Pin Up or Pinup?

Recently I was commissioned to do a portrait for someone for her husband. I think this may have been the first paid portrait I've done. My first portrait pinup was for my friend Alan, of his lady, Jamie, and it stemmed from a class assignment I took digitally.
Anything that is supposed to look like someone who isn't a celebrity makes me nervous. I've done regular traditional and semi-traditional portraits of singers and actresses, etc. That's easy, I don't have to worry about getting a likeness as much as someone I have contact with, or someone that's paying me.
While I was at it, I quickly finished up a girl I've had on my hard drive for what seems like ages. It's not a Haunted Mansion rip off, just something I've had dancing in my sketchbook for what seems like forever.

I have many more other pinup girls in sketchbooks littered throughout my apartment, I'm hoping to finish their sketches and bring them in to Illustrator and finish them off while I'm on break, but I'd really like to get some traditional painting done on my down time. (We won't talk about having to look for work as well).

Mom

This is still in progress, and I want to finish it and print it out for mom for xmas.
I was at first, intimidated by the thought of doing a portrait digitally. But I assume that's the kind of nervousness that comes with any new medium.

I've learned that if you have a decent grasp on painting, even minimally, digital painting isn't that hard to do... well, mostly. But what this does for me.. is makes me want to keep practicing my traditional painting (like the one that's been sitting on my easel for a year).

And now that I've looked at it after putting it away for a little bit, I see some anatomical issues. But that's good! I have to remember to go back over abandoned projects and fix 'em!

Mom, in Painter.

Finals?

The end of a torrid semester is here. It's been a fast, uneventful, illness-filled semester. I hope I can stay on top of creating while I'm on break.

I have a new print underway, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

So in the mean time, I'm posting my last digital sketch from class. I was afraid of starting the semester in this class because I'd never painted or sketched digitally. I've done vector images (my pinups) but never actually painted in Photoshop. It's daunting to me, because I see the type of work that some really great illustrators put out digitally and envy their skill.
I picked it up like a duck to water. Which is to say, I'm no pro, and I have a long way to go... but I think I've picked up a new medium to express myself... and all I need now is to continue practicing and have fun with it.

Sketch: