Here is a quick card I made for a close friend. I have been so inspired being back in the Colorado landscapes these past few weeks: they are stunning and lend themselves well to the holiday season. I'm sorry Florida, but Colorado will forever have my allegiance. 

Crustmus

Here it is folks! The Doersch Christmas card 2011. Ink, Photoshop and Illustrator. I has a blast working on this, plus Otto my dog looks like a total G. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Sneakin

Hey all, here is a little preview for my family's Christmas card. My mother, the aesthetic authority figure of our house, has given me free reign to design our greeting for this year, and it has served to be a stress free project so far. More to come soon!

12.21

A quick sketch for December 21. Today was spent lounging with one of my favorite people, stuffing my face with sushi, and now it is snowing outside. In other news, check out Britt Wilson. I am crushing.

Arizona Sketches

As some of you know, Jeff and I recently took a mini road trip from ASU in Tempe back to our home in Colorado Springs. I took a similar route early this past summer, and each time I have been awe struck by the beauty of Arizona's landscapes. I know that Georgia O'Keeffe spent the better part of her career there, and I can definitely understand why. The color and contrast is what got me: deserts paired with snowy mountains, smooth and jagged shapes, I basically spent 13 hours wishing I could take perfect mental pictures of what I saw. Although I was unsuccessful on that front, I did manage to get a few sketches:

I also found a few sketches from the past two weeks that I wanted to share with all of you:

Holidays are the perfect excuse to practice some lettering :)

Yes, a real human being actually had this haircut. It was my duty to document it.

Composition has been my focus in sketching recently. I have been resistant to this idea up until now despite so many sources telling me to do so, drawing without a box is more fun. BUT - learning is all about the challenge right? Challenge: Make drawing in a box fun. And so far it has been.

Art & Fear

After wanting to for several months, I FINALLY got the chance to read David Bayle and Ted Orland's book Art & Fear. This past semester has been difficult in many aspects for me, one of which surrounds my confidence and inspiration concerning the things I make. The contents were so helpful to me in trying to get back into the right groove, and would serve anyone with creative interest well. 




Here were some thoughts that stuck with me:


The far greater danger in not that the artist will fail to learn anything from the past, but will fail to teach anything new to the future.


To see things is to enhance your sense of wonder both for the singular pattern of your own experience, and for the meta-patterns that shape all experience. All this suggest a useful working approach to making art: notice the objects you notice. (e.g. Read that sentence again.) Or put another way: make objects that talk --and then listen to them.


Some things, regardless of whether they are discovered or invented, simply and assuredly feel right. What is natural and what is beautiful are, in their purest state, indistinguishable.


Artmaking grants access to worlds that may be dangerous, sacred, forbidden, seductive, or all of the above. It grants access to worlds you may otherwise never fully engage. It may in fact be the engagement--not the art--that you seek. The difference is that making art allows, indeed guarantees, that you declare yourself. Art is contact, and your work necessarily reveals the nature of that contact. In making art you declare what is important.


To make art is to sing with the human voice. To do this you must first learn that the only voice you need is the voice you already have.




I will gladly discuss this book further with anyone who is interested. And if anything, do yourself a favor and go find a copy of this book STAT!

Bitch

Illustration based on the short story Bitch by Roald Dahl.

You know all of those neon prismacolors we never get to use? ...I finally got to give them some lovin.

The Next War

Based on the poem The Next War by Wilfred Owen.

The Stash

This project was based on the idea of creating something that could be used within our area of interest in the illustration industry. With my mind being plagued with the excitement of flying home in a few days, I chose Burton Snowboards. They do this cool thing called The Stash, which I made this poster to promote.

Snowboards fo lyfe!

Nu Noos

First and foremost, I now have a portfolio website! Please take a minute to stop by:

cargocollective.com/alliedoersch

And for you all, this means that [fingers crossed] I will be able to share a little bit more on this site. This semester has been one of a lot of changes, and I am very excited to be taking some new steps in my creative development.

I always enjoy applying the artistic itch to venues other than school work or traditional finished art. Primo example for this time of year - cookie decorating. Here are a few that I smeared up for some freinds this past weekend. I know that December is going to be wonderful on this end, and I hope the same for you.

Bear Hugs

I am so excited to finally post this. Bear Hugs, cute right?

In other news, I am currently developing a portfolio site over at cargo collective, which means this site will be a place where I can [and will] upload much more process, rough sketches, and things I do on a more frequent basis. I will be sure to post the url to my site as soon as it is ready, check back soon!

Latest Oils

Here are several oil portraits that I have been working on lately. I'm particularly fond of the top image, cool light is an interesting change.

Wednesday Comic #2

Another adventure. I have been making it a priority to continue to do low stress personal work as exercises and it has been glorious.

Comics Are FUN

And so I did this for fun. It is also a true story - sometimes my life is especially great and this was one of those times.

DYLAN :)

Finally after all the modeling I have done for this boy I get to return the favor. Done in Corel Painter.

October

Some sketches from the past few weeks. If you haven't, take advantage of portrait night! 9-12 every Saturday in Bayou 3.

Birdies, done in Adobe Illustrator.

Self Portrait

A true reflection, done in Adobe Illustrator.

Sharpies my Friends

HEY. Is it the weekend? Are you bored? Get some buddies together and draw each other. Find some kind of media restriction. Brandon Baba Bakus, Chase Taylor and I decided on Sharpies only. Let me know if you try, and send me the results!

Figures

I am still in love with observing figures. These paintings range from 2.5 - 8 hours, and are done in oil. As these pieces demonstrate, I am discovering that the subtleties of limited palettes tickle my fancy.

The Forest

A short graphic piece commenting on our fabrication of alternate realities. Ink and digital.

Let's Etch

I finally got to try out some printmaking while at the Academy. This was the most involved of all the prints--an etching using a copper plate. I had a few accidents along the way, but they ended up working quite well which makes me even more proud of the print.

This one goes out to you Sara Thompson!

Week 3

Portraits! One of my favorite things in life. Anderson Cooper and Betty White, in all of their mixed media glory.

On a more general note, The Illustration Academy was THE best thing I could have done with my summer. I would recommend it wholeheartedly for anyone who is serious about this whole make a living doing what you love business, and I am planning on returning to Kansas City at one point or another without a doubt. To those of you who were there, I miss you tremendously.

Week 2

This piece, long story short, relates the Lee Family House in Black Forest, CO to the West Bottoms in Kansas City, MO. Done in gouache and acrylic with a wee bit of oil.

Thanks for stopping by, be sure to check back for more goodies soon!

Week One

Here's the gist: make an image relating to the West Bottoms in Kansas City focusing on shape and value [hmm sensing a theme here] using flat color only. I found myself with some extra time towards the end of the week, so why not make a second piece? Each is done using acrylic gouache. It was my first time using them, and it won't be the last. Especially if you have worked in gouache before, I highly recommend you give them a try!

Figure at the Academy

It has been quite the time here at the Academy in Kansas City. Perhaps some of you have heard of the technique they teach here for figure drawing, particularly if you have taken Pratt's class- these are a few images I have come up with based on looking at shape and value rather than line [each pose is 15 minutes]. In the past two weeks I have had the honor of drawing alongside Sterling Hundley, George Pratt, John English, and Mark English: pretty crazy. Good music, good people. Needless to say I still love figure drawing.

Yohoho

Nice to be back on the ocean!

Location:At sea

I love lunch.

Today I had a lovely lunch at the Farm Market Deli in Wautoma, WI with the nicest waitress I have encountered in a long time. It is little places like these that help to keep me inspired - thank you!

Location:W Main St,Wautoma,United States