art – Page 6 – The Legend of Zare Caspian

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016

Water Horse

When I set out to draw something in particular these days, I end up browsing Pinterest for reference pictures, and end up working off of one or two. I never used to work from pictures, but I’m finding it really helps me improve; learn how to draw new things, new angles. Also, searching for Mustangs is a lot of fun. There are some great pictures out there, and I’m starting to recognize the iconic stallions of the various herds around the west (just search for Picasso the Mustang–or Cloud, for an even more famous name–and if you want wild horses in water, search for the Salt River Wild Horses of Arizona.)

So, here is the progression of the water horse, from pencil to ink to t-shirt. This was draw taking inspiration from one of the Salt River Wild Horses, (you can find some of my inspiration on this Pinterest board)

Add water:

Add eyes:

Scan, clean up, and add to Redbubble.

Voila!

February 4, 2016

ink sketches

Just messing around in a meeting. Sketching helps me pay attention and stay engaged. Plus, good practice.

January 14, 2016January 7, 2016

Fire Horse

I have a new design up on Redbubble. Christmas week I just had a hankering to draw a horse–my favorite kind of horse to draw, the Arabian.

Arabians and their daughter breed, the Thoroughbred, are high energy horses–often referred to as “hot” or more poetically “fiery.”

There is a half Thoroughbred horse where I ride who I will probably always refer to as a colt–because he acts like one. Always active and getting into trouble, he has a deep desire to work, to run, to do stuff, and be the center of attention. He is not afraid of much, but he’ll spook at imaginary things for an excuse to gallop across his pasture. Then he’ll prance, stamping and rearing just because he can. Last week he was plucking the fence like a guitar.

Some horses are made of fire.

firehorse

Click here to shop at Redbubble.

firehorseproducts

December 28, 2015

Merry Christmas-belated

I could have sworn that I scheduled this post…but evidently I didn’t! Christmas is always such a busy time, but I hope yours was merry.

–Abigail

December 21, 2015December 21, 2015

The Hoopskirt Job

The Hoopskirt Job was a memorable job for Zare and Quill…hoop skirts, assassins…good times…

November 19, 2015November 4, 2015

On the banks of the Bandui River

I have got to come up with a better way to do large swathes of black. But I had a picture in my head, and a sharpie in my hand.

Can you guess where we’re headed in this story?

November 12, 2015November 4, 2015

Hook

This is Hook, rendered in ink and ink pencil. Every now and then I indulge and throw myself into drawing a horse. Alright, fine, perhaps it happens often.

In my mind, he is somewhere between a Lusitano and an Arabian in build and carriage.

November 5, 2015November 4, 2015

Cloaked

Ink pencils are fairly new to me, but I fell pretty hard for them once we met. They forced me to learn about blending colors–but they also rewarded me extremely well when I did. I’m getting better with them, and they are so much fun to use.

They are like water color pencils, but better. You lay down the color with the pencil, and then activate the pigment with water on a brush. You essentially get two chances to blend. Once the water and pigment dry, however, they are permanent. Which I love because it means you can add layers of color. You can go back and add details or shading–which fits much better with my drawing style than having to get it all in place before adding water.

It’s also easier to mix with pen and ink, and I’m all about mixing media.

October 29, 2015October 22, 2015

Armed

This sketch is from earlier this year, one of the first on my tablet that was any good. Still have a lot to learn about that tool–but I’m really enjoying it. The Sketchbook app by Autodesk is pretty nice. I’ve been using the free version, and flirting with the subscription. I think, though, that first I need to master the features of the free version before I can justify adding features by paying for it.

October 22, 2015October 22, 2015

Fang and Seyba’s wagon

I’m learning that wagons are extremely hard to draw–straight lines and boxes aren’t my strong suit. Though, the hardest part is the wheel. I have an embarrassingly hard time drawing wheels. I must find them boring, and therefore feel no motivation to practice so it isn’t a monster fight every time I try to draw a wagon. I should probably work a bit harder at that–because Fang and Seyba’s wagon was really cool looking in my head.