a guide to the world of fantasy . . .

a month or so ago i joined a swap on craftster.org and my partner had on her wishlist a totally awesome idea - a fantasy world map, that would include many different worlds of fantasy literature.  i'm a fan of many of these books, and so it was a no brainer.

here's the final product:

i'm pretty excited about how it turned out.  i enjoy duplicating type styles, so i tried to label the lands in relevant fonts.

some detail shots:

ACK! why are they rotating.  geez, blogger.  hope i can fix that.

anyhow, let me tell you how i got from the request to the final project . . .

first, i did some research.  i have read most of the books referenced, but not all.  shout out to the hunger games and game of thrones!  obviously, reading all the books would have been valuable, but not within time constraints.  so i talked to my fellow readers.
what was the book's environment like?
what kind of weather did they have?
was there water mentioned anywhere?  mountains?  hills?  dessert?
how large was the land?  how long would it take to cross on foot?

and then i did some searching to see if anyone else had already mapped the individual lands.  many already had some cartography done, but most that did had several different interprutations.  i had to go back to my experts to see which one best melded with their impressions of the books.

and then draw!  i decided to limit the details to basic land markers.  i had some lands with great detail and i could have really gone crazy, but the problem was with the lands that had very little detail to offer - i didn't want to invent information, and i also didn't want to leave those areas bare in comparrisson.  this way the labels popped more, and that's fine by me.  i used prismacolor pencils for the coloring, sharpies for the outline.

last was the destruction.  i ripped it a little, and wadded it up and beat it.  i used tea to discolor it.  completely nerve racking.

and that's pretty much it.  no in-process photos, so sorry.  i really don't like taking pictures in the middle of working.

jo

joyful exhaustion

wow.  a weekend of sheer exhaustion.  if there were no children in this house i imagine i would still be asleep, but if i had no children i doubt i would be so tired.  hmmm . . . children both cause tiredness and prohibit sleep.  who came up with this?

anyhow.

it is unseasonably warm in st. louis right now - shocker!  st. louis having weird weather - who'd of thunk it?  so all my adorable matching family outfits for the 2 weddings this weekend didn't happen.  i'm still bitter, but perhaps they will be even more awesome at thanksgiving.

i have recently taken up a new craft - knitting.  it is one still that has long eluded me and i have completed a hat and a scarf in the spare moments i've stolen since thursday.  i am quite impressed with myself.  i'd love to show them to you, but i wanna make them a bit more special and awesome before i show them off.

so today i've fished around and i've got one of my all time favorite drawings to show you.

balance

pencil drawing

2007

balance detail

this is another example of my scribble drawing style.  i don't know if there is a straight line in the whole picture.  i don't recall the exact measurements, but i'll guess it at 22"x36".

the image i drew this from

ah!  it's 3!  this day has all but disappeared.  much to do . . .

jo

cinderella?

yes, it is nearly midnight.  it was quite a day.  my little man is just not feeling well at all.  i am making an attempt not to complain about being a mom (which i love) so i am afraid that you don't get to hear any of it.  i'm sure you are heartbroken.  typing one-handed so be forgiving (shout-out to all the multi-tasking nursing mamas!).

i did a bad thing.  i started another painting project before finishing the other.  you see, even when he's being a demanding crabby little terd he still lets me have some fun.  he'll make a great husband one day, don't you think?  i am so excited about this new project - i cannot wait to show you.  but i will, wait that is.

i am really tearing through my archives these days, but it's a lot of fun to think of what i've done.  i often get new ideas when going through my old ones :)

i showed you an example of my drawing a couple days ago, so how about i share the first drawing where i developed my 'jo method' . . .

'vague'

2007

i cannot recall nor can i whip out a measuring tape right now.  14"x28" is a sporting guess.

the theme was loosely assigned.  anyone who knows my husband should peg him for the model, although his mouth is slightly smaller.  i would show you his photo for comparison, but i might have an easier time catching bigfoot on camera.  he's not a fan of having his photo taken :(  but all through art school he would sit and model for as much as i needed.  he's a good husband.

four minutes until i turn back into a servant.  goodnight.

jo

a goat called donkey

yet another day sacrificed for the sake of family . . .

i am sure that you all have these days, where your well made plans are beaten down by those who require more of your attention than you have to give, and when your home is more akin to a train station than a sanctuary.  i forgot to eat lunch.

the bright side: i got some of my errands done and got some good deals on items that will be art someday (a few canvasses, fabric, items for towel cakes, etc).

the dreary side: no creative pursuits today. 

if my little fox lets me sleep tonight i have promised that we can stay home all day tomorrow in our pajamas and cuddle and make beautiful things.  the larger painting i have been slaving over (she does have a title, now - 'dorothy') is begging me to finish her.

but i cannot leave you with nothing!  what shall i pull from my archives to wow you?  ah - I have just the thing . . .

my daughter had a dear stuffed goat.  his name was donkey.  that alone is a terribly long story, but i digress.  i chose donkey as a subject for a project in my drawing class.

'portrait of a goat called donkey'

isn't he sweet?  this little diddy is quite indicative of how i like to draw - ordered chaos, if you please.  i like to do a bit of an organized scribble.  i don't know of anyone else who draws like this, so we will call it the 'jo method'.

at the time i was also working a bit with embroidering on paper, and my drawing professor allowed me to experiment a little with the idea of drawing with thread.

'cotton portrait of a goat called donkey'

every line you see is a piece of thread.  i believe this portrait took me about 4 hours to complete.  labor of love, i assure you.

are you wow-ed?

it's time to get ready for bed.  wish me sleep.

jo