View From The Castle

Baby Bird Series

2009-06-19T12:26:00.006-05:00

These are four spot illustrations done in watercolor for note cards and bookmarks. The inspiration came from a friend's request to sell my art on cards in her retail shop. It's not that she was looking for baby birds. She just wanted to see my art on blank note cards.The idea just came to me to do a series, keep it simple and get them done quickly. Two out of three ain't bad. The quickly part didn't happen.

No excuses. I had the time to paint. But, I started thinking about the outcome instead of just letting the art flow. So, it was a lot of start and stop, walk away, come back. Once I was really able to let go ~ in other words, not think about how the art would look on cards, who would want to buy them, if they were market-viable, if anyone would like me, really like me ~ the art did just flow right out of my hands.

So, the art is ready to be manipulated in Photoshop using a border I painted a while ago, and laid out for notecards and bookmarks. A future post will announce where they can be purchased locally and on the web.

I'm actually glad the process went like it did. It was a great learning experience, and now I know how to approach any art I do in the future.

It is literally out of my hands.

Sophia's Orchids

2009-04-14T08:42:00.008-05:00

I've had a 16" x 20" canvas sitting in my studio for awhile just waiting for the chance to be something other than blank. With the urge to paint some fine art with a mission, an idea popped. When my dad and his wife got married some five years ago, I never got around to giving them a wedding gift ~ long story full of lame excuses. Anyway, since another toaster was probably not necessary and knowing that Sophia loves orchids, the inspiration hit. I know they have a house full of altensteinia and the like but I'm pretty sure they don't have an original painting of them. They have no idea this art is on its way. That makes it even more fun.

This was painted with acrylics, which I find challenging because they dry so fast, even with medium. It was also challenging to dissect the center of the flowers and try to mix colors that made sense (I'm a realist) but had some creative kick too.

All in all, I like the way it turned out. I hope they like it, too.

Chapter 5: Missing In Action

2009-02-20T12:50:00.004-06:00

This chapter was so long that it could've been split into four chapters. So much happened that it was hard to pick one image that would represent all the action. In the end, I decided to focus at the beginning when the LEPrecon police force realizes that Holly Short is missing, and springs into action.

Chapter 4: Abduction

2009-02-18T10:24:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I didn't get them all done this weekend. I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum on Saturday to see the Jan Lievens exhibit. Lievens was a friend and contemporary of Rembrandt, and used Rembrandt as a model in a number of his paintings. They walked similar paths during their lifetimes. The exhibit was awe-inspiring, as was the building itself ~ a stunning piece of architecture.

Chapter Books Can Be Fun

2009-02-11T13:30:00.000-06:00

These are self-assigned sketches of the chapter pages of the first book in the Artemis Fowl series of chapter books. I took a key sentence or two and used that point of reference for the chapter. Note: the passages highlighted below are © Eoin Colfer.

Top left: Chapter 1 - The Book: "She opened her knobbly fingers. Lying in her palm was a tiny golden volume the size of a matchbox." I did this sketch in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

Top right: Chapter 2 - Translation: "With a craft knife and ruler, he dissected the first page of the Book and reassembled it in parallel rows." I think the symbols on the dissected page were created by Eoin Colfer because they appear on the book cover and on the pages.

Bottom: Chapter 3 - Holly: "Holly Short had nut-brown skin, cropped auburn hair, and hazel eyes. Her nose had a hook and her mouth was plump and cherubic, which was appropriate considering Cupid was her great-grandfather." Holly Short is a fairy (an elf, technically) who works for a police force known as the LEPrecon.

There are nine chapters in the first book. My goal is to get them read and sketched by the weekend.

Catchin' Snowflakes

2009-01-07T10:56:00.001-06:00

Seven days before Christmas I finished this artwork for my greeting card. This was a long time coming ~ one of those labors of love that included some internal struggle. But, the good thing was that is was finally born. Too many times I think I focus on the outcome of the art ~ will it be good enough, should I have done this or that, etc. Once I decided to just let it be, everything fell into place and the art just flowed out of me.

This is a 7-3/4" x 10-3/4" colored pencil drawing on Rives BFK (my favorite paper), using Prismacolor colored pencils. I photographed the final drawing because my new multi-function scanner/printer proved that you get what you pay for. Because the snowflakes weren't white enough on the shot, I painted them with a Photoshop paintbrush to brighten them up.

Since time was limited, I sent my greetings out electronically. No one complained, some people raved, and the purpose of spreading joy was achieved no matter what the delivery method.

The farmlands of Wisconsin and joys of catching snowflakes on my tongue when I was a young and carefree little kid were the inspirations behind the concept.

Change of Focus

2008-11-21T10:35:00.001-06:00

Planning for 2009 is in place and in the process I've decided to suspend my CafePress store. I just don't have the time it takes to develop and promote the art and products necessary to make the store successful. So, it became a necessary and logical decision to close the store for now.

I will still offer prints for sale through my website, but product art won't be available unless I decide to go that route again.

Back To School

2008-09-03T14:59:00.001-05:00

There's something about the first day of school that I find inspirational. Maybe it's all the new shoes and cool backpacks that I see running across the park toward the doors of the elementary school across the street. The kids have a new-found enthusiasm and it's contagious.

The summer was good ~ perfect weather and plenty of time to spend with my college-age girls. Now, that they're off once again learning and experiencing new stuff, I can focus on drawing and painting again.

So after a little summer sabbatical, and thanks to the little kids across the street, I'm back at the drawing board and anxious to continue to produce new artwork. Currently, I'm working on a colored pencil drawing that will be this year's Christmas card. I also have a garden-themed watercolor in progress that will probably be a birthday present. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the finished pieces.

I hope the cooler temperatures and the cute little schoolkids give you some inspiration to dive into whatever you find fun to do.

Summertime and The Bloggin' Is Easy

2008-06-27T11:07:00.000-05:00

Spring 2008 is now officially behind us. And so is the blog header that defined it. The plan was always to change the blog header to reflect the season. So, here's the summer version. Since this art is done digitally, it's a little easier because the base art is in place. All I had to do in this case was draw the leaves on the branches (where there were buds) and paint in Photoshop.

I find Photoshop to be the greatest tool ever invented for artists and illustrators. I love traditional processes, and my concepts and drawings are always done by hand. But, it's great to be able to scan the drawing and paint in Photoshop to test color palettes and light direction before actually taking a brush or colored pencil in hand. It's not that I don't still make mistakes as I'm painting the final piece but I have a much better idea of my direction and the mistakes are fewer.

As a Photoshop instructor, I would encourage artists to learn this software and expand their creative processes.

The Design Side

2008-06-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

After receiving a number of requests to see my design portfolio, I've started a blog just for that purpose. I've run that business under my legal name for twenty years. I still dabble in graphics when asked to do so. If you'd like to take a look-see at some of my accomplishments as an art director, feel free to visit The Design Side. I can be contacted for both illustration and design at my website.

A Little Bookmark

2008-05-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine had a vision. She saw herself as an Indian maiden on the high plains, pointing beyond the Pleiades constellation at the pink sun that was the center of the solar system of her home planet. When I heard the story, a visual interpretation came to mind almost instantly.

I knew she had a birthday coming up so I thought a personalized bookmark would make a great gift since she's an avid reader. The result is my vision of her vision. The finished piece is 2.25" x 7", rendered in colored pencil.

The challenge was to figure out how to render the prairie grass in the foreground. After some test runs, the best technique for achieving what I wanted was to use a x-acto knife to scrape away the color on the dress and legs. Then, I used goldenrod, yellow ochre, sand and cream in single strokes to get the wind-blown grass effect. I used very little burnishing in this area.

Working on this project was so much fun. As usual, I was in a zone every time I picked up the pencils. And, because of the size, it didn't take very long. But, the best part was the kick I got when I imagined my friend's reaction to getting this gift a month after her birthday had past. I'm looking forward to spreading that kind of joy on a wider scale.

King City Studio

2008-03-21T10:10:00.001-05:00

Well, it's the first full day of spring and there's no better day to officially launch my website ~ www.kingcitystudio.com. It's a nice little window with a view of what I can accomplish when I sit down at the drawing table.

It took some time for me to come up with a studio name. Most illustrators use their own names for their URLs but my name is so common that those domains were grabbed up a long time ago. I came up with King City Studio because my family is where I live. There are so many of us that we could make our own city. A couple of weeks after I settled on the name, I found out that my grandfather was born in King City, Missouri. So, it all fits and feels right.

I've put in a lot of time to get to this point ~ some might say too much time. But, I was designing and building the site while I was creating new art. And, it was a lot more time-consuming than I anticipated ~ especially when you throw in all the stuff that needs to be done in your regular life. Like take care of your kids. And, work at your regular work. And, install new bathroom fixtures (yeah, I did it myself).

Of course, I couldn't have done this alone. I'm forever grateful to my friend DeGaull Vang, a great designer and cool guy, for showing such great patience in working with me as he programmed my site.

I'm happy to be where I am. I checked my south-facing front garden yesterday and even though there's still snow on the ground, the tulips are emerging. It's just another sign of good things to come.

Not My Usual

2008-03-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

Here's an illustration that I produced for the Oneida (Nation) Appeals Commission (OAC). I worked with Addie Sorbo of Strawberry Fields Design on this project. The project was a newspaper-style flyer that presented and supported the position of the Appeals Commission on an important issue of government power within the tribe. The OAC's position supported individual rights and due process while the opposition attempted to use executive powers to make laws that would exempt them from participating in established protocol ~ much like the Bush administration's executive power grab and circumvention of the Legislature. The issue was to be decided by the General Tribal Council.

My assignment was to develop a political style cartoon that represented the OAC's position and desired outcome. This is not my usual genre. I'll admit I was a bit intimidated at first but I've always been intrigued by a challenge and I knew I could do this. After a brainstorming session with tribal lawyers and the Chief Judicial Officer, I went to work on a couple of concepts and they selected the one that best represented their position.

My daughter was kind enough to model for me - on her 17th birthday, no less. I couldn't have done it without her. The ideas pop in my head and my quick sketches help me to visualize what I'm thinking. But, I tend use a lot of reference materials to pull the tight drawings and final art together. We headed off to take some research shots in front of the Jefferson Building in downtown Green Bay. The shots for the second concept were taken at home with makeshift costuming and whatever I could find for props. She was a real trooper.

This was a great opportunity with a great outcome. The General Tribal Council voted in favor of the OAC, effectively giving tribal members the right to challenge their government. And, the client was very happy about the work that both Addie and I did on their project.

A big shout-out goes to fellow illustrator Robb Mommaerts for sending Addie my way when he didn't have time for this project.

Images/content ©2007 Ann e.King and may not be used without written permission.

Snowed Under In Madison

2008-03-12T09:55:00.001-05:00

Even though illustration is my main focus, I still dabble in graphic design when the mood hits me or the opportunity presents itself. And, recently the mood hit when the opportunity presented itself.

Madison photographer and long-time friend Keith E. Katers had a brainstorm in early February. Madison was closing in on a record-setting snowfall, and Keith wanted to seize the opportunity to commemorate the occasion. He asked me to develop a design based on his photography and produce an image that would appeal to the hearty survivors of Madison's Winter 2007-2008. The bonus was his suggestion that we place the image on products that sell through my CafePress store ~ www.cafepress.com/annieking ~ and in doing so, bring some exposure to the other art I have available there. The result is the design you see here, "Snowed Under In Madison".

This was one of those designs that seemed to flow through me. I pretty much did it on the fly with very little preliminary sketching. The snowflakes were drawn in Illustrator. Then, I brought those into Photoshop, combined a couple of Keith's shots of Wisconsin's State Capitol building and used filter effects, layer effects and other techniques to reach the final look.

Once the design was finished, I uploaded the art to CafePress and applied the design to shirts, hats, coffee mugs and other products that were suited to our market. (More about CafePress in an upcoming blog.)

Keith handled the media relations and ad placement through his company, Media Arts. In addition to ad placement in Madison's hip newspaper, Isthmus, we also reached out to university students through The Badger Herald, advertising in print and online. Keith produced an e-news press release and distributed it to local news sources, posted it on kiosks and hand-delivered it to various offices, including the mayor's and the governor's along with product samples. We also blitzed our personal email lists, blogged and "facebooked", doing what we could to get the word out about our venture. And, we're not finished. As long as the snow's on the ground and forecasts call for more, we will continue to promote our design.

I'm so grateful that Keith not only asked me to join him on this adventure, but also, suggested it as a way to bring more attention to my illustration work. After years of being friends, it's great fun to work together. I'm looking forward to more collaboration.

Welcome

2008-03-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. Whether you've found this forum through my website or through a search engine, I hope that you find the information here to be helpful and interesting because that is my goal.

As I move forward on this winding path, I'm realizing that the littlest things can give me the greatest inspiration so I'll use this forum to spread the word. And, maybe someone who reads it will be inspired to take a leap of their own. There will also be portfolio updates for commercial work and gallery updates for fine art. And along the way, I'll write adventure stories that chronicle the people, projects and experiences that will influence the direction of my career change from graphic designer/art director to artist/illustrator.

Expect to see success stories. I do.