Liz Stevens

Posts

April 12, 07:41 PM
Illustration Friday - EGG (late post)
Hey all, here's my better late than not at all drawing for Easter week's IF topic which was 'egg'…



The inspiration was obviously Easter and I stole the background design from my niece Evelyn. She's a pretty amazing artist on her own and hopefully someday we can share IF together (that is with her parent's permission as she is only 13!)

I tried a new technique with this one.  My usual sketch in black sharpie but I used a stiff bristle brush and soft pastels to color and shade, then brightened some areas with marker. It made for a pretty cool effect and some better variety of color than just markers alone! I cleaned it up with a kneaded eraser and voila! 

Anyways, thanks for stopping by. Comments always welcome.

-Liz

March 11, 12:50 PM
Help me "Make Art That Sells"
Hey all,  I have a campaign on Indiegogo.com.  I'm trying to raise funds to attend an online course to help me get current with market trends and build my art licensing portfolio.  Can you help?  I'm offering great perks for anyone who donates!!!  If you can't donate, please share and reshare.  Get the word out.  So far I have ZERO donations.  So please help support me and my art.

Thanks a bunch
Liz

October 04, 02:21 PM
Illustration Friday - BOOK
My entry for this week's IF topic - Book:

IF - Book                                                             (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012
I was going for a kind of reverential feel in this one because that's how I feel about books in general.  I love them, wouldn't be without them, in every format, but printed and bound is best.  I certainly have lugged around enough of them in my travels.  My favorite store is a book store and my favorite thing to do (when not drawing) is to curl up with a good book and read.  

This poor guy isn't exactly curled up and comfortable, but he's definitely intense about it, and I hope he doesn't stay up too awfully late reading!  lol This is a "good book" in every sense! 

Enjoy & thanks for visiting - please leave a comment if so inclined!  -L

September 26, 03:55 PM
Illustration Friday - Crooked
IF - Crooked                                                      (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012

Here's one I've been working on  for Illustration Friday.  Being that it's feeling much more like fall (and when I think of fall, I think Halloween of course), and the fact that I've been drooling over Edward Gorey's luscious illustrations, I decided to try my hand at a Gorey-like image for this topic.  This couple is "crooked" but in a different sort of way!  You can decide if it's good or bad, no judgement here!  ;)

The main thing I discovered is how easy great illustrators make things look - and how hard it really is to imitate someone's style.  My poor attempt needs some more line work for sure, but I thought I'd share it anyhow.

Cheers!  -L
September 15, 04:40 PM
Illustration Friday - Imagination
I just posted this on my Enter the Dragon post, but in reality I finished this one with IF in mind.  Last week's topic was "Imagination".  I can't think of anything that fires the imagination more than a good story, and one of my favorite storytellers is J.R.R. Tolkien.  So in honor of my brother who passed away last week, and my dear Tolkien, I submit my rendition of the Golden Wood, Lothlorien.

Lothlorien - The Golden Wood                       (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012
I'd like to think that my brother and Tolkien are comparing notes up there in the aether somewhere, telling stories and sharing a pipe.  Miss you both, dear fellowes.  xoxo

September 15, 04:22 PM
Enter the Dragon 2
Progress made on my dragon drawing:

Dragon - progress!                                           (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012

As you can see she's developing nicely and if I can get a good scan, I'll take her into photoshop and start coloring.  I haven't worked on the background yet.  I guess I should be working on that now, seeing as it's already Saturday; and week two is coming up!

Dragon Detail                             (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012


In the mean time I did finish a color drawing I'd started a while back.  This is my imaginary version of Lothlorien, inspired by Tolkien's Hobbit.

Lothlorien - The Golden Wood                      (c) Liz Stevens Illustration 2012
So there I am for now, more progress to come.  :)


September 15, 04:26 PM
Enter the Dragon
I'm naming this post after an insanely fabulous idea I saw on the Muddy Colors blog ( muddycolors.blogspot.com ) which I found whilst googling the amazing art of Justin Gerard.  He is one among many of the giants of the industry who is doing absolutely gorgeous work in the fantasy/scifi/comic genre.  I found him by attending his panel at Dragon*Con and was just blown away by his stuff.  Plus his panel was extremely informative and entertaining.  He's funny, bright and so so talented.  I was just in awe.

www.justingerard.com

I am also inspired by Elizabeth Malczynski Litton who illustrated Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsong trilogy paperback edition in the 70's.  I met her at the con and she was just the nicest lady.  Her work makes me want to draw and draw and draw so I can maybe get to someday be as good as she is.

http://thedragonstudio.com/

The Muddy Colors blog group is doing an "Enter the Dragon" celebration of dragons.  Since I'm always looking for an opportunity to motivate myself, and having just come back from the con and suffering fantasy withdrawl... I decided to do my own Enter the Dragon celebration.  Who doesn't like dragons??  So in honor of Dragon*Con, Justin, and Elizabeth...  here are some shots of my latest excursion into dragonland!
I'll post more progress pics as this one progresses.  

rough sketch 
Detail



My goal:  at least 2 finished dragons in 2 weeks.  Also I will try to emulate Justin's technique of doing the initial drawing in graphite and then taking that into Photoshop to color comp.  Wish me luck!  

- Liz
November 01, 06:17 PM
NaNoWriMo/30C30D Day 1 - Blood on the Sun Cover



NaNoWriMo Cover #1
Project Title: Blood on the Sun
Project Type:  Screenplay
Project Status:  in development

I can't say any more about this project except to say it's in development now.  The cover is for the presentation/fundraising package.

All rights reserved.  ©Liz Stevens Illustration 2011
October 31, 11:27 AM
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, Y'all!


















What's scary this Halloween?  Probably the fact that I haven't posted anything since JULY!!  lol  So here's one I did digitally using Corel Painter.  Enjoy!

Liz
July 08, 07:10 PM
Illustration Friday - Remedy

My entry for last week's Illustration Friday topic - Remedy.

When I think of a 'remedy' I think of hot tea with honey and lemon.  My Mom used to make me tea and toast when I was sick as a kid.  With lots of sugar and milk.  I loved dunking the toast into the tea and eating it all squishy and buttery.

I also had a friend in Kentucky whose grandmother would give her a teaspoon of white raisins soaked in gin for just about anything that ailed her.  Not sure what the medicinal qualities of that one are...but she said it worked great.

I plan to color this one in Photoshop and I'll post the images when I get them finished.  Just wanted to post this one before it was too awfully late!
July 30, 08:07 PM
TZT Performance Logo Project
I recently completed a fun project for a friend's son - vectorizing a logo for his new performance car biz!  So in this blog I'll show you how it evolved and what the end result was!

First, I received the jpg file of the logo:
Which I then imported into Illustrator.  Placing it into the background, I made a new layer and traced the outlines to make a vector image.  Then I colored it.  I played around with the colors and gradients and gave him several options to choose from:


He didn't bite on any of the changes, preferring the original logo and colors so I played around with values, gradients, and flipping the colors around.


June 09, 09:02 PM
Illustration Friday - Shadows
As promised, here is my IF entry for this week's topic "Shadows".



When I think of shadows, I think of campfires and ghost stories, deep, dark woods and the power of the imagination to see things in the dark.  I also wanted to work on my cross hatching.  I did this one with regular and fine point Sharpie markers on bristol paper.

Hope you like it!

-Liz

June 09, 08:50 PM
In Honor of Grand Canyon
Some random sketches from my sketchbook:

This one is the Queen Mary from a visit to Long Beach.


This is a sketch I did yesterday at Oak Creek in Sedona.

And some rock art from a hike I did just outside of Grand Canyon.  




To see photos of this rock art, check out my Trail Sketches blog.

I know I've been slacking lately and I promise I'll work on Illustration Friday and post this week!

Thanks and enjoy!

-Liz

March 22, 04:09 PM
53 Killer Photoshop Illustrator Effects and Tutorials - Noupe Design Blog
I'm trying hard to make digital artwork, but I am finding I'm woefully behind in my skills. With that in mind, I'm always on the lookout for tutorials and instructions that will teach me to take advantage of Photshop and Illustrator's awesome potential.

When I googled "Photoshop, Illustrator Tutorials" this link came up, among many others. I'm excited to try out some of these! I only hope my prehistoric versions of the software are up to it...


53 Killer Photoshop Illustrator Effects and Tutorials - Noupe Design Blog

Check it out - some of the effects are pretty neat.

I'll post my experiments and let you know how it goes and how my antique brain interacted with the training!

-L
January 20, 11:12 PM
Illustration Friday - Chicken

Here's one in honor of Jannie Ho aka @Chickengirl, a new friend from twitter!  I really am loving twitter for the networking and being able to find and follow lots of illustrators who are working and fabulously talented!!  And Chickengirl, well, her work is really great and so...with no further adieu, here is my chicken...well, actually it would technically be chickens but who's counting?






I actually did these illustrations a while ago.  It's kind of a funny story...a cautionary tale I think for all of you newb illustrators out there...

So, I was living in southern Indiana and every year in a little town called Corydon, IN (the FIRST capitol of Indiana as the residents proudly say) they have a Cock-A-Doodle Days celebration!  This is probably because the town's main employer is Tyson Chicken.  Anyhoo...I knew a guy who owns an art and frame shop there and he sets up a booth for that weekend.  So I go home and whip out these 4 illos and give them to him in hopes that he'll be able to sell them and I can make a little "scratch" for my artwork!

Well, I didn't know this guy very well, and it turns out I never saw my little chickens again.  Every time I went back to his shop and asked for them, he would tell me he had them put away somewhere and would get them out for me "next time" I came by.

So the moral of this Chicken Tale?  Don't ever give away your originals without getting some cashola up front first!!!  I suspect he sold them and just didn't want to give me any credit.  Or somebody pinched them from his booth, or maybe he was telling the truth and he misplaced them.  I dunno...I'm moving back there soon...so I'm gonna look him up again and bring a baseball bat this time!
January 02, 11:24 PM
Illustration Friday - Winter

In the spirit of the season, I decided to do something a little different and try my hand at colored pencil.  I really do like working in colored pencil.  Something about the medium makes me slow down and really enjoy the process.  Since I love birds, I thought a nice winter cardinal would be fun.  So without further adieu, here is my Illustration Friday "Winter" entry.  - L





November 04, 04:57 PM
Illustration Friday - SPENT

Here's one for IF...my interpretation of "Spent" in honor of the economy and the housing/mortgage debacle.  If you have a home, looks like you'll be spending lots of money keeping it in the future!  Just one artist's viewpoint, for what its worth.

October 20, 04:57 PM
The Finished Illustration

Thought you might like to see how my son's web comic illo turned out.


 As you can see, it's quite a bit more refined than the previous post.  I worked really hard trying to give it a feeling like a video game cover.

Figure Detail 1

Detail 2
The colors are a little washed out, but all in all I think it turned out really well.  My "client" was super-happy and that's really what counts, isn't it?

Keep making art - L

January 05, 11:33 PM
Illustration Friday - Renewal




This week's topic is renewal.  How appropriate.  We've just renewed the decade.  Welcome to 2010.  It's hard to believe we're ten years into a new milennium...especially considering that we all thought (or at least some people thought) that the whole world including the internet would come crashing down in the year 2000.  It's been a tough ten years, but through it all I've tried to keep my faith and maintain my focus and drive to become a successful freelance illustrator.  On that note, I've just gotten asked to bid on a new gig that hopefully will start my year off with some cash-ola in my pocket!  Groovy!

So here's my take on the Renewal theme.  I think of sleep...a chance for the body to renew, and chance for spirit to refresh, a chance for mind to soar.  So sweet dreams!  I hope you're feeling "renewed" in the morning!

-L
December 31, 03:54 PM
Happy Holidays










This year is ending up pretty well so far!  Just found out I'll be moving to the LA area and have already secured a place to live in Marina Del Rey.  On the water and just a short distance to the beach!!!  So far so good.  To celebrate, here are a few holiday illustrations for you!  Have a Happy New Year!  2010 is gonna be GREAT!!!










(click on image to view full size)


(click on image to view full size)


December 17, 12:33 PM
Web Comic Cover - evolution of a painting

I have been working on a painting recently for my son who is developing a web comic series.  He has some great ideas and asked me to paint a "cover" illustration for his soon to be unveiled (like Christmas or soon thereafter) site.

The illustration has evolved in stages, and I photographed each stage to send to my son.  I thought I'd share that here as an ongoing "work in progress" blog.

The criteria for this illustration were:
It should feature his "furry" character who is part fox, part human.  He was inspired by his avatar in Second Life.  The character is involved in an ongoing war-type scheme involving "world domination".  Don't ask me, ask him.  I'm clueless here cause when he tries to explain it, my eyes start to glaze over and roll back into my head.  (sorry joey!)  Anywho...one of his favorite MMORPG games is Call of Duty, so he asked me to make his cover art similar to CoD's artwork.  Basically I looked at the image and took it from there.
Here's stage one and you can see the composition is really similar:



Joey has drawn lots of what he calls "mechs" which are kind of Star Wars meets Halo mechanical battle-type vehicles.  He asked me to add in several of these, most specifically a battle helicopter and a couple of walkers.  So here's stage 2 and 3 showing that:
























As you can see, the background is developing and I'm trying to get some depth.  Also the figure is becoming more detailed.  The surface I'm using is a very textured one.  It's basically a gessoed canvas with rough sand poured on top and gessoed again.  It's a wonderful, gritty texture and I think it adds a lot to the piece.

I'm really liking where this project is going and am having lots of fun collaborating with my kid on it!  I had no idea how really smart and creative he is! 

When next I asked him for more detailed information on the figure's armor and weaponry, he sent me some images and I incorporated those into the next stage:

So this is where the painting is thus far.  I am still working on it and will post the next phases as they continue to evolve.

I am really enjoying this collaboration with my son!  Thanks, Joey!  Hope you like your Christmas Present!!!

Love,
Mom
October 27, 07:12 PM
NPS Poster
Here's a recent poster done for the NPS at Grand Canyon.  I was asked to create a poster for a sculpture exhibit at headquarters.  The sculpture was done by Julie Ogier and it features the endangered Humpback Chub.
So I guess you could say I've been published and my client was the National Park Service!  WOOT! Poster is still being approved, but you get the idea!!

By the by, I am re-designing my web site.  It's currently under construction, but the new web page address is: http://sites.google.com/site/lizstevensart

Thanks, -L
October 25, 02:21 PM
Recent Work

I'm now on Guru.com. Just look me up under freelancers as lizstevensart or Profile ID: 1056961. Here's a recent cover I did for the Native American Culture and Arts Expo to be held at Grand Canyon, AZ in 2010.
October 29, 01:15 PM
Art Marketing 101


Ok, so it's been a little longer than a week since my last post. Managing 2 blogs...what the heck was I thinking??? Oh well, you can only do what you can do.

I've been thinking alot about marketing myself lately. I have this book called Art Marketing 101. It's a great book for any artist who really wants to know how to run his or her career as the business it really is.

Now, I know some of you out there will disagree that art is a business. So to you purists, I apologize in advance! I personally want to be able to do what I love and hope to be well rewarded financially! So if you want to paint and never sell a canvas, more power to you! That's just not my style.

Anyways, back to this art marketing thing. This book says the first most important step to fulfilling your dream of being a full-time artist is to create your identity as an artist. When you meet people for the first time and they ask you what you do for a living, what do you say? I say "I'm a freelance illustrator". I may not have made a dime in the last week from selling my illustrations, but by saying it, I become it. Every time I say it, I believe it a little bit more, and gain a little bit more self-confidence as an illustrator! Amazing the power of positive thought!


What's the next step? Well I've got to come up with a "brand" and get serious about this business thing. A business plan, logo, identity, even a mission statement. All this so I can present myself in a consistent, identifiable way. This identity should extend across all platforms...i.e. letterhead, logo, business cards, web site, blog. You know the drill. Some thought about what I want to be doing in 5 years, 10 years. Where I want to be. Then focus, and get to work! If I want to be a children's book illustrator like I've been saying forever, I've got to start doing some kids illos, don't I?

So back to the book to figure out how to do all this stuff, and then figure out some kind of story to use for a picture book dummy. Whew. Ok, deep breath...go for a run, clear my head. More research required! Here's a sketch of some characters I was fooling with a while back. I like the little burrowing owl character. I even did an "emo" version messing around one day. I'm off to run. Later!
March 10, 03:11 PM
A Blog a Day?
I just looked at today's Blog of Note list. I have to say my favorite is An Apple A Day. It's awesome. Beautifully photographed and well written! Emerson's blog has inspired me to write and post more. The problem is...what to write and post about? I hate blogs that are just random...and I don't presume to be a great writer. I really admire the blogs that have a theme and stick to it.

I created this blog to have a place to show my artwork...my illustrations, really. So that's what this blog is about. I want to be a full-time, freelance illustrator. The blog is supposed to document my process and progress. I guess I just really have a short attention span, because in the past, I mostly would post some recent (or not so recent) work and then forget about it. But you can probably tell that from reading this.

So what is this process of becoming a full-time illustrator? Can I really do it? Will blogging about it help? Let me tell you what I'm doing so far...

1. Posting to this blog...committing to post at least once a week?!?
2. Posting to my second blog...http://www.trailsketches.blogspot.com...committing to update it once weekly as well.
3. Listing myself at several freelance sites such as: www.ifreelance.com and www.guru.com
4. Drawing, sketching, painting daily.
5. Working on development of my own children's picture book
6. Deciding on and executing a body of work (fine art) for a future gallery show.
7. Finding ways to market myself and my work.

I need to get serious about this if I'm going to make any progress before I'm old and gray! Ok, enough of my rant...now let's get to the good stuff...artwork!!!


Liz Stevens Illustration

Posts

June 07, 04:28 PM
Back on the Trail with a Tusayan Rock Art hike
Well, it's been a while but I recently returned to Grand Canyon and spent some time on the South Rim.  As always a beautiful, gorgeous place that humbles me spiritually and physically!  Probably one of the hardest places to hike, the canyon fools you with its wide, well-maintained trails and access to water on the Bright Angel Trail.




I did a short hike down to the Coconino Saddle on the Grandview Trail and it about kicked my butt.  If you want to measure your trail fitness, just do a short hike in the canyon and see how sore you are the next day!  I thought I was in good shape, but thighs and calves were sore for about 3 days after that hike!  Didn't help that I went with a bunch of youngsters who were all in phenomenal shape.  They were very patient and considerate of this old gal's slow pace.  We shared a beer and a laugh back at the rim (thanks Erin, Eric and Tara!) and met a cool hippie guy named Charles on the way back up, who offered to sell me his very cool Toyota camper and asked to be adopted.  :-P  We gave him directions to the El Tovar and hopefully he found a nice, rich tourist lady to take him in!  ;D



But I digress...

Later on that week I finally got to do the Tusayan rock art hike I've been dreaming about ever since getting the inside scoop from a Ranger at Grand Canyon while I was a volunteer there.  The site is located very near the park entrance, but due to the sensitive nature of the pictographs and the fact that it is NOT in the park and therefore protected, I won't reveal the location or describe how to get there.  I will say it is an easy hike into a really gorgeous little wash and offers close up views of some A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. rock art.  

The first image that catches your eye is this gorgeous Elk figure.  It's really big, about 2 feet across, and bi-colored.


Here is a multi-figure deer pictograph.  I love the way it is layered with figures overlapping one another.  Gives a real sense of a "herd". 


Here's a faint one, but you can make out another elk figure.  Not sure what the image to the left is?


Here's an interesting one...you can obviously see the human figure to the left, but what the heck is that big blob on the right?  If you look closely you can see "phantom" figures inside the red outlines.  Interesting...


Multiple figures left to right... your guess is as good as mine but I think the right one is a bighorn sheep.


This one looks like a blob at first, but then you can make out layered sideways figures of bighorn sheep.  No, this picture is not turned sideways, that's how they were oriented on the rock face.  Cool, huh?


Under the overhang, some big chunks of rock had fallen.  Not sure how or why, but these impressions look to have been made from grinding.  They were smooth, almost polished surfaces.  I thought the obvious human hand involved in forming these was very exciting!  Evidence of the artist's process...


These circular marks remind me of the footprint of a big cat, but I'm no expert.  We saw some mountain lion tracks and scat up there in the sand btw...!


Lightning or snake image...with some other small markings and indistinct images around it.


Here's a very cool "sun" figure with some center markings.  Unfortunately, some idiot has defaced it with bullet holes.  Now you understand why I won't reveal the location.  It's infuriating that someone has so little respect for these archaeological sites that they would do this and ruin something that's been around way before we got here.  This figure was large - about 2 feet in diameter.


And here it is 'in situ'.  You can see how the overhang protects the images from the weather.  Unfortunately it doesn't protect from stupid idiots with guns.


These images were scattered over 2 sites at this location.  An obvious social trail led to the first site with the big bi-colored elk, deer and bighorn sheep figures.  The snake/lightning and other figures were located at a second site down the wash.  I wouldn't have found it without help from my partner, Gary.  When I asked him how he found the 2nd site he said "I just looked for a good spot to find cover if it were raining".  Smart guy -knows how to get in out of the rain...  o.O

So there you have it...there are a couple more images on my facebook page, but they weren't very clear so I didn't include them.  If you want to see them, just click here to go to the album on Facebook.

I did a couple quick sketches of the rock art, but didn't have the time to sit down and do a really nice drawing of anything.  Here they are:



Next week I'll be at the North Rim and then back to Sedona where I hope to do lots more sketching from the trail. :)

Happy Journeys!

-Liz


March 01, 02:11 AM
Missing the trail...

It's been a while since I've done any hiking or camping!  I miss it very much.  I remember when I was in my 20's, I totally turned my back on outdoor activities like that - which is pretty weird considering it's such a part of who I am now.  I guess we all go through times in our life when we search for who we are and what we enjoy...

At any rate, I do get outdoors every day, it's just that right now, I'm in the city!  Los Angeles is wonderful and Marina del Rey even better.  I get the big city and the beach at my doorstep.  There are a LOT of people here!!!  So when I go on my runs, in my mind I'm thinking back to my Denver Half-Marathon training and running on the back trails at Grand Canyon National Park.  Dirt roads, Mule Deer, Elk, the occasional Mountain Lion - and human.  ;) Now that was a cool place to run - and hike, and backpack, and - everything!


Yesterday (Sunday) I went for an extended run to the end of the harbor here in MdR.  I took some photos!  It's not a drawing or a sketch, but I hope you'll forgive me for that!  



Can you see the "Standing Stones"?

From the breakwater back toward the bridge to Playa del Rey

Wishing I had a sailboat....

Looking toward Marina del Rey

Sailing - takes me away... (singing)  Regatta Season is here!

Can you see the standing stones now?

Now this is what I call "Earth Art"

Welcome to my world - where a trail is a state of mind! :D  Happy Journeys!!

- Liz
October 04, 06:30 PM
ALDHA West Meeting 9/24-26/2010

I attended the annual meeting of ALDHA-West the last weekend of September with "Meadow Ed" Faubert and my partner, Gary Kirk.  ALDHA is an association of long-distance hikers.  Several there recieved their "triple crown" awards, meaning they had thru-hiked the 3 major US trails - the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and the Appalachian Trail (AT).  The PCT is 2,650 miles, the CDT is  2,588 miles, and the AT is 2,168 miles long.  All together that adds up to 7,406 miles!

Long distance hikers are a peculiar breed, but the folks I met at ALDHA-West were very cool, and very friendly and eager to share tales of the trail, fun and not-so-fun experiences, and their best advice on what, why, when, where, and how to accomplish your hiking goals.

I got to sketch a few of them over the weekend.  They're not great sketches, but they were fun to do at least, and these folks have certainly inspired me to consider becoming a thru-hiker someday myself!

 





All images were sketched on location with either a marker or black ball point pen. 

It's fun to do faces, but I have to admit I'm not so great at capturing the likenesses.  But, practice makes perfect!  So, hats off to all you distance hikers out there.  I cut my teeth at Grand Canyon, but you all inspire me to take on some much longer hikes in the near future!

Thanks, and Enjoy!  --L
December 23, 10:08 PM
What Works, So Far...
Some more images from the trail. A beautiful little sunflower that apparently was really tasty to some bug. The leaves had nice little lacy holes chewed in them!




And I omitted the second drawing from the previous post so I thought I'd add it here. This plant grew right next to my porch in Southern Indiana. Don't know what it was but it bloomed beautiful crimson flowers and had a gorgeous green/burgundy variegated leaf. It was really tall, too. Grew about 6+ feet high.






Okay, so when I started this post I promised I would let you know what is working and what isn't on the trail.

I probably lug way too many supplies with me.
For shorter hikes I carry a "High Sierra" hydration pack like this 'Splash' model--it's got 2 large zippered compartments (one of which holds my 2 liter water bladder) and a smaller squarish one on the front which forms an adjustable quick-clip compartment behind it. That's where I store my sketchbook. I take a 5X7 bristol paper sketchbook, spiral bound, which fits nicely into a large ziploc type freezer bag. This goes in the outside pocket of my pack. I also take a rather large plastic divided bin (ArtBin Solutions) filled to capacity with permanent markers, an ebony pencil, a sharpener, and a kneadable eraser. I like to take a small pair of field binoculars, and always some snacks! This makes my pack a little heavy, but since I'm a total klutz with watercolors, the markers are my next best tool. Eventually I'll be able to eliminate all the colors I never use, but for now I prefer the option of having a rainbow at my disposal!


For overnight hikes I have a Granite Gear Vapor Ki. It's a really light pack, so I have to be careful how much I pack since it's got about a 30# max capacity. I dump the plastic bin and shove my markers into a heavy duty ziploc baggie. Since space is a premium, I try to pack smart and put the least used items on the bottom and work my way up. At the top I try to keep my markers and I strap my sketchbook on the outside (still in the baggie, of course!). This has worked pretty well so far. I think the extra weight is worth it.










My winter project will be a home-made pochade box. I am hoping to be able to design and build one to fit into my backpack. My goal is to be able to paint anywhere. I still have to consider space and I may eventually have to purchase a bigger, more durable pack for the longer hikes. Remember that I have to carry everything with me at least to the campsite! So it's all got to fit into the pack along with water, clothing, food, shelter and sleeping bag!!

So that's the dilemma of the artist as backpacker.

Enjoy! -L
December 23, 10:15 PM
Botanical Sketches

I recently completed a volunteer term at Grand Canyon N.P. working for the science & resource management dept. I worked in the nursery/greenhouse, mostly watering and caring for the salvaged plants and helping with propagation. Whenever the park has a construction project, to their credit, they try to save as many plants as possible beforehand. The nursery is where the plants go to live while they're building whatever it is. Currently, the park is building new parking lots at the Visitor Center in hopes of eliminating all the roadside parking that occurs at the ever-popular Mather Point overlook. It will be so wonderful to be able to enter the park (eventually) and not have to contend with hundreds of cars and pedestrians along the side of the road there!



In the nursery/greenhouse I really learned a lot and it was wonderful being outside with the plants! I also worked with several of the seasonal employees there. Emily, Em, and Ash were so knowledgeable, bright and hard working. It is cool to see young people who are so smart and willing to work hard while also having fun! I miss them already and I've only been gone a couple of days. Thanks for a great summer, guys!


As a naturalist, I was hoping to do more sketches while I was there, and I still intend to take some of my time off to hoof it down to the bottom of the hill with my sketchbook, pens & pencils to capture some of those happy plants. So in honor of my "Reveg" stint, I'm posting these sketches I did in the past. The top two are plants you'll find right now in Grand Canyon - Cliff Rose and Scarlet Penstemon. The bottom one is a gorgeous something or other that used to grow right off my front porch in southern Indiana. I have no idea what it is, but it had gorgeous red flowers and a wonderful variegated leaf. It grew really tall...like 5 feet and the hummingbirds just loved it!
February 01, 01:03 PM
North Rim Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon is probably the most gorgeous place I've ever been but there's another side to it that a lot of people never get to see! While the South Rim gets nearly 5 million visitors a year, the NORTH RIM gets only about 500,000. It is also about 1,000 feet higher in elevation, so the climate is much more alpine than its southern cousin.

I spent about 3 weeks this past summer on the north rim, staffing the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project table. I just LOVE it over there. It's about a 5 hour drive north from Flagstaff, OR you can do a through-hike "rim to rim" from Bright Angel Trail, across the river and up North Kaibab.

This sketch was done from the porch of the North Rim Lodge. A grand old dame of a hotel with two huge stone terraces where you can sit and enjoy a flawless view of the canyon from the "other side", or you can sit inside the sun room on the comfy chairs and couches provided just for that! Don't forget to attend a condor talk in the auditorium, and you absolutely MUST have breakfast at the lodge! The views are incredible!

Because the North Rim is higher in elevation, it gets LOTS of snow this time of year. The road closes with the first big snow or on Dec. 1st, whichever comes first. The closest you can get is Jacob Lake right now, unless you want to ski in or hike thru! Either way, it's definitely worth the trip!
December 24, 01:10 AM
BackpackGearTest.org

I'm on my way to being a "gear tester" for BackpackGearTest.org. I discovered this site by accident while cruising the web and looking for gear reviews. Click on the link at the bottom of my blog page to see their site. It's a place for folks like us...outdoorspeople...to get honest reviews of all kinds of gear. I've posted one "owners review" on Cabela's 7 pocket hiker shorts. Click here to read my review. Anyone can join, although they have lots of rules. But I'm hoping to get my 2nd review posted soon, and then I'm eligible to get free gear to test! (I sure could use a good pair of hiking poles - hint, hint)

This is a sketch I did of O'Neill Butte from Cedar Ridge on South Kaibab Trail at the canyon.

My next hiking adventure is planned for New Years Day. I'll be hiking down to the bottom of the canyon. Got a 4 day hike planned, so I'm hoping to get lots of sketching done down there. I'll post them when I get back 'up top'. We've had lots of snow here lately, so I'll let you know how my "YakTrax" work on a snowy trail, and hopefully how the champagne tastes after a great day hiking in Grand Canyon.

Itinerary is as follows:
Jan 1 - South Kaibab trail to Bright Angel Campground
Dinner at Phantom Ranch
Jan 2 - Bright Angel Campground
Jan 3 - Breakfast at Phantom, then hike out Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden
Camp at Indian Garden Campground
Jan 4 - Hike out Bright Angel Trail to the rim

This will be my first time all the way down to the bottom, so wish me luck! I'm not too worried as we're spreading it out pretty good, and I did the Indian Garden to the rim in a little over 4 hours last time.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. See you on the trail!

November 26, 05:38 PM
Pictographs and Petroglyphs

I learned the difference between a pictograph and a petroglyph at Canyon Tsegi. A pictograph is drawn or painted on top of the rock, a petroglyph is carved or etched into the rock. There is a great book called A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest by Alex Patterson. It has lots of photos and drawings of different symbols, grouped by type and tells what they represent.
My guide at Canyon Tsegi, a young Navajo guy named Rolando, was really knowlegeable about where to find some of the many drawings there, and even let me sketch them. We talked about his culture and he even coached me in my pronunciation of the few Navajo words I know. We rode around for a couple of hours and had a great time. He was friendly and had a great creative, quick sense of humor. He talked about his people and how hard it is there on the reservation to support himself and his young family. He also talked about the loss of the Navajo culture among the youth, especially the language. I encouraged him to teach his baby daughter his language despite her mother's objection. It was a real treat to be able to speak so openly and honestly with him!

So here is a sketch of a female figure from one of the sites at Canyon Tsegi.
November 17, 08:44 PM
Canyon Tsegi (de Chelly)
This is the place where I will post my sketches. I'm an avid outdoors person and an artist. My favorite thing to do is get outdoors and when I'm there, I love to draw! So I schlep my sketchbook and art supplies with me whenever I go 'walkabout'.

In this blog I plan to approach hiking and backpacking from an artist's point of view. I'll let you know what I bring with me, what works, what doesn't, and whether it's worth it to lug the extra weight around in the long run.

I'll also post my photos when I can, but mainly I'll feature my sketchbook.

I'm looking for feed back from other artists and hikers, and would love to generate fresh ideas for making it easier for us art buffs to 'get out there' and draw in nature!

So, with that I'll post some artwork I did and let you decide.

This picture came from a trip to Canyon de Chelly (Tsegi). It's a sketch of the "White House" ruin. This is the only unescorted trail you can hike in Canyon Tsegi. All other access has to be with a Navajo guide. The canyon is absolutely gorgeous and well worth the price of a horseback ride. It's a sacred place to the Navajo, and has been continuously inhabited by them for hundreds of years. Go there to see Spider Rock, and lots of other sacred places. It's worth the trip.

See you on the trail!

Liz
TRAIL SKETCHES

Profile

Elizabeth Stevens
Owner at Liz Stevens Illustration
Arts and Crafts | Las Cruces, New Mexico Area, US

Summary

Highly motivated freelance illustrator looking to develop long lasting relationships in the children's book, greeting card, art licensing, fine art, gift, and other creative markets.

Successful entrepreneur and small business owner.

Used to working on a tight deadline and completing projects on time.

A team player with great communication and leadership skills.

My client list includes: Boy Scouts of America (Lincoln Heritage Council); National Park Service (Grand Canyon N.P.); The Historic Bitahochee Trading Post; Two Shiny Dimes Productions; Oldham County Art Association.

Experienced engineered component designer, architectural draftsperson, CAD designer, and estimator for the residential construction industry.
Specialties: Traditional illustration, fine art painting in oil, acrylic & pastel, digital illustration, logo design, art licensing, children's book illustration, greeting card design, desktop publishing, graphic design, jewelry design, metalsmithing.

Experience

  • Jun 1998 - Present
    Owner / Liz Stevens Illustration
    Fine art illustration in both traditional and digital media, children's book illustration, character design, storyboards, fine art painting and drawing, graphic design.
  • 2004 - Present
    Graphic Designer/Production Assistant / Sign-A-Rama
    Graphic design of new orders and submitting proofs to clients - operating large format digital printers and laminators - applying graphics to sign substrates and vehicles - assisting with off site installations - communicate with clients about order details, etc.
  • 2002 - Present
    Cake Decorator / Wal-Mart Store #1038
    Decorate cakes, cupcakes, and message cookies, utilizing various shapes and figures using icing bags, cutters, frostings, pastry creams, and miscellaneous hand tools. Communicate and respond effectively to Customers to answer questions. Provide requested assistance and provide guidance on cake varieties, sizes, and prices for special occasions. Answer phone and take special orders for cakes and other bakery items from Customers. Ensure a safe and clean environment by maintaining safety standards, maintenance, and cleanliness as required by the department. Clean preparation area, freezers, coolers, and floors, using appropriate cleaning solutions and chemicals. Monitor and adhere to food safety procedures for the Bakery Department. Monitor area for signs of shrink and potential security risks and contact management and/or In-Store Loss Prevention when problems are identified. Maintain the overall appearance of the Bakery Department area by keeping merchandise and displays fully stocked, properly signed, neat, clean, and organized. Follow established procedures, utilizing the handheld scanner to process damaged goods, merchandise left behind, and outdated bakery merchandise. Adhere to standards and policies for product storage, product rotation, sell-by dates, and expiration dates, including identifying and removing bakery merchandise that is distressed or unacceptable in appearance to ensure quality and freshness. Inventory and re-order cake and decorating supplies.
  • Jul 1998 - Present
    Inside Sales/Estimator / Universal Forest Products/Schoffner Industries
    Inside sales of building products, roof and floor truss systems; estimating materials for residential construction; outside sales support.
  • 1994 - Present
    Truss Technician / Cox Lumber and Building Supply
    Prepare engineering designs and drawings, Estimate costs and materials, Examine drawings for conformity and errors
  • 1987 - Present
    Truss Technician / Raymond Lumber and Building Supply Corporation
    Prepare engineering designs and drawings, Estimate costs and materials, Examine drawings for conformity and errors

Education

  • 1994 - 1998
    Ringling School of Art and Design
    BFA in Illustration
    Activities: Ringling Student Show (Juried) 1994 - 1997
  • 1991 - 1993
    Edison Community College
    AS in Engineering Technology
    Activities: College Work-study in Records/Admissions office.

Additional Information

Honors:
2007 - Lifetime listing on louisvilleartists.com artist web directory 6/26/2001 - www.Arthire.com portfolio “Pick of the Day” 1998 - Who’s Who of American Colleges & Universities-Ringling School of Art
Interests:
children's book illustration, drawing, painting, hiking, camping, backpacking, outdoor activities, biking, running, swimming, lifeguarding.
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