blackUnicorn.org

5th May 2013
10

I was fiddling with a different technique, and I’m not sure it makes all that much difference in terms of either saving time or the final product. It is a little softer than I usually leave final pieces, and I don’t know how I feel about that. Either way, it came out looking cute, and I’m glad I tried it.

5th May 2013
0

#red panda
#sketches
#my art

Working on a thing with red pandas.

29th Apr 2013
1

#cute
#turtles
#tortoise
#stacked
#my art

In which we learn about some of the texture options in Illustrator and go a little nuts…

20th Apr 2013
6

#painting
#digital
#photoshop
#pelican
#birds
#my art

Pela-king

Self-assignment: Draw a pelican, don’t take too long. I took longer than I meant to.

20th Apr 2013
3

#photography
#flowers
#tulips
#narcissus

Some spring on my deck

20th Apr 2013
2

#photos
#frogs

Tofrography

19th Apr 2013
1

#my art
#zazzle
#patterns
#flower

Well, I caught the dreaded cold that’s been going around, so it took me the better part of a week to get this pattern done.

(check out my California Poppy Pattern iPad folio on Zazzle.com)

15th Apr 2013
1

Motivational alligator currently doing what he does best under my ancient wacom flap. Might be related to this guy.

12th Apr 2013
29834

dresdencodak:

kalidraws:

Today I gave my students a quick presentation on some of the basic considerations for composition, which I am now sharing with you! I’ve given them separate talks about color and tonal value/contrast, which are also super important compositional concerns. (I’ll be sharing those presentations too once I properly format them)

I personally love learning about different compositional techniques. It’s fun to think about the ways that the brain views & sorts images, and how we can trick it into feeling a certain way or looking at certain aspects of an image first! It’s easy to fall into compositional ruts (which I am also guilty of) because a lot of art gets by with mediocre, though serviceable, compositions. If you can generally understand what’s happening in an image then it’s generally fine. However, it’s the truly great compositions, where everything in the whole image has been considered and ‘clicks’ together, that bump up an illustration to a visual slam dunk. NC Wyeth is one of my favorite artists for this reason: his compositions are rock solid, varied based on the image’s intent, and always enhance the mood or action he is depicting.

For extra reading, some online compositional resources that I’ve found helpful or interesting include:
Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis (download it for FREE. Such a great book all-around.)
Gurney Journey (check out the “Composition” tag, but really everything he posts is great)
The Schweitzer guide to spotting tangents
Cinemosaic (a blog by Lou Romano with some truly WONDERFUL compositions captured from various films)
Where to Put the Cow by Anita Griffin

Happy composition-ing!

A solid breakdown of the fundamentals of composition, complete with examples!

30th Mar 2013
1

#my art
#wip
#dragon

Been working on this a little today.

25th Mar 2013
4

#my art
#owl
#stickers
#ipad
#cute
#redbubble

I ordered a bunch of stickers of my own designs from Redbubble. These little guys, having pretty much bought me my iPad, get a place of honor on the back.

You can check out my Redbubble shop here.

25th Mar 2013
1

Tiny owl (about 3 inches high)

18th Mar 2013
1

#Soon raccoon
#my art
#doodles

Question: when will Veronica start posting new work again?

16th Mar 2013
805

undefeated-ladies:

Lotte Reiniger (1899 – 1981): Creator of the Oldest Surviving Animated Feature

The third oldest animated feature, and oldest surviving piece since Argentina’s Quirino Cristiani’s work was lost, was created by German animator Lotte Reiniger. Long before Walt Disney, her work animating wooden rats for ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’ in 1918 got her accepted at an experimental animation studio, and five years later she was approached to create a feature-length animated film, ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed.’ Reiniger crafted the film by manipulating silhouette cutouts. Though it at first struggled, with the support of artist Jean Renoir, the feature made it to Cannes and subsequently critical and popular success. Her work also inspired the recent “The Story of the Three Brothers” animated sequence in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One.’

Read More

28th Feb 2013
7

#theqimera
#charlyvonkarma
#coulduseawishnow

We Have Winners! EDIT: I have just send a gentle nudge to two of you.

theqimera
charlyvonkarma
coulduseawishnow - your blog has been deleted! Please contact me by the 8th to claim your pins or I will choose another winner.

Send me an ask with your addresses by March 8th and I will get your buttons in the mail as soon as possible. If I don’t hear from you by then I’ll do another drawing on the 10th for whichever are left.

I’m including an extra pin because I had some gift certificate money to burn and I thought you guys might like it :)