Sandra's Sketchbook

Making of “Oppfinner Olaf” – intro page

Sandra Steffensen — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:10:53 +0000

Here comes the full work-in-progress of the intro page for a book idea I’m working on! I hope this post will give some insight into how I work and develop my illustrations, and I that you readers out there will find it enjoyable.

As always, the first step begins in my sketchbook with some really rough doodles and thumbnail sketches that probably I’m the only one fully who understands. I really liked the first sketch of the house and decided to develop it further in photoshop.

The first sketch is doodled in two point perspective. (In reality, it was done in three point – but the last vanishing point is so far away that the effect is only subtle.)

The final composition is not working so well and some experimenting is needed to find the best one.

Lineart completed!

Then some shading samples…

..And finally the fun part can begin!

Finished! Click to view the full version.

It’s hard to be an illustrator…

Sandra Steffensen — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:22:52 +0000

It’s hard to be an illustrator. It’s a tough path to choose, and it takes time to find work and commissions.
Meanwhile, I’m working hard on my portfolio, and I am updating it with some samples aimed at educational books for children. I am trying to be more quick and loose about it. Not easy if you’re a perfectionist like me!

Sometimes it takes a bit of experimenting to figure out what direction works better…

First try at sculpting with cernit!

Sandra Steffensen — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:19:42 +0000

I’ve been wanting to do some sculpting for quite a while, so I decided to experiment a little with cernit. It’s been years since I last worked with clay and sculpting, so if I had a chance to redo it I would probably have chosen a more flexible clay. However, cernit worked pretty well in this case anyway, since the shapes are quite simple.

The sketch. Just some random circus cat (first thing that popped into my head!)

The tools. Nothing fancy, just stuff I found at my own house. (The woolen balls were used inside the cernit to make the sculpture less heavy.)

The different parts after they’ve been burned and cooled. I placed some clips inside so that they would be easier to attach together later. The surface was then polished with some sandpaper.

Cernit is really difficult to paint on! Either that or the quality of the acrylic is bad. After 3 layers of paint my cat is looking like this…. I found that the multipurpose “hobby paint” covered much better.

Finally it’s all white!

And then a bit of colour….

Then I had to make some kind of short pedestal to even out the weight. Went out in my garden and dug out a flat rock that I placed inside the cernit.

130c in the oven for 30min, then polish it a bit…

Aaaand it’s finished! I know it’s creepy-looking but I don’t think it’s that bad for being a first attempt!

When Jack Frost was young, children’s book project

Sandra Steffensen — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:37:21 +0000

I’ve been working on a suggestion for a children’s book for When Jack Frost was young, written by Abbie Philips Walker. I have never done a children’s book before so I found it quite hard, but also very rewarding! I will definitely experiment more with children’s books in the future.
Here’s a few pictures from the work in progress.

One of the 300 pages in my sketchbook

Sterk Reklame 2010

Sandra Steffensen — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:48:02 +0000

The 24th of march I got a message from my old teacher: I had won the golden award in Sterk Reklame 2010, student illustration!
Looking better, I had also won a diploma. That was pretty amazing. :]

The comment from the jury (badly translated):
“This work impresses with it’s wide scope, it’s rich illustrative expression, and not at least; it’s continuous high quality.”

The jury thinks the illustration category this year has been pretty strong. And I hope more and more people begin to notice the benefits of using it… The world needs more illustration!

Self promotion illustrations

Sandra Steffensen — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:09:40 +0000

Been working on some self promotion material. After visiting a history and science museum in Milano, I got some inspiration for a new painting! I have now re-designed my website with a new banner and a new resume. I did a couple of postcards and some odd looking candy-portfolio-all-in-one box. Those small pieces of illustrated papers originally contained pieces of chocolate, but my mouth ate them before I had the chance to photograph it…. :\

Uploaded a wip-gif as well! I looove gif’s.

Gatwick airport snow chaos sketch!

Sandra Steffensen — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:25:20 +0000

A sketch I did whilst sitting on the icy cold stone floor at Gatwick airport, waiting to know if my plane would depart or not.

Click for full view.

Christmasplate

Sandra Steffensen — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:02:54 +0000

Just a paper plate….

Designing a postcard

Sandra Steffensen — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:30:37 +0000

Our recent assignment at the university: Design a postcard from your given destination, in my case, Westward Ho!
Westward Ho! is, among lots of other things, a town. It was built in 1865, in order to satisfy the Victorians’ passion for seaside holidays. So I designed my postcard thinking it could have been sent in the victorian era/industrial revolution.

Let’s hope it arrives in time!

Inside my sketchbook

Sandra Steffensen — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:39:05 +0000

Some random pages from my sketchbooks!

I have already filled 48pages. Feel kinda proud of that.

A bit of back to the basics with Andrew Loomis!

How my website mascot was born:

Random doodles:

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I can’t believe it took me one hour to create this blog post. (Darn html!) I better get back to sketching again… with my nose, apparently.