Lost sight and now back

I have not been able to post a blog for awhile, one morning I woke up blind..literally. After several doctor visits I found out that I am diabetic. As I've gotten the sugar level down the sight has returned, but the eye specialist does not want to redo my prescription until everything stabolizes. It has been a nightmareish trip of different educators, specialists, exercise physio, dieticians, and support groups.

Things are slowing down and this is the first week I've been able to get back to work. I missed drawing! The thought of never being able to draw again (well the whole sight thing) has been making me push to get my life in order for it all. I am following all instructions to the letter.

At work this week I went back to the dragons. These drawings need to be finished ASAP as the author would like to publish by Christmas.

Poor Dragon is afraid of the dark.

Take my hand and be my friend.

In progress: fun at breakfast.

I hope to get the last pages out next week...we'll see how customers run at the servo.

There is also work to be done for the Springwood Art Show coming in August. I started a piece showing a girl sitting at Culburra beach, it is all done with dots. Each little detail with thousands of dots, ok maybe I was getting ahead of myself with this idea. The impressionists did it with paint, graphite pencil is time consuming, but hopefully rewarding in the end. Here is a corner closeup.

Have a great week!

All this talk about Dragons

For awhile now I have been mentioning working on illustrations for a children's book on dragons. I am finally getting some final drawings ready for the author. Getting what is in her mind into mine and on paper has been a learning curve. Today is all about the dragons and pieces are coming together.

My biggest hurdle was making an anatomy for the creature. I have never drawn fantasy pieces and needed to make this one move for the different things he does in the story. Also with being photorealistic in most of my drawings, I couldn't put too much detail into illustration so many sketches are on the dining room floor.

They will all come together in the end and there has been a lot of learning in the process I would never have pursued otherwise. The author is self-publishing so she can pretty much do what she has pictured in her head all these years of writing this series of stories (yes, she has plans for more). Challenges and going after dreams is what life is all about and this idea of hers is helping both of us with that.

Back to work after the holidays

What a relaxing weekend of festivities. Now it is time to get back to work.
Customer came in to pick up her zebras with human eyes. I am pleased that she is happy with it.
I was hard at work with the second zebra pair, but realized I need to get the framing and drawing done for the window display drawings at Springwood art shop, ColourArt. I am working on a piece with dog and child to display different uses of graphite for their sales and hopefully advertise the type of commissions I am seeking.

I just started the piece today, so there is a lot more work to be done. I have another day off tommorrow and hope to accomplish much more with an entire day's concentration.

I spent part of the holiday finishing the rough sketches for the children's dragon book. That customer will be coming after the new year to discuss them. My son got me a dragon anatomy book for Christmas, so will be going back to the rough drafts and check muscling. I based it on a blue tongue lizard so we will see how it compares with the fantasy book.

Another gift was a natural light lamp that clamps to my architect table or easels, I hope it will also assist in better photographs of the works. Have a happy new year.

Still working on Children's Book

Things are coming together for all the rough drafts of the children's book. It has been a busy week at the servo and that has slowed me down. I did one work-up for the dragon's lair, changes are already being made for author specifications.

This is quite the project to undertake while working a full-time job. I will have all the rough drafts sketches done up this week for the author to approve before working them up. As long as I can get to a point of seeing a final result the work will go quicker.

Meanwhile I have began the portraits for two other clients. I also have to find some time for Christmas printing, designing and framing to fill the card rack back up for the servo. Photographs and art print cards having been selling well so stock needs freshed up. I wanted to design some special Christmas cards for customers, but that may have to wait for a slower period. Juggling process is a learning curve as to how much time can allot for each to achieve great results all around. All good things come with pushing upward and onward.

We are taking a 4 day trip to the boss's beach house the first weekend of December. I'll be packing up my easel, pencils and camera supplies for some peaceful full day's working. It sits right off the beach on South Coast and he tells me that a short walk up the cliffside I may even spot whales in the sunrise. Here is to crossing fingers for great results....