Alright, time for the long overdue R through T submission. If you like fantasy, then I think you’ll enjoy this grouping!And in case you don't know what Alphabooks is, here’s the lowdown: Alphabooks is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)R is for RichardSword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
Oh Richard. Where do I even start? Well, if you never have heard of the by Terry Goodkind, you are seriously missing out. And no, I’m not talking about the television series Legend of the Seeker (the television series that completely botched up the books.) The Sword of Truth series are filled with epic adventure, romance, tension, struggles and everything you want to find in high fantasy. Plus, Richard is the kind of protagonist that you just can’t help falling in love with. He’s so real, sincere, and totally kicks butt.Although I could go on forever about the books, I’ll instead segue into the artwork. I’ve been trying really hard to better my photoshopping skills and decided that this would be a good piece to devote time in doing so (although take note that I did the lines in pencil, scanned that in, and then digitally colored it). I’m alright with how it turned out. I feel as though I’m slowly getting better with coloring in Sai, but it still has that Photoshop airbrushy feeling to it (something about the purity of the colors). I also feel as though I didn’t completely capture the Richard essence. But, ya know, I guess those kind of things take practice. I’ll no doubt do more fan art of him in the future and have a second shot at it. (8.75 hours)S is for SaphiraEragon by Christopher Paolini
I love me some dragons, and it was about time to draw a dragon for Alphabooks. Like with Richard, I still feel I didn’t completely capture the essence of Saphira. In fact, Saphira still looks different in my head (but oh well). I love using watercolor for my dragon pieces—it’s a very tactile and organic medium that compliments the earthy and wild dragon. I guess I should also mention that I have used acrylics in this piece as well since it allows me to layer (like watercolors) with less chance of muddying the watercolors, therefore creating deeper and richer tones. (4ish hours?)T is for ThorinThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
I hadn’t drawn a lot of men’s faces that were not youthful and smooth—and what better way to accomplish that then with drawing a dwarf? I actually have been finding it fun to draw this facial type, as I don’t have to worry about making sure it looks perfect, because after all dwarves have tough, leathery and beards that fill in most of their face. Let’s just face it, there’s not a whole lot of beauty on those mugs, but there’s certainly a lot of character! It sure seems to me that Thorin thoroughly enjoys a good tankard of ale. Or two…or three…And if you haven’t read The Hobbit, you should stop what you’re doing (which is reading my blog) and go do that RIGHT NOW.And yes, that is a Smaug mug. :3(2 hours)