Welcome!
Each Wednesday check this blog for a strategy, process, or reflection for illustration with the iPad app ProCreate. This Wednesday Wrap Up, I share a few digital projects for my Daily Doodle with my CLmooc friends through which I struggle with a style.
Inspiration
Thanks to Jennifer Nichols, Brenda Bakker, Lisa Bardot, and Jutta Schneider, I’m learning a few techniques that help me with choosing a design and working that into a style I like for that project. For more information on these artists, see the Artists Resources page.
This Week
With the holiday season, I’ve been creating doodles for the holidays, such as the two Santas at the top of this post.
The Santa on the left was my first attempt. I sketched and painted with the idea in my head– but when I finished, I felt like it was my ten-year-old-self drawing again– and I was looking for a more whimsical style.
When sharing in Jennifer’s Private FB iPad Art Community for her students, Krisztina Retzler suggested adding baggy clothes as a way to get around the look I’d drawn.
And, of course, she’s right– I’d simply sketched the parts without thinking of the clothing– just filling in color from my sketch. And, I also know better ways to draw the beard and mustache as well. Yet, whenever I start to draw people, I fall back into the basics without considering the lessons I’ve learned the past two years. People are just not my strong suit.
I disliked it so much and was so disappointed in myself, that I took the time to draw in the style I really wanted — a more whimsey– a round and jolly Santa. Here’s the difference:
And here’s the Instagram post [4th slide] with the video replay of me adapting Sketch 1 into Sketch 2:
Note to Self
I think that I should follow a different process;
- stick figures in position / action
- round the limbs out
- sketch the clothes
That way, I can decide if I want a painterly, stylized, or realistic style. Perhaps try all three for good practice.
Shapes
Another aspect of my styles work this week concerns shapes. I try to be perfect in my people sketches right off the bat– instead of just sketching in an idea with shapes. I don’t see the shapes of things– unless I’m teaching someone else! Ha!
So, yesterday’s art was an elf putting a selfie star on the Christmas tree. And I worked with basic shapes, mostly triangles to do so, adding in the Brenda Bakker brightness and swirls.
I started with the tree so I’d know the height of the elf. I simply drew and filled and then returned to each area to add decoration, highlights, shading. I know it’s silly, but my goal was to create with shapes– to see each part as simply as shape.
December Doodle: Retro Holiday Style
And that leads me to today’s doodle — a vingtage, retro mid-century style winter illustration in squares and rectangles of winter colors with candy cane, stocking and star decorated cookie, hand dangling an ornament, holly and berries, holiday tree, star, and Season’s Greeting following the lessons from Jutta Schneider on Skillshare.
As you can see, the background is obviously rectangles, and the elements in each section are also simplified shapes with added decoration, highlights, and shading. There’s an overly of texture and a bit of “roughness” added to each background shape. I applied some Lisa Bardot cookie style from her Art Maker’s Club as well.
Try It!
Get into the holiday spirit and learn a new strategy or technique, then adapt to your own style and needs. I hope my little foibles help you see we’re all learning– and learning and learning and learning! And check out these artist teachers for improving even more. Thanks to them– I’m starting to get it…
Happy Holidays!
For links to mentioned artists, see Artists Resources page.
I wonder, if I draw a line... 