Category Archives: design

16th-century sci-fi

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Ctrowbridge_16thcentury_sci-fi_characters72

Here are the last sketches I posted all colored in. :)

So…little backstory…the White Queen-sort of figure is a bit of an antagonist (but certainly not the main bad guy in the story) and has a smoldering past with the dude with the glowing blue laser filigreed gun thingy slung over his back…a smoldering past that burnt the shit out of them both.  But now it’s been at least a decade since the ANGST. So it’s just nice and awkward.  Also, she IS a queen.

The other dude gets along with everyone, so really, he’s pretty set.

character design sketches

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Character sketches100dpi

Sketches from an unfinished universe I created in college about the divided kingdoms of North and South Baring, which I used to create these characters for class now about ten years later. It was serendipitous! I found these old papers and descriptions of people and I had an assignment to design some 16th century science fiction characters that it was perfect for.

I am finishing up coloring them, so this is just a preview…

Costume drawing final

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costume final design

Here is a very Sky Doll-inspired costume design I did for my final project in Costume Figure Drawing with Charles Hu (at Gnomon – wheeee! very fun class!).  It’s a mash-up of evil queens, Renaissance/Elizabethan, Chinese wedding headdresses, sci-fi and such and was a preeeeeetty awesome open final project.

If you’re not familiar with Sky Doll, it’s a fantastic Franco-Belgian comic by the amazing team Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa BUT Marvel also translated it into English.  If you like comics with amazing art and colors, then I think you might like it.

pussy galore

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catwoman poster neon

I have no idea where this came from. I had the drive to do a girl running in a simplified silhouette style, and suddenly as I was drawing I was like, she’s Catwoman!! Need ears!!!!

Anyway, all Photoshop. Sorry about the title, I couldn’t help myself. :D

work in progress: ball-jointed figure

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The Japanese ball-jointed doll craze?

Kinda creepy.

The format itself?

Pretty neat.

Collecting dolls is not much of a hobby of mine, though I do enjoy higher-end models that employ great costume design.  Robert Tonner and Marina Bychkova definitely inspired me to take my work 3D.

This picture actually doesn’t quite do justice to what I have done so far, because the flash is really reflecting on the rougher surfaces more than what you’d see in reality. I have already been trying out some buffing tools ala Dremel, but the speed of ours is a bit much for the material. I’ve been considering a nail buffer might work to smooth out the cracks, though haven’t invested in that or a slower Dremel yet to really give the piece some polish.

Ball-jointed figure head detail

Ball-jointed figure head detail

This head, while hollow (thanks to aluminum foil), still needs to be drilled out in neck region for the ball to fit into. I’m currently using a oven bake polymer clay as practice, before moving to a much easier air dry clay, of which I can add on parts easily even after the piece is dried (such as the ball of each joint…much easier to align things that way). I’ll be interested to see if the air dry stuff dries harder, as well.

Here’s the torso relatively far along. It’s also hollow, made of oven bake polymer clay, and still needs leg and arm openings drilled in so that the aluminum foil armature can be removed.

Ball-jointed figure head and torso

Ball-jointed figure head and torso

Again, the photo really reflects on any not perfectly smooth surfaces, and I have yet to find a buffing tool I love (need a nail buffer perhaps or a slower Dremel), so it looks much nicer in person at this time. The photos are a tiny disappointing, but should only serve to inspire me to A. find a buffing tool, and B. use the camera more often.

courtneytrowbridge@gmail.com

work in progress: Rococo necklace

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Next week I am going to be a bridesmaid for my dear sweet Sheil and Vic’s wedding.  The wedding is sort of a punky Rococo-themed amalgamation, and Rococo is one of my favorite design periods!

I found this necklace at Anthropologie and really liked it, but thought it would be a cool idea to create some ultimately removable pieces to fit it more into the style period.  I’m thinking I’ll leave it relatively asymmetric, and add in a few well-placed flowers on the other side.   The applique needs a little trimming before it’s done and I’d like to incorporate the rose quartz teardrops in better with a few more beads.  And yes, that flower is ponyskin.

Rococo-inspired necklace

Rococo-inspired necklace

Please click on the links to visit my Flickr page and see the images larger!  Though, I still felt it quite necessary to also take a detail shot of the applique so far.  I’d love to find a way to incorporate more roses and especially a bird into the piece!  But I don’t want it to get TOO large.  We’ll see…and of course I’ll post photos of the finished product!

Rococo-inspired necklace detail

Rococo-inspired necklace detail

courtneytrowbridge@gmail.com

fashion sketches and flats

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My actual training is in fashion design work.  Designing is all well and good…every fashion designer dreams of having the freedom to creatively put together a line of clothing.  Unfortunately, EVERY fashion designer dreams of this.  So, naturally, opportunities of this degree are rather scarce.

It’s hard to find gigs even doing the drawing presentation, but that definitely is a fun part of the job, and not everyone who goes to school for FD has this type of skill.  Here are some examples.

brightly colored work

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In more recent years, I just love working in color.  Usually this manifests itself in all kinds of neon hues and mixed media!

This was done as a gift for my friend Melissa. It's a mixture of ink pen, color pencil, concentrated watercolors, and gold ink.

This is an image of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Ballpoint pen and marker.

Please do not take my images and use them without permission.  It is okay to repost with a link back to my site, though.  Please just ask me if you have questions at <courtney><trowbridge><at><gmail><dot><com>.