Sketch Diary: Unwinding woman

I was definitely dealing with some things mentally/emotionally when I sketched this out. I decided not to record it for a video cuz I wanted to just really get into it and see what happened. It was therapeutic for me. Looking at it now still makes me feel some kind of release.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Hangin' around - aerial acrobatics

This was hella fun to draw. Lighting on the reference image was great, had so many great little shapes going on. I goofed up a bit on the head and the feet. Still love it. Aerial acrobatics is amazing. I would never do it myself but will always watch other people in awe while they perform.

Watch me draw this beauty---

5x speed

1x speed

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inktober Day 15 - A leeward gaze

I almost called this 'a windward gaze' but decided to check the definition and yup, I mixed them up. Since she's looking away from the wind, it's a leeward gaze. The more you know...

I'm halfway through Inktober!! It hasn't been easy but I'm happy with the outcomes so far. Gonna make it to that finish line... eventually.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inktober Day 14 - The contemplative elf

What's she sitting on?! No one will ever know...

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inktober Day 13 - Worried look in blue

Time for my blue period! Hah but seriously, brush pens are fun. I took more time on my lines for this one and I think it paid off. I was able to get those skinny lines and some nice fat ones, too. I dig how she turned out.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Doing the up-do

I went through periods of love and hate while sketching this quicky. I did the head and arm and hair using a fast gesture drawing method but then went in for way too much detail too quickly with the eyes and had to pull myself back out again to do the rest of the pose. THEN I went back in for details.... the quick gesture drawing method really works the best for me. I don't know why I stopped in the middle of it. Whatever. I've been averaging 2 drawings/inkings a day lately so I'm still pleased as punch.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inktober Day 6 - Woman looking up

A sketch from 2016 that I decided to ink for Inktober. I like how the hair turned out.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inktober Day 2 - Mirror, mirror on the wall

Who's butt is the fairest of them all? This gal! Hah not so much those feet though... Inktober Day 2! I guess this could fit the prompt for today - Divided. She's divided on what the heck to wear! Whatever. What's important here is that I drew something lol.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Perfecting 'oh hey' woman

I do this kind of body twist pose thing a lot. I think it's something to do with the interesting contrast it creates in the line of the body. It's like how I like weird angles of long necks. Something about it looks so cool to me but IRL it's super awkward and uncomfortable probably.

This sketch is in a small sketch book that I keep next to my computer that I like to practice quick, 3-5 minute sketches in between playing a game or watching videos. Keeps my hand loose.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: short hair portrait practice

This was one of those drawings that started with an eye which is a practice that I don't recommend. It's fun to draw eyes without anything around them. You can focus on the details of the eye more easily that way. But if you then decide to add things around that eye, it's tough to figure out the space to place it in. It feels like working backwards.

I used to do that method ALL the time when I was young. Then I started following more conventional gesture drawing methods and it helped speed things up tremendously. Now I can crank out a figure drawing in minutes instead of hours. And little to no erasing. That's the goal. If you have to erase a lot, best to just start over. Count that discarded drawing as a stepping stone on your path to greatness.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT- Centaur with green hair

I know, I know... my titles can be so literal. But that's what it is! I'd rather that then people think it's something else and click on it and be like 'oh... well bye'.

This is super old - almost a decade! Looks like I colored it in 2009 or 10 when I first started using Copics. People seemed to reeeeeally like this sketch back when I first uploaded it online. Idk why though. I always thought the proportions were wonky. Mysteries of the universe hah.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Medusa crazy hair woman in ink

Holy smokes this thing is old! But I still vividly remember drawing this and being so freaking proud of myself haha. Still am. This was definitely a trophy of a point when I was really taking my drawing seriously. September 2004 was the beginning of my Senior year of highschool and there lots of cool artsy things going on for me. I was in AP Art Portfolio and was learning how to build a real collection of my own work as well as trying all different art mediums from acrylic paints to soft pastels to dress making to knitting to digital painting (with a trackball!!!).  So hopefully I've improved since then but it feels good to be able to look back and still be proud of all that I accomplished at that time.

Try not to beat yourself up, fellow artists. It's easy to do. The real challenge is appreciating each drawing what it is and what it's taught you. I may not want to stick every drawing on my fridge but you better believe I make sure to thank each one... some just might see the recycling bin sooner than others.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: My Fair Lady warm up

Quick warm up before getting into a more serious sketch. It was super serious. You'll see it tomorrow. Be patient. I know, it's difficult. I believe in you. Don't give up. Stay strong. Bananas.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inked fin-tastic mermaid

I liked her so I inked her. She's on nicer paper so I'm looking forward to coloring her. What is with this mermaid kick... gotta get it out of my system! Could take years... haha or eternity.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Inked Snake Wedding

Took some time to ink this older sketch so I can keep up with practicing my coloring with my Copics. I'm excited to practice coloring the translucent fabric hanging off her headpiece. Should be a good challenge.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Upward gaze with fun hair

Fun hair. Sketched at Zenkaikon 2016. That is all.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Portait of a Mormon girl

As some may know, I have always loved portraits. It's my 'go to' thing to draw. So when I was browsing a National Geographic and saw this beauty, I couldn't resist. It was an article about women and families in a Mormon community. And though the article itself was a bit dark (talked about very young -read illegal- brides, unhealthy relationships, children not receiving much education opportunities, etc) this photo really shined for me. Like this girl/woman was finding her own star, her own fire with which to guide herself and her family even if her situation was less than ideal. Her eyes just glowed with life and a will to persevere. I truly hope that she was able to find fulfillment in life.

Man... this sketch is super old. Still one of my absolute favorites. When was the last time I did an IRL sketch of a person? Or even just a  portrait of someone from a photo like this was? Gotta get on that.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: Snake wedding

Badger badger badger badger... I don't know where this idea came from exactly but I  ran with it. We all know I love serpent-like, mermaid-y folk. I showed it to a couple people and the consensus was that it was some kind of wedding and the woman turned into a snake thing and the dude fainted or maybe she accidentally killed him or something to that effect. Whatever the background, I wanted her to look concerned but confused/curious. I hope that came across. It was a lot of fun to sketch this out. Snake-y forms are always very satisfying for me.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Marker madness with pink hair

A lovely little throwback marker piece from 2011. I loved doing this piece. I remember it vividly. Sketching it out during my free time at the Jr. high school in Japan. Inking it and coloring it in my tiny but cozy apartment many months later. I remember the teachers that would stop by to watch while I sketched seemed to really like this one. One teacher even drew her own quick version of it as a gift for me. I was so flattered (and her drawing was adorable, to boot!).  There are just a lot of fond memories that come back to me when I see this drawing... I need to stop looking at job boards in Japan. This is not okay haha. Per usual, I used Copic markers for color and white acrylic paint for the little highlights.

with love - M

Sketch Diary: TBT - Scratch art fashionista

This one is a way-back throwback! Anyone recognize it? It's from the Fall of 2004 and ended up being a gift to my Mom. This was probably the second time I had messed with scratch art boards. If I remember correctly, I used a picture out of some random fashion magazine as a reference for this woman. 

It's supposed to be lace on her arms and feathers coming out of the top of the dress, is that obvious? It's always educational going back to old drawings like this - sometimes it's easier to see the progress and sometimes I wonder why I forgot certain techniques along the way. I think I have some scratch boards hanging around somewhere so maybe I'll do another one for the holidays.

with love - M