New Stuff!

Actually only one photo (thanks to the very lovely Stumdaemonin on Deviantart)

How freakin cute is that?! The motive fits so perfectly on the pillow case I can't believe it! I know I shouldn't freak out over one of my own motives but it's just so cool seeing those as actual products and huggable fluffy pillows. *can't get over it*
There are tons of new things in my ArtofWhere-shop which you can find here:
Follow the chubby panda

As always: If you have any questions regarding shipping yaddayadda use the help form on the page. Kate and Joey who run the show can help you if you take your time to ask them and they are nice and won't bite. :3

I started skating again after a decade of absence (yes... TEN years... how could I?!) and it felt so good. I used to skate 3-4 hours in a row and now getting back into it feels like coming home and totally new at the same time. In ten years so many things changed and I'm a tad more scared to break any body parts I might need for work (like arms, head and neck... who cares for legs).
Berlin has some pretty neat routes for bikers and skaters only and all the 6km+ will be mine O_O

If you have the option to get outside and stretch those stiff necks after a long day at the drawing table: do it.
Trust me, working all day and not doing anything for your muscles won't do anything good. I know what I'm talking about =.=

Sometimes...

... my own idealism is totally not cooperating with healthy common sense.

.... painting size... and final size (actually you see a bit more but ... you get the point). I know it's an idiotic obsession with details but.. but... but. It's DETAILS!

Some thoughts on details: I have to admit I hated painting details. I can't kid myself when I say I loved painting those 2 years ago. I hated it from the bottom of my heart.

It changed a lot and in two years I realized that it's a good practice like yoga. The longer you meditate over something and keep your inner demons at bay when all you want to do is scream and yank the computer off the table and throw it out the bloody window... the calmer you can get.
A lot of things stress me still now (like setting up the working color scheme and god, sometimes it's really hard- especially if the colors are not in my usual comfort zone) but details don't stress me anymore.

It's something I learned to love and I'm quite grateful for every job I got with tons of details because it meant I had to face my inner demons. A lot of artists neglect it and stick to their comfort zones, colors they love, lack of details blabla endless list. I understand sometimes it can be called "style" but normally I see it as a bad habit and no craving to take your art to another level if you keep doing only things your 100%ly sure you actually CAN do.

I am not fond of radical changes but whenever I can stuff something into my style and it's a good add-on and no distraction or harsh change my votes are totally up for searching and sticking to them... and searching for the next one.

What's your thoughts on the topic? Are you more of the "I against I" or "no need to change" type?

Lion Kiki Steps

and because I already uploaded it and it's no magic at all, just a very good brush

(click on the image to get redirected to the ... huge download >_< )

Basic steps as always:
sketch
flats (thankfully done by Lew)
painting
painting²
painting³
more painting
adding a background color
done

It's really no magic at all and the brush won't do the strokes for you. In the end you have to be patient and play a bit with the brush opacity and flow.

Random cutie Han pic

Lew complained I don't blog often enough... maybe a cute snap-shot of Hantje justifies it. I've been @ home this week- working quite frantically on comic pages, cover sketches, corrections (I feel really dumb when it comes to mirror and reflection... theory and practice have never been more.... miles away from each other) and dealing with a sick bf.
I wanted to work on several things additionally but I was so tired I mostly just ended up napping on the couch whenever my mentally wake presence was not needed. It was so good and I really needed it.

I try to blog more often in the future if anything interesting pops up. At the moment I'm a bit wrapped up in the odds of life and getting the last big bunch of comic pages done aaaand a board-game finally rollin' into conception phase.

Zebra-Schwein got pre-nominated for the Graf Ludo 2012 and in 2 weeks the winner of the Origins Awards will be annouced. I don't really try to hope but it's good to see things get recognized. Actually it's pretty lame not to scream hurray but last year kind of sobered me up. ;)

Yay! Boxed!

IT's grass time again! Tretel looks a bit... actually he looks like he's in hunting mode, but he's enjoying his flower-box full of grass.I have no idea why he loves to sit IN the box instead of chomping on the strands but well... I can't blame him. I'll prep another box and hopefully Hantje will spend some more time outside as well.

Color and Fails...

I actually didn't really have any time to blog and dang, I thought I'd still have more of the fails on my computer but no... deleted in shame ;)

Anyways, this was one of the comic color schemes I got mad over. I wanted to achieve a warm summer evening scheme with a darker setting but everything I tried just looked muddy or too dark.
The problem with sunsets is that of course gras doesn't really look green anymore and all colors fade over to the yellowish-brown-muddy-something range.
But the real problem is: It just looks shitty.
I have no idea how Kazuo Oga manages to get those moods done but I decided to go the unrealistic but more appealing way. Sometimes you have to tweak it and god knows I wouldn't have liked a mud page. :/
The whole problem took 3 months to solve. Sometimes it's really the best to put the page away and start mulling over the problem again if you feel you finally have the nerves to work on it again.
But so much for realistic nature... no idea if it would have done any good to test out another scheme.

I wanted to write something about another more delicate topic but still after some weeks I can't figure out how to wrap it up, so just enjoy the weather (hopefully awesome) and have a wonderful week.

So fluffy!

That one was actually my sample print from ArtofWhere.com and no, it's not available (at the moment) but you can leave a comment with lotsa oh and ah and love and meanwhile I try to convince my editor ;(
The pillow size is 40x40 cm.