Sorcery & Cecelia

These portraits are from a really great series, Sorcery and Cecelia, which is written in diary entries and letters between these two characters, by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Definitely a recommended read!
 

Cecelia, Prismacolor pencils on A4

Kate, Prismacolor pencils on A4

One Step Back

  Trying to figure out your future is a stressful thing, as most people know.
     For me, the hard part is now, trying to decide which of several paths to take. The destination, though, is not the problem. I've known exactly where I'm heading to for quite some time. Illustration.
That being said, I definitely do my share of doubting and worrying. Doubting whether I can stand up to the competition, worrying that I'm not good enough, or will never be good enough.
   But what I'm doing today is taking a deep breath and a step back, taking a stroll down memory lane.

These first two are probably my very first real drawings of children, done way before the idea of illustration ever occured to me.

I guess my mind was playing around here with the idea of an innocent imagination 

and wild, dangerous monsters.

I think this was it...

Somewhere between these lines, I realized that I wanted to be an illustrator.

 Maybe it's the innocence that
       comes through in the details.

  Or the ability to let my imagination go on

 paper where only children dare to go.

  Or maybe it's the chance to make others
smile with just a pencil and paper. 

I fell in love reading picture books, and dreaming up my own.

These next few pictures are from the first book I illustrated, which for some time I was so unhappy with, I didn't even remember what the pictures looked like.

 But now, after taking another look today, I have no words to describe the feeling of seeing your own individual drawings turn into something so much more.

I can even feel proud now of that very first drawing, of an anatomically challenged little girl in a pink dress, proving to me that all the work I put in through the past few years was worth something.

After all, how many beginning art school applicants can say that they've already illustrated a book?

And I even managed to draw the figures somewhat anatomically correct! That's practice for you...

 Now that I'm done with this little flashback of self evaluation...well, I'm not entirely sure how to sum this up.

But, MAN, that was therapeutic!

In Shadow

Ink on paper, effects with Photoshop CS3

detail

Yours Truly,

Swing!

Now how about some good old fashioned dancing...

Before - here is the original drawing, some bright colors and movement:

"Swing," pencils and colored pencils on A4

After, with sepia effects and texture:

The Harry Potter Challenge

Next up, Harry Potter!

   This series of drawings came to be when I had one whole summer to do whatever I wanted, and so of course,  I could not come up with a thing to do.
  Thus was born the Harry Potter Challenge. With a sudden burst of half-inspiration, I had a friend pick any Harry Potter character, from any of the books, and "challenge" me to draw a character page for each character.


   Number one, Neville, book 7:

Neville, colored pencils, A4 paper

Mrs. Weasley, book 5:



Molly Weasley, colored pencils, A4 paper

Dobby, book 2:



Dobby, colored pencils, A4 paper

Sirius, book 5:



Sirius, colored pencils, A4

Ginny, book 6:



Ginny, colored pencils, A4

Ron & Pig:

Ron & Pigwidgeon, colored pencils, A4

Fred & George, book 6:

Fred & George, colored pencils, A4

Viktor & Hermione, book 4:



Hermione & Krum, colored pencils, A4

Aaaaand that's all folks!

Happy Hunger Games!

In honor of "The Hunger Games" movie coming out, here's the only piece of Hunger Games related art that I've ever managed to finish until the very end. Introducing, Katniss and Peeta. Yes, they are awesome.

Katniss & Peeta, Pencil and Colored Pencil drawing

I'm not entirely sure why this is the only finished drawing I have of the series, as I've read it more than once and loved every page. Maybe it's because I didn't want to let my imagination down, leaving out any details or features that I had had in my head as I read. In any case, I hope that when I finally get to see the movie, I get reinspired, because all of these characters are so vivid and individual. Don't let me down, guys!