Year 4 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 2

Week 2: Feathered animal.

Watercolour painting of an extinct, feathered Velociraptor, based on my own photograph of a model featured in the Tyrannosaurs exhibit of 2013 at the Australian Museum, Sydney. Highlights and shading in white pigment Signo, watercolour pencils and black finepoint Sharpie. In 2010, scientists discovered proof that many dinosaurs had feathers and, through a study of fossilised melanosomes (pigment-bearing organelles), they were able to ascertain some of the feather colours of Chinese dinosaurs!

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 33

Week 33: Mythology

"Icarus flies too high..." Drawing of Icarus with finepoint black Sharpie. Highlights in watercolour on white Quill linenbond paper, collaged onto a yellow paper Origami circle and blue felt background. Cloud formations created with cotton wool unwound from a cotton bud. Several photos of Pygar the angel from Barbarella used as reference.

Update:

Week 33: Mythology II

"Behind every successful Minotaur is a clever publicist." Drawing of Mr Minotaur and his aide, Mini Taur, in finepoint black Sharpie. Highlights in watercolour on Quill papers: white linenbond collaged onto cream "marbletone".

Week 33: Mythology III

The dugong, origin of the mythological mermaids. Charcoal sketch on blue card with metallic silver Sharpie and opaque white Signo highlights. Based on my own photograph of Wuru, the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium's female dugong.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 43

Collage of ingres paper, feathers, ribbon with black Stained Sharpie ink. Weird coincidence that the ribbon had a similar pattern to the feathers!

Week 43: Bird

Update:

Sulphur-crested cockatoo in watercolour, on A3 watercolour paper. Feeling very proud as I used confident brushstrokes - and no pencil guidelines!

Week 43: Bird II

Eastern rosella in watercolour and a few touches of black Sharpie and white Signo ink. No pencil guidelines!

Week 43: Bird III

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 41

Freehand outline, cut with scissors from black card, and pieces glued down, collage-style, onto A4 white card, to enhance the face's axis of symmetry. This cutting style is called Notan.

Week 41: Black + White

Update:

People liked my giraffe finger puppet a few weeks ago, so here's a zebra. Cut from two pieces of watercolour paper, markings drawn with a black "Stain" Sharpie. One finger is draped in thin black cloth and becomes the nose:

Week 41: Black + White II

Pygar, the blind angel from Barbarella. Black Artline marker and white Signo pigment ink on watercolour paper, with real feathers collaged onto black card:

Week 41: Black + White III

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 28

Again live from Michigan, USA! Sitting here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on a drizzly Tuesday morning, patiently(?) waiting for it to be Wednesday in Australia, so that I can share my "Week 28: Feather" before I'm out of Internet range for a whole week! Here is some assemblage art, which uses sequins, plastic jewels, chenille sticks, stickered lettering, a touch of gold glitter, a wiggly eye - and real feathers - on a wooden blank of a rather plain bird who now feels Very Pretty.

Week 28: Feather

The original blank (right) and an outdoors shot (left and below) of the complete work.

Update:

When my brother's then girlfriend planned on wearing a Scarlet O'Hara crinoline for a fancy dress party in the late 70s, she ordered him the Rhett Butler outfit at the hire store. He examined it, baulked at the price and, instead, asked me to help him make a crepe paper chicken costume. Girlfriend was appalled - and my brother the chook was startled to meet a butcher at the party, who chased him all night with a giant plastic meat cleaver. Not easy to run in swimming flippers! Based on a Polaroid photo taken by me, the sketch is done in oil pastels on Ingres paper.

Week 28: Feather II

Week 28: Feather III

As in Arnold Feather (Jeff Kevin) of "Number 96", inspired by Andy Warhol's infamous Marilyn Monroe artwork. Freehand sketch with black Sharpie on transparent plastic film. Six coloured papers were placed on top, to colour areas with pencils, then placed underneath for individual photography. Six digital thumbnail tiles were then sorted in iPhoto and a final "screenshot" taken.