Sun 6 Nov 2011
Angry Derp Squirrel by Meg Lyman
Gouache and ink on ACEO
The next Angry Birds-style derp. It’s seasonally relevant!
Gouache
Archived Posts from this Category
Wed 19 Oct 2011
Angry Derp Bat by Meg Lyman
Gouache and ink on ACEO
Happy Halloween!
Thu 13 Oct 2011
Sun 9 Oct 2011
Angry Derp Elephant by Meg Lyman
Gouache and ink on ACEO
Next critter!
Fri 7 Oct 2011
Angry Derp Cat by Meg Lyman
Gouache and ink on ACEO
Immediately following my rant on fan art, I post fan art. Oh, the irony.
I love Angry Birds, both the game and the design. I was doodling at the convention last weekend and had a brainstorm – Angry Birds pigs can be made into just about anything! Literally. I was so inspired by the possibilities that I spat out a couple dozen sketches and started painting them right away on ACEOs. It is so much fun and I can’t stop. I doodled a derpy shark that made me giggle whenever I looked at it – I have never sketched anything that made me laugh like that, and I am not used to the accompanying odd stares. From con-goers, no less.
So… am I being hypocritical? It doesn’t feel like it to me – I changed the idea, and I’m just doing it for a fun diversion. I am interested in everyone’s thoughts on this one!
Mon 3 Oct 2011
Metroid Squid by Meg Lyman
~5×7″ gouache on matboard
SOLD
At conventions, I sometimes get requests for fan art. I am happy to do it, because it’s fun and inspiring. However, when I do, it’s always a cephalopod version of a well-known character, like a smurf or a superhero or the Metroid brain-eater thing (see above, done at a con, hence the crappy photo). I give it arms with suckers and make it “mine.” Also, it’s not my main body of work.
I was at Anime Weekend Atlanta this weekend, and it was a fairly good con. Not like prior years, but you know, the economy. The thing that bugs me about these cons (anime in particular) is that fan art is not only rampant and unoriginal, but it is exactly what the masses want. It is depressing to sit next to a table where someone is selling their “version” of some wildly popular character, which is really just that character in a new pose or with a slightly different shape – and that table is making far more sales than any table that sells original ideas. The fans love it. I don’t fault them for that, but the artists selling this stuff are at best uninspired, boring, and not growing as artists. Why should they, when they can sell others’ ideas? It is their loss, but it is sad nonetheless. Opinions?
p.s. I painted that black background and it is nearly flawlessly smooth. I had always heard of gouache’s magical matte finish, but had never achieved it… until now! Woot!
Sun 19 Jun 2011
Cupid II by Meg Lyman
11×14″ gouache on Pastelbord
$130 – e-mail to inquire
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the cephalopods-as-cupid theme. Also, I can’t say enough about how much I like using gouache on Pastelbord. It does chew up brushes, though.
This was my first attempt to apply what James Gurney calls the Windmill Principle. It’s a subtle application, but I like the result.
Sat 11 Jun 2011
Squishy Dragon by Meg Lyman
ACEO, gouache and ink
SOLD
Mon 30 May 2011
Stormtrooptopus by Meg Lyman
8×10″ gouache on board
SOLD
I love Star Wars. Helmets are round. Octopus are round. It was inevitable.
Sat 14 May 2011
Napoleon by Meg Lyman
8×10″ gouache and ink on board
SOLD
This was a fantastically fun commission after Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass by master Jacques-Louis David. I know I didn’t get the horse quite right, but it works, and I actually kinda like the end result. It makes me want to do more master copies with cephalopods replacing the subjects. Might make them more realistic, though, so they fit in with the original painting…
What do you think are some good master works to practice with octopus?