Illustration Friday - Heros

I had a tough time deciding what to post for this weeks "heroes" theme. Wanting to be different and having recently finished this drawing (all are recent, this was my second colored pencil effort), I thought why not be even more creative and try to make it fit in with the heroes topic. So try to imagine a sailor seeking safe harbor on a stormy night, would not a vigilant lighthouse keeper qualify as being somewhat of a hero to him and his fellow shipmates? Hmmm.... and given that, the wouldn't a symbol of that vigilance be the lighthouse itself? (Okay, okay, maybe that is a bit of a stretch. I'm sounding like a salesman now!)

Anyhow, when visiting Maine a couple of years ago I took photos of several different lighthouses in hopes of someday using one as subject material for a traditional "stormy night at sea" drawing or painting. But after looking at the photos and remembering the beautiful day that it was, I decided to draw what I and most other tourists who visit the coast actually see, a bright summer scene with blue skies, a quiet ocean and very well maintained lighthouses. Besides, there's enough stormy night, ships being tossed about in wild seas paintings out there already, wouldn't you agree? Of course you would!! So instead, find yourself a cozy looking rock to sit on and enjoy the refreshing ocean breeze. This is a 16x12 colored pencil drawing on Stonehenge paper. It was too big to scan so I had to take a photo.... to see a larger (even more blurred) photo click on the one below.

Illustration Friday - Black & White

Not having much time this week I decided to share an old copper embossment I did years ago while in grade school.... As it was not a true "illustration", I experimented with PhotoShop to make a Black & White image to fit the theme, I've included that along with the original below. Still feeling guilty for not submitting a "real" drawing, I also decided to include a B & W sketch of my dog, Sam, who is as white as snow with orange markings and a pink nose... she's a Brittany. The bottom images can be selected for a larger view.

Illustration Friday - Summer

When I think of summer, I often think of the beach. I drew this based on a photo I took while vacationing around Kitty Hawk, NC. The little girl was about six or seven and as you can see was cautiously sizing up those incoming waves on what I remember as a beautiful summers day. This was done with colored pencil on Stonehenge paper, 9x12".

Illustration Friday - Digital

While I was sitting at my laptop contemplating what to do for the IF "digital" theme I happened to pick up a CD disc. I saw the usual kaleidoscope of colors but also noticed the image being reflected back....... so I thought to myself, what's more "digital" than an image directly from a CD! Hmmm... perhaps one in digital format? Oh well, this was done entirely in colored pencil on Stonehenge paper.