Illustration

Puppeteer: Take 2

Comments Off Written on May 16th, 2011 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Work in progress

Last week my old lightbox finally gave up the ghost, so work on the ‘Heralds’ painting has been stalled.

Wait, backtrack. I completely screwed up the background when I started painting ‘Heralds’, so I have to start over and redraw and ink it on a new sheet of watercolor paper. Which I really need a lightbox for. For the past 15 years or so I’ve been relying on a plastic craft store lightbox, but it was good enough and did the job. Its replacement is one of these beauties – an Artograph Lightpad. I was originally going to get a small one, but my lovely friend, author Ann Somerville, gave me a very kind gift that allowed me to invest in the 12×17″ model. No more creasing my watercolor paper because it hangs over the edge of the lightbox!

While waiting for my new lightbox to arrive I decided to go back and work on my Puppeteer illustration that I started last year (or possily two years ago?) and never got anywhere with. I got as far as figuring out the composition and finishing the sketch and doing the color mockup. Now I’m waiting to ink it so I can it.
But here’s the current progress, because I’m really enjoying the colors:

Posted in Illustration, Work in progress | Comments Off

Moving so slowly, moving so quickly

Comments Off Written on May 5th, 2011 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Ink, Work in progress

I unfortunately haven’t had any new finished work to post lately – a lot has been going on and I’ve been busy with filing taxes, graphic design work, and now that the weather’s better trying to get outside once in a while and convince my body it’s no longer in hibernation mode!

I have spent a little time on the companion piece to Messengers, which currently has the working title of ‘Heralds’. The inking is complete, and I’m looking forward to having some free time to start painting it!

Heralds, line art in progress by Kiri Moth

The most exciting thing happening this month is that Mechanique: Tales of the Circus Tresaulti, by Genevieve Valentine will be hitting the bookstore shelves! This is my first mass market book cover illustration, and I’m beyond thrilled to see it out in the world. Beyond that this is a damn good book, and I hope we’ll be getting more from Ms. Valentine. Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine

P.S. You can get a sneak peek of some of the interior illustrations and read a great review at Tor.com!

Posted in Illustration, Ink, Work in progress | Comments Off

March Moth – Baorisa heiroglyphica

Comments Off Written on February 28th, 2011 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Moth of the Month

Already March! February was incredibly busy, so I didn’t have much time for drawing – but there are a lot of exciting things developing!
Tomorrow, March 1st, my Etsy store will be featured on Heartsy and you will have the opportunity to purchase a gift certificate to my shop at an amazing discount – more than 50% off!

I’m also having a a “Hurry Up Spring” special this week – shipping to all domestic US addresses will be free! So be sure to stop by and get a great deal.

March’s moth is the lovely Baorisa Moth. I am so enamored of the incredible patterns on their wings – I knew as soon as I saw a picture of one of these beauties that I’d have to draw it. The Baorisa moth is found in India and Southeast Asia.

And just like last month, I’ve created a printable March desk calendar and digital wallpaper calendars featuring the Baorisa.

Printable Calendar

Assembly Instructions (yes, these are for Feb, but I’m sure you can figure it out)

Or if you prefer, here’s a wallpaper version for your iPhone or computer desktop:

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320×480 iPhone 640×960 iPhone4

Enjoy!

Posted in Illustration, Moth of the Month | Comments Off

February – Dysphania percota

Comments Off Written on January 30th, 2011 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Moth of the Month

February is almost upon us, and that means it will be time to change my header moth. February’s moth is going to be the Dysphania percota, or Blue Tiger moth.

If you’d like to keep one of these beauties on your desk all month, I’ve got a treat for you! Download, print, and assemble a mini February calendar featuring the Blue Tiger Moth illustration:

Printable Calendar

Assembly Instructions

Or if you prefer, here’s a wallpaper version for your iPhone or computer desktop:

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320×480 iPhone 640×960 iPhone4

Enjoy!

Posted in Illustration, Moth of the Month | Comments Off

The Messengers

1 Comment » Written on January 3rd, 2011 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Sketches

In folklore and mythology herons are frequently seen as messengers. They can also symbolize a change in luck.

I painted this piece for my holiday card this card this year, and it was a bit of a change of pace, being all traditional media instead of mostly digital. I bought a set of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay india inks earlier this year, and I’d been looking for an opportunity to do a complete painting with them. They’re very similar to working with watercolors.

Click through below if you’d like to see sketches and in progress work on this painting!

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Illustration, Sketches | 1 Comment »

Unevenly Distributed

Comments Off Written on December 13th, 2010 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration, Sketches

I was approached by gearfuse.com to illustrate a banner graphic for their new weekly column, Unevenly Distributed, written by John Brownlee. The column is going to cover a lot of different tech topics, and their impact both historical and on the future, so I immediately knew I wanted to do an amalgamation of images for the banner.

Click through to see some of the step-by-step work in progress of this piece!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Día de los Muertos

Comments Off Written on December 1st, 2010 by Kiri
Categories: Design, Illustration

Late summer 2009 I answered an open call from the Marigold Project seeking an artist to design the poster for the local Día de los Muertos procession and celebration. Even though it was a non-profit job I fought very hard for it, coming up with numerous ideas for the poster and drawing sketches before I’d even been chosen. I’ve always loved the imagery of the Day of the Dead, and I really wanted to design the poster.

I ended up winning the job, the poster was a big success, and this year there was no open call – the Marigold Project asked me directly to design and illustrate the 2010 poster. I of course jumped at the chance, because it was so fantastic working with them last year! I think this year’s poster turned out just as great, and while the vibe of the illustration is completely different, the two posters make a nice pair. The lotería theme was fun to incorporate, and I enjoyed re-designing the cards to fit in with the Día de los Muertos imagery.

I have a limited number of signed posters available in my Etsy shop, so if you weren’t able to pick one up at the local celebration this is your chance to snag a poster!

Posted in Design, Illustration | Comments Off

Grey bird, red flowers

2 comments Written on June 1st, 2010 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration

Posted in Illustration | 2 Comments »

Lady Gaga

2 comments Written on March 14th, 2010 by Kiri
Categories: Illustration

An Art Nouveau re-imagining of one of her amazing fashions from the video for “Bad Romance”. Read the rest of this entry »