ramblings in between » illustration

art: little gifts from above

Sharon — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:42:08 +0000

My Labor Day Weekend was filled with clouds an rain. The good thing is, it cooled the ground so that this morning it actually felt like September.

I drew something yesterday, inspired by the incessant rainfall. I named her Dima, which means “downpour” in Arabic.

art: 3 hrs of sleep later…

Sharon — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:13:56 +0000

Last night I started working on pieces for my art show. Yes, my art show.

It’s currently set for January. So exciting. I won’t reveal the theme just yet, but you will most likely get an idea as I post more works-in-progress.

Check out more progress shots on my tumblr, as well as on Facebook.

life + style + art: beach retro

Sharon — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:12:42 +0000

Today has been a good day. I went to Johnson’s Beach in Perdido, Florida with all of my immediate family, minus my little sis who vacation plans of her own. Still, it was a beautiful day. I actually braved the Gulf waters for the first time since the BP oil rig disaster a little over a year ago. The water was cool, yet refreshing, and there was a continuous, cool breeze blowing the entire time.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to get in the water, yet I didn’t feel like styling my hair, so before leaving, I wrapped my hair up in this yellow, patterned scarf that I purchased a few months ago from ModCloth but had yet to wear. I also wore my Favela shirt by Threadless and some olive clam diggers that I hadn’t worn in ages, cuffing the bottom to give them an different look.

And I drew something, inspired by my turban, my sister’s glasses, and general surroundings. For example, those two girls in the background were actually there.

I see a few things I want to change about this. I’m going to to retrace the lines in Photoshop with my tablet and then color it.

Here’s a handy video of how I wore my turban, except I tied it a little differently (read: crappily). My mom said I looked like Lucille Ball while my sis claimed I looked like Rosie the Riveter. Cool beans. :)

*photos edited using Instagram.

art: Lauren + Dan (commission)

Sharon — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:53:36 +0000

So, a little while ago, during the latter half of last year, I got a message inquiring if I took commissions. I do, but I had not been advertising that fact at the time since I had been so busy with work.

Long story short, I ended up being commissions by a talented artist/photographer, Lauren Quinn Ward. She had very specific ideas about what she wanted in a portrait of her and her husband, and I was happy to be chosen to fulfill that need. I struggled a bit with getting certain details and the likenesses just right, but, overall, it was a great experience and Lauren was quite patient in working with me. :)

The final result is something we’re all happy with.

I also found out that Lauren has a business making the most adorable stamps. Check out Doodle Design on etsy.

See? Adorable. :)

news: artgyrl.com redesign

Sharon — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 03:55:14 +0000

My portfolio site (artgyrl.com) was in desperate need of a redesign. I mean, my profile page had my age two years younger than I actually am. I figured the top of the year would be an ideal time to get the new site up.

Galleries are updated and rearranged. I’ve tried to simply the selection, featuring illustration, sketches, and design. I will eventually add a gallery of my photography, but that’s a beast to be tamed another day.

I’m available for art commissions. It’s something I should definitely advertise more. If you’re interested, you can just email me at sharon@argyrl.com.

art: natural geek

Sharon — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:43:18 +0000

Just something I’m working on.

Apparently half the state is frozen (people in the South can’t function with icy roads), so it’s a pretty slow day.

Goals for 2011 (are we seriously in a new decade?)

Sharon — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:17:11 +0000

Another year has begun. I’m starting out with a lot of goals and aspirations. With the help of my big sis, I hope to have most of these accomplished. The main thing will be moving towards being a full-time illustrator. With that in mine, my main portfolio website (artgyrl.com) is in need of a major redesign. The galleries need to be updated and rearranged, primarily. I plan to launch the new site in at the end of this month.

I created a facebook fan page a while ago, but I’ve only recently begun to utilize it. Today, I uploaded 18 newer pieces to the photo albums there. Take a gander at what I created in 2010. I’ve added a link to the sidebar on the blog, also.

Today is the third of a four-day break from work for the second time in as many weeks. It’s a little disconcerting to be off for this long. There’s so much work to do, but with the muggy, winter weather, it’s easy to just succumb to the laziness and bum around the house. However, being a full-time artist means that I’ll have to be drawing even more and complete tasks in a timely manner.

So. I guess I’ll get on that.

—Regards.

art: “The Golden Stair Job”

Sharon — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:37:30 +0000

Pencil, Photoshop CS2

A bit of Leverage fan art that I actually completed beyond the sketch phase. Basically, it’s Parker as Rapunzel. She would rather cut her own hair and escape down from the tower than wait around for ~~Hardison~~ the Prince to save her.

I’m really happy with how the pose came out. Initially I planned on Parker having a darker colored dress, but I messed with the layers and ended up with a brighter, matte color screen, which I like.

I referenced the dress from clothes I found on ArmStreet.

art: Penny & Sheldon

Sharon — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:47:20 +0000

I’m woefully behind updating this place.

Here’s another piece of fan art I did specifically for a header contest:

The Big Bang Theory . Penny, Sheldon Cooper . pencil

An exercise in craftiness: Tea Party favors

Sharon — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:43:26 +0000

My sister held a tea at her home Saturday afternoon. I was supposed to help design the menus, but that sort of feel through. So, Friday afternoon, I was stuck with the idea to create some sort of party favors.

I started drawing Friday afternoon. I didn’t have a concrete idea, but knew that I wanted to make some sort of bookmark type things. After getting off work that night, I went to Dress Barn, because I still needed a dress for the occasion. Then I walked over to Michael’s, which is conveniently located in the same shopping center, to see what sort of supplies was available and hopefully get more inspiration. I bought three rolls of ribbon and a special hole puncher.

After I got home, I finished the drawings and scanned the art. Then I woke up early (for me) Saturday morning and printed out and assembled them. My mother helped with lacing the ribbon through them.

The favors were a hit, and I’m seriously considering making a variation of them available for sale at my Esty store.

I honestly haven’t “constructed” anything this involved since I got out of college, and it really felt good to do something like this.

Note: The first bookmark on the left was inspired by recent photos I had seen of Mae, aka Natural Chica.