aquabord » By Sidney Eileen

Art – Look Out

Drawing, Fine Art, Painting No Responses »

May 172012

Triptych of 11″x14″ Aquabord panels
Dark brown ink, drawn with a crow quill nib and then shaded with a wash.

This triptych painting in dark brown ink takes you into a steampunk American Rockies wilderness, where two scouts watch, helpless, as an airship descends in billows of thick, black, smoke.

This is one of my contributions to the Artist Gallery display at Clockwork Alchemy.

This piece had a longer evolution than most of my artwork. First came the decision to paint an ink piece for Clockwork Alchemy, and I wanted it to be dramatic, so I decided on a triptych. One of my dear friends is often a huge source of inspiration, and she suggested a crashing airship. I had been thinking about the sweeping panorama paintings of the Victorian, so I started working out how to lay out the landscape.

One of the things I always keep in mind when creating multiple-panel artwork is the balance of composition between each panel and all panels. That is, all the panels together should create a coherent image, and each panel individually should create a coherent image. So, on the right is the close-up figures, looking away to the left. In the middle panel is the tree and just a hint of the crash, so it has a connection between what is close and what is very distant. On the left is distant view, with the crashing airship. Similar angles and lines are mirrored across all panels and on each panel, helping to pull them all together. The movement from close to distant helps to create flow between the panels and prevent them from looking identical.

The line art stage looked like this:

Click for Larger View

Art – Time For a New Pocket Watch

Drawing, Fine Art, Painting No Responses »

May 142012

8″x8″ dark brown dip pen and ink wash on Aquabord

Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink.

This is what I got when I decided to combine a pocket watch, a raven, and a gas lamp. It seems like it’s always time for a new pocket watch, and a raven always appreciates a pretty trinket.

The Line Art stage:

Time For a New Watch - Line

After drawing the sketch I waited a day and re-drew the raven before inking.

Time For a New Watch - Sketch

New Art – Six Fifty

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May 142012

Actual art piece does not have watermark.

5″x7″ dark brown dip pen and ink wash on Aquabord

Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink.

This piece resulted from the need to work on something new after a frustration with another art piece. My friend handed me a tiny silver teapot shaped clock from Scotland, and told me to do something from that. It was so adorable the drawing came together quite naturally.

Line Art stage:

Sketch:

New Art – I Love a Challenge

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Apr 272012

8″x10″ dip pen and ink wash on Aquabord

Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink.

An airship pirate stands poised at the end of the docks, sword drawn and knife in hand. Someone picked the wrong fight, and it wasn’t her.

Shown below is the line art stage, scanned in grayscale.

I Love a Challenge - Line

New Art – My Little Pocket Watch

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Apr 252012

6″x6″ dip pen and ink wash on Aquabord

Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink.

A tiny pixie sits on her pocket watch.

Shown below is the line art stage, scanned in grayscale.

My Little Pocket Watch - Line

New Art – Woven Celestial Dragon

Fine Art, Painting No Responses »

Mar 172012

6″x6″ ink and watercolor on Aquabord

2 sittings
7 layers

This artwork is a celebration of the Year of the Dragon, and has equal inspiration from Celtic knot work and oriental celestial dragon artwork. The violet dragon with metallic accents swims effortlessly through the night sky.

The base drawing is black acrylic ink applied with a dip pen. I used acrylic ink so it would not dissolve when adding the color.

I used masking fluid to protect the body of the dragon when creating the background, which is very heavily water saturated blue, dark blue, and black watercolor, with a spattering of metallic white ink. I rubbed out the spatters slightly, creating a slightly glittery sheen on the background.

The body of the dragon is several shades of violet watercolor paint. The scales and accents are violet metallic acrylic ink, and a small amount of blue metallic ink was used for the claws, accent on the hair, and dust falling away from the hands and feet. The metallic effect is impossible to fully capture with a scan or a photo, but in person it’s very shiny.This piece is for sale.

Project: Woven Celestial Dragon

Woven Celestial Dragon – WIP

Fine Art, Painting, Work in Progress No Responses »

Mar 172012

Tonight I’ve mostly been working on the Woven Celestial Dragon 6″x6″ Aquabord. These are all the WIP images so far.

Click for larger image

2 Sittings
3 Layers

Between the line art and this image there were a few steps I did not scan.

First I used masking fluid to cover the dragon. This is only the second time I’ve ever used masking fluid, so I didn’t do a perfect job.

Second I saturated the surface with two shades of blue watercolor and a touch of black. I let that dry, creating the mottled, cloudy background. Since I’m doing this on Aquabord I didn’t have to worry about warping paper from oversaturation. Yay!

Third I wanted to sprinkle the background with silver acrylic ink, but I found I did not actually have any silver acrylic ink. Instead, I made a mixture of white ink and some Deviant Silver Stardust I have leftover from a fairy costume some ten years ago. I spattered it onto the piece using a cheap toothbrush and let it dry.

Fourth, I removed the masking fluid, revealing all my goof-ups. I retouched the background where the fluid went over the lines, and lifted the paint where I did not have enough coverage.

Click for larger image

2 Sittings
4 Layers

Oh, watercolors dry so much faster than oils! And they look completely different so I don’t get frustrated like with acrylics!

I added some soft lavender to the hair, horns, and whiskers. After laying down a mostly solid shade I went back and added some more paint in sort-of-random places to give the hair some depth. Full realistic depth is not important to me for this piece.

Click for larger image

2 Sittings
5 Layers

Soft slightly more blueish lavender to the underbelly scales.

Click for larger image

2 Sittings
6 Layers

I added another layer of fairly flat lavender to the body.

Click for larger image

2 Sittings
6 Layers

I experimented with color lifting to give the body more shape and texture. Overall I liked the way it worked, but I think next time it will work better if I lay down more color first.

Project: Woven Celestial Dragon

When I should have been doing other things…

Drawing, Fine Art No Responses »

Feb 132012

… I was drawing a knotwork style celestial dragon on Aquabord. It’s 6″x6″, with the ink drawn using a dip pen. This is the line art, and later I will be finishing it with watercolor.

Project: Woven Celestial Dragon

New Art – Gigi

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Jan 012012

6″x6″ dip pen and wash on aquaboard
Ink: Sennelier Walnut Stain
Subject is Gigi, an adorable, elderly, stubby-legged mutt dog rescued by dear friends a number of years ago.

I took several photos of Gigi while I was dog-sitting over the holiday, and when I got home pulled them up on my computer. I first sketched the drawing in pencil, then inked it with a croquille dip pen. This was my first occasion using aquaboard, which took the ink very nicely. The next day I used a round brush to apply the same ink in a wash. Again, I was extremely happy with how the aquaboard took the media.

This is what the drawing looked like before adding the wash, but in black and white.

Gigi - Line Version

Steampunk-Themed Art

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I specialize in realistic, fine art treasures, portraits, wildlife art, and fantasy art, Celtic knotwork, and abstract minimalist art. My primary mediums include colored pencil, ink, and oil paint. Examples of my past work are displayed in these galleries. I am no longer selling art or taking commissions due to health problems.

Steampunk-Themed Art

My steampunk art is my own interpretation of creating new from old inspirations. Through traditional media of oil paint and ink with wash or watercolor, I give the impression of sweeping fantasy science fiction Victoriana to the modern viewer. Pen nibs dipped in ink and drawn in sepia tones set the stage for drawings reminiscent of a hand-illustrated journal. Detailed oil paintings nod to days when photographs and impressionism were the height of fashion, and realism appealed to old-fashioned sensibilities. In all cases the original art is real media interpretation of un-reality.