Afternoon all; thought I'd stop by quick to put up some progress for a couple of new pictures. I already mentioned one of these before, but she's being accompanied by her eternal rival. Meanwhile the Blue Mary picture will be resumed as hastily as possible, but it is a complicated beast, hence why I'll do these ones in the meantime.
Just some lines for structure as I get ready to paint them today. I'm definitely using my acrylics for these ones..the big question now is how far. If I fancy it I might complete them fully by hand, which would be nice, and I think I can do that now. But I've gotten some neat stuff out of Corel...oh if only my mouse weren't such shit xD!
I'll be steady w/ these two, have them done in a few days. Meanwhile I'm going to need to eat some lunch, so catch 'ya all on the flipside :)!
Hey everyone; as the name implies, this one has somewhat to do w/ driving into the endless debate of traditional art vs. digital art. Like other inane and asinine arguments (games as art, for example), I find this one more or less pointless, but seeing that I actually do draw and paint both digitally and traditionally, it has a little more weight in this twisted brain. My consensus has been that both cater to a different type of group, in terms of age and the amount of history on art those age groups tend to know (as a basic rule your basic fine arts observer has a much richer knowledge on world art history than, say, the kid who digs the new cover work for the latest X-Men comic or Naruto graphic novel), so pitting them against each other is useless. There are nibbles in both groups I absolutely hate, but this ain't the time to go into that!
From where I stand, I personally would like to use the two more closely, but I'm talking beyond just what that normally hints at. The past two months I've been working w/ Corel, I've gotten to the realization that I'll never fully want to turn away from my tubes of paint, and I'd hate to leave them going unused for so long. This is a very critical juncture for me; my skills are sharpening but it's not at the point where I can really say I'm "ready" to do work w/ it. Certainly on certain points I feel it is, but on the whole, I got work to do. Now that I've tasted what a strong digital program is capable of, it's time to be critical and scale back on the glamor, and go for what's necessary. In my pursuit to better my ability, it could actually be extremely helpful to re-incorporate my acrylic painting into my digital process, and still use the strengths of digital medium to bolster my painting.
This can't really be explained in a few short paragraphs, but the basic gist is that I'm going to be doing some very drastically different approaches that are closer still to me being myself, instead of doing what I 'think' I should be doing. To hell if automatically relegates what I do to the depths of unpopularity; the whole time I've been too concerned w/ doing work to please other people's expectation, but that's not what an artist does. That's not what I do. I'm in this for myself and others who dig what I do just happen to be on the same wavelength and, hey, that's cool. But I can't be asked to court for anyone's attention or praise. Maybe my time on deviantART and other social sites have done more bad than good for me, but that's okay now b/c I'm reigning back the wheels some.
So for anyone who has been checking on those sites for updates, sorry to say but I might grow a little inactive on them for a few months. I'll be shifting my focus to this blog and especially Pro-Spec in terms of where I'm pushing my stuff, but if I happen to see a contest or two going on somewhere else that can push myself out there further, I'll give them a shot as well. As for what this means for the art in particular, well,...you'll be in for some major surprises over time!
I'm going back to some more painting, and maybe read some quick news. Take care everyone I'll have something new up when that gets done. 'Till then do what you do; l8r.
Good Saturday morning there; I just got off playing a little SMW (Super Mario World), now I'm in Valley of Bowser's Ghost House. So close to the end I can practically taste it. It's been a fun, if not somewhat frustrating @ times, ride, but I'd rate SMW pretty damn highly as a great platforming game my slights aside (which do come down to me moreso than the game, tbt). I'll also pick back up on Snatcher and maybe start up on another game while at it. Feel in the mood for action.
Art progress is going a bit slow; I spend all last night tinkering around w/ my settings trying to find what worked best for me. In the end I really am trying to keep the use of color strong and focused and keep the number of layers minimum, and where layers only serve a needed purpose that can't be done otherwise. So funny for me to learn that most of the layer settings can be achieved w/ pure good color choices alone, tho this does somewhat lead to a bigger palette (something I don't like much, but am learning to deal with). Speaking of which, I could probably due w/ another rigorous study on color as a whole, and today seems very good to start as I probably wade back between a few pics over the course of the evening.
I actually don't have any WIPs to post this time; I haven't really done sufficient progress on Mary since Thursday, and I have started on a new picture of Chun-Li but it should be done very soon, so soon that it makes posting anything of it today redundant. In the meantime I've been reflecting very much on what new pieces to try and tackle. There's plenty up for grabs, but dunno...lots of choices and little time to choose. Whatever's chosen I'm sure will need to be fun to work on, that's for certain!
That's all for today...not really much was talked about eh x3?. I'll make up for that next week as I'll have the finished version of the two pics mentioned up, and maybe finally start to tackle down the Pro Spec site (I'd like to get it up and running by the end of October, or mid November at the latest), starting w/ some custom image art and a pic for the avatar. Keep tuned everyone I'll be living up to the self-stated claims very soon. Have a gr8 weekend!
"Must play this again sometime soon..ahh, so scenic <)"
What's up everyone; posting a current progress of the revitalized Blue Mary picture as of today. I got a jump on it yesterday but didn't decide on an approach (in terms of layers and color) until last night as I was going to bed, then thought long and hard on some of that as I began laying in the underpainting today.. So here's the rough painting:
Yep I'm still going about the way I did w/ the Vice picture, but this one will be much more refined and focused. It's also a lot more complex, bunch of light sources and all. I might be a fool for throwing color into it from the get-go but as I already mentioned that's my way of envisioning better and it helps me, even if it does bend some classical rules. I have the palette set up and given the current rate of progress it should take only a few days to finish, but I'll probably also get to painting another drawing to post in-between this one.
Look forward to an update over the weekend; see 'ya all l8r!
It took a day longer than expected, breaks and all, but I have finished the Vice entry for that pirate contest over on dA being run by GBK666 of the Fighting Game Elite club. Well...*sorta* finished...
I actually fully intended on doing a back shot to go w/ this, and even w/ this submitted version a lot of little details got chopped due to time constraints, mainly the sword and the hat. As-is, I honestly don't think it's going to win the contest but I'm not even upset about that.
See, this picture helped to remind me why I love painting w/ color again, something another certain picture I was working on for a while made me forget. It's important to never become tethered to the rules of norm if it feels 'boring' to you at the end of the day. No insult to what's been proven to work in the past, but I have to find what's up for me, and apparently I have more of a taste for impressionist and abstract than I once thought. This Vice picture it certainly rougher than I would have let it be if I had the time to be a tad more careful w/ it, but I gained a shitload of insight on myself while doing it. Needless to say, it was more of an 'experiment' and I will definitely be carrying forward in this direction so far as use of color is concerned.
Another reason I'm really happy w/ this one from a not-technical POV is b/c it helped me rapidly streamline my painting process. Layers in particular, were being really abused my me and were not doing much good in creating something w/ energy. I'll be uploading the Poison picture tomorrow to show proof of this, and hey maybe what was done w/ that picture could be a fit for someone else, but for me it was too many layers, not enough forethought or critical thinking, and boring to work on after a while. I guess I am a speedy bastard after all when it comes to this stuff; no matter the subject matter or complexity I'd rather knock a pick out in three or four days tops, and now I feel I can do that very much so.
There is another contest being ran on that club, for SNK chars in particular (gee, wonder why I couldn't just wait to submit this Vice one for that instead x3), but for right now I'm probably not going to participate in that one. I have a lot of other pictures to start painting on, using what I accomplished here as a launching pad. So the Blue Mary picture is first up and I could/should have it done by Saturday. I also really need to get around organizing Pro-Spec and finishing up pieces to host up there. In general, I need to be focusing more on setting up a good network to begin putting myself out there and finding some work w/ this art, contests can wait xD (tho they're good for exposure, certainly!).
So that said, that wraps it up here. I'll complete the other Vice picture likely sometime (it'd be a shame to let it go to waste), but there are many other ones to get to. Thing is, I'm certain they'll all get done very quickly. My energy's back for this, and it ain't going nowhere ever again.
Peace out everyone; take care and I'll be back l8r. Byez.
Not a biggie of a post here peoples; just following through on my promise to keep uploads somewhat consistent over the weekend while I work on these for that contest I mentioned yesterday. It actually ends Tuesday which is two more days than I thought, so I am gonna save the painting and final outlines until maybe Sunday/Monday respectively, and resume Poison on Monday (and finish her then too; just need to ink it now more or less).
I managed to get this one roughed here in maybe an hour and a half, not counting breaks and distractions. That also includes having restarted from a previous picture of her backside I just wasn't digging @ all, but that's my fault. Had no clear idea what pose I wanted doing this and in general I have a tougher time w/ backshots than front ones, which really needs to be worked on over time. Also, her left hand in particular gave me a really tough challenge; what's here is quite less dynamic of a posture for it than I was aiming for, but I scaled back b/c it wasn't looking too hot in the original form. Such is the life of drawing stuff like this w/ absolutely no handy references around whatsoever :S.
Again, did a nude mainly as some additional anatomy practice, and there's roughly enough detail in this and the front where I can just draw the rest of the outfit and proceed, 'cuz that's where the actual point of these entries is. But indeed, I'll never turn down some anatomy practice if I can squeeze it in there; the more the better ;)
I'll be back tomorrow w/ pics of the painting as it's done for them both; if able I'll pop back l8r tonight to post these ones again w/ the clothing on and then the paintings @ the end of tomorrow. Feeling really good in how these will turn out, since it's been a LOT of (undocumented, truly) time these past few weeks strengthening every aspect of my approach to my traditional drawing and digital painting, but I'll just let the results speak for themselves. Gonna eat egg rolls about now; have a gr8 Saturday see 'ya l8r :)
What is up, peeps? Posting a quick wip here; it's my take on Vice from KOF and in particular it's really for a contest in a club over on dA. I decided on participating on a whim and yet here I am giving this character a pirate-themed redesign that I would hope could actually fit w/n a real KOF game if ever I were so gracious enough to be given that opportunity ;)
This is what I've done so far, this afternoon actually. Partly for anatomy study as well, and to try another perspective and pose that I'm not familiar w/ in most ways. I'll be drawing the outfit l8r tonight and I'll draw a version from the backside tomorrow. Then either Saturday or Sunday I'll color both of those and have them ready by Monday for entry.
The painting's being done in Corel, but I've changed a LOT of things in my process since the last update, certainly, and this will likely be the first picture(s) to showcase that. Here's hoping the whole adventure doesn't suck xD.
Anyways, I'll be back semi-regularly over the weekend to post up progress as it chugs along, but not too frequently. And if able I might sneak in some thoughts I've had over recent issues in adapting to the digital workspace, and how I'm fighting really hard to keep my art as energetic and 'non-process' as possible, 'cuz trust me it's very easy to let the program do most of the work for you even if you know the concepts. The Poison picture (which I'm still going to finish mind you, in fact it's almost done, but I don't know when I'll work on it again over these next few days) is proof enough of that. If that sounds like a curiosity pique, it is.
Welp that's it for now. I'll try and watch a movie and more Yu Yu Hakusho later...damn I miss that show, it's pretty cool even after all these years. Can almost forgive CN for cutting the series short almost every time they re-broadcasted it, but still....oh w/e'vz. I'm out.
Morning everyone; if you stay here in the U.S you know the significance of this day. Exactly this date a decade ago, NYC, Washington D.C and Philiadelphia came under attack by a trio of botched plane flights, resulting in the damage and destruction of not only iconic landmarks, but also the loss of thousands of lives, people unfortunately caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's always been a range of theories on as to who really executed the attacks, and that's a sordid history best left told elsewhere. What one can't deny, though, is the impact the events of that day had on not only this country, but the world at large.
So take this as my ode of respect to all those who lost their lives on that day; I hope you all are doing better and just as well in the afterlife.
Events like 9/11 aren't that commonplace, I have to admit. It's spirit is still charging the range of suicide attacks that are happening even now in the Middle East, and the political revolutions taking place in places like Egypt and Libya share some sense of political common ground (as in, they were politically driven) w/ the attacks of that day. This level of distress and perhaps far worst occurs all the time in the world, and sometimes realizing that is enough to make me slightly depressed.
Ah well; even if knowing the importance of today will make some aspects a little dull, I still have to keep doing what I do. Apologies for no uploads last week; I either haven't felt up to typing up a big blog or would just prefer to actually post up some finished work for once and am holding out until that's done. I've gotten started on setting up my Pro-Spec blog, but I'll hold off until October to launch it, likely near the end of that month. Gives me time to finish up more pieces and do some custom graphics to add a personal spark to the space ;). I finally got the printer cartridges (well, the tri-color one anyway), so I can move on to some important other steps for some pics. I...really loathe the printer cartridge industry. Why can't manufacturers make cartridges that are compatible w/ ALL the printers in their family is beyond me...I smell monetary greed at work there.
Okay; I'll be wrapping this up now. I'll try finishing Super Mario World today (it's the only game I've really been playing atm; so I'll wait until I'm done w/ that before resuming Zelda and maybe Snatcher too...actually, scratch that I'll resume Snatcher today as well), tho right now the game's being an absolute awkward s.o.b w/ this sixth castle. And watch a few more shows and maybe cook some egg rolls (I got everything besides the noodles for crunch, but I was hoping to hold off on them until Monday, for food to eat through the rest of the week). Gotta go for now; take care everyone and I'll be back w/ some finished work extremely soon. Until then, take care an' l8r :)
I'm back, peoples, and it's kinda been a long time. I skipped posting up any art last week b/c I felt I hadn't made enough progress (and the fact I've abandoned the Suzuka and cloud pictures, MOTL), and throughout the time since then I have just been focusing intently on finding my strengths w/ Corel and the real direction I want to take my stuff in. Welp, I'm back now; I feel like I've gotten a fair deal of tough shit done, some ample progress, and I'll also show off one of the newer pieces I'm now just starting on. So let's jump in there, eh?..
Like I just said earlier, Suzuka and that cloud painting have been put on hiatus, indefinitely. I've learned a great deal from the effort put in both, but finishing them won't allow me to do that much in terms of reflecting what I can do *now*. And, that's what it's really about; I need to do pieces that reflect relatively well where I'm at right now. I drew those Outlaw Star pics weeks ago (my drawing skills have improved dramatically sense then, if I do say so myself ;) and the clouds one was just started on a whim to get used to painting them (which I am now,...well, at least cumulonimbus clouds are x3). It's probably true that you can turn anything to a high level of polish regardless of its starting state, but everything can only be improved by such a measure, if the underlying foundation can accommodate. That's why I've moved from those pieces for now; I have a pursuit to push myself to the levels of the artists I admire such as Joe Vriens...
Genzoman...
and Artgerm....
....and it might seem a little impossible to try and cram so much effort in so little time but I'm just that hungry to improve, I'd say. Of course, I can't neglect what progress I make at any time or depreciate that feeling of satisfaction over any piece, so even w/ these works I have discontinued, I feel eternally grateful for what they've helped me learn, as all of that carries over into the newer works (the ones here, I WILL be finishing btw!).
Newer version; grainy, rough, but the foundation's there...
This is the new 'Blue Mary' piece I may or may not have mentioned a while ago. I think this drawing's about maybe 2-3 weeks old by now (if not older), but it's still newer than Poison. I've always been a sort of semi-closet fan of SNK's characters; the original FF3 movie got me hooked into ther aesthetics and universe, and while I may tend to favor Capcom fighters from a pure playability POV, in comparison to the older SF games I think many of the later FF and some of the KOF games more than hold their own. One thing that's always impressed me w/ them is their sense of detail and atmosphere in their backgrounds; by comparison I don't think it was until Darkstalkers where I began really caring for backgrounds of Capcom's fighters, but SNK had that on-lock from the original FF. A small cavet sure, but still...
A much older drawing done back February of the same char
Anyway, I actually decided to do Blue Mary b/c I had drawn her a few months ago and inked her out, but never finished. I was going to color her digitally and all, but I just kinda moved on. Looking back, I can appreciate what I was able to do w/ that one then, but I knew I could do a much better job now and henceforth I'm carrying onward w/ the new rendition. I'm really trying to push for 'full-inclusive' sorts of shots now; work in some focus, some drama, some strong sense of perspective, proportion, foreshortening and composition. It amazes me sometimes how some really technically awesome artists, when you really think about it, stay in some very basic rooms on some of that mentioned stuff. That's the sort of box trap I'm hoping to avoid. Certainly I can see why some may be that way, b/c personal struggle @ this moment indicates that just getting one or two of that sort of stuff down is very challenging, and w/ different subject matter only that much more so. But yeah..back to the picture (lolz)..at the very least I hope it seems like Mary is "reaching out" to the viewer.
Although painting has started on this one, it's so crude @ the moment I'd rather not upload it just yet. Next week tho, I can definitely put up the painting (for all I know it might be finished by then too...just shot myself in the foot, didn't I?)
I would've put the coloring for the jeans and shirt up, but the shirt is terrible atm and why put up the jeans w/o the shirt x3?
P.S: Also, still no lines; haven't inked them yet :S
Now w/ Poison, I've finally gotten most of the base work done; the areas to tackle from here are the textures and lighting. Oh, and I still need to do the linework as well (the paper will be getting got TODAY, thankfully). It's been a tall order, and in-between the week I've had to really reorganize some files to make them easier to access and compressing active memory consumption, but all the effort's been worth it.
The original reference photo...
Somehow, I seem to be pushing for a more realistic look, not necessarily hyperrealism but not quite as simple as some of the more 'basic' anime shading either (which would actually be harder w/ my mouse setup, plus the fact I don't tend to use colors directly, aka I'm a Glazeman). Somewhat unexpected but maybe just natural coincidence. Yesterday alone I spent a good deal of time trying to paint some convincing lipstick/lipgloss and some skin texturing...the issue of constraint and finding a balance btwn too little and too much realism is really daunting, but one step at a time, I would suppose.
Btw, a closer look at the lips: busted my ass trying to somewhat replicate the ref but not ripping it. Some more tune-up work and could have something to go w/ for real ;)
..and my result, many layers and strokes l8r...
I'll leave it @ that for today's update. I do have an inkling to catch up on some games and films I haven't had the chance to do so w/ over the week, but at the same time...I REALLY don't wanna stop drawing and painting x3. Will definitely continue to try painting more of both pics throughout the day and just noting what works for me and what doesn't. At the very least, it feels good to have a head filled w/ some useful jargon again. Hope you all enjoyed the stuff, pleae look forward to next time. L8r and have an awesome weekend!
