The First Look at The Art of Yuki-Onna

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope you are all enjoying springtime. I am very happy to see blooming trees and singing birds decorate the neighborhood. I've got the hummingbird feeder up on the balcony and the hummingbirds are visiting frequently. =)

However, if you're missing winter - it just so happens that I've got some winter-themed illustrations to share with you. (Finally!) If you've been following along this blog, you might remember my sneak peek posts about a secretive, collaborative I've been working on. Well now the time has finally come to reveal more about it and to post a full image from my contribution. I present to you the first look at The Art of Yuki Onna.

"Family Stroll" - "And 0-Yuki bore Minokichi ten children, boys and girls, handsome children all of them, and very fair of skin." --- From the Japanese folktale of Yuki Onna.

(The original piece is approximately 8 x 17 inches, completed with micron pens, waterproof coloured inks and gouache on bristol-smooth paper.)

The Art of Yuki Onna is a collaborative, yet independent, artistic exploration of a Japanese folktale about a mysterious snow spirit - Yuki Onna. Various interpretations of the story from each participating artist have been curated into a humble book which will be available for purchase in the months to come.

The image above is one of my contributions to the project, which also ended up being the cover image for the book. It was a really fun illustration to complete because I was able to draw inspiration from a culture that's very different from mine, but which has an artistic aesthetic that is very appealing to me.


Also I got to put patterns on almost all the characters, so it was an instant win because of that, if nothing else.

Here are a few close ups:

 

And a work-in-progress image. Unfortunately I don't have many process images, as the painting was too big to scan at home, and I had to "outsource" a scanner which wasn't at all close by.

Was still working out the dreaded feet of some of the characters.

Here are some character "warm ups" however - an important part of the "behind the scenes" work, before I started working on the painting. This step helped me to contemplate the personalities of the characters which would then guide narrative of the illustration.

Alright, that's it for today. Secrets are best revealed little by little, after all.
So, come back next week to see photos of The Art of Yuki Onna book and read about each of the artists involved!

*All images in this post are ©Mariya Olshevska.

Freebie Friday - Layered Lace Textile Textures

It's Freebie Friday again! So, I've got some lace textures to share today. Only four so far, but hopefully there will be more to add to the collection later, when more lace shirts are on sale in lieu of warmer weather :)

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, 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:

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
Vintage Inspired
Green
Red
Denim

Have a great weekend!

Blue Jayne

Hello friends,

"Blue Jayne"

I love plays on words so I was very excited to whip up this little painting!

This is a  new piece of mine which will be in two upcoming art shows in Vancouver next month. The first will be The Blue Show by Rain City Illustration at the Ayden Gallery. It will be on for two days - March 31st & April 1st, with reception night held on April 1st. (I'll try to be there) What I'll have there is this blue version (above), printed and presented in a 6 x 8" frame. 

Next, the original of this image (below), which is actually sepia coloured, will be in The Postcard Show: Volume 4 on April 5th.

I'm killing two birds with one stone. Get it? I'm such a cheese-ball today, I know.

Anyhow, come down if you can. Both pieces/versions will be up for sale. :)

original size: 4 x 6

Now, here are the process steps that led to the finished piece(s):

Pencil concept sketch

Inks

Finished colour with ink washes + gouache + white pencil

Quick colourization in Photoshop

Some tonal adjustments and gradient application

Selected the background and re-colourized it

Process gif! I've been planning to do one for ages!

(*P.S - not sure if the colours are a little off on Blogger. Lately they've been differing from what they should be)

Original size: 4 x 6"

Materials: Pastel Paper + Microns + Ink + Gouache + White pencil

More lighthearted "play-on-word" mini paintings will be posted shortly.

Cheers!

Freebie Friday - Colourful + Abstract Textile Textures

Hello and happy Friday!
Apparently it's Pi day today. I don't have any Pi or pie textures (yet) but here are some colourful,  patterned, and abstract texture resources. =)

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

Some previous Freebie Friday posts:

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
Vintage Inspired
Green
Red
Denim

Have a fantastic 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 :)
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