The Secret Garden Pt. 3

Margaret

What a weird feeling to have this part of my thesis year done.  (Kind of!) 

The Secret Garden Pt. 2

The Secret Garden Pt. 1

Here's Miss Mary being quite the contrary little stinker.  I haven't read The Secret Garden since ... I don't know, 1909.  (I'm really funny at 3:30 am.)  I thought I'd go through the chapters and find a few quotes and illustrate with them in mind coupled with what I can remember from the story... It's a sci-fi novel, right?

I keep seeing this strange little pose work it's way into my illustrations.  The guy in my thesis book has almost the same one in one of the images.  I've been told thrice (I love that word) that I stand exactly the same.  Isn't that weird? A weird pose and some weird psychological... something.  I'm not a medical woman.  I'm not sure where I was going with this other than I thought it was a funny thing.  Also embarrassing that I stand like this so often.

I have 2 more of this "series" to scan in and share.  I'd like to grow to not rely so heavily on line.. I guess.  I never know! I wish I could see my work totally objectively.  Wouldn't that be a delightful thing.  DELIGHTFUL.


The black & white version : 

Art Market

Some cards I made for art market.  It was a busy 2 days.  If only this sort of patience and diligence found it's sweet little way into the rest of my projects...

 The tattoos have yet to be printed because I am a scared like a baby that they won't turn out.  I made fun packaging for them so I really hope they do.  Think positive thoughts that my little transferrable friends will make it through the printer!  Come on patron saint of inkjets, do your magical stuff!

Mona Update & a Tattoo

I added some flat pattern to her tiny bed.  Can you still see Gordy? 

I keep typing Grody by accident... maybe that's another story about a girl and an old sock she thought she lost and later found underneath the radiator in her room 6 months later.  (If you have a radiator.. you know how much dust collects under those babies.)  

... It's been a weird week of weird ideas.  

Paul got a tattoo of one of my drawings... PSYHC! IT'S TEMPORARY. (Isn't that a fun game?)  

I'm selling some things at MICA's Art Market this year, like temporary tattoos!! That's not an actual one on his arm, I just wanted to know what it would look like so I did some magical photoshopping.  I hope to get them printed during Thanksgiving break.  Find my spot and buy a couple!  It starts December 5th. 

I think it's the kind of tattoo that will strike fear into onlookers.  His face says, "Step off, fools".  

"Even so, Mona loved him"

Here's a mostly finished page for the Mona & Gordy book, I just have to add text.  Lil' Mona will be saying, "He's a great listener!".  It's nice to have a project like this that I can experiment with.  I have to really stick with the approach I chose for my thesis so that I can finish it (without driving myself and my teacher crazy by changing it every week). But I was able to completely start over with this one.  No regrets or YOLO or something.  (That hurt me as much as it hurt you.. I promise I was kidding.)

Also, I've never drawn a nose like that on a little person.  It's silly and I like it.

Mona & Gordy

This is for my book illustration class.  It's a story I've been working on since the beginning of the semester.  It's inspired by my brother and his 3 (?) year old self (I don't know specifics, I wasn't alive when it happened!).  I switched his place with the little toy he lost down the drain of the tub... now the toy is Gordy.  I usually only draw little dudes and I wanted to draw a little lady for a change, although you can't tell by the cover. I'm still working on the interior, which I was supposed to be doing first but I didn't.  Life is full of surprises!  Like finding 20 dollars on the sidewalk, which has never happened to me yet but I keep looking!

The back flap is just nonsense.  I had to write it for the sake of having a bio.  I wanted to take up some space because "Phoebe Thomas draws little things and has a dog named Louise", is just not long enough.  Also, I like to write silly things.  Did you notice that I wrote about Louise but I'm holding a cat?  Silly dumb accident!

Sometime soon (...... maybe..) I'll have some inside spreads to show and maybe I'll share the story and also maybe not!  More surprises and lots of maybes!

It's Wednesday

It was figure drawing day!

City Dood

The shadows don't make sense, but I remember one of my professors at CIA saying that in children's illustration that doesn't really matter since they're in their own world.  I like that, so I just put them more as a visual element rather than as a reality.  I wonder if I only notice because I was conscious of it.  

Another Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing

I'm taking the same figure drawing class this year.  I came back to the class and felt like I forgot how to draw... I think my teacher said on the first day, "What's happening here?" and I said, "Uh.. I forgot what to do".  He walked away and didn't come back to my drawing the rest of class.  So I quit school.

Just kidding, I came home and slouched around for a couple of hours feeling sad (because I'm dramatic and I like to eat cookies), then the next week I tried again.  I get a little more comfortable each session.  This one was from last week, which was the fourth week I think?  It's the only drawing so far that I actually like that wasn't just a gesture.  I think I spent about 5 hours on this.

 * Those lumps on her wrists are bracelets... not a deformity.  I just never finished her arm.

Louise Loathes Lima Beans

Ezra has been put to the back of the line.  Here's Louise loathing some lima beans.  I wanted to have a girl in the series I was presenting for critique.  Also, I wanted to draw what I think my dog, Louise, would look like if she was human (... bratty?).  I would've liked her hair to be white blonde, but I think that's too confusing on this Ivory paper.

If I ever make these into a lil' zine or something, I think it will be square.

Cozy Corner

My thesis is coming along just as I hoped it would.  Better actually!  The process wasn't clear to me when I started it.  I had the images in my mind, but not an actual approach.  There've been some happy surprises with printing, coloring and scanning.  I think I chose the right project.. I know I won't grow tired of it since it's so personal.

 We ordered pizza over the weekend, and I have never seen a pizza box I liked more.  

Ricky Rues Rye (Bread)

I changed his name to Ricky.  No offense to all you Randies (that's the plural right?) out there.  He looked like a little stinker named Ricky that just won't eat his rye and jam.

ABC Book Concept

We're doing non-narratives in my book illustration class.  I came up with a collection of lil' kids and the foods they hate.  

Coming soon, letter E : Ezra evades edamame & Letter R : Randy rues rye !

Summer Fence

Thanks, Dad!

My dad told me to look up Zippy the Pinhead and then look at my drawing.


Happy nightmares!

Some Cards

 The cat isn't done.  The resolution is a little funny... I was really just playing around with the idea but then I liked it, so I have to fix all of that stuff.

More to come soon! I absolutely LOVE my internship.  I feel so lucky to have come across the opportunity.  The store is just, wow, my kinda store.  Cards, invitations, stationary and beautiful papers as far as the eye can see!  Color me happy (... that's pink right?)

Real Human Bean

Figure Drawings from the past couple of weeks.  I think these were both all day poses.  The top one is from last week and the bottom is from ... 3 weeks ago?  I can't remember.  I like the top one better, the bottom is kind of cartoony or something, maybe it's the foreshortening.. and the line weight?  I'm not sure.  Oh! All of my figure drawings have been about 18 x 24"... if anyone was wondering.  I think I'm finally getting comfortable in this class... my teacher likes my drawings now aaand the model told me she liked my shoes, what a nice lady!  Now, if my other teacher stops telling me that my drawings are "cold" just like I am (not in a nice way), I'll be floating on a cloud of bliss.  Can't win 'em all.  

I'll be posting my finals in the next couple of weeks once they're all finished! 

Anybody get that title reference?  

Down the Rabbit Hole

Heeere's the final I just finished for my collage for illustration class.  We chose a chapter from Alice in Wonderland and did our projects based off of that.  I chose the first chapter; Down the Rabbit Hole.  Among the books last week were all of these awesome Normal Rockwell ones.  I could have looked at them forever... and I did.  My teacher told me once or twice to stop lookin' and get collagin'.  Except, he didn't say it like that because he's not in any way similar to Richard Simmons, except in his enthusiasm (for collage).  

It's really getting close to the end of the school year.  Both relieving and pants peeing scary.  I'll be a senior next year!  How. Weird.  I'll be in voluntary denial until then.  See ya in the real world suckas!  I don't mean that.  The "suckas" part at least.  The denial stays.  

Not So Sweet

I made this last semester for an article that was about kids being addicted to sugar and junk food.  I tried to make her look cute (or should I say... sweet!) and not sad.  She's just a little bit stuck.

Birthday Buddies

Yesterday was Pauls birthday so I made him a little box of birthday friends.  I'm a little low on cashola so I couldn't buy him anything worth mentioning (sad) but.. who doesn't love a handmade gift!  It's not very Paul-like (in fact.. I think this is the opposite of like, BladeRunner), but I think he knows it's the thought that counts! I just can't help it if I have soft pastelly things forever in my thoughts.  

Art Party

I wanted to share Paul's blog and concept art page!  I'm so proud of him ... It's inspiring to turn my head and see him working so hard.  I don't know how he does it... but it sure does pay off!  Look at it!  I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of his enthusiasm to work all night and day.  He's helped me so much with figure drawing.

Here's two of my favorites (they're all my favorites.. and I'm not just being sweet!) of his digital paintings.  I'm sure you can guess why... does the song You're So Vain come to your mind, too?  ;)

Here's his Blog 

http://strangepurpleart.blogspot.com/

And Concept Art (more things here) Page 4 is the most current!

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=221438

He's the best!