Mythwood - The Art of Larry MacDougall

Back To ToonTown

2012-03-05T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've just signed on to do visual development work for an animated feature film which is just going into production. This means I will be designing environments and characters for them. This also means that there is a very good chance that this blog is going to take on a rather animation/cartoon slant. Some of you may be thinking that it already has a cartoon slant and you're probably right, but it may become more pronounced in the future. I'm just giving you fair warning in case you find cartoons irritating - I know, but some people do.

As we all know, in production films are very hush, hush and this one is no exception. I won't be able to say anything about it or show the work I'm doing for it, but it is my intention to keep this blog going and let it be about visual development work and drawing for animated movies. I hope you will find this interesting, and hopefully we will both learn a few things along the way.

More soon.

Travel safely.

Goofy Sketchbook

2012-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Some recent sketchbook work. There is some Dickens motivation here as well as some other stuff.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers.

Sherwood

2012-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Robin, Little John and Friar Tuck. Just for fun.

More soon.

Cheers

More Troll Business

2012-02-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

I want to take a moment and clarify a few of the facts concerning that recent troll business we've all heard about. I realize that many of you have been receiving inaccurate information concerning this unfortunate scenario and I would like to set the record straight. Misinformation in situations like this can only lead to further misunderstanding, name calling and muckraking.

Firstly and most importantly, there were no fatalities, nor were there any injuries. All sorts of things can go wrong during a storm and when trolls are involved the accidents can pile up quickly, but lets take a look at what really happened.

As we all know, the troll in question moved into the area last winter and by all accounts was very well behaved. He kept to himself and was very neat and tidy. The local residents, recognizing that a peaceful and in some cases even helpful creature was in their midst, welcomed him into the area with open arms. Some were even leaving food out for him. Everyone agreed that having a troll nearby kept wolves and unfriendly strangers away. Everybody was getting along fine until last spring on the night of the big storm. According to Emily and Rupert Sandstone, the owners at Easterbrook cottage who lost a stairwell and guest bedroom that night - "It wasn't his fault at all. He just got turned around in the storm, that's all. It was dark, rainy and windy, lightning too. He backed into our guest bedroom and knocked down a wall. He didn't mean to. Scared Penrose Cranston half to death but she walked away without a scratch. Startled her though which led to all that screaming and yelling. That's what set him off. He went crashing down the lane, over the bridge and fell into the creek. We haven't seen him since."

It's at this point that we need to pay attention to the facts. All of our eye witnesses agree. This was not an attack or an offensive gesture. Nobody was hurt. No one's compost heap was disturbed and all the out-houses are still in tact. There have been a lot of wild rumours flying around the area lately, but as far as we can tell, none of them are true.

All agree that this little community is not the same without him and he is missed. The Sandstones are already rebuilding their guest quarters and harbour no ill feelings. Everyone is anxious for things to get back to normal. Peace offerings of wool blankets and baked goods have been left out for him but so far remain untouched. With any luck he will soon be back, his protecting presence casting a warm and secure glow over this little area and everyone in it.

Wolves have been heard howling in the woods again and dark strangers have been recently observed on several local roads.

I hope this clears things up.

More soon. Peace be with you.

The Sleeping Troll

2012-01-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I was finally able to scrape a few minutes together over the Christmas break and actually make a picture for myself. It has been quite a while since I've had the chance to do this and I really wanted to make the most of this little opportunity. There had been a story circulating around the taverns and roadhouses outside Gwelf for a few years now concerning a company of armoured knights engaged in a pitched battle with a band of brigand trolls on the old bridge at Albion. I thought this would make a terrific subject for my next piece and wanted to be sure to do it justice.

There were still a few details I wanted to clarify so I decided to conduct a little investigation and see what I could find out. I wanted my depiction of these historic events to be as accurate as possible and so I decided to interview the eye witnesses and see if I could track down anyone who was actually in the battle. After conducting a number of covert interviews and eves dropping on several very secretive conversations the truth began to appear. As it turns out, the company of armoured knights became a handful of terrified farmers and the band of brigand trolls became one peaceful and snoozy troll asleep under a bridge with a large jug of vintage pear cider. After a brief verbal exchange the troll agreed to vacate the vicinity by the end of the day. Everyone went home satisfied. Lamps were lit and dramatic war stories were told by the fire side. I much prefer this version of the story and that is what I've depicted.

More soon.

Peace be with you.

The Toad and Teasel

2011-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

Lets consider this a seasonal post. A little heads-up as to where you might want to stay if you should happen to find yourself on the other side of the ethereal border this holiday season. Travelling in the Faerie Realm, as we all know, can be a little tricky, what with booby traps, disguised personalities, hauntings and many other dark magic shenanigans to contend with. A little caution is always advisable.

So this time we would like to point you in the direction of a charming little pub called The Toad and Teasel, located on the East Road when leaving Gwelf and heading for Inverary. The Toad and Teasel comes highly recommended from many reliable sources including your truly. The food is first rate - good old fashioned pub fare that sticks to your ribs and makes you warm and happy. The ale is dark and rich and goes straight to your head with a pleasant hum. The rooms are warm, dry and comfortable and fully protected by powerful spells of defense and safety. The invisible lodger in room 3 was banished once and for all during a lively ceremony last summer, rendering all rumours to the contrary wholly untrue. You can rest easily and without worry at the Toad and Teasel.

The proprietors, Mr. Duncan Cheesewater and his wife Penelope will go out of their way to make you feel welcome and right at home. You'll find Duncan at his usual station behind the bar and Penelope up to he elbows in the kitchen, toiling away to make sure your stay is warm, cozy and festive, unless you are allergic to cats of course. There's one in every room and there doesn't seem to be a thing anyone can do about it. "They have their ways and we have ours" as Duncan often says. "It makes you wonder whose feeding them".

Duncan and Penelope

If you should happen to make it over to the Gwelf area in the next couple of weeks you will be able to take part in the local festivities. The Midwinter celebrations will be going full bore until the end of the month. Even if you are unfamiliar with the Winter Solstice holiday we're sure you will feel right at home. The customs are very similar to ours with eating, drinking and singing being among the favourites. Be sure to celebrate safely though. Every year we lose a few careless revelers to witch attacks, so be sure to stick to the main roads.

Happy holidays everyone and peace be with you.

One more thing while I'm thinking about it. Wood Gnomes, Flickers and Pixies have all been spotted recently in the vicinity of the Toad and Teasel. This is a very good sign as these little forest creatures only appear where the spirits are high and a general feeling of good humour is present.

God's speed one and all.

Willow Cottage

2011-11-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

This is a typical example of the kind of witch dwelling found in the Hill Country just north of Gwelf. This area is very remote and unforgiving. Much caution and care need to be taken if you should ever happen to find yourself traveling in this dangerous region. Although the dark and unholy occupant of this cottage has not yet been observed, the troll (below) has been reported in the area several times and is believed to be defending her property.

More soon - peace be with you.

Troll Armour

2011-11-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

This post is directed at all you persistent characters who continue to pester me for information concerning troll armour. I hope this satisfies you, for the time being at least. There will of course be more to tell in the future but this knowledge is not easy to obtain and often requires dangerous adventuring in unwholesome surroundings.

Up first (above) is a troll from the Pine Mountain clan who, as some of us already know, are in league with several unholy covens in the Big Hill country north of Gwelf. These trolls fashion their own armour from discarded cauldrons and other metal implements used by the witches in their day to day brewing and potion mixing. These objects, tainted with centuries of infernal associations and dark magic spell casting are infused with a strong projectile defeating strength and defensive power. As long as the troll is in service to the coven his armour will remain strong and true. Each suit is hand made by the wearer and contains his own unique properties and design aesthetic.

Up next (below) is what we often refer to as root armour and in this particular case an old willow stump has be fused with an iron breast plate to form a single piece of torso protecting armour. This type of armour has two common purposes. Firstly, the stump and roots make excellent hand holds for goblins who may be riding along to aid the troll in his common daily routines. A couple of nasty little accomplices can make mundane work such as perimeter patrols, ambushes or hunting and gathering forays go a lot easier. And secondly, the willow wood itself is highly favoured by witches for it's ability to channel mind controlling spells. Wearing this wooden armour will therefore render the troll into a perfect slave and essentially make him a remote drone doing the covens bidding and defending it's territory. Also, wearing a tree stump on his back tends to enhance the troll's already considerably intimidating appearance.

That's all I have for now, Cheers everyone and peace be with you.

Recent Graphite

2011-11-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

A few more Faeries that will be added to the final version of the Lavender Blue cover. Thomas Haller Buchanan, our intrepid designer and art director will be putting it all together with his golden age inspired expertise. The final composition will be in his hands. I'm sending the work over to him and he is assembling it. We've decided that we want the cover to have a sketchy, pencilly hand drawn kind of look to it. Now that I've sent everything over to Thom I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how he puts it all together.

November is really closing in now. The wind is out of the north and the trees are naked silhouettes against the grey evening sky. You better throw another log on the fire and fish that old, woolly sweater out of the cedar chest, it's going to be a cold one.

Cheers and peace be with you.

Lavender - Back Cover

2011-10-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here we have the back cover cover image for the new cover concept we discussed in the previous post. The idea is to keep it somewhat sketchy so that it will relate to the pencil drawings that are going to be surrounding it. However I think I rendered it out a bit more that I meant to. It was supposed to be a bit sketchier around the edges but the watercolour was going down so nicely on the hot press paper that I just couldn't stop myself. Here again I'm doing the limited palette approach I like so much - just a couple of colours - raw umber, paynes grey, prussian blue and ultra-marine blue - just a wee bit of burnt umber on his beard. Also - I thought it might be fun to revisit the Leprechaun house but show it from the other side.

Anyway - Happy Halloween and Peace be with you.

Lavender - New Cover Concept.

2011-10-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

We're doing a rethink on our cover concept for The Lavender Blue project. Now that we have Thomas Haller Buchanan on board as art director/designer there is a lot more room to explore and experiment with really cool ideas. This is one of Thomas' rough concepts for the cover. He has taken a pile of my drawings and mashed them together into this beautiful design. Nothing is final of course. We're just thinking out loud. The main images on the front and back will be painted.

Peace be with you.

BOOO

2011-10-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone. Here we have one of the many witches recently observed in the Gwelf area, now waking up and preparing for a new witching season of fear and destruction.

Peace be with you, and be sure to check your candy for fly wings and spider tails.

Cheers !

More Graphite

2011-10-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

A bit more pencil work concerning directly or indirectly the Lavender book. Lavender of course being the Irish Faerie Tale Project I have been working on for the last eighteen months. Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood to be precise.

Cheers everyone and peace be with you.

William Ackerman

2011-10-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

Eight minutes of Bliss - wait for the voices, it's the best part.

Cheers and peace be with you.

Imps

2011-10-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Some more pencil activity for the Lavender Blue book I am working on. A small selection of the less appealing denizens of the haunted forest.

Pencil Faeries - Lavender

2011-10-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Some recent pencil work for the Irish Faerie Tale I am presently illustrating entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee wood.

Lavender - Image 9

2011-10-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

Lavender finally gets a little rest in the haunted forest. The wood spirits are watching over her. This is another illustration for the Irish Faerie Tale I'm currently working on entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood.

The Haunted Forest - Final

2011-10-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Lavender is entering the dark and dangerous woods. This is another illustration for the Irish Faerie Tale I'm currently illustrating entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. From here on in Lavender is going to have to be very brave.

Cheers and Peace be with you.

Phases

2011-09-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hello - with this post I would like to draw your attention to a new online art journal entitled Phases, which is designed and produced by Thomas Haller Buchanan at the Pictorial Arts Journal. Thomas has decided to kick off his new arts blog by profiling yours truly with a pile of unpublished and unseen sketchbook drawings. There is a lot of beautiful design work here as you can see below, so why not pop over and give it a peek.

Just follow this link http://pictorialartsjournal.blogspot.com/2011/09/11-arcadian-art-of-larry-macdougall.html

Cheers !

The Haunted Forest - Rough

2011-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Even with two thirds of the final illustrations completed we are still working and reworking the picture concepts for our Irish Faerie Tale - Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. In this case of we have decided to delete an earlier illustration in favour of this new idea where Lavender is seen bravely entering the Haunted Forest. We want to show these supernatural woods as big and scary and Lavender as small and fragile, yet determined to press forward. Work continues.

Cheers

Tea Party

2011-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

This painting is a very recently completed private commission. The occasion is that of an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding and this picture is to be a wedding present.

My idea for this image was to keep it loose, fun and celebratory. Disney of course treated this material with a lot of spirit and animated fun, but it was not very true to the original story. Arthur Rackham also had a go at this scene and his version was a lot more reserved and restrained. If you read the tea party chapter you will see that it is very restrained but also rather silly. I tried to hit the mark somewhere in between Disney and Rackham - somewhat staid but with a bit of spirit also. I didn't want it to look like an animation still, nor did I want it to look like a Victorian print. I tried to keep it lively with a loose paint application and bright impressionist colours.

More soon and peace be with you.

Travel Update - Coven

2011-09-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's starting. You can feel it. Not too much - hardly worth mentioning, but I've noticed. I guess because I'm waiting for it. Autumn. A zing of red here, a few spots of yellow there. The green is changing. I love this time of year, and so do they. The days are getting shorter. The nights are getting cooler. It's their time. Autumn.

There are several active covens known to be operating in the Gwelf area. The one most feared and least understood is The Sisterhood of the Dark Fields. Shadowy rumours of them run thick and fast through the local pubs and taverns as the bright light of summer recedes into the cool grey of autumn. It's not certain how many of them there are in the coven but estimates have it at thirteen or perhaps more. They are for the most part dormant during the spring and summer months, presumably due to an aversion to sunlight. They will surface again when the leaves turn brown and fall off the trees. The shorter days and cooler temperatures bring them out on their secret, nocturnal errands. You can imagine their long, twig fingers crawling spider-like over the innocent form of a sleeping child, stolen from her cradle on a starless night. This is what they do, stalking the innocent and attacking them in their beds.

The residents of Gwelf are for the most part safe from witch attacks. However the out lying farms and smaller towns are much more vulnerable. The first thing you may or may not hear are the foot steps on the roof, followed by a paralyzing spell blown down the chimney to freeze you in your night shirt. Then a whispered incantation at the front door and the sound of all your locks unhinging themselves. You needn't worry about your money or your valuables, that isn't what they're after, although by the time they are finished you might be wishing they had been. A shaved head will be the least of the indignities visited upon you if they have their way. They are also interested in teeth and blood, your individuality and the life energy that resides in your temporal form. They are searching for secrets and there isn't anything they won't do to uncover the dearest and most personal ones.

The Sisters are very determined. They are the most bold on winter landscapes, moving through leafless, skeletal trees on the edges of moon lit fields. The first dusting of late autumn snow bringing with it some new arcane atrocity, announcing their return for another season of fear and desolation.

At this time of year a hearty defensive plan is critical. There are things we can do. Witches do not favour salt or mirrors so I would suggest a liberal and creative distribution of both in order to enhance the protection of your person and your loved ones. However, candles infused with the appropriate witch defeating particle magic are your best defense, although they may be expensive and difficult to obtain. The very best candles will remain lit on even the stormiest of nights. This will, as you can imagine, make them even more expensive and rare but if you are the kind of person that simply has to walk down lonely autumn roads in the middle of the night it will probably be worth it. Much care and caution will be required.

I hope this helps. Safe and happy travels to you.

Cheers.

Random Sketchbook

2011-09-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to get another travel up-date out this week but ran out of time - instead - a few scribble pages from a recent sketchathon.

Peace be with you.

More soon.

The Best Coffee

2011-08-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Everybody has a favourite coffee shop. That place where you can get the perfect cup of coffee and really launch your day in the right direction. The best part of your morning, that first cup of coffee. Be they big or small, old or new, busy or not busy, we love our cafes. With this post I would like to talk a bit about my favourite coffee house.

The Up Tempo Cafe

The Up Tempo Cafe is located in a hitherto unknown and neglected little neighbourhood on the outskirts of Gwelf where the old city runs creatively alongside the river. This trendy establishment is owned and operated with humour and style by the now regionally famous five Tempo sisters. These five industrious girls have, in less than a year, taken their small, off the map neighbourhood and tuned it into a cultural hub and buzzing hive of activity simply by selling good coffee. Well, very, very good coffee. The best coffee.

Tempo One

Tempo Two

Tempo Three

Tempo Four and Five

What makes their coffee so special and different ? Let's put it this way - the java we all know and love gives you a sudden blast of energy and zings you awake in the morning, which is exactly what we want it to do. But, it can also make you nervous, jittery and jumpy if you drink too much and this is precisely what we don't want it to do. On the other hand, Tempo coffee brings on an enormous feeling of gratitude and well being, which is a completely different kind of rejuvenating energy, and of course, being grateful will keep you from over indulging. So don't worry, you won't go off the deep end. Instead you will find yourself truly appreciating your surroundings and a strong desire to cherish and protect them will grow in you. You will start paying attention to the details and aesthetics will begin to matter. Who can say what kind of primeval faerie glamour the Tempo sister are weaving into these exotic blends but whatever it is sure seems to be working.

Poet

The neighbourhood has been completely transformed. Artists, poets and creative spirits of every stripe are migrating to the area. Improvements and restorations are happening all over the place. Fences are being repaired and gardens tended to. Window boxes filled and litter picked up. There is colour everywhere now - murals, flowers, decoration and Topiary enliven the streets. Even the Luthiers have come back !

Luthiers

Muralist

And yet, somehow, surprisingly, magically, the people who oppose this point of view are unable to find the cafe - more of that faerie glamour I shouldn't wonder. They just never quite seem to make it. They get lost or forget what they're doing and go home, their dirty towels and unwashed dishes a more appealing option than some vague notion of a coffee shop they've heard about somewhere. There seems to be an obvious shortage of vandals, negatorians and nay-sayers in the Tempo neighbourhood. Oh well, we'll just have to make do without them.

Vandal

So if you manage to make it over to the Up Tempo Cafe be sure to bring your journal, or your sketchbook, or your tin whistle or whatever it is that you do because chances are very good that you will be inspired. At the very least you will have a terrific cup of coffee.

Peace be with you and happy travels.

Cheers.

The Fortune Teller's House

2011-08-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

With this post I thought I might bring your attention to a small, rustic tree house just east of Gwelf on the Old North Road. The Fortune Teller lives here with her two sisters and it is their business to tell you the truth. If you are not interested in the truth you will pass this house and continue happily on your way in comfortable and ignorant bliss. If however you are interested in the truth you will proceed with caution to the front door. By the time they get you to the back porch it will be too late. You are going to hear all the truth you could ever hope for whether you like it or not.

Shevka

Shevka is the middle sister. She reads the cards and tells the fortunes. Shevka is the one most people remember. She does not speak directly to you but to herself. Grenka is the youngest. She makes the wine and serves the wine. She asks the questions and does most of the talking. People like talking to Grenka. Penyoval is the oldest sister and the one no one sees. She is very powerful. She makes and lights the candles. Candles infused with particle magic that play music in your head and unlock the doors in your mind. Candle waxing is the most subtle and difficult of the fortune telling arts. The cards and the wine and the candles will make the truth unavoidable. You will speak it and you will hear it. There will be no stopping it.

Grenka

Penyoval

Some people are okay with that much truth but not everyone is. The truths are told and then written on paper and placed in small clay pots. The pots are taken down to the bridge spanning the ravine and dropped over the side. This completes the process. For some, the fortunes are too much to bear and they throw themselves over the side instead and plunge into the gorge below. The sisters cannot help this or stop it. It is not their business what you do with the your fortune but only that you hear it once you cross the threshold. The bones and broken pots are piling up down there. It's a very lonely place.

Please proceed with caution. Be well and go in peace. The sisters are waiting.

Getting Sorted

2011-08-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Big apologies for the uneven posts lately. Just working some kinks out of the system. In the meantime, some recent sketchbook work.. More arthritic vagrants with beards.

Cheers.

New Lavender Image

2011-07-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a new illustration for the Irish Faerie Tale project I'm currently working on entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. This is the point in the story, near the beginning, where things are just starting to get interesting. Lavender is encountering what appears to be a unicorn - what she thinks is a unicorn - in a moment she will find out what it really is. The story kicks into second gear, right about here - poor Lavender.

More soon.

Travel Update 4 - Drawing

2011-07-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

I believe I have mentioned before how much I enjoy getting out for a little impromptu life drawing. It's such good practice. Give me a sketchbook and a public place and I'm set for hours. There is just no replacing the kind of observations one can make when drawing in real life from real people. Any place will do - shopping malls, libraries, parks - wherever the people gather. This is of course true when traveling on "the other side" as well. The Faerie Realm is a great place to observe and draw people, which brings me to today's post.

One sunny afternoon last autumn I found myself at a table in the yard of the Forget Me Not Inn on the Old North Road near Gwelf. There were several occupied tables nearby which inspired me to take out my sketchbook and make a few notes.

What first caught my attention was a table of very intimidating looking old women who were having a lively meeting at one of the out lying tables near the trees. There seemed to be an unusual number of birds and cats in their general vicinity who were making themselves quite at home on and near their table. The other thing I noticed about them was that there drinking glasses remained full despite the fact that no one seemed to be serving them, and I shouldn't have to tell you that they were working their elbows quite regularly. I couldn't help but start drawing these ladies right away. What a group of terrific old characters they were.

The importance of discretion in a situation such as this cannot be overstated. It's best if you don't get caught drawing in public, especially if alcohol is present or the subjects have spell casting capabilities. You could have your sketchbook torched, your fingers frozen or your eyes crossed for even the mildest misdemeanor, and heaven help you if some more grievous offense, real or imagined, was suspected. I continued on cautiously from a safe distance.

There was also a table of monks close by who seemed to be more than interested in what the old ladies were up to. They were taking notes and whispering intently among themselves as they kept their disapproving eyes on the boisterous ladies across the way. The brothers were all drinking what is locally known as "Tar Ale" which is very similar to Guinness in most respects but somewhat sweeter and a tad thicker. I also was drinking this, although it had not yet started to show in the drawing.

The last of the occupied tables was populated by a group of Foresters who I had seen earlier in the day clearing some recent storm debris from one of the local side roads. Many hours of wood chopping and heavy hauling had led them here for dinner and drinks. They were all wearing their distinctive Forester caps and boots. They were not showing the least bit of interest in either the monks or the ladies. To a man they were interested in only one thing - our joyful and charismatic waitress, Tandy Loomis.

Foresters

Tandy was a fabulous server who had an uncanny ability to know exactly what you wanted and when you wanted it about ten seconds before you did. She made a lot of money in tips as you can well imagine. Tandy was cute and funny and made you glad she was your waitress. She was really working her magic on those poor Foresters who didn't stand a chance in the face of all that natural faerie glamour. I could only guess at how far under the spell I was. There was no way to know, but I did know this - I wanted to give her a tip, as much as I could afford. Luckily for me I was smart enough to bring no more money with me than I was prepared to lose. Experience had taught me that lesson. Caution is always required.

Happy Travels everyone and peace be with you.

More soon.

Cheers.

Travel Update 3 - Booby Trap

2011-07-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

Traveling on "the other side" can be a lot of fun and very exciting but it can also be tricky or even dangerous. Today I want to talk about a close call I once had and how falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book meant disaster for someone else.

It was a cold and wind swept Saturday afternoon in late November. I was doing my best to keep up with a kid in front of me whom I had been following for the past several hours. He was leading the way south along the Kenilworth Station Road, heading for the now popular King's Head Tavern, a cozy little pub still a few miles ahead. I was hungry and cold and wanted nothing more than to get there as soon as possible, sit by the fire and have a hot meal.

We had reached a bend in the road when he suddenly stopped. As I closed the gap between us I could see that his attention was fixed on something sitting by the side of the road. I got closer and was able to make out a wicker basket containing a half dozen apples, apparently left there by the owner who was presently out of sight but likely close by. I had been warned about situations like this but had expected to encounter one so soon in my career. I was just about to say something clever like " I wouldn't do that if I were you" when he reached for one of the apples. He must have been as hungry as I was because he took a bite, but then immediately vanished. His now empty clothes, with nothing to support them, fell to the ground in a heap. His cap hit the ground last and rolled into the ditch.

Instantly my ears began to ring and there was a strong smell of sulphur in the air. The tell-tale signs of a dark magic spell having just been worked. I was rooted to the spot. A wave of vertigo was overtaking me. From the trees at the side of the road emerged a very unwholesome looking woman, her eyes looking straight at the pile of clothes nearby. Her skirt came right to the ground but could not hide the fact that her feet were large and bird like.
She moved right past me and out onto the road where she picked up the clothes and cap. She then went back into the trees to whatever evil purpose she had planned for the boy. Something very lethal had just crossed my path and only luck and a bit of good advice had saved me.

I was now alone on the road. The sun was going down, it was getting colder and I was immobilized. The heavy cloud of sulphur was beginning to clear and I started moving, somehow making it safely to the King's Head Tavern. I booked a room upstairs and spent a sleepless night watching the road from my window. There was no sign of the woman or the unfortunate boy. I left the next morning, but only when the sun was well up and there were other travelers on the road.

The King's Head

It was very unlucky for the boy that he had not been made aware of this kind of trap - all too typical on the roads "over there". Fortunately for me I had been warned and I'm passing the information along to you - safety first.

More soon and happy traveling.

Peace be with you.

Travel Update 2 - Albion Bridge

2011-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

We started our travel posts last week with a trip to the Belle Flower Inn and I thought it might be fun to head back that way again this week to investigate one of the local landmarks. I was directed to the Albion Creek Bridge by Wilton Plowright, a pipe smoking card reader and guest at the Belle Flower whom I encountered the last time I was there. Albion Creek Bridge was his recommendation and I now pass it on to you. I'm sure you will find it as interesting as I did. I would suggest packing a small lunch as you will have to hike several kilometers east down The Old North Road to get there. This I did bright and early the next morning.


Wilton Plowright

I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the bridge but was told, with a wink, to plan on staying for a little while and so I found a pleasant looking bit of grass and made myself comfortable. Before long a bearded fellow turned up and stationed himself on the bridge overlooking the creek. He stayed put and I waited, watching and listening. The sun was warm.There were several long billed grackles in a tree nearby chattering away. The bees were buzzing and the dragon flies hovered on the breeze. It was very relaxing. I was content, and so apparently was the chap on the bridge whose eyes were closed.

Albion Bridge

I was beginning to feel quite at home in my little spot on the sun lit grass when I noticed that all of the toad stools in the immediate area had little faces carved on them. Someone had obviously sat here, for some hours, and carefully carved a unique little portrait on to each mushroom cap. Who would do such a thing? It then began to gradually dawn on me that the muttering birds in the nearby tree were actually speaking to each other and that I could almost make out what they were saying. They hadn't sounded this way before. But when did they stop their bird chatter and begin speaking in words? I couldn't recall and was surprised that I had missed something so obvious. They were chatting back and forth in a calm, conversational tone. If you weren't actually paying attention to the words they were saying you might almost think they were a couple of lawyers casually discussing a case. But I was listening to the words. They were speaking in bizarre poetic riddles with odd foreign accents. None of it made any sense and yet I felt as though I was right on the verge of understanding them. I was still examining the mushroom heads when it occurred to me that the artist must have sat right here, presumably listening to this same nonsensical dialogue, and created these little caricatures. Had the grackles inspired this little flood of creativity? Who could say? I was beginning to get rather drowsy. Listening to these birds was starting to have an intoxicating effect on me. I nodded off. Their voices diminishing into the hazy background of sleep.

Long Billed Grackles

I awoke sometime later to find my shoes on the wrong feet and that I was wearing someone else's socks. I quickly checked all my belongings to see if there were any other unexpected changes, but there were none. I had been lucky. The grackles were still there but had fallen silent. The man on the bridge was gone. I was feeling completely calm in spite of recent events and even mildly euphoric. It felt as though a message had somehow been conveyed to me and that I now knew a secret, although I couldn't possibly tell you what it was. The good mood lasted all day. I went back to the Belle Flower, had dinner and slept soundly. The next day I had an exceptional breakfast, left the Belle Flower and continued my journey in high spirits.

Happy adventuring everyone and peace be with you.

More soon.

The Belle Flower Inn

2011-06-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, something a little different this time. - bit of travel blogging from the Faerie Realm. I've been meaning to get to this for some time now but kept getting waylaid by other projects.

The Belle Flower Inn

I thought today we might stop by the Belle Flower Inn, which of course is not really an Inn at all but a lovely little Bed and Breakfast. The Belle Flower is located on The Old North Road between Chatham and Gwelf and was at one time a favourite stop over establishment for travelers in the area - that is to say, if there was an occupancy to be had at this once popular spot.

As it turns out the rumours of a haunting at this charming old inn have, by all accounts, turned out to be true and some poltergeist activity has been recently reported. I myself have stayed at the Belle Flower several times and although some odd occurrences were noted, it wasn't anything alarming enough to keep me from returning.

Francis Brookwater - owner of the Belle Flower.

A missing toothbrush and a muddy foot print on the duvet were not sufficient to curtail my visits. However, events of a more serious and bizarre nature have recently been reported. One guest, Pedal Mueller, was seen levitating several feet above her bed while sleeping and later awoke to find herself inexplicably in the garden. Calming elixirs were provided and she made a swift and complete recovery. Tales of an even more sinister nature have also been heard but I wouldn't want to rush to any hasty conclusions.

Luckily for us business has slowed down somewhat and a room is now a lot easier to obtain at Ye Olde Belle Flower than it used to be. I'm quite sure that the more adventurous of us

Pedal Mueller - Guest.

would not hesitate to enjoy the hospitality of this once fine and noble house.

So the next time you find yourself trekking on "the other side" and looking for a place to bed down for the night, you could do a lot worse than The Belle Flower Inn..

And a word to the wise - breakfast will not be served past 8:30 so you'll have to get up early. You won't be sorry. Try the toast !

Happy travels and peace be with you.

Two New Lavender Images

2011-06-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

A new image from the Irish Faerie Tale I have been illustrating entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. This is scene 7 near the beginning of the story where Lavender first meets the Leprechaun in an old and possibly haunted cemetery. She has been crying but starts to feel a bit better when this magical fellow turns up, even though it is too early to tell whether or not he is good and what his intentions, if any, might be.

We are now getting toward the end of the story with scene 16 and Lavender is again with the Leprechaun, but this time they are in his rustic tree home, the exterior of which is depicted on the cover of this book and has already been shared here. At this point in the unfolding tale Lavender has been through quite a bit and is taking a moment with the Leprechaun to rest and gather herself for the final push through to the end of the adventure. She is going to need all her strength.

For my part in this adventure I am just approaching the mid point with a lot of illustration work still to complete. There's nothing else to do but keep the nose on the grindstone and get finished.

More soon.

Peace be with you.

Hobbits and Elves

2011-06-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

I find myself still thinking about the upcoming Hobbit movie. Still very much looking forward to it and hoping for the best possible rendition of the story. I just couldn't resist scribbling out a few Hobbits and a couple of Elves.

In the previous LOTR movies there were so many great moments. Unfortunately there were also a couple of disappointing ones. I think my all time favourite moment in the entire trilogy comes in the first movie where Frodo and Sam are watching a procession of Elves leaving Middle Earth and heading to the Grey Havens. This is such a perfect Tolkien moment, captured beautifully in the film. The music, the atmosphere, the ethereal magic - just perfect. And it's such a brief glimpse. I always hope for just a few more seconds in that forest with those star lit Elves.

Another great moment, for me, comes in the second movie when the Wargs are attacking the Rohan refugees on their retreat to Helms Deep. Legolas gives a fine display of his high Elven skill as he maneuvers himself on to the back of a galloping horse. The moment passes quickly but it really illustrates well the advanced skill of the Elves. On the other hand, a part that I could have easily lived without comes a bit later in the film during the battle for Helms Deep when we see Legolas surfing down a stair case on the back of a shield. Not the best moment in the movie by any means, and not exactly what I would think of as an Elven martial art, but not bad enough to really stain this film, which I still like very much.

Fingers very much crossed for the the Hobbit and all the goodies to come.

More soon.

Peace be with you.

String Faeries

2011-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

A bit more pencil activity aimed at the Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood story project I've been working on - Irish Mythology. I'm calling these guys String Faeries because their hair and costumes are all stringy, twiggish and dangly. In my mind they are coming right up out of the soil and bringing the leaf litter and moss right along with them. They are earthy and wild.

We have some friendly ones here and some not friendly ones. We have some bringers of healing and some bringers of sadness. You never know what or who you're going to get when you cross the threshold and begin trudging around in the capricious world of Irish Mythology. Care and courage are required.

Peace be with you.

Goblins and Witches

2011-06-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Some work from a recent pencil session. It has been decided that along with the story illustrations I will be doing for the Irish Faerie Tale book I'm currently working on, I will also do a page of Faeries and critter designs from Irish mythology. Here we have a few pages of potential characters

These designs are all in the goblin-witch category. These are a lot of nasty and unclean things lurking around in the shadowy hills and murky forests of Irish Lore and we're just getting started.
More soon.

Peace be with you.

Troll

2011-06-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

This guy came up in a recent doodle session. I was thinking about trolls and hobbits and how cool the new Hobbit movie could be. So here's a troll for you in hopeful anticipation of the new Hobbit Movie. We only have a year and a half to wait. I hope I can hang on.

More soon.

Peace be with you.

Leaf and Wing

2011-05-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

This watercolour is a couple of years old. It was done as most of my pieces are - an experiment to try out a new approach. In this case I was painting directly on to a watercolour block, which is unusual for me. I most often work by tracing from a light box. I was also trying out these wing shapes - kind of leaf like and spindly. I still like them and use this wing style when I can.

I've just added her to my Etsy store which you can check out here - http://www.etsy.com/shop/LarryMacDougallArt?ref=pr_shop

More soon.

Peace be with you.

Finn 1997 - 2011

2011-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Finn was our dog. A 14 year old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie cross - smart, loyal and full of energy. Everything you could ever want in a dog. He wanted to be where we were. Every piece of art I have done in the last 14 years has had his spirit in it in some way.

I am lucky enough to live on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment in Southern Ontario, which means it was my privilege to walk Finn over those steep, wooded hill sides every day. Our walks through the woods in all weather and all seasons filled my imagination with the wonders of the natural world and inspired many of my drawings and paintings.

We lost Finn a few days ago. He was an amazing animal and a spectacular companion.

So long Buddy Boy. You have left a big hole in our lives and will be greatly missed.

Peace be with you.

Recent Sketchbook

2011-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like Blogger as somehow lost my last post so I think I'll just throw it up again. If it should happen to find its way back to the blog then I suppose I will have to delete one of them.

Anyway, here are a couple of sketchbook pages from a recent doodle session. At the top is an old Troll Midwife and below her is a Gnome Witch. Just some simple 3B pencil on printer paper.

More soon. Peace be with you.

Cheers

Trolls in the Rain

2011-05-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Another page of gloom inspired doodling. We're into May now and it's still raining - so here we have a couple of soggy bottom trolls for you.

More soon - hopefully on a warm, sunny, spring afternoon smelling of grass and gardens and buzzing with bees.

Peace be with you. :)

Rain

2011-04-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I fully intended to sit down this morning for a little warm-up drawing and doodle out some happy, singing birds, some bumble bees and some blossoming apple trees - it's spring after all.

Nope ! We are presently engulfed in rain and mist. It's gloomy and cold, so my spring inspired drawings turned into some clammy old witches.

More soon.

Cheers.

Arctic Myths - Grizzly People

2011-04-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

I believe I've spoken of these supernatural characters form Arctic mythology before. The Grizzly People are typical examples of the myths and legends told by the Inuit people. The Grizzly Beings are animal, human hybrids which feature prominently in Inuit lore.There are also Wolf People and Seal People. Here the Grizzly People are large human characters with bear like attributes and modes of behavior. They hunt and eat humans, rob graves and scavenge human camp sites. They are very large and very dangerous.

It was decided that we should have a Grizzly Being on the title page of the book we're just finishing up and so this first illustration shows just such a one, menacing and striding toward us, having just decided we are something worth adding to the menu.. He is big and rather misshapen and carries a large Inuit spear, which is just as likely to be used for digging as it is for hunting. I like to depict these fellows with bags or satchels because they are scavengers and I can imagine them traveling about with bits of old meat, bone and other edibles picked up on previous foraging operations.

In this second illustration we see a Grizzly Man with a fresh body he has just pulled from a grave. He is scruffy and dirty which is typical for them and much in need of the bath he will never ever have and the dentist he will never ever visit. These pictures are for a new collection of Arctic stories from Inhabit Media entitled The Shadows That Rush Past, A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales. These stories are historically the kinds of stories told to children in order to teach them survival lessons and this book is for children also - Inuit children. There are plans to release these books in English but as far as I know not many of them have yet been translated.

You can find out more about Inhabit Media here - http://www.inhabitmedia.com/

I'll have more for you shortly

.Cheers

Dreaming of Spring - Sketchbook 2

2011-04-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

I believe I've spoken before about how much I love to draw with a simple old bic pen. The bic glides smoothly over the cheap printer paper I often use and leaves a nice clean blue. There's no erasing with a ball point pen so you can't get too careful or fussy. You have to think on your feet when working this way and a little coffee will help to keep you alert and fresh. I often like to start these doodle sessions by drawing the frames on the page first and then challenge myself to put something, anything into each one. This of course leads to a certain amount of repetition but it can also yield happy accidents and pleasant surprises. You have to be willing to take whatever you get when working this way but it's often worth it because there's nothing better than a new idea.

Peace be with you.

More soon.

Dreaming of Spring - Sketchbook

2011-04-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have ever been so desperate for Spring to arrive as I was this year. Winter just seemed to hang on and hang on. Even when the calendar said it was Spring, Winter kept stabbing at us from the grave with snow flurries, sleet, wind and frost. We are definitely into Spring now and things are beginning to warm up, but the spring I'm dreaming of is the warm golden spring of mid May, not the cool and damp spring of early April. These sketchbook doodles are from this past winter when the balmy, sun lit days of May were front and center in my thoughts.

Prints !

2011-03-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to get some prints up at my Etsy shop. Luckily these are a lot more affordable than my over priced originals. :)
Please follow this link and give it a peek - http://www.etsy.com/people/LarryMacDougallArt?ref=si_pr

Lavender Blue - Leprechaun Tree House

2011-03-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

This new one is for the Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood faerie tale book I've been working on. Here Lavender pauses in front of the Leprechaun's tree house before she knocks on the door. At this point in the story she has already been through a lot and is justifiably cautious. We don't yet know whether the Leprechaun is a friend or an enemy and since this is a faerie tale, caution is definitely advisable.

This picture is watercolour with gouache and pencil crayon.

Arcadia Sketchbook - Satyrs

2011-03-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

A wee bit of harmless pencil work from a recent doodle session - 3B pencil on regular sketchbook paper - a simple diversion from some recent days of serious painting. I'm back on the Lavender Blue project and hope to have something new to post shortly.

But until then - peace be with you.

Mythic Faire

2011-03-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend I will be in Baltimore for Mythic Faire.
Check this link to find out more http://www.renconvention.com/

Cheers

Nymph Resting on Stone Head and Dreaming Distant Thoughts.

2011-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of recent pencil activity. I'm probably the one who is actually dreaming the distant thoughts - it's time to wake up.

More soon.

Cheers.

Mice !

2011-03-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Okay - this is a little different. A few years back it was looking like we might be doing some Redwall related work - you know, the Arthurian/Robin Hood mice stories - very cool ! Anyway, we worked up some samples and got very excited about working on Redwall until the whole thing inevitably fell through. I still like these ones though and would love to have a chance to do something like this again sometime.

Cheers

Griz

2011-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is a piece from the Arctic Myths project I am currently working on. Depicted here is a female Grizzly Being - which is to say a human being with some very prominent Grizzly Bear characteristics. In this picture we have a large and bloated female taking a drink from a stream. The Grizzly people are known to be rather nasty. They are grave robbers. They plunder and steal and murder. You really do not want to encounter a Grizzly being in the wilderness. You will be yelling and screaming and running for your life.

Back in the Weeds

2011-02-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Here I've decided to take a couple of pieces from a few years ago and tweak them up a little so that I could pop them up on to my new Etsy page. These paintings were pretty monochromatic before, and I suppose they still are to some degree but I have added some more colour and made some minor adjustments to the drawing and design. These 2 pictures are small - 5 x 7 inches and are watercolour, gouache and pencil crayon on cold pressed paper. I like to think of these little characters sitting on the edge of a field, meditating over the sheep or cows that are just out of sight.

Crow Witch

2011-02-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

This drawing doesn't have anything to do with anything I'm currently working on. I really just had a hankering to revisit, my old avatar who keeps a watchful eye on me and my online networking activities.
I hope everyone is having a pleasant Sunday.

More soon.

Getting Warmed Up - 3

2011-02-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

A couple of recent character studies - from reference.

Getting Warmed Up - Part 2 - Hands

2011-02-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hands are hard to draw. Much continued practice is required. That's all there is to it. I'm always looking for good hand reference. I can find it in magazines or my wife's crafting and gardening books and of course there are the ones I'm using to type this post. There is no shortage of hands around here, only a shortage of the drawing of hands. In fact, I should probably do some more tomorrow !

Getting Warmed Up - Part 1 - Figures

2011-02-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Human Figure In Motion by Edward Muybridge is one of my very favourite reference books for the human figure. One of the things I like best about this book is that the pictures are small so if you are going to draw from them you are pretty well forced to deal with the basics like proportion and gesture. There is no room for fancy pencil work here. The pages above were done with a simple gel pen directly on to the paper with no fiddling around or worry about pretty picture making. The idea here is to loosen up and think about the basics of drawing. I like to try and see how long I can leave the pen on the paper before I have to pick it up to start a new line - it's a part of the exercise :)

Etsy

2011-02-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks.

Just a small announcement to let you know that I now have an Etsy gallery where I have a few originals for sale, like this Magic Card above.

http://www.etsy.com/people/LarryMacDougallArt

Please feel free to drop by and take a peek.

Thanks again for all your patience :)

More soon.

Lavender Sketchbook - A few More Faeries

2011-02-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

A bit more drawing for the Lavender Blue book cover. My usual practice when working out a design for a cover is to draw many of the elements separately on loose paper and then trace them into place on a piece of translucent layout paper or with a light box. I do this because it allows me to draw freely and assemble without tightening up in order to make everything fit properly. Also, assembling in this way brings a slightly random aspect into your composition as items drawn separately are combined and made to work together. I first started doing this many years ago in animation school where all your drawing is done on a light table. It was such a great way to compose a layout that I never really found a better way to put a picture together. This process will not work for everyone but I find it quite helpful.

Lavender Sketchbook 2

2011-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

Here we have a few more faeries and the rough for the cover of the Lavender book. In the cover rough we see Lavender alone in the woods with a whirlwind of faeries swirling up around her and down below on the right hand side a couple of goblins are lurking.

Lavender Sketchbook - Faeries

2011-01-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Some recent pencil work concerning the Faerie Tale I've been working on entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. We originally considered using one of the interior illustrations to serve also as the cover, but we have since rethought that idea and have changed our minds. I'm glad we did because this gives me a chance to make a picture that will work exclusively as a cover and be a much stronger image and will be much more successful at conveying the mood and spirit of the book. At the moment I'm simply drawing characters and searching for the figures I want to be in the picture. There will of course be Lavender and there will also be faeries and quite naturally, goblins.

Lavender 3

2011-01-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is the third completed illustration for the Irish Faerie Tale book I'm currently working on entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. This is actually image number 10 and appears about mid way through the story. Like a film director I tend to create my scenes out of order. However, in my case I don't have a good reason for working this other than I feel like it. Here we have poor Lavender now entering the sticky part of the story and you could say that she is having an "adventure". Although I would imagine that it feels to her much more like a nightmare. The nasty creature that is confronting her at the moment is a shape shifting Pookah. He is not very smart and was not gifted with a great deal of imagination but what little intelligence he does have is now bent completely toward Lavender and her destruction. Thank goodness Lavender was born with superior faculties and the ability to use them. That is all I'm authorized to reveal at the present time. The story continues on from here. Please stay tuned.

More soon.

Winter Moth

2011-01-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

A simple warm-up drawing - just for fun.
More soon.

peace

Lavender 2

2011-01-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

This is the second finished illustration for the Irish Faerie Tale project I'm currently working on entitled Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. This will be the third image in the book and shows a Faerie approaching Lavender's home in the middle of the night to secretly deliver a magical object that will propel Lavender on her journey. This will of course not be known to her when she wakes up in the morning but that is the way it is with Faerie adventures. By the time you begin to realize that something is amiss you are well down the rabbit hole and hip deep into your journey, or cataclysm, take your pick.

Codger

2011-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Just horsing around - pencil on paper - more soon.

Lavender - First Illustration

2011-01-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I started to post some of the illustration roughs I had been doing for an Irish Faerie Tale project I'm working on called Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood (we're thinking about shortening the title). Since then conflicting deadlines and other circumstances have been competing to keep me away from finishing the final illustrations for Lavender, until now.

This image is the first picture in the book. Here we have Lavender in the garden clipping flowers, blissfully unaware of the catastrophic events awaiting her in the Faerie Realm just a few short pages away.

This picture is all watercolour with some colour pencil work over top.

Winter Music

2011-01-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

Winter has come back to this part of the world. The ponds and creeks are frozen over and the snow is starting to come down. Here's a song for a winter afternoon.

Another Faerie Doodle

2011-01-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Another quick faerie doodle to begin the year. I hope you don't mind. Soon we'll be on to more serious work :)

Faerie Doodles

2010-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of quick Faerie doodles to end the year. I hope everyone has a fabulous New Year and a great weekend.

Peace

Pyk Cottage

2010-12-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here's another one that goes back a few years that I still quite like. I managed to paint this with just two colours - my favourite two colours - raw umber and prussian blue. I love this colour combination and use it all the time, although I usually augment it with other colours. This was a private commission and the idea here was that this tree house is a bed and breakfast and out in front we have a traveler who may or may not decide to sleep over. At this time I was thinking that I would like to do a travelers guide to the world of Faerie. The best places to stay, like this one. Where to go for the best food. Places to avoid and places that may be haunted. I never did get that idea off the ground but even now as I right about it I think it's something I'd still like to do. Anyway -

I'll have something new for you shortly, but in the mean time I leave you with Pyk Cottage.

Cheers

Arctic Giantess

2010-12-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

Here's a spot from a recent round of Arctic Myths illustrations. As you can see, she is very big and is protecting the hunter whom she has her eye on for a potential husband. I'm not sure just exactly how this story ends but there are certainly some interesting implications there. The pressure will definitely be on the hunter to be strong and brave. The Giantess has the traditional chin tattoos and is wearing bear and caribou skins. The final step in completing this picture was to add a couple of circling birds. I don't have that version handy so I'm posting this one.

Best possible wishes going out to everyone for this holiday season.

Cheers

Larry

Pixie

2010-12-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is an old one - really old actually - but I still like it quite a bit. It has that misty, murky atmosphere that I'm usually trying to get . I sold it years ago at a convention. This is one of the few I'd like to get back if I could. I have no idea where this piece is now but I hope she's happy.

Lavender Faeries Re-post

2010-12-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Pardon me folks. I've decided to re-post the Lavender Faeries because I noticed that the first scans I put up yesterday were looking rather washed out. So here they are again, looking hopefully, a little better. I also did a couple of very sly tweaks that I'm sure no one but me will notice.

These are the first finished watercolours for the Lavender Blue - Irish Faerie Tale project I'm working on. Thanks go to Thom for posting some very generous comments yesterday.

More soon.

Cheers

Sketchbook - Giants - Again

2010-11-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Some more fun doodling. Another page of giants, at least I think they're giants, they might be dwarfs. Anyway, they felt like giants when I was drawing them.

More soon.

Sketchbook - Giants

2010-11-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

A sketch page - a warm up page really - after a couple of weeks of being flaked out with bronchitis I wanted to see if I could get back into the groove of drawing. I've been doing a little drawing lately but not much and certainly no painting - so today, a page of giants, just for fun.

Petar Meseldzija

2010-11-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

I encourage you to follow this link and check out this artist .http://petarmeseldzijaart.freehostia.com/

While at Illuxcon over this past weekend I had the great good pleasure of meeting Petar Meseldzija, an amazing artist and illustrator. I was also lucky enough to get a look at a couple of his large, original oil paintings - wow !

Be sure to look at the sketchbook section of his website and be prepared to have your mind blown.
This guy really rocks !

Off to Illuxcon

2010-11-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.illuxcon.com/

Check this link and see what Illuxcon is all about. I will be there this weekend and expect to have quite an interesting time.

In the mean time I will leave you with this warm up drawing from a little while back, done as part of my usual morning warm up routine.

More soon :)

Doodles

2010-11-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Some recent sketchbook activity - scroodles.

My apologies for the lack of activity in the past while. I will be attending Illuxcon ( Illustration Exchange Conference ) next week and what little spare time I have these days has been dedicated to preparing for the show. There are prints to print, portfolios to organize and original art to prep - not fun but necessary work. I hope to get back on to some kind of semi regular posting schedule again shortly.

More soon :)

Rusty

2010-10-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

This piece is going back a few years. I came across it the other day while searching through some old files. I don't really do this kind of aggressive imagery much anymore but I still kind of like this one. The old metal and rusty armoured surfaces were quite fun to render. I sold him shortly after I painted him and then forgot all about him until just the other day - so I thought I would share him here.

Hill Giant

2010-09-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

A new painting - watercolour, gouache and pencil crayon on hot press paper - 15 x 20, which is a bit larger than I normally work but I wanted to push this one a little. The scan didn't quite capture it. The piece is actually a bit darker, but all in all it's pretty close - thanks Patricia :)

Recent Sketchbook. - Giant

2010-09-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Another of the recent sketches done in an attempt to generate ideas. Here we have a giant trundling through the mountains with a witches cottage on his back, complete with trees and a garden fence. I've been advised that the picture would be more interesting if we could see the witch also. I agree.

Recent Sketchbook - Woodland Elf

2010-09-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Some recent sketchbook activity. I like to start my work day, when possible, with some warm-up drawing and this elf picture is one of those. I don't normally finish them to this degree but somewhere along the line this one went from exercise to self expression - in other words I started to have fun with it. My scribbled warm-up became something I wanted to post here. Normally they end up in the recycle bin - not because I'm cavalier with my drawings but because in most cases they are loose scrawlings that serve no other purpose beyond a simple morning limber up.
More soon :)

Recent Sketchbook

2010-09-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a little quiet around here lately. I'm just coming out of a sort of creative limbo. After I completed all the illustration roughs for the Lavender Blue project it was my intention to jump right into a couple of personal pieces I want to have ready for an illustration conference coming up in November. The plan was a simple one and of course ran off the rails almost immediately. Nothing I tried seemed to work so I took a break and went back to the sketchbook to try and sort things out and get some ideas going that I was actually excited about and keen to paint. Luckily this approach paid off and I now have several ideas I really like. Posted above are a couple of the sketch pages that helped get me back on track. With any luck I will be showing the finals here shortly.

Lavender Blue - Illustration Roughs

2010-08-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

A couple more rough layouts from the story book I'm working on right now called Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. These 2 images come at the beginning of the story - in the first one Lavender is visiting her friend Rose who is very ill and quite possibly dying. In the second image we have Lavender with her teacher, getting some scholarly information concerning magical items.
These are of course rough layouts and will be transferred to watercolour paper where they will be painted and hopefully improved upon. It is my usual course to leave much of the detail and character of the image to come when actually painting. It has been my experience that going too far with the rough will take all the joy and spontaneity out of creating, which is why I can't wait to start painting these - but wait I must - other irons in the fire and all that :)

Lavender Blue - Layouts 5

2010-08-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here we have another illustration layout from the Irish Faerie Tale I am currently working on. This image comes near the end of the story. Lavender is in big trouble at this point and has been rescued by the Faeries and spirited away to a stone circle at the top of a dark and lonely hill. This image, like the others, will be transferred to watercolour paper and painted in the traditional way following my usual method of watercolour, gouache and coloured pencil.

Lavender Blue - Layouts 4

2010-08-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Another illustration layout form the Irish Faerie Tale I'm currently working on. This scene comes at the beginning of the story and really kicks things off. The Faerie visits Lavender in the middle of the night and delivers a magical object which will send her on her way into the mysterious Faerie Realm and perilous adventure - fun !

Lavender Blue - Layouts 3

2010-08-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Another illustration layout for the Lavender Blue story. I really can't wait to paint this one. This is where the Leprechaun lives - of course :)

Publish Post

Lavender Blue Layouts - 2

2010-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

A couple more of the Illustration Layouts for the Irish Faerie Tale I'm working on, Lavender Blue.
Here we have the Water Pixie at the top anf the Pookah underneath. Neither of these characters are going to be good news for Lavender.
These ones, like the previous post, will be traced on to watercolour paper for the final illustration.

Lavender Blue - Layout 1

2010-08-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of final layouts for the Lavender Blue Faerie Tale I'm working on. These will be traced straight on to the watercolour paper that I will be doing the final illustration on. The layouts were done in coloured pencil so that I could quickly jot done the colour ideas I was getting while drawing and also because the soft prisma colour pencils glide so pleasingly over the slightly toothy sketch book paper. The only problem with these pencils is that you can't really erase them. I tend to use them like watercolour - starting with the light tones and putting the darks down last. I don't usually put a lot of detail into these layouts because I like to save as much creative energy as possible for the painting. The problem now is having to wait the weeks or months it will take before I can finally paint them and spend that pent up energy.

The first picture comes about half way through the story where Lavender encounters what she thinks is a unicorn but which in fact turns out to be a dangerous, shape shifting pookah, fully intent on harming her. The second picture is actually the first illustration in the story where we see Lavender cutting roses in her garden, blissfully unaware of the dangerous adventure into the faerie realm she is about to take.

Sketchbook

2010-08-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of sketchbook pages from a few weeks back before I dove headlong into the Lavender Blue project. With these pages I was fooling around with the idea of illustrating a couple of scenes from the Grimm's Faerie Tale, Hansel and Grethel. I will be attending an illustration conference in November and am hoping that I can have something new to show when I get there. Finding the time to paint a couple of fresh illustrations is another matter entirely - but here's hoping.
More soon on the Lavender Blue Faerie Tale project - the work continues :)

Lavender Blue - Sketchbook

2010-07-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have spoken before about the Irish Faerie Tale project I'm working on, Lavender Blue and the Faeries of Galtee Wood. Well, I'm finally going to have a chance to do a bit of work on it. Up until now it's been a week here and two weeks there but it looks like I'm going to have a month of uninterrupted work on this terrific project. Here's a recent sketchbook page that I did as a way of getting back into the mood of the story and also working out one of the many locations where the tale will unfold. There's a lot more of this kind of work to do. I'm hoping to pencil out most if not all of the illustrations so that I will be able to get painting by autumn.

Bigfoot

2010-07-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

A wee portrait of Bigfoot - 8x10 acrylic - This is an updated version of a painting I posted last year.

I have been touching it up a bit and don't mind him as he is now but I think I might want to rework that hair just a little. He's looking just a little too Rod Stewart at the moment. What he needs are some stray leaves and other forest litter tangled in his mop to really give him that "living in the woods" look.

A Witch is a Witch

2010-07-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

It probably happened something like this - 300 years ago - you're a small Hungarian child - you've been asked to go out and collect some herbs and mushrooms for dinner - it's cold and wet and you don't want to go out, but you do because you're mom asked you to - you head into the nearby woods where it's misty and lonely and quiet - you're on a narrow path winding it's way through the trees when just ahead, appearing out of the fog you see something - a figure - a witch - if you don't move quickly you will never see your mom again - run !

Arctic Sketchbook

2010-07-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm still toiling away on the Arctic Myths project - nearly finished - just 15 ink drawings to go.
Here are a few of the final pencil roughs. Then there will be a lot of work from the Irish Faerie Tale book I'll be doing next.

The Best Art Blog - Hans Bacher

2010-07-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hans Bacher's blog may not be the "best" art blog out there but I'll bet it's close. Hans Bacher is an animation designer who has been working at the Disney Studio and other animation houses all over the world for the last 30 years or so.
If you are a fan of animation, book illustration, painting, drawing, design etc.... - this blog is a must.
He has loaded his blog with a ton of amazing and inspiring art, not to mention art criticism and analysis. Hans also has plenty of drawing tips and advice for improving your art, whatever field you may be interested in.
Here's a link to his blog http://one1more2time3.wordpress.com/
Get over there and have a look . You won't be sorry.
The image above goes with a series of posts about trees in art and animation - how to paint them and why people paint them the way they do.

Arctic Characters

2010-07-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Two character illustrations from the Arctic Myths project I'm still working on. The colour work is all finished and now the ink drawings remain.
Here we have The Gravel Bank Ogress and the Big Bee Ogress. Big Bee is sporting a giant ulu which is an all purpose knife the Inuit use for skinning and scraping. We decided to make The Gravel Bank Ogress tall and spindly in order to give her a different look so that she stands out from the others. Also, I've illustrated her before and we wanted this one to be different. Quite often the same characters will turn up in different stories and from different regions and they should each look unique.

Dandelion 3

2010-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is also an 8 x 10 acrylic study but this one is on a fresh canvas board rather than the old Masonite panels used on the other ones. I also wanted to change the palette a little on this one in order to keep it fresh. I decided to keep the subject matter simple and similar on these because my intention was to work the paint and not get hung up on the content of the pictures. I also thought it might be fun to create a little series.

Dandelion 2

2010-06-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

Another small acrylic study. These were done fairly quickly - 3 or 4 hours tops. I'm planning some larger paintings for later on this summer and so this one and the others are just warm ups. This one is also 8 x 10 on Masonite panel.

Dandelion

2010-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Over this past weekend I had a chance to do a couple of small studies. These are 8 x 10 acrylic on Masonite panel. The panels are well used and have been painted on and gessoed over several times, giving them a lot of texture to paint on.

Sketchbook

2010-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

At the moment I'm jumping back and forth between the Arctic Myths project I've been working on and the Irish Faerie Tale book that is just starting up where everything seems to be at the rough pencil stage. So there's not really a lot to show. I'm hoping to be able to post something a little more substantial shortly, but until then - another recent sketchbook page completed with the Irish Faerie Tale in mind. More soon :)

Sketchbook

2010-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Some recent sketchbook activity. Although these were not specifically done with my new faerie tale project in mind, they are certainly in the proper spirit.