Entry 19: A Little Bit of Fairy Dust

Hey Crew!

A new day starts a new path. How is everyone doing since we last talked? I know my last post was heavier than what I normally write, but I hope I was able to connect more with you guys. If there are any lingering questions, please ask. I wish I was a mind-reader, but alas I am not. I hope that you guys are remembering to take care of your self as well. July is upon us and things feel like they are just getting started for 2020. I don’t know about you, but I think crying in a corner sounds like the perfect activity for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, life must go on. We can do this. We can get through this together. I’m not going anywhere and I have a lot of things planned to give all of us little eyes of the storms. So stick around, things are just getting started.

The Final Chapter of Quarantine Challenge Projects

So this is it, this is the final piece in this series. I honestly never thought that I’d have all 14 projects done so soon. Although, my original idea was to do a project a day, you know, things happen. Hahaha… And I thought we could end this series on a high note.

Meet Tinkerbell. I drew this piece back in 2010 while I was still in high school. That was 10 years ago. Why did humans have to start keeping track of time? Probably one of the worse inventions ever. Anyways, I was super proud of this piece. I thought I rocked the expression, the proportions, and the shading. I am at a loss for words about how naive I was. The struggle is real. So I realized that I needed to just start over.

I thought I would keep the position Tink is in somewhat. I also really wanted to be sneaky and throw in some fun symbolism. So the flower that I choose is a Crocus. Crocus is linked with cheerfulness, youth, and hope after darkness. Tink is and of herself is a symbol of childlike innocence. And I wanted to make it look like she is enjoying the night with her PJs and bedhead hair. I also wanted to play around with my dip-pen and ink. I used to love inking my pieces with my dip-pen, but after I was introduced to high-quality markers, I kind of forgot all about it.

Mistakes were Made

I am not sure what happened when I started my final piece. As you could see in my video, something went horribly wrong in the head area. Then I just thought that it might be OK if I just push through and finish it everything would turn out OK. Boy was I wrong. I wanted to keep this in the final cut of the video to humble myself. Things were going so smoothly I thought it was only up for now on. But even the greatest people make simple mistakes. #FailureisOK2

I started over. And I am so glad that I did. It came out so much better than I thought it would. I know there are some ink smudges, but they don’t bother me anymore. I hope I made you smile even just a little with this piece. I know I had a lot of fun with it. I can’t wait for the next adventure with you!

And that my friends is the end of this series. I hope you guys enjoyed this journey as much as I did! It is kind of bittersweet, don’t you think? I am so glad that I found myself again. Thank you for following me. This is not the end. I have so many more ideas and things in the works that you shouldn’t go anywhere. On Monday, we will be talking more in-depth about the future and what is going to come. Are you ready to take it to the next level? ‘Cause I am! Remember to take care of yourself. Stay safe and stay sane.

Until Next Time,

Captain Suzanna 🌙⭐

Entry 17: The Story that Never gets Old

Hey Crew!

How have you all been? It feels like this week was never going to end for me. The struggles, right? Anyway, things that been looking more and more bleak as the days roll by. To tell you the truth, I am terrified. I’m not scared of COVID-19 or the #BLM movement or anything like that. I am terrified of how little the ones we put in charge are not listening to their citizens and the world. I am terrified of the medical bill that I’ll get if/when I get COVID-19. I’m afraid of passing it on to my family and them being stuck with the same bill. I don’t have $500,000 just burning a hole in my pocket. That is a life time of debt that I can’t afford. Neither can my family or the vast majority of my fellow Americans. It hurts so much to know my government cares more about money and pleasing the 1%, that they are willing to have a mass slaughtering their people. History is repeating itself and the ones that have sworn to protect us are dooming us all by not see it. What are we to do? Peaceful protests are getting through to them with the #BLM movement, facts and statistics aren’t opening their eyes, the rest of the world is screaming at them to do better, and they are turning a blind eye. I don’t know what else to do. All I can do is to try to be a safe and calm place for you guys. Art is a good distraction, so I just have to keep creating in order to not get sick with insanity. I hope change will come soon. That concludes my rant, please continue on to the light-hearted and fun illustration.

Quarantine Challenge Project #13: Redo: Alice

I’m not sure if you guys have noticed, but I love making things about Alice in Wonderland. I have always loved this children’s story ever since I was a little girl. Just being able to fall down a rabbit hole to a land full of interesting characters and sights and the absence of reality. I feel like everyone needs a safe place to check out of reality every once in a while to recharge. I find myself daydreaming of a far off reality to seek positive adventures all the time. Do you guys daydream?

So, this drawing I made quickly at Vermont Comic Con that I went to as a student ambassador for my college’s art department. It was a lot of fun! But this was a very rushed piece, as you can see. And I have been meaning to redo this ever since the Con was over. (HAHAH… See, I have always had too many ideas and not enough time. HAHAHA…)

I knew that I basically had to start over from scratch. Between the lazy composition and the lack of movement, there was no hope for this piece. So, I started the old fashioned way, I sketched out some rough ideas. I have been trying to play with new and different angles for my pieces. It defiantly a challenge to me, ’cause I tend to draw like the ancient Egyptians. I draw side profiles and very little background and very stiff. I don’t mean there isn’t a time and place for that kind of style, but I am trying to grow and improve my skills. I have to get out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

In the end, I came up with this. I hope by now you have realized I hate backgrounds, especially trees. Ugh they are the worst. But luckily, with the rules of perspective, the farther way the object, the less detail there is. Plus, I pushed myself to try to make Cheshire’s tail to be translucent. I think it turned out pretty good for the first time. And by the way, children proportions DON’T MAKE ANY SENSE! The struggle my peeps. I hope you guys realized she is a little kid. Can you guys spot the different items that stand for different characters and stories from the book? Let me know in the comments!

In the process video I was trying new and different ways to film. And like 70% of it I had to cut because my hand was in the way. I totally forgot to film on the opposite side to see what I was drawing. I’m an idjit sometimes. I am still learning this new medium of film making. Influencers and shows and such, make it look so easy and simple. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

That is the end of this story for today. I hope you guys like my new Alice piece. Just know this won’t be the last! By the way, we have only 1 more Quarantine Challenge Project! Sweet Neptune guys, we did it! I hope you all come back for next Saturday’s update to see what kind of magic comes to life this time. Monday we are going to be learning more about your Captain’s head. I hope I can answer some of your questions that I have planted in your head. Anyway, remember to take care of yourself. Stay sane and look towards the future. We can do this. We just have to stand together and be there for each other. Stay safe and stay healthy.

Until Next Time,

Captain Suzanna 🌙🌙

Entry 15: What a Process!

Hey Crew!

My oh my, things have not been slowing down, huh? Does anyone else feel as though it has been years instead of just 6 months into this year? ‘Cause I feel like I have lived a lifetime already and I am in another reincarnations lifetime. This is bananas. I know I have no certain return date for work or anything going back to some sort of “normal” any time soon. And everyone is holding their collective breathe for this second wave that is bound to hit us hard. We are in the middle of history repeating itself, but most of the people that are in charge are refusing to see it. And I think that is the scariest part of it all. Please listen up, remember to take care of yourself. Remember unplug for a moment. Remember to not burn yourself out. Please use this time to grow. Use this time to learn something new. Use this time to unlearn something toxic. Use this time to find yourself. Please remember you are not alone, you are loved, and you can grow. I’m going to try my damnest to be that calm oasis for you. I’ve got your back. I promise.

Quarantine Challenge Project #12- Re-do: Dragon

I made this back in September of 2010. 10 years ago. How did I get into art school again? I’m so funny, I know. I am not sure where I was trying to go with this. It kind of looks like a cross between a snake and a bug. And that position of the head…. Like what?? Any sort of improvement will do wonders for it.

I started with some research on dragons. I looked at a bunch of pieces that other artists have made of dragons. I looked at historical and modern interpretations of the mythical creature. And although I saw some wonderful and creative pieces, nothing was sparking interest for me. So I started to look to actual nature. That is when I knew that I was going to hit the jackpot. I came across this Peruvian Dragon snake that was the perfect head, and then I used the body of a Monitor lizard, and the wings of a bat. And it looks a little like this:

I have figured out how to push my work to another level. I am really good at drawing what I can see. But somehow when I try to draw what I see in my mind it turns out to be dumpster fire. So I have found away around it. I create this kind of chimera like image of something that shows me what I truly want to create. The one thing I want to express to just budding artists out there is that you are only as good as your references. That can be anything from books, to life experiences, to internet image searches. And then the next lesson that you need to learn is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and patience.

After I have a solid drawing, I start the illustration process. And I am exploring markers as a medium. I have subscriptions to Art Snack and SketchBox monthly boxes. Because of these boxes I have been trying lots of new mediums and techniques that I would have never tried otherwise. So far, I have found a new love with alcohol based markers. I’ve been wanting to do a full illustration with markers for a while, but I haven’t had the color range that I would like. So I purchased a ARTEZA EverBlend marker set. I don’t have the funds to get more of the Copic or Tombow markers that I love so much, so I got a good budget friendly brand. I can promise you that these ARTEZA markers are the bee’s knees. I am glad I got them to learn how to really use markers and just play with a new medium.

I am really proud of how this turned out! You can so see how there is a massive jump in skill in 10 years. Sweet Neptune.

And that marks the end of QCP #12. We’ve got only 2 more project left in this series if you can believe it! And this has been an incredible journey. However, this does not mean the end for us! I have a whole bunch of new projects lined up for us. So don’t go anywhere! In the next post, I am going to be talking about what the future is going to be looking like for our life on these Artist Seas. So I suggest to like, follow, comment, and subscribe to never miss a beat. Let’s set sail!

Until Next Time,

Captain Suzanna 🌙