Saturday, November 26, 2005

Illustration Friday: Small


I don't know what the heck that little guy is riding that ladybug... some sort of cross betwixt an elf and a fairy, I guess. I just know he's a little guy; has to be to be able to put a bit in a ladybug's mouth. Apologies to those bug experts who know better... I didn't have any source reference for the bug... Know she/he's probably all anatomically incorrect. Oh, well.

18 comments:

Jim said...

Very cool! I like this alot. What did you use to create it?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for including the detail! I also like your bitsa fairy - he looks mischievous:) The bug's anatomy looks good to me - although no expert :)

valerie walsh said...

it looks great to me! love it!

Ellen said...

Now that's small!!!! I like it!

Twisselman said...

Thanks for the comments, all. Jim, I usually start with a sketch, scan it, and adjust the brightness and contrast so that the paper white is easy to select with the magic wand in Photoshop. In Photoshop I select the background white, delete it, make the remaining sketch the top transparent layer and start filling in with color on layers below the sketch. I usually keep a separate layer for each color, so I can hit it with airbrush tools for dodging and burning (highlights and shadows). Usually try for some texture in the far background (using other photos posterized and heavily filtered; noise added). Maybe next week I'll put step-by-step images up for the submission.

Anonymous said...

hey, do what you think!
Don't worry about anatomically correct, they'll live! Your illustration is the best.

andrea said...

I'm glad you explained your process because I, too, was curious. Very clever take on the theme -- and you have a very strong and distinctive style! (beetles of all kinds: good choice for subject matter! :)

JacqueLynn said...

Great illo and thanks for explaining how you draw, always interested in how people work and always helpful. Great look.

carla said...

I think you've invented a new insect! I think this is fabulous...the smooth surfaces add to the dreamy fantasy quality, and the fairy/elf's expression adds a touch of naughtiness. I like this very much!

Anonymous said...

great illustration. I love how vivid and 3-D it appears. I especially love the elf.

Rick Lovell said...

Nice job! Just a quick hint on your Photoshop workflow...you don't need to eliminate the background white in your scanned sketch; just move that layer to the top and change the blending mode to MULTIPLY...the white becomes transparent.

Tony Sarrecchia said...

Very cute. I love dreamlike quality to it.

kate said...

The ladybugs detail is incredible!

Dorkus Americanus said...

You're very talented. This is awesome. Do you teach? I want to learn how to do stuff like this!

Kay Aker said...

Magnificent ladybug and such a great means of transport.

Dana S. Whitney said...

Small, but hardly insignificant!
This looks like one tough elf, and that beetle may not have been much of a "lady"... ! I like the shading and background interest, too.

Unknown said...

Nice!!

Paul Tuller said...

wow - beautiful piece! I like the lady bug!

I'm big on digitally coloring in photoshop but I wasn't sure on how to make the colors below the ink layer, THANKS!! I want to go an expirement!