogspot.com.

Circus Girl with Lollipop

2007-09-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

This is another sketch for an idea I was trying to develop for a 4"x4" painting. I couldn't get the lollipop to fit in the painting, so I left it out. Maybe I'll do another one on a bigger canvas because I like the lollipop.

Pixie

2007-09-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is a preliminary sketch for a painting that I'm doing on 4"x4" canvas. I always tend to like the drawings of my first ideas best.

Illustration Friday - Visitors

2007-08-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

It was love at first sight and the moment of eye contact was not disturbed by the visitors.

Illustration Friday - Emergency

2007-08-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

The idea for this was an "out of the frying pan into the fire" type of emergency.

I went to the San Diego Comic Con and bought a lot of art books and artist's sketchbooks. I was very inspired and discovered great bookstores for art books which are Stuart Ng books and Bud Plant. It was very chaotic and crowded, but fun overall.

IF - Discovery

2007-07-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

The discovery of a new friend.

IF - Twist

2007-07-03T21:04:00.001-07:00

Girl with the twisty hair.

IF - Camouflage

2007-06-27T13:16:00.001-07:00

I had a hard time trying to think of something to do for this week's challenge and I didn't want to do the standard camouflage colors and pattern, but last night this idea came to me. I wanted to do something with dots or a circular pattern so this is what I came up with.

IF - Rejection

2007-06-17T21:50:00.001-07:00

My Icon

2007-06-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is a self portrait I did to use as my profile icon.

IF - Suit

2007-06-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

For "Suit" I decided to go for the playing card meaning. The Queen of Hearts has a nice meaning, so I decided to do that.

Illustration Friday - Your Paradise

2007-06-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

This girl is in her own little paradise enjoying the songs of the birds on a beautiful, sunny day. This was inspired by Bob Marley's song, "Three Little Birds" which is one of my favorite songs.

"Don't worry bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing is gonna be all right.
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!
Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Sit by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou")

Illustration Friday - Cars

2007-05-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me what a chibi was, so I decided to do a chibi for this week's topic. It might have looked better if I colored it in Photoshop, but I like painting, so I ended up painting it in watercolor and cel paint.

Illustration Friday - Citrus

2007-05-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have posted to IF in a while. I've been really busy, but I hope to be able to keep posting.

My entry for citrus includes falling lemons or it's raining lemondrops for someone who loves lemons. The background is green to represent the color of limes. The character was supposed to be a girl, but I left out the braids I was going to put in so that the character could be a boy or girl.