New Zine now in the Store

August 19, 2023 in Store Announcement

NEW: Lovett No.1 Zine

$20.00

Lovett No. 1 features a select number of personal illustrations created by artist Ashly Lovett from 2015-2023. This includes personal pieces and pop culture work.

Interior cover signed by Ashly Lovett. Custom salutations can be requested in Notes at Checkout.

See a flip through preview here.

”Lovett No. 1” Specs:

Pages: 36 Pages (Cover + 32 Inside)
Size: 5.5”x8.5”
Cover Ink: (4/4) Full Color Both Sides
Inside Ink: (4/4) Full Color Both Sides
Cover Paper: 14PT Gloss Cover
Inside Paper: 100# Gloss Text
Cover Finish: (UV) High Gloss

Quantity:

Add To Cart

Solo Show: How I Frame My Artwork

August 05, 2019 in Tutorials

In honor of my solos show, I wanted to do a post sharing advice on how to frame your own work. My first solo show will be with Gallery1988 August 2nd at 7pm in Los Angeles, CA. “The Female Gaze” is celebrating the women of the scifi and fantasy world of TV and film. It will feature 19 pieces total in chalk pastel and graphite. Limited edition prints and originals are available for purchase from the show here:

Here we go!
There are many reasons you may decide to mat and frame your own artwork. You save money in the long run, you don’t have to drop off your artwork and wait 2 weeks, and you can control every aspect of the process.

Step 1: Order Framing Materials

• PictureFrames.com is my go to online framing company. The process is easy and you can reuse the shipping box. You save money by reusing the materials and they give you the option to have an unmarked box sent to you. You can request samples too.

• Frame Destination is where I buy my non-glare acrylic, museum glass,. and shipping stuff. Their materials are priced fairly and it’s a local company. The staff there is very nice and Dallas locals can pick up their orders and avoid shipping. You can request samples too.

Tip: Acrylic is way more affordable than glass and it ships safely.
Tip: Acrylic will have static. You may not want that if your work uses dry media. It can lift particles from the artwork. Wipe it down with a wet rag and then an anti-static cloth to get ride of the static.
Tip: 16x20 museum glass is more affordable than 14x18, 11x14, etc.

Step 2: Matting Artwork

Materials: Logan Mat cutter. I suggest the Elite since it works with the the default 30x40 sized mat board. You can learn how to use the Logan Mat cutter with the instructions and video links provide with the product.

• Purchasing mat board sheets online is expensive. It’s also pricey to purchase them cut to size through PictureFrames.com. I suggest ordering the 30x40 sheets from a local stores like HobbyLobby and Michaels.

Tip: You can get four 16x20 mats from one 30x40 sheet.

Step 3: Framing the Artwork

Adhesive Applicators
Dust Cover Trimmer
Dust Cover Paper
D Ring Hangers
Soft Strange Wire
Point Driver

My biggest bit of advice is to keep your area clean. AND if you can find a piece of foam to elevate your working area, I highly suggest it. This way the framing materials will stay to the side and your framed artwork will be safe from dings and scratches. See below what I use.

You can purchase something at a hardware store. Look for 2” insulation panels. Make sure they aren’t toxic or something crazy. Talk to a store clerk.

This keeps your frame from safe. You can also use section of carpet, but I like having the 2” elevation from all my tools.

Below are some great videos summarizing how to frame your artwork.

Here are few things that are aren’t mentioned:
• Handle museum glass with cotton gloves to avoid smudges.
• Use only ammonia free glass cleaning when cleaning museum glass.
• You can request stickers showing you’re using museum glass and how to take care of it.

Step 4: Shipping

Materials:
Bubble Wrap
Corner Protectors
Optional: Custom Box, Painters Tape for Glass, and Glassine

Often I’ll just reuse the same packaging material I get when I order my frames online. Or you can purchase boxes at hardware stores and cut them to size. OR you can go to Fedex and USPS and they’ll package them for you.

Solo Show "The Female Gaze"

July 29, 2019

My first solo show will be with Gallery1988 August 2nd at 7pm in Los Angeles, CA.
“The Female Gaze” is a show celebrating the women of the scifi and fantasy world of TV and film. It will feature 19 pieces total in chalk pastel and graphite. Limited edition prints will be available too.
I’ll be there too. Come say “Hi!”

It was difficult choosing what women I wanted to feature. I made a list of all the female characters I loved, and narrowed that list down by their roles in the film. Not just what they did in their respective roles, but what their characters represented. Whether that was a ruler, a villain, a soldier, a victim, a survivor, or a scientist. Each has a different story to tell, and I want to showcase their strength and vulnerability.

Kickstarter Newsletter 05: Local Printer and Photos!

January 09, 2019 in Kickstarter, Littler Mermaid

A lot has happened since my last newsletter. I’ve spoken to local printer today to discuss paper samples and prices. Read all about it and see progress photos here: https://mailchi.mp/dd4e3584b196/de1mrxu5jt-3389725

Kickstarter Newsletter 04

November 09, 2018 in Littler Mermaid, Kickstarter

Click the Image to Read

A lot of new process work and a dummy book. View the video by clicking the image below!

Kickstarter Newsletter 03

July 26, 2018 in Littler Mermaid

Click the Image to Read or Click Here: https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=cf0e0b777c0ecbed7222d5c89&id=d69ee99a9f

Kickstarter Newsletter 02: View my Process

June 01, 2018 in Kickstarter

The second installment of my Kickstarter Newsletter is up!
Includes my process for the book and preview of what's to come!

Read the Newsletter Here

June 2018: Limited Edition Giclee Prints

May 01, 2018 in Illustration, Kickstarter

I went to the printers yesterday! Well worth the drive too. I wanted to pick out some paper choices and make sure that the print is as accurate to the original as possible. I'm going with a square format. Between 8"x8" and 12"x12". Still deciding which is the best choice. These will be limited edition signed and numbered giclee archival prints. Fancy prints. I'll start building my Kickstarter campaign today. Do sign up for the Newsletter if you want a print. Or you can keep track with the Facebook Event Page.

Quick Summary:
I will be having 2 Kickstarters. The 1st will be a limited edition signed and numbered giclee print on run of a select illustration from the book. The Kickstarter will run from June 1st-30th, 2018. I'll have more annoucements about this as the date gets closer. I'm hoping this Kickstarter will help grow anticipation for Part 2: Little Mermaid Illustrated Book, give me experience running a Kickstarter, and help me purchase props and pay models for the references photos I'll need to take to complete the illustrations for Part 2: Little Mermaid Illustrated Book. Keep up to date with this project by checking out the Kickstarter Home Page and/ or signup for the quarterly Newsletter.

Gallery 1988: Beetlejuice FanArt

April 06, 2018 in Illustration, Portrait, Process Work

See the process and design notes behind illustrator Ashly Lovett's "Call Betelgeuse" chalk pastel drawing.

(Top) reference photo from our first photoshoot March 31st. (Bottom) earlier concept drawing.

Newsletter 01: Concept Drawing, Reference Photoshoot, and More.

April 04, 2018 in Kickstarter

Want to know what I've been up to with the Kickstarter?
You can read all about here in the Newsletter 01.

Summary
Things are starting to get goin' for this Kickstarter! I've updated the Home Page to include the latest information. I'll be having 2 Kickstarters. June 2018 will be a limited edition giclee print run to promote the book project. June 2019 will be the official launch date for the illustrated book.

Get updates by following my social media, RSS to My Blog or signing up for the Newsletter. Next newsletter goes out in May. Or pledging $2 a month on my Patreon to keep up with everything week by week.

Screen Shot 2018-04-04 at 2.21.48 PM.png

Screen Shot 2018-04-04 at 1.34.47 PM.png

How to Work with Models
I share my reference photos, process, and plans on a recent post on my Patreon. Open to any patron who pledges $2 a month.
Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/17972247

I'll continue to share process work on my Patreon. It's going to be a good few months working through these concepts to completeing final illustrations for the book.

Kickstarter: Underwater Hair Craziness

January 18, 2018 in Kickstarter

This piece was created for Graphite Magazine's July 2018 issue. I did a tutorial on how to use chalk pastels. It was an interesting process scanning my piece in stages and thinking about what is most important to say. I've done plenty of live demos, but it's different when you have to break it down on paper. Plus, my technique involved reworking my subject several times over. I believe that the history left or the "ghost image" helps me define my best version of the illustration.

I wanted to use this piece as a chance to explore with my Kickstarter. I initially wanted a "darker" color palette similiar to what I want for my Kickstarter, but decided to go more whymiscal. And I wanted to explore what I could do with hair underwater. There is going to be A LOT of underwater hair action for the KS illustrated book and I don't want to do any typical shapes. Nope, I want to work with movement and really hone in on that light as a feather look. I feel I did accomplish that with this tutorial piece. I'm very happy! I even did some studies, which I'll show here as a little sneak peek for the tutorial. Some small gouache studies.

My next experiment will be a piece playing around with the color and tone. I think something more in the greenish-blue hue. I want it to feel "darker." I also need to figure out what our little mermaid is going to look like. I imagine white, nearly transparent skin and silver hair. I wonder if I should do a sculpt to keep me on track throughout the story illustrations? I'm hoping I can play this into a Month of Love piece too. I am taking baby steps. This project is dear to my heart and I want to make sure everything is done well and with a purpose.

To learn more about my Kickstarter and read more posts about it, click here.

Here is a small sample of inspirational imagery I've been collecting.
Work by Forest Rogers, Mira Nedyalkova, and Rebecca Guay.

Kickstarter Thumbnails and Updates

December 07, 2017 in Kickstarter, Process Work, News

I have a lot of questions to answer before I decided my launch date for The Little Mermaid Kickstarter. What dimension will the book be? How many pages? How many illustrations? Color or black and white or both? What time of year do I want to launch? What will my offers and goals be? And then there is all the fun logistic once I do decide on the look and size of the book.

I have decided that I want a long vertical book. Not a picture book, but an illustrated book. I'm pretty sure I want text on 2 pages and then full page spreads following. I think that would be fun. I could do a lot with that. I'll also have a few black and white spots.

I'm giving myself till Feb 1st to finalize the style and schedule for the book. I know I initially said Summer of 2018. I could either hold a limited edition print run of an illustration from the book in June. Basically a Phase 1 for the final book. And launch the book in 2019. That would give me a year or so to illustrate what I want with me doing 2 illustrations a month. That's in addition to other stuff I have going on. OR I could have the book 50% done and launch in July/Aug 2018. I'm not sure. So, my deadline to decide is Feb 1st.

Screen Shot 2017-12-07 at 2.03.25 PM.png

I'll also be doing a tutorial for Graphite Magazine. That's due Jan 6th. I'll use that to decide on the style of the book. It'll be a portrait of our little mermaid.

To see more behind the scene sketches and get more involved in the making of this project, join my Patreon for $2 a month. You get to see all my thoughts and sketches while supporting my creation.

Gallery 1988: Pan's Labyrinth Process Work

November 17, 2017 in Illustration, Patreon, Process Work, Time Lapse Demos

Opening Nov 18th, 7pm at Gallery 1988 in LA.
7308 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Don't miss my chalk pastel pieces of Pan's Labyrinth ( El Laberinto del Fauno) on display with Gallery 1988's Crazy 4 Cult 11 Show opening tonight at 7pm. Chalk pastel on BFK Rives paper. Both artwork pieces measure 13x20". Matted and framed with UV museum glass. Total size 21x29". Also, 10 8x10 limited edition signed prints available too.

Time-lapse Videos. Chalk Pastel on Paper.

Why Pan's Labyrinth?
I first did The Pale Man as a live demo for my patrons and Patreon. I love the film so much that I wanted to make it a series for a show I was participating in with Gallery 1988 in LA. To get involved in my next fan art piece, joining my Patreon at Patreon.com/AshlyLovett.

Movie Plot Summary
In 1944, in the post-Civil War in Spain, rebels still fight in the mountains against the falangist troops. The young and imaginative Ofelia travels with her pregnant and sick mother Carmen Vidal to the country to meet and live with her stepfather, the sadistic and cruel Captain Vidal, in an old mill. During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy and together they go to a pit in the center of a maze where they meet a faun that tells that she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. He also tells that her father is waiting for her, but she needs to accomplish three gruesome, tough and dangerous assignments first. Meanwhile, she becomes a friend of the servant Mercedes, who is the sister of one of the rebels and actually is giving support to the group. In a dark, harsh and violent world, Ofelia lives her magical world trying to survive her tasks and sees her father and king again. - Written by Caudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. IMDB.com

Process Work: Research Stage
With the beginning of each fan art piece, I start with my research behind my character and the story. I started with the color palette.

" I used the angular, cold world of fascist-era Spain to represent reality, and a very rounded and uterine world to represent the fantasy that the child escapes into. I guess you could say that I am obsessed with images of stillborn things, and seduced by the idea that the womb is the most comfortable place to be." - The Guardian (article link here)

I also found this fascinating article about the lighting objectives and how they worked with the film's low budget and struggled with their environment:

"'The initial color differentiation between the film’s two worlds was simple: Ofelia’s fantasy world would feature mainly warm colors, primarily “deep crimsons and golden ambers, almost like amniotic fluids,' notes Del Toro....In the Pale Man’s intensely warm environment, which is dominated by red tones and a blazing fire..." -American Society of Cinematography (article link here)

The Pale Man represents all institutional evil feeding on the helpless. In fact, this character is inspired by Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya. In an interview with Screen Anarchy Del Toro says, " The Pale Man represents the Church for me, y'know? [He] represents fascism and the Church eating the children when they have a perversely abundant banquet in front of them. There is almost a hunger to eat innocence."

It was also intended to be an old wrinkly man. However, during the sculpting stage, Del Toro wanted it more humanoid and suggested shapes similar to a manta ray. The creepiness factor went way up and they went with it. Read about it here.

Process Work: Sketch Phase
After getting a feel for the look and reason behind the character, I started sketching from the movie to get to know Mr. Pale Man better. I knew I had to include his eye hands in some way. It is a key feature of his character. Now how to do it best?

I didn't want to just take a screenshot straight from the movie. That's too easy and has been done time and time again. I wanted to showcase his wrinkles, the translucent skin, the blue veins, and I knew I wanted a long verticle to compliment his skinny form. I was lucky enough to come across David Marti's Instagram. He is the Co-owner of DDTSFX with Montse, the production company responsible for the prosthetics used for Pan's Labyrinth. There I pulled tons of reference from photos and videos. They were very helpful in understanding The Pale Man's body. I eventually found this gem of a photo on Google images searching "the pale man makeup team." (Side Note: Muddycolors.com put together an excellent post about googling references photos. Click here to read)
I did some Photoshopping-Frankeisteining and came up with a fabulous reference photo for my final illustration. From there I tapped 16x21 piece of BFK Rives paper onto my drawing board and went to town.

Process Work: Final Drawing
I work with chalk pastels on BFK Rives printmaking paper. The biggest challenge for this piece was controlling my values. I had to make a decision to either apply my details in the areas cast in light or shadow. Doing both would only make the piece overworked. Both sides would fight for interest. I chose the lighted areas. The second biggest challenge was designing the forms. This character doesn't have normal features (duh.) Normally I love working with the hair and the plains of the face to create depth, form, interest, and flow. I didn't have that option here, so I had to take great care with carefully placed shadows and highlights to show form.

The most fun was adding the highlights on his hands. It really helped it pop! I also enjoyed adding green throughout the piece to help bring out the reds since they are complimentary colors. Finding places to add subtle blues and purples was a fun challenge too. I didn't want it to be just reds, blacks, and yellows. I needed warm browns and other colors to liven up the overall palette. I used cold medium grey for the veins on his skull, arms, and chest.

Below are process images, close-ups, and 2 time-lapse videos of the making of this piece. I originally offered the time-lapse videos to my patrons, but I really wanted to share it for this blog post. So enjoy!

The final illustration measures 13"x21". Click the images to zoom.
I'm a big fan of Del Toro's work. My first fan art piece was of Crimson Peak (right.) Later this year I plan to do a Hellboy and another Pan's Labyrinth piece featuring the faun. I just need to put aside the time for this kind of personal work since I really enjoy it.

Click here to see process work and a time-lapse video for this piece.

Kickstarter Beginnings

October 24, 2017 in Process Work, Kickstarter

In 2014 I was building a portfolio geared towards children's books. I found the 1830s original version of The Little Mermaid and wanted to adapt it myself to practices more narrative pieces and add work to my portfolio. I ended up dropping the project since it was so dark. Now, 3 years later I'm pulling that old folder from my external hard drive. The tone of the story is perfect for the work I love doing now. I thought it would be a perfect story for my Kickstarter. I gave a lot of thought about my work and my self this past week at Illuxcon. And I know that this is the right project because it's something I'd want to do regardless of making money.

#MerMay
Part of my push to do this story was also attributed to when I explored full figure narrative pieces with chalk pastel and chalk pastel pencils during May 2017 for #MerMay. I was trying to work with this media at no larger than 9"x12". I think there was some success here. However, I feel I'll likely work larger for the book. It's more obvious what media I'm using with these pieces due to the small size. I think there is more of a mystery to the process when I work at a more comfortable size and I like that. That may mean some reeeeally big chalk pastel pieces, which is fine by me.

Student Work
Below is my old process work from 2013 as a student. You can tell I was a bit wet behind the ears still (pun intended, hahahaha.) I did have a successful piece, which is the first image. It was a combination of a scanned drawing, a scanned chalk pastel texture, and a lot of digital work in Photoshop. I played with this technique for a while, but decided I hated grueling away at a computer screen. I eventually exclusively worked with chalk pastels soon after and you can learn more about that in an interview I did in 2016.

My First Kickstarter

October 11, 2017 in Kickstarter

I'm officially announcing that I will be doing a Kickstarter and I'm giving out postcards at the Illuxcon Convention next week. I'm really looking forward to this challenge. It began with #Mermay and my love of this dark tale of The Little Mermaid.

I'll be starting my sketches and thumbnails in Nov. I'll post periodically on my social media, but it's my Patreon where you can truly follow this project as it unfolds for $2 a month. I also encourage you to sign-up for the official Newsletter to get updates on the project as it gets closer.

I look forward to sharing this journey!

Gallery 1988: BoJack Horseman

September 08, 2017 in Illustration

Buy the original or limited edition prints at Gallery 1988

How I ship unframed chalk pastels pieces

August 16, 2017

Predator

July 22, 2017 in Process Work

"If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It" is a chalk pastel original created for 30 Years Later at Gallery 1988 in LA.
You can purchase the framed original here in Gallery 1988's Store.

I start every illustration with thumbnails. These were done in acrylic paint in my sketchbook. This guy was pretty complicated, so I rented the movie and pulled references from it. I also looked up sculptures, behind the scenes photos, and even looked up collectors edition toys since they provided lots of photos and angles. I also watched a documentary about the film and it's characters to get to know what I was drawing. I didn't realize that they had a different monster in mind before the final Predator character. It's actually pretty funny looking.

I originally featured a full face drawing of Predator, but I was not satisfied with it. It didn't have a strong enough "bad ass" feel to to it. I decided to crop the image in to help showcase the blood. Cropping the image leaves more to the viewer's imagination and gives a creepier lurking feeling. The image on the left is good, but the image on the right is better. Cropping can have a very powerful affect on your work. This is something you should always consider even if it means covering up hours and hours of work.

Latest News

July 10, 2017 in News

I was featured along side the other nominees for the Spectrum Fantasy Art Live Rising Star Award! Check it out here: http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2017/07/rising-stars.html

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And here is my monthly newsletter giving a breakdown of what's happened! Click the image.

How to Mount Prints with ArtResin

May 16, 2017 in Advice, Tutorials

I've been wanting to sell mounted prints of my most popular illustrations Reflection and Trial. And I know how scary working with resin can seem, so I decided to put together a step-by-step video guide explaining how to mount prints and seal them with ArtResin, a non-yellowing and archival resin just for the artwork.

What you'll need:

ArtResin
Gesso or Matte Medium
8x10 Wooden Panel
Medium Sponge Brush
Exacto Blade
Wax Paper
Brayer (or a bone fold or credit card)
Tombow Xtreme Adhesive
Wax Paper
Spare Cardboard. Used to protect your workstation.
Mixing cup
Tablespoon
Box Top. Used to protect your mounted piece from dust as it cures.
Latex gloves (optional)

Step 1: Prepping Your Surface
Cover your 8x10 wooden panel with gesso or matte medium to protect it from any acids in the wood. Some panels come pre-gessoed. Just make sure that your surface is very smooth, so your print will lay flat.

Step 2: Adhere your Print
Apply Tombow Xtreme Adhesive to your wooden panel. Carefully align your pre-trimmed print to the surface. (Side note: I print my own prints with a Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer on Canon Premium Luster paper.) Cover your print with wax paper and use a brayer to press the print onto your wooden panel. Cut any excess with an Exacto blade.

Step 2 Alternative (not in video)
Cover your wooden panel with matte medium or any other acid-free glue meant for paper. Print your intended print with a .25 bleed and place your print on the wooden panel. Cover with wax paper to protect your print and use your brayer to press the print firmly to your surface. Start from the middle and work your way outwards with the brayer. This prevents trapped bubbles. Let dry for 20mins. Flip your piece over and trim the excess paper with your Exacto blade. Here is a past tutorial I did for mounting BFK rives paper: View it here. It is the exact same method.

Step 3: Apply ArtResin
Mix as instructed. Make sure your measurements are exact. Otherwise, it won't cure correctly. I use 2TB of the resin and 2TB of the hardener for a single 8x10 print. Apply ArtResin directly onto your now mounted print. Spread across your piece. ArtResin will self-level, so don't worry about getting it even. Let it sit for 5 mins to let the bubbles settle.

Step 4: Bubble Killing
Use a hand torch to eliminate bubbles. I bought a small kitchen one for $20 at Bed Bath and Beyond. Try to eliminate all your bubbles in the first 20mins. The ArtResin will start to harden at 45mins. Remember to cover your sides with resin too. This will seal your print that much better. Smooth out any dripping. Remove any dust with a toothpick or loop of paper.

Step 5: Cover Your Artwork
Cover your piece with a box lid for 24hours. It'll completely harden in 72hours.

Step 6: Paint the Sides
Wait the full 72 hours. Paint the sides of the print with water based paint. A wet paper towel will remove any smudges that may get on the actual print. Just wipe away quickly.

Step 7: Hang and Enjoy!

New Zine now in the Store

Solo Show: How I Frame My Artwork

Step 1: Order Framing Materials

Step 2: Matting Artwork

Step 3: Framing the Artwork

Step 4: Shipping

Solo Show "The Female Gaze"

Kickstarter Newsletter 05: Local Printer and Photos!

Kickstarter Newsletter 04

Kickstarter Newsletter 03

Kickstarter Newsletter 02: View my Process

The second installment of my Kickstarter Newsletter is up!
Includes my process for the book and preview of what's to come!

Read the Newsletter Here

June 2018: Limited Edition Giclee Prints

Gallery 1988: Beetlejuice FanArt

Newsletter 01: Concept Drawing, Reference Photoshoot, and More.

Want to know what I've been up to with the Kickstarter?
You can read all about here in the Newsletter 01.

Kickstarter: Underwater Hair Craziness

Kickstarter Thumbnails and Updates

Gallery 1988: Pan's Labyrinth Process Work

Opening Nov 18th, 7pm at Gallery 1988 in LA.
7308 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Time-lapse Videos. Chalk Pastel on Paper.

Kickstarter Beginnings

My First Kickstarter

Gallery 1988: BoJack Horseman

How I ship unframed chalk pastels pieces

Predator

Latest News

How to Mount Prints with ArtResin

The Studio Blog

Tags

Step 1: Order Framing Materials

Step 2: Matting Artwork

Step 3: Framing the Artwork

Step 4: Shipping

The second installment of my Kickstarter Newsletter is up!Includes my process for the book and preview of what's to come!

Want to know what I've been up to with the Kickstarter?You can read all about here in the Newsletter 01.

Opening Nov 18th, 7pm at Gallery 1988 in LA.7308 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Time-lapse Videos. Chalk Pastel on Paper.

The second installment of my Kickstarter Newsletter is up!
Includes my process for the book and preview of what's to come!

Want to know what I've been up to with the Kickstarter?
You can read all about here in the Newsletter 01.

Opening Nov 18th, 7pm at Gallery 1988 in LA.
7308 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046