Ballerswina (bal-uhr-swee-nuh)

Ballerswina
Originally uploaded by jpillustration

I don't do many drawings that are geared towards girls, so the colors in this (though largely leaning towards the gray end of the spectrum) were interesting to work with. I like to have some weight to my drawings, and most of the time what that means to me is dark tones. So trying to work with some pastel pinks and purples, I had to find other ways of bringing visual weight and interest. I think it handled pretty well in the end.

I feel like I've seen a ballerina pig somewhere before, probably in a children's book. So I looked it up. And realized that apparently it's not uncommon at all. It would seem dancing is a natural pastime for the swine population. I also found out that Albert Einstein once called ballerinas "athletes of God".

I think I might try my hand at a banjo pig next.

A work in progress

Portrait Work in Progress - Color
Originally uploaded by jpillustration

Hey guys - still there? I feel like I haven't been able to post too much of what I've been doing lately, largely for reasons along the lines of it's not my place to show at the moment or it involves larger things coming down the track. :) Plus, last week was filled with a ton of crazy fun birthday things. Like a trip to the NC zoo, courtesy of my wife, and a G.I. Joe birthday party complete with parachuting plastic men and cheap ping pong ball guns from the dollar store. And a lot of cake.

I don't normally do this, but I found myself at a stopping point where this kind of post fitted nicely. Usually, I work a sketch or drawing all the way to completion of color before I post it - rarely do I do a partially finished showing. Not because I don't want to - I just forget all about it. But tonight...I remembered. :)

This is a drawing that I started probably two years ago, and just picked it back up this past week to finish it. After topping off the linework, I started working it digitally, and this is where I'm at. I still have a good bit left to do, but I feel like it's looking mighty fine so far. (I feel like this guy would use that phrase "mighty fine" a lot...) (Click here to see the original linework.)

More later.