Vanessa J. Thompson Illustration & Design

Ness-n-Sketch: Slizzard Lizard [colored]

2012-02-13T21:11:00.001-05:00

The servers of the Slizzard Lizard!!!!!! Drawn traditionally, and colored in Photoshop CS4. I am SO EXCITED about this project!!! [And I know my coworkers are too... ^-^']

The hostess. She greets 'em, seats 'em, and fixes them a nice, cold one. ;)

Ness-n-Sketch: Slizzard Lizard Progress:

2012-02-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

The progress of my satirical caricature and/or comic project. The food service industry is one crazy place... this project illustrates some of the daily things we, waitresses (and other food service providers) deal with in a humorous, fun-loving way...
This story takes place in a fictional restaurant called the Slizzard Lizard. A non-traditional family restaurant located in the Dirty South. We serve all the country fixin's and set off your meal right with a nice, cold beer. ...
I hope you all enjoy... give feedback, share your ideas or even your experiences if you would like... ^-^
Stay tuned for more!!!

Slizzard Lizard Servers

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

I just finished going over the penciling with my Prismacolor markers…I will color this digitally and add the shirt patterning via Photoshop. These are the five servers of the Slizzard Lizard!! (Taken with instagram)

Ness-N-Sketch

2012-02-08T18:53:00.003-05:00

Five servers from my new project: The Slizzard Lizard. ^-^

Ness-N-Sketch: The Slizzard Lizard Comic

2012-02-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

Here is the logo for the "Slizzard Lizard" " A fictional, non-traditional family restaurant located down in the Dirty South. We serve country style cookin' with all the fixin's, including beer. And if we don't appreciate your attitude, just know that we don't hold our tongues... real talk.
-Drawn traditionally, later colored in Adobe Photoshop CS4-

I plan to make a few comic strips based on situations that happen basically everyday in the food service/restaurant industry. This is meant to be a satire for my own pleasure and for those who I am close to working in this crazy industry. Please take no offense to anything posted, again, this is all for fun. ^_^

Ness-n-sketch Session

2012-02-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

Ness-n-sketch session. These photos were taken with Instagram. ^-^ This is the start to a new series of illustrations I am working on… More to come!

Today's News!!!

2012-01-31T11:16:00.001-05:00

A teacher in Colorado emailed me saying that she loves my work and would like to incorporate "Prankster" and other illustrations in her lesson plans, and such. ^_^

I'm so excited!!

Late Night Sketch from Last Night

2012-01-26T16:44:00.002-05:00

Random Thought

2012-01-26T16:43:00.003-05:00

Why is it when I do caricatures of other people...they are mostly recognizable... yet.. when I try to draw myself.......I look like every other person on the planet but myself?!

Sketchbook Project 2012

2012-01-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well... this is as done as my entry to the Sketchbook Project 2012 is going to get. I like some of my sketches but overall I'm disappointed in this. For the Sketchbook Project 2013 I will definitely put more time, thought, and awesomeness into the imagery... Well.. anyways enjoy: The theme is "Time Travel" . I do have to say that I love the interactive part at the very end of the book, though. ^_^

2012 Update:

2012-01-17T13:27:00.002-05:00

So far this year, I've received a few more poems from the author to illustrate for her poetry book. I've also been asked to work on a logo for a local basketball team, as well as an illustration for a wedding invitation. This year is starting off so well for my budding illustration career!!!!!!!

Christmas Movies and Caricatures

2012-01-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Here is the last of my Christmas Caricature series!!!

Katie, Terresa, and Jhamie love to watch old Christmas cartoons and movies during the holiday season.

This series was based on answers to a survey question I asked on my Facebook illustration page: http://www.facebook.com/VanessaJThompsonIllustrationandDesign

These are all relatively quick sketches and even quicker digital colorings... Technical aspects of these illustrations are not exact... and were never meant to be. These were all simply for the enjoyment of creating caricatures of friends, and are meant as gifts of appreciation to my friends for their love and support of me and my work.

...Now that the 2011 caricatures are done... I can get on to 2012! Cheers!

Christmas Gifts and Caricatures

2012-01-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

Brittany and Yuli enjoy giving and opening gifts during the holiday season.

This is the second to last caricature I have left! One to go!

This artwork is my property, please do not steal, reproduce, or whatever without permission. Thanks.

Christmas Music and Caricatures

2012-01-14T11:40:00.001-05:00

Josh, Giao, and Joy like to hang out with their friends and families and listen to great Christmas music.

This is one of the three caricatures I have left to finish before starting my 2012 caricatures... ^-^' I went a little too heavy with the dodge and burn tools and plan to fix that at a later date... but for now I'll go ahead and post this here. ^-^ Two more to go!

The Last of the Christmas Caricatures:

2012-01-14T00:05:00.001-05:00

Three of my friends like to watch Christmas cartoons and movies during the holiday season...

Another three enjoy hanging out with friends and listening to good Christmas music.

Last, but not least, two of my lovely friends love receiving and opening gifts on Christmas.

These were drawn by hand and will soon be colored in Photoshop CS4. I'm so excited about finishing the Christmas series (even though I realize it is really late for it).

The Last of the Christmas Caricatures

2012-01-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

Welp... they are a few weeks late but better late than never. These are the last three caricatures for those of my friends who answered my survey question during the holiday season 2011...

2012 New Year's Resolutions:

2012-01-01T23:35:00.000-05:00

Creating more personal and commissioned art/design/illustration work
Continue to work two+ jobs
Contribute to the George and Vanessa Vaine House Fund ^-^
Become stronger and healthier
Keep up with vitamin regimen
Revamp entire portfolio and promote myself and work more
Open up a little more...
Live and love life

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:31:00.002-05:00

A wee bit late, but it's still the 1st...so it counts. Hope you all had a great start to 2012. Be safe out there!

More Christmas Caricatures:

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

I still have a few more caricatures to draw out for those people who took a survey on my Facebook illustration page. I apologize for the caricatures being so late... but better late than never! I believe I have three more holiday traditions to illustrate and seven or so friends to draw. Stay tuned!

Christmas Caricatures: Tree Decorating

2011-12-29T13:56:00.000-05:00

Markie, Ben , and Jacob like to decorate the tree at Christmas time...however Jacob's love for Halloween often influences other holiday traditions... ^-^ .

Drawn traditionally, scanned in and colored with Photoshop CS4.

This artwork belongs to me. Please do not use without permission. Thanks!
©Vanessa J. Thompson 2011

Sketchbook Project 2012

2011-12-27T13:10:00.000-05:00

Ugghhh only a month left before my book has to be sent back to NY... and I am no where near finished! *Sigh*... Hopefully I can muster up some productive spirit to get my book done in time.

Christmas Cookies and Caricatures

2011-12-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Carrie, Amanda, and Jamie like to bake cakes and cookies during the jolly Holiday season.

2011. Hand drawn/Colored digitally in Photoshop CS4.
This artwork belongs to me, Vanessa J. Thompson. Please do not use/reproduce without permission.

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

A caricature of myself and my love within an ornament. Still a work in progress, I'll probably spruce it up for next Christmas... Anyways, Happy Holidays everyone!

Caricatures are a'comin'

2011-12-25T13:29:00.001-05:00

Later. Tonight. Stay tuned.

Happy Holidays!!

2011-12-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! I look forward to giving out more doses of Outrageously Vanessa in the new year! [Also, those Christmas caricatures will be up later tonight!]

This turned out to be a wonderful holiday season. I touched the hearts of nearly 100 or so people, brightened the spirits of all of my coworkers at Lizard’s Thicket and my friends back at the Waffle House. I sent little gifts to the kids my workplace adopted in the Families Helping Families program and pretty much just spread a little bit of joy via Outrageously Vanessa-ness to people.

Now, I’m exhausted and feeling under the weather… ^-^’ Oh Saint Nick… Idk how you do it. ~_~’

Drake 10: A Caricature for Christmas (C)

2011-12-20T00:30:00.001-05:00

Alrighty then! I just finished a caricature for one of my coworker's Christmas presents. She wanted a caricature of her son, who happens to obsess over the Ben 10 cartoon, and so I drew him as Ben 10! This piece was drawn traditionally based on a photo of the little boy and also references the cartoon (Ben 10). I do not own Ben 10, but this caricature is my own work.

Drake 10: A Caricature For Christmas (B)

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Black and white version.

Drake 10: Caricature For Christmas (A)

2011-12-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-14T21:43:00.002-05:00

Alrighty then, so at work we are doing a Secret Santa thing, but not everyone got to sign up for it... so I decided I'm going to do what I did back in high school/college and dress up in one of my Christmas outfits, fill my huge Santa bag full of gifts and deliver them to my coworkers as well as friends and even some random people. I also have some gifts to donate to the Families Helping Families thing in which my work place has taken part.

I'm very excited. A couple bucks poorer, but hey... 'tis the season of giving. I like to brighten up people's days... that's one thing I'll never stop trying to do.

***Also I have caricatures to draw and cards to create... etc etc etc*** ^-^'

"There's no other possible explanation... I'm just outrageously Vanessa!"

Pictures to come.

Creative Juices Were A’Flowin’

2011-12-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

I got a lot of work done on that poetry book today, mainly because my computer, Mercury, decided not to let me connect to the interwebz for a VERY long time today. While waiting for her to change her mind, I worked hard to finish up six illustrations I had done a few nights earlier, and draw and finish three from scratch today. A lot of the pieces are done in my decorative line style and so each took a while to complete. However, it is so worth it.

I have two poems left to illustrate and to typeset. I also have some minor/major (depending on your love for typography) tweaking to do to the other text. I just emailed the author with an updated file a few minutes ago, I am hoping she’ll have the chance to look at them soon and to give me feedback. Also, I’m waiting to receive the rest of the poems for the book. I’m so excited about this project and I really can’t wait to share it with you all!

I Feel As Though...

2011-12-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

I need to search deep within and find this same sense of motivation once again. I have a lot of illustration work to get done: illustrations for the poems the author has sent so far ( I have four or five left to sketch out, and then all to get approved then inked...yadda yadda): I have a portfolio to update and drastically improve: Re-do illustrations for projects that I really enjoyed while in school but now I dislike because I know that if I re-do it it will be even more amazing... : Draw out all of the ideas that pop into my head... thus improving my extremely-slack-sketching skills...

I'd like to do another large illustration for the Winter Holiday/Christmas season, featuring caricatures of many of my friends. However, I don't feel like drawing... ugh... Hopefully this feeling will pass soon so that I can be productive.

Ness-N-Sketch Update:

2011-12-04T00:56:00.001-05:00

In progress shot, from when I was actually on a roll (the other day). Hopefully, I can get more work done tonight after working at Lizard’s Thicket, and tomorrow during the day.
I think I just need to be more focused…and sketch out the ordinary things that are popping into my head in order to get to the extraordinary…
*Sigh* With five poems left to illustrate for this first section of the poetry book… my brain is suffering from a great case of Illustrator’s Block… The worst part is, I wanted to be done with all of them, have the text formatted, and send the author a PDF by the end of the weekend...

Rough Digital Sketch

2011-11-23T18:14:00.001-05:00

I decided to try painting digitally without any preliminary sketch…. but sadly I don’t feel like finishing this…. I was thinking about doing a quick fanart piece for Thanksgiving, but it seems that I’ve lost motivation. I’ve been working too many hours this week at work. ^-^ Hopefully, my motivation will come back soon.
Well anyway, Happy Thanksgiving (one day early), everyone!

Random Thoughts:

2011-11-22T01:12:00.001-05:00

I'm debating whether or not I should do a drawing/fanart drawing for Thanksgiving... ~_~'
Of course, it wouldn't be as involved as my birthday illustration... I would LOVE to get it uploaded on Thanksgiving day. However, my work week this week is quite full... hmmm we shall see. ^-^

Birthday Caricature - Illustration

2011-11-22T01:05:00.001-05:00

I was finally able to finish coloring the last page out of the five that make up my large birthday illustration measuring 70" x 17" . This is a caricature of myself and some of my friends gathered together to celebrate my birthday (imaginatively). ^_^'

Random Thought:

2011-11-19T11:07:00.001-05:00

I think I will do a lot more fan art... it's so fun!

My Imaginative Birthday Party

2011-11-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

Happy, Super-Special-Awesome Birthday to me!!!!! This is the largest artwork/fan artwork I’ve ever done (so far…). It includes 80+ characters from American and Japanese cartoons. 20+ (not shown here) are caricatures of myself and my friends. This is just four out of the five pages of my giant birthday illustration from which I plan on creating a medium-sized birthday card! The original pages measure 14″ by 17″! Pretty huge.

I really want to do more drawings like this… although they probably won’t be this large. ^-^ I should do a small one for Thanksgiving that’s coming up this week, as well as one for Christmas. I think those images would be really fun.

Thank you to those who have been waiting patiently to see the final, colored piece. Sorry it took so long, but as you may know… it’s hard to draw for funzies when working multiple jobs. ^-^

Please feel free to comment on this. Let me know what you think, who you’d like to see at my “Imaginative Thanksgiving Party” and my “Imaginative Christmas Party”!!! Feedback is appreciated. ^_^

Update:

2011-11-16T10:29:00.001-05:00

If I work non-stop today and tomorrow, I should be able to finish coloring that huge birthday party illustration!! ^-^ If not, I hope to get it done by the end of this week...
On another note: I also have seventeen pages of poetry to go through and sketch out for the book I'm illustrating. ^_^

Ness-N-Sketch: Digital Coloring II

2011-11-14T14:53:00.001-05:00

More fun with my tablet! Here's a screenshot of four of the five pages of my birthday illustration. One of which is nearly finished, the other four... not so much. I hope to get all five colored and perfected by this weekend!! Stay tuned!

Ness-N-Sketch: Digital Coloring

2011-11-14T01:40:00.001-05:00

I'm almost done with the base layers of color for this piece! I still have four other pages to color after this one, and there is A LOT of detail I want/need to get in. This is so much fun! I also love how "alive" all of the characters look when color is added! Stay tuned for more updates and the finished product coming soon!

My Tablet Is Working Again!!

2011-11-12T16:40:00.001-05:00

So, previously I was having trouble with my tablet. Today, I installed my love’s tablet onto my computer, however it had a mind of its own. Then I had the thought to plug up my tablet at the same time his was plugged in…and Wah La! My tablet decided it wanted to work! I guess it was the fear of replacement? Who knows… I am just so happy my wonderful Intuos3 is working!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now that it is functional again, I could finally start coloring that huge birthday illustration!! So exciting!

I Wonder What My Next Personal Project Will Be?

2011-11-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

Any ideas? ^-^'

The Illustrator and Her Illustration

2011-11-09T19:24:00.000-05:00

This is just to get the size of this illustration across. Five 14" x 17" sheets of paper, side by side, absolutely filled with cartoon characters and caricatures of myself and some of my friends. I completed this over the weekend with few food/bathroom breaks. ^-^' I hope I don't do that to myself again, however, it was so much fun drawing all of these cartoons. ^-^

I will eventually color them (most likely digitally). I'm so excited!

My Imaginative Birthday Party Parts 2 through 5

2011-11-09T19:18:00.001-05:00

Here are the last four pages out of the series of five for a drawing I did as my own birthday present. It is a 14" x 17" birthday card!

I do not own any of these characters (except for the caricature of myself and all of the caricatures on the page in a previous post), this is purely FAN ART. All of these lovely characters belong to their respective owners.

--

2011-11-08T12:51:00.003-05:00

I took photos of the other four pages of my 14" x 17" birthday card, I'll edit them and get them posted as soon as possible.

My Imaginative Birthday Party: Part 1

2011-11-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

So… my birthday is in t-minus 1 day… and since I’m most likely not going to be celebrating it in real life… I’ll celebrate it on paper and on computer. What I mean is… I’m drawing a large illustration of an imaginative birthday celebration with my favorite characters and of course, a caricature of myself. This is going to be really interesting! The guest list for the party is quite long… let’s see who all will show up .

Stay tuned to find out!

W.I.P.: Landscaping Website Attempt II

2011-11-05T01:05:00.003-04:00

This is a different template for the commercial landscaping business's website. It's a lot cleaner than the first template I began playing with weeks ago. I need to switch the portion with the thumbnail photos to some sort of slide show of his recent works. Also need to fill in all of the information needed to make an effective business site. Hopefully boss man will have some time to look over this next week or soon after...

Above, is from the first template I chose. I deleted this file, and there's not much hope of recovering it. The template itself is fine, but not as customizable as other templates. Therefore, I didn't think it would be a good one to continue with. I don't really want a white background, but then again... this solid green background isn't doing anyone or anything any good either... -_-' The stark contrast between the white and dark green on the second template (the first picture in this post), which I'm playing with now, provides a cleaner, more appealing, and professional look to the site which is what this business needs in the long run.

Where's the dark green coming from? Well, the business cards I designed use a dark green...and so I thought it would be justifiable to use the same dark green on the website to tie all the business collateral together. Smart move, no?

Again... I am NOT a web designer... nor do I have ANY knowledge of coding or all that other fancy shmancy stuff. I'm simply using a flash website template from the amazing www.wix.com in order to accomplish this. I used Wix for my own portfolio site: http://www.vanessajthompson.com, so why not use it again?

Busy, busy Butterfly:

2011-11-02T23:08:00.000-04:00

Welp! I caught up on my design work for Carolina's Southern Cuisine. I already emailed the files, but need to transfer them to the owner's flash drive. That'll get done tomorrow, along with mailing the signed contract back to the author!!
I also started working from a different website template in order to make a website for the commercial landscaping business I work for... Let's see how this goes... ^-^

Illustration and Design Update:

2011-11-01T23:39:00.000-04:00

Illustration:
As aforementioned, the author and I are switching to a different project while we wait for legal issues to be ironed out of the historic book project. Later this week, she should be mailing me the new contract for the new poetry book project that we are going to work on in lieu of the prior project.

I have a few other commissions for a portrait and a caricature possibly in the works. These have not been confirmed, I've only received inquiries.

Design:

Carolina's Southern Cuisine seems to be doing pretty well. I have to reconstruct my menu file for them and update their primary menu for the Fall season. Also need to update their catering menu, etc. So that's exciting.

I also had someone ask me if I could do a logo for her educational group... so hopefully that will get underway soon. I'm waiting on details of her group, and all the other information I may need, in order to create a contract and get the work done. ^-^

Some Images From Halloween 2011!

2011-11-01T23:32:00.002-04:00

Some images from this year's epic Halloween. Photos were taken by my best friend, Tina. ^-^

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T14:29:00.001-04:00

Harley Hammer

2011-10-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

should be fully painted tomorrow.

**Less than two days before Harley Quinnessa is fully revealed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Today's Ness-N-Sketch: Halloween

2011-10-27T23:07:00.001-04:00

I finished the Joker playing cards for my boyfriend's Halloween costume. Since he is playing the Joker, why not have his own Joker cards?! This caricature is based on him and then I altered the color in Photoshop, shrunk the image, and designed the cards. The image on the back of the card is not mine, I got it online.

These cards are purely for fun and will not be sold or any crazy stuff like that.

Ness-N-Sketch: HALLOWEEN

2011-10-27T15:55:00.000-04:00

I decided to do a Halloween caricature of my boyfriend dressed as a jester…which I just so happened to color the suit like Harley Quinn’s….. ~_~’

Anyways, I colorized the image in Photoshop to create the final version that will appear on a card. I want my bf (who will be the Joker for Halloween) to have ‘Joker’ playing cards to pass around or throw or whatever he wants to do with them. Lol… ^-^

I'M SO EXCITED FOR HALLOWEEKEND!

"Harley Quinnessa"

2011-10-26T21:19:00.001-04:00

My new Harley Quinn headband ^-^

Something New:

2011-10-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

So... I haven't done crafts in a few months and decided since I can't find a jester type headband for my Harley Quinn costume (as an alternative to the snug jester cap)...I was going to make one myself. I went to Hobby Lobby today to purchase some red and black felt, and then to Conway to buy a cheap headband.
**I also bought some things to construct the infamous Harley Hammer** I'm so excited for Saturday when I will be taking photos posing as Harley Quinn with my bf; and when I attend Shmalloweenie in Rock Hill and see my many of my illustrator friends! Also, I'm excited for Halloween night just because...Halloween is awesome!

Illustrator Block

2011-10-25T11:41:00.003-04:00

I'm still experiencing "illustrator block" trying to figure out a creative way to illustrate the last poem the author sent me...
Also, I'm waiting on approval of the last sketch I sent her, so that I can proceed in inking it with my assorted Prismacolor pens.

Carolina's Southern Cuisine Menu Insert

2011-10-19T16:28:00.002-04:00

I worked on a menu insert for Carolina's Southern Cuisine, featuring the Autumn items that will be offered this season. I'm not sure when the Owner wants to launch this, probably in November.. but these little inserts will be placed on each table in a menu holder. So exciting, there are so many things from this project that I NEED to hurry and photograph and start revamping my portfolio!!!! Pronto!

Commercial Landscaping Website W.I.P.

2011-10-17T12:51:00.000-04:00

Welp, as some of you know I'm an admin. assistant at a commercial landscaping company... Well, the boss man asked me if I could do a website for the company and although I told him I didn't take any web design courses and that I used a flash template to build my portfolio site, he said to try to design it anyway. With that said, I logged back into wix.com and looked through their templates to find a suitable one for his business. I think I found one that works, and now I just need to customize it and make it aesthetically pleasing and keep it highly professional.
I'm happy about the opportunity, but I kinda feel uneasy about it at the same time...

Anyways, here is a screencap of what I have so far. AGAIN, I just started on it, A LOT of changes need to be made, I'm going to change the background and text colors, The font will be bigger, the images (that were supplied by the template), and those ugly orange arrow things won't be there anymore, etc etc...

Check Out My Facebook Page!

2011-10-11T13:27:00.001-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/VanessaJThompsonIllustrationandDesign

Ness-N-Sketch

2011-10-11T13:25:00.004-04:00

Contessa
© Vanessa J. Thompson 2011
Just a random caricature loosely based on myself filled with fun lines done in assorted Prismacolor Premier pens.

Freelance Illustration/Design Update:

2011-10-06T16:58:00.003-04:00

I created a catering menu for Carolina's Southern Cuisine and updated their primary menu.
The author of the book projects I spoke about in prior posts, emailed me asking if I was interested in doing illustrations for a poetry book she's working on. I am currently doing some preliminary sketches.
I was asked to design a website for the commercial landscaping company that I work for, I intend to use the wix.com templates to accomplish that feat... (I do not do web design nor have I taken the course...) I used wix for my very own portfolio site and it works just fine: http://www.vanessajthompson.com
Personal art: I've really gotten into doing caricatures, I plan to do a lot more ^-^
Most of my other prospective projects are at a stand still...

More updates to come!

Today's Ness-N-Sketch Session

2011-10-06T16:54:00.002-04:00

Today’s ness-n-sketch session is taking place outside in this beautiful South Carolina weather. The drawing in the picture is one of my newest pieces that will possibly be going into my portfolio if I like it enough…
Also today I’m working on some sketches for the poetry book the author emailed me about earlier
this week.

Crayola and Me: Red

2011-10-06T16:23:00.002-04:00

More fun with my colorful wigs and pieces of my Crayola collection ^-^: Red.

2011-10-05T19:59:00.001-04:00

Ness-n-Sketch

This Year's Halloween Costume!!!!!!!

2011-10-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

For your daily dose of Outrageously Vanessa. My Halloween costume. Gotta alter it a lil but you can definitely tell that it is Harley Quinn.

NEW Project

2011-10-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

I received an email from the author I first started talking to in January of this year. She updated me on the slow progress she's had with forming one contract with the nine men we are dealing with for this project. She's decided to switch gears and get started on a new project: a poetry book. She's sent some sample pieces, and if she likes my sketches for them I'll get the contract to that job!

Halloweek 2011

2011-10-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

My costume should be arriving in the next few days!!!!!!!!! I'm excited. Also, I've decided that I'll do a few caricatures of my boyfriend and I in our costumes. Me as Harley Quinn and him as the Joker from Batman-The Animated Series. ^-^

Halloweek 2011

2011-09-30T20:56:00.000-04:00

Well y'all since I'm no longer in school, I don't think I can pull off my weeklong celebration of Halloween, known as "Halloweek". *Sigh* But this year I'm pairing up with my bf and having a spectacular Halloween anyway. He wants to dress up as the Joker, and he wants me to be Harley Quinn. Today I went out and bought the red and black lipsticks, and tried it on. Not too shabby... ^-^ I'm excited. I just ordered my costume online along with the white cream makeup and powder, etc. I hope the costume fits, the reviews are causing a bit of concern...but hopefully I can make it work. OOooooOOOOOoh so exciting! I need to work on my Northern accent in order to talk like her, and of course alter my costume a bit to make sure it'll fit on the actual night. I really really really hope I can get some time off from work, to perhaps wear more than one costume (in the tradition of Halloweek) and visit my school. Many on campus know that Halloweek is my mark on Winthrop's campus... it'll be great if I could go up there at least one or two days :D. ^-^

Colored In

2011-09-29T16:36:00.002-04:00

I decided to play with my colored pencils. I haven’t used them in FOREVER, so some parts of the image looks a bit funky… but oh well, this piece was just for fun since I haven’t drawn anything in a while…

Inking is Done!

2011-09-29T15:23:00.002-04:00

The inking is finished, now I'm going to add color via colored pencils. ^-^

Today's Progress on Yesterday's Sketch

2011-09-29T14:34:00.000-04:00

Work in Progress.
I don’t know what patterning to put on her shirt… Hmm….

Ness-N-Sketch Session

2011-09-29T13:24:00.000-04:00

Here's how far I got on the sketch yesterday. I inked the lines and now I'm going in and adding my decorative details. I am still deciding whether or not to whip out my colored pencils or pastels and coloring this. (My tablet is currently out of commission *tears for days*)

Ness-N-Sketch

2011-09-27T13:16:00.004-04:00

I may ink the lines to that sketch I just posted...and possibly add color with my pastels or colored pencil or something. I am not sure yet.

Introspection

2011-09-27T13:11:00.001-04:00

This girl is a loose depiction of myself. Her bright, young face reflects that of my own. Her happy, cheerful, all-around-go-lucky expression is the type of composure I try to keep when at work, in a store, or dealing with people in general. I want to always be that nice, smiling person that people can warm up to and feel the respect that I too want in return.

However, despite this positive attitude I try to have at work or wherever... there's always a person or group of people who create a negative atmosphere.... As some of you know I'm an admin. assistant at a commercial landscaping company, a waitress at Lizard's Thicket, and a freelance illustrator with a BFA in Visual Communication: Illustration and a minor in Spanish. However, when I'm working at the restaurant, all people see is a waitress and talk to me in condescending tones... Take last night for example, I had a guy come in with his wife and mother or mother-in-law, and the whole time I was taking/delivering drink and food orders, his tone wasn't very positive when he spoke to me. At one point when I asked who wanted their water with medium amount of ice, he said "aqui" and I exclaimed "ay, aqui!" (because I love languages and it makes me happy when someone says a word or phrase in a different language).......Anyways... when I responded, he said "Oh, wow! Aren't you soooo glad you paid attention in your Spanish class?" Now... because I don't like to be rude to my customers no matter what (although it's happened a few times because I was sleepy/tired and working third shift at Waffle House) I didn't say what I was thinking aloud... I just smiled and said "Yes, sir, I am!" When I could have said "¡Sí! ¡Por supuesto! Yo estudié el español por ocho años como mi especialidad secundaria, y también viajé a México con mi clase y pasé dos semanas allí. Pendejo." But like I said... I'm nice and don't want to be rude to my offensive customers... So I kept all that inside, I might say something next time because I know they will sit in my section again... none of the other waitresses want to serve them. I don't blame them either.

I really hate it when people look down on us because we wait tables for a living. Some of us, including myself, have gone to college, have gotten our degrees, it's just that in this economy we aren't all able to use what we've got just yet! I put myself through college by waiting tables and I would never look down on another waitress because I've been there. People really don't understand that... Also, why would you anger/upset the person who is handling your food?! I've heard horror stories about what waitresses have done to their customers' food. I would NEVER do anything like that, no matter who nasty a customer gets with me. I'm not that kind of person, and NEVER want to be that kind of person.

I just want to be that cheerful girl that's depicted in the sketch above. I just want to constantly smile. I do have my bouts of depression every now and then, but for the most part I want to be and look cheery. That's all I ask for... is that too much?!

More funny hats!!

2011-09-24T01:58:00.001-04:00

Fun times at Books a Million

Funny Hats!

2011-09-23T23:30:00.001-04:00

Carolina's Southern Cuisine Update

2011-09-23T19:29:00.000-04:00

I haven't done any work for Carolina's Southern Cuisine for about a month because I've been trying to adjust to my new work schedule of working at the commercial landscaping office and Lizard's Thicket. Boss Lady has called me a few times and I've finally had time to come out and work on some things for her, including the brand new catering menu. ^-^

I'm really excited, I've been sitting at Carolina's Southern Cuisine and the business has picked up significantly since the last time I was here. When I walked in today, they were serving a party of 40+ people, with others who were just walking in!! So exciting! I'm really happy that more people are stopping by, and hopefully all of them have had good experiences. :D I don't know why but it just feels so rewarding to have people looking at my work... even if they don't know that I am actually the one who designed the things they are looking at.... ^-^

Random

2011-09-23T19:12:00.001-04:00

So Sailor Moon, my all time favorite show since forever ago is slowly leaking back into the States. I was so excited when I found out that Hot Topic was selling t-shirts...hopefully they will get more merchandise in...and hopefully SM will make its way back into other stores (hopefully at cheaper prices) I will say this... this is the one and ONLY time I'll pay $22.50 for a t-shirt... especially one made so thin and cheaply... -_-' I love SM just that much to spend that much on one shirt... I think I may hand wash it so I can keep it longer than risking it using a washer.

B)

2011-09-23T19:05:00.003-04:00

I WILL LEARN JAPANESE... one of these days ^-^

Carolina's Southern Cuisine Update

2011-09-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

Later this week I'll be updating the menu for Carolina's Southern Cuisine. They have a few food items they want to add for the season, and a few other changes to be made. ^-^

Random shots of me and my crayola thermoses and fun wigs ^-^

2011-09-20T15:32:00.001-04:00

Caricature in Wedding Frame

2011-09-19T01:29:00.000-04:00

View of the caricature in its fancy shmancy wedding frame. ^-^

More Illustrations Coming Soon... I Promise

2011-09-19T01:25:00.001-04:00

Wedding Gift

2011-09-19T01:21:00.002-04:00

So, my best friend since second grade got married yesterday!!!!! This illustration was a part of my gift to her and her husband. It's a caricature of the two of them based on one of their engagement photos, and includes things and characters from some of their favorite tv shows/ cartoons. ^-^

**Doctor Who, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and Hamtaro belong to their respective owners**
**Artwork by me**

CSC Website Has Been Launched

2011-09-18T23:59:00.001-04:00

The website for Carolina’s Southern Cuisine has been launched! And no I did not design the site nor did I code it… However, I did design the company logo and take half of the photographs that are featured on there. I’m so proud!

Take a gander: http://carolinascuisine.com/ “There’s nothing finer than dining at Carolina’s”; located in Elgin, South Carolina next to Pontiac Elementary School. It’s great Southern cooked food at family friendly costs, stop by whenever you are in the area. It’ll be well worth it ^-^

2011-09-18T23:53:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Long time no see. Sorry for the hiatus, once again… I’ve been working and preparing for my best friend’s wedding which took place last night. It was beautiful, btw ^-^.
Anyways, now the only obstacles I’ll have to deal with are my two “normal” people jobs, and then my freelance illustration/design work… so hopefully no more of you will unfollow me for not updating with artwork. :/
I have a couple of things that are ready to be posted, so I’ll go ahead and do that in a few minutes.
Thank you to those who continue to stick by this blog and support me. <3

Idea

2011-09-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

My friends suggested that I do a caricature of all of us playing one of our epic games of Uno... that could be interesting...

Mobile Pic Fun at Walmart

2011-09-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

Just me being outrageously Vanessa. ^-^

Thoughts

2011-08-28T23:35:00.000-04:00

One of my customers asked me what else I do for a living today and so I told her that I went to school for Illustration and minored in Spanish, and how I'm working on some projects right now... and she suggested that I apply to be a substitute teacher for Richland District 1 and write down Caughman Elementary as my #1 preference for subbing. I could sub for Art or Spanish, she says it is really difficult for them to find a substitute who can speak the language when their Spanish teachers are out...
I'll think about it for a bit... I don't really see myself teaching...... but who knows....

My Crayola & Me

2011-08-27T10:49:00.001-04:00

So… I have a little crush on crayola products. I think it is the cutest thing when you have a useful object that holds an entirely different function.
The tall crayon serves as a money bank for coins, the smaller crayon is a thermos and the other is a thermos-bowl. ^-^ So awesome. I kinda want to collect all of the other colors. ^-^ Perhaps, I will whenever I get my own house and have enough room for it…

Thoughts

2011-08-27T00:19:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day at work, not too slow but not too busy either. The only bad part was not having the good tippers. I got a few were decent though. ^-^

Tina as Washu

2011-08-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

This is a rough caricature of one of my best friends, Tina. Her favorite anime character is Washu from Tenchi Muyo, so here I painted a caricature of her as Washu with Ryo-ohki sitting next to her. This is only a rough watercolor sketch, I plan to do another one on better quality paper and better craft.

Same with the caricature of my friend Jamie.

Jamie Kayaking

2011-08-26T23:48:00.000-04:00

This is one of the caricature series I'm currently working on. Here we have Jamie, a lady who loves kayaking, photography, and Pink Panther. ^-^

~~--Pink Panther belongs to its respective owner.~~
Artwork (c) Vanessa J. Thompson 2011

Random Thoughts

2011-08-22T21:54:00.002-04:00

I'm working at my new jobs now, I'm really excited about them and the new things I'm learning!

Today's Ness-N-Sketch Session

2011-08-22T21:53:00.001-04:00

Today’s Ness-N-Sketch session comprised of more fun caricatures!!!!!!!!
**Pink Panther and Washu from Tenchi Muyo DO NOT belong to me and no copyright infringement is intended. **

Sketchbook Project 2012 Update

2011-08-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

So I finished the page introducing my time machine, using ink pens. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to color it...

However, I did decide to add a different element to the piece:

You can actually open the door, and find a girl crammed inside. ^-^'
More fun things like this will be included within the sketchbook. I'll definitely keep you posted!

Two New Jobs

2011-08-19T20:02:00.000-04:00

So. I officially OFFICIALLY start my office job on Monday, and while waiting to get started there I applied to various other places, and was hired to work at a restaurant. So therefore, I'll be working at the office during the weekday and then at the restaurant on weeknights and weekends. I'll also still be working on freelance illustration and design work; and quitting Waffle House (after seven years). Yep... workaholic.

Sketchbook Project 2012 Update

2011-08-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

I Can't Wait...

2011-08-16T01:04:00.000-04:00

to visit Winthrop University professors and possibly even my high school teachers this school year to let them know what all I've been up to, and show them all the neat things that I've done since I graduated. I'm so excited!

I've done a few business cards for people, a music poster for a band, restaurant identity, portraits, caricatures, and I've been contacted by three authors interested in my work for their children's books. This feels so amazing, I don't know how else to explain it.

Vanessa J. Thompson Illustration & Design

Ness-n-Sketch: Slizzard Lizard [colored]

Ness-n-Sketch: Slizzard Lizard Progress:

Slizzard Lizard Servers

Ness-N-Sketch

Ness-N-Sketch: The Slizzard Lizard Comic

Ness-n-sketch Session

Today's News!!!

A teacher in Colorado emailed me saying that she loves my work and would like to incorporate "Prankster" and other illustrations in her lesson plans, and such. ^_^

I'm so excited!!

Late Night Sketch from Last Night

Random Thought

Why is it when I do caricatures of other people...they are mostly recognizable... yet.. when I try to draw myself.......I look like every other person on the planet but myself?!

Sketchbook Project 2012

2012 Update:

Christmas Movies and Caricatures

Christmas Gifts and Caricatures

Christmas Music and Caricatures

The Last of the Christmas Caricatures:

The Last of the Christmas Caricatures

2012 New Year's Resolutions:

Happy New Year!

More Christmas Caricatures:

Christmas Caricatures: Tree Decorating

Sketchbook Project 2012

Christmas Cookies and Caricatures

Happy Holidays 2011

Caricatures are a'comin'

Happy Holidays!!

Drake 10: A Caricature for Christmas (C)

Drake 10: A Caricature For Christmas (B)

Drake 10: Caricature For Christmas (A)

Christmas 2011

Creative Juices Were A’Flowin’

I Feel As Though...

Ness-N-Sketch Update:

Rough Digital Sketch

Random Thoughts:

Birthday Caricature - Illustration

Random Thought:

My Imaginative Birthday Party

Update:

If I work non-stop today and tomorrow, I should be able to finish coloring that huge birthday party illustration!! ^-^ If not, I hope to get it done by the end of this week... On another note: I also have seventeen pages of poetry to go through and sketch out for the book I'm illustrating. ^_^

Ness-N-Sketch: Digital Coloring II

Ness-N-Sketch: Digital Coloring

My Tablet Is Working Again!!

I Wonder What My Next Personal Project Will Be?

The Illustrator and Her Illustration

My Imaginative Birthday Party Parts 2 through 5

--

My Imaginative Birthday Party: Part 1

W.I.P.: Landscaping Website Attempt II

Busy, busy Butterfly:

Illustration and Design Update:

Some Images From Halloween 2011!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Harley Hammer

Today's Ness-N-Sketch: Halloween

Ness-N-Sketch: HALLOWEEN

"Harley Quinnessa"

Something New:

Illustrator Block

Carolina's Southern Cuisine Menu Insert

Commercial Landscaping Website W.I.P.

Check Out My Facebook Page!

Ness-N-Sketch

Freelance Illustration/Design Update:

Today's Ness-N-Sketch Session

Crayola and Me: Red

This Year's Halloween Costume!!!!!!!

NEW Project

Halloweek 2011

Halloweek 2011

Colored In

Inking is Done!

Today's Progress on Yesterday's Sketch

Ness-N-Sketch Session

Ness-N-Sketch

Introspection

More funny hats!!

If I work non-stop today and tomorrow, I should be able to finish coloring that huge birthday party illustration!! ^-^ If not, I hope to get it done by the end of this week...
On another note: I also have seventeen pages of poetry to go through and sketch out for the book I'm illustrating. ^_^