Baroness Quick Sketch

Here is another one of my favorites from the most recent batch of quick sketches. I haven't seen the gi joe movie, don't think I will either but I do like her character.

More Quick Sketches

I guess I lied when I said I wasn't going to do anymore quick sketches for a while but I have so much fun doing them. Also they relieve alot of stress. I haven't forgotten about my commissions, I'll be uploading the progress of those soon. Hopefully I can get back on track tomorrow (-_-). Here is Asajj Ventress Quick Sketch (^-^). Enjoy!

~Sherry

Sister Gaia Commission

Here is one of the commissions that I'm working on. This is Sister Gaia, she is a marvel character that I've never heard of though. The final version will be in color. Here is the rough draft so far.

Quick Sketch 4

So this is the last batch of quick sketches for at least a couple days I think. They are very fun and I don't have to care about making a perfect drawing. But for now I better get back to commissions and other art works otherwise I won't make it to Baltimore Comic Con on Oct. 10-11.

So for now I'm working on some commissions and more completed art work. I will upload the progress of those within the coming days. Thanks once again for stopping by.

~Sherry

Frustration + Mary Jane Quick Sketch

So I've been frustrated lately for various reasons that I'm not going to get into. I have various commission that I've been trying to finish up as well as new art work to sell this week but I have not gotten around to finishing everything and I wanted to show it here. I will when I finish them. I think I planned to do too much art work this week and maybe thats one of the reasons why I'm overwhelmed (-__-) Anyways please enjoy the mary jane quick sketch.

~Sherry

Quick Sketch 2

I'm having alot of fun with these :)

Jubilee above and elektra below.

Quick Sketch

So it was like 4:30 am this morning and I was sketching a little bit. I probably should have been in bed at that time but I felt guilty because I had not drawn at all the previous day. I've seen other artist doing quick sketches on colored paper and decided to give it a shot. Sometimes its nice to draw quick art or any quick artistic thing for that matter. Blackcat is above and Storm is Below. I had some Scrapbook paper lying around (no, I don't do scrap booking. I use it for drawing on.) I did these quick sketches with pencils, markers, and pastels. Enjoy.

~Sherry

Putting things in Perspective

So you know that saying that tv rots your brain or whatever? I suppose that is true in some cases if your not learning anything from what your watching. With pretty much all the programs I watch it puts different things into perspective for me so I don't feel like it necessarily rots my brain or anything. I tend to watch a couple dramas a week not alot of them but some. Usually the themes in the drama may have themes of abusive household, handicap individuals, homelessness, and more. When I think about it these things happen all the time to people around us and even people we don't know. It makes me extremley grateful to God that I don't have to go through such things that people everyday have to go through. I'm thankful that I can walk and see the many beautiful things around me and I have a roof over my head. I know sometimes we take things for granted and do not realize our true potential until its too late. For these reasons I feel like if we have a talent such as drawing or music, etc. then we should use it to out best potential and work really hard. I know sometimes we have bad days but if we can at least get up and try again then thats all that matters. This was just something I was thinking about recently after watching a Japanese drama called "Beautiful Life." The main character was a female who was wheelchair stricken. Even though she had this obstacle she was really positive and happy. I kept thinking to myself while watching this show was "she must have a tough time with just simple things like going to the movies or going to a restaurant, etc." So thats why I started to think about the theme "Putting things in Perspective."

~Sherry

Etsy

If your looking for a place to sell your homemade items and art works I suggest using: http://www.etsy.com/index.php

Deviant Art Portfolio

So I came across this pretty cool section of deviant art called deviant art portfolio. From what I understand its a place to show case your best work so if you have a editor who wants to see your art online it could be beneficial for you. I have not used it yet but I think I will sign up for it in the future. Check it out: http://portfolio.deviantart.com/

Sketch Card Process Final

Well here they are, the color versions. When I work in color I work from light to dark. I used prismacolor markers and sharpies for these. I mostly use sharpies for my darker tones in each sketch card. I used sakura white gel pen for highlights, outlines, and corrections. I hope this walk through was helpful for you.



From left to right: Gambit, Angel & Psylocke, Vision & Scarlet Witch, Buffy, Gaildriel, Medusa, Maris Brood, Jaina Solo, and April O'neil



From left to right: Arwen, Denna Troi, and Supergirl


Thanks for stopping by once again.

Sketch Card Process 2b

Hello. Well I was able to get up at a decent time today. Woke up at 10am, I'm proud of myself. Here are the inks for the other cards as promised. Like I said in the previous post I use micron 1 pen and faber-castell f pen for inking. I tend to fill in my large black areas during the coloring stage but you can do that during the inking stage if you want. I also forgot to mention previously that I tend to correct my pencils as I'm inking so sometimes my 1st initial pencil sketch doesn't look exactly the same as my inks. Hope you like them.



In the 1st picture is: Jaina Solo and Maris Brood.

In the 2nd picture is: Scarlet Witch & Vision, Angel and Psylocke, Gambit, Buffy, Deni Troi, Medusa, April O'neil, Galdreil, and Arwen


Thanks for stopping by once again. I hope you can find this small tutorial/walk through helpful.

~Sherry

Shortcomings & Sketch Card Process 2

So I was originally going to post the inks of all my cards so far to continue to show my process but I also wanted to say something on shortcomings in general. If you have a shortcoming that you are aware of then why not tackle it head on. One of my short comings directly involve this post. You see, since graduating Kubert School last year my sleep schedule has been kind of screwed up. The work load was so intense there that you had to get everything completed or you would fail. I would stay up until 3-4am getting assignments done just to have to get up at 8am to go to school. It was very demanding and I've seen that it has followed me even since school has been completed about a year ago. These days I do the same pattern I don't go to bed until 4am-6am in the morning which is really really really bad and then when I try to get up at 9am or 10 am it just does not happen and I end up getting up at 4pm which pretty much kills half my day when I could be doing something constructive.

Basically I want to change this pattern. So I'm going to make a better effort to get up at a decent time. I want to get up before 11 am. I think thats fair enough since I'm a freelance artist and I can create my own hours but I also have to be responsible. I wanted to post all the inked versions of the 12 cards I was working on but because of my sleep pattern it didn't happen, sorry! I do have 1 inked card to show you and 12 rough drafts. Anyways lets try to get back into the sketch card process:

Side note: I tend to ink directly on top of loose pencils. I forgot to mention this in the previous post. In all honesty you should try to ink over tight pencils so you'll be less likly to make a mistake. I'm personally pretty confident in my loose pencils to ink on top them so I guess its all a matter of preference of what you would like to do. So for my inked sketch card I have Supergirl. You can see the pencils in the previous post. I used Micron 1 pen for the thin outlines and a faber-castell f pen for the thicker outlines. I'm using a simple inking style for these cards. Kind of like a mucha style.



Between Thursday and Friday I will show you the remaining inks for the other cards pictured above and the color work (final process). The penciled cards (shown above) from left to right is: gambit, angel & psylocke, deena troi (star trek), april oneil (tmnt), buffy, maris brood (star wars), arwen (lotr), scarlet witch & Vision, Medusa (marvel), Galderiel (Lotr), and Jaina Solo (star wars)


Thanks for looking.

~Sherry

Sketch Card Process Part 1

Good Afternoon.

As with my pinup art I also get asked how I do my sketch cards.

The Process:

Its not much different then doing pinups or something like that other then the fact that you are working smaller. I start of with 2.5 x 3.5 inch Bristol board cards. These have rounded corners. I buy these online in packs of 35 for about $5 a pack I believe. They can be found here: http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/fantasyart/aceoblanks.php

I gather reference online or in magazines/books and lightly sketch the drawing on the cards in pencil. I use bic mechanical pencils, you can buy these at walmart. You can see the sketches above. From left to right is: Arwen, Gailderiel, Maris Brood, Jaina Solo, and Supergirl. Next up will be inks. I'll try to upload those tomorrow and I will probably have additional inked cards along with the ones shown above.

Side note:

Commissions are open, you can check out my rates here: http://raccoon-eyes.deviantart.com/journal/22243399/


Thanks for stopping by :)

~Sherry

Constructive Criticism vs Being Cruel

Its true that not all people are going to like your art, trust me I know first hand but that does not give anyone the right to be down right cruel and mean to you weather its to your face or behind your back. There is a difference between constructive criticism and and having someone say to you that “you just suck.” It also doesn’t make any sense to me for someone to say that they think someone’s art sucks just because they don’t like the artist’s style or type of work (ie: manga style, cartoony style, hyper-realistic style, pencil sketch, ink sketch, quick sketch, color sketch, etc.). Something like that is simply preference and not a reason to tell a artist that there work is terrible or awful.

Its funny, about 3 years ago during the summer when I was on break from Kubert school I had gotten my very 1st commission. I was so excited and honored that someone thought I was good enough to pay me for something I love to do. The commission was for a Sequential Page of Blackcat where she transforms to a centaur. I worked really hard on this project and was very proud of myself. The client was very happy with the final result and so was I but I still wanted to get a critique on it. I knew just because I thought it was my best work thus far at the time it didn’t mean that there were not problems with it such as anatomy, backgrounds, etc. (You can see the image below, its from 2006. Please excuse the poor scan.) I posted this particular piece on a forum to get critiqued, I was ready for the good points as well as the bad points. When it came down to it no one bothered to give me critique accept one person. And that one person did not even give me a critique at all other then saying that He or she thought the overall drawing was basically awful.




At the time that comment didn’t bother me too much because I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but now when I think back on it it does bother me a little. That comment was just mean and pointless and was not a proper critique. Who are they to say such a thing? Are they even a artist not that it matters? If the drawing was so awful then why not say why and how I could correct the problem with the drawing. Why not give a good point for every bad point of the drawing to balance out the critique. Constructive criticism is telling a artist where you see a problem with a drawing and giving them a suggestion as to how to correct that problem. The drawing couldn’t have been all that bad if the client was happy with it as well as countless other people who “favorited” the deviation on deviant art.

I’m not going to get down on a past experience like that but the reason why I started to remember that situation is because I see similar scenarios with other artist all the time where collectors, “fan boys”, and other artist are just down right mean and cruel to some artist and it bugs me. Its even worse when some one criticizes your work in public and then expect you to produce “so called” better work. Why not speak to the artist privately about their work in a professional manner?

Basically one of 2 things can happen when you get criticized for your work, you can throw in the towel and give up or brush of your shoulders and get back to the drawing board. I recommend the latter of the 2 choices. I’m pretty sure any artist you will talk to will have had experienced something like this. There is people out there who wouldn’t mind helping you out with a constructive critique and there is others who are just basically a$$holes for what ever reason. Who knows, maybe they are just jealous? It happens. You know what your capable of with your drawing skills. If you feel like your ready to push you art to the next level then go for it. If you feel like you need more practice with anatomy for example then do your research. If your not sure what you need to work on or not work on with your art and feel like you want a honest yet good critique then try to get one from a respectable source, maybe a teacher, or your favorite artist, etc. Surround yourself with positive people and with artist. If you don’t have artist friends in your area then there is plenty of artist online who would be more then happy to share ideas with you, give critiques, etc.

I’m going to close for now, thanks for stopping by! If you have questions or comments please feel free to let me know. These blogs I post are my own personal opinion but I do believe strongly in them. At some time I will discuss getting portfolio critiques at conventions by artist in the industry.

~Sherry

How do you Color your Art? Part 1

Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon Prismacolor Marker Tutorial
Feel free to download to get a better view of this tutorial.

This is my 1st tutorial so please bear with me ^_^
If you have a question or comment let me know.



I often get asked how I color my art work. I found a old chibi drawing of Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon and decided to color it and better yet I decided to do a tutorial. I'll be the 1st one to tell you that I'm no master colorist or artist for that matter, I have so much more to learn. I don't mind helping out other artist, we help each other out right. I hope you can find this useful.

Another reason why I decided to make this tutorial is because I don't see much prismacolor tutorials online. I often see copic tutorials which is cool but not everyone has copics. I personally can't afford them right now. I mean $300++ for a small package of markers that I will be replacing constantly, are they serious?! I'm not trying to knock copics, or anything because I have used them before and they are really nice but they are just too expensive for me right now.

This tutorial consists of a simplified coloring style because its a chibi drawing and I wanted to keep it simple. I'll upload more tutorials in the future where I use mixed media which really helps in conserving expensive art supplies. Future tutorials will have other coloring styles I use and slightly more complex drawings with normal figures and possibly backgrounds and stuff.

When I first started using markers 2 years ago it was like a foreign language too me. I had no idea what I was doing and when people tried explaining to me how to use markers it was like rocket science to me. I just wasn't getting it. lol At that point I figured it would be best to just teach myself and experiment with different medias. I would often look at tutorials online and study other peoples coloring and I still do that now. I was finally able to come up with something that worked for me.

If your interested in taking Sailor chibi chibi moon home with then please send me a note. It will be $20.00 with free shipping in the USA. International buyers add $5.00 extra. I accept paypal.

Thanks for looking ^_^

Going to Baltimore Comic Con

I just mailed out my payment for my artist alley table for Baltimore comic con which will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center on 10/10/09 - 10/11/09. I hope they receive the payment on time because I was told that the tables are almost sold out.

If your going to Baltimore Comic Con please stop by and say hi. If your interested in a commission to pick up at Baltimore Comic Con then I can arrange that for you.

You can send me a email here: sherryleak@gmail.com

So I never been to this convention but I keep hearing good things about it. Have you been to this convention before? Do you have any tips, comments or suggestions about this convention? Please let me know if you do. Have a great day!

~Sherry

How Do you Get into the Sketch Card Bussiness?

So, I often get asked "how do you get into the sketch card business?" In my opinion, getting into the sketch card business is very similar to getting into the comic book business where its all about who you know and word of mouth. One difference between sketch cards and comic books is that it is slightly easier to get into sketch cards, in my opinion.

I know that we as artist may tend to be shy and keep to ourselves but its a really good idea for us to interact with other artist especially. We can help each other out, bounce ideas of each other, and who knows in the future we could be working side by side. I'm sure most people are aware of the site http://deviantart.com This site is really good for those of us who do not have a website yet. On deviant art you can keep a online gallery of your art works. Believe it or not there is Art Editors on deviant art as well as various other sites. An editor can check out your gallery easily online and possibly give you work. Also when you start to create correspondences and friendships with other artist on deviant art or any art related site for that matter you could possible get work through "word of mouth." Who knows; perhaps a friend of yours on deviant art will refer you to a sketch card editor to receive possible work. All this holds true for other art related sites such as: http://scoundrelpublishing.com/spart/index.php and http://www.nonsportscardforum.com/index.php to name a few. These 2 forum based sites specifically deal with the art medium of sketch cards. There is so much useful information on these sites such as job postings, sketch card charities, upcoming sketch card sets, and so much more. Some Sketch Card editors tend to come on these forums from time to time as well, so this is another opportunity to possibly get work.

There is also another way to possibly get work doing sketch cards but does require a little bit more effort. Honestly I would just type out the email address of the Sketch Card Editors that I know off here but I don't want to get in trouble. Therefore I'm going to show you a method I used to get into contact with sketch card editors. I'm sure you heard of Companies such as-

Upperdeck: http://www.upperdeck.com/

Topps: http://www.topps.com/

Rittenhouse: http://www.scifihobby.com/

These companies usually produces sets of cards that feature sketch cards. What you can do is go to each of these sites and look for the "contact us" link and send each company a short and professional email just stating that you would like to get in touch with a art director that deals with sketch card artist. 9 times out of 10 you will get a reply back after the 1st email. If you don't perhaps you can try back within a couple of weeks. I would recommend not to send out too many emails back to back to a company because that could appear unprofessional. Spread out the emails, the editor could be busy at the time. I would say if you don't hear anything back after a 3rd attempt then you can move onto to a different company.

Tips:

*Please be sure to have a place online to display you art work weather it be a website, deviant art, or even a blog. Now a days everything is done electronically and editors would prefer easy access for viewing your artwork.

*Draw, Draw, Draw. Make sure you have your best and most recent work showcased on your site.

*If you get rejected by a company or they just don't email you back don't let it get you down. Move on to a different company. You can always try back later. Who knows, maybe it was not meant to be and perhaps you can find better work elsewhere. This scenario happened to me actually. I was bummed out at first because I did not even get a rejection notice from a particular company, they just never emailed me back after I showed them my sample work. I later got over it and I'm now getting consecutive sketch card work with another company.

*If your submitting sample work to a editor for a Marvel Comics Property then you going to want to send them Marvel Characters sample work and not Dc Characters sample work and vise verse. This goes for any set your applying for. Also I would recommend not to send too big files, just keep them at a decent size unless they say otherwise. If the editor asks for attachments and not a link to your online gallery then its in your best interest to do so. You don't want them to over look you art because you didn't follow instructions.



Lastly I thought I would share some of my sketch card work with you. Since 2008-currently I have done 3 official Sketch Card Sets. My 1st set was Marvel Masterpieces Series III (2008) with Upperdeck. You can see some sample work above. I was extremley nervous working on this set but I managed to get through them. The 2nd set was Archie Comics Sketch Cards for the March of Dimes Fundraiser (Spring 2009). I found this job through Scoundral forums, the link is above.




My 3rd set was Legends and Lore with http://www.sadlittles.com/ This set was also being advertised through scoundral forums. Note- The Legends and Lore Card sets are currently available for sale with a variety of sketch card artist on this set. If you would like to reserve a set then please check out sadlittles.com



The Next Sketch Card Set on my plate is Dean Yeagle's Mandy. I will be contributing 56 Cards for this set, please stay tuned.

I believe this covers the majority of it as far as getting into the sketch card business. I'll update this post if I can think of anything else. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to let me know by leaving a comment here or send me a email: sherryleak@gmail.com

Ah, yeah I forgot to mention. . . in the case where there is a new sketch card job available and I get the ok from the art director to do so then I will try to post information about that job along with the editor's email address here in my blog and/or on my deviant art page in my latest journal http://raccoon-eyes.deviantart.com Thanks for checking out my blog. I hope this information was useful for you.

P.S. I have 4 x 6 sketch card prints of my latest work for sale at only $5.00 each, send me a message if your interested: http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff125/raccoon-eyes/Prints%204%20sale/

~Sherry

$5.00 Print Sale! Come and get them.

$5.00 Print Sale with Free Shipping and Handling:

I'm going to start offering Prints and other goods for sale. There is a sample image below at 4 x 6 inch (approx.) Glossy Limited Edition Signed Prints. I have 20 of each and they are only $5.00 each with free shipping. International buyers please add $2.00 for shipping which will cover any amount of prints you buy. Send me a message if your interested in a print.

1st Post!

Hi! I decided to start up a new sketch blog where I will be displaying my art work and possibly discuss various topics. I'll try to keep everything Art and Comics related. I'm going to make a effort to post something everyday so please check back often.

I decided to enter a International Manga Compition which is being hosted by Kodansha Comics from Japan. More information can be found at the following link:

http://e-morning.jp/mimc/open/english.html

I encourage all artist to participate. The grand prize is $5,000.00. 2nd & 3rd place receive $2,000.00 each. As a bonus you may be published by Kodansha Comics. They are the largest Comic Company in Japan.

The character designs can be seen above. These are the main characters for my sequential pages that I will be submitting to the contest. I'll post the sequential as I start working on them.

Thanks for checking out my blog.

~Sherry