Marietta Delene: Illustrator

Gigantoid Image Dump (It’s HUGE!)

Marietta — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:05:40 +0000

It’s been June since I last updated. You’ve been warned.

Empty WOF

Last year I posted similar pictures, but significantly earlier in the year. This year’s been a rough one. The recession’s hit our park hard - heck, it’s really been our whole city. There was proof of that last year when Aaron was laid off from two different jobs. Keep in mind that, as a supervisor, I typically work on the busy days of the week… or at least, what’s supposed to be busy.

More empty WOF

Nonetheless, we’re chugging along and things are going about as well as they can given the circumstances. I still love my job and will be with it next season.

Yes sir, that is an EIGHT colored body sketch. Eight. Four left for the Patriot after being drawn.

One thing I’ve been stressing to my artists this year is to loosen up and do quicker sketches at the park. For the past few years, we’ve had a rash of super-exaggerated time consuming drawings. Those are all fine and dandy, and I have nothing against them! I do them myself every now and then. But the job that we have requires quick works - I almost enjoy the fluidity of my quicker drawings, like the one right above or below, than some of my more drawn out ones.

Demo turned sale because (1) the kid was cute and (2) his stuffed turtle was cute. I knew if I could draw the turtle, I could sell it.

She was so cute. I love her tattoo - everything seemed to match.

Another big factor is that Midwestern Folk often just don’t get exaggeration. I can’t count the number of times I’ve even made some girl super cute, but she’ll envision something in the drawing (”My chin is big, so I will look at this super cute drawing and SEE that my chin is big, even though it isn’t drawn like that”) and end up getting a redraw. It’s been especially rough this year with the lack of people - the people that are here even seem miserable!

I love this comedian. Drawn from a magazine clipping.

Not a fan, but her face is fun to draw. ‘Nother magazine clipping.

But the artists and I try to have fun. From dancing in the midway with the signs to singing in harmony (even though many of us can’t sing), I can’t say we haven’t had fun this year. Still four weeks left of full time, and another two months of part!

Coworker Jamae

Coworker Erica.

Usually not a proponent of drawing coworkers, this year has seriously called for it. With days like the one pictures way above, sometimes it’s the only way to grab some customers. Sometimes the guests are just so miserable that even free doesn’t entice them!

Snoopy’s Hot Summer Lights Take one.

“With over 2 million L. E. D. lights” as noted by the announcement that plays every thirty minutes.

At least the park is doing some awesome things this year. Snoopy’s Hot Summer Lights is brand new this year and covers half the park - unfortunately the half that Kaman’s never sees (besides Photo and Wood). I’ve taken two groups of closing artists now back there to see them after the park closes. It’s pretty magical!

If you know me, this makes total sense.

I even had a hand in the lights display as WOF hired me for about five hours to do some stencil airbrushing on the side of Wood and Leather and the Moroccan Merchant. Here’s some of my work (mixed with a couple ladies from costumes):

They were done in black light paint, so you can’t see them during the day. Made them very difficult to stencil.

I love this bridge.

And, as usual, they’ve been doing Fireworks every Friday and Saturday night in July.

I took better pictures of the fireworks last year, but these aren’t too bad.

I’ve also been super busy with commissions, as well as my webcomic, Marker Slave. I got that up at the end of June and have been amazingly on time, every time on getting the comics up. You should go check it out.

Oriella, Asher, Serafina, Casmaron and Damien

Commission process for a Blue Sky character design.

I’ve also updated this website, MDArtist.com a bit too. New front page, new images in the gallery, more accessible commission info. All important stuff!

Finally, I’ve tried to take just a little time for myself. I did get pretty sick this past week, probably from overdoing it, but I have spent some time with my husband and family this summer. Very much needed. I’ll leave you with a couple pictures of my husband and I on one of our evenings out.

Best wishes!

Some Updates, Artwork and Pictures

Marietta — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:27:45 +0000

I am surprisingly alive and well! Not much has happened in the past week or so. Life’s been kind of slow and it’s been nice. So instead of being too chatty, I’ll drop a bunch of artwork, pictures and images with maybe a few descriptions.

Decided to lay some colors to some inkwork I did a few weeks back. Tried a new technique and loved the outcome.

Set up a miniature office in my living room. Ever since we rented out my studio to help pay bills, I’ve been feeling out of place. I’m hoping that this will help.

Due to the heat and humidity, I’ve opted for a skirt at work. I’m starting to look a bit more like my Marker Slave self. I fI could get away with gigantic skull earrings, I would!

Last Wednesday, we had quite a sight here in KC - a double rainbow that spanned the entire skyline. It was gorgeous.

Here’s another image of it.

This picture was taken that same evening on a relaxing drive with my husband.

As was this one. Sometimes I forget about photography - I don’t ever want to pursue it as a career choice. Photography, for me, is something incredibly relaxing.

Here’s a collab I did with AndrewAnimation.

This is the original.

And finally, just for fun, my husband went to his parents’ for Father’s Day and returned with a bag full of old stuff of his, including this piece I drew of him back when I had first started my caricature job in 2004 (when he was 16). I’ve set that beside my most recent caricature of him from 2009. Quite a difference!

Marker Slave Official Date plus Cute Stuff

Marietta — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:36:09 +0000

Cute doodle page from slow day.

I’m a realist that verges on pessimism, and quite often so. Sometimes, when I’ve been knocked down repeatedly, it’s really hard for me to find an upside again. This year has been a really difficult one. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to just pack up and skip town for a week, and knowing that I can’t makes that feeling even stronger.

Detail from doodle page.

Cute doodle sketch from slow day #1

Flying pigs have kind of become the epicenter of my doodles. As cute as they are, they represent my feelings from the past few weeks - the unattainable, the frustrating, the useless. I’ve been in quite a rut.

Cute doodle sketch from slow day #2

Cute doodle sketch from slow day #3

I really want to start seeing the upsides again. I’m tired of being at the bottom of this hole. I have the next three days off. In between getting projects done that honestly should have been finished long ago, I want to take some time to myself and enjoy life again. I might go to the park by myself for a walk, or beat Super Mario for the umpteenth time. Maybe I’ll do both. But I need to do SOMETHING for me. I owe that to myself.

Cute doodle sketch from slow day #4

Cute doodle sketch from slow day #5

And that’s actually what Marker Slave is about more than anything - doing something for myself. I spend a lot of my time on doing work for people other than myself - park guests, commissioners, teachers, family and friends. I would love to have something that is mine and mine alone. Marker Slave is my project, my vision, my direction and my style. It is whatever I want it to be - not what someone else wants it to be. I don’t care about making money from it, or hope that it will draw huge attention. I just want to do something that I enjoy.

And so I give you the final poster with an official date for Marker Slave!

Considering it’s 3:30 in the morning, I think I should get some sleep. Tomorrow starts my “weekend,” and I’m going to use it to it’s fullest potential - even if that involves sleeping in and playing some video games!