LydMc

Happy Halloween! Halloween is almost here again, and you know what that means... costume pARTy! In case you missed the original  Halloween Costume Art , I like to commemorate the holiday by drawing various (often hilarious) costumes pulled from the latest costume catalogs.   Random Costume Assignment This year I enlisted my brother to help randomly assign costumes for my usual cast of characters.   Even though the costumes were completely random, a lot of them worked out quite well for the people who received them. 1st time is not the charm Once I knew who was who, I took some time to sketch out a possible plan. Ten people is quite a lot to fit into one picture, especially since I wanted them to interact in some fashion.  Getting ink A few preliminary sketches later, and I was ready to start inking. This is one of my favorite parts of the process, as it refines all the hazy spots and makes it look so official! Gibdo attack! (Bonus points if you get

Bird's Eye View Have you ever wanted to draw, but had no idea where to begin? This sort of creative block seems fairly universal to most any creative avenue (writing, painting, cooking, you name it), and one of my favorite ways out of this rut is to step back and do a little R&D.  When it comes to art, for me that means working from a reference. This not only gives your creative brain a break while still flexing the muscles, but also gives you a chance to study up, refine your skills and experiment with new styles.  Where can one find references like this, you ask? Pinterest, of course! Hey, fancy ladies! These fancy ladies were inspired by this  Fashion Photo  which struck me as soon as I saw it . I referenced the clothes, hair and postures of the ladies, but gave them to a few of my own characters instead. (If I really wanted to maximize the learning experience, I should have gone after that background, too, but... maybe next time!) Women's Fashion Sketc

Birthday Book Brownie! This  year's birthday cake was extra special because I got to share it with another awesome character... Dewey! I love a good book and this guy's no exception. I drew the little dude as part of my Leadership class project (a do nation station benefiting the local library) , and then made the cake in honor of Dewey's official debut. So what kind of cake do you bake for such a celebration of literacy? So we meet again... A book cake, of course! Or in this case, a book brownie. In the interest of fewer crumbs in the library (and because I make a killer brownie), I opted for a brownie cake instead of the usual.  Books & Brownies? Yes, please! A good tip for showstopping brownies? Doctor up a boxed mix with tasty extras like cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate chips. I also swap out half the oil for applesauce, as it's less oily and you can't tell the difference. Isn't he cute?? When it came time to decorate