1920s Bride.. Photoshop Practise

I'm currently trying to find my style through a different range of mediums, from Photoshop to watercolours to colour pencils.

So here are the work-in-progress images as well as the final one for a 1920s style Bride.

I may be working on some wedding invitations for a family friend soon, so want to try and find a way of colouring that suits me.

This piece was really fun to work on. I loved working on all the details; the lace, headband and bouquet in particular.

I made the brush too. I got the default hard round brush and adjusted the hardness and spacing to make the imperfect edge which is a favourite style I see in other illustrators artwork. I'll need to develop a few more though.

As I didn't plan the background, it's very simple, but I will definitely plan the backgrounds in the future. I definitely prefer a minimalist style to backgrounds, but definitely need to practise spacial backgrounds with depth, perspective and objects.

---jkl

Green Wing...

I know, I know. I'm late to this by 8 years, but! I love it!

Have been doing a few sketches... (uploading on my tumblr) but here they are:

Amazing cast and just an amazing show! Bloody love it.

I used reference only for Guy at the bottom and a bit for Tamsin in the second one. None for Mac in the top one (which is why it looks nothing like him). I love drawing Tamsin Greig's face, she is just stunning!

I'll have to try drawing all the characters from the series though at some point!

---jkl

The Snowman and the Snowdog!

I was fortunate enough to be able to work on this project from July-October this year as a rendering department assistant. I officially was a ‘matte artist’ and I also rendered (coloured) the characters in two shots of the film!

Here's a link for the film's website

If you are in the UK, Please watch tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm!

It is also repeated on Christmas Day at 13.55 and Sunday 30th December at 17.35

The Making of Documentary: ‘How The Snowman Came Back To Life’ is on Sunday 30th December at 18.05, straight after the film.

Hope you all watch and enjoy! Merry Christmas!


---jkl

Christmas Cards 2012!

My univeristy friends and I all decided that this year, instead of presents, we were going to draw one another a Christmas card instead! So here are the photos of the illustrations I painted (with gouache paints) for each of them. More photos of these can be found on my tumblr here.

Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

Doctor Domo! (Matt Smith version)

Mabel Pines - Gravity Falls

Merida - Brave

Tooth and Baby Tooth - Rise of the Guradians

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham - Downton Abbey

 A photo of all the cards together!

---jkl

A small painting for my mum!

It was my mum's birthday a few days ago, so I decided to paint her a little something. It took longer than I thought as the brush I used wasn't small enough! But that said, I enjoyed painting it.

This is inspired by Jan Pienkowski's illustrations in his 'Snow White' book belonging to my mum. I used to read it a lot as a child and it still inspires me to this day.

This was painted with gouache.


---jkl

Cheers!

This little moment happened a few weeks ago in a South London Park Cafe.

It was the sweetest thing, I just had to draw it!

Photoshop CS5 + Wacom Intuos 3 tablet.

---jkl

A Mini Watercolour Experiment...

I've been inspired by many things as of late.. I'll list a few of the most recent:

1. I discovered Carson Ellis' illustrations through her and (her husband) Colin Meloy's beautiful book; "Wildwood". The cover blew me away, and I had to buy it. Everything about her style inspires me, and the work between her and her husband is truly one of the loveliest and most creative collaborations I've ever known. Utterly gorgeous and inspiring.

More of her work can be found here

2. I attended Zoe Lem's Vintage Wedding Fair in Clerkenwell, London, with my aunt, Susannah Hall Tailors. I was assisting on the day with my aunt's stall for Grooms' wear, but I was also able to visit the other stalls at the event. I'm a huge admirer of Vintage and anything in a 'traditional' style, so the whole affair was utterly amazing and exciting. I was able to speak to a few people and hope to possibly get some collaborations in the works for the near future. (Which is partly the reason for the illustration I am uploading below..)

3. I visited Covent Garden very recently, and discovered the Moomin Shop. I've seen a lot of Moomin merchandise in lots of shops up and down the country, but never knew of this wholly Moomin-based shop. It had some really beautiful stuff, trays, mugs, bowls, etc. But when I discovered a matchbox with one of Tove Jansson's colour illustrations, I instantly fell in love with her style. It had been hiding behind all the Anime for so long! I quickly trotted over to the section of Jansson's Moomin books, and found the first one with Jansson's original illustrations; "The Moomins and the Great Flood", and bought it. I'm so glad I did, as it is just wonderful.

So lots of inspiration, and, as I am currently unemployed, I have decided to start moving and getting some ideas ready for Portfolio work! I want to experiment with painting and colour mostly, and will try to steer my way out of my comfort-zone to challenge myself and take risks.

So today, I simply did a quick warm-up with some watercolours. It's very difficult to start, obviously, so I thought; keep it simple; don't fuss on detail; don't overwork it; don't spend too long; just do it.

So I did.

This is the result. I think in the initial sketch, I was channelling a Nigella-look-a-like (as I had just been watching 'Nigella's Kitchen' on TV) My mother liked it.

So I'm going to research more into tips, techniques and tricks in watercolour painting. My mother has asked me to design Christmas cards this year too, so perhaps that will be my next little watercolour experiment. I have a hell of a lot to learn.


---jkl

Generic London Guy..

They're everywhere...

I have serious beard envy...

From a sketch done a few weeks ago. I'm working in London (Islington, to be exact) and the number of guys walking round like this is innumerable.


Still, they look so darn cute I just can't help but sketch them.. :)


Pen and Photoshop CS5

---jkl

New job and National Portrait Gallery sketches

Apologies for how long it's taken to start posting again, I have been very busy, as I started a (temporary) job at Lupus Films, London, working on The Snowman sequel!

It's such an exciting project, and the studio is full of inspiring and ridiculously talented people, not to mention some of the friendliest and loveliest people I have ever met! I started on the 2nd July and am scheduled to work until mid-September. It's been utterly fantastic so far! So look out for the film at Christmas, it should be airing on Channel 4 on either Xmas Eve, Xmas Day or Boxing Day!! 

I have been drawing out-of work too. Every day I commute home I try to sketch a few things in a sketchbook I carry round with me. I will upload some of these sketches over the next few weeks.

Last Friday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery with a friend from work who has been going for a few weeks to sketch also. I wanted to go with her to do some sketching too, as her sketches inspired me to do some observational skecthes of paintings too. Here is a compilation of the sketches I made. Titles of the paintings are below, and are read left to right.

1. "Lady Colin Campbell" (1897) by Giovanni Boldini.

2. A study of a woman, from "The Mission of Mercy: Florence Nightingale receiving the Wounded at Scutari" (1857) by Jerry Barrett.

3. "John Philip Kemble as Cato" (1812) by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

4. "Coventry Patmore" (1894) by John Singer Sargent -> (my absolute favourite painter)

5. A study of a Marble bust of "George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland" (1830) by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantry.

More to come soon! 

---jkl

New Business Card Design...

I love stars... and duvets.

:)


---jkl

For Nessa

A little Birthday sketch for a friend!


---jkl

Mad Hatter WIP...

A WIP of the Mad Hatter for a request/commission for the Neoflux "What is the Use of a Book Without Pictures?" Alice In Wonderland Project...

I got the assignment aaaaages ago, but only now have I had time to begin! The hatter is done so far, but this will be part of a bigger picture...I'll upload here as soon as it's done...

Have a look at the album (on Facebook) already for what's been contributed - there are some great ones in there: What is the Use of a Book Without Pictures Facebook Album

Enjoy!


---jkl

Annecy!

I'm flying to Annecy tomorrow to attend the International Animation Festival there!  Hooray! This will be my second visit!

Am looking forward to it!

Au Revoir!

:)

---jkl

An Embrace at Cardiff Station...

I drew this from memory after a day in Cardiff on Saturday... It stuck in my mind as it was really sweet..

(Text written below the image for those who cannot read my writing)

I saw a guy with messy hair and a beard..

In one hand he was holding a small bouquet of flowers (unknown) and in the other, he held a Crabbies Ginger Beer bottle..

I only really saw him from behind as he was walking very quickly towards the station..

He suddenly embraced his partner who received the gifts very quickly.

---jkl

Don't Cry, Daddy... WIP

"Don't cry, daddy, I'm all right, daddy, please don't cry here, let me wipe away your tears..."

A little colouring FAIL attempt of a scene from the stage musical "Matilda" playing at London's Cambridge Theatre in London at the moment...

I went to see it at the end of December and absolutely loved it. The music and lyrics were written by Tim Minchin, and the songs are all brilliant.

As I am a soppy git, I love all the highly emotive songs where the characters are really expressing something, or verging on tears to put it bluntly! This scene is from the song "I'm Here" which is one of my favourites. This moment in the show really hit me. The father, (in Matilda's imagination) bursts into the room and hugs her singing, "Don't cry, I am here, little girl..." It was spine-tingling in the show, as the actor BELTED it; full of emotion! I just LOVED it. So this moment stuck out for me. The moment after this, Matilda sings to her "daddy" asking him to not worry...

But anyway... I'm just having a chill-out arty moment because we have just had a film critique and I am absolutely knackered!! 

So I will hopefully keep going back and finishing this off....as you can tell, I am not one for colour, but this is sort of practise! I'm liking the funky colours and having a bit of fun with it! :)

Based on the song, "I'm Here" from "Matilda" the Musical.

Attempting to colour in PS....(CS5 w/ wacom tablet)


---jkl

A few skecthes...

Finally had a little time to do some sketching in spare moments...Deadline for this term was Monday, everything went well thereabouts!

So here is a sketch of Rapunzel done the night before the deadline... (to relieve the stress..)

She is so lovely to draw.And a quick colour version...

At the actual critique/feedback session on Monday (after we'd handed in the digital copy of our work)we spent 6 and a half hours watching everyone's final rough animatics and hearing what the next step of their film was going to be... So during the 6 hours, I had to draw/doodle or I might have gone mad....

So I decided to draw my friends' characters! I really like drawing my friend, Zara's character "Roberta" who is the little girl with the large hair, glasses and dress with circles on it.

Zara's characters - Roberta and Emelina, for her film; "Fy Chwaer" (My Sister) - Zara Williams' Film Blog

Bry's character - Swamp/Frog creature, for her film; "Pond" - Bryony Evans' Film Blog

Claire's characters - The Stag and the Snake, for her film; "Catharsis" - Claire Spiller's Film Blog

Gemma's characters - Amber and the Tree Spirit, for her film; "The Little Tree Spirit" - Gemma Roberts' Film Blog

Vikki's character - The Ballerina, for her film; "Dancing Shoes" - Victoria Clark's Film Blog

Rob's characters - The Girl and the Dragon - (no blog available)



As well as this, I drew a sketch of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.

I coloured it earlier with Copic marker pens and gave it to a friend as a Christmas present.

---jkl

A quick illustration...

for a friend's belated birthday..



---jkl

A few background characters...

As background characters are needed in my film, I thought it'd be a fun thing to draw my friends on my course as children to be the background characters!! Just a quick set of sketches - It'll be so much fun to do in the final film though. Might as well make the most of it and I think they'll really like it! :)

---jkl

Can you tell I'm excited....

...for Brave!? I literally cannot wait!! :) Roll on August 2012!!



---jkl

When my mind is bored...

Done with a mouse on Photoshop CS5......(no reference)

Most of the animals are from the BBC's 'Frozen Planet' series on at the moment (except for the golden monkey obviously).....And then there's Mrs Incredible.....and a bear cub (from the Pixar's new 'BRAVE' trailer).... 

Very random! But good fun.

---jkl