Stephanie O'Brien's Blog

New Artwork: Sky and Silhouettes

27/11/2020

When I was working on Forest of Snails, I initially planned to use trees instead of vines. Partway through, I decided the vines looked better and would be more flexible in terms of snail positions, but I kept the trees in case I wanted to do something else with them later.

Yesterday, I was looking at the silhouettes of some trees and thought, "That would be a great use for those unused branches, if I turn them black and add a darker sky." This was the result.

If you want to get this artwork on items like clothing, accessories or home decor, here are a few of the things you can get:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face Masks
Stickers
Floor Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Phone Cases & Skins
Towels
Tapestries
Posters
Coffee Mugs
Laptop & iPad Skins
Dresses

You can see all the RedBubble items with this artowork here.

To see more products with this picture on Society6, check out this art print, then scroll down to where it says "More featuring this artwork".

Symmetrical Pattern: Rainbow StarFlower

13/11/2020

I recently played Sayonara Wild Hearts, and I was inspired by the artwork in it, especially the cards and the level title screens.

I decided I wanted to try drawing a symmetrical pattern like some of the ones I've made before, this time with the combination of dark foreground and pastel rainbow cutouts that I'd seen in the game.

It took me a couple hours, and I'm really happy with how it looks!

It took several attempts to get the right shades and thicknesses for the lines of color in the background, especially since I'm used to working with more jewel-toned hues.

Despite the colors being paler than my usual choices, there's nothing like a black contrast to make even softer tones look vivid!

I like the brighter, more ethereal look these shades give in this context, compared to their darker, bolder jewel-toned counterparts.

If you want to learn how to draw symmetrical patterns like this, I have an art tutorial on SkillShare.

My supporters on Patreon can see several extra versions of this picture that show what it looked like in its earlier stages, as well as a description of the drawing process.

If you want to get this artwork on items like clothing, accessories or home decor, here are a few of the things you can get:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face Masks
Stickers
Throw Pillows
Comforters
T-shirts
Phone Cases & Skins
Towels
Tapestries
Skirts
Coffee Mugs
Laptop Skins
Dresses

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

To see more products with this pattern on Society6, check out this art print, then scroll down to where it says "More featuring this artwork".

How to Draw Semi-Realistic Fire

24/10/2020

I was recently asked how I draw the semi-realistic fire in my webcomic, so I made a quick tutorial.

Flowers and Frames Art Series

7/9/2020

After I finished drawing Grey Flowers, Golden Frames and putting it on physical products, I stopped and thought, "You know, I like the pattern in this picture, but the color scheme isn't really doing it for me."

"It didn't work out as well as it did in the photo that inspired it, and besides, I feel like this picture has a lot of untapped potential I could bring out if I just played with the colors a bit."

So I played with the colors, and got several versions I'm much happier with.

After I made the purple, pink and blue version, it didn't quite look right with flat colors. I wanted it to look shiny, like the crystal blocks in Terraria, so I decided to try adding shadows and highlights. I really like the way it worked out.

I shared the green, blue and yellow version in ProjectComment, and one of the commenters suggested a new color scheme with darker, softer greens. I tried it and liked it, so I added it here.

If you want to get this artwork on items like clothing, accessories or home decor, here are a few of the items you can get:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face Masks
Stickers
Throw Pillows
Comforters
T-shirts
Phone Cases and Skins
Towels
Tapestries
Shower Curtains
Coffee Mugs
Fanny Packs
Dresses

You can see all the RedBubble items with these patterns here:

Grey Flowers, Golden Frames
Cerulean Flowers, Sky-Blue Frames
Gold Flowers, Garnet Frames
Gold Flowers, Green Frames
Green Flowers, Green Frames
Pink and Blue Flowers, Purple Frames
Green Flowers, Forest Frames

To see more products with this pattern on Society6, check out these art prints, then scroll down to where it says "More featuring this artwork".

Grey Flowers, Golden Frames
Cerulean Flowers, Sky-Blue Frames
Gold Flowers, Garnet Frames
Gold Flowers, Green Frames
Green Flowers, Green Frames
Pink and Blue Flowers, Purple Frames
Green Flowers, Forest Frames

My Friend Just Published a Book! Here's the Cover Art

6/9/2020

For the last few months, I've been working with Andrea Fluhman to bring her very first book, #wingman, to publication.

This book is based on her experiences in positions of leadership and her observations of other leaders, and it aims to help others to give and receive the support they need, whether as a leader or as a leader's wingman.

I provided advice when this book was still just a rough first draft, and grammatical editing after that. Once it was written and edited, we also collaborated to create the synopsis and cover art.

The butterflies were originally sketched by her cousin, but because they were hand-drawn on paper, I needed to trace them so I'd be able to put them on her chosen background and adjust their coloring.

My initial concept art for the cover had a sky background, and a variety of options for the butterfly colors and text font.

After reviewing that, she decided she preferred a black background with the rainbow butterflies, leading to the final version of the cover below. The front cover is on the right, and the back cover is on the left.

Now, her book is finally out there for all the world to see, and I'm so happy for her. :D

I encourage you to check out her book, and get a copy if it seems like something you would find helpful.

Symetrical Artwork: Grey Flowers, Golden Frames

3/9/2020

My latest piece of artwork was inspired by a photo with an interesting floor in it. Here's a snippet of the photo in question:

I wanted to try something similar, but obviously with my own spin on it.

It ended up being quite a departure from the "wood and marble" feel of the original floor, and I might have made the gold parts too thick compared to the grey, but I do like the general concept, and I might try similar pieces of artwork with different color schemes in the future.

If you want to get this artwork on items like clothing, accessories or home decor, here are a few of the items you can get:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face Masks
Stickers
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Hoodies
Phone Cases and Skins
Towels
Tapestries
Shower Curtains
Coffee Mugs
Fanny Packs
Dresses

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

To see more products with this pattern on Society6, check out this art print, then scroll down to where it says "More featuring this artwork".

Forest of Snails

3/8/2020

Today I present a picture that basically exists because I wanted to play with pretty patterns and colors.

At first I was going to leave the vines without outlines, but it just looked weird to have the snails outlined and the vines not.

I also added leaves because the vines looked naked and the picture felt incomplete without them.

I initially tried using puffy clouds, but that didn't quite look right. So I made the clouds look windswept, and that was much better.

If you'd like to get these snails on physical items like clothing or coffee mugs, check out the collage below!

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face Masks
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Shirts
iPhone Cases and Skins
Bath Mats
Tapestries
Shower Curtains
Coffee Mugs
Notebooks
Dresses

Floral Pattern: Ruby Flowers, Emerald Vines

2/6/2020

Remember the abstract vine pattern I recently shared? Here's the finished floral pattern!

An earlier version had far fewer flowers, but I decided to put a high concentration of blossoms on it. I've learned from experience that when it comes to print-on-demand patterns, I have to pack the elements I want to show up on products fairly tightly, or I end up with parts of the products that don't have anything on them.

That work-in-progress version also had a blue background, but after experimenting a bit, I decided that the black background made the flowers pop more and gave it a more striking appearance.

Even after adding flowers and tinkering with the background, I felt like something was missing. So I took a guess, and I was right - it needed yellow lights.

And so, with those adjustments made, here it is in all its finished glory:

If you want to wear this pattern on your clothes, or use it to add a bold, graceful flare your home, it's available on blankets, coffee mugs, shirts, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Face masks
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Credenzas
Dresses

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

To see more products with this pattern on Society6, check out this art print, then scroll down to where it says "More featuring this artwork".

Snowflake-Drawing Montage: Silver Forest Flakes

15/5/2020

I thought silver snowflakes on a dark green background would look elegant, so I decided to try it.

You can see the drawing process in this video, set to peaceful music:

MUSIC CREDITS:

Final Reckoning
By Asher Fulero (YouTube Audio Library)

Meadow
By Density & Time (YouTube Audio Library)

Gently, Onwards
By ELPHNT (YouTube Audio Library)

Escape
By Eveningland (YouTube Audio Library)

Tiny Spaceship
By Mike Relm (YouTube Audio Library)

You can see the individual snowflakes, and get the links to my art tutorial and physical products, by clicking "Read More".

Page 53 of My "Undertale" Comic, "Just Cause", is Ready!

10/5/2020

Here's the latest chapter of Just Cause! You can read the comic from the beginning here.

When I first got to this part of the game, the first thing that flashed through my mind was the words, "Holy shit. She's about to go full yandere on me."

The original script actually had Frisk say that, but then I realized they probably wouldn't be familiar with the term "yandere", and it felt a bit out of character.

To support me as an artist and writer so I can publish pages faster, and to get early access to completed art and stories, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon!

If you want me to draw something specific for you, check out my commissions page.

And if you'd like to get my art on your pillows, mugs, blankets, furniture and more, take a look at my stores on Society6 and RedBubble!