Lady Garland's Sketch Blog

My Favorite Spot

2012-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

A style study for my friend, Tangi, and her exciting animated film, Teway. Had a lot of fun changing up my usual painting process for this one! Was I geeking out over using my new brushes? Possibly.

Now I want to go watch A Little Princess.

January Schmanuary

2012-01-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Like Mr. Scrooge, I keep Christmas all year round! Here are some sketches I did while watching "Battle of the Nutcrackers" over the holidays. There was one performance where all of they had dancing bugs instead of dancing candies. It was...interesting.

Dance of the sugarplum cockroach? XD

Happy 2012!

2012-01-05T23:46:00.001-08:00

First post of the new year! To celebrate, I took apart an old Ritz crackers box and doodled up a storm! Who needs background music when you have dozens of Glee episodes back logged on Netflicks? XD

What did you guys do for new years? My friends and I spent the night watching Scott Pilgrim and playing my all time favorite video game, Bust A Groove!

Did you know they had double fever time?! We just discovered it! Now, I have a growing urge to find someone to dance battle with....

Yes. Many a dance battle shall be had.

Christmas Sketches

2011-12-23T23:39:00.001-08:00

Messing around on my old tablet while watching a Nutcracker ballet marathon...XD

What If Chivalry Was Dead?

2011-12-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

My piece for the What If show at Gallery Nucleus!

I think I'd like to do more pieces with the chivalrous skeleton and his lady. It'll be interesting to explore all of the adorably macabre dates they would go on together. Perhaps a picnic in a graveyard? Or would they be more apt to play hide and seek amongst the fossils at a local museum? <3

That's Just....Nasty!

2011-12-03T21:31:00.001-08:00

...Was a reaction (and direct quote) from a portfolio review at CTN.

Can I just state the obvious? Portfolio reviews are stressful! I actually spent the first two days avoiding recruiting tables because I was so nervous! BUT (As some of my friends pointed out.) One of the great things about these types of conventions is that you get the opportunity to get feedback from different companies and artists you admire. In person. So it was high time to buck up and get some reviews. And boy did I get it!

Let the record show, that I took my little booklet to anyone patient enough to take a look. Big companies, smaller companies, independent and professional artists. I even went to a few interviews with this line up. The following is pretty much how the reviews went down:

Things started out normal enough. People would flip through several pages of broken dolls, walking libraries, and all sorts of girlish whimsy while I hovered nearby, trying not to hyperventilate. The reviewer would comment on something every now and then, pointing out what they liked or disliked and I would make frantic mental notes of all of it. Then, at long last, they would get to the Nightmare Parade. Suddenly, there were pages upon pages of goblins and ghouls cackling up at them... and one particular page dedicated to a boy with a freakishly disfigured face. (You know the one.)

They'd stop for a moment and look at the page.

Then up at me.

Then back at the page.

Then back at me.

All this time, I'm standing there with the goofiest grin on my face, staring straight into their horrified ones...and all I can think to do is giggle and shrug my shoulders in a "I don't know where it comes from!" type fashion.

A moment of silence passes between us that feels like hours.

"Well,you certainly have an active...imagination..."

*More awkward giggling*

*******

I can honestly say, those were the best reviews I've ever had. Not only did I get a great story out of it, but I got some really helpful feedback as well. I'm completely inspired! Who knew that creeping recruiters out with creepy drawings could leave a person with a false sense of power and a sudden urge to indulge in a lifelong dream of super villainy?

Prince in the Forest

2011-11-30T22:48:00.000-08:00

Originally was going to use this as a leave behind for CTN...but quickly abandoned the idea. Still, it was fun getting back into digital painting. Huzzah!

The Prince

2011-11-11T17:16:00.001-08:00

Here are a few sketches of the little monster boy from my previous post. He calls himself "The Prince of a Thousand Faces". Can you guess why?

So far, I've just been calling him "The Prince"...but I think I should give him a proper name. Any ideas?

It feels so good to be working on The Nightmare Parade again. Things have been pretty hectic lately. Now that I'm settled into my new apartment, I can begin updating work more frequently.

Stay tuned!

My Compliments...

2011-09-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile. Let's put a stop to that right now, shall we?

Still chugging away at Nightmare concepts. The creepy cook was a potential plot point that I'm still playing with, while the masked boy could possibly be one of our main protagonists. Though nameless, I've found myself doodling him over and over in my sketchbook. Perhaps I'll upload more after the dust has settled.

Did I mention I was moving by the by? EXTREMELY EXCITED!

The End of an Era

2011-07-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

Went to the midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 last night. I'm feeling too emotionally drained to paint anything new, so I thought I'd upload some nightmare sketches. Perhaps I'll smother my sorrows with a gallon of ice cream. ;___;

Another Parade

2011-06-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

I suppose this is the product of an over active imagination and a big creaky house. Enjoy.

Bits and Pieces

2011-06-17T22:53:00.001-07:00

Once there was a toy maker who wasn't very good at making toys. No matter how hard he tried, they came out twisted and broken like loose lumps of clay...

James Octavien was the last doll he ever made. A wooden jester with a crooked smile...
Long ago, a man decided to leave his home and travel the world. But the bookshelves soon grew lonely for there was no one to turn their pages. So one bright day, they all decided to sprout legs and follow him.
Three daughters of the sky set out to live a brief life on earth. "The only thing of value are those stars in your eyes, my dear," said the merchant, "Pluck them out for me and I'll pay you handsomely."

...

A batch of random sketches deserve some random stories. I'll hash out the details later, I'm sure.

Wind Maiden

2011-05-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

Just an idea that popped into mind in the midst of all this crazy weather. I really miss writing fairy tales...perhaps I'll start up again? The stories in my head are getting a little crowded.

You're Beautiful

2011-04-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Though it's spring, working on Broken Dolls has forever made it Christmas in my mind. Especially when it's overcast. Sometimes I like to pretend that it could snow outside at any moment! Maybe I should decorate my room in old holiday ornaments...

One of my favorite holiday traditions is going to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert! They are such an amazing band...I'm always inspired whenever I hear their music. It's magic and energy and lights all rolled into one! I wish I could keep that kind of feeling with me all year round.

Is there a holiday tradition you would like to keep throughout the year? Hot cocoa, roast duck, or maybe the sudden increase in coat and toy donations? Let me know! XD

The Thump in the Attic

2011-03-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Porcelain dolls were always given to me as gifts when I was younger. Little did my relatives know that the figurines kind of freaked me out at night. Perhaps it was all those stories about dolls chopping up their owners in their sleep. It seems fitting that I post this before going to bed.

Like Kurosawa I Make Mad Films...

2011-03-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oh darling blog, how I've missed you! Here are the remaining four paintings I finished for the independent film I mentioned earlier. There's nothing like watching your favorite samurai films and clips over and over again...all in the name of research!

Do you enjoy watching martial arts films? If so, which one is your favorite? I personally, love Ip Man. (Cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!) If we're sticking strictly to samurai flicks, Seven Samurai will always be one of the greats.

********

Edit: Though these images are strictly work related and created prior to the earthquake...it didn't sit right with me to ignore the catastrophic events that have taken place recently. I'm sure many of you have already seen this link to the American Red Cross donation page. Feel free to do whatever sits right with you.

Broken Doll Sketches

2011-02-21T17:04:00.001-08:00

More "Broken Doll" sketches! Now that I'm finishing up the last of my freelance work, I'll have more time to commit to personal projects. I'm very excited to explore this whimsically lopsided world.

In the meantime, tell me about a project that you've always wanted to work on! I'm sure there are some great ideas out there just waiting to be developed. XD

Toy Ships!

2011-02-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

Just some sketches I've been working on in between projects.

BAICFF!

2011-01-31T18:22:00.001-08:00

This weekend I was able to attend the Bay Area International Children's Film Festival in Alameda! My short, Mon Monde, had a screening there alongside a lot of really amazing animated and live action films. Some of which included, Franziska Buch's Here Comes Lola, Carlos Baena's Play By Play, Studd and Patterson's tiniest stop-mo heroine, Dot, and of course, Leonardo by Jim Capobianco. (Who also happened to be running the event!)

The theater was so bright, colorful, and filled with children! They were running around and playing between breaks, but let me tell you, once the films started...they were all so quiet and attentive. I was very impressed. That feeling was soon replaced with nervous panic, however, once I realized that children can be some of the bluntest critics out there! As the films played, I sat in petrified silence as the kids around me exclaimed loudly to their respective guardians whether or not they approved of the shorts. I became horrified at the thought of Mon Monde not being received well. Not only that, I was expected to do a short Q&A session afterward! Would anyone even ask questions? Or worse, what if the children couldn't even remember the film amongst the array of fantastical shorts?

Just as I had convinced myself that the knot in my stomach was an overactive ulcer...a miracle happened.

The film did not play. Only music on a black screen.

THANK GOD FOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!

It was just the moment I needed to collect myself and remember that the most important critic is and will always be...yourself. Sure, there is always room for improvement and it is important to be able to expand your horizons by taking critique... but in the very end, I want to make films that will make me happy. And I had an absolute blast working on Mon Monde! If other audiences see what my team and I worked so hard on and enjoy it too, well then, that's wonderful. And if they don't? Then that's fine too. I still have hands to draw with. No negative opinion can crush my artistic voice.

So with that after-school-special-speech out of the way...all of the glitches were resolved and Mon Monde eventually played. The final result? Both children and adults generally liked it! The Q&A session went over well, too. I may have rambled on a little longer than necessary...coupled with a few fits of nervous giggles, but other than that I think I handled it very well! Ha ha ha!

If I had to choose...The most perfect moment of that festival happened when I was waiting in line for the restroom. A little girl and her mother were ahead of me, and the girl kept looking at me and then whispering to her mother. I made funny faces at her in the meantime. (What else can you do in line with a bunch of children?) I didn't really think anything of it, until after we came out, and the mother was ushering her child away.

"I really liked your film!" the girl said as she passed by.

She must have been no more than 5 or 6.

That was the highest compliment I received that day.

Dance and Swordplay

2011-01-16T13:19:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd show everyone what I've been working on for the last couple of weeks! These conceptual pieces are for an upcoming independent film that will be shot in Los Angeles.

I can't discuss much more than that, other than the fact I am having a blast working on this project!

Oh, and in case you were wondering...the "soundtrack" for this was mainly Genki Sudo and Tiesto and Sneaky Sound System's "I Will Be Here". Give them a listen and let me know what you think!

Round Up the Usual Suspects

2011-01-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

Remember the girls with the sunglasses I drew awhile back? This is what spawned from that. It's a suspenseful murder mystery that takes place inside of a "hip" roller diner called Yao Yao Burger.
And the following is what you could call "my process"...in all of it's messy glory.

Whenever I work on a certain project, I tend to make a "soundtrack" for it. For me, a matching genre of music helps get me into the mood of that particular world. Whenever I work on Yao Yao Burger, I like to listen to a mix of "Robots in Disguise", "Hadouken", and the soundtrack from my favorite video game "Bust a Groove".

However, this particular song by GD&TOP recently made it onto my Yao Yao soundtrack. Mostly because the video is rocking! That's the world I want to live in.

Does anyone else make "soundtracks"? What do you like to listen to when you draw?

Happy Extended Christmas

2010-12-29T12:55:00.001-08:00

As long as the tree and decorations are up in my house...it's still Christmas! So have a Merry Extended Holiday everyone! I'll be at starbucks sipping overpriced gingerbread lattes. XD

Doll Sketches

2010-12-16T21:04:00.001-08:00

I've slowly, but steadily been scanning in and taking pictures of some water color sketches. Turns out that obscenely large paper and small scanners don't mesh well together. Who would've thought?

Any suggestions on how to upload traditional pictures without sacrificing color?

Oh, and these are all sketches of Estella. The "pretty" doll in the toy shop. Stay tuned...still more to come!

Midnight Escape

2010-12-15T16:07:00.001-08:00

I always return to this Broken Dolls story every December. This year, I've given the story a complete overhaul. Be prepared for an onslaught of sketchy goodness...in later posts, of course. For now, I'm going to curl up with a nice cup of soup, recover from my stomach flu, and watch some martial arts films.

Ahhh....Christmas. xD

Is everyone having a wonderful winter holiday? I hope so!

Bon Voyage

2010-11-16T12:20:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful week! This has been such an exciting month so far! Mon Monde was featured in the animation block of the Savannah Film Festival, so I was able to fly back to Georgia for the weekend. Saw a lot of really wonderful films and had the chance to get to know a lot of really kind and talented directors! Most importantly, I was able to meet up with a lot of my Monty possie and take a look at some of their production work for their own individual projects. Let me just say, we have some very gifted filmmakers at SCAD! The whole weekend just left me feeling very inspired and now I can't wait to get back to the drawing board and start developing concepts for my next film....which has yet to be announced. xD

The following week, Harley Jessup gave a presentation about his involvement on Ratatouille and about the production process in general at PIXAR. Not to mention, the museum he was speaking at had an entire corridor dedicated to PIXAR's visual development from Toy Story to...well, Toy Story 3. Ha ha ha! Needless to say, my mind was blown. So much beautiful artwork!

And now...with Thanksgiving less than a week away, I will be attending the CTN Animation Expo.

SIGGRAPH was such a blast, I'm certain that this weekend is going to be absolutely magical! Hope to see you there!

We Three Kings

2010-10-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

Characters from a story I've had rolling around in my head...One of these days I'll create an illustration with all three of them. XD

The Sky King! I'll give you one chance to guess what kind of vessel he rides around in! His current goal is trying to capture light. Glass bottles aren't necessarily the best way to go...but he's a king, not a scientist.

This is the Earth King. He's a shy and quiet chap, who enjoys nothing more than feeding his friendly forest animals and eating corn. Not the best candidate for epic adventures, but hey...he really has no control over his fate. Bwa ha ha! XD

The Water King! A giant, tempestuous woman who is well versed in all manners of battle. She prefers the company of her water snake to that of most people. Needless to say, traveling with her two "companions" will be...interesting.

Sorry, there's no "Halloween" themed post! Perhaps I'll doodle something up later!

DRAGON

2010-10-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

For lack of a better title...

An image for my friend's birthday! I hope it was a fun one! XD

Angels in a Window

2010-10-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

I wish it would snow where I live...a not-so-secret dream of mine.

The Cage Man

2010-10-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Nothing, but shrubbery...The cage man from the Nightmare Parade. He is a quiet soul.

....

I'm so frustrated with translating colors between monitors!! DX

I've got a castle on a cloud...

2010-10-04T01:37:00.001-07:00

Just fiddling with a story from long ago. If you can guess which one...then I've already told you too much! O m O;

What kind of person do you think would live in a flying tower?

WE DID IT!!

2010-09-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just got back from BORDERS today...and look what I found!!

Rest assured...this IS the right magazine! Ha ha ha!!

Congratulations everyone!! You all worked so hard and now look where we are!! XD There were only two copies of 3D World in our bookstore, but we bought them all anyway! All of the customers in the checkout line gave me strange looks because I was squealing and jumping around like a lunatic. Ha ha ha!

I didn't care of course! Today is a wonderful day, and I will rejoice any way I choose!
[Insert ridiculously happy showtune here.]

I miss you like the sun...

2010-09-25T10:34:00.001-07:00

A lot of people wonder exactly where I got the phrase "I miss you like the Sun misses the moon." It's a strange saying, I know, and I kind of just started quoting it. XD The whole idea came from an episode of "Gullah Gullah Island"! (Does anyone even remember that show?!) Anyway, one of the sing along songs were about how the sun and the moon were in love, but whenever they got too close, the sun's heat would melt the moon into a crescent. So they had to break apart, for what seemed like forever...only to discover that they can still see each other in passing at dusk and dawn.

I wanted the both the sun and moon tribe to be very bright and graphic...so I started looking at Kabukii actors and some African tribal dancers and got super inspired! This is just a first pass, but I'm very excited to keep exploring the different aspects of light, cultures, and dance. It's going to be fun! XD

A long over due "thanks"!

2010-09-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Words really cannot express how blessed and thankful I am to have had such an amazing team to work on this monster of a project! Without you...none of this would have been possible. So thank you, Lord! Thank you to all of my wonderful producers, compositors, background artists, my composer, my sound effects artist and of course, the ARMY of clean up artists and colorists who helped work on the film! Thank you for taking the time out of your super busy lives to help make my ridiculous dream a possibility! Thank you for all of the late nights. Thank you for all of the encouragement. And most of all, thank you, for putting up with me and my anal ways! All of you have the grace and patience of saints. Seriously.

Thank you.

There were a few moments while working on this film that I just wanted to give up. The amount of work that needed to be completed continued to pile up and up and up and I just could not see over the top. But thanks to everyone's hard work and positivity...not only were we able to finish Ma Monde, but the film will be showing in festivals, featured in this year's SCAD catalog, and have an ad in 3D world magazine!!

This is not that magazine.

In all of my excitement, I ran to the nearest BORDERS and bought the one and only copy. The cover was sealed, so I was unable to look inside until after the purchase. Low and behold...I had the right magazine, just the wrong issue. :/ Luckily, October's launch starts tomorrow, and a Barnes and Noble receptionist said that there would be a new shipment next Monday! You can bet I'll be stalking that store come Sunday night! Ha ha ha!

In the meantime, since this is indeed my self-proclaimed season of thanks-giving... (Har har.) I have prepared a special packet for everyone who helped bring Ma Monde together! So don't forget to e-mail me with your mailing address! Because I absolutely cannot say it enough:

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!

Each and every one of you were a pleasure to work with! As I'm typing this in my home now, I'm overcome with a sudden case of school-sickness. The only remedy is a big hug, but unfortunately all of you are so far away! I miss you all like the sun misses the moon, and I really hope that all of you succeed in whatever dreams that you are chasing after right now and in the future! For all those still in school: Keep it up! I cannot wait to see the fabulous senior films and personal projects that you all will produce! For all of those out of school: Keep going strong as well! The post grad adventures have only just begun, andI know that in time you will all take this industry by storm! So to everyone: Keep moving! Keep creating! And most importantly, never give up on your vision. For as long as you continue to rally together...nothing is impossible!

As for me...I can only hope to work with another team as absolutely amazing as all of you.

The Stern King

2010-08-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

This was going to be an entry for Sketchfrolic's "Kings"...but he looks more like a priest to me, so I think I'm going to go back to the drawing board. Huzzah!

Preparing for the Big Day

2010-08-23T23:45:00.001-07:00

A really really over due post for Austin Madison's CHADES Challenge. The theme was "hairdressers of the dead". I had a lot of fun with this picture! There's nothing like creepy crawly creatures to keep us ladies looking our best in the afterlife!

I'm starting to worry about the colors showing up on my cintiq vs. the regular monitor again. (The last color test I polled delt with colors that were applied mostly with my old tablet, then adjusted later via cintiq.) As per usual, colors on the cintiq are always so much more vibrant than the colors I see on my other screen. To combat this, I've been trying to up the saturation and mess with the levels a bit...but then I start wondering if the colors look blown out on anyone else's monitors.

Here's what the original image looks like without any tinkering:

Compared to the colors I see on my cintiq...my regular monitor makes the colors appear very dull and sad looking. But who knows? Maybe the colors seem a bit brighter for everyone else? Does the top image look too blown out?

Please let me know...once again! XD

The Headless Ball

2010-08-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

My entry for Chris Sanders's Sketchaholic contest! I've had this idea in my mind for awhile, so when I heard the theme was "Nightmares"...I got super excited! This song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was the major inspiration for it as well as Dame Shirley Bassey's "Get This Party Started". That's one ball I would love to be invited to!Now this is my street urchin submission for Sketchfrolic! I was really inspired by the whole "School of Seven Bells" concept...where pick pockets-in-training try to steal a man's wallet without ringing any of the bells on his coat. Of course, after the lesson, the street urchins celebrate by eating cold porridge and dancing on tables to old Oliver! showtunes.

The next theme is "Kings", so make sure to head on over to the blog and submit!

Can I be a nerd for a second?

2010-08-12T19:16:00.001-07:00

Yet another submission for last week's Sketchaholic contest. The theme was to take your favorite anime and draw it in your own style. So of course I did Sailor Moon! I hadn't drawn this girl in ages...and honestly, I think I had a little too much fun coloring the piece. Because this piece would inevitably start my downward spiral into elementary school nostalgia.

Case in point. I went digging through my closest the other day and found my entire Sailor Moon card collection! While other kids were saving up their nickels and dimes for Pokemon cards, I was busy robbing banks and bullying kids in the school yard in order to get my hands on as many of these holographic goodies as possible.

This particular card deck was my favorite! It was $14.00 and it took me about a month to come up with the money. Only trouble was, they had sold the deck by the time I got back to the comic book shop! I was devestated. I think I cried all the way home in the car. Little did I know, that later in the year, the deck would find it's way into my Christmas Stocking.

Ahhh...the miracles of child hood. XD

On a completely different note, SIGGRAPH was absolutely amazing!! Every day was like a new adventure. There were lots of really great lectures and the exhibition hall was wonderful! I really learned a lot about networking and just being more forward and self confident. Now I have a lot of new friends, and seeing all of my old SCAD buddies again was awesome.

We spent most of the time at the Disney booth, where we got to talk to and hear lectures from Bruce Smith, Brittney Lee, and of course, Glenn Keane! (Who was nice enough to stay behind and sign everyone's Tangled poster!)

Speaking of Tangled, I am super hyped for this movie! All of the production work for the film looked absolutely beautiful. Of course, I couldn't take any pictures, (Or risk being tackled by ten foot tall gorillas in penguin suits.) but trust me...it's going to be awesome! I'm super inspired now!

Oh!

Did I mention, I now know how to navigate the Metro?! And...AND I rode on a bus! BY MYSELF!!(and occasionally with Zane and Tom...) It was pretty amazing. I would show you guys pictures of all of our awesome adventures, but...

I forgot my camera. DX

You'll just have to take my word for it...SIGGRAPH was a blast!

Nightmare Painting

2010-07-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I'm currently in LA right now, attending SIGGRAPH!! Admist all of the hustle and bustle, I thought I would upload a conceptual painting for the Nightmare Parade that I finished a few days ago. This will also be the main print I will be handing out to everyone at the convention.

That's all for tonight! Stay tuned for more SIGGRAPH adventures coming soon! XD

Welcome to Bootwood

2010-07-20T17:01:00.001-07:00

Or "Shoe City" or "Holly Boot" or any other kitschy names involving shoes. Those of you who took portfolio class with me may know what story this image is about. Those of you who didn't...well, the plot will be explained soon enough. For now, let's just refer to it as "The Little Old Woman" story. With a twist!! XD

Aaand bonus! I drew DOGGIES!! This was just one day's worth of doodles...but I'll be drawing some more later. Gotta come up with an adorable furball for this shoe story! Huzzah!!