Hey all!
I have a legit website now -> www.britnyarnett.com
Complete with blog, projects, and porfolio page. Check it out! Thanks!
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Blaze and Lance - Process Post
Hi guys! Here's a sort of a short process post for a recent commission I did. It had a dog in it, which was an interesting challenge, but I think it turned out well!
Adding the horse behind the dog was also a bit of a challenge. I had a hard time picking the right size for the horse to be, especially since I didn't want to cut him off.
Not cutting the horse off was hard, considering none of my reference had this angle in it. I had to pull together all my knowledge
of foreshortening and structure to make it work.
Nearing the end, I was super happy with it and the client was too! I learned a lot about dog's mouths and how much detail I can leave out! The kneaded eraser was a huge help for the dog.
You'll notice I didn't do any under drawing for this. That was because I have found that outlining is my go-to method of drawing. It's what I do when I doodle... and when I don't want to think. It's only when I make a mess first that I can really make stuff look good.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Charcoal Horse Sketch Dump
I've spent the past few weeks trying to improve my study of horses and equines through charcoal drawing. These are some of the best. Thanks for checking them out!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Good Pancakes - A Short Story
We were out of pancake mix.
My stomach rumbled.
“I want pancakes,” I told my husband, Josh.
“There’s no pancake mix,” he pointed out.
“People were eating pancakes before pancake mix, you know,” I pulled out my ipad and brought up pinterest. With a few swipes and a click, I found a homemade pancake recipe that looked pretty good. I set up the pad and read the ingredients list. Josh wisely withdrew from the kitchen to someplace safe. Britny was experimenting.
Flour. Baking powder. Sugar. Check check check. Melted butter? Vanilla? Whoa! These were fancy. I decided I should probably follow the instructions, which is not normally how I do things. So I pulled out my measuring utensils and scrupulously spooned my flour and sugar into the bowl. Next came three whole teaspoons of baking powder. I wasn’t sure that was necessary, but I put my trust in pinterest and dumped it in anyway.
The milk, melted butter, and egg were beat together in a separate bowl.
And then I realized that the recipe specifically said not to do that. Oops. I mixed everything together and put the skillet on the stove.
For the next twenty minutes, I made 10 perfect, non-burnt pancakes. They smelled amazing and my mouth could hardly stop drooling. Now THIS was an accomplishment! I was certain that these were the best pancakes I had ever made in my entire life. With glee, I skipped to the living room.
“Breakfast is ready!” I smiled, certain that Josh would share in my enthusiasm. We grabbed plates and forks and knives and butter and syrup and sat on our living room floor. The stack of pancakes was split and the prayer was said. I tore into the stack of deliciousness with ravenous fury.
It was glorious. Never had I tasted a more scrumptious pancake. I giggled and clapped. My exploits had been a marvelous success! I took many glory filled bites and sighed. I turned to Josh, who was chomping away at his own fluffy, syrupy meal.
“So?” I smiled at him.
“What?” he responded, smacking his lips and stabbing another pancake with his fork.
“What do you think?” I wanted to see if he thought they were the best pancakes he ever had.
“They’re good,” he responded
“Good?” I gave him one of my special you-should-probably-use-a-different-word looks.
“They’re good,” he repeated. My heart sank, but my spirit rose playfully.
“They’re not amazing fantabulous pancakes full of sugary buttery awesome?” I was trying to get a more enthusiastic response.
“They’re good,” he repeated for the third time, still chomping away. This was the same response I had received when he ate my horrible lentil broccoli potato disaster. I frowned. He stopped chewing.
“What?” he garbled with his mouth full.
“You don’t like my pancakes,” I folded my arms like a stubborn child.
“But I said they were good,” my poor husband was clearly confused. He was a professional writer, surely he could use a different word to define my fantastic meal!
After a period of strange silence and weird looks at each other, I decided to forgive his lack of expanded vocabulary toward my exquisite culinary creation.
“You know that moment when you’re really excited about something and you try to share your excitement with someone? And they’re not excited as you are? And then you feel sad?” I blurted as I grabbed my empty plate.
“A buzzkill?” Josh took a swig of his milk to wash down his last piece of pancake.
“Yeah,” I stood to take the plates away to the kitchen. “That.”
Deep down, I knew the breakfast was one of the best breakfasts I had made and I always would be proud of that. I just wished Josh had shared in my enthusiasm. After all, what is happiness if it isn’t shared? I sighed.
“Britny,” Josh entered the kitchen as I was scrubbing the plates.
“Yeah?”
“The pancakes were really good.”
My stomach rumbled.
“I want pancakes,” I told my husband, Josh.
“There’s no pancake mix,” he pointed out.
“People were eating pancakes before pancake mix, you know,” I pulled out my ipad and brought up pinterest. With a few swipes and a click, I found a homemade pancake recipe that looked pretty good. I set up the pad and read the ingredients list. Josh wisely withdrew from the kitchen to someplace safe. Britny was experimenting.
Flour. Baking powder. Sugar. Check check check. Melted butter? Vanilla? Whoa! These were fancy. I decided I should probably follow the instructions, which is not normally how I do things. So I pulled out my measuring utensils and scrupulously spooned my flour and sugar into the bowl. Next came three whole teaspoons of baking powder. I wasn’t sure that was necessary, but I put my trust in pinterest and dumped it in anyway.
The milk, melted butter, and egg were beat together in a separate bowl.
And then I realized that the recipe specifically said not to do that. Oops. I mixed everything together and put the skillet on the stove.
For the next twenty minutes, I made 10 perfect, non-burnt pancakes. They smelled amazing and my mouth could hardly stop drooling. Now THIS was an accomplishment! I was certain that these were the best pancakes I had ever made in my entire life. With glee, I skipped to the living room.
“Breakfast is ready!” I smiled, certain that Josh would share in my enthusiasm. We grabbed plates and forks and knives and butter and syrup and sat on our living room floor. The stack of pancakes was split and the prayer was said. I tore into the stack of deliciousness with ravenous fury.
It was glorious. Never had I tasted a more scrumptious pancake. I giggled and clapped. My exploits had been a marvelous success! I took many glory filled bites and sighed. I turned to Josh, who was chomping away at his own fluffy, syrupy meal.
“So?” I smiled at him.
“What?” he responded, smacking his lips and stabbing another pancake with his fork.
“What do you think?” I wanted to see if he thought they were the best pancakes he ever had.
“They’re good,” he responded
“Good?” I gave him one of my special you-should-probably-use-a-different-word looks.
“They’re good,” he repeated. My heart sank, but my spirit rose playfully.
“They’re not amazing fantabulous pancakes full of sugary buttery awesome?” I was trying to get a more enthusiastic response.
“They’re good,” he repeated for the third time, still chomping away. This was the same response I had received when he ate my horrible lentil broccoli potato disaster. I frowned. He stopped chewing.
“What?” he garbled with his mouth full.
“You don’t like my pancakes,” I folded my arms like a stubborn child.
“But I said they were good,” my poor husband was clearly confused. He was a professional writer, surely he could use a different word to define my fantastic meal!
After a period of strange silence and weird looks at each other, I decided to forgive his lack of expanded vocabulary toward my exquisite culinary creation.
“You know that moment when you’re really excited about something and you try to share your excitement with someone? And they’re not excited as you are? And then you feel sad?” I blurted as I grabbed my empty plate.
“A buzzkill?” Josh took a swig of his milk to wash down his last piece of pancake.
“Yeah,” I stood to take the plates away to the kitchen. “That.”
Deep down, I knew the breakfast was one of the best breakfasts I had made and I always would be proud of that. I just wished Josh had shared in my enthusiasm. After all, what is happiness if it isn’t shared? I sighed.
“Britny,” Josh entered the kitchen as I was scrubbing the plates.
“Yeah?”
“The pancakes were really good.”
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Painting Drama 2 - New Horizons Pt. 3
The Final Project for Painting Drama 2 was a re-do assignment. We took one of our previous paintings from the class and repainted it.
So, I chose my "Hi-Key Exploration of Green" piece.
I chose this one because my classmates felt it had potential to be something more. But the process of unlocking that potential was very frustrating. If I'm honest, I wasn't quite thrilled to redo this one.
But I trusted my peers and began to work it. So here's a visual summary of what I did.
The final turned out like this:
I tried to make a more interesting painting and to make it feel more cohesive, with all the elements working together. Part of the critique I received for the original painting was that the character didn't feel as if it belonged. It just didn't have the integrity of the environment around it.
So I really tried to make everything feel part of the same world. The shapes of the trees, the topography, camera angle, flowers, lighting, values...these were all things I thought about while working.
The class ended with a bittersweet eight hour meeting in which everyone was asked a question about what we learned and what our plans were.
It was difficult to describe the sheer amount of knowledge that came from this class. The moments of clarity, where determination overcame fear, the discoveries of what color can do...
I don't remember what I answered, but I remember the recommendation that Chris and my classmates gave me. It was:
It makes sense. I can see how my work will improve with studies. If you follow me on facebook, you may have noticed that I've been posting a lot of them!
Here's one of the better ones from a few weeks ago:
Painting Drama has helped me find my feet as a storyteller and an artist. I can't recommend it enough. If you're looking for inspiration and a good group of people to work with, please check it out.
If you have any questions regarding my experience with the class or about the projects I'm working on please leave a comment or find me on facebook! I love to meet other artists or writers.
So, I chose my "Hi-Key Exploration of Green" piece.
I chose this one because my classmates felt it had potential to be something more. But the process of unlocking that potential was very frustrating. If I'm honest, I wasn't quite thrilled to redo this one.
But I trusted my peers and began to work it. So here's a visual summary of what I did.
The final turned out like this:
I tried to make a more interesting painting and to make it feel more cohesive, with all the elements working together. Part of the critique I received for the original painting was that the character didn't feel as if it belonged. It just didn't have the integrity of the environment around it.
So I really tried to make everything feel part of the same world. The shapes of the trees, the topography, camera angle, flowers, lighting, values...these were all things I thought about while working.
The class ended with a bittersweet eight hour meeting in which everyone was asked a question about what we learned and what our plans were.
It was difficult to describe the sheer amount of knowledge that came from this class. The moments of clarity, where determination overcame fear, the discoveries of what color can do...
I don't remember what I answered, but I remember the recommendation that Chris and my classmates gave me. It was:
Do more studies.
It makes sense. I can see how my work will improve with studies. If you follow me on facebook, you may have noticed that I've been posting a lot of them!
Here's one of the better ones from a few weeks ago:
Painting Drama has helped me find my feet as a storyteller and an artist. I can't recommend it enough. If you're looking for inspiration and a good group of people to work with, please check it out.
If you have any questions regarding my experience with the class or about the projects I'm working on please leave a comment or find me on facebook! I love to meet other artists or writers.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Painting Drama 2 - New Horizons Pt. 2
One of the biggest challenges in Painting Drama 2 is painting an entire color script. It was hard, so hard that I forgot I was painting. I forgot to let my hair down and just discover things.
In the previous post, I talked about how I learned to let go of perfectionism. Well. During the color script weeks, I forgot that lesson.
I think as artists, and maybe even as humans, we can forget the things that ease stress on ourselves.
So, I focused on all the wrong points for the color script, like local color and accuracy. And it turned out...well... not the best. I should have focused more on story, lighting, and mood.
But I didn't.
Overall, the script was a let down and a very hard letdown. But it wasn't a failure. It was a wonderful learning experience. And that learning experience shows with what I did for the assignment after the color script.
This was the Time of Day project. After a huge challenge of a color script, these seemed like a breath of fresh air. I was reminded, once again, to let go and paint, to try new things.
The unicorn is about to enter a forbidden and treacherous land. A land where unicorns have never returned. Had Chris allowed it, I would have considered these my best works of Painting Drama 2.
But he didn't.
There was one final assignment and, I have to admit, it's one of the best pieces I've ever expressed. I'll go more into detail for that in Part 3 (the final part)! So stay tuned!
Have any questions? Feel free to post in the comments
or find me on facebook!
In the previous post, I talked about how I learned to let go of perfectionism. Well. During the color script weeks, I forgot that lesson.
I think as artists, and maybe even as humans, we can forget the things that ease stress on ourselves.
So, I focused on all the wrong points for the color script, like local color and accuracy. And it turned out...well... not the best. I should have focused more on story, lighting, and mood.
But I didn't.
Overall, the script was a let down and a very hard letdown. But it wasn't a failure. It was a wonderful learning experience. And that learning experience shows with what I did for the assignment after the color script.
This was the Time of Day project. After a huge challenge of a color script, these seemed like a breath of fresh air. I was reminded, once again, to let go and paint, to try new things.
The unicorn is about to enter a forbidden and treacherous land. A land where unicorns have never returned. Had Chris allowed it, I would have considered these my best works of Painting Drama 2.
But he didn't.
There was one final assignment and, I have to admit, it's one of the best pieces I've ever expressed. I'll go more into detail for that in Part 3 (the final part)! So stay tuned!
Have any questions? Feel free to post in the comments
or find me on facebook!
Friday, March 20, 2015
Painting Drama 2 - New Horizons Pt. 1
I've survived.
Survived Chris Oatley's Painting Drama 2.
If you're not familiar, please check it out.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some experiences and paintings
from the class. I improved quite a bit!
If you're not familiar, please check it out.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some experiences and paintings
from the class. I improved quite a bit!
This is a scene from The Book of Lost Things,
by John Connolly. If you haven't read the book,
I highly recommend it. Especially if you're
into fairytales.
The boy is about to enter a frightening
tower to retrieve his friend.
It's a low key study of analogous colors.
I started using different brushes and
decided to try things I wouldn't normally try.
Much to my surprise, it wasn't terrible!
It actually became a bit of a turning
point for me. This is where I realized
that I could do anything I wanted,
so long as it conveyed the story.
Once that thought materialized in
I highly recommend it. Especially if you're
into fairytales.
The boy is about to enter a frightening
tower to retrieve his friend.
It's a low key study of analogous colors.
I started using different brushes and
decided to try things I wouldn't normally try.
Much to my surprise, it wasn't terrible!
It actually became a bit of a turning
point for me. This is where I realized
that I could do anything I wanted,
so long as it conveyed the story.
Once that thought materialized in
my perfectionist brain, I let my
hair down and began to try more
and more things. Techniques, color
combinations, and more.
It became less hard to begin.
And beginning is always the
first step.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where
Time of Day became my favorite
assignment!
It became less hard to begin.
And beginning is always the
first step.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where
Time of Day became my favorite
assignment!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
PROWEEKEND
"How do you show vanity?" Claire Keane said as my jaw dropped. The digital screens around the room showed a painting that was clearly inspired by Klimt but was somehow a version of Mother Gothel - a concept for Disney's Tangled. My eyes widened and I heard Chris utter a noise somewhere between a laugh and a choke. Either he saw my jaw on the floor or he was geeking out just as much as I was.
My mind buzzed with the words that Claire uttered.
"How do you show vanity?"
I had been struggling with this for weeks. My main character for my graphic novel, Silharai, is an extremely vain unicorn princess. I had filled up at least two sketchbooks trying to make a character design that looked vain.
And here was the answer! Right in front of me. The pale Gothel was surrounded by golds and yellows. Something about her screamed possessive, rich, & snobby. I had not thought about the environment much in my two sketchbooks. I had focused only on the shape, negative space, and anatomy. This opened my mind to so many possibilities. Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do. Finally!
That was how Saturday, October 25th, went for me. I attended ProWeekend in Nashville, an event put on by TaughtbyaPro. The guest speakers were Claire Keane, Ruben Aquino, and Tom Bancroft. It was phenomenal. Two days later and I'm still bouncing in my chair with excitement.
Claire Keane:
Tom Bancroft:
- I was lucky and the three animators answered my question during the Q&A section. I was nervous because I had rushed and thought they wouldn't understand what I meant, but Tom somehow knew and reworded it the way I intended to ask it.... gotta love those awkward moments. I had asked "How do you be prolific?" and of course, the easy answer is 'just do it!', but what I really meant was "How do you produce when you don't have much time? What's your strategy?" Their answers surprised me.
Ruben Aquino, surprisingly, told everyone that he was a great procrastinator. This is the guy that plans everything out. But he explained that by planning so much, it can be difficult to start a project, but once he's in a groove, he can go for hours.
Claire said that she really just puts pastels to paper and (very animatedly) described how she would just go and go and draw and make things bigger and draw more... her answer spawned a story from Tom about how Glen Keane would also do the same movements when he was drawing the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. That was a moment that you really needed to be there to experience it. Many laughs for the over-the-top crazy drawing gestures.
- Every job has something worthwhile. Tom and Ruben talked about how they each worked at a print shop before being hired as clean up artists. This really spoke to me because I work at a print shop. There's still hope!
- Talking to people I don't know isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I mean, we all had nametags, so clearly, we were supposed to be doing some mingling. I met so many wonderful people. There were many great artists. I talked so much with random people about projects and art stuff. It was truly inspiring.
Speaking of Inspiration, I met my teacher and mentor, Chris Oatley. This guy works so hard and does so much. He is a wonderful person, teacher, motivator. It was because of him and his course, Painting Drama, that I even had the courage to go to this event. If you're looking to learn more about being an artist, please please please check out www.chrisoatley.com, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Oh yeah, and GO PLAID PEEPS! Plaid rocks!
After such an amazing experience, I'm all fired up to work on my novel. More sketches and character paintings coming soon - especially some colorful and vain character concepts! And possibly some environments.
Thanks guys and I hope to meet more amazing people at ProWeekend next year!
My mind buzzed with the words that Claire uttered.
"How do you show vanity?"
I had been struggling with this for weeks. My main character for my graphic novel, Silharai, is an extremely vain unicorn princess. I had filled up at least two sketchbooks trying to make a character design that looked vain.
And here was the answer! Right in front of me. The pale Gothel was surrounded by golds and yellows. Something about her screamed possessive, rich, & snobby. I had not thought about the environment much in my two sketchbooks. I had focused only on the shape, negative space, and anatomy. This opened my mind to so many possibilities. Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do. Finally!
That was how Saturday, October 25th, went for me. I attended ProWeekend in Nashville, an event put on by TaughtbyaPro. The guest speakers were Claire Keane, Ruben Aquino, and Tom Bancroft. It was phenomenal. Two days later and I'm still bouncing in my chair with excitement.
Claire Keane:
Tom Bancroft:
A few things I learned:
- I am not the only one who doesn't like to listen to music while I'm working! Ruben Aquino likes silence too! I am not alone in my noiselessness!
Ruben Aquino, surprisingly, told everyone that he was a great procrastinator. This is the guy that plans everything out. But he explained that by planning so much, it can be difficult to start a project, but once he's in a groove, he can go for hours.
Claire said that she really just puts pastels to paper and (very animatedly) described how she would just go and go and draw and make things bigger and draw more... her answer spawned a story from Tom about how Glen Keane would also do the same movements when he was drawing the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. That was a moment that you really needed to be there to experience it. Many laughs for the over-the-top crazy drawing gestures.
- Every job has something worthwhile. Tom and Ruben talked about how they each worked at a print shop before being hired as clean up artists. This really spoke to me because I work at a print shop. There's still hope!
- Talking to people I don't know isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I mean, we all had nametags, so clearly, we were supposed to be doing some mingling. I met so many wonderful people. There were many great artists. I talked so much with random people about projects and art stuff. It was truly inspiring.
Speaking of Inspiration, I met my teacher and mentor, Chris Oatley. This guy works so hard and does so much. He is a wonderful person, teacher, motivator. It was because of him and his course, Painting Drama, that I even had the courage to go to this event. If you're looking to learn more about being an artist, please please please check out www.chrisoatley.com, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Oh yeah, and GO PLAID PEEPS! Plaid rocks!
After such an amazing experience, I'm all fired up to work on my novel. More sketches and character paintings coming soon - especially some colorful and vain character concepts! And possibly some environments.
Thanks guys and I hope to meet more amazing people at ProWeekend next year!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
October 5, 2014 - INKTOBER!
I'm doing Inktober on Sticky Notes at my desk at work. Because desk work can be very boring indeed. Here are the first five! I scanned them in black/white.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
September 3, 2014 - Audacious Sketch for Audacious Painting
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