Ballpoint Pens and Ink Brushes

As I’ve mentioned before, ballpoint pens don’t get enough credit as an artistic tool. And while I was playing around with some colored pens I had on an armor design I thought would be fun for a character of mine, as seen below…I came to a dilemma when it came to skin tones. There are no browns and yellows in my pen set, so…I became very limited in what I could do in comparison to what I used to do before with those big fat click pens that had 11 different colors in them. You know the ones…they were a must have to any junior high and high school student back in the early 90’s! They came with two greens, two blues, a pink, purple, yellow, orange, brown, red, black…no individual set can compare to those; especially since my current set is missing the light green, yellow, and brown colors. And I sigh…



So I had to figure out how to fix this problem, to which I look at an ink brush pen set I bought myself a year or so ago…and smile. Well…there aren’t any flat RED reds in there…all these pink and purple shades of red, but that was ok! As you can see above, she really isn’t wearing anything red anyways! But the brush pens seem to work out quite nicely with the ballpoint pens…yes indeed they do! This little test excited me…a lot! And with this in mind, I thought…HEY! Why don’t I work on some other media pieces along with the window paintings? I’ve got two more of those completed at the moment, but am currently unable to get such lovely photographs of them onto my computer at the moment. Maybe next Sunday, eh?



So here we go! I started out with just a flat black and white ink drawing, and then later added the color to it! What do you guys think? Looks nice, right? And I’ve got plans to do more for the shows! Hey hey hey! Look at me go! Making pretty scenery pictures of places around towns and such to make the non-student RPers/anime buffs possibly interested in my talents! WEEEEE!



Should I be considering myself a sell-out? Mm…not really. I learned early in my illustration training that I was really good at replicating from photographs. And it’s probably something I should have allowed myself to pursue further into instead of being the stubborn selfish bitch that I am in wanting to continue drawing up and writing stories about characters that pop in and out of my head…only to burn myself out while learning about the art of comic books and learning that if I’m working on something I’m not overly thrilled about myself, then I’ll wind up not wanting to draw, paint, or do anything remotely artistic-ly creative for a long period of time.

And don’t think that I’m not passionate about what I’m doing now. I’m actually enjoying being able to paint again, especially on something as wishy-washy as glass…it’s challenging my knowledge of light and colors. Which is good because I need to remember how to make such challenges work for me when I start candle carving again. Dipping a candle in red wax and then yellow wax does not make the candle orange! And with finding a way of putting the ballpoint pens and ink brushes to good collaborative use, I can promote something that isn’t seen very often…or…at least I haven’t seen it very often, and I saw a lot of art coming through the shop I used to work at to be shipped. Some were ink drawings, yes…but if it was colored, it was normally through watercolors! So there!

Yeah…so…yeah. Heh. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Please!

http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
http://shops.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt

Because She’s Gone Batty…

ISN’T HE JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE OLD CRANKY BATTLE SCARRED DRAGON YOU’VE EVER SEEN?!




And because a friend of mine REALLY wanted to hug him to death, I made him available as a Throw Pillow at my shop here below! Throw pillows and other items are not available in my original shop…but you can find them at this new one that I’m still tweaking. EEEEEEEEEE!

http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD

And I never thought that I would see the day where I would hear from my sister and brother-in-law would tell me how his coffee mug at work braking would lead to a memorial service and flowers would show up at a shrine made for said coffee mug the next day. Who would have thought that their co-workers were so awesomely weird?!

One Down, Nineteen to Go.

Only one person who reads this blog might possibly recognize the scene in this window painting. Two or three years back, my friends took me up to a cabin in the mountains north of Atlanta, GA for a gaming weekend. Though I can’t say I’m as fond of the rule/dice/feats/skills/and so on based Role Playing games as much as I used to be anymore, but the view, the serene feeling of being out there in the middle of nowhere without traffic and sirens and everyday life bothering me is a bliss I dream of returning to.




And so, with a photo I had saved on my computer from that first year the gaming weekend retreat was started, I painted this scene upon the window. My aunt and uncle are buying it from me, as it didn’t sell at the craft show I set up a booth for.

Yes, I’m doing shows again, not comic book conventions like I used to, as that’s something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford again, nor am I wanting to go back into that industry so much. I’m still in the process of moving…my stuffed stored at my parents’ place while I live with my sister as I apply for jobs and figure out where the hell to settle down. At least the venues I’m going into have thus been free of charge, which means for the first time ever I made even at my first show at Mercersburg’s First Friday this month. That’s right, I didn’t sell a thing! But hey, I got a ton of compliments! Let’s give me two thumbs up and a forced grin while I try to think positively of this venture!

I think I need to change my game plan. I still have the same goal, starting my own candle carving business. What do I need? $7,000.00 to buy the equipment. I might haggle this price, asking to exclude certain items in the package deal as I’ll see if I can’t convert this company’s way of carving candles to what I’m more familiar with. I originally hoped to earn this money via a steady job, but considering that stupid me can’t bring myself to lie on an application questionnaire because I’d like to think that companies would want to hire an HONEST employee instead of one that they only become disappointed with when they don’t live up how they answered a question…I don’t see myself getting hired by the neighboring art supply stores anytime soon. Let’s not look at how much experience I’m bringing with me to the job! PLEASE! I have a feeling I’ll be making subs at the local Subway…and I was so hoping to stay out of the food business after working the overnight shift at the gas station so many years ago.

So…with that said, I’ll again have to rework the plan to reach my goal using a different source. My parents saved me 20 windows they had replaced in their house for me to paint on. So I’ve been going around taking as many pictures as possible of what I thought would be interesting to see through a window; like looking through a window into another world…only sometimes it might just be a scene of my own backyard. I received compliments on the painting above, and with the idea of having more options up for sale, there’s the hope that they will sell better than my character prints and old comic books.

My personal goal is to phase out (as in sell all back stock) my comic books and character prints to in part help pay for the candle supplies. In doing so, I want to push the window paintings and some of my personal art (ink and pastel drawings, paintings, mixed media and random stuff I’m ready to let go of and empty out my portfolios) to help make up the difference. Once I can start making my candles, the window paintings will be phased out so I can focus more on what I have planned for the candles. However, I do plan on upgrading and keeping my CafrePress shop for those people who still like the character art, and will be updated on a random basis depending on commissions and personal inspiration. In fact, some design plans I have for the candles will more than likely be included in the CafePress shop once my experiments prove to be as successful as I hope them to be.

I am confident that my candles will sell well and even better than my artwork. The business I used to work for had done well under its original management for roughly 20 years, more so than that if I remember correctly. It’s all a matter of keeping your new customers happy by getting the product done in time so that they will become regular customers and their word of mouth will bring in more new customers; and I am positive that I can manage that once I get my supplies.

A part of me wants to try and boost my sales at the shows by holding a fund raiser raffle. Promote my plans to start my business, and with each purchase made the customer would write their name, address, and number down to be picked once I’ve reached my $7,000.00 goal. Makes sense, right? I’ve got candles available to show as demos, and the raffle prize would be a free candle. I believe a good incentive is not a small candle of my choosing, but the largest size candle of the molds that will become available to me, colored and carved to a design of their choice. So, if they wanted a double bow design in a green and yellow color scheme, that’s what they’d get for their prize.

Sounds simple enough, but of course everything is easier said than done. Time will tell if anything ever works the way I hope it will, though past experiences have always proven me wrong.

To say the least, I’m keeping myself busy and attempting to stay positive. I am still a firm believer that this year will be a good year for everyone, as we’re only half way through it. Of all the bad and hectic things that have happened thus far, it can only mean that the last half of it will wind up better than anyone dared to imagine. New jobs will be found, businesses will be started, homes will be made and settled, and the bonds between friends and family will be strengthened. All will be right with the world.

Wondering what shows I’m looking to participate in? Here we’ve got:
Mercersburg’s First Fridays (PA) http://firstfriday.mercersburg.org/
Mercersburg’s Town Fest (PA) http://mercersburgtownfest.com/
Ellicott City’s Second Sundays (MD) http://ellicottcity.net/gallery/second_sunday_market/ (looking into as we speak)
Possible Quarter Auction (MD)…not entirely sure on this one as of yet.

In Need of Support!

http://shops.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt

Wait…what? The link says SHOPS??? Ok...you need to copy and paste it first...

And no art, and an update on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday? Surely there’s a good explanation for this. And there is! Really!

I moved! Shockers there, but it was a long time coming and it’s what’s making this year a good year. A fresh new start as I was hoping for. Unfortunately, it means I’m leeching off of my sister and her hubby, along with my parents as well while I look for a job and await a more permanent address. But I’m not at a complete loss! I have goals, but in order to reach those goals…as is with most things in life…I need money. So I went and opened a basic shop at CafePress .com to help make me some commission pay while I look for a job. I’m hoping that if I can make the minimum for a yearly professional account, I’ll be able to add more items and designs and set up the shop the way I would like it.

What do you guys think? There’re only four designs up there, the logo image from here…which will be changing soon to sport my new haircut, two images from some prints I’ll be selling at some art shows in town, oh! And a new image that I’ve altered to help promote a new set of prints that are in the works!

If there’s anything from on here that hasn’t been commissioned by anyone else (as I would need their permission to sell the image elsewhere as it were) that you’d like to see on here, COMMENT! Let me know so I can see if I can’t get the image uploaded onto the shop!

Anyways…thanks for the support! ^_^ I’ll be updating again once things have gotten more settled on my end!

Dragons and faeries and books…Oh my!

Ok…so I haven’t received any pictures of the panels I painted with the layout yet. But from what I understand, he’s not finished building the layout yet. So…I guess the final results are on hold until that gets done in the next couple of months. Not a big deal.

However, I was able to get another piece done. As mentioned before, I went up to my parents’ house over Easter weekend to spend time with my family. While I have my mother and sisters calling our five member group a FOO (Family of Origin)…I still simply call them my family. Difference between them and me? I’m not married with a family of my own to raise and support. So I got to see how one sister and her husband acted around each other during the evenings, and listen to my other sister go on about her husband and kids…and then listen to them both makes plans about family gatherings and such…only for them to look back at me and say something encouraging to include me on in the conversation. And I love my sisters for it, because I know they love and care about me as well; but it does remind me of how much of a third wheel I can be. A spectator, which seems to be my eternal roll in the scheme of life; which I’ve been happy to embrace for the most part.

I miss going out for walks.

So, while I had one project done, I had another that I needed to completely on a deadline; giving myself about two weeks to complete it. And while I had tried to draw during the previous time when I wasn’t painting, my inspiration and skills were working against me when I felt that nothing was looking right, and I couldn’t figure out a way to fix it. But this time around, I couldn’t let it get me down. While on the train ride up, I tried to sketch out an idea with the criteria of the image having a 2 theme to it. Even numbers…I was always taught that even numbers were a no no to an artist, but I wouldn’t make much of a fuss over it. I would make it work. It was based off of another picture I drew for him, though I have to say, this one is looking ten times better than the previous one.

Right…so…on the train I did a very basic…rough…really no detailed framework sketch of what needed to be in the picture; two dragons, books, faeries, and trees. When I even attempted to give it more detail, I think boredom from the long train ride (which was four hours late in getting into my destination due to some idiot in Alexandria who thought it would be a good idea to fortify himself in the apartment he was suppose to be evicted from) stopped me from pursuing the drawing even further. Well…at least until I got a decent night’s rest. The next day I got to spend with my sister, helping her clean the dance studio she learns and practices her Irish Step Dancing in, to which she then took me out for sushi for lunch, and then watch her practice. I enjoyed the music and the show, but it didn’t stop me from working on the drawing. By then, I had decided to simply go straight into inking it without the refined detailed pencil work. Straight from basic framework to inking. And I had decided that I was going to fill in as much space as possible…something I’ve rarely done when creating darks and lights with a ball point pen.

And I’m a firm believer that the ball point pen is not given enough credit in the art world. Seriously…you’ve got all these companies that make brush pens and microns and refillable technical pens, and teachers that show you how to use the pro-quill pens and ink dipping and sumi brushes and such…but a ball point pen? I think the one teacher I had that came close to using an alternative source than the ‘professional’ materials for inking was a ‘Hello Kitty’ fanatic who pulled out a Sharpie marker. And I know I didn’t appreciate his style of teaching much back then, but a part of me wishes I had taken him for my second inking class instead of the newly appointed head of the department at the time. As much as he was the guru when it comes to inking during my time there, I really hated his guts. I don’t know how I managed to pass his class, but I was happy when he openly considered me disturbed.

Anyways, I was happy to show my family what I was working on while it was still all in the works. I like to think it made my dad happy to see the work in progress, since it’s not very often anymore he gets to see what I’m doing. So, whenever there was a pause between Doctor Who episodes Dad and us girls were watching with him, I’d hold up my sketch pad and point out…”SEE!” for the three of them to admire while I bask in their brief compliments. The usual “Looks good”…but when I was finished with it, my oldest sister’s “I can’t wait to see what it looks like colored” gave me a great sense of excitement, because I too was actually eager to color it…but couldn’t during my stay because my laptop lacks the photoshop I use. I guess I could try installing it on there now that I’ve got a hardcopy of it…but with as slow as that thing is compared to my desktop…I don’t think I could tolerate it for long. Besides, my mother’s laptop is made for that kind of fun, with her touch screen that she rarely uses.




THAT LAPTOP IS SO MINE WHEN SHE GETS A NEW ONE! I’VE STAKED MY CLAIM ON IT! Commence battle scene between Kermit and myself, and input Dad’s insistence that if I were to ever get into a fight I would be deemed victorious, much to my sisters’ disbelief. Why? Though everyone seems to agree that they can’t see me getting into such a fight, he believes that I could most assuredly hold my own and my opponent would be regretting it. I don’t know…maybe it’s all the Xena/Hercules shows I used to watch…and the swordplay in the LARPs I used to play in. Go figure.



And of course, I digress. Nothing new there. What’s really nice about the ball point pen work is that I can scan it in as a grey scale image, change the format to color specific, and then change the tones and blacks to another color, which to me creates a nice unified coloration that is shared amongst all the other colors that are later introduced to the picture. Basically, it brings the picture together as a whole without anything standing out too much. And then using the right airbrush/paintbrush tools, adjusting their opacity to the way I like it, and I’ve got a nice watercolor-esque effect that I’ve found looks best with the way I inked the picture. Over all, I’m a happy camper, my friend is a happy camper…all is right with the world for the time being!



And as for payment? This time I am charging in with a tradeoff of my friend (who will be visiting me in the next few days) taking me out for sushi one of the nights he’s in town! HAHA!