olivia draws. sometimes.

I like to draw monsters and kids a lot. BG painter on Powerpuff Girls at Cartoon Network and children's book illustrator. Represented by Jennifer March Soloway @marchsoloway portfolio [email protected]

[oliviaaserr]

Nofret and the Bannu

Wanted to play around with flat Ancient Kemet perspective as well as more children’s ideas and designs :) 

[oliviaaserr]

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

[oliviaaserr]

Once upon a time I was going to submit to a queer erotica anthology and then realized I cannot draw porn. But I had a nice time drawing up some Romeo + Juliet-playing actors that actually fall in love and bone backstage. 

[oliviaaserr]

Happy Spring! Something a little looser while I was playing around trying to organize my brushes.

[rahdieh]

I was going to keep these to myself, but the initial character sketches by the brilliant @onceinwonderland of Mariko are TOO GORGEOUS not to share 🌸🔥🗡💕 #FlameInTheMist #reneeahdieh

[oliviaaserr]

This is a seriously cool project I'm working on with Renee for her new book, Flame in the Mist! I love me some crossdressing, fighting ladies, so how could I NOT be over the moon to work on this! <3

[oliviaaserr]

For the @scbwi Draw This challenge, which was love! I’m a child of chefs, so this is what love looks like to me <3

[weneeddiversebooks]

WNDB™ Mentorship program names ten recipients, will name two additional winners

The We Need Diverse Books™ (WNDB™) Mentorship committee is pleased to announce the selected applicants for their 2017 program. The ten recipients and ten award-winning mentors are part of the newly expanded program, which has doubled in size over its inaugural year. Additionally, two bonus mentorship recipients will be named, thanks to the generosity of young adult authors Kiersten White and Jodi Meadows.

The 2017 WNDB Mentorship winners include: Olivia Aserr (illustration), Joanne Wong (illustration), Kim MacPherson (picture book), Urania Smith (picture book), Sumayyah Beck (middle grade), Patricia J Miranda (middle grade), Maya Prasad (young adult), A M Dassu (young adult), Pamela Courtney (nonfiction/folklore), and Teresa Robeson (nonfiction). Two additional young adult winners will be named in the coming weeks. The 2017 WNDB mentors include a highly-acclaimed lineup of children’s book creators: Jane Yolen, Kevin Lewis, Carole Boston Weatherford, Padma Venkatraman, Alex Sanchez, Tara Lazar, William Alexander, Juana Martinez-Neal, Jessixa Bagley, Kiersten White, Jodi Meadows, and WNDB founder and president Ellen Oh.

Winning mentees and their mentors will spend the year communicating in a custom-tailored fashion. The program aims to foster talent by offering craft-based and informational guidance to writers and illustrators of diverse books for children and/or to diverse children’s book creators  by establishing relationships with respected industry professionals. Short biographies of each of the winning mentees and their mentors are published at http://weneeddiversebooks.org/mentor-bios/.

[oliviaaserr]

Hey guys, I'm one of the illustration mentees this year! I'm super excited to get started!

[oliviaaserr]

Happiest of holidays from me and my very hungry pup, Bonnibel! <3

[oliviaaserr]

Someday, you’re gunna be president.

[oliviaaserr]

I’m doing that thing where I draw the clothes I can’t afford because I love them so much.

These shoes are by an LA designer called Marais USA and I love them <3333

[oliviaaserr]

Originally this started as some concepts for a project with some friends but since we never took it anywhere, I played around with the characters for a new project :)

[oliviaaserr]

My apartment complex in Echo Park has the best colors.

[oliviaaserr]

My art has been getting a little loose lately, which has led to some fun experiments, so here’s one.

[oliviaaserr]

Aurora in the jungle from my Sleeping Beauty project.

[oliviaaserr]

So, to answer my previous question: How do I get the effects on my work?

PHOTOSHOPPPPP /sings

Honestly, I love Photoshop. Learn it, love it, cheat as MUCH as possible!!!! I like to focus on story and getting more work done, rather than rendering every little detail, so for me, finding the quickest way to achieve what I want is PARAMOUNT! 

The first on the left is the flat colors - nothing wonky. The rest are various layer modes. I think I mostly use overlay, multiply, and color burn. Some of the textures I paint on [I use a lot of Kyle Webster brushes! Best buy EVER], some are filters [like Add Noise], and some are stock textures from googling “watercolor texture”. The fun bits are when you color them they way you want to change moods, unify lighting, or bring attention to one feature. For example, the last version is one texture, which was gray, so I used my brush on the ‘color’ mode and just recolored parts of the texture: her skin was a nice reddish orange, her cheeks a hot pink, her dress a more teal-y blue, and her bottom half an orangey color. When I took that now colored texture, and set it to color burn, I got that effect. Most of the time I can fiddle with layer effects for EVER, so none of these are really ideal, but I think they help show off how most of the tools I use can be applied for different effectiveness and mood.

I hope this was helpful, I know I’m pretty useless, but I love me some photoshop so here you are.

[oliviaaserr]

I lovee your colors! Can I ask how you get all the effects on your stuff? do you color the light seperately or is it like a layer thing?? sorry if this is annoying!!! ^^'

I’ve gotten this question a few time in semi-similar wording, so I’m gunna answer this in a separate post now!

[oliviaaserr]

I made this before Christmas for my new niece, Amelie, and sent it off to her folks! I didn’t want to post it online just in case they we’re lurking around somewhere, but it’s well past holidays now, so here she is. :)