tatiana's sketchbook

[tatiana]

Edit: added in some recent sketches and illustrations done over the summer on the last page

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May 8, 2010: Way past time for some updates to "Ye Olde Sketchbook"...so I'm going through it today and cleaning up and updating...

In my previous life I was a full-time in-house product designer developing concept art and illustrations for use in home decor, toys, collectibles and so on. For the past couple of years I've been freelancing from home working on a variety of client and personal projects from children's books to product design, among other odds and ends.

[annisahmad]

hey
i like the stuff. it's got a lot of movement. keep it up! Hoping to see some more.

[tatiana]

Quick sketch revision and coloring that I did tonight. I had a sketch I'd done several months ago, and decided to redo it. Then I tweeked it some more and colored it in Photoshop.

[tatiana]

About a 35 minute sketch from a photo of my sister in one of her costumes. She likes to dress up and play pretend. Gives me some interesting character references, though.

Yikes, I can see that I desperately need to get in some practice on sketching hands again.

t

[tatiana]

Colored variation of the above sketch:


Another 30 minute pencil portrait sketch. Just some contrast and practice from the usual concept art that I do during the day as a toy designer.

This past week was especially busy because in addition to our usual art log projects, we had an internal contest between two design teams to present the "Next Big Thing" to our bosses. My team won, YAY!! Both teams came up with some pretty cool product ideas...and some interesting ways to present them. Some of these product concepts may actually be in stores in the next year or two.

As a pat on the back, each of us got a $100 Am Ex Gift Card and a $400 lunch for both teams to celebrate with next week. On the other hand, they expect us to outperform ourselves for the next 3 sessions that they want to schedule next for other product categories. D'oh!

t

[sith]

Good stuff, Tatiana. I'm curious though, what did they say was the marketing issue about your stuff?

[tatiana]

What was the marketing issue? I'm not marketing myself like I should be. Hardly anyone (other than people that I directly work with) know about my artwork.

And the people that I know that I don't work with (like I already knew Marc from the Dallas Sketchgroup) that could point me to prospective jobs, didn't know how good my portfolio is and/or that I was looking for work.

He suggested that I get more active on forums like ConceptArt and CGTalk, as well develop a portfolio to target the game industry (I had too many Barbarians...ha...and needed more environments and weapons).

t

[ArcoNL]

Nice sketchbook! Great characters, lovely rendering...keep 'em coming!

Cheers,
Arco

[tatiana]

Sketch


Sketch coloring progress in Photoshop


I'm in the middle of alot of new product design concepts for work, so I haven't been hitting my personal sketchbook as much after I get home. sigh. But I did start a new wyvern concept which, once it's finished, I'll be posting in the Dragon thread in "It's Finally Finished".

Here's the sketch and the start of where I left off in the first pass of coloring...maybe about 10 minutes worth of Photoshoping. I haven't added in the object that the wyvern is chasing... and I know that I need to tweek the right wing. It's a bit too small, probably should also be bent a bit since that's helping support the weight of the wyvern as it's turning quickly to snap at...whatever it's chasing.

t

[nofingers]

This thread is turning out to be pretty sweet. You present a great variety of great stuff. It seems like each style of yours would be very effective for the audience I imagine they would each target. keep posting

[tatiana]

t

[tatiana]

Random stuff from the last time I posted.

[Kliment]

interesting characters ))
sweet
keep up the good work!

[Haxxxor]

Oh nice comic style, i like the girls!

your creatures are nice and wired i realy dig that.

ciao!

[Mag-Neo]

-Very nice sketchbook. I like your style..... keep more posting, CHEERS...........

[tatiana]

Tonight's quick sketch: figuring out a costume to wear. Trying to pull together a quick costume to wear to both a weekend party and then to work on Halloween a few days later.... Thinking about recycling a bit of what I already have and make it something new with some different accessories. Hmm....maybe add a nice large crooked nose. Would match the hat.

Ok, I'm trying the image attachment thingee...see if it works.

t

[tatiana]

Until someone posted a comment on my blog about creating a Dorothy costume after seeing my witch concept, I hadn't actually considered any of the other characters from Oz as a costume possibility. I've usually fallen back on the Wicked Witch cause I've played that part for so many random Halloweens. Which means I have at least a nice broom to start with. ha.

In any case, I could always go as the Cowardly Lioness which inspired me to do tonight's quick sketch. I'll have to ask Leslie at work (our plush/sewing department head) how difficult it would be to make the plush legs and tail based on my sketch. For next year Halloween. Meow.

t

[dave from wyoming]

I like your dragons and especially your fish.

[Ashrumm]

Good stuff here keep it up way to draw through the form!!

[Mag-Neo]

-...nice updates, & keep em up..... I like the girl with huge hat, she is looks like little Elli from novel by "Adventures in the Emerald City" . I guess so, maybe i did mistake... Actually all of your interesting characters are really really nice & so funny... All those characters are impressing me so much... Keep more posting & STAY COOOL.............

[tatiana]

Thanks Mag-Neo, ashrumm, dave from wyoming, Haxxxor, Kliment, nofingers, annisahmad, sith, and ArcoNL for stopping by and commenting on my random sketches! Your visits are much appreciated.

My after work sketches are generally about as different as possible from what I do during the day at work for product design (all that cute and cuddly kind of stuff most recently for Halloween, Christmas and Easter products gets a little underwhelming at times so I like a bit of contrast for my personal projects)...and lately I've been doing some more experimenting with character designs for a friend's project that is a bit more sci-fi. I've definitely been inspired by the art around here on CA, too.

Here's a quick sketch of a character in a random scene in the story. I'm really focusing more on figuring out how I want the character to look, and it helps me get a better handle on her personality by sketching her in one of her scenes, too. Just threw in some flat color, too, and played with textures to see how it all looks. It's definitely unfinished and mostly just idea explorations at this point. Having some after hours fun. ha!

[tatiana]

What with it being just about Halloween now, and then me dreaming lately about some former beloved pets of mine...I decided to do a little personal project I'm calling my "Pet Spirit Parade". Yup, these were my little pet friends from way back...to not too long ago. A few of them had fairly long and happy lives before they died peacefully. Others were only around for far too short a time before they died tragically - lingering illness, euthanized, eaten, hit by car, shot by dad, or beaten to death by their next owner.

I miss them all.

So. This is the beginning of a rough sketch I did today to help me figure out the composition, layout and so on. Nope, not all of the characters have as of yet been included. Scary, isn't it.

[tatiana]

Just a quick sketch to fit the day.

[tatiana]

Did a quick "Fall Fairy" character sketch. I blame the product designs I've been working on at the job for influencing my "at home" sketching tonight. Of course, those designs have no similarities with what I posted here.

t

[tatiana]

A few sketches that I've done at home after work in the past week.

[tatiana]

Well then, it's been longer than I figured since I've posted anything in my CA sketchbook. Not that this doesn't mean I haven't been doing any drawing...outside of the day job artwork and/or freelancing. Actually, I've been doing quite a bit of freelancing again (children's textbooks this time) which has taken a big chunk out of my free time.

So here are a few new odds and ends of my ongoing random sketches....

This one was a quick sketch inspired by the tornados that came through our area a few weeks ago -- I was just a wee bit concerned about surviving that:



And some others that I sketched after some story sessions:







And I sketched these after I read about the CHOW topic for Death's horse (didn't have time to participate but I liked the topic idea enough that I did some quick sketching the following week):

[alesoun]

Tatiana (Queen of the fairies) It's almost summer! When are we going to see the finished Fall Fairy? *taps fingers*

[Fishhead]

Excellent work! Your drawing and character designs are wonderful. I can see you
have grow so much as an artist.
Keep it up.

Fishhead

[Bruce Pluto]

Hello Fellow Texican

Really cool looking work that you have here. Looks like you are well traveled also. I'm interested in seeing more of you art and getting a look at your updated website. Keep up the fine work.

See ya, Bruce

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=49448

[zwergi]

wooow, i truly love your drawings, the characters are so cute
somehow i like the pencil sketches even more thanvthe coloured ones... don't know why