Cynthia Sheppard - Carly Mazur

Portrait of Carly Janine Mazur

2-28-2013, The Final Challenge.

I first met Carly at the Illustration Master Class in 2011. I never told her then, but when I happened to walk by her easel I became enamored with (and maybe a little jealous of) the color studies she was working on for her painting- they were gorgeous, and made me think I should do more of those kinds of studies. She was otherwise mysterious and quiet, so we didn't get a chance to talk until the next IMC and IlluXCon, where I got to know her a little better as a passionate and determined artist.

I used Carly's own Web of Love piece from this blog as inspiration and went a bit outside my usual approach to sketches and portraits. I hope you like it (especially you, Carly!), and I hope everyone had an amazing experience this month.

The <3 doesn't end today,

-Cynthia

Cynthia Sheppard - Love Song Shuffle

My current playlist is “Slow Sexy Art Mix,” and I’d probably be listening to it even if it wasn’t the Month of Love, because I like it. The first track that played when randomized was “Casualty” by Snake River Conspiracy, which lyrically may be more of a melodramatic revenge track, but the groove is definitely love-ly:

http://youtu.be/rb-jHdNs9sY

The image I chose to go with is kinda creepy as hell, but the idea was that relationships are sometimes built on the bones of the last ones: the casualties.

Cynthia Sheppard - But I Won't Do That

Saturday Challenge: I'll do anything for love, but I won't...

...give up my career, or stop being an artist. Some people I love have discouraged me or tried to get me to give up that dream, but let it be known: if I succeed or don't succeed at this job, it's going to be on my terms.

Cynthia Sheppard - Just a Key

Just a key. A thing that may unlock something else, but who knows what?

Cynthia Sheppard - Odd Couple

Cynthia Sheppard - Eleven Blue Roses

My Love pt. 2

Brendan and I had known each other as friends, and later as band mates, for almost 7 years before we went on our first date. I took the train into NYC to meet up with him in December 2006. He bought me a bouquet of blue roses from a street vendor, but removed one rose and gave it to an old woman. She smiled. I smiled.

Cynthia Sheppard - Gamer Love

I think my Minecraft addiction is trying to tell me something...

Cynthia Sheppard - Learning to Love Myself

Learning to love myself.

Sad drawing, happy ending. When I was 20, my boyfriend-at-the-time and I did [things] that made us sleep very little. We told ourselves it was because we needed the time to finish our album, that we were valiantly killing ourselves for what we loved. But doing [things] has side effects- you don't eat, you get paranoid, you get fired from your job for being late and/or crazy. You're sad all the time. I remember the distinct moment that I knew things had to change for real: I got on the bathroom scale and I only weighed 89 lbs.

After that moment, I decided it was most important to learn to love myself. With that in mind, I was able to let go of the idea that two people killing themselves for an idea could make a healthy relationship. I moved on to better things.

Cynthia Sheppard - A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Unlike Scott Brundage's sleepy pitbull, my 4 year old hound mix Gordon is a ball of nervous energy and hate. But yeah, I love him anyway.

Cynthia Sheppard - Manufactured Love

Cynthia Sheppard - Love Is A Battlefield

Getting a bit silly in here today. Love is a battlefield, and every mean girl's high school yearbook page a memorial to those who fought.

Cynthia Sheppard - I Love My Job

I've always liked the expression "to draw blood from a turnip." It's been a really long and tiring work day, and I've figuratively (and now literally) drawn blood from my pencil.

Cynthia Sheppard - Love at First Sight

This sketch ties into another aspect of the love theme that I wanted to explore this month: Love is Safety. A baby depends completely on someone's care to survive, and so its first love is also a feeling of security attached to those that care for them— most often the first people they see.

Cynthia Sheppard - A Love of Knowledge

A comfortable old couch and a fascinating book = recipe for love.

Cynthia Sheppard - Lovely Subjects

I always considered this fact somewhat of a secret, but I'd wager a lot of figurative artists have experienced something similar. As I'm drawing or painting someone (especially a portrait or close likeness) I often temporarily fall in love with the subject. I believe it's a natural, involuntary response to an intimate connection between artist and subject. I wonder if this stimulation plays a role in attracting some of us to figurative arts, or if it's the other way around, and a deep love of the practice of art-making enhances the human connection.

Cynthia Sheppard - Love Is Blind

Perhaps Love is Justice's younger sister...

Cynthia Sheppard - Chemical Reactions

Edit: I'm all self-conscious now because I didn't post any text with my sketch. Here I'm beginning with a tribute to the river of powerful sensations flowing through the heart and mind in love - butterflies, fireworks, sparks. Sometimes confusing, often wonderful.

Month of Love Countdown: Artist Spotlights part II

Tara Jacoby
tarajacoby.com

Jeanine Henderson
www.jeaninehenderson.com/

Terese Nielsen
http://tnielsen.com/

Scott Brundage
www.scottbrundage.com

Alice Stanne
www.alicestanne.com/

Tim Paul
www.timpaulillustrations.com

Scott Murphy
www.murphyillustration.com/

Cynthia Sheppard
www.sheppard-arts.com

Carly Mazur
carlyjanine.com

Kristina Carroll
kristinacarrollart.com

Welcome to the Month of Love!

I've been wanting to set up a daily sketch challenge for a while and decided that February would be a good month to give it a go. (shortest month = slightly less intimidating right?) I also believe having some sort of focus to sketching helps the ideas flow and February, with it's Hallmark Holiday vibe, provided the inspiration. The theme of course: LOVE. 

Love is a complex beast. One day a year it's built up, wrapped up, marked up and torn down.  How can just one day be expected to contain all the flavors in the oldest muse of them all? It can't. But maybe 28 days can...Let's rescue February from the flower shops and devote the whole month to love.

The best way to make a drawing challenge better is to make it social. Also, a support/shaming system is a good way to motivate. So I put out a call and some amazing artists agreed to join me on this ride.  →

The challenge is this:

Every day in February, we will Draw/Paint/Create something love-related and post it. Images revolving around the heart, relationships (or lack thereof), inspiration, heart-breaking, ship-launching beauty, romance, sex, unrequited, innocent, fetish, crushes and whatever else we can think of. Half the days will be free-for-alls, half the days we will set up challenges for each other. Sunday we will take a break from the Love theme and draw anything we want. In the end, the most important thing is sitting down every day for a few minutes to make something.

You are invited to follow along or even do your own Month of Love! Find us on Twitter for bonus material and send us link to your own #monthoflove sketches if you're feeling brave.

Thank you Jeanine Henderson for our beautiful logo and background!