Daily Creation Challenge #30 and last!!!

For my last challenge I wanted to do something that I was supposed to do months ago. I finished the final business card comp for my cousin's craft label. It's a comp, subject to improve. She makes awesome handmade jewelry and accessories. I am not sure that she has a website but if she does I will update the post.

And now I am "free". But I have a very tasty project lined up next. I will be making illustrations for a friend's website. Will keep you updated!

The daily challenge has been an awesome experience and I have been thinking in other types of challenges to do next. I will leave it for 2012, since I will leave for a couple weeks and go home in Spain, and will be very busy with the holidays. Also, my brother has asked me for a drawing to put on his gaming stick and that has to happen before the wise men day!


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Daily Creation Challenge #29

Challenge #29

Merry Christmas! y ¡Feliz Navidad!

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Daily Creation Challenge #28

So... I was thinking to make a nice looking Alice in wonderland piece and many people liked the last illustration I made of Alice. So I decided to make the rabbit as a reflect of Alice. I think I will put them together in a image and color the whole thing. Sounds like a good mini project.

This is the Alice I was talking about:

Click to enlarge

Ok, only 2 more challenges to go! I can't wait to finish and feel as accomplished I think I will feel.

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Daily Creation Challenge #27

Challenge #27!! I can't believe that I made it this far! 

This is a piece that Diana Torres and I made together. She is a very good friend of mine and an excellent artist. She created the idea and the line work I applied color to it. It was super super fun! Diana and I need to do this again for sure. 

Here is an animated gif with the main steps that usually also means the main layers. Photoshop CS5 :)

~You may have to click on the image to see the animated gif~

Thanks Diana!!

PS: I am wearing my new DC jacket and smells so good! I was not meant for the snow but I really wanna use it on the snow!

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Creation Daily Challenge #26

I have the pleasure to show (at last) the cover of the book Antonio Cartier and I have made. We won the 5th Children's book contest of Fundación Progreso y Cultura in Spain. The price was some money and the publication of the book! We both are pretty excited.

As os now, they are printing about 500 copies and they won't be for sale. Instead they will donate the books to kids in events for children. I think that is wonderful. Don't despair though, We are thinking on other ways to publish the book and make it available for everybody. :)

The book is about a round kid named Otto that moves to a Square town and he has some trouble to fit in at first. But hey! We are all different but we are all the same after all! Right?

Well, and here it is! Introducing Otto!

Daily Creation Challenge #2-24

This is so weird. I am really tired. Anyway, closer to finish the challenge!
Photoshop CS5

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Daily Creation challenge #2-23

I really would like to be at the beach right now... it feels like it's going to snow in any minute here in Chicago. 

This is a quick rendering of a sketch I did last summer. I tried to make it look nice but no time to spare today. Making this piece reminded me of my summer themed oekakis. I miss those.

Photoshop CS5

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Daily Creation challenge #2-22

My first video of my painting process.

Enjoy!

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Daily Creation challenge #2-21

I just finished the lettering for the book Antonio Cartier and I made. We won the V annual contest of Fundacion Progreso y cultura in Spain. Check soon for new updates in how to get a copy of the book :)

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-20

 I just felt like doing something fun. I had a blast doing the challenge 17, so I wanted to use the same technique again. I am getting faster and faster every time. Also inspired easily, and this is good news since is the purpose of the challenge!

I also wanted to participate in this week's Illustration Friday. The topic is "Brigade", I thought that this character is part of a brigade during WWII but she is not very disciplined! She looks boyish because she was trying to fool the officers to enroll pretending to be a boy. She did make it in! 

I made it with Photoshop CS5, 1 h and 9 min. I know, because I made a video of this one. I will post as soon as I edit it.

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-18

just a late night sketch.

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-17

- Click on image to enlarge -

And here it is Enyo for Laura Garijo. Enyo is one of her original characters and her first BJD that she made to sell. Enyo is soooo cute! Check her website at www.lauragarijo.com

See the Sketch and previous post about her character 

I tried to make an animated gif in Photoshop, not the smoothest thing in the world but there is only 20 min left till midnight and I needed to submit my daily challenge!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-16

This is a watercolor demo I did for the class Objects, Fashion and lifestyle Illustration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was an awesome experience, I talked to the students about my job as an illustrator and art director and showed them one of my approachs to paint a handbag. It was really enlightening to listen to fellow artists and get to understand how it feels today to be about to graduate. I think it was a good talk for all of us. 

In broad lines, I first sketch, ink with watercolor, apply big masses of color and work out the values. Texture is last which was applied with colored pencils. I can't wait to go again!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-15

"Recuerda que ambos teneís el mismo rango. La lucha de poder sólo os hará débiles"

He hecho esta ilustración para Tortuga Blanca. Es parte de una serie de dibujos que ilustran frases de la tortuga blanca. No olvidéis echarle un vistazo a su web :)

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-14

I really wanted to participate in a illustration contest my friend Laura Garijo put together. The prize was one of her wonderful Enyos, a BJD designed by her.
I was very busy finishing a children's book for another contest and I couldn't make it. Good thing I won the children's book contest!

But I was bummed I never painted my version of Enyo. And here it comes the sketch!

-----
Para ti Sakuli! No podia esperar a terminarlo para enseñarlo asi que aqui va el bocetillo!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-13

STEP 6: FINAL ADJUSTEMENTS

6.1 Realize that it's been feeling like saturday since Thursday... It is indeed awesome.
6.2 be ready to finish this thing
6.3 Add some adjustment layers on top of all the layers. Mine were:

6.3.1 A pattern layer to add some texture to the whole illustration (I used a pattern that I made with acrylic paint)

6.3.2 A photo filter layer with a Warming filter (85) to unify the colors a bit and also to make his face a little warmer.
6.3.3 Levels layer to push the darks and make the illustration more vibrant since the colors were a little washed out.

6.4 Sign and sing
6.5 Be proud.

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-12

STEP 5! COLOR!

5.1 Eat a turkey sandwich with stuffing for breakfast, you'll thank me later.

5.2 Time for vampires. Rent or get a movie on demand about vampires!

5.3 Add a Multipy layer on top of your other layers and add some more values and color.  

5.4 Create a new layer on top in normal mode. I sometimes paint it all on that layer, like it was acrylic or some times I  create two or three to be safe or just to look at the progress at end because it's fun to do.
I just started to create my own brushes with textures and it's super fun. You can emulate pretty much every technique, but acrylic-ish looking brush it's probably the easiest to get right.

5.5 After two layers that is what I made. Just about done.

Check out tomorrow's final chapter for the final adjustements!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-11

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

and happy step 4!

4.1 Get up late

4.2 Don't have breakfast

4.3 Don't have lunch

4.4 Do drink some water or gatorade, I don't want to be responsible if you fainted for not eating... 

4.5 Paint something on your computer to not think in the turkey that is coming soon!

4.6 Add a layer on Overlay mode and give some color that will indeed overlay on the values you already created. Set the layer to a lower opacity if it ended up being too bright. This was my layer:

4.7 Go and enjoy some good turkey and sweet potatoes, you should be very very hungry now!

Yummie!

Enjoy!

PS: If you don't live in the US or don't celebrate Thanksgiving, go and make yourself a turkey deli sandwich! It counts.

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-10

STEP 3!

3.1 Add Gradient layer on mode "color". Like this:

3.2 Add a Color layer underneath the previous layer on mode "multiply". I played with the opacity until I was satisfied with the results. My layer looked like this:

3.3 Go and eat a cookie!

Step 4 is coming soon!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-9

STEP 2!!

2.1 Create a Multiply layer on top of the layer with your sketch.

2.2  Bored already? Go to the kitchen and open the fridge.

2.3 Realize there isn't anything you wanna eat right now.

2.4 Close the fridge.

2.5 Go back to your computer.

2.6 Shade your illustration thinking "value". It doesn't have to be perfect, it will help us to color the illustration without losing the overall illumination.

Step 3 tomorrow!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-8

STEP 1!!

1.1 Watch Twilight and The Walking Dead in the same night. 

1.2 Think about vampires. 

1.3 Make your sketch. I made mine in a really small piece of paper like 2.5"x 1.5" (about 6 x 4 cm), because I feel less intimidated by small surfaces, ha.

Don't be afraid of shading and leave lines everywhere because we will cover them or we might leave them to add some handmade effect.

Step #2 tomorrow!

PS: I am eating the most delicious Spanish meatballs ever!

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-5

Another drawing from yesterday's live figure drawing session. :)

Same, 45 min pose, pastel and conté pencils on charcoal paper

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-4

Figure Drawing for today's Challenge! 45 min pose, pastel and conté pencils on charcoal paper.

I loooove going to figure drawing! 

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Daily Creation Challenge #2-3

I am making a little guy!!

Pez in cage. Daily Creation Challenge #2-2

Trying the Blogger app for Iphone...

Daily creation number 2 of the second run!! So, 2-2. I missed Sunday and I had to start over, I was out of town and I completely forgot. I posted No 2-1 on my Fb :)

Daily Creation Challenge #7

Taurus, an earthy horoscope sign

I made this one with an old Sketch that I made last year but never colored. Not sure I love it... but works for the daily challenge :)

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Daily Creation Challenge #6

 I did these tattoo designs for my very good friend Brittany. These are my interpretations of the Dwennimmen,  an african symbol of 2 ram's horns coming together. It a symbol of humility together with strength. The ram will fight fiercely against an adversary, but it also submits humbly to slaughter, emphasizing that even the strong need to be humble. (Source)

Enjoy!

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Daily Creation Challenge #5

For day 5 I have created some acrylic textures for photoshop brushes :)

Something simple but necesary. I usually don't use textures on my Photoshop brushes but I want to try! 

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Daily Creation Challenge #4

Daily Creation Challenge #4

Lately I am pretty happy. I feel free!

As promised, today something more fun. Lately I have been triying to get back to my roots, to when I drew and painted just for fun, so I thought of making something mixing the lolita series I made in 2007 (http://fav.me/dtwelw) and my fascination for Alice in wonderland. I love drawing lolita... I wonder why I haven't done in so long! For being a drawing for the daily challenge I am pretty happy. I plan to color it and fix some drawing issues, but that will be tomorrow: not only Daily creation day but also Project Night with my boyfriend.

I wanna paint this one soon!

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Daily Creation Challenge #3

Day 3!!

I did this one while I was watching The walking dead... not really related to zombies. I used reference, but no tracing. Photoshop CS5. About an hour  or 2 ... with zombie distractions included!

Tomorrow something more fun.

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Daily Creation Challenge #2

Second day!!!! yey!

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Creation challenge. Day 1. Creation #1

I have been really busy creating illustrations for a children's book with my friend Antonio Cartier. He wrote the story and I made the illustrations. I have to say that is was a heck a lot of work, but it was worth it. I ended up going on a bender for 36 hours, (secretly I am kind of proud that I could manage so many hours awake without crashing. It reminded me to college days!). The book was made for a contest, we hope to get a prize! we have turned the book in today, and we will find out in a month or less. I am really excited. I wish I could show something but the work has to be unpublished ever, so I will keep it secret for now.

The day that I finished I went to a live drawing session with a fellow illustrator and we had a blast. I hope to take a picture tomorrow to what I did. I would like to go next week, it was so relaxing and great. Definitely going again.

But what this post is about..... is about creating! I was so busy creating that book that now that I am done I feel I can do so much with my day that I have been doing so I decided that I am auto-enter in a auto imposed challenge.

The challenge is to create 1 thing a day and post it. very simple. The goal is to get a combo of 30 creations. If I miss one day, the count starts on 1 again.

ready? go!

This is #1 creation! a minidrawing of my original character Pi.

#1. Pi.

What have I created today?

 I have painted one sketch I made in 2007, retrace it, and painted it.

Bring it on Saturday!

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Fashion doodle

I was doodling and suddenly got inspired by a friend's fashion show that she put together some time ago. I love the styling she chooses for her models! You can check out her Facebook page and give her a like! Envieux Style

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Doodle 02

A fun doodle before going to bed.

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Manga doodle with Sai

The summer is about to end! Not cool! xD

First time doodling with Paint tool sai... I have a lot to learn! But I like so far. It does remind me to Open canvas quite a bit.

I really felt like doing something veeeery manga. Easy and without meaning, just for fun, like I use to do when I was in High School, when illustration was a hobby and not my career. HA, Funny. I indeed enjoyed painting this piece.

Since I use to paint a lot of beach girls when I used to paint with Open canvas back in 2002.... It just seem appropriate!

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Coffee mug!

It was my friend's 30th birthday and I decided to get her a mug from Starbucks so everybody could sign it at her party so she would have a nice "souvenir" from her own birthday. It just happen that when I get there the mug didn't come with the porcelain pen! oh no! I had to take it bag and I painted it all myself. Gave it to her yesterday, she liked it!

I learnt quite a bit from the porcelain painting, harder than I thought. But it was fun!!

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Doodle 01

Just doodeling. I was watching "push" on TV. Very very good photography.

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Mole sketches 01

Fashion sketches from my Moleskine sketchbook

Yesterday I drew and painted quite a lot.... I loved it :)

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IF: Cultivate

Work in progress.....

This is tribute to the work of two friends of mine that have been working very hard to teach how to cultivate veggies in a greenhouse in a small village in Africa. They are having some good progress, and soon will go back to Africa to keep building up the veggies and the hope of the people in the entire village.

Full post to follow :)

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Help Japan. Donate!

Please collaborate to help Japan. A little donation will make a difference. 

I will give for free this poster to anyone that wants to use it to promote fundraising for Japan. It would be kind of you if you let me know. But it is all free to use.

I've already donated.  Have you?

Post relacionado en el Blog de Antonio Cartier - Como ayudar a Japón

Cualquiera que quiera usar este póster para ayudar a recaudar fondos para los damnificados en Japón puede usar estos pósters de manera gratuita. Estaría bien si me pasaras un link a tu blog, pero son libres de uso

Yo ya he donado. ¿Y tu?

Japan Relief Donations

 Save the Children: Emergency Relief for Japan Quake
www.savethechildren.org/japanquake
Toll free: 800-728-3843
Text JAPAN or 20222 to donate.

 The American Red Cross: Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief
www.redcross.org
Text REDCROSS or 90999 to make $10 donation by text message.

 Salvation Army
donate.salvationarmyusa.org
Toll free: 800-SAL-ARMY
Text QUAKE or 80888 to donate $10

 International Medical Corps
www.internationalmedicalcorps.org
Text MED or 80888 to donate $10

 Doctors Without Borders
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

 Global Giving
www.globalgiving.org
Text JAPAN or 50555 to donate $10

 World Vision
www.worldvision.org
Toll Free: 888-56-CHILD Text 4JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10

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