Mr. Holmes at the Canadian National Expo

Hello friends!

Today, I'm happy to share with you some neat news!

My illustration - "Mr. Holmes" will be taking part of the The Game is Afoot: Consulting Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Canadian National Expo in Toronto Canada. The CNE will be on from August 21st to September 7th, so if you're in the area - come check it out!

Additionally, I was very humbled that my piece was chosen to be the image headlining the exhibit on the CNE website.

Below are some screenshots from their page, and a blurb about the exhibit:

"Sherlock Holmes is more popular than ever! He continues to be reinvented since he was first introduced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. This exhibit takes a look at the evolution of Sherlock Holmes over the years and provides an opportunity for you to test your detective skills with some fun and interactive games!"

CNE Exhibits Page

The Game is Aftoot: Consulting Sherlock Homes

CNE PDF Guidebook (page 14)

And here's a quick process gif of the illustration, because - why not!

Freebie Friday - Hand Drawn Patterns

Happy Friday!

Today I've got some geometric, hand drawn patterns that I've made using sparkly gel pens. Enjoy!

As always, feel free to use these resources for personal or professional projects but please:

Do not claim the original resource images as your own,
Do not redistribute commercially. Basically, don't save and sell the resources as your own, but by all means do share the link to this page with others. :)
Do not use these textures as a base to create your own stock art/resources.

And, as always, please feel free to share anything you've made with these resources with me. I'd love to have a look! =)

Previous Freebie Friday posts:

Black & White Textile Textures 4
Cross-Stitch Cloth
Holiday Inspired Paper Textures
Speckled & Stamped Paper
Animal Print Textiles
Sweater Season Textures
Subtle Fabric Textures
Paper Textures 1
Paper Textures 2
Stained Coffee Textures
Layered Lace Textile Textures
Colourful + Abstract Textile Textures
Branches, Berries and Blossoms
Blue Pattern Textile Textures
Black and White Textiles (part 3)
Black and White Textiles (part 2)
Black and White Textiles (part 1)
Coffee Stained Paper
Fanciful Florals
Fanciful Florals 2
Fanciful Florals 3 
Vintage Inspired
Green Textiles
Red Textiles
Denim Textile Textures

Have a great weekend!

Pattern Pastimes

Happy Tuesday :)

Today I'm just doing a quick post about why hand-patterning is a pleasant and positive pastime for me.

Basically, when I'm looking to take a break from my various art projects and still want to do something productive, I grab some pens or paints and I draw patterns. It's great for me because:

1. It's very relaxing and helps me think about things that are happening in my personal and work lives.

2. It trains my hand to more easily render intricate details and shapes, which are integral to my illustration style.

3. It's also an exercise in balance - balancing amount of details, and element types.

4. I can do this pretty much anywhere, anytime. All I need is a few pencils, pens, some decent paper, and a flat surface to work on.

5. Best of all, it's just fun for me. I've been patterning things here and there ever since I was 5 years old.

Now, here are a few small, postcard-sized (under 5 x 7") pieces I've done last month.

Freehand-Patterned Teapots - No preliminary pencil work for the pattens.

Pencil-Planned Patterned Cake - Here I penciled the pattern grids only. The patterns withing the squares are free-handed.

Pattern Vortex - This piece had a bit more penciling underneath the pen. For some of the triangles and squares I drew a few notches to space out the lines evenly.

Have a great week everyone!
Some prints and things at my Society6 shop, as always :)
{Facebook Art Page}

Cedric the Snooze

"Cedric the Snooze"

Cedric the Snooze

drank too much booze,

so on pillows he drifted,

till his spirits were lifted.

That was another sketchbook doodle I've completed recently, accompanied by an impromptu poem.

Happy Sunday!

"Violet Hour" - Patterned Meticulousness

"Violet Hour" by Mariya Olshevska

So here is the final illustration I did for the Decorative Illustration class, a.k.a my favourite class this semester. For this project we were particularly encouraged to go crazy with details and embellishments...and so I did. This piece didn't turn out to have as much compositional complexity as I originally wanted, but I still like it quite a bit. Originally I wanted Celtic knot-work in the background, which would then have finer patterning inside. So I guess I'll fulfill that musing in my spare time in the summer. I love swirls and patterns!

Anyhow here's the final piece and some of the process below:

thumbnail sketch

rough sketch

line work

Final Piece!

close up

another close up

 Info:
Image size: 15 x 10.3 inches
Bristol type paper
Line-work done with black micron pens ranging from 0.05 to 0.2, and a violet prisma colour pen of 0.05 width
+ a little bit of diluted waterproof ink for the pink blush in the cheeks and lips
Time: unknown, but far longer than 1 hour

P.S. - The title of the piece is inspired by the song "The Violet Hour" by The Civil Wars, a song which I love and imagine this illustrated woman listening to as her hair sways in the wind.

Hybrid Family

Below is piece I did that will be part of my last Illustration project for this semester -- Artist Book/Portfolio=)
It started off as a doodle in my sketchbook as just some little hybrid picture that I thought was cute. But then as the composition and concept evolved in head, I realized that what I was ending up with could also be a metaphor...but that is up to your interpretation as always=)

finished product

original sketch

Technical info: 
 the finished illustration is done on 8.5 x 11'' paper
& was drawn with 0.1 and 0.05 ink pens