Andean Mountain Cat

Andean Mountain Cat

Another card for the deck. Still loving this paper!

More Cards!

Trucking along at a nice pace in the past week, here are some more kitty cards that have been completed.  On a trip to the Utrecht store, I found a really great watercolor paper, an 8x8" pad of 100% cotton paper. Less crisp lines, but better colors and spreading.

Golden Cat and Pallas's Cat respectively.

Jackal!

Golden Jackal!  Another one for the art card deck that Ellen Siergeij and I are working on.

First is my initial sketch... which I ended up being not too thrilled with.  As I was told by some very helpful critique-ers, it looked like his back end was being balloon lifted away.  But his back, body, and front paws were my favorite parts, so I was able to keep those in the final piece.  3 down, 9 more to go for me before we kickstart this project!

Card #2

Another piece for the card deck, an arctic wolf.  The theme is wild canines and felines!

This one was a little more complicated, I couldn't get the intense blue that I wanted with the watercolors that I had for the sky, so the sky is watercolor/acrylic/gouache, all dropped in really wet. The bottom is inkwash with a layer of watercolor. 

Grey Fox

Fellow Artist Ellen Siergiej and I are HOPING we can put together an art card deck. Trying to bang out my cards, so here's the first, a grey fox in a tree.  This might be a little more complicated than it needs to be, since it will be only 2.5" x 3.5" when printed.  Here's the inked version and the finished piece.

Ah, Spring.  The time of year where the deer let me take a million reference photos of them in exchange for the promise of veggie scraps.  So, here's the fruit of that labor, this pretty gal.   I may redo this as a larger piece.

Prints! Maybe!

 

 

My college buddy Devin Henry (work found here: http://xdx.deviantart.com/ ) sent me this sweet print. He's tempting me out to NY for a possible week long residency to use the new laser cutter of awesomeness, which is what this print was made using.

I have plans. Oh, how I have plans.

Mostly to make ink drawings and translate them into reduction prints.   I've missed printmaking, I just don't have the space for it here.

How To Make an Owl

Just in case you were curious, here's all the stages of my owl.  She was done using a reference from TornFeathers, and was drawn in pencil, inked in Higgins Black Magic ink, given an inkwash, and then colored with a variety of watercolors.  I used gouache for highlights, mixed with watercolor.

Her name is Elsa, and she is an Eastern Screech Owl. She lives at the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo.

Growing, Getting better...

Recently, I decided I wanted to be good at art.  Shocking, I know.  But I worked hard to try some new techniques and determine what qualities I wanted my illustrations to have, and a lot of it was proper lines and and layered colors.  I want colorful shading, and dimension.

So I sat down outside today and just went for it.   Here's the result!

And, just to brag a little, this is where I work.

Deer from Behind

Okay, she's a little rotund, but the deer here eat well around my complex, I swear.  Acrylic on mail in card, my usual warm up. 

Pretty Little Fawn

This is the piece that didn't make it into the Erie Spring Show, this pretty little deer.  She's only 8x8", and "Beyond the Field" is 18x24", so I think I learned a lesson here.

Beyond The Field

This is probably my favorite painting from last year, one I spent a few days on.  A pretty red pony and a very green forest beyond her field. 

I entered the piece into the Erie Spring Art Show this year, and this piece made it in.  Not only that, but it (she?  Should I refer to it as the horse winning?) earned me a juror award. 

The cherry on top was this article in the Erie Times News, which was very complementary. 

"The other juror's award winners are Corrine Ford for "David," a steel-and-fiber rendering of a rib cage and viscera; Jessica M. Alesso's mixed media portrait of "Diva-self: Aretha Franklin"; and Megan Merz for her elegant acrylic equine portrait "Beyond the Field."

Way to go, horse!

Things on Cards

I have a slight addiction to mail in cards from magazines.  They're disposable, but a nice sturdy stock, and perfect for experimenting.   Here are a few that I've done recently, all mixed media.  They're made for ballpoint, so that always seems to be the first layer.

Beginning...

  Hello everyone!  I've started this blog to keep me posting!  I have been very fortunate to have the wonderful Ellen Siergiej helping me to produce new art every day.  Mostly small pieces, I feel that I can stick with this blog and continue to update everyone on my artwork and give some insight into my process.

  I'm a 27-year-old artist from Erie, Pennsylvania who has transplanted to the wonderful city of Pittsburgh.  I went to school at Alfred University and graduated with a BFA in expanded media art.  I've been in photography, illustration, and design through my career, and after departing from a studio job, I decided to just work for myself.

  At present, I am the art force behind Reagency Design, a clothing and geekery company, and work on my own fine art and illustration.  I also work for Ad Astra Games and keep a steady stream of creative clients.  It's feast or famine, but I am getting the hang of it, and am happy to share.

I also love owls, so anticipate a good number of them here!  I hope you stick with me through my artsy journey.   If you have any questions, feel free to ask in comments.

My portfolio can be found at www.meganmerz.com.