September Art Challenge: The Result

Hello.
Here it is, October 1st and I know you are all eagerly awaiting the final reveal of my art challenge.
Well.
I didn't finish exactly what I set out to do. I wanted to do 3 series of work, with 10-15 portfolio pieces for my website. That may have been a bit ambitious.  I did not get that done sadly.
However, my project headed in a different direction and I am getting pretty excited about it. I think I told you in my last post that I got a lot of good feedback on my bullying pieces. Well, I've decided to take the plunge and make it a full length children's story. This will be my first time doing something like this, completely without words, and in a new style!
I did finish another set of sketches; however, they aren't quite ready to share. I want the story I am telling with these to be very clear, so you will see them when they tell their story, and not before!
In order to not completely disappoint, here is the character from my bullying story:

Just a whimsical little girl

I may not have finished my goals for September but I learned a lot and am really excited for the next steps. I experimented with digital production of art, I tried drawing in a new style, and I have the basis for a children's book that I am excited about. I learned what I can get done in a month beyond the work I already do, I learned how to be ok with not reaching a goal, but also how to push harder to reach the next one. Overall, it's been a good learning experience.
So what is my goal for October? To finish the book of course! You might think this is ambitious, but I feel pretty confident about it. Besides, most of the brainstorming is already done! I just need to edit, rearrange, draw some more, and then add color! And even if I don't finish it, I know I will learn more about my process and what I am capable of, and that is really what it is all about.
Since I am extending my art goal for another month,  I thought I should add something new to keep it exciting. My friend Olivia (again, see her art here) found this challenge for us! It's called Inktober, and the idea is to draw (with ink) something everyday for the month of October.  It was started by an artist named Jake Parker to develop his inking skills and good drawing habits. The best part, anyone can do it! Read more about it on the facebook page. I thought since I was already trying to challenge myself to draw everyday, this was a great way to keep myself motivated! Also, there are so many talented artists already doing it, so it's a really inspiring community to be a part of. My friend Cathie is also doing it with me so I am really excited! You can see (and follow!) her page here.

So if you don't already, follow my facebook page, and on instagram (username: anneappertillustration) to see my Inktober drawings every day!
This also gave me the excuse I needed to buy a new set of pens for the challenge, plus a nifty little case to keep them in!

Plus you get to see my drawing for today!

Now I really need to get back to work since I have a lot to do. Pick up your pens and ink and start making art!

The Art Challenge: Progress Report

Hello!
I've been working really hard on my art challenge the past couple weeks. I wasn't going to show you the progress until I had finished it a bit more, but I was informed it might help inspire any of you who are doing challenges to keep working if I post my progress. So here it is!
I had a really hard time starting this challenge. It was bizarre! I have all the ideas, I can even envision the final pieces in my head, color and all, and I just didn't want to start. I think mostly it was a fear of not being able to put what I was envisioning on to paper. Then I found this really cool artist (as in musician) that my friend introduced me to, and I was really inspired by her music. Since I was feeling creative every time I heard one of her songs, I decided to just listen to her album on repeat and start drawing. Guess what? It actually worked! (In case your curious, the artist is LP. check her out! Here is her website). Now every time I don't feel like working on my project, I start playing her album. So far it's really working for me. Maybe if you are stuck, you should find a new artist that inspires you. It worked for me, it could also work for you!
So here is my process for this challenge (and really any piece I am working on):
The first theme I picked to illustrate a series for was bullying, or being picked on. First, I write down any and all ideas that come to my head and draw the roughest thumbnails. These are so rough I think I am probably the only one who can decipher them. Also, for this series, I had it pretty clearly in my head, so I didn't need as many thumbnails.

The scribbled notes in my little sketchbook. As you can see, the thumbnails aren't much of anything

Then I start making tighter, but still loose, sketches in my sketchbook.

Then, I traced everything onto tracing paper. This enabled me to make everything clean, figure out stuff I wanted to take out, and make the picture a little more legible to me. I traced it with pencil because I wanted that kind of line in my final piece.

Then I added color and texture in photoshop. I've only "finished" one so far, but here is a look.
I wanted to work in a limited color palette to really challenge myself.

I showed these to my friend Olivia who is also doing this challenge (don't forget to check out her tumblr to see her work!). I also showed these to a group of illustrators I have been meeting with every couple of months. They were all able to give me really good feedback, so there will be some changes to these sketches the next time you see them. They also inspired me to make this into a longer story! I think for the purposes of my challenge, I will still only try to finish 6 of the pieces, but I may add the other sketches if I have time.
Now it's time to get back to work. I have a lot to do! Hopefully, this was inspirational for your Monday. How are your projects going?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone! 2013 really flew by. I can't believe it's already 2014!
2013 was a pretty good year. I made a LOT of wedding invitations for two weddings, put another calendar together, took a textile design class and a bookbinding class, started/finished some commissioned pieces, and received a couple of work opportunities that I  can't share yet but will in the future. There were some down times where I did not feel creative or productive, and there were times where I was painting like a maniac. I did not get as far as I had hoped, I would have liked to get even more work done, but there is always this year to work even harder. Most importantly, I feel I learned a lot about myself as an artist and about my process so I hope this will help me have my most productive year yet!
I probably shouldn't post resolutions here, since last year that failed miserably, but I have a good feeling about 2014 so what the heck. I really do want to post here more often so that you can all keep up to date with my  process and what I am working on. It's hard when I have jobs that consume all my time (like wedding invitations) where I can't post the information until after the event, but I am going to try my hardest to keep doing other work at the same time so as not to get in a creative rut again this year.
I also want to get back to doing more children's illustrations as there was a sad lack of these in 2013. Children's illustration was what got me applying to art schools in the first place when I started out, so I really want to get back to my roots (so to speak). I have some sketches and some ideas that I started in 2013 that I am excited to pursue in 2014. Hopefully, you will be seeing some of those here on the blog.
I don't know if anyone reads this outside of my facebook friends, but I just wanted to say I have two new places you can follow me and my creative process! I published my facebook page this weekend and also have an instagram account. Look for me there as anneappertillustration and follow my soon to be daily posts (another new year's resolution).
I am off to a good start for 2014: This weekend I cleaned up my studio so I can actually get some painting done in 2014,  put together a new office chair so I don't have to worry about slicing my hand on my old one, published my facebook page, worked on a commissioned painting (which I will post when I can), worked on a graphic design project which I can hopefully tell you about in the future, and worked on a crocheting project that I meant to start last year. Yes I know crocheting isn't technically art related, but I find being crafty helps me get into my creative zone and jump starts my process. Therefore, I will be looking to do more of this kind of project in 2014 as well.
Sorry for the lack of art in this post and all the vague project mentions that I can't actually share yet. The next one will have some art in it and soon I will be able to tell you more about the projects I am working on. (Including 2 sets of wedding invitations!)
Here's to a productive and creative year for us all!

Illustration Friday: Mirror

I took a break from what I should be doing (my calendar) to illustrate this week's Illustration Friday topic since I really REALLY wanted to. This is an illustration of me and my sister (much younger of course!) I tried adding a little colored pencil to the illustration this time as opposed to only using gouache. Let me know what you think! (I, of course, am the left handed one, and in yellow)

"Elizabeth and Anne had always been told they were mirror-image twins. They, however, didn't really care as long as it meant they always had someone to play with"

Another Rainy Day

As I mentioned in my last post, the weather here is blah. We actually had a beautiful weekend, full of sun and warm weather; a perfect way to spend Mother's day weekend. I painted a picture of pansies for my mom as a gift, since pansies are her favorite flower. Unfortunately, I can't get the colors to scan right so you will have to be patient before I post that.
So here we are again, with it raining buckets outside. everything is wet and gray and gross. I actually don't mind rainy days; I love the gentle staccato of the rain against the leaves, the glisten of the water against the grass, the feeling that you either need to get a lot done indoors or snuggle up with blankets and a cup of tea. . .I really do love rainy days. However, I like rainy days few and far between. This constant gloom not only literally gives me a headache, it makes me feel depressed and antsy (not at the same time, obviously).

It also, as I mentioned in my previous post, has been coming up in my art. Here is the last of the rainy day pictures I had mentioned. (although, most certainly not the last one I paint!) Hopefully, it will give you some joy on this miserable day. It is meant to be a fun piece. Enjoy!

A mother bird tries to keep her babies dry in the rain. I wouldn't want to be the one on the end!

Rainy Day Magic

The weather here has been kind of blah the last couple of days. I realize this may be coming out in the pieces I have been doing recently. This piece is the third piece I have done recently that I have painted that has to do with rainy days. (I haven't posted one of them yet but it will be posted soon!)

I don't know if this actually has to do with the fact that the weather has been blah or the fact that I loved rainy days as a kid. Me and my sister would always go outside and play in the rain, stomping in the puddles in our driveway. Unlike my illustration here, we did not wear rain boots. I wanted to capture the fun of puddle stopping with the magic of having an imagination as a child, where really anything is possible (maybe even falling leaves turning into goldfish?)
I used the flat style I have been using recently with some more textures in the background and in the puddle. I don't know if I love the result yet or not; however, this is a piece that has been on my mind for a long time now, and has been sitting on my hard drive as a color comp for almost as long, so I decided it was time to give it a go and try and paint it.
Hope you like it!

Illustration Friday: Jump

I am really happy to be doing Illustration Friday for the 3rd week in a row. I know I keep submitting my take on the topics last minute, but hey, I am still getting them in right?
This week's word was jump. I decided to redo a piece that I did last summer for promotional material. I wasn't happy with he outcome then so I wanted to try and redo it. The colors here are a bit brighter than the painting itself; I don't usually paint with fluorescent colors. I think I need to play with my scanner a little more and try to adjust the colors better in photoshop.

Rosie loved to jump really high on her pogo stick

What do you think?

Illustration Friday: Heights

Hooray! I am doing Illustration Friday for the second week in a row. It helped that this week's theme fit in with a project I was already working on. I am also happy to be getting it done before Thursday at ten.

As a kid I always loved flying kites. Once a year, my street use to have a day where all the little kids would go to the end of the street (we lived on a cul-de-sac and there was a field there) and run around, getting our kites up in the air and seeing how high they could go. Of course they got tangled often, but as long as you could untangle them, that was part of the fun of it.

Hope you like it!

Illustration Friday: Puzzled

This is totally last minute, but I FINALLY did Illustration Friday again! The word for this week was puzzled. Since two of my sisters are totally obsessed with pandas, they were the first thing I thought of for this piece. So, I did a red panda (yes they really do look like red raccoons) looking at a giant panda (what most people think of when they think of pandas.) I thought it could be a cute and original idea. What do you think?

But I'm a panda!

Promotional Materials: Business Cards

So I have decided to put up the paintings I did for my business cards as promised in my last post. It was time for a new set. I may or may not use all of them, what do you think?

Spring: New Beginnings

I love that Spring has finally come! I get so discouraged by the winter, being cold all the time, gray skies. . . it just gets depressing and is very much not a motivating season for me. But Spring! I love all the flowers, especially at this time of year, so many of them are yellow! My family knows I am OBSESSED with this color. It's just such a cheerful and hopeful color! Soon, I hope to do some more flower paintings like the poppy painting in my last post (and yes, many of them will probably be yellow). I took a lot of reference pictures yesterday, so hopefully those paintings will be popping up here soon!

Any way, I am hoping that with this new season in the air, I can start a new season of creativity. I am hoping to get much more done, which of course I will share here. I thought a good way to start would be with some new promotional materials. I have started working on some paintings I hope to use for business cards, and I think they are coming out nicely. They are a bit more representative of what I want to do than my last bunch was, which is a good and needed change. I have painted three of them already, and will share them all with you eventually. For now, this is the one I just finished.

 

The colors didn't scan perfectly which I have to figure out. The orange is lighter than it shows up here. The rest are almost accurate. If anyone has any suggestions about getting accurate scans, I am all ears!

Now, I am going to go enjoy this lovely weather. Maybe I will get some more reference pictures, maybe I will bring my sketchbook out and draw. However, I think I will most likely lay in the sun and soak up the inspiration nature and Spring always share.

If you are in the New York area, go outside! enjoy this beautiful day. 

 

Illustration Friday: Grounded

I realized that some people who read my blog might not know what Illustration Friday is. I was so proud that I actually got something done in time for it last time that I didn't even bother to explain what it was! My apologies.
Illustration Friday is a website on which there is a weekly Illustration challenge (given every Friday, hence the title of the website). Each week, illustrators who wish to participate illustrate the theme for that week and post links on the website to their blog where they have posted their version of the theme. At the end of the week, a piece is chosen as the pick of the week and a new theme is posted.
Last week's word was grounded. I had an idea for this, and then unfortunately got sick so was unable to post it in time. However, I was happy with the result so I decided to post it here anyway.

Sammy's mom said he could have a komodo dragon for a pet when pigs fly. Much to his disappointment, Delilah remained very much grounded. 

I used collage as the main medium for this piece, with micron pen for the facial features. I am really enjoying collage, let me know what you think!

It's almost time for the New Year. . . Goodbye 2011

  My goal was to have my website filled with new art by the time the New Year rolled around. However, with family things and whatnot, that has not happened. I am a little disappointed about that, but I did take the time today to come up with a revised design for the website with a couple of new pieces. I want to execute a couple more ideas I have floating around in my head and then I will put the new site up. Stay tuned! (my new goal is Jan. 31. Maybe by putting that here, I will actually get it done!)

Anyway, I have been hinting at a couple of pieces I was working on as Christmas presents which I can now post here.
The first was a set of "paintings" I did for my mom. She has a flowering plum tree in her front yard that she loves. So I did a drawing of the tree as well as a close up of one of the branches.

the pencil drawing

with tissue paper

with tissue paper

the pencil drawing

She loved a recent pencil drawing I did so I decided to keep the original sketch. I scanned it into the computer and then printed it on card stock. Using matte medium, I glued tissue paper over the drawings. I was pretty happy with the result. 

Another piece I did was for my sister. Last summer, I was able to spend a weekend at the beach with her and her family. From the trip, I got a lot of amazing photos. So I decided to do a painting of her children.

The first is the pencil sketch I did from the photo reference. The second is done in watercolor and pen and ink. I was really happy with the result as it is something I can add to my children's illustration portfolio.

2011 has been a good year for me. I graduated from the BFA Illustration Program at FIT, found a part time job working with great people, started this blog, met a bunch of great illustrators, and got a website up. I am excited for what the new year will hold: a new portfolio and hopefully some illustration jobs!
Happy New Year everyone. May it be better than 2011!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I can't believe Christmas is only a week and a half away! Time flies when you are busy. While I am nowhere near ready for the 25th to be here, I must say I am very excited. I love the traditions of Christmas, and that most of my family is together in the same place for a couple days. I should be working on some secret projects (secret until the 26th of course), but I thought I would take a break and share some holiday cheer with all of you. Here is the card I did for the season to send to my family and friends (watch your mailboxes!) Hopefully I will be able to take my skates out this season like my friend here! Happy Holidays everyone!

Music

This is an assignment I did for Professor Sal Catalano's class. The theme was music. Since I would like to do children's illustration, I did a young girl playing a drum set of pots and pans. It is done in collage, with outlines in pen, and polka dots in gouache and pen.

Hello!

Welcome to Anne Appert Illustration! I want this blog to showcase my work as an illustrator and be a way for me to share it with you. The first pieces I am posting are pieces that I worked on last semester with Fernanda Cohen, a very talented artist and fantastic mentor. They started as pencil sketches which I scanned into the computer and added color in photoshop. The clothes are digital collage, I scanned in pieces of scrapbooking paper for each article of clothing. They are by far my favorite pieces to date. Enjoy!