AlidaSaxon.Com - Art Journal

Changed Blogs

2006-09-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

I've switched the blog system I use on my website so this is now Archives. To see my new work, visit: http://www.alidasaxon.com/journal/

Or you can visit my Livejournal which has the same art plus ramblings and nonsense. http://seian.livejournal.com/

Special Delivery

2006-08-10T09:31:00.000-04:00

Special Delivery, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

I've been dooding in illustrator thinking of what I want to do next (or at least soon) on paper, and I thought this fit pretty well with this week's illustration friday theme "capture", in the sense of capturing a moment in time.

We Don't Serve Sushi

2006-07-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

We Don't Serve Sushi, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

"We Don't Serve Sushi"

I wouldn't necessarily bet on the sea monster that just crawled up over the boardwalk. Don't come between a dangerous woman and her first cup of coffee. It isn't worth it.

A lot of fun working on this one. The tentacles, that look on her face like she's about go go crazy... Created with colored pencil on a color of Fabriano Tiziano paper appropriately called "coffee". Original work measures roughly 17"x12". You can see the original sketch and all the work in progress shots in the flickr photo set "We Don't Serve Sushi".

And prints available here. I've also got a tshirt idea for this one, but it's going to have to wait until I get a small illustration done for the back. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait. I think it'll be funny.

We don't serve sushi (wip3)

2006-07-19T08:34:00.000-04:00

We don't serve sushi (wip3), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Another work in progress shot. Starting to bring the light into the environment, leaving the two main figures to last. Possibly one more work in progress (wip) shot after this before the finished piece. :)

Check out the set "We don't serve sushi" to see the transitions from the previous work in progress shots.

We don't serve sushi (wip2)

2006-07-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

We don't serve sushi (wip2), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

And, it's starting to look like a picture now, but a long way from done. Most areas only have their first glaze of color. Some none at all. The back wall with the jukebox you can start to get the idea of the lighting direction I'm going to be taking.

More next week.

Number 4

2006-07-12T11:09:00.000-04:00

Number 4, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

"Number 4"

That cat's going to run through his lives in short order at this rate...

This is a very short comic that's been submitted to a theme project called "Calamity". (Go see the others, or submit your own! Though hurry. It closes July 15th, 2006.)

The rules are 1-3 pages, standard comic ratio. I did this entirely in photoshop this morning, though I did do some roughs last night on paper at home.

We don't serve sushi (wip1)

2006-07-07T13:35:00.000-04:00

We don't serve sushi (wip1), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

It's a bit early on in the piece, but I thought those who like to follow the process would like to get in early. Some of you will remember the sketch I did a few weeks ago "Too damn early". It's made it past the sketch book and into a color piece.

Early next week I hope to update with progress and it should be easier to see where I'm going.

Appropriately, I'm doing this illustration on a color of Fabriano Tiziano paper called "coffee".

Trouble Comes in Threes

2006-06-28T08:59:00.000-04:00

Trouble Comes in Threes, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Trouble Comes in Threes
12" x 16.25" Colored Pencil on Yellow Ochre paper.

And it's finished. I'm pretty happy with it. The setting makes me think this chap is proving to be an unpleasant welcome party at the train station for some unfortunate people.

Prints available here.

steampunk (untitled work in progress)

2006-06-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

steampunk (untitled work in progress), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Here's the last update before I finish it. All the really tedious work is done and now I get to focus on what I consider the fun part - working up the highlights and deepening the shadows. Beyond this point is where you find out if the piece is really going to glow, no pun intended.

Dance

2006-06-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

Dance, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

This week's Illustration Friday theme is "dance", which gave me a good excuse to get this little idea that's been floating around in my head for a few weeks.

Drawn freehand in adobe illustrator this morning. This one took about two hours, too much of that time fussing over the placement of the cats and music notes.

steampunk (untitled work in progress)

2006-06-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

steampunk (untitled work in progress), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Just a little update on the progress. I'm layering now, not bothering with the robots or any great details. Things looking pretty flat at the moment as I work in establishing the underlying colors in spots like the billowing steam.

I also made my final edits to the composition. You'll notice I eased the lines of clouds to all fall down toward the left hand corner, exposing more of the left hand robot. I felt the clouds weren't interesting enough cutting of everything at head level.

Steampunk (untitled work in progress)

2006-06-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

Steampunk (untitled work in progress), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

That sketch I did a few days ago is coming into shape as my latest project. I decided to do it on yellow ochre paper, since it'll give those nice brassy undertones for robots and it's a great color for doing skin tones on. I've just got the sketch down so far, and some of the highlights lightly worked in.

I haven't touched the billowing clouds of smoke/steam around his body yet. I haven't decided to go light or dark with those.

Jungle

2006-06-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

Jungle, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

I've been a bit slack about participating in Illustration Friday the last while, so this morning I did a quick illustration up for this week's theme "Jungle". Very quick and loose, maybe an hour in Adobe Illustrator.

The EXCITING adventures of Jenny, Grocery Clerk

2006-06-06T08:26:00.000-04:00

The EXCITING adventures of Jenny, Grocery Clerk, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

I think most of us are better off without a Narrator in our lives.

professor robot

2006-06-05T13:10:00.000-04:00

professor robot, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

I'm going to need some photo reference for this one to go anywhere. Drawing tweedy victorian chaps aren't intuitive for me - stating the obvious there. But I like the composition so posting it with flaws intact. I've been wanting to do a steampunk sort of illustration for a while.

Night Hunt

2006-06-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

Night Hunt, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Night Hunt
11"x15" (cropped to 10.5"x14.5")
Coloured Pencil on Black Stonehenge paper

You saw this rough a few days ago in a concept sketch, and I just finished it an hour ago. I don't know if anyone will see this on a friday, but I didn't feel like sitting on it till Monday.

Prints available through Zazzle.

And here's a little sketching to tack on the end of this post. It appears I've added a new shadow monster to my stable that wants to stick around. ;)

Too Damn Early

2006-05-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

Too Damn Early, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Night Hunt

2006-05-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

Night Hunt, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Hopefully no one finds these boring. Doing my color work isn't nearly as fast as these sketches.

This is another sketch which I plan to make into a color work. I used the White Ermine Moth as the inspiration for the hunt lady's clothes. The monster is from a doodle I did a couple years ago that I still haven't gotten around to putting into a finished piece.

Last Watch

2006-05-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Last Watch, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

A quick sketch for something I may expand upon. I really enjoy sketching with a pen. You can't fix a damn thing, but there's a quality to the line going down that's really nice. I think I'm going do do more of it.

The Old Dance (wip)

2006-05-12T10:54:00.000-04:00

The Old Dance (wip), originally uploaded by alida saxon.

I was doodling this last night and this morning in photoshop in preparation for one of the pieces I'm working on called "The Old Dance".

As it happens, this week's Illustration Friday theme was just announced to be "Angels and Devils." Serendipity is a funny thing.

On the left I was playing with some color options and the right is purely sorting out the pose. Much of it is pulled from an old ballet pose photo I have around for reference.

In the Realm of Possibility

2006-05-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

In the Realm of Possibility, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

"In the Realm of Possibility"
12"x14.5" Colored Pencil on colored Fabriano Tiziano paper

This piece is in the may show at the Indian Orchard Mill's Dane Gallery.

Print available here through Zazzle

Four Seasons - Four Elements

2006-04-04T13:53:00.000-04:00

Four Seasons - Four Elements, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Four Season - Four Elements
23"x17" w/1" border around and between frames. Collected images. Colored Pencil on Black Artagain.

I created "Winter" back in 2004 and only recently did I get about to finishing the project I intended. I like them separately, but their real strength is in a group and it develops a different feel depending on how the images are placed. I'm rather pleased with the final result.

Prints through Zazzle: Winter/Water, Spring/Air, Summer/Earth, Autumn/Fire Or get all four in a single print set which you can frame just as is, or cut down into mini prints you can arrange however you like: Four Seasons - Four Elements

Spring Storm

2006-04-04T13:24:00.000-04:00

Spring Storm, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

Spring Storm
12"x9" w/1" border
Colored Pencil on Black Artagain

The Four Seasons - Four Elements series is finally complete. I ended up redoing this "Spring" so the scale matched a bit better with the others.

Print Available through Zazzle.com

Autumn Fire

2006-04-03T07:04:00.000-04:00

Autumn Fire, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

"Autumn Fire"
9"x12" w/1"border
Colored pencil on Black Artagain

"Autumn" and "Fire" in the Four seasons - Four Elements series. I'm redoing Spring which may post later today. (I've got a good reason, promise).

Print Available Here.

Summer

2006-03-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Summer, originally uploaded by alida saxon.

"Summer" (Earth)
12"x9" w/1" border
Colored Pencil on Black Artagain

I like how this turned out. Moody and pushing toward sunset. This is part of a project I've been wrestingly with to display not just the four seasons but the four elements. Winter/Water, Spring/Air, Summer/Earth, Autumn/Fire.

Print Available Here through Zazzle.com