heatherfranzen

[heatherfranzen]

Getting ready for ART FIGHT 2025! My profile is https://artfight.net/~yogomagpie! Let me know if you’re doing Art Fight this year and I’ll bookmark your characters to attack >:)

Below are my characters! I tried to create a variety so that there is something for everyone’s comfort and style. Like I just created my very first furry character, Batalina, so that the furries have someone to draw haha

When I first heard of Art Fight I didn’t get why you would essentially draw for others for free, but I gave it a try in 2020 and I was hooked. I especially love looking for beginner artists and drawing their characters and seeing their reaction………it gives me life…..

It’s the one time of the year when I go 100% digital, and I treat it as a big experimental exercise or challenge to improve something. This year, I’m hoping to focus on improving the form and volume of my drawings.

I’m also happy to explain what Art Fight is if you’ve never heard of it lol

[heatherfranzen]

And the final batch of Plein Airpril paintings. I made it to 28 days out of 30, so close…

[heatherfranzen]

I went on a social media hiatus/detox or whatever and forgot to post my other Plein Airprils haha oops hi tumblr im back

[heatherfranzen]

I’m doing Plein Airpril this year! Here are the first 10 days. Four are true plein airs and the rest are based on photographs.

All acrylic gouache except for April 10, which is J. Herbin grid nuage fountain pen ink and gray Pentel Pocket brush ink.

[heatherfranzen]

Happy birthday to Pepper! She is 6 years old today (3/17/25) ☘️✨

[heatherfranzen]

Painted/Sketched a White-Tailed Jackrabbit that I saw this winter!

[heatherfranzen]

Painted a couple poliwag 🫧

[heatherfranzen]

Painted a Goomy this morning to celebrate Pokémon Day! Technically a still life of my sitting cuties plush hehe

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Sketched some ravens today!

[heatherfranzen]

Playing in Heavypaint with a study from redditgetsdrawn. I love how chaotic this app is haha

[heatherfranzen]

Fourth prompt for #favcember2024 is Animal. There are SO many deer here and I love watching them graze in the backyard. This painting is based on a pic I took of a doe and her baby grooming each other.

I was experimental with the colors in this one because my original digiscope photo is very very desaturated. I used blue as my black and I think it turned out pretty cool.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache on a 4x4” wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

Third prompt for #favcember2024 is Scenery. This painting is based on a photo I took in my previous house—we had a crabapple tree growing right outside our window and I loved the view so much. In April, right when it was at its peak bloom, a robin began building its nest in the flowers 🥺 I miss watching that tree so much, and all of my backyard bird friends.

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache and Liquitex acrylic gouache on a 4x4” wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

Second prompt for #favcember2024 is Quiet Moment. In September, I went on a camping trip, and I woke up right before sunrise and caught sight of this streetlamp by the bathrooms. The sky was beautiful and the air was still and silent aside from the occasional chirp or caw.

My favorite way to paint trees and shrubs is to paint a large blob to lay down the overall tree shape, then “carve” the background into that blob to suggest leaves and twigs and branches. It always turns out more organic and natural than trying to paint the details of a tree over the background. I just have to remember to not add sky where a tree trunk should be (easy to cover up if I do, though).

Painted with Holbein acryla gouache and Liquitex acrylic gouache on a 4x4” wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

I’m painting some coastcards using prompts from Cara’s favcember2024 challenge. The first prompt is Happy Memory.

I painted a moment from my May trip to Poland when we saw the dragon at the end of the Dragon’s Cave tour at Wawel Castle in Kraków. It breathes actual fire!

My favorite way to paint fire or other glowy things against blue is to first lay down a bit of lilac (my favorite color) and then slowly build layers of red, yellow, and finally white.

Holbein acryla gouache and Liquitex acrylic gouache on a 4x4” wood coaster.

[heatherfranzen]

November 1 Snack, 5x5 inches, acryla gouache

My Halloween painting for this year’s Art Ghoullery exhibition at The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum in Moorhead, MN. The theme this year is Staying Alive~

[heatherfranzen]

Another Flashback Friday to this painting from Halloween 2020, using prompts picked by ig (bat, pumpkin, moth). Acryla gouache, 5x5 inches

Prints available here 🦇

[heatherfranzen]

Flashback to 2018 when I painted this for the first Art Ghoullery exhibition at the Rourke Art Gallery + Museum in Moorhead, MN!

I have giclee prints on my website if anyone wants to add some Halloween spirit to their walls! heatherfranzen.com/shop/reunion