Inspire Me Thursday : February Challenge #2

Self-Portrait

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

I sat down with the intention of doing a self-portrait and sometime later I had this.

Now if I could only figure out what it says about me!

:)

Looking forward to many more 'Inspire Me Thursday' challenge's...

Illustration Friday : Tea

I'm submitting two entries for this week's topic - both very different in style from my usual illo's. Just went with the flow and had fun in the process :) ...

Illustration #1

A tea party, moreover a little girl's tea party with doll's and teddy bear's involved, was one of the first things that came to mind when I saw this week's topic. So first up, we have Libby ( I could'nt resist! :) )hosting a tea party for her favourite doll and bear...

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

Illustration #2

Second up, is something that's kind of supposed to be a self-portrait. You see, I found this quote by C.S.Lewis that was soooo me (if you know what I mean) that I just had to illustrate it for this week.

I'm a big coffee/tea addict and I've been a bookworm for as far back as I can remember. So here's me with a book and a mug of tea, with my faithful lab for company :).

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

'You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me'

~ C.S.Lewis

(I could'nt have put it better!)

As you can see, I've tried something different from my usual style. So really looking forward to feedback. Do let me know what you think!

Sand Castle By The Sea

Coyright 2006 Jade & Ratlion

(Poem by Jade, Ilustration by Ratlion)

This is an illustration done for a poem my cousin Jade wrote yestrday. The poem's really very good for a first attempt and I like the 'heart' of it (or the message,if you will! :) ). I was bowled over by it and had to illustrate it. Had fun doing it too as I tried to do somethign different from my usual style and made a lot of discoveries in Illustrator :).

I'll leave you with the poem, in case it is'nt very legible on the picture (though you could click on the image for a closer look :) )...

Sand Castle By The Sea

Sand castles that tumble down,

The waves that are gentle and yet strong,

Take away what you think was yours,

No matter what you try, it’s all gone.

How foolish can you be?

To build sand castles near the sea.

But funny, isn’t it?

Where else will sand castles be?

Nothing stops you, not even the pain,

Still there is nothing to gain,

The waves will come, the castles will fall,

All you can do is, build them again…

Copyright 2006 Jade

Illustration Friday : Song

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

The Cookie Song

C is for cookie, that's good enough for me.

C is for cookie, that's good enough for me.

C is for cookie, that's good enough for me.

Oh, cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C!

- 'C is for cookie' sung by the Cookie Monster (Sesame street)

I've been learning a lot about the technical aspects of drawing lately - especially proportions and perspective drawing. This sketch was done in class one day as a rough doodle. I really liked something about it, so I decided to challenge myself and execute it in a more technically accurate manner. It took me about the whole of yesterday and today morning to complete (I can't believe I had the patience to do all those perspective projection drawings! But I'm glad I did!) , as a result of which I was in no mood to embark on an illustration for illo fri's 'Song' anytime soon. But at the same time, as I posted last week's entry at the nth hour, I wanted to be punctual with this week's entry. So I began to wonder if I could use this 'Cookie' sketch in any way for 'Song'...and lo and behold!...I present to you the 'Cookie song', sung by none other than the Cookie monster from Sesame street!

Don't you just love the internet? :D

Here's a glimpse of the rough sketch and the perspective drawing/projections. I was not looking forward to the technical drawings but I have to say I have more respect for the need for them now...boy, do they help!

*Wanders away singing 'C is for cookie...' tunelessly*

Illustration Friday : Simple

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

Eleanora Duse quotes (Italian Actress. 1858-1924)

Illustration Friday: Chair

Copyright 2006 Ratlion

I've been a voracious reader ever since I can remember, and I can never think of my childhood without also thinking about the books and author's I've read and loved.

One such author is Enid Blyton.

When I was thinking of idea's for this week's topic, one particular Enid Blyton book, 'The Adventures of the Wishing Chair' came to mind. It's a wonderful book written in typical Enid Blyton style about two chidren, Mollie and Peter, who find an old chair in an antique shop. Now, this is no ordinary chair...as the name suggests, it's the wishing chair - a magic chair that grows wings. Whenever the chair grew wings, the children sat in the chair and wished to travel to a particular faraway (and usually magical!) land, wherein the chair would fly wherever they had wished to be.The book is full of adventures, with the children and their friend Chinky the pixie sometimes landing up in terrible places and sometimes in absolutely delightful lands.

So here's Libby from the previous post ( I liked her so much, I decided to let her feature in this week's illo too :) ). She's just read 'The Adventures of the Wishing Chair' and is now dreaming of being on her own magical chair which will sprout wings and carry her off to have adventures in faraway magical lands!