Illustration Challenge: Weeks 12 - 15

Hello again! My word, it's been a while since my last post! For those of you who don't know, we moved from Japan--Land of the Rising Sun--to Virginia, and it has been quite an ordeal for the last few months. But we are finally moved in to our cozy little 1920s house, and I'm ready to get back on track with my art endeavors! During our move, I still was working on artwork for the 52-Week Illustration Challenge (a weekly themed drawing challenge that you can find here on Facebook), but I still have some catching up to do. In the meantime, I'll be more diligent in uploading the fruits of my labor. Hopefully it will bring a smile and some inspiration to your week! : )

Cheers!-JessWeek 12: CostumeMeet Kyle, a character in an upcoming graphic novel of mine. He's a good kid--kind, studious, and looks out for others. He's majoring in astronomy and physics, and has a deep fascination for space. Did I mention that for his high school senior project he constructed this Apollo replica astronaut suit all by himself? It works, too. Sharp kid!(Ink and Ink Washes) Week 13: TransportSometimes the fastest way to get where you're going is on dragonback...(Ink and Ink Washes)Week 14: VietnamPho, anyone? : )(Easy Paint Tool Sai, Photoshop)  Week 15: WhimsyI think this one speaks for itself. ;)(Easy Paint Tool Sai, Photoshop)

The Ume Archer: A Story of Mishap and Redemption

When I say, think of a Japanese flower, what is your first thought? I’m guessing it was the Sakura (or cherry) blossom. Almost everyone has heard of the Sakura blossom, but have you heard of the ume blossom?Ume (pronounced OO-mey) is better known as the Japanese plum, or apricot. These flowers appear on trees in mid to late winter, and are some of the first flowers to bloom in the New Year. They come in a variety of pinks, whites, and reds and—unlike the Sakura—have a very distinct, sweet scent (almost like cotton candy).In mid-winter, when everything else is brown and dead, these little quiet beauties are a delight to behold.

 As much as I enjoy the Sakura trees in spring, I almost have a greater appreciation for the ume—since during the winter is when I most desperately desire a sign of spring. And not only does the ume tree deliver, but it tends to last much longer that the tertiary Sakura blossoms. I like to think of the Sakura as a flirtatious younger sister to the older—yet more mature—ume blossom.

But enough with the tree-talk. This is a blog about art! So what do I do when inspiration hits? Make a picture of it, of course. :)So in winter of 2014, I decided to undertake a watercolor picture featuring the beautiful ume blossom. At the time I was also interested in Japanese archery (Kyūdō). I figured that the ume blossom and art of kyudo shared a lot of attributes and a quiet, humble—yet strong—personality.I started my process normal enough: stretched my watercolor paper onto a board, let it dry, and then sketched the image onto the paper.Then I arduously masked the entire image so that I could cover the background in a coffee stain.Typically when I do the inking stage, I use a simply croquil dip pen. But this time I wanted to try something different. I decided to go with a brown micron pen. And then when I started to apply watercolor...DISASTER STRUCK.As soon as the water touched the micron pen, the ink bled faster than I had time to realize my abysmal mistake. In a split instant—after hours of research, sketching, masking and staining—my beautiful little kyudo archer now looked like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka.A micron pen may have gone flying clear across the house, jettisoned by a few choice words.Needless to say, I was demolished. I felt my picture was ruined.I tossed the image in a corner of my room, not wanting to even look at it. Having deemed the picture irreconcilable, I restarted the entire thing on a whole new board. But after a few days I grew demoralized from the project and just decided to shelve the whole thing indefinitely.Several months went by when I happened to have some friends over for brunch. When I was showing them around my art room, one of my neighbors caught sight of blueberry-face and remarked how incredible she thought it was. Skeptical and rather amazed by what she saw in the painting that I did not, I explained to her what had happened, and to my astonishment she remarked that she didn’t see the flaw in it and would have bought it in an instant. The next day I looked at it again, took a deep sigh, and decided to do my best to save little ume archer.It took some forethought, some careful reworking, and a little faith----but little Ume Archer was saved. :)I still now had a whole second archer drawn out and ready to be painted. I didn’t want to waste another good picture, so instead I decided to finish her in the style of the white ume blossom. I chose to douse the background in sencha (green) tea.It’s really interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two. Perhaps they are sisters?After this entire experience, I realized something…When you think something may be ruined, maybe it just needs to be redeemed. : ) 

Illustration Challenge: Weeks 9 - 11

Jess here! Still playing catch up with the next three images for the Illustration Challenge (a weekly themed drawing challenge that you can find here on Facebook). I'm practicing my digital skills, with a little bit of watercolor thrown in the mix. Enjoy!Week 9: TextureSakura SunsetHeaven and Earth steal a kissPlease last forever

(Easy Paint Tool Sai - 2ish hours)

Week 10: Night

Nightfall and Splendor

"I can lift up my eyes to YouI lift them upI can trust that my help comes soonLove quickly come!As You cover the hills in nightfallAnd a blanket of stars abovePlease remember my broken heartAs I lift it up Lord"

-Echoing Green

  (Photoshop & Easy Paint Tool Sai - 2ish hours)

Week 11: Green

New things are growing in a world of green...

(Watercolor & India Ink - 3 hours)

Illustration Challenge: Weeks 1 - 8

It’s art catch-up time!No, no. Catch up--not ‘ketchup’. (Though it’s really good on scrambled eggs. And hashbrowns.)Sorry! Stayin’ focused here.I realized that I’m really good at churning out art, but terrible at actually polishing it up and posting it online. But alas! Here they are! I’ve been participating in a weekly challenge (called the 52-Week Illustration Challenge—you can check it out here on Facebook), where every week you post an illustration based upon the weekly theme. My goal—rather ambitious—is to submit an illustration for all 52 weeks. Some will be detailed and intricate, but most will be simple. I hope that by submitting weekly, I can practice creating art faster without the urge to perfect. Quality over quantity is always a good ideology, though it’s also good to keep creating rather than getting stuck one a single painting for months.Without further ado, here are my first eight submissions!Week 1: Fairy TaleA fairy, a dragon, a courageous knight--Some stories and fun, and some filled with much fright!Page after page the adventure unfolds,Who knows what surprises that each story holds!Watercolor with India Ink & Photoshopped texture Week 2: Italy“A Night In Kittaly”The view is romantic and the food quite divine,Two friends dine together with some very fine wine.Spaghetti for you, and a pizza for me,Let’s toast to our night in Kittaly!Watercolor & India Ink, with croquil dip pen Week 3: RetroSummer days, gamin' away,Gotta take turns if ya want to play.Don't need fancy games that cost lots of dough,Cuz' the best kinds of games are always retro!Watercolor & India Ink, with micron pens Week 4: InsectsShy creature of air,Unfold to black, green, and goldColorful surpriseWatercolor and India Ink, with croquil dip pen Week 5: KitchenBaking day in the cat household! The kitchen is a buzz of activity: from rolling out cookie dough, to cutting and baking. Each cookie is handmade and decorated with love (and a little mischief).Watercolor, India Ink, & a touch of white charcoal Week 6: MagicHarbinger of SpringGreen zeal and a hood of whiteWintertime be warnedWatercolor and India Ink, with croquil dip pen Week 7: FarmJust another blue sky day in Skåne…Easy Paint Tool Sai Week 8: Coffee

Black cats, dark chocolate, and coffee just go so well together! :)Watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic, india ink, texturized background via Photoshop, and coffee stains.

Dave the Moon Man

So many of you may have been wondering where I was for the last several months. You may have been thinking, “Hmm…no new art, no updates, no pulse—is she dead?” Yes. Okay—no. Although I may have felt deadish several times as I was Photoshopping into the wee hours of the night. For the last several months, I have been working on a project called Dave the Moon Man.Dave the Moon Man is a song written by Scott Twynholm and Stuart David, members of Scottish indie-pop band ‘Looper’. It tells the story of a young man and his intrigue with the 1969 moon landing.

 

When I first heard the song fifteen years ago, it was simply a catchy song in my music library. Performed in spoken narrative, I became very familiar to the story and to this day it evokes adolescent memories of stargazing on warm summer nights.In more recent years I began to truly listen to the lyrics, and realized the depth and complexity of the story. Here is a young man trying to find his way in life, and one night reflects upon the incredible concept of a human setting foot on the moon. To Dave, nothing is more impossible than that, and that made everything else achievable. It inspires him to dream and hope.Though as we all know, hopes and dreams do not come without opposition. As he delves deeper, Dave finds theories that question the validity of his inspiration. Eventually Dave reaches an impasse where he must choose to believe or relinquish his conviction—and subsequently—his source of inspiration.

As I worked on this project, I realized how much I related to Dave. Many things inspired me in my childhood, and I dreamed big. Though as the years passed, those dreams have been assuaged by hardships, obstacles, and doubt. Life is hard, and it is difficult to be a dreamer in a world where discouragement is real. Though like Dave, I too have a choice. Do I choose to give in to the hopelessness and pessimism that life throws at me, or do I choose to persevere and listen to the voice of inspiration that compels me forward? It may come as a faint whisper at times, but it is still there.I know my choice—what choice will you make?---------------------------------------------------------------

View the entirety of the comic though these links:

     

 And while you're at it, check out Looper--they have some neat music!

Freddie the Frog

It’s always an amazing feeling when you finish a project, and that’s no different today when I finally can hang up the hat on a little project called Freddie the Frog. Last year, my friend proposed an art trade; I’d illustrate a children’s story for her, and in exchange, she’d do a photo shoot for me. The story was something her dad used to tell her every night before she went to bed, about a little frog who disliked water. After many hours of painting and a couple audiobooks later, I finally finished it! We’re currently planning on publishing it as an ebook, so stay tuned for more information and enjoy this little preview (sans text) in the meantime.

Freddie the FrogWritten by Donald KremerIllustrated by Jessica Vanderpol

It feels so good to have a large project like this accomplished. Since I was hurrying to finish it in time, I didn’t get to lavish it with the about of detail and technical skill that I normally would. And on that note, I also learned a very important lesson: NEVER again will I use illustration board as a watercolor surface! I fought so hard with that paper…the watercolors never layered well, and would always streak and smear. I would have used 300lb paper, though it was much cheaper to use the illustration board (not to mention that it saved time not having the stretch each piece of watercolor paper for the illustrations.) Oh well. Lesson learned.Regardless, I now have a bunch of illustrations for my portfolio, as well as the invaluable experience that creating your first picture book lends. I think however, that I might take a few weeks break from children’s book illustrations. I swear I’ll be dreaming about frogs for the next while…Stay tuned for the next project (already in the works!) ~_^Stats:32 illustrated story pages (plus cover)- 5 hrs research/sketching- 5 hrs editing, text arrangement, layout design- 13 hrs drawing/inking- 27 hrs paintingTOTAL: 50+ hrs

Spring Kimono Kitty

It has been a gorgeous spring here in Japan. The plum blossoms made a spectacular show in March, and everywhere flowers are popping up from the ground. However, the main attraction is everyone’s favorite cherry blossom tree, aka: さくら(sakura). These gnarled, old trees explode in billowy glory after the first heat wave, and after week of euphoric spring bliss, they gently shed their petals in waves of snow-like flurries. I grew up with the charming blossoming plum tree in Seattle, but it can’t compare to the majesty of the Japanese Sakura.And with all this spring beauty blooming around me, I of course had to complete my final installation of the seasonal series: Spring Kimono Kitty.(Excuse me as I breath a HUGE sigh of relief.)I am happy how this piece turned out, yet furthermore relieve that it’s finally finished. This was one of those more difficult pieces to create. I was very happy how winter kimono kitty turned out, and therefore felt the pressure to follow-up with an equally pleasing spring counterpart, who was to don the symbol that best identifies Japan: the sakura blossom. The first attempt at drawing spring kimono kitty was unsuccessful, and I had to redo the entire drawing and pose. I also had several other projects whose deadlines were clamoring to be finished, and therefore left little breathing room to allow creativity to easily flow. I eventually found my groove, and settled in to painting while listening to my audiobook. And after 20 hours from starting over again, I finally finished her. As the Japanese would say, やった！(I did it!) :)

All four seasons!!

So what’s next now that all four seasons are finished? Well, I’m considering doing another summer kimono kitty since I’ve grown and learned so much since then, though I’m also tossing around the idea of doing a series of Japanese male cats donning samurai, ninja, and other traditional Japanese men’s attire. What are your thoughts?For now though, I think I’m going to take a nap under a sakura tree and get covered in petals. またね！~.^

The Strongest Flower

As the drifts of snow piled higher and higher outside my little abode, I knew that I’d be in for a long winter. In more ways than one.I had just gotten back to Japan from the states while my husband Cody was still finishing up some training for the Air Force. It was a two month long training session, and we were one month down. That month I enjoyed an extended stay with friends and family in Washington. But now that I was back in Japan, I suddenly felt the sharp ache of being away from the close connections of home and husband.Stay busy. That was my mantra. Though honestly, it’s hard forging your way as a self-employed artist. Your workplace is your drafting table in the next room, and your boss if your own self-discipline and will. Going to work means that I need to somehow push all other distracting things aside and making myself stay focused on the goals at hand. Some seasons I’m right on track and making headway. Other times, it’s not as easy.February was one of those times. I quickly found that many things that I came back to do turned out to be less time-consuming that I had originally thought. I had a lot more time on my hands, which ironically made it harder to stay focused and busy. I began fretting and doubting my decision to return a month early. Waking up and going to sleep in an empty house (spare the cat) was taxing, and it was a slog to keep moving on through the days. I even considered hopping a flight back to the states during one emotional meltdown. It was a good thing that it didn’t work out, but dangit….it was hard.That’s when I remembered the crocus.The crocus is a flowering plant part of the iris family. It grows from a bulb and appears anywhere from late winter through early spring. Despite its delicate nature, it can force itself up through the snow to display blooms varying in colors from pinks, yellows and purples. Throughout many cultures, it has been known as a symbol for hope and strength, since it perseveres even through the icy grip of winter.There are many ways the God speaks to me, but perhaps one of the most strongest and clearest is through the language of flowers. I felt the immediate connection. Seeking out a few photographs of crocuses I took years ago on my mom’s old Nikon SLR, I posted couple pictures around my workspace and one on my bathroom mirror. Every time I would glance at my calendar or brush my teeth, I saw those pictures of the crocus. I am a crocus. I would tell myself. I may be small, I may feel weak, but I will push through. I can do this.

 

The days ticked off, one by one. The snow eventually melted, and I even acquired a little clump of crocuses that I put in a pot outside. After a warm spell last week, I was delighted to notice plump purple buds poking up through the leaves. I watched them over the next few days, and--like a faithful friend--those delicate, strong little flowers proved themselves once again.

Also, Cody gets back on Sunday. : )