Category Archives: Workshop

How long has it been?


Posted by Skye

When I was in Manila I was hoping to start sketching again, and on reflection I really don’t know why I didn’t. I had all the time in the world in those wonderful six months of non-working bliss :) I do know however, that I sat for about 1 hour with my shiny new sketchbook in front of me the other night trying to pluck up the courage to make that first mark on paper.

After I’d found the courage I needed, I started with the eye on the left. You can tell that’s where I started because I got it wrong! Haha. But with the absence of an eraser, I persisted in trying to cover up the mistake. I’m quite pleased with the outcome. It’s not great. It sort of reminds me of the animals I was drawing when I was in the 7th grade, but it’s a starting point.

Once I feel comfortable with using the pencil again to draw cats (which for some reason I always found easier), I’ll move onto the felt-tip pen (which I always preferred using because I love the results) and other more “difficult” subject matter.


Holly Berry Part 2


Posted by Skye

A while ago I started a new drawing of my cat Holly Berry. A lot has happened since then, but I have started working on the drawing again. These kinds of pictures are a test of patience for me. I love the end results, but they take forever as I decide where I’m going to start colouring, shading, and drawing individual “furs” – and then deleting and deciding the approach isn’t working. But they also help me to get perspective on colours and tones and shapes.

One of the things I love about Holly Berry is that she’s got such beautiful colours in her coat. The white sprinkled all through it makes it seem like she’s going grey prematurely, but she has the funniest little kitten face and these really pretty tans and browns. Also, she has these cute little white paws (which won’t be appearing in this drawing) and one solid black leg (the others are a patchwork of colours).


Childish reflections


Posted by Skye

When I’m sick, I always catch myself thinking that the severity of my “symptom” is not as bad now that I’m older, but lately I’ve decided that my symptoms might be just as bad – I’ve just had plenty of years to get used to them when they pop up. Why do I mention this today? Because I’ve been sick!

And in the process of being sick and reflecting on my experiences as a child, I’ve been thinking about those cool things I used to do in infant (grades k-2) and primary (grades 3-6) school around arts and crafts. Things such a lino printing, screen printing, potato stamps… finger painting…

And then of course, the activity that inspired the 60 minute sketch… coloured paper, black oil pastels and a stick!

I decided venture down the path to find the colours in my life by reflecting on the things I used to find really enjoyable when I was younger and applying them in the digital space. So for the above image was created in Photoshop (and using my trusty webcam), with a mix of brushes, filters, and colour filters.

I feel like I’m a teenager just discovering Photoshop for the first time, but how excellent is that feeling?