Ravishing Ribbons!

Hello my friends!
This is my first post in the New Year. I've been painting a lot in 2011, and I wanted to show you some of my newest works. The current series I've been working on involves ribbons, flowers, and inspiration from powerful Bible verses and paintings by some of my favorite artists! I believe the possibilities are absolutely endless for this series, and I look forward to painting many, many more...
All of these pieces are for sale, so if you are interested, just let me know!
Thanks for your support and encouragement!


"Monet and Psalm 1," Oil on Linen, 12"x12"
(Inspired by Psalm 1:2-3 and Monet's Water Lilies)


"Monet and Psalm 1" detail of porcelain cat


"Monet and Psalm 1" detail of Calla Lily



"Whistler and Fire," Oil on Linen, 10"x8"
(Inspired by the Pillar of Fire in Exodus 13:21 and James Whistler's painting "Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso")


"Whistler and Fire" detail of flower



"Dewing and Guidance," Oil on Linen, 16"x10"
(Inspired by the Pillar of Cloud in Exodus 13:21 and Thomas Wilmer Dewing's painting "The Song")


"Dewing and Guidance" detail of flowers


"Dewing and Guidance" detail of woman


Thank you, my friends, for visiting! I look forward to hearing from you soon. God bless you!

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2011*

Artsy Additions!!

Hello again!
I have completed a few more illustrations in my series of stylish young ladies. I decided to actually alter the color of the ink from black to a color that harmonizes with the rest of the piece - I did this by simply scanning the drawing, then changing the color of the ink lines in Photoshop. Then I colored the rest of it by using numerous layers beneath the drawing! You can purchase many products featuring this line of illustrations - just visit my Society6 Illustration Store at : http://www.society6.com/studio/aliciatemplinillustration/store
and my Zazzle Store at : http://www.zazzle.com/aliciatemplin

Christmas is coming up soon, and these would make great gifts!

Here are my 3 newest illustrations in the series :


"Mermystique," Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Her Boa Boa," Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Artsy Aura," Ink Drawing and Digital Color

Come back soon to see more illustrations and paintings!!! Have a blessed day!
*1 Corinthians 16:13-14*

All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010

The Digital Painting Process!

Hello everyone!
As promised, here are the steps involved in creating a piece (the featured piece is titled "Afternoon Stroll") that is drawn with ink, scanned and colored digitally in Adobe Photoshop!


Step 1 - The thin-tipped black Sharpie drawing


Step 2 - I made the drawing layer transparent, then created a background layer, chose a brush tool that mimics the appearance of pastel, and used a very large-sized brush to sweep a couple of blue hues behind the girl and her smiley dogs. :-)


Step 3 - I created another layer atop of the blue background, then began brushing in her skin tones with an opaque fleshy color.


Step 4 - I wanted her eyes to really 'pop,' so I focused in on the whites of her eyes, and I chose an intense violet hue for her irises. I then decided to place shades of this same violet throughout the painting to harmonize it all.


Step 5 - I didn't want her clothing to distract from her face, so I chose neutral colors for her blouse and skirt, and tied in her skirt with the blues of the background.


"Afternoon Stroll" Final Step! - I wanted the girl's and the dog's flowing hair to appear similar in style and color, so I used colors that were close, but not exactly the same.

So, that's how I go about it! In a near future post, I will be showing you a video of myself actually drawing one of these characters in ink. Come back soon!
Thanks for visiting, and God bless!

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

Illustration Inspiration! :-)

I have been learning more and more about painting in Photoshop using my wacom tablet, which has been immensely fun! So, as I painted the illustrations of the poodles and cheerleader, I thought I would try drawing some additional illustrations in a style that is a bit less-cartoony. I still used thin-tipped black Sharpie for the drawings, scanned them, then colored them in Adobe Photoshop with a tool that actually looks like pastel!
Here are my 3 newest creations:


"Feathered Friends," Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Cattitude," Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Lady Ladybug," Ink Drawing and Digital Color

I am now very inspired to continue painting in Photoshop! Seeing that I can achieve the appearance of pastels, watercolors, and many other media, I'm excited about discovering more about the world of digital paint!
In the near future, I would like to blog about the actual process of creating one of these pieces start to finish :-)
Thanks, and come back soon! God bless! *Psalm 37:3-6*

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

Blossoms!!

Hello everyone!
I wanted to do another new blog highlighting my newest completed oil painting, which I've entitled "Poised Petals." I painted this piece as a part of my new still life series (this time I included Degas ballerinas), and I also entered it in the 2010 Blossom Art of Flowers painting competition. There are a few days left to enter, so here's the website for whoever may be interested : http://www.blossomartcompetition.com/


"Poised Petals," Oil on Canvas, 24"x24"


"Poised Petals" detail of Degas in frame


"Poised Petals" detail of orchids


"Poised Petals" detail of Degas image on wall


"Poised Petals" detail of orchid on table

The results of the competition won't be released until November, so we'll just have to wait and see :-) But I thoroughly enjoyed painting this piece... I even have another Degas still life on my easel right now. I will be posting it once I am finished!
Thanks for visiting, come back soon! God bless! :-)

Illustrations Abound!

Hello everyone!
I know it's been a while since my last post, and many new illustrations and paintings have been created since then!
I have created a few more in my children and animal look-alike series, all done in layers of watercolor on watercolor paper...

"Shelled Synchronicity," Watercolor, 7"x11"


"Partyin' Penguins," Watercolor, 7"x11"


"Elephant Efficiency," Watercolor, 7"x11"


"Proper Poodle Playmates," Watercolor, 7"x11"

I've also been experimenting with coloring hand-drawn illustrations in Adobe Photoshop - a ton of fun! I drew these next few images with thin-tipped black Sharpie, scanned them, and colored them digitally! I'm learning oh-so-much...


"Perky Poodle," Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Hip Hip Hooray!" Ink Drawing and Digital Color


"Prancing Poodle," Ink Drawing and Digital Color

I have also completed another still life in my series featuring small pieces of famous works by some of my favorite artists... The one that I just finished, as well as one that is currently on my easel, are both featuring small photos of Degas paintings. I will be posting these soon :-)
Also, Christmas is quickly approaching, and if you are looking for some great gift ideas (featuring the above illustrations and many more!) for friends and family, check out my Store on Society6 :
http://www.society6.com/studio/aliciatemplinillustration/store
and my Zazzle Store :
http://www.zazzle.com/aliciatemplin
Thanks for visiting, come back soon! :-D God bless!! *Jeremiah 29:11-13*