From Concept Sketch to Finished Art

So I've been struggling a little with what to write in this blog... after all, pretty much any new developments go on my Facebook. And chances are, if you're reading this you probably already follow me on Facebook. So why bother?
I've been thinking for a while about something that is too detailed to concisely express through a Facebook post, yet engaging enough to follow in a blog. I finally came up with something that y'all might kinda sorta be interested in: showing the concept sketch for a piece of art, then explaining how it mutated progressed into its current state.
I should also note that since the night my computer enjoyed a glass of champagne, some things haven't run quite the same - for instance, the connection between my computer and scanner. Fortunately, I hooked my scanner up to my sister's computer and it's running swell, but Em's computer doesn't have any imaging software, so I now have to 1) scan the image using the Scanning and Camera Wizard, 2) save it as a bitmap, 3) open it up with MS Paint and save it as a jpeg, 4) email it to myself, and 5) download it onto my own computer and doctor it up in Photoshop. It's... kind of awkward.
Anyway. Onto the goodies.
This is my sassy fairy. She was one of the few that didn't change much between sketch and final.

 Here's what she became:

 

Well, her wings changed a little to better reflect her mood. (BTW, I think this to myself about a thousand times a day at work.)

Here's one where I made a few tweaks to make it more engaging.

 

For the final one, I moved the lion's head up a little and adjusted the bunny's position so she was bending over more... I thought it made their poses a little more dynamic. I also gave the lion some curls and a swishier tail to give him more personality.

Finally, this one is a good example of how a few small adjustments can really change the story. Here, the expression on the fairy's face is innocent and almost naive.

 

(I'm not sure who the chick on the bottom was supposed to be.)

In the final one, her expression changed so now she looks more like she knows what's going on and maybe even has a hidden agenda. I didn't really intend for this to happen; it just kind of turned out that way. I guess that's where my mind is...

 

Also I made the elf's feet bigger... he already had such big hands and head, I didn't want him to fall over.

So that's all for now... more to come later! (I promise I'll try to be better about updating this blog!)

... but golly-gee-willikers was it cold.

I just returned from New York City where I was attending the annual SCBWI Winter Conference. I am so exhausted I almost don't feel like blogging about it... almost.
Basically authors and illustrators from around the country gathered in NYC to attend lectures and workshops and hopefully do a little networking. It was pretty swell to be around people with the same goals and passions as I have, and I returned feeling all fired up and ready to go. I attended some lectures, got some autographs, and yes, managed to squeeze in some fun touristy junk in the downtime.
For the Illustrators' Intensive portion, we had an assignment. We were supposed to illustrate a scene of a birthday party for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. As to whose birthday it was, what medium to render in, etc, it was all up to us. At the conference we presented our final illustrations. Some were really good, some okay, and some... interesting, but it was really fun seeing everyone's interpretation of the assignment. Here's what I came up with...

Moral: Don't ever **** with Grumpy.