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Detail of the little shark mermaid from "Sunken Sunlight"
July 2016; Changelings, Fairies, Auctions & Thanks
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News from artist Heather Hudson at Studio Wondercabinet

Changeling Artist Collective
I'm happy to announce that I've been invited into the Changeling Artist Collective, participating in their upcoming projects and auctions.  Changeling is a wonderful group of fantasy artists and many of them are personal friends as well.  Learn more about Changeling at their site, www.changelingartistcollective.com.

 
Detail of Wingless Fae, one of my Junefae 2016 fairy sketches.
On Art and Faeries
I like fairies, in the larger and darker sense of the term.  I describe my personal work as falling somewhere between Oz and the Dreamlands. I think I've painted some pretty monsters with fairy-like aspects but I continue to look for the thing that makes fairies magical on the page.  Last month I joined in the JuneFae artist challenge to create a new and original fairy artwork every day of June; I could draw, paint, work traditionally or digitally, but every day I’d post a new work to my social media pages before noon.  Counting up my sketches, I posted a fairy, fae or spirit on 30 of June's 31 days.
 
I started June drawing in pencil.  I'm familiar with pencil, and that gave me standards to worry about -- technique and theme and the technical side of my daily post.  I began thinking as I worked about what I would draw next, and whether today's fairy was appropriately fairy compared to other people's fairies, and whether my degree of finish was impressive enough, and my fairies became hard-edged and staid.
 
So, I began to experiment. My fairies were too firmly drawn? I let myself sketch lightly if I wanted.  My favorite fairy artists -- John Bauer, Arthur Rackham -- used water color?  I’d completed one piece in watercolor, but I broke out my starter set and began to mess around.  I put some sepia (the color that brown would be if it thought brown was too exciting) on a sketch and posted it.  And a few people liked it, and if it was reprehensible that I was experimenting in public, the world did not end. 
 
Over 20 of the 30 pieces I worked up included watercolor.  Some made me happy, some didn't quite come together. Some were dashed off quickly, some were carefully worked up.  Here’s what I learned about my own fairies and fairy art.
 
The most magical fairies, to me, were the ones with lost edges.  The more I polished the drawing and firmly penciled the edges and details, the more the emerging fairy turned into a prosaic insect-alien.  The most magical fairies were the ones that skittered lightly onto the paper, some aspects detailed but others barely suggested or merging back into the paper.  To me, they gained magic from simplicity. 
 
I've seen this before in cartoons — pretty faces and children are also easy to overwork, as if details grind the prettiness away.  A simple, abstracted face lets the viewer project onto and identify with the character,  while a detailed portrait of someone specific blocks off projection.  I think this works for the magic of fairies, too.  A loose or gentle rendering can let the viewer project their own magic into the picture.
 
In my last newsletter I asked you to send me feedback about our ideas for this year's Xmas card project.  I asked you to choose your favorite subject from the subjects the C'thulhu Mythos repeated, the Dreamlands, the King in Yellow, The Funghi from Yuggoth poem cycle, and Gothic Fiction.
I didn't know if anyone would write back.  I got more feedback than I dared to hope for, and I got it fast.  For the curious, the feedback broke down like this;
  • The King in Yellow tied with the Dreamlands in first place.
  • C'thulhu came in a distant third.
  • The Funghi from Yuggoth and Gothic Fiction each got one vote.
Several of you liked all the ideas, and at least one of you suggested something completely different -- because helpfulness takes many forms. *grin*

As thanks to my friends who took time to respond, I'm picking two of you at random and sending you ACEO sketches in thanks.  You were all awesome!
And finally...
"Hey Artist..."
Have a question?  Have a suggestion?  Let me know.
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I'm an old-school fantasy artist whose personal work wanders between Oz and the Dreamlands, making art with a love of golden-age illustration and a 12 year run of Magic; the Gathering illustration in my background. I like illuminating monsters.
Above, "Wellbred Crow Fae," one of my original Junefae sketches being offered in Changeling's Bugs&Beasties auction this week.

Several works from my Junefae personal art challenge will be offered as part of the Changeling Artist Collective auction, Bugs & Beasties.  The auction starts at noon EST, July 13th, on Changeling's Facebook page and ends at noon EST on July 20th.

Below, original Bugs&Beasties auction artwork by Emily Hare.

 

Want to see more of my fairy sketches from the Junefae challenge?  Due to difficulties with the official Studio Wondercabinet website, the easiest way to see them is to visit the Junefae 2016 photo album on my Facebook Pro page, or to visit me on Instagram.  Neither collection is complete, but both are nearly so and easy to navigate.  Thanks!
Upcoming Events

September 17
Fall Fantasy Faire
Crescent Moon Gifts, Tacoma, WA

I'll be bringing my misbegotten fay and amiable monsters to this popular Tacoma-area event for a day of faerie frolic. 

October 7-9
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival
Portland OR

Studio Wondercabinet will have a table in the OED, offering Mythos-inspired artwork and talking about current projects. For more information on the HPLFF, follow them on Facebook.
Copyright © 2016 Studio Wondercabinet, All rights reserved.


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