Vespers

“Not all those who wander are lost.” –J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a four page comic that I’ve been wanting to complete for a couple years now, and finally had the chance to do it. It holds personal meaning—of which I will not say, because I prefer to let the viewer figure it out on their own or—more importantly—draw their own interpretation and significance from it.Can be viewed on my Deviant Art page (once at the page, click on the image to view it full-sized).Vespers 1Vespers 2Vespers 3Vespers 4--------------------------Inked with a brush using sumi ink; digitally colored using Photoshop and Easy Paint Tool Sai.

X - Z Alphabooks

It’s finally here (and I am FINALLY posting it)…the last three Alphabook characters!!! It’s hard to believe that it was 26 weeks ago (well, more now) that I started this challenge. I am SO glad I decided to do it…I feel as though I have improved my skills and style, stretched myself, and developed a better work ethic in my art. It’s been a fun run, and I’m looking forward to participating in the next challenge. But for now I’m glad to take a little break from it. Thanks for following my Alphabook challenge! :)(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!)X is for Prince XizorShadows of the Empire by Steve PerryI find it amazing when how I think an art project will go one way, and it ends up taking a completely different direction. That’s what happened before I created Xizor. I was faced with the dreaded letter X and didn’t know who do draw for it while the week neared the end. The only person that came to mind was Prince Xizor from Shadows of the Empire—the story of what happens to Luke and Leia and other characters between Star Wars episode V and VI. Although there was no movie made, Joel McNeely composed a soundtrack inspired by the novel—which was how I first came to be familiar with the story. Now, I will admit that I haven’t read Shadows, but after doing this piece, my curiosity has been kindled and I know I will delve into it sometime in the future. May it be known that I was resistant to do Xizor, since—let’s face it—he’s the creepy villain! Yet time was running out, and he had to do. I decided to give yet another shot at digital painting.Halfway through the picture, I was shocked to realize that I had discovered a digital painting method that worked for me. And not only that, but it was actually looking good! Talk about MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH!!!Now I know it’s not the best painting in the world, but after having soooo many of my pictures look photoshoppy with that horrid digital airbrush effect all over them, I am SO happy to have something that looks decent!! As I was painting, Xizor felt so real and alive that it almost seemed like he would glance my way and flash a creepy smile. Here are my biggest takeaways from this piece:Linear sketch: I started with a linear sketch, then created another layer and painted in a rough base layer.Oil Painting Approach: Instead of operating on two separate layers (lines and color, like I do in cell shading), I MERGED the sketchy, unfinished lines and the rough paint. From there—carefully using oil painting techniques that I learned in college—I blocked in the rough shading , smoothed it down, and added details. Rinse, wash, repeat.Using multiple colors: Working with green skin actually worked to my advantage—it allowed me to not work in a single color (green), but to block in purple and red shadows, while adding yellow skin tints along with greenish blue highlights.Line Weight: Lighter weight on the edges that had highlights, a heavier line weight where the shadows were. I still liked a rough outline, but I used a more painterly approach to adding an “outline” instead of a solid, inking style line.The bottom line: I am freaking EXCITED. I feel as though something just clicked, and although this by no means indicates an easy road from here on out, but at least I now have a good vector for digital painting. I can’t wait to try it out on future pieces!! (3 hours)Y is for YvaineStardust by Neil GaimanAfter completing Lady Una, I decided that Yvaine, the “star” (haha :P) of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust needed some stage time. AND, I also got to listen to the audiobook while I was painting this piece, so win-win! :) I wanted to make it be sort of a matching piece to Una, with the whole are nouveau feel and bold outlines. I don’t know really what else to say except that I’m really happy with it and that it was a lot of fun to make. Probably one of my favorite parts to creating this piece was adding the sparkly glitter at the end (which, unfortunately doesn’t show up on the digital piece). However, if you hold the physical picture in your hands and tilt it from side to side under a light, it’ll glitter and sparkle. Fitting, no? :) I have to admit that the scanned version of this didn’t turn out as well as I’d like, and I may try to rescan or photograph it later. For now, it’ll do.And also, this is a fitting song to listen to while viewing this piece.Lady of My Dreams by Vast(12 hours)Z is for Zeddicus Z’ul ZorranderSword of Truth series by Terry GoodkindZedd is a wizard. He takes being a wizard pretty seriously, and thinks others should too. He’s quite a talker.And he also likes food.:P(??? minutes)

Lost At Sea

So today for my lunch break, I decided that I'd crack open a book that my brother gave me as a gift. The book was Lost At Sea--a graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley (the same guy who did Scott Pilgrim). I only intended to read a few pages before going back to work. I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.The thing is, stories are powerful.What I found in this book was what many a young adult--myself included--have struggled with at some point in his or her life. The story is centered on a girl named Raleigh, who finds herself quite unexpectedly on a road trip with a few others whom she distantly knew from high school. Much of the book is her inner monologue as she relates to the reader her mass of jumbled and confused thoughts on....well, life. She finds herself wandering through life aimlessly and is trying to make sense of it all--is it all meaningless, coincidence, or something else? Why does she feel empty--souless, even? Is it the loss of her past friend? Her parent's divorce? The cats that are magnetically drawn to her? (You just need to read it and find out for yourself!)Reading this for me was....well, gut wrenching. Because I can relate to times where I've felt wandering, searching, lost. Lost, confused, and scared. But I will tell you by the end of the book, there was a peaceful release, as if deep in my heart I sincerely believed "It's going to be alright. It really is going to be alright." That's also the power of hope for ya.It's a good read. Especially for you who've struggled with this thing--or still are, as many of us are--it's really nice to know that you're not alone and that it really is going to be alright.-J

Artist Confessions: Jesper Ejsing

Hey folks! Sorry it's been a while since I posted for Alphabooks. I haven't forgotten about the last three characters--do not fret, I will be posting them soon! But first, I came across a blog for illustrators and aspiring artists called Muddy Colors that you should definitely check out if you are one of the two. I've gained some great insight from Jesper Ejsing's post on the struggles of being an artist. I was encouraged that I wasn't the only aspiring illustrator feeling frustrated with my slow-poke progress--as if I were running in slow motion in a dream. My biggest takeaway: YOU'RE NOT ALONE!

Jesper Esling on "Why Didn't You Tell Me?"