SENIOR THESIS PROJECT!

Hi everybody! I know it's been TOO long since my last post, but what with graduating, moving back home with my parents and crazy, frantic job searching and applying and cover letter writing and resume editing, all of that combined with hanging out with the family back here in Kissimmee and catching up with some old, old friends I've been stretching myself pretty thin trying to get everything done and posted up here on my blog. But lo and behold, the fruits of my labor my last semester at Ringling College of Art + Design. TADA!

I cannot reveal to you, my loyal fans, the original manuscript for that is to be witheld from public eyes for the exception of potential interested publishing houses, but I can give you all a short synapsis of the story. :] I originally came up with the idea for this children's book at the end of last summer when I was having a bout of cat-calling across the office of Express' Men's Design department with my fellow co-worker, Mark. We were calling back and forth to one another calling out "Lost?" "Found?" "Loooost!" "Found!" And at the time it was just really funny and cute, but that short dialogue stuck with me and I was able to turn it into a very cute story about friendship. "Lost and Found: A Story of Two Friends" is well just that. It is a story that is directed towards young children around the ages of 6-7, who are just experiencing their first days of schooling, and still trying to make their own friends for the very first time. Lost and Found are two very adorable dogs who, like their owners, are best friends. Lost is a clever Jack Russell Terrier that loves everyone and loves to make friends with other woodland creatures. Found is a very charming Yorkshire Terrier who can sometimes be a bit pushy and a little bossy. But what does a dog do when he loves his friend, but that friend is a total brat who seems to always get his way? "Lost and Found" is a commentary on the dynamics of friendship and how it is a push and a pull, a yin and a yang. It shows children that there has to be a balance of power in a relationship and that you can't always be the "hero".

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of the children's book process. I actually really love to tell stories, short and cute with simple messages. I am not done illustrating all of the pages within my book, but I hope to finish the book by the end of the year at the latest and if by that time it has not been picked up by any of the traditional publishing houses, then I plan on self-publishing on my own. And when that time comes I will surely let you know how and where it will be available for purchase. Along the way though, I shall keep everyone posted on the process of the art and might release some of the final page spread as a bit of a teaser. ;]

Thank you to my family and friends for all of your support these past 4 years spent in art school. I have struggled to find out who I am as an artist and I still don't think I fully know what direction I want to take my art in, but I do know one thing: that is that my passion for children's books has grown from a passing hobby/interest to a full blown love of it all. I love the writing, I love the art, I love the messages it brings to the younger generation. And I love doing it all. I hope that you will continue to follow me on my path to wherever life takes me and that you will come to see the day that I publish my first book. I hope to make you all proud. :D

My corner display area for my thesis project in the Bayou Painting studio 4. I made it a point to include my dog, Maxwell's house, who was the inspiration for the character Lost. He was very sad that he didnt' have a house to sleep in for a week, but I think he got over it. It was for the greater good. ;]

 Half-title and copyrights 2 page spread.

"This is a story of two friends..."

"Lost and Found."

"Fetch!"

A small portrait of Lost (aka my dog, Maxwell Parrish).

"Lost? Found?"

"A Most Peculiar Creature"

"Mr. Sleepy Head"

A small portrait of Found, inspired by my brother's dog Sawyer in real life.  

"Stray From the Usual Routine"

"The Hero"

"Hide-n-Seek"

More art from "Lost and Found" will be coming soon! Stay tuned! And happy summer everyone! :3

Love, Erica

p.s. All of the art was done in watercolor with a little bit of gouache to touch up a few areas.

Some new thesis paintings.

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Way TOO long. I've been so caught up with preparing a portfolio for Zynga and researching other companies that I'm planning on applying to. But those are all just excuses. :] So to make up for it, I present to you guys some process work and some final paintings for my thesis, Lost & Found.

These were done all in watercolor on 140lb Fluid watercolor paper. These are the final colors for pgs 2-7. 

Final b&w color script with text. 

Final storyboards.

Final storyboard color studies. After many changes I decided to keep the overall scheme in the analogous yellow-orange to yellow green w/ the cools kept to the main characters. I've chosen the interior spaces and the sunset/night time scenes as my opportunities to introduce some cooler more thematic color schemes.

Here are the final b&w drawings for the above paintings.

I've been spending so much time worrying over what will become of me after I graduate and where I'll end up. But I've decided that it's useless to spend my time worrying whether I'm good enough to get in to this company and that. It's really just time to create art with full force and just apply to everywhere. I'm confident there's somebody out there who will see something in my artwork and would be happy to have me join them in their efforts in creating awesome artwork together. 

My plans to paint all of the total 32 pages of my book in order to print out my book in full color through blurb.com has been toned down a little more in consideration of the fact that I had to put a lot of my efforts into creating portfolios for Zynga. I was a little blind-sighted, I will admit by my passion for publishing my first book and getting out there for the whole world to see, instead of focusing on how I would get a job and what I would do as soon as I graduated for money. Instead of focusing on companies and narrowing down my art to be geared towards a specific job I just focused on doing what I was passionate about, writing and illustrating my own children's book. But well, I'm trying to make up for lost time and I have determined that I will try to focus my artwork towards the growing smaller studios in California that are developing Ipad Game apps. And in doing so I am hoping that I will find friends and pick up the knowledge and skills on how to turn my own book into an interactive ebook. And so that will be my cause. 

It's only after I stopped to focus on the immediate future and the fear of not finding work that I had to narrow my efforts into a plan on job searching. So my thesis and children's book will be put on the back burners and will come secondary for now. But it will always be on my mind, and I will always be working towards making it better. I'm just saying that I don't think it will all come as immediately as I first thought it would be. So I will be settling for doing 6-8  two-page spreads and as many one page paintings I can create before April 18. And then I will composite my color paintings along with the remaining b&w drawings into one cohesive book and have that printed out for my thesis. It's the best I can do & I will try my best to get everything done on time, along with building more portfolio pieces in my computer illustration class. 

So until next time. :] I feel much better now that I've written all of this down. It's like writing up a contract with myself so that I can't back down now. :] More work to come!! SOON! some computer illustration stuff as soon as I rework some things. :] 

Love, Erica. 

Above Water

Dear readers,

This semester is going to be BUUUSSYYY. Just got through submitting for my first 2 rounds of recruiters. A very busy semester indeed. I hope I'm prepared enough to stay ahead of the pack and charge straight ahead to whatever comes my way this year. 

First, here are some character studies. There are more to come of the dogs and more expressions. But here are some of the little boy and little girl who care for the main characters of my thesis story. :3 

I tried to portray a slightly more androgenous boy that's more effeminate, stylish, spoiled. I'm contemplating adding a cardboard crown on him. ^^;; Would that be a bit much?

 And here are some for the little girl who is more outgoing, adventurous and slightly more shabby than the boy. I want to suggest a slightly more tomboyish personality in the girl who side kicks Lost.

And here are some final interior drawings. Some still need more tweaking. But I hope you guys enjoy. :]

More to come for sure. Stay tuned. :]

Love, Erica.

Lost & Found Thesis work. :]

Herro fellow Panda lovers! :]

I've got some drawings I'd like to share w/ you! :D So it's only been a week back at school, but already I've been bombarded with old friends, great music, and a lot of what is to come these next 3 1/2 months: work, work, work, work, work. I'm already well into my thesis senior project, and I'm just pumping out all these final pencil drawings for the final illustrations. But I wanted to share a few with you to get you excited too! ;] So here they are, the main characters of my book, Lost and Found! These characters are all highly fictional, but are very heavily based upon two funny animal friends I adore and love in real life who will be left nameless, but I like to think their true identities are pretty obvious to those who know them. :D

Still fiddling around with the shape and design for the main doggie protagonists. 

Still sort of working out the kinks between cute, and a little more sentimentally serious close ups. 

Well, I suppose that was just a little taste. But I hope it keeps you coming back for more, and hungry to digest some more cute doggie goodness in the weeks to come. 

Love, Erica. 

ps. I hope everyone's sticking to their new year's resolutions! I know I'm damn well trying on mine: Be strong, happy, healthy , & active. And just to stick it at the end of those 4 and extra just on the side, stay connected! :] 

Clothes Thieves

Illustrator cs3 and Photoshop cs3

Happy holidays everyone. This is the last illustration project for the semester. From here on out everything will be personal projects and thesis. So be ready to see some awesome vectored art geared towards app games and children's book process work for my original story "Lost and Found". 

Love, Erica

Ps. rest assured I'll be making sure to post at least every week as my goal is to do one small sketchbook painting a day and also working on self promotional pieces. :3 I'll definitely be updating a lot though, I promise. So be excited because I am. Stay warm and productive everybody. 

Some studs

Just thought I'd post some progress work. 

 simple value

in progress final color. 

Some more color studies to come soon as I have the time to scan them in and post. :] And also look forward to another small illustration project I'm working on based on "tea time".

'Til we meet again. :3 Have a good weekend!  Stay warm. 

-Erica