My latest digital piece is an underwater picture. I have never really been given the opourtunity to create a piece of art that is underwater themed before so I decided to create my own. I choose the Hippocamp as the subject because I am familiar enough with horse anatomy and when starting something new it is always nice to have a little something that your familiar with. Done digitally with photoshop cs3.

critiques are more than welcome.

and from the prompt challange I have the following:
Turning point in my life. That would be when I went and saw Fellowship of the Ring in theatres. This was a book that I had just read and fallen in love with. Tolkien and his writing is amazing. I had many doubts as to what the film would be like and if it would live up to my expectations. The movie blew me away [still wish it had Bombadill] I wanted to be one of the many behind such a masterpiece. So I began to look at art as more than doodling in my mathbook and something that I could do and be happy about for the rest of my life.

Favorite Cady:
Licorice and dark chocolate. But I love trying and finding different brands of Black Licorice.

Inspiration Series

I started this Inspiration Series. Its a way to challenge myself and to pay homage to the people, books, movies, or things that have inspired me over the years.

The first image that I did was the Tim Burton portrait that was done in pen and ink.
This second image is Walt Disney done in the mickey logo. This man is an amazing inspiration, because he took a dream and created one hell of an empire.

I created this by making a brush out of the mickey logo and changing the flow level. After that it was hundreds of clicks with the right color in the right place. Based off of a photo found in google image search.

Job Hunting

For those not in the know I have been job hunting.

I have worked for 7+ years part-time at a local school providing after school care, before school care, substitute teacher, and as a float in the classrooms. While I have had many fond memories of working at this school and am very thankful that they hired me when no one else would take the chance when I was 18 [I was trying to avoid fast food] I want something new.

So I thought I would type down what I am basically looking for and maybe someone reading this might have a tip for me.

I am looking for a job that will pay at least 25,000-35,000 a year [or more if you wish].
I want something were I can work on a team and have some input and
I would love to be in the creative field [Dream job would be working for one of the studios designing characters and concept art.]
I am an artist and really want a job that is able to reflect that.

So what can I offer to the person or company hiring me? Plenty, let me prove it.

I work hard and with a lot of focus. As soon as I know what is expected of me I jump and make sure that it is done in a timely manner but also so that it is done right the first time. I can take and give direction really well and I actually like constructive criticism. Especially if it improves the work that I am doing. I have worked in a team environment for years, but also solo when it comes to making art so either way is fine for me.

I can work both digitally and traditionally. I have working knowledge of PC and MAC systems as well as photoshop, illustrator, word, excel and indesign. I also know most if not all the art supplies by heart because I have used them many times.


I already have plans in the future for when i finally get that full-time job; like send gifts/ thank you's to the people who brighten and inspire my day, get the WII and the PS3, etc. Mainly I really want a full time job so that I will be able to support myself while not being a burden on others. I want to be proudly say that I earned the money for that.

If any one has a suggestion let me know and I will try and re-pay that kindness. Have a good night and rest of the week. -Michelle

update......

I figured I would post some work that I finished recently.

Its tim!

So I started this digital ink piece back on monday or tuesday. I was upset because a certain loudmouth insinuated that Bane was in the new Batman movie because of Romney. Bane has been around for a long time now and I wasnt too happy with the comparison because it was made with out doing the research. 

For the prompt Heights:

I did this one because at the time my computer was acting up and to fix it caused more problems so for awhile I felt like my computer was out to get me.

Denver Comic Con 2012

So my sister, father, and I went to the Denver Comic Con held this year at the Colorado Convention Center. It was my first con and from the start it was an awesome day.
We bought our tickets online before the con opened and picked up our wristbands that sunday morning. [we went sunday so that it didn't interfer with the different schedules]

the poster work was amazing and while I dont know who the artist was they get lots of kudos from me.
Upon entering the art room I was amazed by the space and the amount of people that were already walking around in awesome costumes. The first thing that I saw were the cars that I now would like to own.

after drooling over the cars I went in search of Katie Cook who is the awesome artist of the gronk comic and who should be given much love, bacon, and her favorite drink. I checked out her table and because I forgot to pre-plan I went in search of an atm to get much awesome stuff.
After getting some money from the atm [stupid fees] I went and listened to a panel giving about animation for Disney and Cartoon Network [Info here]
That panel has lit a fire under me and I have been creating and coming up with many new stuff that I hope to share soon.
I went back up into the dealer room and got the last Gronk Book and walked around.
I saw Tom Kane and was going to get into line to get an autograph and be able to talk to the voice of yoda but he was walking away and I never saw him return.
I was able to visit the star wars area of the con which was fun but slightly confusing because my phone is the r2d2 droid so when ever r2 made noise I thought my phone was going off. 

While near the star wars area I ran into to of my friends who I ended up walking around with the con and seeing amazing stuff and buying some autograph batwoman comics. After awhile they went down to see another panel and knowing that my ride would soon have to leave I went in search of other awesome things to get. I ended up getting a signed Neil Gaiman print and Habibi book from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 
 I managed to take a panoramic picture of the con from one side of the artist and vender room.

warning its a really big and long file.




Before we left and as we were walking through the crowds looking at the great costumes and the last of the vendors I almost ran right into the Captain and Snippy and Engie from one of the greatest online comics ever RA.

ZEE CAPTAIN ZEE CAPTAIN. These costumes were frickin amazing!

Illustration Friday-Heights

So I started off with a digital piece, and then while I was doing the 1/2 day at work yesterday I had enough down time to sketch in my little sketchbook. And I ended up liking this sketch more than the digital piece. Its not that I dont like the digital piece, but it has a lot of perspective that it throwing me off [one of the few things that i didn't/dont like about my school was that their was no perspective class.] so I ended up submitting the pen drawing I did, not the digital. Here is were I am in the digital and would love feedback on it.

Illustration Friday -Vocal

Its been awhile. Lots have things have happend. None of which I can tell you about but trust me when I say that you have not been missing much.
I needed to get back into the grove of things and Illustration friday usually allows me to do so with the different topics.

This weeks topic was 'vocal'. One of the most vocal things in my like right now is the cockatiel that we inherited when my aunt passed away last summer. This bird has quite the personality and has no qualms about speaking up when it wants something. But try and pet it or to bring it out of its cage and the darn thing hisses at you and gives you the death glare to end all death glares.

very quickly done in photoshop cs3. maybe 4 hours? but i did manage to get is gonzo beak. :)

(side note, yes he has a gonzo beak, yes his beak is long, and yes we routinely bring him in to get his beak trimmed and worry over the amount of feathers he looses but we have been assured that he is healthy and happy and we are doing everything for him)

New Pieces

So a new year has begun, and apart from working extra hours at my job and now teaching art to kindergartners and preschoolers life itself has been busy. But I was able to finish two art pieces, one was started back in 2011 and the other I started back in January.

The one back in 2011 was based off of a lot of frustration and anger that I had been feeling due to a lot of artistic block as well as outside influences. This was done in photoshop cs3. it started as a piece for anger and quickly began to take form to the frustration that I was feeling. If you have ever been frustrated about something that you have no control over then you can understand the feeling of being bound and unable to move.

take from it what you will.

The one that I started back in January and then had to be shelved is my raven. I have a love of ravens and elephants and always love to draw them. We have had such strange weather in colorado for the past few months. Some days its late 60's to early 70's, and then others it barely goes over 30 degrees. On the days when it snows the urge to make a snow fort and a calvin and hobbes style snowmen is very strong. On days when it is nice and sunny the urge to clean out the garden and start planting and planning things is also very strong. The is the longing for spring, and the hope that it will soon be hear.

Please comment and if you have a critique please share and thank you.

IF-Fuel

No day 5 art from th 30 day challenge. I was called in to sub for work, and had no time to do it. Also I have many friends and its hard to pick which one is a Best Friend.

Besides its thursday which means its Illustration Friday time...

this weeks word was fuel, and this weeks art was begun at work [before i was wacked in the lip with a child's head and given a fat lip].

Left-handed pen, Sharpie pen, Sharpie on sketchy paper.

Day 4

Day for was favorite place. Mine happens to be Disney World. Done over 1 hour if that. I had no time today because of the snow and such. again done in photoshop with a 30 day challenge found here

30 day challenge

day 2 and day 3

Day 3 of a 30 day challenge.
My favorite food happens to be apples, I can eat an apple a day or anything with apples.
My favorite are gala but I also have a fondness red or granny.
I added the tea from my favorite mug because honestly that's my what i like to 'eat' the most.

and here is day 2
ay 2 from a 30 day challenge, digital,

my favorite animals are bats, done with no reference

self portrait

I found this 30 days 30 ieces of art challange, and decided that this would be a great way of working on my digital art and making it bigger and better than ever.
the picture if you dont want to click the link below:

devaintart page

the challenge

IF- Scattered

for illustration friday

this is how my brain is during the day and night, scattered thoughts and dreams. pressures and hopes all mixed in.

photoshop cs3

Illustration Friday Swell

Soaked-Illustration Friday

haha, i'm back.....

wasn't missed was I? ohh well you get to see me no matter what. here is this weeks entry for illustration friday

CAI Show

So if you go down to Santa Fe Dr. in Denver Colorado and happen by a shop at 985, you will see the Colorado alliance of Illustrators annual show.
In this show I happen to have not one but two painting which are both for sale. see below.

isnt he awesome. painted in acrylics on stretched canvas. he's for sale for $50.00 contact me if interested otherwise he will end up in my shop that should be up by next week.

here he is hanging at the show.

as for my second piece, its a more surrelistic piece. what i was going for was in a world were nothing grows any more this person happens upon the last growing seed and is filled with wonder. I hope i succeded. Done with acyrlics on canvas board "The Last Wonder"

And here it is hanging at the show:

this is for sale for $125.00 again drop me a line

Illustration friday 4/20/2011

This is my entry for Illustration friday for this week. The theme was Journey. I'm not happy with the sky. i think it got to muddled. I may try doing this in illustrator and see if i cant make it more graphic.

Chicken Update with other new art

So like i posted yesterday, I had this chicken painting that I was wanting to do and ink wash over like we had doe in my illustration media class. this is the outcome...i kinda like the original and i kinda like this.

This will be for sale in my shop about monday to tuesday, It depends because i'm gonna start working on a piece for the Colorado Alliance of Illustrators art show that is coming up soon.


Also worked on was this piece in gouache and watercolor. This was harder to to do because of the lighting aspect but it was still a lot of fun to do. :)

this will also be sold without watermark if you want to know

Chicken Egg

So this is my take on what came first, the chicken or the egg. I say that it was a special egg with the chicken inside....I'm planning to take black ink over and do an ink wash that i learned in my illustration media class. Not sure how that will come out considering that it was done with just gouache and this chicken was done with watercolor and gouache....its an experiment so that makes it fun. I'll sell the original when i'm done with it.

Illustration Friday-Bottled

I had a different idea for this. I was initaially thinking of doing an image of someone bottling their emotions up inside and some how one small sketch turned into this.

The nice thing about this, other than the factor that it is quite different from what I normally do, was that i was able to use traditional media. This was done with pen and ink and watercolor washes over.
I'm actually really happy with how this came out, it had the kids at work going nuts trying to figure out what was going on, which made me laugh. The only thing I wished was that the scanner didn't drain the colors out but its still looks really nice. thanks ahead of time-michelle