For a friend

I recently did this painting for a dear friend of mine who is going through an extremely rough valley in her life. I hope she finds some comfort in the words of Mother Teresa, as I have in my own valleys.

"We should ask ourselves, 'Have I really experienced the joy of loving?' True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love."
- Mother Teresa

A "Tina" sort of Mom

Here's some of the freelance I have been up to lately... some character design, some graphic design. I have enjoyed it! The first character my client wanted developed was a funky sort of Mom. I named her "Tina".

model sheet for "Tina"; pencil & digital

concept poses for "Tina"; pencil & digital

colour concepts for "Tina"; digital

Daily Delight at the Gym

Col-erase pencil & brush pen

I love people, they come in all too many sorts and varieties...how could one get bored with what to possibly draw??!

This chap is at the gym allll the time when we go, he looks pert-near exactly like this. His shorts are that high, no lie. And he is so happy about it! I say, if he's happy, I'm happy.

Work it out!

Paintin' on Wood

This past week I spent enjoyed the gorgeous September weather [strange for Winnipeg!] out in Winnipeg Beach with some family. I got the opportunity to do a couple paintings for an Aunt who had a few pieces of wood she had found and really wanted them painted.

Me, being always up for a challenge involving paint, volunteered to give it a go. [And she may or not have persuaded me with a glass or two of great red wine!] I had a lotta fun painting them, and most of all, she was SUPER happy with them!

It made me want to experiment more with painting on various wood grains, it gives a nice effect to the paint....hmmm....the creative process is ever-ongoing. Perhaps that's what I love most about being an artist, you never stop growing and learning. :)

The first piece was an old oar - here's the sketch I did followed by the final painting:

Close-up:

The second piece was a weather piece of wood about two feet across - here's the sketch followed by the final painting:

Close-ups:

The third piece was one she wanted turned into a sign for her place. We were all brainstorming on names, but eventually decided on "Barb's Beachouse".

Close-ups:

I thought I would also post this painting that I did on her headboard a couple summers back. She loves all things lighthouses, so that's what I painted on her headboard. Chalk that up to items I never thought I would paint on!