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

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

Cupcake Bouquet Art Process

 My Cupcake Bouquet greeting card design was inspired by a greeting card design challenge, #dhgartspark, on Instagram, Design House Greetings - Cue The Confetti. Which led to a lot of doodles in various notebooks and finally a full size pencil sketch and then  an even tighter one. My next step is to take it to the light box to transfer the sketch to watercolor paper.  I use Canson Montval Watercolor 140 lb paper.

Step 2: Is the inking. Black India ink with a brush and then wash with shadows.

Step 3: I paint my illustration traditionally. Using Higgins Waterproof/Water Resistant Colored Inks as if they're watercolors and then scan it all in.

Final Step: Bring it into Photoshop, clean up paint splotches, specs and dust  and add details like sprinkles. Tah Dah - here's the finished art!

 I hope to do a few more greeting card designs for this challenge before March1 happens. BUT who knows if I actually will. Anyhow hope you enjoyed reading about my art process.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

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!

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

MATS -July Warm Up - Beverages

The final month of Lilla Rogers Make Art That Sells Boot Camp was structured differently from all the previous months. As usual we got the mini first with no hint of an assignment. Draw, sketch, paint, whatever 7 beverages - from life - in any medium, try discarded surfaces etc. BUT unlike all the previous months we were NOT Allowed to Share our creations. EEK! Was Lilla preparing us for life after Bootcamp? And Now that the July Gallery has gone live...

1 - French Tea -© Diana Ting Delosh
ball point pen in my journal

2-Morning cup of Tea © Diana Ting Delosh
3 Rapidiograph Pen on paint test scrap

3- Mike's Lemonade Sketch - © Diana Ting Delosh -  fat marker on the paper towel I used to dab my brush with and clean up my paint wells with. Loved the way how the marker bled on the crumpled toweling.

 4 - Glass of water - © Diana Ting Delosh -  fat marker on the paper towel that I use to blot my inks and paint.

 5- © Diana Ting Delosh -  fat marker on the paper towel blotter.

6- Ice creamed Coffee - © Diana Ting Delosh - Pen  sketch in sketch book

7- Mom's Ice Cream Soda - © Diana Ting Delosh -  pen sketch in sketch book

MATS - May - Faces

Make Art That Sells, MATS BootCamp is back from April break... and on the 1st monday of May, we got our mini assignment - FACES! This is a biggie - being able to illustrate people in your own fashion is important as it opens up more markets for your art.

36 - Doll Doodles © Diana Ting Delosh 5/7/14

Lilla suggests we  doodle from dolls as they have already been simplified/stylized and like photos they don't move. I'm not having an easy time doodling doll heads. I'm one of those people that find dolls a wee bit creepy.  In fact there are a whole slew of sketches that I'm not showing because they are really, really bad. No idea what the actual assignment will be yet. I suspect since Lilla mainly showed us Adult Doll images that it will be an assignment involving adults. Guessing not kids books.

37 - Three Dolly Girls Sketches © Diana Ting Delosh 5/8/14

Looked around for more Doll images and came across these friendly cloth dolls. Find these don't have the creep factor and I'm able to loosen up and enjoy the process.

38 - More Dolls Sketches © Diana Ting Delosh 5/8/14

Think I'm "getting this warm-up"  - Finally!  I'm starting to see how sketching dolls can lead to your own style of drawing people. Yup! Happy with it.

39 - dolls/Kids sketches © Diana Ting Delosh 5/8/14

Now I do draw people but I prefer drawing animals. As can be seen by my website, dianadelosh.com: 57 illustrations in the Animal portfolio while my People portfolio only has 16. Granted I could probably cull some of the animal illos  but the People portfolio could use some beefing up. So here's to doing loads more people illos and snagging more illustration commissions.

In case you were wondering, the  MAY MATS Assignment is to do an Editorial Illustration. It's actually already done as the deadline is May 25th but I will blog about the illustration process in the next post.

Numbers: 36 -39 refers to my personal challenge, 365 Drawings 2014. 

365 Drawings 2014 - Gelatin, kettles , Apple

Catching up on a backlog of 365 drawing posts. Realized that it's already mid-may and I never posted my drawings from March! So here they are, better late than never.

32 - Gelatin molds and Gelatin see March MATS Jelée post.
© Diana Ting Delosh 3//414
Red ball point pen

33 - Tea Kettles
© Diana Ting Delosh 3/5/14
Red ball point pen

34 - Golden Delicious Apple
© Diana Ting Delosh 3/12/14
colored pencil

365 Drawing 2014: 29 - 31 Vegetables

Realized I better post these as it's already March.  This trio of ball point pen sketches were done on 2/22/14. Can You guess what we had for dinner?

29 - Golden Beet © Diana Ting Delosh

30 - Asparagus
31 - Garlic head & Cloves
© Diana Ting Delosh

If you guessed roasted golden beets, and broiled asparagus with olive oil and garlic you are correct. We also had broiled pork chops glazed with orange juice and soy sauce But the vegetables were the stars.

MATS February: Kookoo for cuckoo clocks & Drawings 23 - 28

What have I been up to lately? I signed up for Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells Boot Camp. What attracted me to this e-course was Lilla's attitude and the "doability" factor. The course is structured as 1 assignment a month, starting in February, with April off and ending in July. 5 assignments designed to help build a more commercial illustration portfolio. Sounds like just what I need.

First day of class, Feb 3 the warm-up: Cuckoo Clocks. A prompt? But I don't know what the end use will be? Find it unsettling to not know what the end game is. We are told to just have fun. So I doodle away. I even make a horrific mess with dip pens and a bottle of ink.  Discover I'm not in love with Cuckoo clocks. I like the leaves, the bird, the pine cones, the rustic, folksey vibe but not the clock.

Feb 10th - The Assignment: design a cellphone cover. OK- Now I have my end use. More doodling - this time trying to think of how it will look on a cell phone cover.  BTW the assignment needs to be handed in by Feb 23, 3pm EST time - IF I want to be part of the MATS February Boot Camp Class Gallery.

#23 - Cuckoos - 2/3/14
© Diana Ting Delosh 

#24 - Our Cuckoo - 2/4/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

#25 - everything but the Cuckoo - 2/5/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

#26 - Squirrel Cuckoo - 2/10/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

#27 - Sunflower Cuckoo - 2/10/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

#28 - Bird Flower Cuckoo - 2/10/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

Having fun with this class, doodling Cuckoo clock cell phone cover ideas. Some of these doodles won't end up on my phone cover BUT I see lots of things I want to explore further. Lilla told us to think of icons. I'm not used to thinking this way. Also not used to doing a product mock up. Have lots to ponder and learn.

So did I finish? YES - and I'll show you in my next MATS post along with the link to the Bootcamp Gallery this Tuesday 2/25! I'm really excited about viewing all my class mates work on the gallery. Can't wait until it goes public.

And whats with the numbers? # 23 -28 refer to my personal drawing challenge of 365 drawings in 2014. Yup I'm falling behind. I admit it. But I think I'll continue to keep tabs for the hell of it. Who knows the year is young and I might just catch up still. On the other hand - theres' a lot of drawing I'm not counting because I'm not able to show them as I do them. So do I feel bad that I'm not current? Nah. 

365 Drawing 2014: No. 18 - 22, Kitties +

I find it best to sketch/doodle first thing in the morning while I'm having my  tea.  My preference is to sketch from life or to draw from my imagination. Although I do draw from photos from time to time as an exercise. It's a great warm up for other creative endeavors and it helps to set the tone for the day. No matter what happens afterwards at least I did this one thing that feels really, really good. Unfortunately my schedule doesn't always allow for AM doodling. A friend tells me to try getting up earlier. As a natural owl, I find it easier to stay up later. Perhaps I should work with my insomnia.

18 - Kitty Sleeping, Pencil
© Diana Ting Delosh
1/20/14

19 - Bottle, Ball point pen
© Diana Ting Delosh
1/19/14

20 - Me at 3, Ball point pen
© Diana Ting Delosh
2/2/14 

21 - Strawberries,  Ball point pen
© Diana Ting Delosh 2/2/14

22 - Kitty starting to nod while sitting. Ball point pen
© Diana Ting Delosh 2/4/14

365 Drawings in 2014: Sketches 16 &17 Nutcrackers & Orchid

2 quick Ball point pen sketches.

16 - Nutcrackers
© Diana Ting Delosh
1/17/14 

17 - Orchid
© Diana Ting Delosh
1/17/14

Been getting busier. Now comes the big test. Can I continue drawing, scanning , blogging, on a regular basis  even as my calendar fills up?  Hm-m-m-m.

365 Drawings in 2014: # 2 - 7

I'm actually drawing on a regular basis what I seem to find more problematic is scanning and then posting them on a regular basis. Although I hope this will come easier once I fit it into my daily rhythm. At the moment I'm tripping all over my feet. Anyhow here are a clump of drawings. With more to come shortly.
Sketches numbered 2 through 7 were all done with a ballpoint pen.

2 - Eggs in a Glass Bowl 1/5/14
3 - Spent Tea Bag 1/6/14
© Diana Ting Delosh

 Sketches numbered 4 - 7 were all done on 1/7/14

4 - Rolling Pin Mice 
© Diana Ting Delosh
Inspired by the prompt, A ROLLING PIN, from 642 Things to Draw, Chronicle Books

5 - A Skunk or 2What is the black and white striped pattern on skunks? 
© Diana Ting Delosh
Inspired by the prompt, SKUNK, from 642 Things to Draw, Chronicle Books

6 - An Ottoman 
© Diana Ting Delosh
Inspired by the prompt, AN OTTOMAN, from 642 Things to Draw, Chronicle Books

7 - Sleeping Hubbie 
© Diana Ting Delosh
Note to friends and family NEVER dose off in front of an artist with sketchbook and pen in hand.