Exotique 7! (and other features)

Still cannot believe that an obscure, unknown hobbyist with no Art Education like me could do it, but at the end Flora and the DragonFly was accepted in Exotique 7, which is probably one of the most flattering and self-confidence boosting events in the life of a wannabe digital illustrator. 

So, thank to the jury of Ballistic Publishing, I'm gonna see my picture printed in a real book, together with the illustrations of many really famous Artists.

Then, in some ways and with great surprise, gratitude and happiness, I also discovered that the are some sites and blog featuring some of my illustrations:

The Madonna Lois Griffin was appreciated by the french blog Ma Planche á Dessin

Appearance (selfportrait) was featured at Tutorart, in their Daily Inspiration#490

The Butterflower is at hangaroundtheweb.com in one of their Inspiration for the day.

Sorry for this not-very-humble-post, but I've been going around painting under many months, with joy and willing to improve, but thinking I'll never do something decent. So, seeing that there are people I never met and anyway appreciate my efforts, is so flattering and good for a self-confidence which is normally quite low.

Butterflower

I sketched the concept of this imagine in the gone century, at least 17 years ago, since the original pencil drawing I found at home is dated 1994:

I felt like I wanted to paint a colored version of it, soon or later. In a lack of ideas I've picked up the subject and done a Photoshop version, using mainly round and chalk brushes. Maybe I'll try later other versions, with different kind of petals, or pistils, or insects, will see.

If pictures with human subjects are challenging and often leave me with a sense of frustration and low self-esteem, these flower-insects-creatures subjects give me a feeling of freedom and creativity which I enjoy very much, even if the results may not be that good.