SHOP
Shirts are now for sale!
Not just shirts, but also hoodies and kid’s apparel!
Right now, it’s mostly cartoons from Peachtober.
But I have added new designs, including Kaiju Squid!
Apparel is available at both Society6 and TeePublic! The Kaiju Squid is also available as a print in my INPRNT shop! Check it out!
COMICS
In case you missed it, here are the comics from January!
“Action Panda” is also available as a shirt!
ART
If you recall from last month, I decided that this year I want to focus on my comic strip, anime-style and cartoon illustrations. So let’s see how that’s going…
I sketched a lot of cartoon poses. Alternated between anime-style, and cartoons like Teen Titans Go. (I don’t know how to refer to the latter, I’d say “calarts” style, but that’s usually used negatively.) So that was all good practice. I didn’t draw any full characters, I don’t think. I mostly just focused on general posing and then smaller details like hand studies. I don’t have any pictures to share because it’s mostly just scribbles in colored pencils.
But I did do some more complete studies this month that I can share. I tried acrylic paint markers again. I really like the way they look, but I still just prefer my ink pens I’ve decided. I’m trying ink and alcohol markers instead, like I used during Peachtober. My sister-in-law gifted me a large set from Ohuhu, so now I’ve got all kinds of colors to use!
A study of the art of Derek Laufman, done in Poscas.
A study of Spider-man. Done digitally in Procreate, using True Grit Texture Supply’s KolorMarc studio markers. They recreate the look of alcohol markers, which is so cool!
I decided I want to work on backgrounds a bit too, not just characters. Both are just so important for interesting illustrations. And even though I used to draw a lot of buildings and landscapes, the style was more realism than cartoon, so it’s worth practicing and figuring out a new approach. Plus it’s a lot of fun. I learned a ton in studying Hokusai’s landscapes, and I really liked working from Laufman’s drawing — I didn’t have to figure out composition or subject, but instead focused on how I would draw the same thing. That’s really all I mean by study — learn from the original but interpret it in a way that makes sense for how I want to draw.
A study of Hokusai’s print “Bai Juyi” done with my new alcohol markers!
Another study of Derek Laufman’s art. I just really like how and what he draws! (His inks are way more loose and expressive than how I’ve done it here, and this color palette is all me. haha.)
I created Kaiju Squid last month. I really enjoyed working on the buildings, and cartooning a squid! I often think I want to draw monsters and animals, but it doesn’t come up usually in my project ideas. So that was a lot of fun to work on.
For my comic strips, I was going to do an action hero illustration that was to be totally over the top, ridiculous and dare I say it “rad.” But when it was time to do a single-panel comic, I had no ideas. So I just borrowed the original concept and used Panda as my hero!
Comic strips are more challenging, thinking up a new joke. It usually takes a few days just to think of an idea, and a couple days to make it. It’s weirdly kinda stressful, and it’s the only work I do with a hard deadline. But it’s also usually the most rewarding, when I’ve made a comic that makes me laugh, which is why I keep at it.
For February, I think I’m going to try to stick with my current routine. I’d like to make one new illustration, do weekly studies in ink and alcohol markers, and do regular sketching. Hopefully I’ll start moving beyond pose studies and do actual character drawings. I also want to focus more on that “calarts” style I enjoy. But I also want to keep working on backgrounds too. I also have my comics to do, every other week. Next up is #50! Which is pretty cool!
It sounds like a lot, so I better get to work!
Thanks for reading!
Summer Child Designs 