Tag: how to keep a record of accomplishments

Black Mistresses Illustration Project

Categories Essays, Rants, and other Prose by Stephanie, illustration, the Life of anieKstephLeave a Comment on Black Mistresses Illustration Project

I have been writing for years. I first experienced the spark when I was in high school. I would spend hours reading fiction and devouring stories that I enjoyed. I would scour new and old books to find the perfect combination of characters and plots until it became increasingly difficult to find exactly what I was looking for.

After reading fiction, romance, thrillers, erotica and crime, I found that it was difficult to pin down stories that captivated my interest in the ways I preferred. I decided that one way to approach this ennui would be to write some of my own stories. By writing my own fiction I could control the plot and characters.

The task of writing my own fiction is monumental. Finding time to write, edit, and finish work is always a challenge. In addition to that, the spark of inspiration can be fleeting. I have had experiences where I wrote an entire short story consisting of 4,000 words in half of one day, because the spark of my inspiration for the story grabbed a hold of me and would not let me go. It was as though I was completely incensed to get the words and feelings off of my mind. This all consuming spark is rare of course, but I can testify that it is all too real.

My latest illustration work is the cover of an ebook that I have been working on. The book is under a pen name, so for the context of this blog post, let’s just say that I edited the book.

The title of the book is called:

Black Mistresses.

Black Mistress Book Cover illustration by Stephanie Konu for LillyBoChic
Black Mistress Book Cover illustration by Stephanie Konu

It is an anthology of short stories that center around BWWM (Black Women and White Men) fantasies. The work is entirely fictionalized, and based in pure erotica.

The ebook is available on Amazon.

I illustrated the book cover as a way to provide insight to the reader and visually explain what the book is about. I chose a sexy illustration of the back curves of a black woman to further emphasize the erotic nature of the book’s contents. If you are a fan of this genre and type of literature, I highly recommend this for great bedtime reading.

Click the link in the photo to see the ebook live on Amazon. As always, thanks for stopping by.

S

Illustration Fun!

Categories illustration, the Life of anieKstephLeave a Comment on Illustration Fun!

My latest illustration work is focused on portraits. I mainly sketch the bust of my subjects and work on smooth lines, shading, and perspective.

Arabic woman beautiful posing for Illustration in modest dress
Instagram model posing for illustration

I always try to include a basic shading line for each portrait, even when it is rudimentary like the lines seen above. This style of basic shading is cartoonish, but gets the job done.

Sultry sexy instagram model illustration basic sketch by Stephanie konu
Sultry Instagram model posing for illustration

The difference is remarkable when shading is not included. Looking at the above portrait sketch (as well as the one below) there are absolutely no shading lines. As a result the subject looks flat and one dimensional. I think that it seems very cartoonish. The representation is good, but as one of my favorite online illustrators would say: shading allows more features of the face to appear that line work alone does not reveal.

Business man posing for illustration full body sketch
My cousin Steven J in a business man pose
Instagram model posing for illustration
Instagram model posing for illustration

The above sketch uses much deeper shading around all major areas of the subjects face that is eclipsed her her hair. There is still a cartoonish nature to the portrait, but it can be said that my style is improving here.

African baby illustration sketch full body stephanie konu
African baby full body illustration sketch

My preferred style of shading is achieved with the airbrush effect on Autodesk sketchbook. The soft airbrush tip works well, but I also use the hard brush to get deeper definition and more dramatic looks when shading. Above, shading and highlights are visible in the face of the subject. This airbrushed effect give the portrait more dimension and an appealing appearance. It is definitely my favorite sketch of the week.

Which one is your favorite?

Thank you for stopping by

-S

Long weekend Monday

Categories illustration, the Life of anieKstephLeave a Comment on Long weekend Monday

Greetings!

Welcome to a new week, and happy Simcoe day to everyone in Ontario Canada.

I hope you have had an opportunity to check out the ebook featured in the last post. The book is titled “Mad About Mandalas”. It features 16 blank mandala designs for printing and colouring. I feel that adult colouring is an activity that is beneficial to practicing mindfulness. Taking a few minutes to slow down and concentrate on breathing while coloring will add years to your life!

In the meantime, I am working on my latest idea for a colouring book. The subject will be portraits of people I have met. I can’t tell you anymore since we are still developing it, but I hope to have it posted on the anieksteph blog by autumn.

Here is an illustration I did earlier this week. The sketch outline was done with felt tip brush in Autodesk sketchbook. The colour is white against a black background.

Once I sketched the outline of the figure, I added a red sky on a separate layer over top of the sketch, then a yellow halo outline closer to the boundaries of the outline. After the outline looked on point to what I was aiming for, I turned down the opacity to make the image have a glowing effect.

This is my favorite sketch of the week!

Thanks for stopping by,

-S

Mandala time!

Categories illustration, the Life of anieKstephLeave a Comment on Mandala time!

I love to create, and right now I love to create illustrations. I use autodesk sketchbook to draw with a stylus and I find so much enjoyment in the activity.

I created a mini colouring book for adults called “Mad About Mandalas” that features blank mandala designs that can be printed and coloured in. I think that colouring for adults can be a great way to practice mindfulness and meditation. I will upload the book soon, but for now, here is a free mandala designs that you can print out and have fun with.

Mandala blank for adult colouring
Mandala blank for adult colouring

If you want something more than a geometric design, here are two blank portrait sketches I completed last week for clients.

Bobby newberry sketch
Bobby newberry sketch
Dominican Joey sketch for adult colouring
Dominican Joey sketch for adult colouring

Feel free to print the designs and colour them for a mindful break and to bring relaxation to your day.

Thanks for stopping by,

S

Portrait illustrations for hire

Categories the Life of anieKstephLeave a Comment on Portrait illustrations for hire
Dua lips portrait with yellow dress and short black hair medium skin tone illustration drawing
Dua lipa fan illustration by Stephanie konu

I am currently offering a service via Instagram to sketch portraits starting at $2.99. Visit @Illustratemoi and send me a direct message with your idea. I am enjoying illustration so much! Creating is such a large part of me, and I feel as though I must always make things. Cooking, baking, sewing, painting, drawing; you name it, I love to take raw materials and make things.

Male white model with shading and pattern
Male model illustration with moustache

Illustration is perfect for this time in my life, because I rarely have time to pull out my sewing machine; painting on canvas also has high costs even after making art canvas from scratch. Not to mention, space becomes an issue after a while.

Using digital tools it is extremely practical to create artwork without worry of a mess to clean, dangerous tools to be left around or the other hazards that can result from the creative process.

Drawing of mixed race sisters illustration black and white comission
Illustration of sisters

This last drawing was part of a recent comission for an Instagram follower. I like how well the shading turned out on the little girl’s face. The source photo was very well lit, and that helped to show the lines to be emphasized with highlights or shading.

Thanks for stopping by!

S