It’s been a while since I last participated in the Illustration Friday (IF) project. In fact, looking at my old doodles I realised that it has been over a year since I last sent a doodle. Ergh.

Anyway, when I checked last Friday’s theme - “Emergency” - the first image that came to mind was a literal interpretation (an ambulance or a fire engine). But, last night, as I went to bed doing some practice doodles, a different story came to mind. And, that chook came in to picture. I just went with it. And had fun.

I really, really like the idea of creating doodles with a story in mind.

I still have a lot to learn when it comes to illustrating. Especially using digital tools. I mean, I have the general idea of how to work with ‘traditional’ tools like pen, paint, pencils, markers, etc. But, working with digital tools still feel a bit awkward. Yeah, I’ve been trying to master this media for a while. But, I know that I haven’t really given it a lot of time and practice. Ah, well. At least I’m enjoying the process. I just hope to keep getting better.

In any case, here’s my process with this IF doodle: First, I used pen and paper to draw the idea. Then, I scanned it in. Once I had the scanned image, I launched ArtRage2 and used the trace function to help me transfer and re-work the doodle using my Wacom tablet. Then, I launched Adobe Photoshop Essentials 2 to “colour it in” and add the text.

Since I already have your attention, I thought I might as well share with you my latest interview: An Interview with Shai Coggins of b5media by Steve Remington of Skinny Moose Media. It’s been some time since I granted an interview. The piece talks about professional blogging and the general state of weblogs. Thanks again, Steve!

Technorati Tags: digital art, doodles, emergency, illustration friday, interviews, skinny moose media