Coronavirus Crafts: Baby Yoda

So I’m a hobby artist. I work almost exclusively from photos, and I have a hard time creating in a void. I usually rely on someone to tell me what to paint (hence you’ve seen so many wedding photos and pictures of my nieces) but I’ve never done a commission. (It’s a small area, but that’s where I operate.) 

 I felt like once I monetized my hobby then it wouldn’t be a hobby anymore—and I desperately want a hobby and really don’t want another job. 

Well, on a video call my nieces told me that they were painting. I said I would paint with them if they told me what I should paint. And thus Baby Yoda Holding a Pumpkin was born. 

This tiny little guy caused quite the stir. When I posted a picture to my Facebook Gallery, this 30-minute doodle easily eclipsed the painstakingly painted wedding photo in likes (they were posted simultaneously) and garnered an immediate request for a commission. And since I didn’t have any other projects on my docket, I figured I might as well try it. 

I was able to knock it out over several hours on a Saturday evening while listening to Midnight Sun on 2.35 speed. 

The sketch and a touch of green.

All the rest of the green. Definitely more creepy than cute at the moment, but don’t worry. We’ll get there. 

Ear detail. 

Not loving the chin area, but I’ll fix it in a bit. Coat detail. I’m always amazed by how it feels like a mess when you’re painting clothing but somehow it ends up looking great. 

Here’s to hoping the eyes help it cross over from creepy to cute. 

Baby Yoda squad.

Correction on the left ear. (I used to think that watercolor was unforgiving, but that is SO not true.) Reworked the mouth to be cuter and less creepy, even though it ended up being “less accurate.”

Finished product of The Child with a Turquoise Ball. Its future home (a play therapy office) has a gray and turquoise color theme. Here’s to hoping it will match well! 

Anyway. That’s the story of my first commission. 

Coronavirus Crafts: M&T

 Hello friends! Here's my most recent watercolor project. It's a (long delayed) wedding gift for a dear friend. I knew this picture would be a fun challenge, especially with the reflection and the angles of their faces.

Honestly very satisfied with this drawing.

Hey, M and T: If you ever need proof that you'd make a classy white-haired couple (or evidence of what you looked like in the preexistance), here it is. 

The background came together rather quickly. I tried to work so that the reflection matched up without being identical. I think it worked fairly well (though some of it was pure luck).

When I painted his sweater, I thought "Oh no! Maybe I over-emphasized it!" But most people I've shown it to have mentioned immediately how good it looks. So... good.

Tristan's hair. I'm fairly satisfied with it. 

Did some basic things with M's dress (and actually just called it good for simplicity's sake). I was a little bit nervous about M's hair but it came together fairly well.

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT M'S HAIR TURNED OUT?!

The jewelry came together well, too.

I bet you're wondering why I have a dirty toothbrush here...
It's a creative trial and error effort for the beach.

I went a little too dark on the beach (not necessarily intentionally), but it came out okay.

Here's the final photo. 

I'm pretty happy about all of this. And I'm becoming more comfortable taking risks and trying new things in painting.