Snow leopard update

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

Here is the progress on the snow leopard.  The reference photo has a golden tint to it, so the fur has a slightly different color than in real life.  I love making fur! :)

Until next time: Happy Flying!

Leopard gets her spots

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

Here is a progress update on the snow leopard.  She finally has her spots! :)  I really like this effect of having the eyes in color and the rest of the drawing done in sepia tone.  The eyes really capture your attention.  I may just have to do a version like this instead of the graphite one I was planning.

The reference photo I'm using has a golden cast to it, so this lady's fur will be more tans and browns than grays and white.  Blogging about it won't get it done, so I had best be off to the drawing board! :)

Happy Flying!

Snow Leopard returns

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

I finally started working on the color version of the snow leopard! :)  As always, the eyes come first.  Despite all the work I put into coloring the eyes, they never look three-dimensional until the dark skin around them has been added.  I should have taken a picture to illustrate, but I got carried away with my work.  No surprise there! :)

Tips for making spotted fur: add dark brown or sepia to the edges of black spots to give them a softer edge.  When making the shape of spots, be sure to scribble!  Yes, scribbling is allowed despite what your elementary school teacher told you. :)  A spot is made from a cluster of dark colored hairs, and hair is supple.  Stands to reason if you can have a "bad hair day", a snow leopard can too!  So ruff up that fur for a more realistic effect. 

Until next time: Happy Flying!

My favorite sketch

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!
I finally finished my entry for the Sketchbook Project! :)  I managed to fill all 32 pages.  Above is my favorite sketch.  I also decorated the cover:

Once my entry has been digitized, I will post the link where you can view the entire book.
Now it is time to return to the drawing board! :)
Happy Flying!

The Heron ship

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!
For those of you who have read John Flanagan's series "The Brotherband Chronicles" you will recognize this ship instantly.  For those of you who haven't, you have got to read these books! :)  Flanagan is a master storyteller.  There is plenty of adventure, humor, and heart-warming moments to be found in this series.  And it is clean! :) 
This ship was made as a gift for my brother-in-law, which is why I had to keep these images under wraps for so long.  It was based on the drawing of the Heron ship featured in the books.  My dad gets all the credit for the construction of this vessel.  He is so amazing! :)  I did carve the figurehead and did all the painting.  The hardest part was creating the illusion of planks.  But we had so much fun doing this project together that I just had to share.  
Next step: sending these pictures to John Flanagan! :)
Until next time: Happy Flying!