“Quick-DRAW!”

Quick-DRAW! The just for fun, however you feel – whenever you feel – illustration game!

How the game will work:
At the end of each challenge specified time I will roll one six sided dice to determine the number of cards I will draw from my double deck of random people and places. (More can and will be added as the combinations get used and the game developes.)
Some examples of what could be drawn from the card deck: Snow Man, Back to the Future and John Snow.
** Disclaimer – there will be spelling mistakes on this deck of cards (it is a working prototype so take it easy guys.)

Timings will be specified on the day of draw, but it will be an average of every two weeks. Though this first one will run for the month of March so you can take your time, and admire what others want to draw.

I created this game for fun and to practice illustration in a happy and positive environment.

What you will need to do to join in with the game:
When you see a post (even if you see it a few days later) take whatever you see on one of my Tweets or FB status (links at the bottom). Take what you saw and draw it (or make it) it is really up to how you like to express yourself.
For example, I delt myself a hand of two cards just to try out my game. What I got was the following; “Fantacy” (Which in this case I took as Dragon) and “The Mad Hatter”. I chose to let my mind mull it over for a while. When I had a long phone call where you end up waiting to that ‘cheery’ elivator music. I just picked up a biro and doodled this…

You can take 5 seconds or 5 days, it is really up to you.
You can Tweet your illustration with the hashtags #QuickDRAW or you can post directly to my FB wall and we can enjoy eachothers creative-ness together! 🙂

So who is the game for?
It was created for anyone out there who wants to stretch their creativity and have fun by going out of their comfort zone. (Weather that is by doing a random challenge, or publishing your work for others to see.) Fans and lovers of art are also welcome to help artists who are trying something new, feedback is always lovely.
Colaborations are allowed and encoraged!

I must stress: CONSTRUCTIVE critisizm only!
Remember there is a real person with feelings who created the artwork that you can’t see just on the other side of the computer screen. Be nice like I know you all are! 🙂

The Rules:

• Use whatever media you like! A pencil, Biros, Crayons, Acrylic paint, Clay – The limit is your imagination. (You are only limited if a card is drawn that suggests a media to be used.)
• The size of your creation is up to you, anything from a 5p size upwards.
• Complexity is up to the artist, if you want a stick man with antelers cooking waffles… just do it, this is just for fun!

So really the only rule is to be respectfull of others work.

I will be drawing the cards on my FB illustration page & Twitter account tonight, links below:
FB (TJ Creative Illustrations): https://www.facebook.com/TJ-Creative-Illustrations-327199084071162
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TortusTor

I hope to see you all there!

TJ Creative
xXx
Until next time folks!

TJ.Creative favourites Feb 2016

If you are anything like me, you find it really interesting to look at what other people love to use creatively and how they organise themselves; what techniques others use and when they’re trying of a new product. Not in a copy cat sense of course! The curiosity (for me) is more of a nosey variety; “What is everyone else doing?” and “What can I learn from them?”

I am not ready to show anyone my working desk/zone as it changes all of the time. Though I will do a “What’s in my bag” Blog in the future, for all of you who are like me and enjoy seeing how others create on the go.

Sometimes I enjoy working in a local Caffe or Library, sometimes at the dining room table or on my desk which is in my bedroom currently. It depends on many factors (like most people my age, I am still living at home with the family – and family life is loud and rambunctious for 90% of the time! Which is fine for relaxing and having fun, but as far as working goes you can wave good bye to concentration!)  If it is too mad at home I prefer to pack light and go out and find a little bubble of peace to just let the creativity out. Does anyone else do this too?

What you can see in this image:

• G.F.Smith Colour Plan guide.
• Small Charcoal Set.
• Chalks.
• Water-Pencils + Brushes (these hold water in their handle).
• Graph’it black and grey brush pens.
• “Graphic” fine-liner set.
• A4 Layout pad.
• 30cm Steel Ruler.
• A range of Copic Ciao colours (I have been testing out recently).
• Staedtler Coloured Fine-Liners.
• Pencils (and other bits) storage tin.

Don’t forget the half used Gell-Pens (for list making of course) and the range of pencils between 6H-6B for sketches, a light pad and a cheep digi camera, which I use more to capture the essence of something to illustrate later. I do have a badge machine that I must limit myself to using because I get carried away and make far too many! (These are not in this picture.)

Technology wise I am experiencing a lot of trouble in the form of my Mac (Eddy) going to silicone heaven. I am back old schooling for the time being, however until this point I had been using a MacBook Pro with a Wacom Tab for vector illustrations.

If you take away the technology blues, you could see this problem as a blessing in disguise. It has been lovely removing myself from the “rainbow wheel of doom” and kicking back with a simple pad and pen and going about things in a more traditional manner.

What do you guys prefer to use creatively?

This is…
TJ Creative
Until next Sunday guys!
xXx

INKTober

It is important to reflect back on what you do (and not just creatively), just to see where you have came from to help guide you in the future.

So it is the first year I have taken part in INKTober and it won’t be the last!

It was started by a chap who wanted to improve his illustrations buy doing one drawing a day (big or small) for one month and to show your progress on a social networking site. Needles to say it caught on and has been running for a few years.

This was my first post for INKTober

A simple self portrait on a cold windy day.

It can be anything though, as simple as this…

Or a bit of fun like this performing guinea pig.

I will be joining in again next year, I hope more people join in too, it was satisfying just drawing and posting just for improving yourself both technically and promotionally.