rlh illustration @rlhillustration - Tumblr Blog

I’ve been working on the Facebook page for my illustration work this evening.

Got the logo and cover photo sorted, so I guess it’ll be time to make it active soon! May be happening this evening in fact, I think I just need to add some more bits of information and it’ll be good to go.

#personal #art #illustration #facebook

A new start?

I have been very inactive with art in general, and to be honest I don’t think I’ve properly drawn anything for myself since before starting University 6 years ago.

It’s really disappointing and frustrating. University completely sucked out all of the enjoyment I had for drawing, and it became just a chore rather than something I did because I enjoyed it.

I am still working as an illustrator and graphic designer at a global healthcare company. It’s an excellent job and I’m doing ok. But after a day of drawing and designing it can be hard to want to draw anything in my spare time.

Drawing is like the one thing that I am good at, and it’s really disheartening to not be able to make myself do it.

I have been doodling around recently, and have worked on some drawings in the recent past that I’m still proud of and still want to show.

I did some work on a new logo and watermark, and some work towards some post templates that I can drop images into. So hopefully I’ll be able to coerce myself into posting some things soon.

I have a decent amount of ideas that I’m pretty excited about starting, and although I’m currently still not in a brilliant place, I do seem to be building up a bit of steam behind drawing things again.

Hopefully I’ll be able to draw a line under the past few years, and take this opportunity to make a new start and actually start doing things again (and hopefully actually enjoy drawing again). Things may be off to a slow start, but I think things are starting to look up a bit at least.

#personal

I think I failed at the thing. That's annoying.

I'm sorry :<

#oops

Digital inking progress

I tried a few different methods (sketchy, very even and regular, painty-ish) but I have ended up going with something quite similar to my old way of digital inking, which is annoying :/ ... even though it does have a slightly less regular quality to it, which I'm glad about.

I guess I can't come back to digital work in goodness-knows-how-long and expect to invent a whole new style that looks amazing right away.

I'm slowly getting there on this picture.

#rlh illustration #Rebecca L Higgins #bladebandit #digital inking #todays progress

As I was unable to join Chris at target shooting tonight (my back is still not quite 100% yet) I've finally had no excuse to not draw and have been working on my half of a long overdue art trade with bladebandit on dA.

(I seem to have forgotten how animals work, just ... don't even mention anatomy. I'm sorry. I'm trying to just enjoy drawing this, and pointing out it's flaws will not help)

This is the first, non-work related, drawing I have done this year. I'm always worried about starting pictures, I procrastinate for so long and get really stressed about it, usually ending up not starting it forever and feeling really awful about it. It's terrible :c

I have decided to try to do between 30 minutes to an hour of drawing a day. It's not much of the day, and not too difficult to find time for at some point.

I just think that if I spend a month worrying and only thinking about doing some drawing, then that's 0 hours of work done. But if I do just 30 minutes a day then that's 15 hours of work at the end of the month, that's most likely two whole finished drawings that I like and am proud of!

I will try to stick to this, and post my progress as I go. That will encourage me to have to stick to it. I will allow myself the exception of evenings where I am out doing things (dinner, cinema, birthday party, etc) but do expect a little tumblr photo posty most days :3

#Rebecca L Higgins #bladebandit #sketch #todays progress #rlh illustration

Trapped Nerve In My Spine

That's why I've been absent all this week.

Just as I decide to draw some pictures and make a cosplay and do some exercise, I get an agonising back condition meaning I can't even sit up for any amount of time for days and days :c

I've been off work all this week as well, which is annoying as I've only been there 2 months. But it was impossible to work at all, even from home. I had been unable to sleep at all on Monday night, the pain in my hands and arms was just awful, it was like being electrocuted through my hands and travelling up my arms and into my back.

Before I went to the doctors on Tuesday morning I did try to work. But for those three hours it was about 20% drawing, and 80% screaming in a home office. So that wasn't exactly wildly successful :<

I had been panicking that the pain in my hands wouldn't go away. Hand injury is one of the worst fears for an illustrator I'd say. But it seems to have subsided, it's just my back that's killing me now.

There were a lot of things I wanted to do this week, it's typical really ;^;

#Rebecca L Higgins #work #illness

My new office cushion is creating a hostile working environment!

I saw this cushion online and couldn't stop laughing at the odd randomness of it. Chris surprised me with it as a 'congratulations on your new job' present c:

bought from ohhdear.com - design by Laura Gee

#angry cheetah #ohhdear #laura gee #work

Back from The Netherlands!

I bet no one even realised I was away!

... Well that will be because I was there for 5 hours! Home => Airport => Plane => Airport Meeting Room => Plane => Airport => Home

It was good to be involved in the meeting. I felt like a proper part of the design team even though I'm not making any presentations yet. The plane was delayed for 2 hours(!) on the way out, so we didn't get to talk about the illustration I've been creating for the last week in 'any other business' as we had run out of time, but that's ok.

Oh yes! That reminds me, I haven't been very active recently. Sorry!

That's because of an important illustration I've been working on. It will be a main image in an upcoming brochure and other literature, plus being the training material for new sales people for understanding the technology used in the products!

Scary, but kind of cool. I just hope they like it. It's being looked at by R&D tomorrow. I hope all the lab people think it shows what's going on well! ;o;

#Rebecca L Higgins #rlh illustration #work #netherlands

Illustration Issues - #2

How do I draw simplified line drawings of this cleansing foam, moisturising cream and hydrating gel ... with out at least one of them looking like a poop?

.______.

#work #illustraton issues #simplified line drawing

Work Trip to Sweden

So glad to be back home. I have been away most of this week in Sweden on a trip to see the factory that creates the products for the healthcare company I work for.

There was also a rather important meeting about an illustration that they wanted doing for training materials. It will explain the technology used in one of the products and is kind of a big deal, so that was quite nerve-wracking. I had done a lot of sketches of different ideas, and fortunately they really loved one of my images, so I will just be able to work on that without worrying about coming up with multiple ways of showing the inside of the product.

All I did while in Sweden was go back and forth between the hotel and factory in a car, so I didn't really get to appreciate the country at all. It was hard to capture the pretty coloured wooden houses and the snow. It would have been lovely to be able to take some proper pictures. Maybe another time.

(sorry for the bad quality photos)

#rlh illustration #Rebecca L Higgins #work #sweden

Chris: What are you up to?

Me: I'm trying to sketch ideas for next week (they want illustrations showing the 'dual core technology' in the pads) but its hard when I don't know exactly what the layers are made of and what they each specifically do.

Chris: Dual core is normally 64nm silicon ;)

Me: -_________-

#rlh illustration #Rebecca L Higgins #work #I'm not talking about computers #I'm talking about things you wee on

D&AD 2013

Along with 4 other students, my work was chosen by my University to be featured at The Old Spittlefields Market in London for the 2013 D&AD show. D&AD only feature the work of students who have just graduated, so this was my only chance to ever be in this event. I would have preferred it if they had used my finished final piece (the 3D Chimera made of printed and folded card boxes) but this is still great.

There was so much wonderful work there. To be honest I was super jealous. But then again it’s the best work from each University around the country that gets featured, so I’m not surprised that everything was amazing!

I hope I get to go back next year and see my very talented friend, Liara K Crane’s work up in the Plymouth booth! :D

#rlh illustration #Rebecca L Higgins #Illustration #lion #chimera #d&ad

First Day

A slightly more personal post, but very much related to my art I'd say.

I completed my very first day at my new job as a professional Illustrator and Graphic Designer at an international healthcare company. It makes a nice change from being in the food service industry: At least I get to sit down.

But in all seriousness, it was a pretty good day. I was scared to begin with, but the specific office I am in only has 7 people, so it's not too overwhelming.

Although next week I will be pitching some new logo ideas after a meeting in London, with some pretty high up people from the US branch of the company (the European and American logos are different at the moment, they wanted a new one to be used by both). And then I'm off to Sweden the week after for talks and meetings and a tour of the manufacturing facilities! Ah! Exciting! ... But scary! .. .... but exciting

Ah!

#Rebecca L Higgins #rlhillustration #work

Here is Doogie all finished, framed and ready to send off to be someone's lovely Christmas present.

Oh dear, my poor pencils though! The F, B, 2B and 6Bs from both of my sets of drawing pencils have been reduced to barely sharpenable nubs now. But I am rather proud of both of my recent portraits, and as long as the recipients are very pleased then it's worth it! Hehe.

Progress and Close-up Photos