KAS Billboard

I did my very first billboard this year, for the Kelmscott Agricultural Society, which has been keeping me pretty busy lately. I was a bit nervous doing a billboard, because there was no one to tell me what to do, and I'm more used to the poster and flyer side of things. (And it was a good thing I did the 2012 Theme illustration as a vector, and didn't have to worry about the size!) However, I think it turned out pretty well, and it was in a great location – with the lights on it at night it looked rather striking, I think. =) 

My lovely father went to the trouble to get me this photo:

For a closer look at the illustration, you can see my previous blog post.

All done in Adobe Illustrator (CS4 and CS6).

Illustration: Happily Ever After

Here's a painting I did recently for a lovely couple in the USA. They saw my Tangled Wedding sketch and asked if I would create something similar for them, as they are getting married soon. They liked the sepia toning and sketchy look of the original sketch, so I kept it simple. They asked for the text to be added to fill the blank space to the left, so I typeset it in Recherche and then hand painted it. The faces are slightly characterised likenesses of the bride and groom to be themselves, but the rest is basically the same as in my sketch.  

It didn't scan too well, this particular watercolour paper and scanners do not seem to get along – it's a bit  less heavy and more subtle in the original. I think the texture of the paper reflects the light in an odd way. I'm happy to know that the clients were very happy with it when they got to see it in person. =) 

Winsor & Newton watercolours, Prismacolour pencils, Faber Castell PITT Artist pens, Uniball Gel Pen and white acrylic on Arches Medium 300gsm watercolour paper

Cards: Wedding and Engagement

 I needed a wedding card today, so finished off one that had been sitting unfinished on my computer for some time. It was originally designed as part of a set with an engagement card, although we didn't actually give this particular couple an engagement card, so that's rather irrelevant – but I shall post them both together:

Both were created in Adobe Illustrator CS4, although I finished off the wedding card in CS6. When I print them out I add some glitter – on the ring for the engagement card, and in the bouquet and veil for the wedding card.   

It is possible that I'll change the wedding card to have a long skirt – but I was in a hurry today, so it stayed short. =)

Illustration: So Near (And Yet, So Far)

I've had this in my watercolour sketchbook for around a month, and decided to finish it off today by giving it some colour. 

Here we have Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You'll Never Get Rich, dancing to 'So Near (And Yet, So Far)' It's not one of my favourite films, but it's a pretty dance, and I'm quite pleased with how this came out. The film features Rita Hayworth before they'd gone all-out red with her hair, and it was quite dark, so if you're wondering why her hair is brownish, that's why. =)

Winsor and Newton watercolours, Artline Drawing System pens and Atelier Waterproof Drawing Ink (Carbon Black) in a Moleskine Watercolour Sketchbook.

About 2.5 hours in total. 

Previous in the Black Dress series:

Dream

Change Partners

The Carioca

My Shining Hour

Illustration: Kiss Me Kate

Here's the full illustration that I previewed on September 3rd. 

Kiss Me Kate is one of my favourite musicals, and here are the three main characters from the 1953 film, in their 'Taming of the Shrew' costumes:

Kathryn Grayson as Lilli Vanessi, playing Katherine, Howard Keel as Fred Graham, playing Petruchio, and Ann Miller as Lois Lane, playing Bianca.   

(Click for a bigger view)

This was a relaxation piece that I'd work on a very little most days, after I'd spent the day working on less interesting stuff. Today I finally cleared it off my to-do list, along with several other things. =)

Adobe Photoshop CS6 with a Wacom Intuos 3. 

Howard Keel was referenced from a publicity shot, but the other two were pieced together from a variety of screenshots. The diamonds in the background echo the publicity material. Three diamonds in these colours are used on the poster used as my dvd cover, and they seemed very apt for the three characters. =)

Cards: Anniversaries

I've been very busy lately (good thing, but tiring =P) so I'm in danger of neglecting the blog, so here are some Anniversary cards I've put together recently:

Lilies of the valley for my best friend's 2nd wedding anniversary. 

And a lily for the 30th anniversary of one of my mother's friends. 

If I'd had more time I would have put a shadow in this one as well, but I put it together on Sunday, when I was completely flat out, so my object was to be as quick as possible so I could get back to work. As it was I used a similar colour palette and theme to the first card, to speed up my process.

These are the flowers associated with each anniversary, by the way.

Adobe Illustrator (CS4 for the first one, CS6 for the second)

Sketch: Rachael Stirling

Here's a sketch I did while watching tv last night. It's based on a photo of Rachael Stirling, from, I think, Marple, but I'm not sure. It's not the best likeness either, but I quite like the result even so. I love big 20s hats. 

0.5 mechanical pencil in a Moleskine Sketchbook. 

And here's a sneak peek at a digital image I've been doing, on an off (in 15-30 minute chunks) for some weeks, as a reward for getting work done. It's part of a larger image, which I hope to have finished soon. I'm using Adobe Photoshop CS6 for this. Today I cleared a bunch of illustrations for a phonics book off my desk, and did much in the way of invoicing and other boring things, so tonight I was incredibly lazy and just flopped. Not productive of me. =P