Illustration Friday - "Breezy"

We experienced our first Texas dust storm here last week - it looked like fog rolling in except for the loud howling of wind, car alarms going off and the power flickering on and off - quite the experience let me tell ya!

I really am trying to embrace our new lifestyle here (my consolation that night was 'at least it isn't snow') so I find my art being influenced by all things Texas. I used to think that cowboy [girl] hats were mostly for looks and also to keep out the hot sun - but now I believe they would definitely come in handy when those 'breezy' desert winds kick up!

I snapped a few in progress shots this afternoon while working on this sketch, so here's a bit of a step out...

1. I started out with a fine line sketch, then moved into my focal point - her face...



2. More tweaking on details, start to work in her jacket and give her hair more of a 'breezy', windswept look...



3. Worked my way across and added color for her t-shirt, then detailed her hand. I have more work to do on her jacket (I love the patterns and color but there is a lot of detail - whew!) as well as the edging of her hat.....


'untitled' colored pencil, kraft paper journal

Thanks for taking the time to visit. Have a great weekend y'all!

EDIT: Update: 03/01/09 - click here for the finished piece...