Drawing Inspiration: Colored Pencil Progress

I've been admiring some lovely artists lately and have been in love with the materials they have been using. With the order of new Kraft paper and rediscovery of the colored pencils I bought way back in high school, I have been going to town on a multitude of drawings. I feel like I am rediscovering me and my art by going back to basics with drawing more. Some where I had gotten it in my head that to sell my art it had to be painted and that just isn't the case. Anyhow, everyday after work I rush home to draw more. I am very proud of what I have been producing and feel very accomplished that I am continuing to develop my skills.

As I might have mentioned I have been working on a series of images based on the lesser known Grimm's Fairy tales. Tired of all the wolves and foxes and wanting to be inspired, I began researching fairy tales and folk lore.

All of the images below are works in progress. To see completed work, please visit my Etsy shop or my tumblr. Here is a taste of what I have been up to:

Fish Saga: Part 2

I have more baby fish than I can count in my tank now. They blend in so well and are so numerous, it is ridiculous. The gravel floor seems to be alive with all the fish surging through the cracks and crevices.

I set up my old 5 gallon tank and moved the daddy fish into that one. I was also able to move 2 of the babies with him. I am going to have to wait till the fish grow bigger before I can try and capture more to transplant them into their new home. I am trying sand rather than gravel this time for the ground cover. I read that cory like it better, so I am giving it a go. (Wish me luck!)

I'll try to post pictures soon!

UPDATE!

Daddy fish is now living in banishment with 9 of his off spring, Sparty and Triton keeping him company amongst those. This morning I was feeling it was the equivalent to the cone of shame being banished. After I got home from work today, I added more babies and changed the tank decorations and am feeling much better about the tank. It was feeling very cold and alien, but it feels very welcoming and I quite like it now.

Recently Added To My Shop

Knowing the holiday season is fast approaching, I am trying to fill my Etsy shop with goodies for one and all. This weekend I added one painting and two drawings to my shop's inventory. A lot of people seem to be enjoying them which is very exciting! I'm still on the fence about a booth in October, but I'm determined to continue to increase inventory and practice my craft. Please stop by and check out all the new goodies!

"One More Stitch" colored pencil drawing now available!

Baby Cory Catfish Explosion!

Momma and Dadda fish.

Back in July I wrote a post about upgrading my tank. I'm very excited to share that my Julii Corydoras have been laying eggs and producing babies. I have babies in a wide range of sizes and ages. It is an exhilarating experience to raise babies from an egg and see the development and growth as the fish progress from what looks like a tadpole to an adult fish. The biggest of the fish are developing their back fins and coloring and looking less like eyeballs with a tale. The smallest are recently hatched and only a few days old.

The first time I noticed eggs in the tank this summer, there were only four that I was able to find. I ran out and bought a fry tank, but sadly none of the eggs worked out. The next time she laid eggs (Sept. 6th), I was able to rescue 25 eggs (as shown below), Of those a few weren't fertilized, some of the fry died, etc. At one point I was able to count about 15-18 fry that hatched.

One morning I found one of my guppies managed to get in the fry tank. Not sure if some escaped or the guppy might have eaten some. I did start seeing other free swimming fry in the tank though. That is when I discovered 2 larger fry that I had never seen before who had been growing successfully all on their own in the tank with the other fish! I'm not sure if they are from the previous time when I found 4 eggs or from a time prior to that, that I hadn't known about. The largest of the two I have named Triton. He recently developed a heart shape on his dorsal fin as the  pigment cells are moving and developing. Just when I didn't think I could love him anymore, he goes and grows a heart pattern! The other large fry, I have named Sparty which is short for Spartacus. There are 2 other medium fry in the general public that are half as big as Triton and Sparty, but twice the size of the fry still in the fry tank. And just so we are clear, I did have the thought that Sparty would be teased at school for being Sparty Farty. I haven't been able to think of a better name yet.

Update: Seeing that no one was getting eaten, I decided to release the fry into the tank last night. We'll see how it turns out. I just measured Triton and Sparty and they are almost 2 cm long! The eggs are 2mm wide, they are getting so big! There are so many babies! This whole experience has just been so amazing from start to finish. I can't wait to see how they continue to grow and evolve into adult fish!

Eggs that I moved to fry tank.

One week old.

3 weeks old? Found a baby in the tank I didn't know about.

Triton with his fading heart on his dorsal fin.

Tumblr Update: Constantly Constance Art Showcase

I have been admiring some beautiful Tumblr sites recently, where the artists use it as their website to showcase their art. I have never been fond of the Carbonmade site I created to act as my portfolio and have been looking for an inexpensive (free) way to showcase my art. I have gutted and updated my Tumblr (shh... not done yet). I am now solely using Pinterest to collect images on. I like that I can organize and categorize my images, rather than an endless stream like on Tumblr.

Please check out the new and improved site as well as my latest creations. I have two basic concepts running at the moment. One of which is the lesser known Grimm's Fairy Tales. Let me know what you think!

First experiment on new Kraft paper! I'm in love!

Thanks,

Labor Day Drawing

Very excited to announce a new project I am working on! This is a sneak peek of what I am working on this morning. I am so glad I have this three day weekend to get back into my painting and drawing. It has been far too long!  Due to two new artists I found Friday night, I just ordered some amazing art supplies and anxiously wait their arrival in two weeks. I ordered kraft paper to draw on and a moleskin sketchbook for watercoloring in. I have in search of brown paper bag colored paper to draw on for years and with the referrals I was given went to Blick and found what I hope will be what I have been looking for. (fingers crossed) I know, I know, I need more art supplies like I need a hole in the head. When inspiration strikes, I am powerless against the awesomeness of new paper!

Here is what I started this morning. . .

Brusha, brusha!

Adding the color pencil. . . 

Painting Again!

The first week back to school with kids has come to a close and I am grateful for my three day weekend. My body is not appreciating standing on tile flooring all day and I could use the rest.

Anyhow. . . .

I woke up this morning and was doing my usual morning coffee while wasting my life on the internet, when I was inspired to paint. The feeling to draw and paint has been building, but I haven't had the time or any idea what to make. I have spent the last few hours drawing and painting and would like to share what I have made so far. I'm not sure if it's done, but it is all I have for now. The photo below shows off the detail best as well as my favorite part to look at and to make.

She was a lot of fun and I look forward to making more soon!