Sketch Diary: Sitting on a ledge in color

Played with colors here. I like the skin. Fabric looks ok from a distance but I didn't get the smoothness like I wanted. Hair just fell flat. I don't have many purples. This was on thin paper so I couldn't rework the colors or overlay much at all without ruining the paper. Ah well. Still fun.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Fairy Princess from Faeriecon East

Ah an oldie but a goodie. I sketched this during Faeriecon East 2010 after seeing a beautiful cosplayer there. This sketch only has a small amount of the detail she had put into her costume though. It was really impressive at the time. So I just scribbled down the stuff I could remember. Then I colored this while in Japan, 2011. Not a whole lot of color though... I think I would definitely color it differently nowadays haha. Just because a costume seems white as snow, that doesn't mean there are no colors there.

I miss costuming. But I like that I've incorporated some of my costume pieces and style into my day to day wardrobe. Win some, lose some.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Colored Calm Grace

Here's the original sketch. I zoned out and didn't scan it after inking it, oops. I used a brush pen for some of the lines but ultimately went back to my microns. I just need more control sometimes. The problem is me, not the brush pen haha. Also, was having a really hard time with the skin blending. Yeesh. What NOT to do.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Colored redhead like fire

Soooooo old! This is from 2005?! Madness. Still kinda love it though. Always grateful to that first set of Prismacolor markers. The didn't like to blend much but the colors were bold and I learned a lot before saving up for my Copic set in 2009. Of course now I like to go back and use crappy materials sometimes because they help challenge certain skills. So... irony.

Use what you have, people! With enough patience/practice and a little ingenuity, you can make art out of anything.

with love - M

PS
Note for my own sake - this was inspired by Catherine! She's one of the few true redheads I know. Thanks for being fabulous, Cath!

Sketch Diary: Colored Harpy Priestess

I really enjoyed coloring this sketch. It had a lot of potential to go sideways on me. I think she turned out ok though.

with love - M