Donna's Sketch Blog

New website

2011-05-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

My husband has put up his new website here:
http://www.felixwong.net/

I think he put it up awhile ago. I just notice! !
Bad communication in our "office"!
Haha

Quick paint practice 2

2011-05-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Another painting practice. Hope I could keep at it :)

Quick paint practice

2011-04-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Trying to practice and paint quickly, but end up not really "quick". It took me 2 hours to get to something this loose.

I always have struggle trying to transition my traditional painting skills into digital painting. For some reason, I just can't get the same feeling. Of course, the tools are different. I think the color mixing part is the key because I tend to be more spontaneous with traditionl tools and was able to react and build upon the color change, but when I paint with the computer, I kinda lost that spontaneity and sense. I find that if I paint in a very "organised" or programmed fashion, my painting usually ended up being very stiff.

I'm hoping to force myself to paint in shorter time, and be more loose with it. Doing production designs at work could really stiffen up my way of painting or drawing, because I got so used to doing detailed stuff.

Just hope that I could keep it up :D

furry creature

2010-11-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

Another Black & White illustration on Painter. It's a good exercise where I learn to use the different brushes better, especially dealing with fur and hair.

The only 'pain' here is with the cintiq!! I have a wide screen monitor as well as a 12"cintiq. All the time I have been working on the cintiq and forgot to pull the file back to the widescreen to check the color and contrast. Cintiq has this problem with color management. The painting would look sharp and have nice color on the cintiq, but when you bring it back to a normal screen, the contrast is lost and the color is cooler. Tonight, I have tried to reset my cintiq's contrast and color temperature. It's still looking much yellower and warmer than normal, but better than what was before, at least. I wish they could fix this problem in the future with the newer version of cintiq. Then, it would really be the 'perfect' digital tool.

To me, hand-drawn is still the best :D

Black and White character painting

2010-10-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

Did a black and white painting of a character I designed for tonal practice at Painter. It took me a long time and it is definitely hard for me! I like how the face turned out, but don't really like what he is wearing. Should have worked out his body design better before I paint. For now, I'm glad to move on to the next lesson :P

Pin Up for UXB

2010-10-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, my friend and colleague, Colin Lorimer, has published his own comic, UXB, online. It is really my honor to have done this pin up illustration for it. If you are looking for some really amazing looking artwork (almost an obsession with lines and details :D) , you should check out his comic here:
http://uxbcomic.com/

I very much enjoy painting this pin up since I haven't done any traditional painting for a long time (well, may be not even digital work). The feeling of real paint and water is just good! And for a long time, I haven't drawn anything in a style that I enjoy.

It's always inspiring to see other people being so dedicated to their own work. More like a kick in my head, telling me to wake up and start doing something of my own. It is a blessing to have a job in design, but personal work is vital to my artistic development and keep me going. I guess every artist has that urge to express themselves in their own way!

Painting Practise

2010-08-19T01:47:00.001-07:00

Thought I should start practising my painting skills again. It's getting so rusty....

Ah....same old, no time for anything....-_-

Welcome your comments.

Sketches and doodles

2008-12-19T23:34:00.000-08:00

Character ideas

On location sketches

Haven't posted anything for sometime. Too lazy to scan in stuff:P Now that I am on a break, I got the time to scan in some sketches and doodles. Some are from months ago. To be honest, I find it hard to just sit down and sketch now. Just too many things going on in life, and too much distraction. But once I pick up a pencil and start to draw, it feels real good.

Ocean Shore beaches

2008-08-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Felix and I went to Ocean Shore in Washington, U.S., during the long weekend. The beaches are huge and magnificent. Unfortunately, the weather is cloudy and a little cool.

Haven't really done much of my own stuff other than work. Before, I could still assign a block of time to do a drawing or illustration. But it's not quite possible now. I just have to make good use of whatever time leftover. This is a sketch that I half done while waiting for a table at a restaurant, and colored on the car when we are waiting to cross the border, back to Canada. well, something is better than nothing, i guess...

Doodles.Vehicle.

2007-10-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

Some doodles, and a vehicle design .
I'd like to have a vehicle that doesn't need me to drive and take me wherever I want once I enter the destination into its computer. No steering wheel, of course!

painting

2007-10-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

I intended to make this the cover of a comic that I 'thought' I would try to do...and it takes me forever to paint in photoshop. First, because of procrastination; second, because I haven't done much drawing or painting this past 2 months; third, because I want to practise painting w/ photoshop seriously; and fourth, it seems like there're lot of things that gets into the way...well ^..^

I'm quite happy with it now, although there're little things that I would like to fix but I think I should move on to something else.

And thank you if you are still visiting this blog since it has been deserted for awhile~~a poorly maintained blog...

Practice 3

2007-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Practice in photoshop.

I still enjoy traditional painting and drawing more. But working digitally saves more time in terms of work in the industry.

Ah, I'm bored... -u-

Practice 2

2007-07-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

I only did a few drawings when I was away in June. The painting is based on one of the doodles above. I was trying to paint it in a different way than I usually did, so it took me more time.

I'm glad I got a fan today. The heat is killing me x{

Stocks

2007-06-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

I went to the bank with my dad last week, and I saw a lot of people watching stocks on computers there. Most of them are middle aged men or housewives. One time, they were yelling and forming a crowd before the computers. Quite a funny phenomenon. There were actually more people than what I have drawn here...

Practice

2007-05-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

I was planning to color this before gradshow, but ran out of time eventually. I'm glad that I did it after because this took me more time than I usually do, and I could experiment with other washes that I am normally afraid of using. For now, I'm happy with how it turns out :)

some doodles

2007-04-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

I used to think that if I draw cartoons all day, I'll quit the habit of doodling on used paper.
Nobe! doodling is still my favorite activity! drawing nonsense is fun ,:P

Class illo: Odd thing found in a toilet bowl

2007-03-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Odd people that one surely wants to flush away.

Class illo--Stupid

2007-03-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Can't really think when I'm sick. I've got headaches, runny nose, sore throat, small brain...etc. But I'm still alive -u-

Digi colored character

2007-02-28T22:16:00.000-08:00

A colored piece done in photoshop for Color and Media class. At first I intended it to be more painterly, but somehow it didn't turn out that way. Got carried away with making her a pretty looking 'shojo style' girl ....-_- I read a lot of mangas before but not really a big shojo fan. And there were only a few shojo authors that I liked.

I hardly read any manga now since there's no more time left ...>0<....

Class illo-- ZOMBIE INVASION

2007-02-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

More like spirits invasion than zombie, haha xD

Class illo--Bad Luck

2007-02-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

A view from my room this afternoon when I was working on my animation.

I don't believe in luck. I think there's a reason for everything but we might not understand it now. God has His plan for everyone of us.

There will still be frustration and disappointment when bad things happen. But if we take a minute and look away from our troubles, well, the sky is still pretty beautiful!

Random stuff 2

2007-02-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

Some stuff drawn last week during my procrastination to do my animation assignment. These days, life is not as fun because of all the stress from graduation. A list of misfortunate events happened to me today are:
1) Left my wallet at school on Thursday nite and have to go back this morning to get it.
2) My flipbook at home crashes everytime I try to capture a drawing. now, i have to capture it as bmp in another program and import it into flipbook.
3) Got a stomache.
4) May be there'll be an earthquake tonite
5) and the ceiling would collapse on me.
6) and people can't find my dead body
7) and I would become the meal of the crows in my neighborhood....

But life goes on. And i still need to go back to work now Xo
Cheers to everyone.

Class illo--Paranoia

2007-02-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Walking back home when it's dark paranoids me. especially when there're people walking behind...

Random stuff

2007-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

I haven't painted anything other than school work for some time. Just some random color practice.

Class Illo--EVIL

2007-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

At this moment, homework is evil. It is abusing us everyday!

Class illo--Obessed

2007-01-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a little bit obsessed with coffee.

Class illo: Starving artist

2007-01-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

I can't draw when I'm starving. So, I admire those starving artist who would sacrifice for art...food is just too good for me :)

Class illustration--Self Portrait

2007-01-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

"You have a big face" that's what my aunt always says, and my mom, and my dad, and my friend... and I'd say so too. +___+

Class illo--Childhood trauma

2006-12-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

This happens when I was around 6...if there is any lasting effect on me, it would be.........
I'm not telling you :P

Weekly illo: B is for...

2006-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

B is for the bond between a mother and his child.

class illo-PHOBIA...

2006-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Phobia...hm...no idea what I was doing....

Class weekly illustration--RETRO!

2006-11-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if this is retro or cheesiness. But James Bond always seems to be both to me...:P

Christmas Card For Sale!

2006-11-06T00:26:00.000-08:00

My friends and I are printing a series of Christmas and blank cards as a fundraiser for building our new church (just in case you wonder, it's an evangelical free church). We sell them in 2 different packages as seen above. Each package costs $8Cdn and has 8 cards with 4 designs (with envelopes). Anyone who are interested could let me know or email me. (Please indicate if you want the top or bottom package.) Printing shall be done by Nov.17th.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help :)

Class illo--Gluttony

2006-11-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

I think gluttony is an illness because people try to find comfort and security in food when they couldn't find it in real life. They might like to eat a lot but not necessarily happier...it's quite sad...

And there's another kind which is just personal cravings, like we never get enough of chocolates :d

Class illo-- 'Candy-ween'

2006-10-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

Are we ever 'candy-weaned'?

Colored illo

2006-10-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

I colored my belleville illo for the computer animation class. It took me a long time...and I accidentally saved the flattened file when I was trying to export the file with the right color, so there's no more layers in any of the files... x..( Colors never look right when I export it from photoshop !!! It's your fault, Photoshop!

Now I need some chocolate to make me feel better :d

Class illo--Before and After

2006-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Have fun always!

Class illo--Socially Awkward

2006-10-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

The watercolor turns out to be a bit messy. The outcome of rushing...:P

Class illo--FRUSTRATION!

2006-10-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Animation not working = FRUSTRATION!
Next week's topic could be PAIN or STRESS or DYING Xp !

class illo-animal classmate

2006-10-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

hm, does this look like anyone at all ? :P

class weekly illo 2--belleville character

2006-09-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

I don't think they look too much like the style of the Triplets of Belleville :P I'm just trying to create that nostalgic and european feeling...sort of...haha. Intend to color it differently, but ran out of time. may be some other time:) o, and the color here is different from my computer...should be coffee color...well well

Class weekly illustration--ANCIENT

2006-09-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

A weekly illo for my animation class.
For me, ancient is something, hm, old...maybe. Here's an old chinese lady in ancient costume. And having her flying on a cloud 'definitely' makes her 'more ancient' because the clouds are old too ^o^ Yes, this really makes 'a lot of sense'!! XP

Iluustration Friday--PLAY!!

2006-08-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

Obviously, someone is not having fun here xP
I wish my scanner is bigger and it'll be much easier to scan, since this paper is a little bigger than letter size. And the scanner never gets the color right. Yes, I'll blame it all on the scanner !! <:D But it's a lot of fun doing this one. I wish I'm one of them !!!
Welcome anyone's comments and thanks for visiting!

last two weeks...

2006-07-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

Some sketches that I did last two weeks. Did the coloring after. Sorry for the wrinkles on the paper. Obviously, they were not on watercolor paper, just in my sketch book--watercolor paper are costly, eventhough I'm only using the cheaper ones. I get nervous when I know I'm drawing on good paper and don't want to mess up--but most of the time I messed up because of that 0.0

Pirate Design for Class blog

2006-07-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

Find out the drawing is actually a little too big for my scanner. Thus, the beer mug got chopped off. Still having anatomy problem. Wonder where all the life drawing practice have gone -.- and the colors too dirty...All in all, this is not a good design, but I needed the practice -.- Welcome any comments or criticism!

Bus stop sketch

2006-07-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

School is really quiet these days...
A sketch done while waiting for the bus driver. I colored it with watercolor after I got home. Quite enjoyed it since it's done casually. Helps to loosen up my mind. May be I should sketch more often instead of just sleeping on the bus...unfortunately my best sleep is always on a bus ;P

Chicken Taxidermy

2006-07-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

A drawing for the class blog :) Make sure you read the name plate in the drawing;P

Slug prince & princess

2006-06-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Two designs done for the class blog. They are the Slug Princess and Slug Prince...I agree they look more like an Ogre :P Just finish coloring the Slug Prince today.

Lunch time

2006-06-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

It's troublesome to decide what to eat. In most of the cases, I would eat bread instead of rice because they are easy to prepare and carry. But rice tends to be more filling and 'healthy' to me. Sometimes I would stare at the fridge and wonder what I should eat...people would wonder why I'm meditating at the food...xD

ur...bored?

2006-06-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Just playing around with watercolor. Decided that I should draw something everyday. Even some crap is better than none. hehe...wonder how long I could live up to that :P

Illustration Friday: JUNGLE

2006-06-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Jungle makes me think of creepy things and monsters. I have been practising with watercolor and it's really a difficult medium for me, very hard to control and manipulate it into the look that I want... I think I might have used too many colors here...any suggestions welcomed :)

Experimenting...

2006-06-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

An experimental drawing with watercolor and permanent marker. Have some fun doing it.

...lazzzy...

2006-06-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I have been quite lazy recently and haven't posted for a while. Since I haven't done much...really:P...I could only post this quick sketch that I did for fun. I hope my motivation to draw will come back soon....

Englishman River Fall

2006-05-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Englishman River Fall is somewhere near to Qualicam Beach where my boyfriend and I have stayed for two nights. It is a short trail but quite pleasant. We found a spot close to the river and started sketching there. I haven't been using watercolor for ages, and kind of messed up in some places. But it's a nice and relaxing experience. It's so serene and refreshing!

Office

2006-05-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

A sketch that I did a few weeks ago before I went on a holiday. I was working part-time, then, and it's been very quiet...not much to do...so I sketch a little. Later, I color it in photoshop.

Character sketches

2006-05-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted for sometime. Here're some character sketches I done before going on a vacation.

Final layout assignment

2006-05-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is a layout for my final assignment. It was black and white, and I decided to color it. It losts some details and colors after compressing it into jpeg....o, well.....

Hazel's poses

2006-04-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

These are two of the poses I did for HAZEL. I colored one of them on photoshop. I've never tried painting on photoshop before. It's actually quite fun. But I think I might change her hair color ....

model pack characters

2006-04-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

These are the characters I designed for the final model pack at school. The idea is based on a fanstasy world of BEVERAGE...yes, beverage. The story is a bit complex to explain...it's called COFFEE NATION... and the character on the left is the main character, HAZEL. I quite like her just that it's a bit hard to pose her with her big head.

I think I'll leave the explanation later when I have more time :P