King of the Savanna

I've been doing so much experimentation with watercolors lately. As we all know (yes, internet, you should know this by now) I am a big fan of large felines (i.e. lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, etc.). My favorite Disney movie of all time is The Lion King, after all. It would not be a lie if I told you that The Lion King was the film that got me deeply interested in animation and art at the ripe age of 6.

As a sidenote, I was afraid of the dark when I was wee. So much so, that I was too afraid to go to the movies because once it began.. uh.. THEY DIMMED THE LIGHTS. Despite this, I begged my Dad to see The Lion King. It was the movie to end all movies in my little mind, and still is. Of course we went, and as the theater lights dimmed I went into semi-panic mode. The dark was coming. This was it. The end of my life. Goodbye cruel world. I had already written my will. To my best friend, my stuffed animals. To my parents, everything else, because you own it anyway. My Dad assured me all was well. But no. It was not okay. Couldn't he see that it was GETTING DARK?

Suddenly, "NAAAANTS INGONYAMAAAA BAGITHI BABAAAAA!" boomed magnificently through the speakers, the African sunrise appeared before my eyes, and I was spellbound. From that moment on, I would not fear the darkness. As my Dad explains it, my jaw dropped and my eyes took the shape of the full moon. Something like this: O________O

So yeah, I painted a lion. The painting was unrelated to The Lion King, but it reminded me of my artistic muse. Here are some progress images, and the final result. Behold, "King of the Savanna".

In Progress

Voilà

To purchase this as a print and see more of my work, visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/WildfoxStudios

Welcome to the Land of Ooo

Since Christmas is over I can finally share this! I have been working on a surprise piece for my boyfriend as a Christmas gift, so naturally it was top secret until he got to peeps it first. We are both huge fans of the animated series Adventure Time, which airs on Cartoon Network. I thought it would be fun to Adventure Time-ify us and our animal companions.

This was my first experience in Illustrator using the Blob Brush tool. It's the tool I've been begging the Adobe Gods to create for several years now. Imagine the pen tool, but way more organic and natural feeling to use. I'm used to sketching and painting most of my lines, and while the pen tool gave me crisp and clean line work, it just felt clunky and mechanical to me. Needless to say, I will be experimenting a lot more with this in the future.

Monsters!

Shhhh... don't tell. I love monsters. Here are some monsters from my brain.

Pen & Watercolor

Here's a couple experimental pen and watercolor pieces. Definitely will be doing more of these, fun stuff!

Little Foxes

I'm currently creating a handful of products to sell locally and online. These "Little Foxes" will be offered as bookmarks. This particular set consists of an Arctic Fox, a Red Fox and a Fennec Fox. The Red Fox will also be featured in a "Woodland Creatures" set. Additionally, "Little Foxes" will be offered as a print, along with the rest of the "Woodland Creatures" series. I'm excited to share the remaining illustrations!

Fennex Fox Doodle

Here in Indiana it has been exceptionally toasty this summer. As a result, I drew these desert-dwelling Fennec Foxes. May their cuteness bring you joy while you are sweating profusely outdoors!

The Daily Zoo

I was on Amazon the other night browsing the endless pages of books I wish to buy but do not have the cash to purchase, nor space to store them. From time to time I come across a book that I absolutely must have. I experienced this very phenomenon the other night, and I watch the resident moths fly out of my wallet as I cracked it open to place my order. A few days later I found myself yanking the door off of my mailbox to reveal my new copy of "The Daily Zoo", by Chris Ayers. Chris is a concept artist residing in California. Not only is he an incredible artist, he is a cancer survivor. Chris was diagnosed with leukemia on April Fool's Day in 2005. One year following his diagnosis and fortunately his recovery, he embarked on a sketch journey that stretched over the course of on year. The creation of this book provided Chris the opportunity to push his imagination to the limits and celebrate each new day of good health.








This book is visual candy. Page after page is overflowing with beautifully rendered sketches, caricatures, and doodles. Much like Chris, I too have an affinity for both animals and art. This book pays tribute to his own fascination with the animal kingdom and luckily, after a random online purchase, I am lucky enough to view it. "The Daily Zoo" also boasts the lesson that life is short and you should do what you love and feed your soul. You never know what life will throw your way, so make the best of every situation and enrich your life with all the things you love most. I highly recommend this book as a source of inspiration for any artist. It is also quite inspirational to read about his fight against cancer. The perseverance and optimism he maintained throughout is admirable to say the least.

If you purchase Chris' book, not only will you receive 160 pages of delicious artwork, a portion of the proceeds go to support cancer-related charities and research. A win/win situation!


My cat checking out the centerfold.

For more information, go here!