The Awesome Adventures of Charles B. Snyder

 [I'm taking a childrens book illustration class and we have to write and then illustrate our own story. Which means lots of that will be popping up here and there. Here's the first draft.]

The Awesome Adventures of Charles B. Snyder

Charlie was always late to play with us. Always And he always has some crazy story of why he is late.  “Sorry guys! I had to stop a MU-TIN-NY on a pirate ship!”

But how could he do that? He’s just a little boy! We all are really curious about what he’s REALLY up to!

Veronica, the bravest of us all, stepped up. “Can I go with you on your next adventure, before we all play together?” “Sure! I will take you to meet the pirates! They will be nice to you cause I helped them!” (Charlie). Veronica really likes pirates, so she was happy.

Then we played kick ball. We all couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

I wanted to be the first one to the field to hear from Veronica, so I left really early. But Jimmy AND Sam were already there!

“We couldn’t wait to hear if all Charlie’s stories are fake or not” (said Sam) “So we got here early. I guess you thought the same as me and Sam” (said Jimmy)

So us three sat down and waited.

Getting here early was a bad idea. Charlie is always late any way, and this time Veronica would be too.

Finally they showed up. Veronica would not stop talking! “The pirates were so nice, Charlie was right! They even let me sail the ship, but I didn’t have to swab the poop deck! They made Peg leg Joe do that. And Capitan Curly Beard really has a curly beard! It’s like really curly! More curly than my hair! And it was so much fun!”

Shyly, Sam asked where Charlie was thinking of going tomorrow. “Hmm, maybe I think I will go ride some dinosaurs.” “…I like dinosaurs.” (Sam) “You can come too” (Charlie)

“Can I too?” piped up Jimmy. “Sure!” Charlie was all smiles for the rest of the day.

I left late for the field. There is no point in leaving early, everyone else was going to be late any way.

THEY were all there waiting for me! “YOU’RE LATE” said Veronica with a smile.

And then the stories began. They were talking about Dinosaurs like they really saw them! “They were so big!” “One licked my ear!” “One licked my foot!” “I petted a baby purple one!” “I wish I could keep one as a pet!”.

But Charlie didn’t say anything about dinosaurs. “We left early cause we didn’t want you to be lonely waiting for us. “

Where are you going tomorrow, I asked. I had to know. “I was thinking we should all go explore the Amazon, or go to Saturn. Either one sounds cool.” “AND YOU’RE COMING WITH US” exclaimed Veronica.

I packed my backpack the night before. I didn’t know what I’d need for the Amazon Rainforest, much less for space. So I just grabbed some snacks, a flashlight, and an extra pair of socks. And went to be early.

Charlie’s Mom showed up at my house right after breakfast. I hopped into her car and sat between Sam and Veronica. They each had a backpack like mine.

We stopped at this big building with really tall columns. Charlie just walked straight through the doors, Veronica grabbed my hand and pulled me in.

They lead me passed the biographies, and past the histories. Away from the reference, and to the left of a big desk. We stopped underneath a sign that read PICTURE BOOKS.

Charlie ran off, looking through the stacks of books for something. We were at a library, that much I knew. But how would we get to the Amazon, much less Space from here.

The ceiling is really high, I noticed. And made of glass too. We COULD fly a rocket through it. But it would make a really big mess.

Charlie was back with an arm full of books. As he turned the first page, the heat of the Amazon enveloped us. Trees grew from the book, and over took the tables and desks.

And the adventure was on! We played tag through the towering trees and swung on the vines. Jumped in puddles, flew with the birds!

We canoed with the friendly natives, and wrestled a jaguar.

Then Charlie opened the next book, and we blasted off from the jungles of the Amazon and into Space. The man on the moon even winked at us! We flew on towards Pluto, he looked a little lonely and in need of friends.

things found

Found all these unfinished doodles and sketches while attempting to put together a portfolio for Thiel's Illustration class (SO FREAKING NERVOUS). But without further ado, here's some digital doodles.

Princess Tutu's Ahiru

Sailor Mercury/Ami

Princess Serenity

Panty &Stocking with Garterbelt's Stocking

Violinist of Hameln

Violinist of Hamln's Hamel

first illustration of the new year~

First piece for senior year! its a spot illustration for "Music", and I am so ridiculously nervous for tomorrows critique.

The Airship Avalon and its citizenry part1

This summer as a personal project, aside from working at Macy's, I decided to create a Steampunk looking world living on Airships. And for my characters I would take a the first 15 or so friends to comment on my facebook status and put them into this world. By doing so, it would force me to use a myriad of different personalities and body types that I may have never chosen myself. The challenge was more fun and a lot more interesting than I had originally though it would be. But with the summer ending and classes starting up again, the project is put on hold (or at least in slow motion).

Here is the first collection of characters~

James of the Lady's Secret Police (Left) and Airship Captain Fernando (Right) were the first to be designed. Their clothing had to both be functional to their roles in the story as well as a good representation of their personality. James is a much more flamboyant person than the reserved and duty driven Captain.

Victoria (Left) and Nicole (Right) are an inseparable pair. Victoria is the overseer of the mechanics for the main ship. She keeps the beefy men and woman who are cut out for the extreme manual labor in line, no questions asked. Nicole designs and creates mechanical animals ranging from dogs and cats to Lady Morgan's (soon to come) garden fairies.

Here we have two fighter pilots, Wesley (Left) and Andrew (Right) sporting the two variations of their uniforms. Their job is to fly ahead of the main airship and to keep it safe from anything, whether it be an attacking airship, air pirates, or just a slow moving airbeast. They also function as scouts, and explorers.

Nicole (left) and Adam (right) work on the home front, unlike Wesley and Andrew. These two care for and educate the younger generations about the airship and whatnot. They are more reserved yet very caring characters with loads of patience to deal with the hoards of questions the children come up with.

Kimberly (Left) and Torie (right) both enjoy the same highbrow company. That being said, their roles are quite different. Torie is the High Judge for the Airship Avalon and enforces the laws. Even though she may not follow them all the time herself, she takes her job seriously when she's on the clock. Kimberly is a young writer rooming with the airships new Historian (soon to come). And thus get dragged into the upper class, though she doesn't seem to mind.

And the last pair of this group are two denizens, upper middle class women, sporting two extremes of the fashion seen aboard the Airship Avalon. Jordyn (Left) is seen wearing a more risque and revealing dress than the fully covered Kati (Right).

All these were done with microns and Rembrandt watercolors.

Steampunk character design WIP

 

Low quality WIP of the first 2 in a series of Steampunk-esque character designs based on friends. Here we have Denny and Fernando.

Shameless self-promotion time!

hey guys! time for some shameless self-promotion!

I am now doing commissions! Prices are negotiatable.


And i do Art trades!

Websites! :D SO YOU CAN STALK ME MORE (cause i know you all want to)!

http://www.behance.net/akelleyillustration
http://mirror2rorrim.deviantart.com/
http://akelleyillustration.blogspot.com/ (WHAT? you are here!)


Over the summer i will be looking for jobs and internships around the area, hopefully art related. But worst comes to worst, i'll be working a "normal" job and do some art on the side.

Goals for this summer:
~Photoshop mastering like no other
~a ton of fan art
~Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Link cosplay

Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott by Lord Alfred Tennyson


On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the bearded barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly;
Down to tower'd Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott."
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot;
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls
Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd lad,
Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad
Goes by to tower'd Camelot;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two.
She hath no loyal Knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot;
Or when the Moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed.
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armor rung
Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, burning bright,
Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining.
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And around about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance --
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right --
The leaves upon her falling light --
Thro' the noises of the night,
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And around the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."




I love that poem, and Arthurian legends as well, so for my illustration final, thats what i chose to do. She's a hodgepodge of different mediums, gouache ink watercolor marker, but i kind of like it.