Ladybugs

So, some how I got it into my head that I would like to try to draw a ladybug. Where exactly this came from, I have no idea. Sometimes I just go with it.

I turned to my new favorite resource, Pixabay. This site is great, and I’m so happy that I found out about it! It’s an endless source of royalty free photos, of just about anything! There are a few others, but so far this one is my favorite. Plus there’s an app, so I can peruse photos on my phone. I have been using my phone to bring up my reference photos, but maybe I should try my computer, or tablet. Not sure if my older Kindle will support the app. That is something I am going to have to look into ASAP!!!! A bigger screen would be so much better!

I started out with just one little easy ladybug, not really sure if I could do it in the way that I wanted it to look or not. But I had definitely gained some confidence after the wildflower with bees illustration turned out so well.

My confidence in my drawing skills has returned, although I know I have much to improve. The more I draw, the better I get. Practice, practice, practice, right?

There are four ladybug illustrations that I did. The first one, I took a ton of pictures. The second one, a little less. And the last two, I didn’t take any, except for the final pieces. In my opinion, the last one is the best. The first comes in second place. You can decide for yourselves.

These pieces, I didn’t even think to write my colors down. So far, every drawing after these ladybugs, I have remembered to write down the colors I’ve used. That way I can include them in these posts, and also to have a reference for myself, I guess if I ever want to go back and redo any of them.

I thought I might do a “garden creature” kind of thing, but I’m not sure if that will work out any further or not. I’m so all over the place with my ideas. I have started a list in my phone of all my categories of ideas, and then individual items within each category.

Sometimes it seems like the more I create, the more ideas I have. I don’t really know why that is. Tapping into something, I guess. I’m sure there is some actual scientific explanation for it, but I certainly don’t know what that is, just that it happens. If I don’t keep track of it all, and write it all down, I lose it. I have notes to myself everywhere. It’s a bit ridiculous, actually. That’s how I operate though. One of my wonderful ( less annoying) quirks.

So anyway.

For these pieces, I’m using Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore drawing paper. These are just very small illustrations. My paper is 6″ x 8″, so I’m going to mat them into a 5″ x 7″ mat, matted out to an 8″ x 10″. I have both white and black mats, so I’ll have to play and see which color looks better. The drawing paper is slightly off white, but it really doesn’t look too bad with the white mat. It all might depend on the colors used in the actual drawing.

Here are my four reference photos used for my artwork.

I tried to pick some simple ones, without too much going on. Still getting my feet wet, and I was unsure about drawing an insect. Honestly, even in all my previous years of drawing and painting, this subject is not something I would have normally chosen. I have always favored people in the past.

So, this is the very first ladybug. I was so happy with how it turned out, that I decided I could and would do more. Here is a better picture:

Here is the second ladybug. Again, I took a few pictures with this one.

I was really, really pleased with how the highlights turned out on this little ladybug. Here is the final piece:

And then we have the last two ladybugs. I didn’t take any pictures of these while I was working on them. I think I might have just been so in “the zone” that I didn’t even think about it until it was too late. I’ve had to make myself stop to take pictures of my process along the way, otherwise I just get going and don’t stop.

Here are the last two pictures I did.

All in all, I had a lot of fun drawing these little critters. I’m not sure if I’ll do anymore of them anytime soon, but that’s not really the point, is it? There will be more pictures of more things and there will be more fun. That IS the point.