Saturday, October 21, 2006

Ghost for Illustration Friday












"Keeper of Souls..."
She walked with the ghosts of a thousand crows...

This was the idea that instantly popped into my head as soon as I saw the word "ghost". Not sure why exactly. I know that crows can have negative connotations for a lot of people, but I actually like them.












I'm not sure which version I prefer, the pen & ink or the colour.
What do you think?















Thank you everyone for your generous comments. I think that for this topic, I preferred the pen and ink too which is probably why I posted so many versions of it here. However, I do like the grey and red contrasts of the colour version, but not so much for this topic.

43 comments:

mjc said...

interesting work!
I realy prefer a lot more the version in pen and ink.

ELLA ELVIANA said...

lovely drawing! love the birds!

Anonymous said...

Both versions are wonderful. Great illo!

BZ said...

Wow, both are great and look very ghostly. I love both, but I prefer the colored one. To me the one with colors looks more powerful. The red bird on the hand and the blue one in the background make a great contrast and add drama to it.

Great illustration!

steve said...

Thanks for sharing all the different views here. All are great but I really like the line drawings most.

Amy Zaleski said...

Very cool. i prefer the pen and ink...more mysterious.

Roz Foster said...

What a beautiful ghostly character. We have a billion crows up here in Seattle. I love the idea of their being a woman that takes care of their souls. Nice work.

shadows and clouds said...

wow, quite freaky, in a good way of course! all those crows! love it, where did the idea come from? i may not be the most impartial to comment as i am in a big ink-passion phase at the mo, but i personally prefer the ink line version of the two, it seems a much stronger image. great work!

Unknown said...

I really love your sign and the dark feel emerging out of your drawing.

Jana Bouc said...

They're both wonderful but I think I prefer the color version as it adds another dimension. I really like the bit of a crow at the very top. I kind of like crows too, especially in the city--any wildlife is good.

Anonymous said...

They're both wonderful because the drawing is so strong and the image is so dramatic! Spooky!

Teri said...

Wonderful job Tammy. I love them all but prefer the pen and ink, which is surprising to me because I usually prefer color. I just like these lines.

Anonymous said...

this is my favorite so far? Did I say that before?

adi said...

fabulous!

i much prefer the straight line drawing.

if you were to use colour i think something that provided really flat colour would be most appropriate (gouache/screen print/scanning the illo and colouring in Illustrator/Photoshop). I think the markers have too much texture, and detract from the clarity of the work.

a.

Tiger Mouse said...

Sounds like a poem: she walked with the ghosts of a thousand crows. That's great! I think the starkness of the pen and ink works best.

Plus Ultra said...

Pen and ink is better, it is like a ghostly picture a shadow world rather than one filled with sunlight and colours, stark but strikingly impactful, lovely

Michael R Fudge Jr said...

Really great job. This is what I like to see more of...the start of a project as it slowly comes to life. Great Job!!!
Mike

studio lolo said...

Nice illos...but I think in this case the B + W is stronger, more ghostly. Okay, here's the funny thing. Doing ravens was my first idea but I haven't had a chance to do them so I did a quick sketch of the ocean instead. I love that you did this! Nice job! Oh, and I believe crows/ravens are mystical, magical creatures.

arvindh said...

Stunning work here! Love both the pen and ink and the coloured one. But if I were forced to make a choice I would say pen and ink.

Jeannetto said...

i really the the drawing. especially how you cropped it in the first picture.

Anonymous said...

Ooh! Tough choice, but I think the ink outlines work best! I think it makes your brain work harder..you know... doesn't give everything away at once. I love your kitty paintings too. hurrah for felines!

Andrew Thornton said...

Both versions are interesting. Though of the two, I prefer the line drawing the most. The line drawing embodies a more abstract feel and creates amazing dynamics between the "simple" shapes. The colored one is very eye-catching with the contrasting colors, and has a lot of warmth, which I think works against the "ghost" theme, but creates a nice illustration regardless.

crybaby said...

i like the pen and ink. it has a transparency that is appropriate to the mystery of the image.

PTBoy said...

It's all good but I like the pen and ink. I agree, crows aren't all bad, though they haven't been blessed with the most musical call.

Anonymous said...

i like your ghost illustration.. i'm still working on mine.

(off topic)
if you dont mind me asking what do you do ? for your career? do you enjoy it? have you ever thought about a different career?

carla said...

I like bother versions, but the pen and ink is so much more suitabe for the subject. The crows are beautifully rendered, and the little slice of her face adds such an air of mystery. Lovely!

Issi said...

wonderful,lovely birds I very like crows because I see them every day and they meet me...:o)
Best Wishes
Issi

denise said...

Awesome drawings, I would favour the pen and ink for the topic, as others said, more mystery.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful mood you have in this piece. I especially love the color.

Anonymous said...

Well, I guess I've been questioning my career as a Graphic Design Major.

See I LOVE doing this stuff (graphic design) on my own time and pace, but when it comes to school work, I don't love it. I don't know why. I've been thinking perhaps I'm just tired of school you know? I guess the campus makes things worse and also the people around me.

It seems like I've been practicing my whole life and I'm tired of it. I just want to play the real game. Some people say "Practice makes perfect," but the thing is.. you can only learn so much from practicing. All of the real lessons are learned while playing the game and it's more impactful because the penalties of making a mistake in real life is so harsh that you can't help but learn from the mistake and come back a better and more smarter individual.

Ellen said...

I'm a pen and ink kinda gal myself. I believe in leaving something to the imagination! God forbid we actually use our imagination this day in age! LOL!!
BTW, LOVE your work!

Digital Scott's Illustrationblog said...

Nice work. Both versions are terrific!

Twisselman said...

I have to go with the pen and ink one... though both are very good... the ghost theme seems to come across more hauntingly in ink... and yeah, crows are cool.

Loni Edwards said...

Very cool idea! I personally like the colored the best, just because I like the background and the red one really catches my eye. I love the choices you made on colors. Very earthy feel to it.

shadows and clouds said...

...have you decided which one you prefer yet? let us know if you decide, along with why! hugs :)

Jaimie said...

this is a very creative take on the topic. I love them both, but the first pen and ink the most. I like the simplicity, with just one detailed bird. Great composition

Christophe said...

Very nice ! I definitely prefer the inked version !

Unknown said...

Nice illo, love the design concept!

HARDWAX said...

Verycreative idea for 'ghost'. I like the pen and ink-it has the point of view of the crows-the ghost a little more-stark, abstract look to it. The color version though is my favorite, just for the shear beauty of the colors and bringing out the design. Great take and love the artwork!

Kay Aker said...

Haunting image!

paulinho said...

You work has personality. I like it. Thanks for the visit.

Susan Schwake said...

really really really amazing. i love the pen and ink. would buy a tee shirt of it! or a print even. very cool.

tiffini elektra x said...

Stunning - just absolutely stunning!! Wow just so beautiful.