mousewords ~ sketchbook

I am @mousewords, AKA Christine B. Taylor - writer, artist, survivor of carbon monoxide poisoning. Life is never boring! Here you'll find... my sketches, drawings, WIPs, and who knows what else. You can also find me on my original Tumblr as @Chrismouse, where I celebrate my hobbies, interests, and general geekiness!

[mousewords]

Doing some late-night storyboarding. I had a particularly intense scene in mind for my sci-fi epic, but words just weren't enough to work it out. So I wrote in my sketchbook, and brought out the richest, darkest Blackwing pencil I have - the Matte! It draws soft and loose, with darks comparable to charcoal. I usually like having more control, but for a scene with out-of-control emotion, the Matte was perfect.

One of my goals for 2021 is to storyboard more, so I'm getting a head start!

[mousewords]

This has been a heavy-duty art weekend for me - I've been busily working away at commissions and the biz side of the mouse studio. Last night, after I logged off from my art work, I wanted to unwind with some drawing. (Postal worker's holiday!) I'd read an article about an artist painting on location in extreme environments, and I couldn't get the Arctic setting out of my mind.

A very dear friend of mine, @deadwoodpecker , is planning an Arctic sequel to her gorgeously written The Peverell Dilemma. All I could think yesterday was how cozy Harry and Ginny could be in a tent charmed to protect them from the elements, watching the Aurora Borealis fill the sky all around them. Magical!

This was the first time I tried my new Strathmore colored pencil paper, and I am in love with it!! The texture of the paper is soft, smooth, and toothy enough to practically absorb the color from my rich Prismacolors; yet it's not such a deep tooth that I have to burnish the pencil color (rub it flat with clear or white pencils) to get the smoothness I love. I could play with the subtle texture, and let it shine in fabrics, snow, and weather-beaten skin.

I've been experimenting with Palomino Blackwing Colors, and they are amazingly comparable to Prismas in quality. They loved the paper, too - I used the Blackwings for my preliminary sketch, the fine details, and most of their hair.

I also used Staedtler pencils for some fine touches, but those harder, waxier pencils didn't care for the paper as much, and weren't as bold as I wanted for this drawing.

I'm excited to try more new art with this paper; and excited to read Arctic Peverell someday!

[chrismouse]

I’m at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TEXAS!, and I am overwhelmed with wonder!

[chrismouse]

Balancing Act - Copic Multiliners/brush pen on Moleskine.

~ chrismouse (AKA mousewords)

[chrismouse]

#Moleskine Concept art: I’m putting together a cast of characters for a series of miniature artwork. So far there are four fantastical realms that the characters hail from. This is Lily — her violet fins can frequently be spotted flashing among the waves near a particular tropical island.. ;)

~ @chrismouse, AKA mousewords

[chrismouse]

Filter evolution…

When I went to tweet a pic of today’s drawing, I realized the colors looked a bit washed out. So I brightened it up in my Aviary photo editing app, and added a dark border for extra punch.

That app has been supremely useful for visual development of my art ideas! I liked my new color choices so much that I went back and added extra colored pencil punch to the original.

Art imitates app!

[didyouknowmagic]

Disney Artist Spotlight: Floyd Norman

Floyd Norman for those that don’t know was a Disney artist (he worked both in story and animation) that worked on many of the classic hit films from it’s Silver age of Animation. And was the first African American Animator over at the Walt Disney Company being hired for Sleeping Beauty back in 1959. He has worked on such films like Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins, and his most notable film The Jungle Book.  Story Artist, Animator, Clean up Artist, Writer, he has done it all! That is just the work he has done for the Disney company to which to this day he still works from time to time as a freelance consultant. He also contributed to Pixar films such as Monsters Inc, and Toy Story 2 as a storyboard artist.  Floyd has really had a huge effect on the animation industry as a whole and has been a huge part of it in a ton of fields. Seriously check out his Imdb page, he has really been everywhere! Today you can still find Floyd Norman over at his blog Floydnormancom, as a columnist over at Jim Hill Media and over at AfroKids. 

[mousewords]

In July of 2019, I flew in to San Diego early in the morning to meet up with my brother and sis-in-law, for one whirlwind day at the San Diego Comic Convention. We hurriedly picked up our badges and bags, then went next door to the Marriott Marquis and Marina hotel restaurant for breakfast.

After a great meal in the crowded restaurant, I turned to leave, and found myself face-to-face with FLOYD NORMAN.

I COMPLETELY GEEKED OUT. I SPOKE IN ALL CAPS AND MADE NO SENSE AND SAID ALL THOSE AWKWARD EMBARRASSING THINGS WE REGRET LATER. Specifically, the first thing I said to Floyd Norman was, "It's YOU!"

He staggered back in mock surprise and said, "Are you sure? Who am I?"

I was so flustered I promptly forgot his name! And my own!

I got to spend an amazing couple of minutes with him after that, and he was so kind, encouraging, and cheerful, that I spent the rest of the busy day walking on air. To this day, my heart goes into flutters when I think of that inspiring moment.

[chrismouse]

“Color is equally important to the drawing itself.” ~ T. Hee

Being sick with a stomach bug keeps me frustratingly immobile; I can’t get much done (except post on Tumblr five times a day!!). So in an effort to find a silver lining, I’ve been using this day to read up on art techniques.

This quote from Thomas & Johnston’s “Illusion of Life” made me suddenly realize how LITTLE time I spend PLANNING the color I use in my artwork. Usually I start with a “look” in mind, and it evolves from there; but I almost never do a color sample ahead of time.

Part of that is efficiency; rather than spend time and resources on a concept sketch, I choose to get right to the main drawing, followed by the next one, and the next..

But there’s no arguing with the timeless excellence in early Disney animation. I think I’ll experiment with color samples, and see where it takes me..

[mousewords]

I still rarely do a color sample! I do plot the color in my head before I start, though. My pencils and paints are so familiar to me that I know exactly what they're going to look like on the page or canvas. Many, many times I've completed a colored pencil drawing in low light, just by knowing what my Prismacolors are going to do.

But just think of all I may have missed by not trying something new! I'm going to add color samples to my art goals for 2021!

[chrismouse]

Happy Hobbit Day, USA! :)

[chrismouse]

Art in progress: Proportions aren’t perfect.. but I have to leave in an hour, so re-do is not an option. Soldiering onward! Almost there!

[chrismouse]

Art in progress: Guess which movie I’m seeing tonight ;)

~ @mousewords

[chrismouse]

I love this paintbrush. This is the most perfectly balanced paintbrush in the history of paintbrushes. Together we can defeat this white space!

[chrismouse]

Starting in 1997, I meticulously restricted myself to four colors for all of my paintings: Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and white.

Discipline.

As soon as I could mix any color I wanted from those four standards, I allowed myself to incorporate a deep-dark Phthalo Green that came with my first set of Liquitex paints – but only as a treat, because I just liked the color. More often than not I found myself mixing the same shade from my standards at hand. But I almost NEVER allowed myself to mix in Black. I read that the most accomplished artists never used it, and I observed that darks in real life were much more complex. I strove to capture that without “cheating.”

Craft.

By 2011, I had reached the borders of what I could do with four colors, so I welcomed Black into the fold – not for mixing, but for bold statements of lines and borders and swirls. Step by step, I found my own personal style.

Identity.

It’s now 2014. Today’s trip to a Michaels Arts and Crafts store, with its unexpected sale on Liquitex paints, made me explosively aware of how much I long to loosen the laces on the disciplined life I’ve led, ever since I was a goal-minded teenager. I KNOW I can mix “Light Blue Violet” myself, but how amazingly inspiring to have it ready-made on my shelf!!

Today’s shopping trip pushed me into the first step of a brand-new era in my art:

JOY.

[chrismouse]

Creativity warm-up..

[chrismouse]

Is there anything going on in your life right now that could use a dose of encouragement?

Anything you need to stick with a little longer?

Maybe you need to hear someone say: “You are worth it. Those dreams in your heart are pure gold. You can do this.”

Because it’s TRUE.

No one else, ever, can give the world the gifts in your heart.

There is no competition.

[chrismouse]

I’m so tired I’m writing poetry:

The day settled into my bones, through my skin

I squint against the dull light Trying to see, I can feel Effort etching a line between my eyes

That feeling - You have Four dollars of expenses Five bucks in your pocket Use them wisely, one by one Pennies in a row

Three rooms to search, two matches for light

Bills to pay, money to burn Work and home and children and family Careful, too many words That gentle mental ice breaks

But I thought I had time for art budget for heart Gentle, gentle Step out

~ mousewords

[chrismouse]

I updated my iOS - so now I can play with fancy finger-painting apps, like ArtStudio Lite :)