Well, it is the 4th of July, and one of my favorite things about America is the National Park Service. Utah has an unfair amount of natural physical beauty, and Canyonlands National Park spills over with majestic scenery at every turn.
I did this tiny thumbnail landscape in the Needles District of the park on a spectacular day last October. If you haven’t taken advantage of the U.S. National Park system, you should, for it truly is one of the greatest gifts the government has given its people.

Here are a few doodles from my current s-l-o-w-l-y progressing sketchbook. I worked up the values in photoshop…
I find that drawing in low light can really help make for a more interesting drawing. Often if I’m drawing while watching TV, the lights in the room are pretty dim, and it keeps the sketching loose and very fast. It can be a nice exercise to help disengage your brain when you are thinking about things too much. The guy in the lower left hand corner could be Darth Maul’s pudgy, out-of-shape, underachieving older brother.

chirp. chirp. here’s my illustration friday “twist.”
as previously mentioned, i am taking an off-loom fibers class. last week we were shown netting. i decided to draw the loops and knots and what i remembered of the demonstration, and somehow the drawing turned into twisty, funny looking birds. (note: i then used the “live paint” feature of illustrator. if you’ve never used live paint before, you should try it. it’s fun to use and much easier than the traditional way of coloring up art in illustrator. it was a new feature introduced in cs2.)
also, if you want to make your own net, check out this page.

garage sale. this weekend. long island. favorite thing. sold. 3 dollars.