CrashOctopus Blog

Another quick digital sketch, companion to this one. Tried to increase the contrast, but also had a fun time exploring complimentary colors + opacity to create the shadows.

I am in crazy con preparation mode again. Anthrocon is next weekend! I have all my “preorders” done, meaning people who ordered small commissions to pick up at the convention. All I need to do now is pick out art show pieces and pack.

I have several step-by-step posts to show you in the near future. I have this “small character commission with no background” thing down to a science.

I don’t own any tubes of purple gouache. I recently have been using a lot of purple. Having to mix it each time doesn’t bother me, but I never seemed to be able to get the color right. I tried different combinations trying to find a good one, to no avail and much waste of paint. I’m certain I mixed the same shade of purple mud half a dozen times. So I gave up and made a color chart. For the limited audience who is curious about mixing purple gouache, here you go. You’re welcome.

A few notes: all the colors were Holbein, except Ultramarine - that was M Graham. All the paints were single pigment. These are all the reds and all the blues I have. This chart should be just as good for watercolors as for gouache. I have concluded that having both Alizarin Crimson and Pure Red on hand just makes things more confusing. I can tell them apart on the palette only because old Holbein AC crumbles into little bits when it gets dry.

Holy moly, I’ve had some of my gouache tubes for 3 years. No wonder they’re getting crunchy.

When I last visited the state two years ago, I showed you some of the awesome geology and scenery the state has to offer. Here’s some more! Plus wind turbines, just because they’re cool. I got to stand right underneath one while it was in operation!!

Shy Anteater by Meg Lyman

4×5″ gouache and ink on paper

$35 - e-mail to inquire about purchase

Wow, I’ve been quiet! It’s not for lack of motivation, though. I’ve been super busy. It’s convention season, and I’m getting ready for so much - asking for preorders, getting prints made and matted, updating prices and signs, and packing. I also just got back from Washington, where I visited my 98-year-old grandmother, who is a constant inspiration to me about how to life a happy life. I’ll show you some (hopefully) fantastic photos from the trip once I get them developed.

My recent trip to Washington introduced me to a new beer, Alaskan Amber. It’s brown and sweet and delicious. Smooth and mild, it goes well with fish and chips (and probably a lot more but that’s the only thing I tried). If you’re in a region that sells it, I recommend trying this one on tap. And if you can, try their stout and smoked porter and report back to me!

Just a quick digital sketch. I love the opacity features of digital and how you can explore any color without mixing, but I often forget to utilize contrast to its fullest digital extent. Oh well, next time!

Busy busy! I just got back from Rocket City Fur Meet, which went fairly well sales-wise. I have several commissions to do and a website to finish and I noticed I broke my blog pictures for the older posts. :/  I’ll try to get that fixed soon. In the meantime, have a cute squid!

Little Crab I by Meg Lyman

Gouache on illustration board ACEO

$40 - click to buy

OH THE CUTE

This was a fun color experiment. I have concluded that I love purple.

Stylized Cuttlefish II by Meg Lyman

5×7″ gouache on paper

$45 - e-mail to buy

Been painting little doodles and working on the website. I need to post a WIP of one of these little gouache doodles, but they’re so fast that I usually forget to stop and take photos.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I had cute little cuddlefish stamps made. Official, valid, USPS stamps! They’re 42-cent (although the photo says otherwise, I know), which will shortly become obsolete. Because of that, I’m selling them at a 10% discount: $9 for a sheet of 10 stamps. Send me an e-mail if interested!

Also, the 44-cent stamps should be available shortly on Zazzle. I’ll post a link when that happens and give you a run-down on the process.