Back!

I'm back! I haven't gotten my adsense account back, but that's fine.  It's nice to be able to use my blog anyway.  I haven't anything new yet.

Bleh.

AdSense has disabled my account, so I'll just be updating whenever I feel like it.

Tools of the Trade

When I draw, I often draw using many different types of pencils and pens.  I have decided to write a post about what brands I think are good for drawing and sketching.

A peek into my tackle box.  The gray markers at the bottom are my Copics.
The rest is stuff I need to clean out.

My Favorites:

• Copic Markers - Gives pictures more of a watercolor/painterly feel.  Colors blend nicely with minimal bleed.  Unfortunately, they're a bit pricey at about $4-5 per marker.  They also have replaceable ink, which is pretty cool.
• Prismacolor Markers - Has much darker pigment than Copics.  Bigger nibs make it ideal for coloring larger areas.  These are also much cheaper than Copics, ranging from $2-3 per marker.
• Faber and Castell Graphite Pencils - Just a preference of mine.  Staedtler is another alternative, but I find them to be a bit pricey. Faber and Castell's run about $0.65 per pencil, while Staedtler is about $0.99 per pencil.  Staedtler is also break resistant, so that's pretty cool.  When buying pencils, it's always good to have a nice variety of leads, from soft to very hard. (B= Soft, H= Hard and HB= Medium.)  I may write a post that's a bit more in depth later, if anyone is interested in learning more.
• Sakura Micron Pens - Good archival pens, but a little pricey.
• Millenium Pens - Cheaper than the Sakura pens.  Still pretty good archival pens.

Light blue and black pencils are Staedtler, dark blue and gold are Faber and Castell.
The gray pens are Millenium and the tan are Sakura.

• Prismacolor Color Pencils - Smooth coloring and even color
• Adobe Illustrator - For digital work.  A decent free alternative would be GIMP, but it doesn't have as many features.  It's a good basic program, but I would not recommend it if you plan on doing professional work.
• X-acto Knife - I usually use this for when I make stencils or collages.  Any sharp, surgical grade steel knife should work.  No need for name brands if you can't afford them.
• Faber and Castell Dust-Free Eraser - LOVE LOVE LOVE this eraser!  Minimal dust and erases almost completely!  Runs about $1 per eraser.
• Kneaded Eraser - Also a very good eraser for cleaning up smudges.  MOO is a really neat alternative to kneaded erasers.  It's made by a Korean company called Nayana Co. and can be purchased at Hobby Lobby for about $2 for 2.  the MOO is also dust-free, so there is minimal mess and erases cleanly.
• Self Healing Cutting Mat - Ideal for projects that require a knife or any sort of cutting that is not with scissors.

There are other things I use, but these are my favorites.  If price is an issue, cheaper alternatives are also fantastic!  No need to spend a fortune trying to make decent art!

Collages Part 2

Win! by Casey Steele

The World by Casey Steele

These are a few more collages I did for a class.  They were created using Game Informers and Psychology Today magazines.  I haven't been creating a lot of art, lately, so I'm posting some older stuff.

Cthulhu

Hey by Casey Steele

Just a small picture I drew a while back.  It's a cartoon version of Cthulhu.  I drew his hand on backwards, but I don't think it detracts TOO much.  This is a pretty old picture, so the quality is really bad.  I think I took this with a camera phone, or something.  I have a devilish character drawn in this same style, but I like this one better.

This was done with Copics and micron pens.

Unicorn Sketch

Rampant Unicorn Sketch by Casey Steele

This is a rough sketch of a rampant unicorn for Matt's blog Tales from the Prancing Unicorn.  I'm not sure what he wants to use it for, yet.  I would LOVE to get some feedback on it, though!

Overall, it took about an hour or so to draw.  I haven't had any experience in drawing horses.

I referenced a picture he gave me, but I cannot, for the life of me, find it right now.  Typing in "Rampant Unicorn" in google will yield very similar pictures, though.

Old Pictures

Yoko by Casey Steele

Chie by Casey Steele

I was a bit embarrassed to post these, but there's nothing like looking at past works in order to improve.  I'm pretty aware of the flaws in both of these images, but I like the coloring, for the most part.  I drew these back when I was more into anime.  I don't watch it much, anymore.  These were done with Copics and Micron pens.  

Just a few more collages

Lust Arts by Casey Steele

Infam by Casey Steele

Life- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Casey Steele

Collages

Sin & Punishment by Casey Steele

Obsess Lips by Casey Steele

These are a couple of collages I made for class last semester.  These were two of my favorites.  I have more that I may post later.  I got the pictures from various magazines.  Most were from Psychology Today and some old Game Informer magazines.

Also, I think Google's Logo today is amazing!  Everyone should go check it out!

Google's Houdini Logo, March 4, 2011

Playing with Letters

Casey by Casey Steele

This was done a few years ago out of boredom.  I should try to do more stuff like this.  I think it came out pretty cool!  What do you think?

I used Copic markers and micron pens for this.  The colors are a bit washed out because Copics are a lot lighter than Prisma colors.  I prefer Copics, though, because I can get a more even color and the brush tips make coloring easier.  I also like that they don't bleed all over the paper as much. 

Sorry that the full view came out pretty blurry!

Just a Reminder...

The title of this blog is only temporary.  I can't quite think of a better name, and I really need to.  Suggestions would be amazing!

Face Pop! by Casey Steele

 Edit: What does everyone think of this?

Yay!

New layout!  I photographed some words I made with ink and rubber stamps on some parchment-ish paper.  I'm pretty happy with the turnout, but I can't seem to identify the font.  It's a nice one, though.  I edited them with Paint and the dinky windows picture editor, hence why they're sort of bad.  Oh well, it'll do for now!

Contents by Casey Steele

Awesomehaus by Casey Steele

Typographic Photography

Cold by Casey Steele

Hot by Casey Steele

Recently, I've been getting more and more interested in Typography.  I'm not a very good photographer, but these are a couple of photos I took showing off some fonts I designed.  "Hot" was particularly difficult, as there was a lot more heat from the tea candles than I expected.

I made both of these for my Typography class, and I have been thinking about doing more similar to this.  What do you think?

Also, I'm still looking for a new name for my blog. 

Pointillism

Heather and Ian by Casey Steele, Photo taken by Heather Steele

This is a picture I drew of Heather and Ian. It took me about 6-7 hours. I did this one back in my freshman year of college in 2008. I think it turned out well!

Skully by Casey Steele, Photo taken by Heather Steele

Here is another pointillism piece I did . It's nothing fantastic, but I'm still rather proud of it. This took me about 8-10 hours.


I would love to do some more pieces like this, if anyone would be interested!


I would also like some opinions on names for my blog. I don't really care for the one I have now, so suggestions would be great! I'll put up a poll for my favorites so everyone can vote.

Introduction

My name is Casey Steele. I am 21 years old and I love to draw. I am currently enrolled at Texas State University and I am pursuing a degree in Communication Design as well as a minor in Psychology. This is intended as a personal blog for my designs and as a way to connect with other people interested in art and design in general. I hope to use this as a way to show off some of my favorite artists and to mostly show some of my pieces as well.

Thanks for reading!