Karen Gillmore Art

Comics & Illustration

Main Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Bio and Pics
    • Interview with Hillside-Quadra News
  • Comics and Webcomics
    • Quadra Cats Webcomic
    • Mermaid Music Webcomic
    • Quadra Cats
    • Hourly Comic Day 2018
    • A Midsummer Night
    • Jurassic Lark
    • Root Redwing
    • Spam and the Sasquatch
    • Iris the Art Muse
    • Telling Tales
  • Illustration
    • Book Covers
    • Pen and Ink
    • Nature and Sea Life
  • Time Travellers
  • Drop me a line!

Category Archives: Ink

Little Bitty Paintings

May 13, 2022by karencomics 1 Comment

Miniature paintings are something I never thought I’d do. I’ve always had a yen to paint big — really BIG — and a couple of decades ago I was doing […]

Read Article →
animal art, Ink, Miniature Paintings, Watercolour

Witches and Mermaids and Bears, Oh my!

February 18, 2022by karencomics Leave a comment

I’m almost caught up with my musings about last year’s art — just this one more post about my brief foray into doing Witchtober and then it’s on to more […]

Read Article →
art challenge, It's an artist's life, Pen and Ink, writing

Sketchbook Roundup 6: The Rest of the Gang

April 27, 2020by karencomics Leave a comment

I’m coming to the end of the hand-drawn sketchbook creatures I want to share as part of this series; tomorrow I’m going to end the series with some digital drawings […]

Read Article →
animal art, coloured pencils, Illustration, Ink, Watercolour, Watercolour pencils (aquarelles), zooly

A Midsummer Night’s Comic

June 21, 2019by karencomics 2 Comments

Happy Midsummer, folk of the northern hemisphere (and happy Winter Solstice, folk of the southern hemisphere)! Here’s an eight page comic I completed recently, which will soon be published in […]

Read Article →
Celtic, Comics, Illustration, Ink, Markers, Song

Inktober, Part 2

October 17, 2017by karencomics Leave a comment

It’s time to share some more Inktober drawings! At halfway through the month, I’ve been flagging a bit, trying to keep up with all my other drawing work, in addition […]

Read Article →
art challenge, Ink, Inktober

Happy Inktober!

October 1, 2016by karencomics 1 Comment

Once again, folks, it’s time to indulge ourselves in an ocean of ink. I participated for the first time last year in Inktober, which is a month-long challenge started by […]

Read Article →
Ink, Inktober

Black Cat Evolution

October 24, 2015by karencomics 3 Comments

I’m on a roll with these black cats that I’m doing for Inktober. I’m really enjoying the challenge of trying to capture the sheen of their fur, and the intense […]

Read Article →
Cats, Ink, Inktober

Inktober Black Cats

October 20, 2015by karencomics 9 Comments

More Inktober goodies — this time I decided to tackle the challenge of black cats. Shiny black cats. Black cats are notorious for being hard to photograph, and drawing them […]

Read Article →
Cats, Ink, Inktober

More Inktober Drawings

October 15, 2015by karencomics 2 Comments

I’m really enjoying Inktober (see my last post for more about that), especially with these little elf characters I’m designing! Here are three more little guys that I’ve done in […]

Read Article →
Ink, Inktober

Inspired by Inktober!

October 12, 2015by karencomics 3 Comments

I’m doing Inktober! I’ve been hearing about Inktober for several years now, watching my friends post their  ink drawings on their social media, but didn’t know what it was about. […]

Read Article →
Brush and Ink, Ink, Inktober

Of Cats, Gardens, and Diets

October 5, 2015by karencomics 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I posted anything at all, and what better to jump back in with than a Quadra Cats cartoon? I’ll make a longer post soon and […]

Read Article →
Cats, Ink

Art Supplies for Comics — Ink!

February 6, 2015by karencomics 1 Comment

This is the fourth in a series of posts based on the weekly handouts I give my comics class – if you’re just happening upon it now, there is a […]

Read Article →
Comics Class, Ink

Colour the Muse!

July 28, 2014by karencomics 6 Comments

Summer Art Challenge Day 36 — making art every day! I’ve finished the ink stage for Iris’s latest adventure; I’m looking forward to colouring it! It occurred to me that other […]

Read Article →
Comics, Pen and Ink

Sneak Peek 2 — In Which Spam Meets the Sasquatch

April 14, 2014by karencomics Leave a comment

Yesterday I started a series of postings of the work I’m currently doing, which is inking Spam and the Sasquatch. I’ve finally gotten to the part with the Sasquatch, and […]

Read Article →
Comics, Ink

Down by the Sea

April 3, 2014by karencomics 10 Comments

Living on the coast as I do, one of my favourite places is down by the water. Whether it’s a beach on the wild west coast of our island, or […]

Read Article →
Ink, Pen and Ink

Sheriff Bill in Colour

March 24, 2014by karencomics 8 Comments

Just a small post today — a while back I drew a little character study of Sheriff Bill Platypus, suggested by my comic jam buddies when I asked what to […]

Read Article →
Character Design, coloured pencils, Ink, Watercolour pencils (aquarelles)

Who is Iris?

March 16, 2014by karencomics 10 Comments

Iris and I are seriously thinking about putting together a little min-comic for the comic conventions coming up. We decided she needed an introduction. I’ve known Iris ever since I […]

Read Article →
Illustration, Ink, It's an artist's life

Quick-Draw! Sheriff Bill Platypus

March 12, 2014by karencomics 3 Comments

Drawing-a-Day number 29 (one more to go!) I’d been drawing the graphic novel all day, and needed a change of pace. Tonight was the weekly gathering of several fellow comics […]

Read Article →
Drawing-a-Day, Pen and Ink

Intrepid Explorers

March 11, 2014by karencomics 6 Comments

Drawing-a-Day number 28 Meet Miss Ophelia Bluefeather and Mister Cecil Ravensfield, the latest in my characters-from-doodles series. They are a famous pair of scientist-adventurers, known for their daring exploits on […]

Read Article →
Drawing-a-Day, Ink, Watercolour

Procrastination and the Muse

March 10, 2014by karencomics 6 Comments

Drawing-a-Day 27 Just in case you’ve been wondering about the back side of Iris the Art Muse’s sash:

Read Article →
Comics, Drawing-a-Day, Ink

White Wolf Woes

March 7, 2014by karencomics 10 Comments

Drawing-a-Day 24 You know how some days, no matter what you do, you just can’t do your best? That’s how I’m feeling today. This should have been an easy little […]

Read Article →
Drawing-a-Day, Ink, Watercolour

The Muse Never Sleeps

March 2, 2014by karencomics 24 Comments

Drawing-a-Day number 19 Iris the Art Muse is back. Well, really she never left. Now she’s thinking she might want her own zine. What do you think?

Read Article →
Comics, Drawing-a-Day, Ink, It's an artist's life

A Feline Swashbuckler

February 28, 2014by karencomics 5 Comments

Drawing-of-the-Day 17 Here’s another character from my doodles of last Sunday night, turned into a finished painting. I tried an experiment that was suggested to me by my mentor today […]

Read Article →
Character Design, Illustration, Ink, Pen and Ink, Watercolour

An Irate Mama Eagle

February 27, 2014by karencomics 6 Comments

Drawing-of-the-Day 16! Blog post number 50! Whoo-hoo! In the graphic novel I’m working on with writer Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, there is a lady eagle who is quite irate, and telling Spam […]

Read Article →
Brush and Ink, Comics, Drawing-a-Day, Watercolour

Technique-of-the-Week — Combining Pen & Ink and Watercolour

February 22, 2014by karencomics 21 Comments

It’s time for another dive into my vast pile of workshop handouts! I have been using this technique a lot lately, as it is my favourite method of colouring comics. […]

Read Article →
Pen and Ink, Technique of the Week, Watercolour

Post navigation

1 2 Next →
  • Comics Class
  • Watercolour Basics
  • Watercolour Wizardry
  • Technique of the Week
  • Polymer Clay maquettes

The Quadra Cats, a webcomic

The cover of Takeout Planet, the first book in the Quadra Cats series

When the neighbourhood cats meet a takeout-obsessed Alien Cat, they become impromptu ambassadors for Earth! Updates Mondays and Thursdays.

Mermaid Music, a webcomic!

Mermaid Music, Book One cover

Mermaid music is the story of a girl who accidentally runs away to sea, and finds herself in deep water indeed! Click the image to read the webcomic from the beginning.

All text and images © Karen Gillmore 2014 -2017

...except as otherwise noted. If you share, please link back to this blog — you'll feel a warm glow right in your karma!

Celtic Art

Wolf and the Stones (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)
Wolf and the Stones (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)
Wolf and the Stones (pen & ink)
Wolf and the Stones (pen & ink)
Eostre (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)
Eostre (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)
Eostre (pen & ink)
Eostre (pen & ink)
Celtic Green Man (pen & ink, watercolour)
Celtic Green Man (pen & ink, watercolour)
Celtic Green Man (pen & ink)
Celtic Green Man (pen & ink)
Celtic Dragon (pen & ink, embellished version)
Celtic Dragon (pen & ink, embellished version)
Celtic Dragon (pen & ink, outline version)
Celtic Dragon (pen & ink, outline version)
Elemental Steed: Air (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Air (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Water (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Water (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Fire (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Fire (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Earth (acrylic)
Elemental Steed: Earth (acrylic)
Elemental Manifestations: Water (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Water (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Fire (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Fire (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Air (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Air (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Earth (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Elemental Manifestations: Earth (pen & ink, watercolour, collage)
Celtic Seahorses (linocut on banana paper)
Celtic Seahorses (linocut on banana paper)
Celtic Seahorses (pen and ink)
Celtic Seahorses (pen and ink)
Celtic Seahorses (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)
Celtic Seahorses (pen & ink, watercolour, coloured pencil)

Coloured Pencil

"Two Lips" — from a photo I snapped of a bunch of tulips someone had given me. As the petals started to fall away, they got more and more interesting. This one took quite a long time, lots of burnishing.
“Two Lips” — from a photo I snapped of a bunch of tulips someone had given me. As the petals started to fall away, they got more and more interesting. This one took quite a long time, lots of burnishing.
"White Rose" — I took a bunch of white silk roses into a class I was teaching one day, and we all had a good time trying to make them look natural, adding backgrounds and suggestions of colour.
“White Rose” — I took a bunch of white silk roses into a class I was teaching one day, and we all had a good time trying to make them look natural, adding backgrounds and suggestions of colour.
"Sheltered" — a demonstration on doing an underpainting in dark grey pencil to establish the values turned into this.
“Sheltered” — a demonstration on doing an underpainting in dark grey pencil to establish the values turned into this.
"Broken Seashell" — I like to pick up broken seashells, because their curves are challenging and fun to draw. For this one, I used a technique I often use for figure drawing — woking on toned paper and just picking out the deepest shadow and the highlights with white and black pencils.
“Broken Seashell” — I like to pick up broken seashells, because their curves are challenging and fun to draw. For this one, I used a technique I often use for figure drawing — woking on toned paper and just picking out the deepest shadow and the highlights with white and black pencils.
"Falling Apples" — When I teach a coloured pencil workshop, I often go buy a bag of apples and hand one out to everyone. Apples are excellent subjects for learning how to build up colour from light to dark. After my demo, he whole class goes back to their tables and becomes very quiet for a while — silence is the sound of creativity! One class I actually had time to draw my apple several times on the same page.
“Falling Apples” — When I teach a coloured pencil workshop, I often go buy a bag of apples and hand one out to everyone. Apples are excellent subjects for learning how to build up colour from light to dark. After my demo, he whole class goes back to their tables and becomes very quiet for a while — silence is the sound of creativity! One class I actually had time to draw my apple several times on the same page.
"El Morro" — the famous landmark fort at the mouth of Havana harbour. I got really caught up in the rocks on this one.
“El Morro” — the famous landmark fort at the mouth of Havana harbour. I got really caught up in the rocks on this one.
"Pink Rose" — One of the most burnished coloured pencil paintings I have ever produced. This little thing is the size of a greeting card, and it took me many hours.
“Pink Rose” — One of the most burnished coloured pencil paintings I have ever produced. This little thing is the size of a greeting card, and it took me many hours.
"Bear Hangout" — from a photo I took in Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. There were no visible fences, and everyone wanted to know how I'd gotten so close to the bears! Usually I would just smile and look mysterious.
“Bear Hangout” — from a photo I took in Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. There were no visible fences, and everyone wanted to know how I’d gotten so close to the bears! Usually I would just smile and look mysterious.
Woman in Blue — indigo and white Prismacolor pencils on toned paper
Woman in Blue — indigo and white Prismacolor pencils on toned paper
Relaxing Woman — burnt sienna and white coloured pencils on toned paper; a fifteen minute pose
Relaxing Woman — burnt sienna and white coloured pencils on toned paper; a fifteen minute pose
The Blues — Indigo and white coloured pencils on toned paper _ ten minute pose
The Blues — Indigo and white coloured pencils on toned paper _ ten minute pose
Man Forming a Triangle — coloured pencils on toned paper. Going through my sketches, I was amused to see how many similar poses I've drawn over the years — there are only so many ways the human body can fold up, after all. I thought this drawing made an interesting comparison with the previous one.
Man Forming a Triangle — coloured pencils on toned paper. Going through my sketches, I was amused to see how many similar poses I’ve drawn over the years — there are only so many ways the human body can fold up, after all. I thought this drawing made an interesting comparison with the previous one.
sm flower demo 9
"Golden Retriever" — coloured pencil. I got the detail of the brush in the background by indenting the paper through a piece of tracing paper with a pencil. The tracing paper protected the working paper from the pencil, and I was able to lightly colour over the indented lines with my coloured pencils, building up layers of mixed colours. I eventually decided the white lines this left were too stark, and went in with very sharp pencils in different colours to tone them down.
“Golden Retriever” — coloured pencil. I got the detail of the brush in the background by indenting the paper through a piece of tracing paper with a pencil. The tracing paper protected the working paper from the pencil, and I was able to lightly colour over the indented lines with my coloured pencils, building up layers of mixed colours. I eventually decided the white lines this left were too stark, and went in with very sharp pencils in different colours to tone them down.

Watercolours

"Mount Baker Dreams" — The ferry from Sidney BC to Anacortes , Washington puts in at one of the islands in between. This is what I saw from the dock.
“Mount Baker Dreams” — The ferry from Sidney BC to Anacortes , Washington puts in at one of the islands in between. This is what I saw from the dock.
"Sunshine" — funny how cats always find the warm spot in the house!
“Sunshine” — funny how cats always find the warm spot in the house!
"Bones of the Earth" — a mountain in the Montana Mission Range that has an oddly shaped top above the treeline. It is not a volcano, but I suspect there is a hollow at the top with a lake. However, I did not climb up there to see.
“Bones of the Earth” — a mountain in the Montana Mission Range that has an oddly shaped top above the treeline. It is not a volcano, but I suspect there is a hollow at the top with a lake. However, I did not climb up there to see.
Wickaninnish Wind — This tree stands by the parking lot at Wickaninnish Beach , in Pacific Rim National Park.
Wickaninnish Wind — This tree stands by the parking lot at Wickaninnish Beach , in Pacific Rim National Park.
"One Perfect Rose" — an anniversary card I made for my husband some years ago.
“One Perfect Rose” — an anniversary card I made for my husband some years ago.
"Willow Banks" — part of a large wetland park at the base of Montana's Mission Mountains that I visited once.
“Willow Banks” — part of a large wetland park at the base of Montana’s Mission Mountains that I visited once.
"Rainbow Pebbles" — many of the techniques described here are used in this painting
“Rainbow Pebbles” — many of the techniques described here are used in this painting
"Winter Tree" — a Christmas card I did for a friend; the white was all masked off with masking fluid, after which I could paint freely, knowing all that lovely snow would be preserved in pristine white paper.
“Winter Tree” — a Christmas card I did for a friend; the white was all masked off with masking fluid, after which I could paint freely, knowing all that lovely snow would be preserved in pristine white paper.
"Storm Building" — I used a paper towel to lift colour out of a solid sky wash for the clouds, then dripped in a bit of grey, then more water for the backwashes.
“Storm Building” — I used a paper towel to lift colour out of a solid sky wash for the clouds, then dripped in a bit of grey, then more water for the backwashes.
pebble sampler — I make samplers of many of the techniques during class, using pebble shapes.
pebble sampler — I make samplers of many of the techniques during class, using pebble shapes.
Wildly blooming
Wildly blooming
"Haunted River" — painted over a saran-wrap texture in multiple glazes; an example of mixing paint on the paper.
“Haunted River” — painted over a saran-wrap texture in multiple glazes; an example of mixing paint on the paper.
"Night Lights" — the background nebula-like blooms of sky colour are salt; the individual stars are dots of white ink.
“Night Lights” — the background nebula-like blooms of sky colour are salt; the individual stars are dots of white ink.
"Long Beach Sketch" — the backwashes created by dripping water into a wet wash created the clouds and the misty effects in the rocks on the right.
“Long Beach Sketch” — the backwashes created by dripping water into a wet wash created the clouds and the misty effects in the rocks on the right.
"Edge of the Woods" — I started with very light washes to build up the background and lighter tones of the foreground; the dark trees went in last.
“Edge of the Woods” — I started with very light washes to build up the background and lighter tones of the foreground; the dark trees went in last.
Cuban Tree
Cuban Tree
The UFOs are coming! Or maybe they are flying hats. Suggested by one of the students, I thought it was a great idea. This demo used salt and gouache to make stars and the explosions (or maybe they are fireworks). The city is just simple brushstrokes with a flat brush.
The UFOs are coming! Or maybe they are flying hats. Suggested by one of the students, I thought it was a great idea. This demo used salt and gouache to make stars and the explosions (or maybe they are fireworks). The city is just simple brushstrokes with a flat brush.
This demo was to blend a nice sunset wash, and to show how to make very quick trees with brush scribbles.
This demo was to blend a nice sunset wash, and to show how to make very quick trees with brush scribbles.
This demo was to show lifting paint out of a blended wash (and add some more for shadows) to make clouds, and how to make aerial perspective by making distant things lighter and bluer. I wasn't sure what the landscape was going to be, it sort of evolved as I went along.
This demo was to show lifting paint out of a blended wash (and add some more for shadows) to make clouds, and how to make aerial perspective by making distant things lighter and bluer. I wasn’t sure what the landscape was going to be, it sort of evolved as I went along.
Demo to show masking (I masked off the blue areas), and how to draw people in about ten seconds! This is kind of a bizarre picture because the blue areas look like holes in the sky, but I kind of like that effect.
Demo to show masking (I masked off the blue areas), and how to draw people in about ten seconds! This is kind of a bizarre picture because the blue areas look like holes in the sky, but I kind of like that effect.
"The Sky's the Limit" — a tiny painting, 4x6 inches, in which I demonstrated lifting wet paint to reveal the light.
“The Sky’s the Limit” — a tiny painting, 4×6 inches, in which I demonstrated lifting wet paint to reveal the light.
"New Horizons" — watercolour, 4x6 inches
“New Horizons” — watercolour, 4×6 inches

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 576 other subscribers
Follow Karen Gillmore Art on WordPress.com

Facebook!

Facebook!

Twitter!

My Tweets

Posts by Date

February 2023
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728  
« Dec    

Monthly Archives

Lots of folks liked these posts!

  • Spam the Cat Becomes a Character Maquette (Part 2)
  • Technique-of-the-Week — Watercolour Monotypes
  • Technique-of-the-Week — Combining Pen & Ink and Watercolour
  • Embellishing and Colouring Celtic Design
  • Technique of the Week — Watercolour Pencils
  • Pen and Ink
  • Nature and Sea Life
  • Hey, Let's Draw Animals!
  • Technique-of-the-Week — Coloured Pencil Flower
  • Hourly Comic Day — What I Learned

Acrylics animal art art challenge Book Covers Brush and Ink Cats Celtic Character Design children's books Collage coloured pencils Colouring Pages Comics Comics Class comics conventions Cool Stuff for Artists Design Digital colouring Digital Drawing Drawing-a-Day Figure Drawing gouache Illustration Ink Inktober ink wash Inspiration It's an artist's life Linocut Markers Mermaids! Miniature Paintings oil pastels Paper maché Pen and Ink Photography Poetry Polymer Clay maquettes Printmaking Procreate Quadra Cats Reblogs Sculpture Short Stories sketchbook Song Spam & the Sasquatch Storytelling Studio Studio Journal Technique Technique of the Week tutorials Uncategorized Watercolour Watercolour pencils (aquarelles) writing zooly
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Home
  • Bio and Pics
  • Comics and Webcomics
  • Illustration
  • Time Travellers
  • Drop me a line!
Karen Gillmore Art
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Karen Gillmore Art
    • Join 576 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Karen Gillmore Art
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...