Illustration Friday: PAPER

A bit of a stretch I know, but thought as I haven't been submitting with all the busy-ness of late.

I am making these paper ornaments from
archival prints of my work.

Illustration Friday Topic: Wish

10x10in pen, ink, watercolor

Illustration Friday: Novelty

Illustration Friday Topic: Novelty

So last Saturday evening upon returning home from a dinner party with my son, I stopped over at Illustration Friday to check out the weekly topic: Novelty. I put the topic in the back of my mind as my son and I sat down to watch an episode from the 1968 season of "The Munsters". In this particular episode Herman referred to Grandpa's "dragula" dragster coffin car as a novelty. I knew what I had to draw, a few tweaks and her we are, a pen and ink on watercolor paper.

Illustration Friday:Radio

Illustration Friday Weekly Topic: Radio

The peak of Mount Wilson sits in the San Gabriel Mountains looking down on Pasadena where I live and other foothill communities. It is home to a number of solar towers, television broadcast and RADIO relay towers. These are just a few of them.

Illustration Friday:Metamorphosis

I went on a lovely hike yesterday, during which I saw many butterflies, moths and dragonflies.. Seemed the perfect topic for this weekend.

ink and watercolor on 10x14. (I have an ink only detail version on my instagram if you feel so inclined to check that out)

Illustration FridayTopic: Skull

Illustration Friday Topic: Skull

A project I was hoping to be on fell through today, so a skull drawing seemed fitting. Onward to the next, so decking the skull out in pretty patterns holds that hope. 

Illustration Friday: Journey

IF Weekly topic: Journey

I have been playing around with turning some of my previous pen and ink work in to vector illustrations for various purposes. Some for patterns and textile application through screen print, others for possible stencil application. This is one I was imagining on a crosswalk.

Illustration Friday Topic: KING

Weekly Topic King:
Just last night the game of chess was discussed in a book my son
and I were reading together and after he fell asleep, I drew this.

pen and ink in sketchbook, King.

Illustration Friday: PEACE

Education History=Utlity

Utility is defined as the state or quality of being useful.

My second utility box design was installed! It sits at the corner of Los Robles and Walnut at the edge of the Playhouse District in Pasadena. It honors investment in education, reflecting and remembering the history of what once stood on the corner opposite its position, in sketchy line, stitched at the seams.

Big thanks to the wonderful Playhouse District Association  for sponsoring the project and so much beautiful public art in the district. 

Illustration Friday: Fragile 2

Well, the topic hasn't changed so I am posting another Haeckel inspired drawing.


Such "fragile" organisms that managed to survive and thrive for centuries... (however are now on the verge of extinction)






I got a new small sketchbook today and its first page provided space for an "Anthomedusae" study. I am going to be live drawing some of these types of creatures along with other things at an upcoming collaboration at REDCAT (part of the Disney Concert Hall complex in Los Angeles) under the direction of the amazing Carole Kim with an ensemble of dancers, musicians and artists. More info and process images to come soon.

Pen and Ink (micron pen) 

Commissioned Utility Box Postcards: want one?

The installation of the second utility box commission may not be finished yet, but the postcards are ready! 

They are out and about in various Pasadena Playhouse District locations to pick up. I also have a limited number of them. If you are not in the Pasadena area, are interested in my work, and want one -  I recently launched myself on instagram, sharing my work, if you follow me@ http://instagram.com/aliciagorecki, go find these posts, and email me your info @ aliciagome@gmail.com. I will send you one. You choose, Education History= Utility or the Imagination=Utility box card. Let's start with first 50 folks, and see how it goes. Thanks @Playhousedistrict for the beautiful cards! #art #traditionalmeetsdigital #utility #vinylart #pasadena #education #imagination #postcards #drawing #prismacolors #publicart

Illustration Friday: Fragile

After a morning of participation in a local 4th of July Parade, my son and I opted out of fireworks last night and instead sat drawing. Thinking about the illustration Friday topic : Fragile. This drawing, imagined, but inspired by some small creatures and the self preservation adaptations they take on to evade fragility. We do the same, although I hope my spikes never grow to that proportion.

Illustration Friday: BEARD

Illustration Friday Weekly Topic: BEARD
Ink on paper drawing, scanned and manipulated in photoshop to add the burlap background. 

Wycinanki- Polish birthday card

June 17th marked my grandmother's 98 birthday. She is fiesty, artistic, beautiful, opionated, elegant and able to entertain herself in 5 square feet of space for an entire day by artistically rearranging that which surrounds her. This polish cut paper or wycinanki is for her. I remember making these as a little girl with her, birds and flowers mostly.

Illustration Friday: SUMMER

Illustration Friday topic Summer. So many possibilities for this topic, I might play around with some additional illustrations, but I could not resist a pair of hypnotizing vintage bathing suits. Love stripes and polkadots, and I have a bit of a thing for orange and blue too:)

This is a ink and prisma color drawing with a bit of photoshop manipulation/digital collage. 

small creatures

playing around with gel pen on black paper

IF: Contraption

This past weekend I worked with my son rigging our own contraption, a greywater system from our washing machine to plants in our back yard. Although that might have made a wonderful illustration, the snaking pvc pipe, I opted for this still water related contraption of my imagination.

I call it "The flying, paddling, water suckerupper, squirterouter rain maker"
Here it is in two versions original drawing and digital manipulation.

Illustration Friday Topic: Retro

Illustration Friday: Retro

Love this topic, and although I have an abundance of illustrations that wold fit this topic I was excited to jump in on a new one. The tough part was deciding what I wanted to draw. It finally came down to a classic Lincoln my dad always wanted and these gorgeous cameras. I am quite certain my grandfather had these among his collection of 100's of cameras.




The illustration is traditional, in pen, prisma color, and colored pencil. manipulated in photoshop.

Illustration Friday: Voyage

The waves of flipping pages sent him on an amazing voyage.

If:Vanity

Illustration Friday: Vanity.

This Vanity still sits in the house my family built together in Minnesota. I remember putting rollers in my hair in front of it, spilling nail polish on its surface, filling the drawers, banging my knees as I grew and tried to sit at it. It was never surrounded by wallpaper like this, but I like to imagine it as such.

ink and conte on paper with digital collage.

IF: Natural

It's only "natural" for this Polish girl to feel a bit nostalgic for the beautiful "Pisanki" or polish Easter eggs. I have never made them the traditional way, we opted for crayons instead of beeswax growing up.  But I find drawing them equally satisfying. Here are two of my favorites. 

Illustration Friday: Sizzle

It has been a while since my last post, had a show open two weeks ago (more info on that on my other blog), I was excited to get back to these IF drawings, but didn't expect this one from today to become the topic.

I spent a few hours sitting in my backyard today drawing. This was the view from my vantage point, and although the sun was warm here in southern California. The wind was brisk and the shade structure I was under cooled the light in this drawing. So I lit the torch, it sizzled to life and seemed to be the only spot with color other than the gorgeous sky.



This is predominantly an ink on white paper drawing , until I got anxious to finish as my son was ready to head inside... so I finished with conte.

on a lighter note: I was asked to draw some cats...

A little cute and fluffy break,
I was asked to add some cat drawings
to my offerings over at MUSH in silverlake.
This is the result.

Illustration Friday: Twisted

the barbed wire is twisted about the crown of the chain link fence that surrounds the base of the structure, it winds it's way up the crest of the supports, guarding against those that might venture to climb.

gesso, acrylic, ink and gel pen on toned paper

Illustration Friday: Prehistoric

 

This weeks topic sent me searching first for prehistoric dwellings, cave paintings and wonderful creatures, however I landed on these incredibly intricate trilobites.

pen and ink on toned paper 6.5 x 7.5"

photobooth prop illustrations

Last week I shared some of the sketches. Thought you might like to see how the project is progressing. My son was so excited to try some of them out, he laid down on the backdrop and we balanced things as best we could.  This is the result a a quick little photo shoot.

teacups and fancy hat

Continuing with the photo booth props.  

I might enjoy wearing this hat while sipping tea

from these cups possibly in an English garden:)

 

Illustration Friday: Time

Happy New Year Everyone!

I am creating some props for a photo booth this week,
and this happens to be one of them.

Top hat, bow ties, and teacups too!

Should be fun and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to jump back into illustration friday.  Here's hoping I can find more "time" to participate this year!