Showing posts with label 2020. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2020. Show all posts

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Inktober Restrospective – 2020, Part Two

Those of you who have been following my Inktober series already know that I am hilariously inept at getting through the whole thing or even reporting back in anything like a timely fashion. But since art is forever, that doesn't matter at all! So, here in 2022, let's talk about Inktober 2020! 

In Part One, https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-inktober-retrospective-continues.html , I covered the first four prompts of Inktober 2020, explaining what I chose to illustrate and why. This post will cover Days 5 through 9. You can click on any of the photos to see them larger. 

Day 5 “Blade” - hey, I made a funny! I think it's funny, anyway. Looking for a different way to illustrate “blade” than the obvious – a sword—I thought about blades of grass, helicopter blades, and then, wiper blades. And wouldn't you know, it came right back around to a sword. Not quite so obvious, though...




Day 6 “Rodent” - stand aside, Mickey Mouse! This is a Patagonian cavy, also called a mara, one of the world's largest rodents (along with capybaras and beavers). I actually used to take care of one at the exotic animal rescue that I volunteered at one summer, and he was an adorable thing, looking for all the world like a cross between a rabbit and a miniature deer. I really like to do wildlife illustration when I have enough time to do it justice, and I thought this came out pretty well. I did put a lot of work into it.



Day 7 “Fancy” - the dual meaning of fancy – something extravagant and magnificent and also something that is a flight of the imagination – made me think of the Black hairstyle competitions I've seen, with the models' hair shaped into creative, gravity-defying styles and adorned with decorations. I came up with a design that features flowers and dangling beads, with a dove perched on the top. The floral accents are echoed in her jewelry, as well. I'm not a hairstylist, but I think this would be fairly simple to construct on an actual model. It might even be considered too unchallenging, but I like it.



Day 8 “Teeth” - I wanted to create something more graphic for this prompt – and I don't mean graphic like gore, I mean graphic like graphic design. That is to say, I wanted to get away from my typical fussy, detailed inking style and create something with bold blocks of color and just a few important details with line. The result is somewhat like the minimalist, poster-style design that works by using the two-dimensional space in a dynamic way, instead of striving to recreate the semblance of a three-dimensional subject. It was a nice change of pace!



Day 9 “Throw” - an irresistible and obvious chance to sneak Wonder Woman in. I am rather shocked that I hadn't done it before! For this drawing, I used a pale-peach-colored art marker to add a little interest and depth.




And that, my friends, was as far as I got through Inktober 2020 - just the first nine prompts. Blimey! It was certainly better than the first couple of years, but in 2019, I'd managed to nail down 13 of them, although I didn't finish them all in October--or even in 2019! So hey, maybe there's hope for the remaining 22 prompts, yet!

...nah, probably not!

Saturday, February 19, 2022

The Inktober Retrospective Continues: 2020, Part One

Heyyy, about time, isn't it? Sorry, I've been super busy with the Big Ol' Bucket o' Useful blog, and I only have so much productivity in me. But today, I'm feeling ornery enough to post in both places, so yay! 

First of all, you were promised a finished version of the Dragon pic in my last article (here: https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/ ), which featured only a WIP (work in progress) picture of it. Here he is, in all his beastly glory! (Click on any photo to see it larger)



All right, that gets Inktober 2019 out of the way. I'm a bit behind, so without further ado, let's get on with Inktober 2020!


Day 1 “Fish” - This may remind readers “of a certain age” of Mr. Limpet, although I didn't really do the pic with him in mind. He certainly wasn't a Siamese fighting fish (not that this guy is, exactly – bettas don't have barbels); one presumes he was a limpet, after all. Also I don't believe he ever had a pipe. But don't worry—it's just a bubble pipe!



Day 2 “Wisp” - like most of these clever prompts, a "wisp" can be different things: a wisp of hair, a wisp of smoke...as usual, I did a deeper dive on the prompt, because it made me think of Will o' the wisp, which—hey--is actually where the jack o'lantern started. And, hey again, it's also related to the Japanese firefox, and, hey thirdly, the Brazilian fire serpent! So yeah, that's where all this came from. Makes a neat picture, I think.



Day 3 “Bulky” - I couldn't resist. If your mom ever bundled you up so tight in a snowsuit that you could barely move, you will understand this feeling. It was well-portrayed by Ralphie's little brother in the movie A Christmas Story.



Day 4 “Radio” - This is a pretty straightforward illustration of the concept, because I'm sentimental about it. It reminded me of my dad, who was born in the 20s and grew up listening to Big Band music and radio plays like The Shadow on a set that might have looked a good bit like this one (I used a photo of a vintage GE radio for reference). Yes, it is possible to have nostalgia for a time before you were even alive.

Stay tuned for more 2020 fun! 

Here are the prior Inktober posts, if you missed anything: 

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/another-shot-of-inktober-so-what-if-its.html

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