Baby 🐲 dragon

Posted on March 11, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Authors, children's stories, Fossils, Illustration, Learning, Life, Medieval, prehistory, report, Sketching2 Comments

For as many artists that draw and paint dragons, there’s a different style, shape, pattern, technique or colours.

I’m studying an illustration course and my final report is about the mythology and history of dragon illustration. I’m having to find out more about them, from the possible link with fossilised dinosaur skeletons, to medieval bestiaries, to more recent art including children’s and adult fiction that includes either dragon illustrations in the books or on their covers.

Here’s a question. Does anyone know any interesting dragon stories I can investigate? I have Ursula K Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffery, Cressida Cowell, J. R. R Tolkein, T. H White and other authors. Are you aware of more?

Thanks x

A Zine…

Posted on February 21, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Book, children's book ideas, Dragon, Experiment, Ideas generation, Illustration, Sketching, zine2 Comments

I tried making a Zine, a concertina of pages with my college images stuck on them. I didn’t know how to make a book and this helped me to work out how to display individual images but as a collection. I intend to try and get pages printed off and then put them in some sort of binder. I also need to do the first inside page and title page plus the front and back covers. I probably don’t need to do the whole thing but it’s a lesson so it’s worth having a go C

Medieval bestiary

Posted on February 11, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Design, Dragon, Ideas, Illustration, illustrators, Learning, medieval bestiary4 Comments

Part of my college course is to write a report as part of my final submission. I’m trying to produce something about the historical illustration of Dragons. From China and Japan, to the medieval era including images from medieval bestiaries, and on through time to the present day. But its such a huge subject, with so many branching ideas. When did dragons go from no limbs to four limbs, to four limbs and two wings? How has the depiction of their heads changed? Were they always fire breathing? Are they spirits or ‘real’ physical beings (albeit in a fantasy world). Do they communicate with humans, are they intelligent.

My intention is to identify types and styles of dragons. Describe how they have been depicted and expand my knowledge of the illustrators creating them and their incredible imaginations.

I’m looking at authors like JRR Tolkien, Cressida Cowell, who also illustrated their books and Josh Kidby who illustrated the covers of Terry Pratchetts ‘Discworld’ novels among others.

Anxiety

Posted on February 4, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Cartoon, close, Drawing, Green, Illustration, neon, Photodirector, Red, Sketch app, Sketching, too close, Virus2 Comments

Same drawing repeated and coloured. Toooo Close (too close) in red as if a neon sign was lit against a bright green (viral) background. Duplicated to get a feeling of crowded closeness. No one wears a mask. All have faces with staring eyes, All on about the same level so their breathing is near to each other. Title ‘Anxiety 4’,i did three previous sketches.

house portrait

Posted on February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Back yard, Blogging, Drawing, Enjoyment, Film, House, Illustration, may 2020, Memories, Pencil sketch, SketchingLeave a comment

From May 2020, when I first started my part time illustration course. I am still quite pleased with this drawing. Physically, I was fitter and could draw without shaking too much. I tend to add less details these days too. I’d like to get back to drawing outside. Maybe meet up with urban sketchers again. Even though I havent caught Covid, it’s done things to me mentally. I guess I got a bit of cabin fever during lockdown, and since then it’s been easier to avoid people – you never know if you will just burst into tears… I think I’m OK, god knows what its like for people living through wars or famine. We can still do things here, well some of us can. I worry for people in food poverty or who can’t afford to heat their homes. It all spins round in my head. which is why I’m writing this at 3.11am…. must go to bed.

In the second world war and afterwards they had ordinary people just writing down their everyday lives in diaries. They were collated to record what had happened. There is a film called “Housewife 55” or something like that, which starred Victoria Wood. If you can find it, it’s worth watching, very poignant. maybe they were their own kind of bloggers.

Back to college

Posted on January 20, 2022January 20, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Chinese, College, Colour, Dragons, Fun, George and the dragon, History, Illustration, Life, Literature, Scales3 Comments

I need to start working on my college project. I’ve given myself time to recover from a bad cold, but I can’t ignore it. I need to produce a portfolio of images and a report to go alongside it. I’ve decided to write about the history of dragons in illustrations. Their images in world history, moving forward in time to medieval art and then the present day including their appearances in literature and film. My portfolio will be illustrations and text for a children’s book exploring colour and pattern alongside an adventure. I hoe it works out.

Splash of colours

Posted on January 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Colours, Design, Dragon, Filters, Graffiti, Ideas, Illustration, Pattern, SplashLeave a comment

Oh I do love a filter, playing with colours. Adding layers, making the pattern slide around. Like Graffiti on a garage door. Splat! Somehow I am creating things that look medieval and Mexican or South American at the same time? I don’t know, but I’m enjoying playing with it.

Loving Vincent

Posted on January 18, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged 1890, animation, Film, Fine Art, History, Illustration, Painting, Style, technique, Texture, Vincent, Vincent Van Gogh2 Comments

I saw this film late last night and was enthralled by it. Each individual frame is hand painted in Van Gogh’s style. The son of the postmaster where Van Gogh used to live goes off to try and deliver a letter from Vincent to his brother Theo, after his death. When he finds the brother is also dead he decides to take the letter to the Doctor who was treating Van Gogh before his apparent suicide.

The film covers the year after Van Gogh’s death and shows in black and white flash backs incidents that might have happened between Vincent and the people around him. This is told through a series of conversations between the postmaster son and various characters.

This is a visually sumptuous film in Van Gogh’s style. The Polish/British co-production is stunning and intriguing. The gradual understanding of what happened makes for a satisfying investigation of the circumstances surrounding his death.

Release date: 2017 (United Kingdom)Directors: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh WelchmanMusic by: Clint MansellBox office: 42.1 million USDAwards: European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film,

Snake/Dragon

Posted on January 17, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Dragon, Drawing, Fun, George and the dragon, illuminated, Illustration, Medieval, Sketching, ThoughtLeave a comment

I tried drawing a sort of Mediaeval image of how I imagined a dragon would look in an old book or manuscript. This was more to try and evoke the style than to copy a real drawing. I tried to think how I would draw a dragon if I was a monk adding illustrations or illuminations to an old bible or bestiary. I should probably have looked at images of George and the Dragon. But I wanted to draw a sinuous curve. I could also have mirrored the image so it would look like the letter S… I might try that. Anyway I’m not well so drawing is occupying my mind and distracting me. X

Quentin Blake

Posted on January 6, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Artist, BFG, Black and white drawing, Drawing, Fun, Illustration, Life, Portrait, Quentin Blake2 Comments

I just watched a lovely programme about the artist and illustrator Quentin Blake. He’s famous for having illustrated Roald Dahl’s books like ‘the BFG’. Also Michael Rosen’s ‘Sad Book’. His style is so free and impressionistic, his drawing lines are full of energy and expressiveness. If you haven’t seen his work Google him. My sketch was a quick portrait which tried to get an idea of not only him but one of his characters too. Ten minute sketch. X

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Illustration