Self Portrait

I did this on my phone this morning. I like the lips! I used Sketchbook Mobile, the free version.

3 x 5 Index Cards

One of my favorite things to sketch on are 3x5 index cards. There's something about the limited space, the "carefree" surface, the spontaneity... This one was done while waiting in a lobby. I then took a picture of my sketch and colored it on my iPhone using several different apps.

Scanned Texture

Colored in Gimp

Ah, to be a teenage artist! So much potential! I added an actual sweater texture here. I like it. I'd like to experiment with more scanned textures like this.

Coloring a Sketch

Colored in Gimp

This sketch was done back in 2000 when my oldest was 3. I scanned it and decided to color it. I wanted the details of the sketch and wanted a more natural looking painting--especially watercolor--underneath. I tried in vain to open a transparent image of it into Corel Painter Essentials 4. I had to revert to Gimp. It doesn't look painterly, but the textures are interesting. Overall, I'm pleased with the coloring, though I could've gone darker with the greens.  Next I'll try to watercolor OVER it in Painter, then import it into gimp to go underneath the transparent layer of the sketch. That just MIGHT work.

Bamboo Tablet

My daughter loves to draw!

This is my first attempt at using Corel Painter Essentials 4 with my Wacom Bamboo tablet. I normally sketch, ink, and scan an image and then color it using GIMP with my mouse. It is tedious. The tablet I got came with Painter Essentials 4, and I have heard that it looks like more traditional art. I am frustrated because I'm  having to learn to use a new program and I can't seem to be as precise as I want to be. I'm also frustrated that I cannot save "png" files. It is essential for me to be able to color characters separately and then move them around in an image. There may be some way to do this, but I'm not seeing it. I wish I could take a class on this; then maybe it'd make more sense! But I think I just need to keep saving for Photoshop.

BB Vignette

A small section of a story I'm illustrating. Colored in Gimp.

A Monster in My Sock

A spread from my first children's book called A Monster in My Sock. The red-haired doll is in honor of my two red-headed nieces!

Rockin' Squirrel

Watercolor

Notes Page

This is a page at the back of my first children's book. When I was a kid, I liked to draw in my books. I want kids to feel free to do the same!

Zentangle

Therapy with a pen. If you haven't done a zentangle yet, you should!

God Surf

Picture of a an old sketch, edited and colored on my iPhone.

The Scout

Inktense pencils