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Challenge 126: Twenties-Something: A Century of Change
I thought it would be fun to compare the hair and makeup trends of the 1920s and 2020s. It’s hard to believe it’s the same face underneath!
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Challenge 125: European Folklore: Alsvinder Moonlight Tea
For my piece I decided to do a logo design for a sleepy tea brand. In Norse mythology, Alsvinder is the name of one of the horses that pulls the moon’s chariot, so therefore he also brings the sleepy times. I had so much fun researching norse mythology for this one!
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Challenge 123: Freebie: Appendectomy Incision Sites I enjoyed doing a medical illustration so much last challenge that I decided to do another one! This time I’m showing a few of the different incision placements for an appendectomy, along with the underlying anatomy. The appendix is actually a bit hidden under the small intestine here, but it is essentially a small node at the beginning of the large intestine that sometimes becomes very angry and has to be removed straight away.
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Challenge 120: People and their Pets: Crystal & Nyther
I do not claim to know what this animal is. I want one though!
The latest!
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Challenge 119: Imaginary Travel Posters: Visit Flavortown This one made me really hungry. I hope you like it, because now my tablet is covered in drool.
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Challenge 117: Prehistoric: Single Cell Tango
My piece for this challenge was inspired by the single celled organisms we believe all life evolved from. I thought since they are pretty abstract looking this would be great for a repeat pattern, and once I had a pattern I just had to put it on a Ms. Frizzle style dress!
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Challenge 114: #DrawThisInYourStyle
This was a really fun challenge for me. I almost feel kind of bad for decutesifying the original so much haha. What do you guys think? Original piece by @kmmcmdraws
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Challenge 112: Fresh Start
First challenge of the year, weeee! This months illustration was inspired by dystopian sci-fi novels. I love the idea of the plants taking over our cities again.
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Challenge 110: Crisp: “Forest Girl”
For this piece I was inspired by the crisp fall air back home in Virginia, and the little adventures I would take myself on through the woods as a kid. Often times I would stay out until the last possible minute before dark, not wanting to leave my peaceful sanctuary.
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Interview with Stephanie Crane
Next up for an interview is Stephanie Crane! Transportive, fantastical, mysterious, and sometimes with an eerie edge, Stephanie’s work takes the viewer out of our world and into one of her own making. We’re happy to introduce this imaginative new member to our crew, and look forward to seeing what she conjures for us next!
“A Lost Moment Book Cover Design”
Q: Stephanie, in looking at your artwork, I get the sense of seeing through a window to your imagination. Where do you usually find your inspiration when coming up with subjects to draw?
A: A lot of times I’ll start a piece because I just have this certain feeling in my head that I need to get out, and I like the challenge of trying to translate it visually. So you could say I’m very inspired by my emotions. I’m also really inspired by nature, and fantasy and sci fi movies. I love anything that is beautiful and dark and weird all at once.
“Bruiser”
Q: Although you work both digitally, as well as traditionally, do you have a preference between the two?
A: Kind of? I always prefer one or the other at any given time, but I keep changing my mind. I guess I’m still deciding.
Q: Describe your process from start to finish. A: First, I like to mull over the assignment and let my mind wander, and see what pops into my head. Once I get a few good images bouncing around, I’ll start sketching thumbnails so I see which ideas are the most eye catching, and get my composition right. Then I do a more detailed sketch, and if I’m painting traditionally I’ll usually use my projector to enlarge the sketch onto my illustration board and paint in gouache from there. If I’m painting digitally, I just blow my sketch up and start painting right over top in Photoshop.
“Swamp Skull”
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you as an artist? A: Definitely my super high expectations of myself. At times it was so bad, I would kill my confidence to the point that I couldn’t even create anything at all. It seemed pointless because I knew whatever I did would be disappointing. Learning to make art fun again is a journey I’m still on today, but I’m happy to say it has gotten much easier.
“Owl”
Q: Favorite 90’s song? A: Freak Like Me by Adina Howard.
Q: If you could shake hands with any one artist, living or spirit of a dead one, and absorb 10% of their artistic power, who would you choose? A: James Jean. He is made of magic. Q: Any non-art hobbies?
A: Yoga, hiking, and learning about the nature of existence (psychology, evolution, space, etc.)
“Joey”
Q: What would your dream project be? A: Illustrate and design the high end special print edition of <awesome book series that I have yet to discover but that is insanely cool and meaningful to me>, then consult on the set of the motion picture once the books blow up, to make sure the set design, makeup, and costumes are up to my standards.
Q: Do you have any pets? A: I have two cats, Spectre and Nyx. Nyx likes to hop on the back of my chair and knead my shoulders while i draw. Spectre likes to sunbathe and stare judgingly out the window.
Stephanie’s studio, featuring her cat, Nyx!
Q: If you had to switch careers, what would you most want to do?
A: I’m thinking fashion photographer. It’s weird because I hate the consumerism that the fashion industry perpetuates, but I love the idea of being the person that gets to do these outlandishly beautiful shoots you see in the back of fashion magazines. I like photography in general, but high budget photography of genetically blessed people in bizarre outfits is probably the most fun I can imagine having.
Q: Anything else you would like the readers to know?
A: Yeah, I’ve read that simple repetitive actions are really good for your brain because they promote calmness and confidence. So if you’re ever stressed and unsure of what to do, just draw boxes or circles or little flowers until life makes sense again. I like to draw swirling vines all over everything.
Stephanie herself
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and process, Stephanie! Check out her website for more cool art at stephaniecraneart.com .
Check out my interview at @squarecarousel!
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Challenge 107: Redesign Refresher: Caged This piece is based off of a sketch I did about four years ago. I normally hate things I draw within about a week of finishing them, but I have continued to like this rough drawing, so I thought it deserved to be tidied up and fleshed out. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to do this, because I love the result! Now let’s see how I feel in a week… haha
- Stephanie Crane
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Challenge 106: I Know What You Did Last Summer: Weightless
I had a lot of fun working on this piece. When I think of Summer, I instantly imagine being a little girl and floating on the surface of the lake or pool, and drifting silently away from the rowdier kids. I also have always been fascinated by how beautiful people’s hair looks when floating underwater; it’s so sad to me that it can’t look like that all the time. So I combined those two ideas to make a peaceful summer escape image. If you ever catch me zoning out, this is where I’ve gone!
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Challenge 105: In an Alternate Reality: Tentacle Cat Hi Friends!
My piece is the pet of a humanoid living in an adjacent reality where Earth’s atmosphere contains an element unknown to our reality, making the air dense enough for most animals to float. As a result, lifeforms similar to those in our own world exist, but they do not need feet or sturdy weight bearing limbs. Therefore, cats with tentacles. I chose to execute this in a graphic style that would lend itself to screen printing, because I just think tentacle cat would be a cool t-shirt. Like if you agree, maybe I’ll print a short run!
- Stephanie
I painted this bush baby, and then I sent him back into the Earth. I have prints available though!
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Challenge 104: If You Weren’t An Artist: Forest Recluse
If I wasn’t an artist (or member of the working world at all), I’d be living in a little commune somewhere in the forest. I’d make sure I was trained up and ready to protect the community from predators, tourists, and documentarians, and would spend a lot of time prowling the perimeter alone, enjoying nature and keeping an eye on things. The rest of the time, I’d be taking hammock snoozes like this one, or sitting on my treehouse porch yelling at the birds to get off my lawn.
Stephanie Crane stephaniecraneart.com Instagram
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Challenge 102: ✨EXTRA✨-Ordinary: Unicorn Mop
There are regular clean freaks, and then there are those who want their kitchen to shine like a magical fairytale wonderland at all times. Well my domesticated fairytale lovers, this mop is for you. No matter how much you use it, it’s still having a better hair day than anyone else. You want to hate it, but alas, you love it. You’re welcome.
- Stephanie
My Tumblr
I’ve been guest posting over at Square Carousel, behold!