Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 49

Week 49: Gift.

"Always one in reserve." Cartoon in finepoint black Sharpie on watercolour paper, coloured with watercolours, white opaque Signo and red Sharpie.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 35

Week 35: Grandfather.

"Grandfather time." Freehand sketch in black Sharpie (no pencil, no eraser), shaded with graphite and yellow, red and blue pencils. Inspirational photos sourced from Google Images.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 26

Week 26: Shoes.

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe; She had so many children she... decided to renovate and add a summertime verandah." Cartoon in black finepoint Sharpie and watercolour.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 22

Week 22: Science.

Ida Lupino as the evil alchemist, Dr Cassandra Spellcraft, in the "Batman" TV series of the 1960s. Oil pastels on A3 paper, with watercolour wash.

Update:

Week 22: Science II.

"Periodic Table of the Elephants." White pigment Signo ink and collaged black finepoint sketch on black card.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 21

Week 21: Ink.

Black finepoint marker, graphite pencil and coloured pencils.

Update:

Week 21: Ink II.

Black finepoint marker, graphite pencil and coloured pencils.

Week 21: Ink III.

Inkblot male seahorse and his brood, enhanced with blue ballpoint ink and a hint of coloured pencil, white Signo pigment ink and watercolour.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 6

Week 6: Printing

Collage of newsprint cuttings and assorted cards, plus actual fingerprints. Image adjusted with the "Noir" filter in Photo.

Update:

Week 6: Printing II

Quick thumbprint cartoons with stamp pad ink onto Ingres paper. The bee was pressed over strands of rubbery string. Details in various markers.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 4

Week 4: Swimming

Collaged watercolour and cartridge papers, with Puffy Paint and watercolour highlights and shadows on a background of scrapbooking glitter paper. Based on several images found in a Google Image search.

Update:

Week 4: Swimming II

Black Sharpie cartoons on pearlescent sculptured paper, with salted watercolour highlights, collaged onto cartridge card.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 2

Week 2: Outdoors

Collage and silhouette using Ingres papers, flocked cardboard, oil pastels and nylon cord on grey Ingres background.

Update:

Week 2: Outdoors II

"N-n-n-n-next!" Cartoon in finepoint black Sharpie, oil pastels and watercolour wash, collaged onto Ingres paper.

Week 2: Outdoors III

"Corellas' annual visit." Watercolour miniature. Masking fluid and black and white Sharpie highlights on watercolour paper. Based on my own photograph. This piece utilised an old offcut; it's only 85mm x 95mm.

Week 2: Outdoors IV

"Vasquez Rocks, Los Angeles." Watercolours with black and white Sharpie highlights on remnants of watercolour paper, mounted onto Ingres paper. Based on a photograph from my 2013 vacation album.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 52

Week 52: World

"He's got the whole world in his hand". Collage using numerous disparate elements: acrylic wash and sponging over a circle of Quill "marbletone" cream card; giant hand in charcoal pencil on primed canvas sheet; gold glitter on black card.

Update:

Week 52: World II

"Alexander was sure that the world used to be much bigger." Cartoon drawn in white Signo pigment ink on black card. Highlights added with copper Kindy Glitz glitter glue and metallic gold Sharpie.

And that's a wrap... until next year, and the 2016 Challenge. Which is in a few days' time.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, bonus round

Bonus: Advent (Days #1-24 compile)

Flickr Slideshow:

Click HERE!

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 43

Week 43: Monster

"Can't sleep." Cartoon in black Sharpie, coloured with watercolours and highlighter marker.

Update:

Week 43: Monster II

Sketch of oblivious Granny, in black Sharpie on white Quill linenbond card, and freehand-cut black silhouette collaged onto green card.

Week 43: Monster III

Charcoal and watercolour wash sketch of actor Reggie Nalder as Mr Barlow the Vampire in "Salem's Lot". Highlights in white fabric paint, black ballpoint and collaged yellow paper eyes. Based on a publicity photo from the TV mini-series.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 42

Week 42: Instrument

"Air guitar". Cartridge papers of various colours, with some brown Sharpie shading, collaged onto black card. Inspiration from a Google Image search.

Update:

Week 42: Instrument II

"Spock angel with Vulcan lyrette." Coloured cartridge papers, Metallique gold paper and photocopied fabric textures collaged onto watercolour paper, with details in black ballpoint, black Sharpie and watercolour. I almost wrecked this one about five times, then today I salvaged it from the bin and had one more go at it.

Week 42: Instrument III

"Guitar solo." Cartoon in black Sharpie, doodled on a Post-It Note and mounted. Coloured with pencils.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 29

Week 29: Love

"African lovebirds". Watercolours, black Sharpie, opaque white Signo and satin leaves in a circular border of salted watercolour. Based on a photograph found in a Google Image search. No pencil lines, no eraser!

Update:

Week 29: Love II

"Thumbody loves you." Quick thumbprint cartoons with stamp pad ink over tiny hand templates. Detail in various markers.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 28

Week 28: Winter

Cartoon in black Sharpie on watercolour paper, with highlights in watercolour, white opaque Signo ink and white Puffy paint, collaged onto crushed white cartridge paper.

Update:

Week 28: Winter II

Salted watercolour collage with black ballpoint and Sharpie detailing.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 25

Week 25: Africa

Freehand-cut silhouettes in black card (having glanced at a full page of thumbnail photos on Google Images using the terms "Africa sunset"). Collaged over sunset coloured paper strips: red, orange, goldenrod, metallic bronze and white on yellow card, skewed slightly in iPhoto. Detail in black finepoint marker.

Update:

Week 25: Africa II

"Rhinoceros cosplay." Cartoon in black Sharpie on watercolour paper, painted in watercolours. (Okay, I couldn't stand it any longer: one party hat added... to make the joke better.)

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 17

Week 17: Fluffy

"The Trouble With Tribbles". Sketched in black Sharpie, with metallic gold highlights, on watercolour paper. Based on the famous publicity still from "Star Trek". Coloured in watercolours.

Update:

Week 17: Fluffy II

"Gossamer". Character from the Warner Bros' "Looney Tunes" cartoons. Finepoint black Sharpie and watercolour, mounted on flint paper background.

Week 17: Fluffy III

Based on two photos, taken by me, of a poodle being readied for Best in Show. White UniPaint marker on black card, with black, blue and red finepoint Sharpies and white Signo pigment ink.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 11

Week 11: Green

"It's not easy being green!" A green frog desperately attempts to be environmentally green. Cartoon in black Sharpie ink and watercolour on watercolour paper.

Update:

Week 11: Green II

Here's a green gremlin. I caught him sneaking into my hotel room looking for lollies. Luckily for me, I'd eaten all the evidence. Assemblage art with a green supermarket "green bag" as background. Hey, I'm working with limited materials here, you know!

Week 11: Green III

My paternal grandmother was born on St Patrick's Day. She always wore green on that day, and carried a small leprechaun charm on a green ribbon. This watercolour of a leprechaun, with black Sharpie details, is based on that charm's pose.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 6

Week 6: Magic

Folded and freehand-cut collage pieces in watercolour paper and black card, with watercolour shading. Elements are glued to a backing of yellow card, layered with red and yellow sheets of glitter mesh fabric. One bird is sandwiched between the layers of mesh.

Update:

Watercolour cartoon on damp watercolour paper with a black Stained Sharpie outline.

Week 6: Magic II

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 4

Week 4: Insects

Mixed media collage, with potato printing and sponging in acrylic paints on brown paper bag and black card, decorated with white Signo pigment ink and black, green, silver and gold Sharpies.

Update:

Watercolour cartoon on damp watercolour paper with mixed media and black Sharpie.

Week 4: Insects II

Black "Stained" Sharpie ink on dampened watercolour paper, painted in watercolours with white pigment Signo highlights.

Week 4: Insects III

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Bonus Week

Lettering in Pages word processing program, printed onto photocopy paper. Cartoon animals drawn freehand (no pencil lines!) and detailed in watercolour.

Bonus Week: Alphabet

The concept for this came to my mind's eye several months ago and it drew itself in my head until the other night when I did it for real. I think originally, I imagined all the creatures interacting more. The snake was supposed to have consumed his letter, but it didn't work out that way, so the mouse has nibbled on the "M" to reflect that intention. Animals represented are: anteater, bat, camel, dog, elephant, fox, giraffe, hippopotamus, iguana, jellyfish, koala, lion, mouse, numbat, octopus, pig, quail, rabbit, snake, tiger, unicorn, vulture, whale, x-ray tetra, yak and zebra.

And the Challenge is complete... until 2015, when it all happens again.

Meanwhile...
... my watercolour from Week 11, entitled "Architecture: Number 96", has been shortlisted, with the possibility of being part of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge exhibition, to be held in Perth in March 2015. Still early days yet (results aren't disclosed until the day of the exhibition's opening), but so wonderful to be ever closer! Will keep you posted on my progress!

Week 11: Architecture

Exhibition poster of Tania McCartney by Penny Fisher

I've created a 2014 Challenge photobook (and it was ready next morning!). I had coded the titles of several jpegs with "aaa" and "zzz" to force them to appear in a certain order on the USB, but basically I accepted OfficeWorks' program to decide the layout, just switching a few bigger-for-smaller images, sometimes to separate same colours, and removing just a few images that were more photo than art. About 130 pieces of art. I opted not to add captions (beyond the date on the title page), 'cos I've seen way too many photobooks with typos in recent years... and I wanted to eat dinner at some point.

Awful typos are so easy to make, so I think that letting the images talk for themselves can be sensible and safe. OfficeWorks have plain covers, but titles can always be added later. For the image I used for the title page, I simply added "2014" in blue font with their caption maker, and Tania's pink Challenge logo served as a title. This is the deluxe option (and the program said I needed ten pages added to each book for my number of images), but for speed and beauty, well worth it. This was $30 each (plus the extra pages at $1.80 per page). You can do it with cheaper options and people who made only 52 pieces of art in 2014 would have it much easier, but I highly recommend this culminating activity to fellow Challengees.