Sarah E. Bentley

Bubbles!

2010-07-30T12:23:00.000-04:00

So this also started life as a water color doodle, and then changed a lot to turn into this.

The Bold Fisherman

2010-07-29T12:17:00.002-04:00

So this was a short comic I did based off of an old folksong. This is also the second comic I have ever done, and I definitely learned a lot making this.

A girl

2010-07-21T00:48:00.000-04:00

In an effort to update this blog more, have another piece of work!

I kind of like this idea of working right over the top of my little water colors.

An update

2010-07-21T00:47:00.001-04:00

And off I go to San Diego Comic Con. It'll be a blast, I'm sure!

In the mean while, remember the sketch a day I was doing? I cleaned one of them up!

Sometimes

2010-04-29T20:05:00.003-04:00

I go to the smithsonian. I like taxidermed animals, they don't move about.

The Bongo gave me some real trouble since I decided to try a somewhat wonky perspective.

I figured I only really needed scientific names for the non-north american animals.

Clowns!

2010-04-15T14:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I paint stuff for my brothers.

So blame them.

Ink sketch

2010-03-16T22:12:00.003-04:00

Thought I would start keeping a ink only sketchbook (Like Jillian Tamaki mentioned in her blogpost!), and I'm ditching watercolor for now. Because watercolor and I do not get along.

The tiger (who looks.. um) is from a photo, no under line or rough drawing or anything like that.

Watercolor, attempt numero 3

2010-03-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

I like watercolor with line work. Got it. Now to work with that a little bit more.

This is probably the smallest one yet, and not on any sort of watercolor paper. Thought I would try something else with watercolors.

I made a map!

2010-03-14T12:07:00.002-04:00

My brother wanted a map of a land that he made up, so he drew something terrible in MS Paint, and I made him this.

I took a sheet of Canson's sketch/drawing paper, scattered instant coffee over it. Poured boiling water over it. Stuck it in the oven on a very low temperature because the color didn't seem to be soaking into the paper. Then I took it out, law it on a cookie cooling rack, and let it dry. Then I drew a grid over his MS Paint map, and a grid over the torn up and textured paper, and made him this. All the color was added in Photoshop.

Watercolor try 2!

2010-03-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

Uhhh...

Yeah, I still don't like watercolor. Maybe I should stop trying to paint fruit?

The only thing I come remotely close to liking is the line work, if it can be called that. Maybe I should take my cue from that.

Watercolor try 1!

2010-03-12T13:23:00.003-05:00

Uh... I haven't actually used water colors since sophomore year. I think. I don't honestly know. So, this was an experiment to try them out again, so it's suffering from: poor composition, and poorly handled water colors, poor lighting, all that jazz. I will endeavor to post a better watercolor experiment soon, because I would like to get a handle on this media.

Plein Air!

2010-03-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

I have once again started Plein Air painting, which is the first time I've posted any on this blog. I forgot how much I missed it!

In fact, it had been so long since I last touched my oil paints, that I did not have a tube of white. Or a tube of Burnt Umber. Or a tube of ultramarine blue. So the first painting was done that first day I went out, as a very spur of the moment thing, tossing all of the little tubes of oil paint I had into my easle, whereupon I discovered my lack of these three important pigments. But since I was there, and it was a beautiful day, I thought I would give it a try anyways.

I went back yesterday and did the second piece, after having carefully gone back through my supply of paints to select my colors with more prejudice. Did I mention that I've never painted white water rapids before? (The previous day totally doesn't count) And I've never done rocks from anything more than a photograph? This painting challenged me. Which is a good thing. But man, it was hard.

Long time no post!

2010-02-04T18:19:00.008-05:00

So I heard about the Waterhouse Exhibit in Montreal (ending this Sunday!) via James Gurney's blogpost where he was arrested (not really) at the Canadian border.

So I went over to the website, saw how awesome the show appeared, hoodwinked Marika McCoola* into taking me up there, and away we went!

First stop in Montreal: A crepe shop! There was a mushroom and bechemel sauce crepe and a banana and chocolate crepe. They were good.

Then: The big day. Waterhouse! It was pretty amazing. These two come from Ulysses and the Sirens and one of the Lady of Shalott Paintings.

How can I not have gone to see the Waterhouse exhibit and not drawn this one? I'm still working on resolving it, because by this time I was sick of shading everything so carefully. So I did something different. Marika has a pretty fantastic version over on her blog.

One of Waterhouse's earlier works, the Saint of Eulalie. She did something, so the Romans tortured her with hot pokers and sticks on fire. As she died, a white dove emerged from her mouth, and God sent down snow to put out the fire and sooth her burnt skin. Frankly, I would have preferred not dying, but being immortalized in a Waterhouse painting is pretty cool too.

I'll come back and clean up these sketches a little more (aka, getting rid of the black eraser crap), but I am tired, and this blog needed updating badly.

*And by hoodwink, what I really mean is I said something along the lines of "Hey, Marika, I'm going to Montreal! I'm stopping at your house on the way! Wanna join me in this venture?"

Zombies!

2009-09-17T15:08:00.001-04:00

An image I owe a friend that I'm finally starting to work on. Digital sketch, more to come.

Silly Postcard

2009-09-09T17:29:00.001-04:00

A silly postcard for my brother, and also a quick attempt at acrylics.

Another sketch!

2009-08-21T19:35:00.003-04:00

I was trying to do a realistic portrait from imagination, and then just drew my hand instead. Unfinished thanks to horrible hand cramping and some lovely thunderstorms that utterly destroyed my light.

Sketches!

2009-08-15T20:25:00.003-04:00

Sorry folks, I know I should be putting finished stuff up here, but it seems I am only capable of taking something halfway and then abandoning it. Who knew I needed deadlines so badly?

My return!

2009-07-02T17:48:00.001-04:00

I feel like, having graduated, all that jazz, I should be updating with more than a sketch of my cat. Alas, this is all the people who read my blog shall recieve. All two of you.

more wips!

2009-04-30T01:26:00.001-04:00

The last one I'm painting with oils, and now I'm rethinking I may have to repaint the other two. The oils are so lovely on top of sculpy. We'll see how it works out on top of acrylic.

Horror Lady

2009-04-28T08:43:00.002-04:00

Another Work in Progress piece. Doing those polka dots on her dress is going to be fun.

Maybe finished?

2009-04-27T12:14:00.002-04:00

I don't know yet. The top one is going to kill my printer, I'll probably have to lighten it up to get it to print right. Setting these aside to go back to working on the sculptures.

The other mostly finished ones

2009-04-21T13:04:00.002-04:00

There, 7 out of eleven, not including the cover (finished, but not posted) and Title page w/ title page spot.

Mostly finished illustrations!

2009-04-21T12:15:00.002-04:00

An image from Chapter five and the chapter image from Chapter Six. I need to make a proper book template and start to layout where the text would go, so people know how these work. I think they are done, with some exceptions to the random grey spots which require more gibbering around with Photoshop.

Thesis Update, again!

2009-04-11T13:11:00.003-04:00

The 3-d things I've been at work on. And lost a tiny chunk of my knuckle to.

The top one is plasticine, the bottom two are sculpy.

Thesis update!

2009-04-10T22:26:00.003-04:00

Companion pieces to my sculpy figurines for commencement. Not done, obviously, and I'm dumping the second one and redoing it utterly. And I spent so long on those damned tiles.

cover mockups

2009-03-09T18:18:00.002-04:00

I have no idea which one of these I like.

Bwana Samaki, last chapter!

2009-03-08T17:42:00.001-04:00

Last chapter, digital sketch. End of chapter sketch, as opposed to the rest, because chapter 11 is really, really short.

Bwana Samaki

2009-03-08T17:40:00.002-04:00

Round two! The book is, btw, Bwana Samaki by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, and not in print.

Bwana Samaki

2009-03-08T17:31:00.002-04:00

Digital sketches, round one. Don't mind the Lorem Ipsum text placement. It's called, the book is unavailable, and it's easier to use placement text than to type it out.

Mockup

2009-02-28T15:26:00.004-05:00

A mockup for the wrap-around cover for Bwana Samaki, by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen.

Don't worry, the bottom text will not be whatever it currently is. It'll be handdone, similar to the top.

Life Drawings 2

2009-02-23T09:39:00.002-05:00

Character designs

2009-02-21T16:43:00.001-05:00

The main characters from an unpublished book by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen:

Life Drawing!

2009-02-06T21:22:00.004-05:00

Yep.

Ideas

2009-01-30T15:26:00.003-05:00

Hat designs
And more hat designs! But a different face. A place holder face.

General Silhouettes

2009-01-30T15:00:00.003-05:00

Old Work, Part 4

2009-01-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

Things from Fantasy Art, junior year.

Old Work, part 3

2009-01-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

Old Work, part 2

2009-01-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

One of the first illustrations I was happy with.

Older Work, part 1

2009-01-19T21:03:00.001-05:00

Earl Grey

2008-12-04T18:31:00.003-05:00

I did this from a sketch I did of his black and white portrait I found on Wiki. It kinda resembles him :-D

Some incomplete digital sketches

2008-12-04T18:25:00.002-05:00

My bro and his fiance's dog.

R, try one.

R, try two

ATTACK!

2008-09-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

My views on the war.

DeBeers Ad

2008-09-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

AKA: I'm tired of this fantasy art class, and going to do what I want.

Which I'm glad I did, because I had a lot of fun with this.

P.S. I still fulfilled all the requirements for this assignment, which was to make an add for some kind of item/object.

Bathroom Signs

2008-08-16T13:14:00.000-04:00

I was actually going for more of a Film Noir but with skulls than a Pimp and his ho, but, c'est la vie.

First Post

2008-07-21T23:04:00.000-04:00

Something from concepts:

It's okay, the frogs are getting their revenge.

Hybrid

2008-05-06T02:52:00.000-04:00

Something for my Fantasy Art class.

Random sketch

2008-05-04T13:07:00.003-04:00

Something quick that I did one night because I was sick of working on homework.
Obviously unfinished, just a sketch for something bumbling in my head. Maybe I'll go back one day.