What I got for Christmas!

Hello again!

So December was a busy month for me. I decided to upload a drawing everyday from the 1st to the 25th. When Christmas day came around I took a deserved break that went on for longer than I thought...oops. But I'm just writing to show you what art pieces I got for Christmas as I was really pleased with what I received!

1. I received a set of paint brushes off my boyfriend's sister which was really nice because all of mine are old and hard now. So these will be nice to try to do more water colour or I might even try gouache this year!

2. The Carbothello set of chalk pencils from Stabilo was a present from my parents. They are both familiar with my drawing style so when I was asked what I wanted for Christmas, I said 'anything you think I would like'. So they chose this set which is good for me as I have never tried chalk pencils.

3. The Triplus colour set of pens from Staedtler are another set that I haven't tried before. They are thin felt pens that have 10 bright colours in the pack. I am excited to try these also because they don't go through the page.. I tested!

4. The Pentel Arts Pocket brush pen is a pen I have seen before. A lot of manga illustrators use this pen and I have heard good things about it. I have had a play with it and it is much harder to use than I first thought! I'm sure I will improve though.

5. The Berol colour brush pens that have 12 colours in the pack are another product I have seen before but long ago when I was in school. I think I remember these being easy to use which is nice and they are a thicker brush than the other pens I received from Staedtler. 

6. This is a really cool notebook for me to do little sketches in or story ideas. Note books are always appreciated because it's an item I don't want to buy myself but I use so many of them!

7. I got a black A3 sketchbook, purple A4 sketchbook and 2 blue A5 sketchbooks from my parents. I asked for a variety of sketchbooks because as university we use LOADS. So I was really happy to get them!

8. The best present til last... A Huion A4 light box. I have wanted a light box since I started my degree because they are so useful! I have been borrowing other peoples and my teacher's light box but no more will I have to! I asked for this brand of light box because it is so thin and really light that I can carry it around easily without it weighing me down. I can not wait to use it!

I am so grateful for my presents this year and it's really helpful to receive presents that are art related so that I can get a lot of use out of them! I will let you know what they are like as I use them.

Megan Stokes

Day 25 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

It's the last day of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge is to draw scenery. I chose to draw what I can see on Christmas day. I am in my living room and I am surrounded by my family and my boyfriend. My dad is asleep, as always, and my mum and sister are sitting together. I love Christmas and I dread when it's over!

This is the final day and I will probably do another month of daily challenges. Stay tuned!

And Merry Christmas!!

Megan Stokes

Day 24 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again!

It's Day 24 of the drawing advent calendar!

Today's challenge was to draw your favorite place... which was also Day 4's challenge.. oops. So I changed it to do what I wanted to do. On Day 18 I had to draw the worst fashion statement. I drew a man wearing odd socks, odd shoes and hairy legs. I thought it would be funny to draw the rest of the character. This really helped me with character design as I thought about the items of clothing to represent the person rather than drawing a generic t shirt and jeans. I love this character! He is definitely a dancing dad who likes to embarrass his kids and he wears whatever comes to hand!

See you again tomorrow for the last day of the drawing advent calendar!! and CHRISTMAS!

Megan Stokes

Day 23 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

It's Day 23 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw a doodle. I chose to draw what I am doing today which is making cookies. I found out today that drawing cookie cutters is the most confusing thing ever! It was quite fun just doodling knowing that it doesn't need to look like a finished piece of work. Feeling in the festive spirit now, only 2 days to go!

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 22 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again!

It's Day 22 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge is to draw something orange. What's more Christmasy than a Terry's chocolate orange? I always receive one at Christmas and it tastes a lot better than a normal orange. This chocolate is up there with one of my favorites and that's saying something!

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing!

Megan Stokes

Day 21 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello!

It's Day 21 of the the drawing advent calendar!

Today's challenge was to draw yourself in another artist's style. I chose to draw myself in the famous pop art, comic like style. Roy Lichtenstein is a very famous pop artist. I attempted to draw myself trying to use mostly black and primary colours. I thought my red hair would look good in this style. I found it difficult and it did take me a while to do, I found it easier to give expression as I ignore some of the facial features when drawing in my own style.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 20 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'!

Hello!

It's Day 20 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw yourself as a 99 year old. I chose to draw myself the opposite of sophisticated. Obviously I would have a purple rinse in my hair, clashing clothes and a walking stick disguised as an umbrella. Even though I am 99, I don't look that old because science has become so advanced in the future that I actually look 35.. That's what the smug expression is about.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 19 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge!'

Hello again!

Its Day 19 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw a celebrity you'd like to have dinner with. I chose Mary Berry because I love 'The Great British Bake off' and she is the nicest person ever. Also, if I was to have dinner with a celebrity, I would want a feast of her bakes. Can you imagine a feast of cakes, cupcakes, biscuits, tarts, swiss rolls.. I can.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 18 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

Its Day 18 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw the worst fashion statement. My first thought was socks and sandals. I also thought about what can make it worse e.g. hairy legs, not matching socks or shoes, and of course Crocs are famously unfashionable. I love this image because I think it's quite funny. I can imagine drawing the rest of the man with a fat belly and woman's dressing gown.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 17 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again!

It's Day 17 of the 'drawing advent calendar'!
Today's challenge is to draw yourself as a super hero. I drew this quickly of myself in a classic super hero pose. I like the expression of determination in my face. Obviously I can't draw myself without my stripey ear muffs!

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 16 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello!

Its Day 16 of the 'drawing advent calendar'!
Today's challenge was to draw something green. I immediately thought of the Christmas tree I have in my living room. It's our first Christmas tree as we moved into a flat recently. I have an artificial tree and I have spent loads of time on it trying to make it look real. I am pretty pleased with the result.

See you again tomorrow for more 'Drawing advent calendar'!

Megan Stokes

Day 15 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'!

Hello again!

Its Day 15 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw what you ate for lunch. I absolutely loved today's challenge as I hate drawing people. I find people difficult to draw and I haven't developed my style yet. However, I love drawing objects e.g. food! This is my lunch.. A tuna and cucumber sandwich and hula hoops. I had a quiet day by myself today and I am currently watching 'The holiday', my favorite ever film.

See you again for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 14 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

It's day 14 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw a movie. I decided to draw 'Buddy' the elf as it is Christmas time. After drawing this I am definitely going to watch this film tonight in my Christmas pyjamas! I love this film because its funny, festive and a classic.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 13 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again

Its Day 13 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your childhood memory. I chose to draw the variety of tights I wore at primary school. I had a normal boring uniform that I wore day in day out. I sometimes liked to add jazzy tights to my otherwise grey uniform. I remember my head teacher finding it quite funny!

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 12 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

It's Day 12 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your most recent accomplishment. I chose to draw myself receiving my results from university from my first assessment. I got a 2.2 which I am so pleased with. My teacher said that I didn't need to do any work over Christmas which means I can relax and enjoy time off. I hope to improve my drawing and grades this year.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 11 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again

It's Day 11 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw a turning point in your life. My first thought was when I moved out for the first time which was recently. I moved out of my family home, into a flat with my boyfriend. We spent ages trying to make it look nice and buying all the stuff we needed. It now starts to feel like home. Here I drew our sofa and coffee table with pens which I later edited on Photoshop.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 10 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again

Its Day 10 of the 'drawing advent calendar'!
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite chocolate bar or sweet. This was an easy choice for me. I always get this bar at Christmas and my birthday because everyone knows that I love it so much. It is the best chocolate bar ever.. The Wispa.
This was just a quick sketch for me done in pen and coloured pens.

See you again tomorrow for more 'drawing advent calendar'!

Megan Stokes

Day 9 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

It's Day 9 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite TV program. I chose Scream Queens as I'm watching it so much recently. Its a mixture between 'mean girls', 'pretty little liars' and 'scary movie'. It's girly but a bit scary but also its funny as it is so unrealistic. The scary character in the TV program is called the red devil. Here I drew him with the program title.

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing.

Megan Stokes

Day 8 of the 'Drawing advent calendar chalenge'

Hello

Its Day 8 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite animated character. I chose the character 'Art' from Monsters University. He is a free spirited character who is mysterious and loveable. I drew him balancing on my head and me looking annoyed. He annoys other characters in the film, that's why I like him!

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing!

Megan Stokes

Day 7 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again

It's Day 7 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite word. I was think of famous words, long words, funny words.. and the word that jumped out at me was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I loved the film Mary Poppins when growing up. I especially liked the song where they sang this word and the animated characters playing instruments in the background. I drew my two favorite charters from that scene with typography over the top. I am pleased with this drawing and I may revisit it in the future to colour it in and finish it properly.

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing!

Megan Stokes

Day 6 of the 'drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

Its Day 6 of the drawing advent calendar!
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite book character. I didn't enjoy reading as much as other children so I just remember the pictures. These three characters stood out to me in my memory. The cat in the cat is a classic and I remember the quirky writing that came with it. I was nick named Moomin when I was younger so I had to include a Moomin troll. I loved the film the Gruffalo made by the BBC and I love how the animation characterized the Gruffalo. I used a variety of pens, coloured pens and water colour.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar!

Megan Stokes

Day 5 of the 'drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again!

Its Day 5 of the 'drawing advent calendar'!
Today's challenge was to draw my best friend. I of course thought of my cat Millie. I live away from home whilst studying at university so I miss her so much. I drew my self in a Christmas outfit as it is the festive time of year. I also drew Millie trying to get away from me because this usually what happens.. I like cats. They don't like me.

See you again for more advent calendar drawing!

Megan Stokes

Day 4 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello!

Its Day 4 of the 'Drawing advent calendar'!

Today, my challenge was to draw my favorite place. I found it difficult to decide so I changed it to my favorite place at this time of year. I drew me sledging down a hill near my house, which is my favorite place to go in the Winter. I used shades of grey and different textures in this illustration. 

I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

See you again tomorrow for more drawing advent calendar.

Megan Stokes

Projects combined

Hello all

We were given another project at university. We were asked to create a character of a 'typical' student. We needed to consider what clothes students wear and what they carry. We needed to draw the characters in different poses and situations e.g. in lectures, missing the bus, on their phone etc. 

After successfully creating a character, we then had to combine our metamorphosis project with our student project. The challenge was to Photoshop the two characters we had created on to a photo of the inside of our university building. The characters needed to be interacting with each other and the environment in some way. I took many photos of different rooms including a lecture room, a corridor full of lockers, the vending machines and the library/computer room. 

I decided to draw the monster creating havoc by swinging from the projector and the student getting annoyed. Even though I was happy with the outcome, I decided to create another image.

I wanted to use the library/ computer room as there were many objects the character could interact with e.g. sofa, computers, books, office chairs etc.

I made this image of the monster being the students helper by carrying all the books she needs for university. 

Megan Stokes

Day 3 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello again

Its Day 3 of the drawing advent calendar.
Today's challenge was to draw your favorite food. As it is the season, I chose my favorite food of this time of year. Sprouts and bacon are the best thing about Christmas dinner! After drawing this illustration I want to make a series of drawings to give out as Christmas cards this year.

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing.

Megan Stokes

Day 2 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'

Hello

This is Day 2 of the 'Drawing advent calendar challenge'.
My favorite animal is a penguin so I drew this. I've always loves penguins from the penguin off the John Lewis Christmas advert a couple of years ago to the film all about dancing penguins. I made a pop up book last year about a penguin on a skiing holiday and my family still talk about it now because they liked it so much!

See you again tomorrow for more advent calendar drawing!

Megan Stokes

Drawing advent calendar challenge

Hello again,

I have decided to do a drawing advent calendar challenge where I draw daily in December from the 1st to the 25th. I will have a challenge to draw that I will upload on my blog every day.
Here are the daily challenges...

Day 1 - Yourself
Day 2 - Favorite animal
Day 3 - Favorite food
Day 4 - Favorite place
Day 5 - Best friend
Day 6 - Favorite book character
Day 7 - Favorite word
Day 8 - Favorite animated character
Day 9 - Favorite TV show
Day 10 - Favorite sweet or chocolate
Day 11 - Turning point in your life
Day 12 - Most recent accomplishment
Day 13 - Childhood memory
Day 14 - Movie
Day 15 - What you had for lunch
Day 16 - Something green
Day 17 - You as a super hero
Day 18 - Worst fashion statement
Day 19 - A celebrity you'd like to have dinner with
Day 20 - You as a 99 year old
Day 21 - Draw yourself in another artist's style
Day 22 - Something orange
Day 23 - Just a doodle
Day 24 - Favorite place
Day 25 - Scenery

Today's Advent

Draw yourself..

This is currently me; tired, eating a lot, running late, stressed BUT enjoying uni life.

Join me tomorrow for more advent drawing.

Megan Stokes

Mr Tortoise/Bear

Hello everyone

Previously I posted about a brief I had a couple of weeks ago. The project was to choose a docile pet animal and a predator to make a hybrid animal/monster. I chose a tortoise and a bear for this project as I thought the mix of a hard, patterned shell with soft fur would be interesting. I started planning my character sheet by changing the face and legs in stages. I then drew a character sheet of the tortoise morphing into the bear. 

This lead me on to part 2 of the project...
Now we had our own individual monster, we were asked to draw him doing different tasks;

1. On a skateboard
2. Putting on a heavy coat
3. Skipping with a skipping rope
4. Shooting a bow and arrow

This was a fun part of the project that allowed us to explore our character more in a playful way. I really enjoyed this brief and it was a nice way to end the term.

Megan Stokes

Art of the week!

Hello

Here is another art of the week. My teacher at university saw my recent artwork and recommended this artist to me. I am so glad he did! I really like her simplistic line work and blocks of colour. I also love the little stories and one liners she has in her artwork. My favorite piece is the one called 'Hello chicken'. This is partly my favorite because I love chickens.. and partly because I love one liners in art. I think its a really modern quirk.

See more at www.simonelia.com

Megan Stokes

In the deep end

Hello everyone

I wanted to share with you a new brief I was given recently. My teacher is a practicing illustrator and he gave us a task based on a real life project he had done previously in the year. At the start of the day he explained the brief giving us a typical email that an editor might send to you. Our task was to draw an illustration for an article about the work load of young teachers. We had to draw a rough sketch by 2pm that same day then, once approved, we could start finalizing our idea and planning.

Here is my initial sketches

Here is my final sketch

This was such a fun and challenging project. It was helpful to see what it is like to be an illustrator in the real world but it was also stressful feeling like you are working for somebody else and trying to please the client.
However, I do feel like I have learned valuable lessons from it.

Megan Stokes

Art of the week!

Hello again

I just wanted to share with you another artist who I had to research for my new project. My new project is about choosing two animals and morphing them together in stages to create individual characters. Escher is a perfect example of this. Although he is well known, I just wanted to share some of my favorite artworks.

See more at www.mcescher.com

Megan Stokes

What on earth is metamorphosis?

Hello again

I have been given another brief at university to morph one animal into another creating a hybrid in between. We had to pick a docile pet animal and a contrasting wild, predator to draw for this project. This project is getting us to look at characterization so that when we repeat a drawing of an animal, they look the same and recognizable. My original idea was to morph a cat into a bear. My teacher gave me feedback that they are too similar in appearance so I kept the idea of the bear and chose a pet tortoise instead. I'm really glad I did because they are so different and it will give a more interesting outcome.

Here are my initial sketches...

I will post more when I have finished this project!

Megan Stokes