Illustration Friday: "Satellite"

Here is my entry for this week. The topic is "satellite," which I had a little trouble figuring out what to do with. I just whipped up this quick picture in Photoshop. The moon is a natural satellite, so I hope this counts. This little guy is just enjoying the ride around Earth. It's so relaxing he fell asleep. : ) There is an old legend about a rabbit that lives on the moon, so that's why I chose a rabbit.

That's all for now. See you all next week!

Illustration Friday: "Paisley"

I did something a little different this week from my usual cartoonish style. Since the topic for IF this week was "paisley," I did something a bit more design-oriented and did a butterfly in Adobe Illustrator with paisley designs in its wings. I wanted to make it a bit tattoo-like. I also got a little inspiration from this tutorial I happened to find when looking up paisley design references. It also helped me brush up a bit on my Illustrator skills.

I honestly had no idea what a "paisley" was until I looked it up. Well, you learn something new every day. : )

See you all next week!

Illustration Friday: "Ripple"

Here is my submission for this week's Illustration Friday. The topic is "ripple" and is has to do with one of the many bird species affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. The bird is the Snowy Plover, which is a very adorable bird that nests on the ground and eats various invertebrates found on the beach. They are at risk because the oil could wash ashore onto the beaches where they breed and forage, and contaminate their food supply.

I am submitting this illustration (done in Photoshop) to Kelly Light's Ripple blog, which will be made available as a small, signed 3.5" x 2.5" print for a donation of $10. The donation goes to help these poor animals in the Gulf and is given to The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can check out Kelly's Ripple blog at: http://ripplesketches.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for looking. See you all next week! : )

Illustration Friday: "Trail"

Here is my entry for this week's Illustration Friday. The topic is "trail" this week. This little boy has provided a trail of birdseed for this cute little bird, hoping he'll follow him home. The little bird, of course, is quite happy about the handout.

I apologize for the lack of updates these past couple of weeks. I've been on vacation and it's been hard to keep up with everything while out of town. I will definitely update more often from now on, though. : ) Thank you to everyone who watches my blog!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Illustration Friday: "Equipment"

Ever been to a zoo or other tourist attraction and seen someone with a ton of cameras around their neck taking pictures? I see this sometimes and always marvel at how they can carry all that photography equipment. So, I based my Illustration Friday entry on those types of people. I admit to being slightly jealous of all those fancy camera lenses. I could never afford all that stuff, though. Maybe someday. : )

Done in Photoshop. See you all next week!

Illustration Friday: "Fearless"

Here's my quick entry for this week's Illustration Friday, done in Photoshop. Lions are pretty fearless, even when they're cubs, so I went with that. Yes, I was a bit inspired by The Lion King. I suppose rummaging through my old Lion King memorabilia this week while cleaning my closet influenced me a bit. I love that movie. : )

I really wanted to get an entry done for last week, but I've been sick and busy with various things. This is my sixth cold this year and it's been quite frustrating. Well, hopefully this will be my last cold this year (or at least for a good long while). One can hope.

See you all next week!

Illustration Friday: "Ahead"

Well, it's been a pretty tough month for me. My family and I had to make a very difficult decision regarding our cat, Mr. Kitty. He was sick with diabetes (and some other issue which the vet could never figure out). We had been managing his diabetes for over a year with daily shots of insulin twice a day. He was doing very well for over a year, but then got very sick starting a couple months ago. Long story short, he was suffering a lot and there was very little we could do for him anymore. On April 9th, we put him to sleep. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

So, I did an illustration of him to commemorate his memory, since he has gone "ahead." I miss him so much and will never, ever forget him.

Done in colored pencil and edited a little in Photoshop. I hope this counts for the topic this week. Hope everyone has a nice weekend. If you have any pets, give them a hug for me. : )

Illustration Friday: "Detective"

Here's my entry for this week's IF. The topic is "detective." It's a bit random, but I just kind of felt like drawing a duck for some reason. I'm kind of fond of mallard ducks. I'm not sure what he's searching for, but hopefully he'll find whatever it is soon. At least the dragonfly can keep him company along the way.

Done in Photoshop. Hope you all enjoy. See you next week! : )

Illustration Friday: "Linked"

Here is my entry for this week's Illustration Friday. The topic is "linked," so here are some "linked" lemurs. They are best buddies. : ) Done in Photoshop.

I wish I could have submitted something last week, but I've been going through some tough times lately and just couldn't get around to it. Here's hoping these next few weeks will be a lot more productive.

See you all next week. : )

Illustration Friday: "Rescue"

Here's my quick entry for this week's Illustration Friday. The topic is "rescue." It's sad when people throw their garbage on the beach. This poor gull got some plastic six-pack rings stuck around his neck. Luckily, the friendly neighborhood crab is there to save the day.

I wish things were like that in real life. I always feel terrible when this happens to wildlife.

Done in Illustrator this week. See you all next time. : )

Illustration Friday: "Expired"

The hungry walrus finally finds his bucket of fish, but sadly discovers they are old and expired. Not a pretty sight...

Done in Photoshop. See you all next week! : )

Illustration Friday: "Subterranean"

Here is my quick entry for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "subterranean." This mining mole has stumbled upon a sleeping bat deep in a cave. Being the friendly mole that he is, he waves "hello." Sadly, the bat is unimpressed and a little irritated he was awakened from his nap.

Done in Photoshop. See you next week! :)

Illustration Friday: "Brave"

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

The little bird is an Egyptian Plover. They are also called Crocodile Birds because they feed on the bits of decaying meat that are left in the mouths of crocodiles. They are like little dentists for the crocodiles. Apparently, the crocodiles never eat the birds. Still, it takes a brave bird to do that.

Done in Illustrator this week. See you next week!

Illustration Friday: "Perspective"

Here is my quick Photoshop drawing for this week's IF. The topic is "perspective." I've been reading a lot of Aesop's Fables lately. They're quite fun to read and I always enjoy the lessons at the end of many of the stories. One of my favorites is The Fox and the Grapes, which is what I did for this illustration. It's where the hungry fox tries to reach some grapes up high on a vine, but cannot reach them no matter how hard he tries. His "perspective" on the situation is not very optimistic, so he gives up and says "I'm sure they are sour anyway." The lesson is that you always despise what you cannot get.

I hope you enjoy. : ) Have a great week!

Illustration Friday: "Propagate"

It was hard to think of anything really creative this week for this particular topic. I figured fish tend to "propagate" a lot, so I went with fish. These tropical fish are called Royal Gramma Basslets, which is why they're all wearing crowns. They're one of my favorite species of tropical fish.

Done in Photoshop. Have a great weekend everyone!

Illustration Friday: "Adrift"

It's a bit rushed, but here is my entry for this week. This little otter is "adrift" in the ocean, happily playing with his little starfish. He's a little reminiscent of a small otter plush I saw at the Monterey Bay Aquarium the last time I went. I think I'll pick that plush up the next time I go since it was so cute. : )

Done in Photoshop. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend! : )

Illustration Friday: "Muddy"

Here is my quick entry for this week. The topic is "muddy," which made me think of how robins love to poke around in the mud after it rains for earthworms. Looks like this little guy (a European Robin) spotted one that will soon be lunch.

Done in Photoshop. I'm recovering from yet another cold this week, so hopefully I'll be more up to drawing more next week. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy! : )

Illustration Friday: "Focused"

Here's my quick entry for Illustration Friday this week. The topic is "focused," which at first made me think of meditation, which requires a lot of focus and concentration. So, without further ado, here's a tiger practicing the lotus position. He looks pretty focused. Pretty relaxed too, I might add. : )

Done in Illustrator this week. Hope everyone has a great weekend! See ya next week!

Illustration Friday: "Clumsy"

I've been sick most of this week, so this is a quickie. The topic for Illustration Friday this week is "clumsy," so this is what I came up with. This clumsy monkey slipped on his own banana peel and knocked himself out. His little bluebird friend finds it to be quite hilarious.

Done in Photoshop. See you next week!

Illustration Friday: "Wilderness"

Here is my entry for this week's Illustration Friday. The topic this week is "wilderness." I thought of camping, then I thought of roasting marshmallows for some reason, so I came up with this. These little guys seem quite content. Being by a fire sounds pretty comfy right about now... Then again, roasted marshmallows sound quite yummy, too. : )

Done in Photoshop this time. Have a great week everyone!

Illustration Friday: "Confined"

The weather has been pretty foggy and wet here lately, so that inspired me a little bit for my entry this week. The sun came out a little bit today, but it's supposed to rain all of next week. Being confined in the house during bad weather is no fun at all, and it can be pretty depressing for pets, too. I know my cat misses lying in the sun.

Done in Illustrator this week. I hope you enjoy. : )

Illustration Friday: "Renewal"

Here is my first entry of the new year for Illustration Friday. The topic is "renewal," which made me think of the mythical phoenix and how it rises from the ashes, completely renewed.

Made in Photoshop. I wanted to add a little more to this piece, but kind of ran out of time. Serves me right for procrastinating this week.

Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year. : ) See you next week!