Turning over a new leaf

Prismacolor colored pencil, 6" x 6"

(Well, I'm not really turning over a new leaf, but calling my post "Rotating an Autumn Leaf" just didn't have the same ring to it.)

While I never draw digitally, I do rely on the computer for those non-invasive tweaks that can make or break the finished product. First up:  the rotation tool in Photoshop. The drawing  below shows how I originally envisioned the piece. But as I drew it, it began to look so static and lifeless to me. But with just a bit of rotating, it seemed to take on more movement and became a floating, falling leaf! 

I could even crop off the top a bit for this effect...I'm undecided on this one:

The next digital tools that came to my aid were my iPhone camera and iPad. (I know, this sounds like an Apple commercial.) I knew that the beautiful leaf was going to start drying out and losing its vibrancy before my drawing was done, so I clicked some pics on my phone. Thanks to the iCloud, (Sheesh, now I really sound like an Apple ad...) the pics popped up on my iPad and I could use it as my "model" instead!

So, what do you think? 

Do you like the "rotated" leaf better too?  

The never-ending gourd drawing

5" x 7" Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

"Know when to stop." Well, I'm not sure that I stopped at the right time on this piece—some areas are a bit overdone, others could use more work—but sometimes you have had enough of one drawing, you know? I love pumpkins, squashes and gourds—their amazing colors and their lumpy, bumpy shapes are such fun to draw. (In fact, the turban squash that I drew a couple of years ago is still one of my favorite drawings.)  And they're very forgiving; who's going to know if you moved the bumps around a bit?

Here are some shots I took along the way. (Obviously, I'm not great at color-correcting scans and photos, and I find that orange tones are some of the trickiest!)

I love candy corn

3" x 3", Prismacolor colored pencil

Happy October! As a seasonal addition to my series of "botanical hearts", I give you the iconic candy of autumn in America—candy corn!

I love candy corn. I know, it's full of junky ingredients (mostly sugar) and I did find it humorous that this year's packages boast "Made with Real Honey" just above where it says "artificial flavors". But it's just so cute and nostalgic. It has certainly earned its iconic status—it was created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Philadelphia-based Wunderle Candy Company. While I was researching that historical tidbit, I also learned that The National Confectioners Association estimates that 20 million pounds—just over 9,000 metric tons—of candy corn are sold annually. (I certainly did my part and consumed a bit while doing this little drawing.)

Just for fun, I thought I'd show you what my drawing board looks like when I'm testing colors, even for a simple little piece like this:

And here's another little WIP shot:

Happy October!

Note: If you'd like to see the other pieces in my Botanical Hearts series, the most recent one here has a link down toward the bottom of the post. One of these days I'll group them all together for easier viewing! 

Radicchio

I've been eyeing the radicchio at the market—isn't it beautiful? I love how the leaves nestle together so snugly. (Perfect for Illustration Friday's topic of "together" this week, in fact!)

I'm not a huge fan of radicchio's bitter taste when eaten raw. However, I was reading that, while Americans tend to use it mostly as a raw salad ingredient, Italians usually grill it or cook it in risotto, etc. So, I plan on cutting this baby into wedges, drizzling some olive oil onto it and throwing it onto the grill this weekend—we'll see!

It was a treat to use these colors for a change. Some of you may think that I should have drawn more of a pronounced outline at the white stems, but I like how the red leaves sort of emerge out of the white paper. What do you think?

Here's a WIP shot...I really love this stage; I'm always tempted to stop here!

I'll let you know how my grilled radicchio turns out; 

have a wonderful weekend and Happy First-Day-of-Autumn!

Three rocks

A quick sketch of
three little striped rocks
that I've had sitting on my desk.