Summer Fun

Well... hi. That was an unexpected hiatus. But a necessary one. Being as it is summer, I decided to cut back on my computer time so I could complete my summer bucket list, which includes a lot of traveling! I also decided to do more than sketching and start playing with different mediums of art, and boy, it was fun! Some things just HAVE to be captured in color. So, enough rambling, here's some art from this summer:

I have a how-to-paint-with-acrylic book by Jerry Yarnell that I've been using. It breaks done dozens of paintings into step-by-step instructions, but I jazzed them up a bit to make them my own. And sorry for the lousy scan!


I went on a road trip to Utah with my mom and sister and we visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. It's absolutely breathtaking! Heck, we even went on a four-mile hike through Arches' Devil's Garden and saw about five different arches! We also got really interested in Southwestern art, which I've been trying to replicate on my won in pastel. It's a style that uses a lot of shapes and shadows... purple shadows. We also went to the Thanksgiving Point Gardens and I drew part of the Secret Garden area with Prisma color pencils.
I love National Parks.
My sister and I made a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where we saw an albatross up close! Did you know that some albatrosses can have a wing span of 12 ft.? That they fly like hang gliders and hardly flap their wings? That they can fly for three days straight without eating and sleep while they fly? That they don't land, but crash-land? That if one lands on the prow of a ship, it's considered good luck (I guess it would be, if they always crash-land)? Needless to say, I was having more fun reading the information plaques and watching the sea life than anything else.
My mom recently gave me a J.W. Waterhouse book, so I've been trying to replicate his style, too. I noticed that Lord of the Rings artist, Alan Lee, takes after him a bit, too. So, I drew Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled" in the Waterhouse style and used his piece "A Mermaid" as a reference.
And finally... Harry Potter. Oh, you better believe that I was one of those people who dressed up (I was an Auror and my sister was a Death Eater), went to the midnight premiere, brought TWO wands, my own Marauder's Map, glasses, a Gryffindor scarf, Quidditch goggles, a Harry Potter sketchbook, a brain chock full of anxiety to see the epic final chapter of the Harry Potter saga happen before my eyes, and bawled at the end (which was weird... I never cry during movies). And boy, I LOVE IT. That's the understatement of the century.

I LOVE IT.

I've been rereading the books this summer to relive this awesome story. As can only be expected from so much Harry Potter-ness, he and a bunch of the characters have made their way into my sketchbook. I've been playing around with different designs for Harry, some closer to Mary Grandpre's version, some more like Daniel Radcliffe look-alikes. I think this one's my favorite.


As for the end of Harry Potter? Psh. As if. Why do you think they're expanding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and coming out with extended DVD versions? This is a story for the rest of time, guys. I seriously (or Sirius Lee) don't think there will ever be "another Harry Potter". Not too many books can stand the test of movie critics and make it all the way through the series, turn into theme parks, and spark more hype and debate and love over characters. Harry and co. are pretty special.

And all this isn't even scratching the tip of the iceberg of what's be going on this summer! :D And I hope you don't mind my rambling... Enjoy the art!

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling
Tangled belongs to Disney
Acrylic, Prisma, pastel, pencil