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Welcome to my blog , The Hare Illustratère. I'll be posting about my art process and journey as an illustrator/author here.

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Showing posts with label sketchbook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sketchbook. Show all posts

Sunday, May 14, 2023

It All Starts with a Sketch

It's good to keep a sketch book. I have several. It's even better to sketch everyday. I don't but I'm trying to do more of that. By sketch book  and sketching, I'm referring to the messy kind of sketches not those gorgeous finished looking art pieces being shared online where artists humble brag calling them mere sketches. My sketches are the messy, imperfect barely readable kind. They help me record thoughts and ideas for possible future use. Sometimes it's random scenes in real life - like people waiting for  the train. Sometimes it's photographs that make my heart skip a beat. In this case, I'm going for the heart and not the actual photo details. Other times it's for research as in how many fingers and toes does a possum have.

 

My May #KidLitArtPostcard © Diana Ting Delosh

I keep several sketch books: several for home in various shapes and sizes, a tiny one that fits in my pocket book, one in my tote bag. I like the sketch books with meh paper. I find I'm not afraid to ruin them. Some people like the fancy sketch books with wonderful paper. I love the feel of those BUT I find them inhibiting. I do have a few that have good watercolor paper and have used them but not as much as my "cheap" paper ones. 

3 Kids Reading © Diana Ting Delosh
Ball point pen Sketch

Recently I was saved by my sketch booking. I wanted a fresh grey scale illustration to add to my Promo Page and also for the May #KidLitArtPostcard. I happened to flip through one of my sketch books and came across a suitable sketch to work up.

And voila I had a piece I could add to my B&W Promo Page as well as something I could tweak for my portfolio and my digital postcard. I'll be sharing my B&W Promo page at a later date.

 3 Kids Reading © Diana Ting Delosh 
Ink,  Grey wash, pencil

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Thursday, December 29, 2022

SOI -Robert Quackenbush & Sketchbooks Part 2

One of the Reasons that made this years Society of Illustrators, Original Art Show a must see in person event  was that my former teacher and mentor, the author illustrator, Robert Quackenbush was being honored posthumously on the 2nd floor. Since I was there of course I had to visit the 3rd floor where they exhibited SOI member illustrator sketch books. This was a bit of an eye opener. While a few of these illustrators had sketch books that looked like finished art quite a few of them had sketchbooks that looked like mine. Books filled with things like reference and research sketches as well as  as recording life. I am so glad I left my studio bubble to see it ALL in person. I hope to do a few more visits to the SOI in 2023. I didn't realize how much  I missed visiting galleries and such until I made this trip. Here's hoping to see more illustration exhibits in 2023.






Nate Cepsis
Sketchbook One 2022
I begin each day by filling a whole page in my sketchbook, using primarily a black marker. Simply, the goal is produce images without thinking. This process gets my motor skills working and also reminds not draw in my head, but rather tactually draw in real life. The image that is produced on paper is always different than the one in produced in the brain. This thought can be intimidating, but embracing it leads to fascinating results. 

I'm thinking of embracing Nate Cepsis' practice into my 2023 daily creative ritual. I keep way too much of my process in my brain. I should know by now that stewing things in my mind doesn't help it get down on paper any faster as the real work doesn't begin until I try to put it down on paper.  The marinating in the brain just gives me a false sense of productivity when really I'm just procrastinating.

So morning ritual 2023 here I come. I am going to commit to filling up 1 page daily either with drawing or writing or even both. One of my goals in 2023 is to create more. More illustrations. More writings. Which in theory should result in more submissions and ultimately more acceptances.

Happy Holidays!

Instagram: @dtdelosh

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