Today I offer up a peak into a bit of my process for creating the cover image of Llewellyn’s 2015 Astrological Calendar. I created maquettes for several of the animals on the cover. Why Make Maquettes? I didn’t want to fly by the seat of my pants for creating...
Jun182014
Maquettes for Reference
Jun112014
DIY Ink Filled Brush-Pen and Lightfast Test
I enjoy using the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen but I wanted to have an ink brush that I could sketch with in a color other than black. I wanted to put ink in a Niji Waterbrush to make my own. What I wasn’t sure about was how much I...
Jun42014
Women Destroy Science Fiction!
This Spring I was delighted to participate in an extra special issue of Lightspeed Magazine. The release was funded with KickStarter and is titled Women Destroy Science Fiction! It is an amazing collection of fiction and non-fiction. My assignment was to create an illustration for an intriguing steampunk mystery...
May292014
Quieting the Inner Critic
April was International Fake Journal Month (brain child of Roz Stendahl, a Twin Cities based artist and graphic designer). As I understand it the idea is to do something different. If you draw dogs all the time, draw cats. The project could also be as elaborate as a visual...
May212014
Portrait Practice – Color Experiments
Colors used for this head study Perylene Black (Winsor & Newton) Yellow Ochre (Winsor & Newton) Permanent Yellow Light (Rembrandt) Permanent Red Medium (Rembrandt) Permanent Magenta (Winsor & Newton) Permanent Alizarin Crimson (Winsor & Newton) Untramarine Blue (Utrecht) The white was either Utrecht White, or Flemish White by Utrecht....
May142014
Practice vs. Perfection
Flash back to art school. I had drawn before so why couldn’t I make “this” work? “This” was whatever skill or project I was working on at the time. All I had to do was draw what I saw. It was right there in front of me, right? Easy...
May72014
New Astrology Themed Art
Coming this July! Llewellyn’s 2015 Astrological Calendar Featuring my interpretation of the astrological signs I am pleased to finally post a few of these! As a little taste of what to expect, you can view four of the images in my illustration portfolio here: https://www.christinemitzuk.com/fantasyart/ More information about the...
Apr232014
Oil Painting Demo – Toy Dragon
Today I did an oil painting demo at a local art supply store. You locals probably know I’m a part-time employee there but today I wasn’t. Today I was the “visiting artist”. The manager asked me to “just do your thing”. So I did and I had some fun...
Apr162014
Making Art Soup
It’s bubbling away there on the back burner. My Art Soup. All the ingredients are blending their flavours together to make what is currently my personal way of picture making, or my style I suppose. Some ingredients I was given. Some I deliberately sought out. Some just kind of...
Apr92014
Head Study in Oil – Trying Out Colors
In an effort to see for myself what different colors and paints do and decide what I like, I’ve been experimenting. For this head study I tried Rembrandt Sepia, Gamblin Flake White Replacement, and Gamblin Chromatic Black. This combination also gave me a chance to concentrate on values (more...