Familiar Images

Familiar Images

Once upon a time I was content to play games and just have fun. Then the Player's Guild of Central Oklahoma (PGCO) convinced me to become an RPGA™ member. They provided me with a free membership and told me that all I had to do was come up with some black and white images for an RPGA decathlon event. I sent in 3 pictures that year. One was a pen and ink image that I pulled out of an old sketch book. Another was a quick airbrush of a dragon. The third image was the first in a series that I call Familiar Images. It was simply titled "familiar" and it incorporated a pencil drawing of a woman with folded bird wings sitting in a hand. The others have grown from that original image, and I have been able to scan some of them and present them here.

Familiar: Bat

Watercolor 11"x14"
This is a typical "Atmospheric Perspective" landscape with a detailed foreground image. The "branches" were made by blowing wet paint with a straw across the paper.

Familiar: Another Bat

Pen and Ink 10"x13"
This picture was done as a classroom example of pen and ink techniques. Colored drawing inks were used with traditional hatching and stippling shading techniques.

Familiar: Bear

Watercolor 15"x22"
This picture was done as a classroom example of Watercolor techniques. The background uses overlapping and contrast to show atmosphereic perspective.

Familiar: Chameleon

Acrylic 10"x13"
This is a rather straight forward acrylic work using the standard grade acrylic paint that I keep in stock for students. It was done as an example to show what is possible when one focuses on the medium's potential rather than its imagined limitations.

Familiar: Fox and Faerie

Pen and Ink 8.5"x11"
This one that I used as an exercise in 3D separation. To see the 3D version properly, a standard pair of anaglyph (red on the left) glasses are necessary. This is the original black and white image. You can also look at the 3D version.

Familiar: Imp

Pen and Ink 10"x12"
I originally gave the first "Familiar" picture to a friend. Here I recreated the basic theme in another medium. I was working with a lot of easily reproducible works at the time, and this one reproduces on a Xerox well.

Familiar: Lemur

Ink 10"x12"
This little fellow was oddly cute, and I felt strangely compelled to put a hat and glasses on him. The ink is actually a black watercolor. This image eventually was used for the cover of the DarkCon 5 convention book.

Familiar: Lobster

Watercolor Pencils on 83# drawing paper 10"x13"
Ok, so I had photograph of this lobster, and I had a box of Crayola Watercolor pencils, and I got a bit bored one day... This one was just a sort of "stream of consciousness" picture.

Familiar: Mermaid and Fish

Scratchboard 8.5"x11"
This one is less typical of the Familiar series since it incorporates a portrait as well. The original picture was going to be just a portrait, but the fish in the background was added to create some feeling of depth. Afterwards, I realized that it was yet another in the series.

Familiar: Raccoon

Pen and Ink 11"x14"
I use this image to show how to create a detailed surface with visual texture by using hatching, crosshatching, and stippling appropriately. For some reason I keep getting asked what terrible fate awaits the poor raccoon.

Familiar: Snake

Pencil 10"x12"
This was actually one of my longest pictures in production. I had the rather boring task of waiting for jury duty in the summer of 1989. To while away the hours, I took a sketch book with me, and I gleaned images from people and magazines in the jury selection holding room. I never served on a jury that summer, but I did start a drawing from a photograph of a snake in a magazine. I took this picture out and completed it in 1996, adding elements that would keep it in the familiar theme.

Familiar: Spider

Pencil 11"x14"
This was another of those stream of consciousness images. I had begun drawing a picture of a spider mostly because I had not drawn a lot of bugs. The strange flower in the background was part of the original spider photograph. I added the chain and finger in just to be ornery.

Familiar: Tiger

Charcoal 10"x12"
This picture was specifically done as one of the first in the series. My intention at the time was to do at least one in each of the traditional mediums that we practiced with in the classroom. Charcoal makes me sneeze, but it is a very quick medium. This image took less than two hours to complete.

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Familiar: Bat Watercolor 11"x14" This is a typical "Atmospheric Perspective" landscape with a detailed foreground image. The "branches" were made by blowing wet paint with a straw across the paper.
Familiar: Another Bat Pen and Ink 10"x13" This picture was done as a classroom example of pen and ink techniques. Colored drawing inks were used with traditional hatching and stippling shading techniques.
Familiar: Bear Watercolor 15"x22" This picture was done as a classroom example of Watercolor techniques. The background uses overlapping and contrast to show atmosphereic perspective.
Familiar: Chameleon Acrylic 10"x13" This is a rather straight forward acrylic work using the standard grade acrylic paint that I keep in stock for students. It was done as an example to show what is possible when one focuses on the medium's potential rather than its imagined limitations.
Familiar: Fox and Faerie Pen and Ink 8.5"x11" This one that I used as an exercise in 3D separation. To see the 3D version properly, a standard pair of anaglyph (red on the left) glasses are necessary. This is the original black and white image. You can also look at the 3D version.
Familiar: Imp Pen and Ink 10"x12" I originally gave the first "Familiar" picture to a friend. Here I recreated the basic theme in another medium. I was working with a lot of easily reproducible works at the time, and this one reproduces on a Xerox well.
Familiar: Lemur Ink 10"x12" This little fellow was oddly cute, and I felt strangely compelled to put a hat and glasses on him. The ink is actually a black watercolor. This image eventually was used for the cover of the DarkCon 5 convention book.
Familiar: Lobster Watercolor Pencils on 83# drawing paper 10"x13" Ok, so I had photograph of this lobster, and I had a box of Crayola Watercolor pencils, and I got a bit bored one day... This one was just a sort of "stream of consciousness" picture.
Familiar: Mermaid and Fish Scratchboard 8.5"x11" This one is less typical of the Familiar series since it incorporates a portrait as well. The original picture was going to be just a portrait, but the fish in the background was added to create some feeling of depth. Afterwards, I realized that it was yet another in the series.
Familiar: Raccoon Pen and Ink 11"x14" I use this image to show how to create a detailed surface with visual texture by using hatching, crosshatching, and stippling appropriately. For some reason I keep getting asked what terrible fate awaits the poor raccoon.
Familiar: Snake Pencil 10"x12" This was actually one of my longest pictures in production. I had the rather boring task of waiting for jury duty in the summer of 1989. To while away the hours, I took a sketch book with me, and I gleaned images from people and magazines in the jury selection holding room. I never served on a jury that summer, but I did start a drawing from a photograph of a snake in a magazine. I took this picture out and completed it in 1996, adding elements that would keep it in the familiar theme.
Familiar: Spider Pencil 11"x14" This was another of those stream of consciousness images. I had begun drawing a picture of a spider mostly because I had not drawn a lot of bugs. The strange flower in the background was part of the original spider photograph. I added the chain and finger in just to be ornery.
Familiar: Tiger Charcoal 10"x12" This picture was specifically done as one of the first in the series. My intention at the time was to do at least one in each of the traditional mediums that we practiced with in the classroom. Charcoal makes me sneeze, but it is a very quick medium. This image took less than two hours to complete.