"Hey, you got Noir in my Sci-fi!" "Well, you got Sci-fi in my Noir!" Also, postcards.

Inspiration goes around, and comes around. A little while ago, my dad, a writer and science fiction enthusiast, told me that he saw my drawing of the running robot

this one

and it inspired him to start writing a story about a robot private eye in the future. I haven't read it yet, but a month or two later, I was brainstorming up some ideas for my Illustration Portfolio 1 class, and was inspired to do a sci-fi/noir/pulp fiction painting featuring, you guessed it, a robot P.I.
The painting is still a work in progress, here's what I have so far, pencil drawing on gessoed hardboard (masonite). Gonna paint it with oils.

If you're wondering, that's an "E-cigarette" hahaha.
I took some reference photos for this piece with the help of my friend Ian Anderson, who is in the same class. No relation to the lead singer of Jethro Tull.

A mock-up of the composition, refined with help from my professor, Lisa. That's my hand there in the leather glove.

I also just got done with my six postcards based on random words. The rules for the assignment were to pick 10 words at random from Molly's envelope o' words, then pick any 2 to be the theme of your first card, then pick another to add to one of the previous words, rinse, and repeat until you've got 6 combination  of 2 words. Then you illustrate 'em all as 4x6 postcards for self-promotion, or to enter in the Muskegon Museum's postcard salon. I got the words bird, diving board, tractor, teacup, bathing suit, doorknob, rain, debate, brother, and vacuum cleaner. Pretty weird bunch of words, but the assignment is meant to be challenging. I didn't end up using every word because you're allowed to re-use previous words. Here's what I ended up with:

Rain + Bird, or "Rain Bird"

Bird Debate

Bathing suit + rain

Bird + Doorknob (Rapping at my chamber door)

Bathing suit + teacup

 

 

Diving board + teacup

 These are all pen and ink with watercolor on hot press (smooth surface) watercolor paper. For the most part, they're drawn from imagination, but I used some reference for the birds and their markings.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get these done in time to send to Muskegon, but I did send the postcards I did last semester. Refer to my last post if you wanna see a couple of those.

That's all for now, stay tuned for updates on that robot painting. See ya!