June☀Secret Sketches (perhaps one of my favorites)

Hey there! I think this is one of my favorites because it represents the wide variety of the projects I'm working on. 

I haven't gotten to touch my sketchbook, or traditionally paint something in some time, which used to affect me more but it's weird how I've gotten used to it. In art school, I felt like it was a sin if I wasn't regularly using my sketchbook. But I've found so many other outlets for my sketchbook-energy, and I'm lucky enough to have projects (like tattooing, and a new book I'm working on) that exercise that part of my brain. I also use the program Looom, which I have talked about in previous posts, that allow me to have fun when I have the time (and little energy) to draw for myself, just for fun. I also find myself wanting to spend my non-work time not drawing, rather doing my other hobbies. This paragraph is a bit of an aside, but I thought I would include this just in case anyone else is struggling with sketchbook guilt. 

Let's get into some explanations! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Image 1: crops from a page of assets I'm working up for a one-color book project which I've been told I cannot post on social media until it's announced. I'll share what I can here, but it's going to have to be very vague. I'm really rejuvenated by this project because there's so much creative freedom and the drawings themselves can be more in my style. I'll say it's a biological nonfiction book, so definitely up my alley (and maybe yours too)!

Image 2: another fully lined and colored spread from ARDEN HIGH: King Cheer with the ~catty twins~ Gabe and Rae (Goneril and Regan from King Lear) who are, to nobody's surprise, inspired by Team Rocket's Jesse and James. This was directly written for me by the authors when I was designing their characters. I'm discovering that cheer montages might be my favorite thing to draw so far...aside from the mushy gushy stuff, which is my ULTIMATE favorite. 

Image 3: nothing to say other than it's zooplankton drawing time just for fun 

Image 4: Aquatic doodles on Looom (the background color and first drawing color are chosen for you--this always guides what I decide to draw using this program. It's really neat)

Images 5-6: Tattoo stuff! The fish are for me and my own leg, maybe? I pulled three fish from an old sketchbook page and darkened the black...I like how loose they are opposed to the more refined trout I drew on the bottom directly on procreate. The snails are for another client. I provided two style options to them, and we decided to go with a stylized snail (the bottom one is likely the final stencil--we might switch the shell to the previous design). And finally, a little forest-themed Kewpie for another client! I love love love designing tattoos, so this is like my off-time. It doesn't feel like work at all. 

And hey! thanks for all your questions (and feedback) on my last post regarding my ask-me-anything. I can't wait to answer them. :-)

-JG