INCURSION: Opening Night + the Final Paintings

Hi Everyone,

I'll keep this post short. Opening night, January 17, 2013 was amazing! I'm sorry to have posted these paintings so late after the actual show, but that just goes to show you that you should come out to see them in person at the gallery! Anyways, opening night was so full of people and the show was so well received. I got there 10 min after doors opened and it was literally packed to capacity. I was literally shuffling with the crowd to see the other illustrators' work too. And it was full the whole night! With the free Barney's coffee, apple crumble cake, and the open bar, it honestly felt more like a party than it did a gallery opening. 

Everyone was so friendly and willing to talk to me about my paintings. I mingled and was able to make some new artist friends too, which was basically the best part of the night. :D But if you haven't still seen the show it'll be open til February 15. CityArts Factory hours are 10AM til 6PM, Mon-SAt. 

The original paintings are for sale, each $100. They are all framed and matted, 5"x 11", watercolor and gouache. So if you're interested contact me via email first at: ericadechavez@gmail.com and then on my cell phone if you just can't wait to have them: (407) 572-7047. 

Okay that's all I've got to say. I'm preparing for the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's Winter Conference here in Manhattan this weekend. So I'll see all you cool children's book enthusiasts there! Be sure to look out for my portfolio and dummy and print collateral at the portfolio showcase on Saturday afternoon! Can't wait to see and meet you all!

Love, Erica

INCURSION Final Drawings: The Process Behind The Finished Drawings

Hello again! 

Thank you all who came out to support the INCURSION: An Illustration Show this past Thurs, Jan. 17th at The Orlando CityArts Factory. I could not have even begun to imagine how well received it was going to be! There were so many people out opening night, it honestly felt like a big party rather than a gathering a an art gallery. Thank you to all my friends and family who came to support me and my art, I cannot thank you enough, every hug and every word of congratulations helped to fuel my sleep deprived and weary mind and body. And to all who were new faces who took an interest in my artwork and took the time to talk to me that night, thank you too and I hope that you continue to take a great interest in my art and my work in the future!

For now I'd like to talk more about my processes that lead me to the final paintings that you all saw that night. Here are the final drawings that I did for the paintings. It seems rather tedious and very detail oriented and at times I even felt that maybe it was a little TOO time consuming. But in the end, I was again satisfied with how much time I put into the planning of how things would look and feel and how the character would all come into play with the storytelling of this mini-series of paintings. 

All of the drawings were done with simple graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, and an Ebony pencil).

But even before I got to this point in my final drawings, much more planning, downscaling, and thought went into them such as a list of feelings, words, and lists of descriptive adjectives that I wanted to convey through the paintings. I started with the quote that inspired me to do these paintings first and worked from there. Then I proceeded to spew out the thought into very rough thumbnails with no real regard to format, consistency, and thought of what things, places, and characters would look like. It's really just to get all the good, the bad, and the ugly out of the way.

Now before I could move further into refining the sketches I knew I had to get a good, final look to the main characters of the story: the princess in the palace, the princess after she ran away, the princess in the forest, the owl boy, and the princess' stewardesses. 

I drew inspiration from video games, animated movies, and old children's picture books I owned/read when I was young to form the final look of the character. Then after this I refined my initial thumbnail drawings into a more uniform format, consistent dimensions and and more stylized themes that I wanted to appear throughout the series (leaves, trees, reappearing owls, architecture). I tried to make each painting as diverse in lighting, time of day, and setting from each other as possible and so my original 9 sketches got narrowed down to 6 paintings that I felt would move the story along at a quick, even pace throughout each painting.

More WIP and process work to come!

Love, Erica.

P.S. If you're in Orlando, FL. the INCURSION show is still up at The CityArts Factory until February 15 , so be sure to stop by and see the show. There are 19 other amazing local illustrators that really made the show so diverse and inspiring. The gallery hours are 11 AM - 6 PM , 7 days a week @ 29 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL. 

INCURSION Works in Progress

 Hello Enthusiastic Panda Lovers!

Any hoot, I'm happy to present to you my final revised thumbnails for my INCURSION paintings. I'm shooting for 8 in total. I shoot high for the moon lest I fall among the stars. They will be a series of paintings that are about a Princess who is tired of her daily routine, and her tailored/guarded surroundings, so she goes in search of her own adventures and meets new friends and a new way of living.

The first painting's final pencil drawing. Got excited over lighting due to my purchase of a giant new kneaded eraser and new set of graphite pencils. :]

Til next post. Look forward to the next drawings in the series and for color studies. :] Also look for some upcoming color studies and work in progress shots for the new dog portrait I'm starting. 

Love, Erica

Princess Hiker Character Process

Hi Panda People,

Here's the finished art test I did for a "potential" client who wanted to do a children's book with his daughter starring as the main character, a princess with an inkling for the outdoors. This client never got back to me after I emailed him the finished drawings or after I sent him any follow up emails and phone calls to his listed cell phone. Kind of lame, but the reality to the world of freelance. I hate it, though, when a potential client lacks the courtesy and awareness to let us artists know if they went forward with another artist or if we are not the right fit for their job. It's not especially the greatest feeling being left hanging.

Yet it is these experiences that make landing that awesome freelance job with a nice client who is easy to work with seem that much greater of an accomplishment. 

Don't forget to click on each image to view a larger picture. 

Love, Erica.

P.S. I still think I would like to develop the character I designed further anyways because I enjoyed the process and the ending product. I would love to explore more outfits and accessories for this hiker princess chic. Stay tuned to see more of that! :]