14: Schoolin' Once More

My second finished project for Illustration methods class, "Lammerguyer", 9x12 in acrylics on illustration board. The assignment was to create a human-animal hybrid (hehe) and use good lighting reference to make it look realistic. I based mine on a lammergeier, or bearded vulture. There are things I did decently and things I did flat out incorrectly in this piece, but I consider it my first successful acrylic painting! Here's the graphite value study I did beforehand.

The school gave us these cute little planners with toned paper covers. More of my dragonbeastie!

My figure drawing instructor had us use charcoal on watercolor paper for an hour-long exercise. Definitely going to try this more often...In real life, you can see the awful smudgy grays created when badly using white and black charcoal together, and I plan to be more attentive next time.

13: Initiate Sophomore Panic

THIS year is going to be a crazy one. Quick, have some art while you still can! Of course, now that I'm fully busy again, the idea to start a webcomic has bitten me in the ass. Why couldn't this have happened, y'know, during the summer? Experimental, fun junk as such is what summers are FOR. Various diptych ideas are twirling around in there as well. So hard to stay focused!

On an unrelated note, I made a post over on my Livejournal highlighting a bunch of nice art I've found over the past few months, with links to the artists' galleries and whatnot: Good Arts 1

The proposed webcomic would be about this little guy. He's one of my fictional race, the Insuti. I suppose I'll tell the rest of the story later! Nibs and india ink.

We have a sketchbook to fill for illustration methods class! I drew my lamp to fill the 'ellipses' quota. Brush pen, gel pen, ballpoint pen. Pen pen pen.

Junk like this takes up probably 85% of my sketchbook.

My latest illustration methods class assignment is to create a portrait of a human/animal combination. Couldn't focus in one of my ad graph classes today, so these are my first concepts: Three kookaburras, a markhor, a babirusa, and three lammergeier men. I had far too much fun with the birds, so they're likely to make it to the final cut.

A thumbnail on packing paper [classy!] for a trade with one of my good e-buddies, Persnickitii. Doesn't this character design rock? Her art is very inspiring on that front, and we have a mutual love for animals with people-faces. I think I'll attempt this piece in acrylics or maybe even slap down various media on clayboard to see what happens.
Quick digital thing which I ended up liking quite a bit. This is an old character of mine, Sherowkey. He first popped up in my seventh grade science notes. You can tell he's mine because of the big doofy nose, huge fuzzy ears, and horn [no seriously, all of my personal characters have these things in one form or another]. In a more serious situation, he's a guardian 'spirit' of winter, though he's completely flesh and blood. Still haven't figured out how that works...Corel painter

12: Before School Starts...

This came out of nowhere and it's pretty close to my heart, as cheesy as that sounds. Completed in maybe 2.5/3 hours in Corel Painter.

11: Pre-Sophomore, la de da

Quickly colored half-angel man.

This is what goes on in my sketchbook.

Digital still life attempt...something or other. Corel Painter.

The two siblings of my personal mythology. I'm thinking of expanding their family tree a little in the near future. Nothing but a vignette today, but I like how this turned out, being a small doodle and all.

Fanart: Good for the soul. These were also gifts to my little sister, who watched the first two seasons of Avatar with me.

A friend suggested I draw a cockatrice/basilisk during a live streaming session, and it turned out decently! Hopped like mad between photoshop and painter for this guy.

Another portrait of Nopu standin'...trying to get a handle on this inking/watercoloring style so I can use it for quick commissions to pay for internet accessimeanfood.

On a more serious note...I need to re-learn how to draw people, as I've come to realize that I dislike how it 'feels' to draw them (when I'm not drawing my angel things and insuti people). Just recently picked up a few comic compliations and instruction books by Will Eisner, and I'm working on basic stuff, like gesture, at which Eisner rocked socks.

10: More Summer Meandering

I decided I needed to work on environments-- with Pokemon! Makes sense, amiright? Here's some progress shots. Corel Painter.

I went through my art supplies the other day and stuck a bunch into a 'test drive this or it goes' pile. They didn't perform too badly! This is another half-angel. I don't know if he's actually yellow or if it's just artistic license. White ink, russet ink, yellow brush pen, and gold ink.

An experiment with inking in the form of a comic panel. I've never even touched sequential art, so vague stuff like this might become more commonplace. India ink.

This is what happens when I should be doing other things like cleaning my carpet, repainting a desk, and detail cleaning the living room. Aardvarks are pretty much my favorite animal ever. Corel Painter and Photoshop pretty equally for this one.

9: Playing Around

I've had more time to experiment with little things lately.

Firstly, a few more icon commissions from Internet-land.

My dog slept for a few minutes!

I hope to do more with designs like this in the future; these were far too fun! India ink and nib linework, colored in Corel Painter.

Go right ahead and ignore those hands and arms, I won't blame ya. This was drawn in Paint Tool SAI, which is an interesting program that seems like a Painter/Photoshop baby. I'll probably stick to both of the other programs, but it's always refreshing to try something like this. Pictured is an Insuti (a human-like race of mine) hoisting a flag. My superior illustration skills give all sorts of reasons why. :]

A tiny experiment which turned out quite nicely for having no direction. I'll have to try this type of thing again...the look is very inspired by old illustrators such as Artuš Scheiner and Edmund Dulac.

8: Scribbly Backlog

Why the hell NOT post this today? This is non-Artslam stuff I've completed in the past month or so.

I was drawing a guy's coat and he moved. The usual thing happened to people who move: He became a giraffe.

I'm exceedingly fond of this lined paper guy I sketched right before going to bed one day. Perhaps I'll paint him soon.

A half-angel, half-man concept. I think he glows and stalks around rolling hills at night, staring at intruders unblinking until they lose their minds.

Last month's ACEO trade. I used mostly india ink and watercolor here, and no white gel pen. Gotta stop relying on those so much! But oh man, I need some masking fluid.

Some icons for people.

I was livestreaming and my audience suggested a giant anteater. Who could refuse? Here's a WIP, as I had to quit streaming mid-way. I tried a new coloring process...might try it again sometime. Corel Painter 10

Had the good fortune to visit the Animal Kingdom in Florida during a family vacation. I honest-to-God wish that the place was a full-out ZOO, but then no one would go and they'd close due to lack of funding. Pity, because it's a fantastic place for the animals and has a great climate for the more tropical species. It was hot and I was sweating everywhere/dropping my pen constantly, so this is all you're gonna get. xD That hippo was darling!

All righty. Gotta go to work and then a friend and I are going to the Nelson Atkin Museum of Art! Hot diggity for free admission. 8]