the art & adventures of tracy durnell

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December 16, 2008

 

Follow through!

I tend, when I'm drawing, not to follow through with many pieces that could develop decently. I focus in on one part too much and get burned out, or move onto the next idea too fast. I thought I'd showcase a few drawings that didn't make it to the finish, but I think had potential.


This was supposed to be the centerpiece of a new layout. I've since moved on.


This concept kept getting trimmed and trimmed. The original idea was for the woman to be wearing a dress lined with ermine pelts, implying that this fellow might lose his head come winter when his fur turned white.

Got lazy, cut out the skirt. Then got ambitious again and tried to get rid of the black outline (e.g. on her face). Too much, gave up.



The bottom image shows my original intent, but I let it sit for a while and decided I didn't like the girl. Again, tried to get rid of the outlines and gave up. Let me tell you, I spent hours working on the gradient for that blue dress. And the fur! Maybe it was the third wolf.


I planned to paint portraits of the main characters in my Nanowrimo 2003 book (still incomplete...). Celeste never got past an outline and sketchy colors. Gee, I wish I owned that blouse though!


This one never made it past a concept sketch. I spent too much time looking for reference pictures and got bored with the idea. I've mostly moved on from drawing pictures of tortured angels.


This drawing features Satan and his wife Persephone. I spent so much time on the outline, doing the frame, pomegranate detailing on the couch, etc, that I didn't have the energy to color it, except a print-out with colored pencils, which doesn't do it justice:


I've been reading a lot lately from this guy that I really agree with: it's time to get down to business and make things. Hey, how many posts in a row is this? Six? Maybe things can change.

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December 15, 2008

 

Solstice Card: In Progress

Every year I like to make Solstice cards. This is what I'm working on this year:


I'm being really lazy with this one cause I want to get it out the door, so I'm using a lot of references pretty strictly. Here're the three I've used so far:




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December 14, 2008

 

Jewelry (Part Three: Classy)

Classy


pink garden necklance

victorian globe earrings
These should probably go in 'Victoriana' but I forgot to photograph them! I'll move them later maybe.

victoriana black and white
I've had these beads since I was 12ish, and have been waiting for the proper application - I think I found it!

grey freshwater pearl wrap earrings
These wrapped freshwater pearl earrings are for my Secret Santa.

double pearl set earrings

galaxy faux diamond brooch
I didn't make this but I wanted to show off my awesome antique mall find!

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December 13, 2008

 

Jewelry (Part Two: Eclectic)

Eclectic


classy beetle and weevil earrings
The long-nosed one is a weevil, the other is a stag beetle. These are my favorite earrings!

sterile bloom earrings
It's fun to mix pretty, classy metal components with funky plastic crap.

mod strangler
I love how this chain looks, but the squares are kind of scratchy! Maybe my neck is just tender.

bisaucer dangle earrings
These saucer wooden beads I've had for ages.

square and silver dangle earrings
Chain is the latest medium I've attempted to add. I can't do anything with that "rope" chain (no holes) but maybe I'll get there. Baby steps.

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December 12, 2008

 

Jewelry! (Part One: Brass and Mod)

I've phased into jewelry making as a main hobby. I get so tired staring at the computer all day at work that when I get home I don't want to even see my monitor. That certainly has cut into my digital drawing. But boy, someone keep me and my wallet away from the bead store! I've been having a blast.

Mod!


white twistily plus gold earrings

pink crystals
Sadly these are somewhat reminiscent of eyeballs.

owlies tall dangle earrings
I wore these today!

chunkalicious naturals necklace
This was wire-wrapping practice and will probably need to be redone.

Brass!


Ah yes, victoriana, steampunk, what would you be without brass?

mucha pendant necklace
The crown jewel...the pendant is vintage lucite with a print by my favorite artist, Alphons Mucha.

dainty cameo choker

turquoise 1905 dream earrings

redberry and brass dangle earrings

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December 11, 2008

 

Next Step!

The (nearly) final incarnation:


Just need to finish designing layout and coloring the metal bits (best for last...)! Only the left side of the picture will show.

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