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 Perry
I 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 Gaiman
After 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 Goodkind
Zedd 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?"
U - W Alphabooks
Ladies and Gentlemen—we are down to the final six of the Alphabooks characters! Are you ready? Well here we go!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! :)U is for Lady UnaStardust by Neil Gaiman
So I didn’t realize this before, but apparently Stardust the movie was based off of Stardust the book (by Neil Gaiman). I admit that I haven’t read the book, but definitely am putting it on my to-read list! If you’ve never seen the movie, you really should—it’s a wonderful story of adventure, romance, and everything you wish to find in good story. Plus, it’s a fun blend of medieval fantasy and steampunk—and you cannot go wrong with either! :)This is actually one of my most favorite pieces that I have done for Alphabooks. It was done in watercolor and ink (the scanner as usual messed up some of its colors, but it’s really not too far off from the original.) I tried to go for an art nouveau effect with minimal shading and bold outlines—in the same style as Alphonse Mucha. Also, one of the biggest things I learned from this piece was how to ink with a brush. And I’m glad that I tried using a brush, since a croquil pen can give a rough and scratchy appearance, whereas I wanted smooth vector-like lines (thank you Doug Tennapel for the helpful and fun tutorial!) I’m just really pleased with how it turned out! I want to do more pieces like this in similar design. I’m definitely going to make prints of her, and I’m contemplating selling the original, but I don’t know if I will be able to part with her. We’ll see. :) (8 hours)V is for Jean ValjeanLes Misérables by Victor Hugo
It isn’t unknown that I am one of the slowest readers in existence (especially compared to my book-loving friend Erin, who has practically read an entire library in her life), but at least I can still boast that I read the complete unabridged version of Les Misérables in tenth grade. And if you prefer classical literature to contemporary or fantasy, then I dearly hope that you have enjoyed this fantastic novel by Victor Hugo, which was also adapted into a musical and will soon be released in film.So the choice was plain for the letter V--Jean Valjean, the main character (in my opinion) and protagonist of the story. He is just so noble, and his story is about redemption and overcoming odds. I decided to keep it simple like the pen-and-ink illustrations in older literature—as well as to lack of time—and completed it in pencils. It was also good practice to draw an aging man’s face—narrower eyes followed by bags, a creased and weathered forehead, wispy greying hair, etc. One of the best pieces of advice I can give other artists is to try drawing out of your comfort zone—from time to time, draw things that you normally wouldn’t—it’ll really open your eyes and keep you sharp! (45 minutes).W is for Bruce WayneBatman comics by DC Comics
The last character for this batch is none other that Danananananananananana BATMAAAAN!!!!:D(And for those of you who don’t know, Bruce Wayne is the man behind the mask.)Okay, yes….so it is more inspired off of Batman Begins, the movie. Regardless, I can use all the practice I can to draw male faces because, well…I’ve really sucked in the past drawing them. And I can say with confidence that I am getting better.Biggest takeaway: Man…. it is SO hard to nail a specific person’s “look”. So this Bruce Wayne is based off of Christian Bale, the actor who played Wayne in Batman Begins. It’s incredible how it only takes one line out of place to make him look like someone completely different. For instance, the hair. If not done properly, I quickly discovered that Bruce Wayne can first look like Elvis Presley, then again like Bill Clinton—it wasn’t until I added some very minor tweaks to the hair on his forehead that WHAMMO!—Bruce finally appeared! (Which is funny, because it wasn’t until later that I realized he now looked a bit like Nicolas Cage. …..whatevs).Bottom line: Lighting es muy importante, hairstyle is key, and if you draw his lips too round, he’ll look more like a Calvin Klein model than the Caped Crusader.Fin. (4 hours)
R - T Alphabooks
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)
P - Q Alphabooks
Happy Thursday! (or Wednesday for you state-side folks).After my last batch of Alphabook characters, I decided to take a bit of a break from drawing humans and decided to go for a more children’s literature look for the P and Q submissions. They’re not my best, but who care—they were still fun to do. :)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!P is for Peter RabbitThe Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
For whatever reason, it was extremely difficult to figure out to do for the letter P. I ended up settling for Peter Rabbit. I honestly needed a break from all the human characters and wanted to do something more simplistic and whimsical. I also wanted to see if I could mimic more of a watercolor affect using digital methods. Alas, I wasn’t very successful. I probably wasn’t using the right brushes and the colors are far too saturated and unvaried. Whatever. He still is kinda cute. ^^ (1.5ish hours)Q is for the Queen of CatsIt’s a Secret! by John Burningham
If I thought finding a character for the letter P was difficult, then I didn’t know what I was in for when Q rolled around. And apparently other people on Alphabooks were having difficulties as well—there were a ton of the Queen of Hearts and Quasimodos with little else. Can any of you think of book characters starting with the letter Q? It’s hard!I ended up very randomly stumbling across a children’s book title called It’s a Secret! By John Burningham. I had never heard of it before, but I knew I struck gold when I saw that his book featured a character called the “Queen of Cats”. I haven’t read the story, but what it appears to be (in a nutshell) is the story of a girl who uncovers what her cat does when he goes out every night—he gets dressed up and goes out to parties with the rest of the cat kingdom! She begs to go along, and he agrees—and so they go off and have wonderful adventures and get to meet the rest of the cat kingdom as well as the queen of cats. Simple and cute, and especially since I still wanted a break from drawing humans, what better subject for me to draw than cats! :DI decided to keep her simple and decided to use watercolors, since it had been a while. Nothing fancy, nothing innovative—just a sweet kitty with a queenly disposition. And even though my scanner messed up the colors, that’s alright—I’m just relieved that I figured out a fun character for the letter Q. ^^ (1.5ish hours)
M - O Alphabooks
Okay! Here’s M – O batch of Alphabook characters. I really liked how all three of these turned out, so I wanted to group the goodness all together in one happy post. :) Enjoy!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! :)M for Mercy ThompsonMoon Called by Patricia Briggs
So although I said I was keeping these characters in an unfinished state, I got to the point with this character and thought “I just HAVE to finish her!” My approach this time was—instead of a sketchy outline—to do clean outlines with a finished “inked” appearance. And when I got to that point, I wanted to add color, and when I added color, I wanted to add details. And a background. And if you give a mouse a cookie—well, you see where this went. :P But I’m really happy I decided to finish it, and in less than two weeks two! *laughs* I know I’m slow at creating pieces (darn perfectionism!), but that’s part of the goal with Alphabooks—the more art I create and the more frequent it is, the faster and better I’ll become. And if you don’t know who Mercy Thompson is, she’s a mechanic who owns her own auto shop, has werewolves for neighbors, and occasionally get tangled up in issues with vampires and lycanthropy. Oh, and did I mention that she can shapeshift into a coyote? ;) (8.75 hours)N is for Nancy DrewThe Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
If you were to take a look at my bookshelf when I was a kid, there’d be one shelf that was jam packed with faded yellow bindings of the classic Nancy Drew mystery stories. And no, I’m not talking about the modern adaptions of the book, I’m speaking of the good, old-fashion faded books that are nearly falling apart with love and years. You know, the ones Nancy and her gang are clad in 1930s to post-war apparel and zip around in shiny blue roadsters. So in my young years I took after my mom and devoured these books and dreamed of solving mysteries like Nancy Drew (which I actually did write a story involving myself and my friend Danielle as sleuths, but that’s a story for another day. ;) ) So there was no doubt in my mind for who I’d do for the letter N. I present to you the fantastic NANCY DREW!Before I even started, I realized that it’s been too many years since I’ve read a Nancy Drew book, and in order to truly capture the essence of Miss Drew, I opened up The Secret of the Old clock (the first Nancy Drew book written) and plowed through the pages. Aaaaaand I’ll be honest--reading these books as an adult (with a better idea of what makes good, believable characters), it quickly became apparent to me that…well…Nancy and her chums were one-sided characters. Nancy was this incredible, miss perfect dream girl who was smart, resourceful, drop-dead gorgeous, “naturally athletic”, and “boasted many friends.” Hmmm…how many people do you know that have a description like that in real life? :P In stark contrast to Nancy, the villains of the story were impetuous, unintelligent jerks who couldn’t put two and two together and bumbled through scenes like complete idiots. :P Although it’s not J.K. Rowling caliber of writing, Nancy Drew mystery stories are still fun stories that you can easily read in a day (or in an hour if you’re faster than my dino-paced reading) and be amused.So, with that said, I wanted a break from the digital work I was doing and also wanted to depict Nancy in a way that seemed to be a part of her world. And what better way to do that than with ink? After all, the illustraions in the beginning of the books were all done in ink, and it was about time that I practiced a little good old fashioned inking myself. I used my trusty croquil pen, a sharpie, and touched it up in Photoshop. Hand inking was good practice to finish a piece quickly without being too concerned about detail (and if you make an accident, just go with it!) I also quickly learned that it wasn’t a good idea to drink a cup of coffee and then try and ink fine, sweeping lines with a jittery hand. Oops. :P But Nancy still turned out alright, and I’m happy with the 1940s feel that I gave her. I also really enjoyed the actually process of inking by hand—there’s something so natural and organic about applying ink to paper—very satisfying to see a finished piece appear before your eyes. Anyways, I’ve wrote far more than I should have about this piece—I hope you like it as much as I do! :) (2ish hours?)O is for OnuaWild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Alright, since I bored you to death with my Nancy Drew shpeal, I’ll try to keep this one short. If you know who this character is, you get bonus points (and a cookie!). Although Daine Sarrasri is the main character of Wild Magic, Onua is the first character mentioned in the series. In a nutshell, Onua Chamtong is a horse care tender that hires Daine on to help her drive ponies from the northern part of the realm to the capitol. She is known to be “horse-hearted” and has her own wild magic that enables her to have a special bond with horses and ponies. She was fun to draw because A.) I enjoy her character—she’s matter of fact, but a loyal friend to Daine, B.) she’s ethic, so it was fun to draw something different, and C.) it was fun to come up with a medieval fantasy costume. I also decided to use a texture to give the image more dimension while making it look more rugged and natural. I also got to practice drawing braids again (they’re tough to draw!) Overall, I’m very pleased with how she turned out. ^^ (3 hours)
J - L Alphabooks
And now for the third batch of Alphabook characters. I've decided to split up the 3rd and 4th batches (for brevity's sake.) In case you don't know what Alphabooks is, it 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! :)J is for JulieJulie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
I'll admit, I'm not very happy how Julie turned out (which is a shame, because I really like the book.) I honestly didn't have a lot of time to finish her (the night before the deadline), plus during the time I was drawing her, I was coming down with a 101 degree fever. All-around UGH. :/ I suppose I learned two things: A.) Understanding how Inuit faces are shaped differently from face from European-descent, and B.) Drawing when you're feverish and have the chills isn't fun. Lesson learned...next character! (.5 hour)K is for KaeldraDragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher
I'm a fan of Susan Fletcher's Dragon Chronicles, and decided that Kaeldra from Dragon's Milk needed some spotlight time. The story in a nutshell is about this girl who's younger sister catches vermillion fever, and the only way to cure it is with dragon's milk. When she does find a mother dragon, she agrees to watch the mother's dracling's while she hunts (in return for dragon's milk). However, when the mother dragon is killed by townsmen, the draclings are in danger, and therefore Kaeldra must journey to find a safe haven for the draclings (dun, dun, duuun!) Anyways, it was a nice change to use only flats (no shading) to color this piece. Sometimes flats just give a cleaner appearance while still possessing a more finished appearance than simply lines. Again, it was good practice to draw different shapes of faces; Kaeldra’s is a lot longer than my normal default face, and I always need experience drawing braids (and blonde hair for that matter). Plus, dragons are always fun to draw. :) (2.5 hours)L is for LauraLittle House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Have any of you ever read the “Little House” series? If so, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been enchanted with the pioneer life. I absolutely love how Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in detail daily life as a pioneer and all the adventures she grew up having. So, for the letter L, I was thrilled to do Miss Laura when she was still quite young. And since I had been doing everything digital up to this point, I decided that it’d be a nice change to pull out my pencils and draw in a more organic style (plus, my tablet wasn’t working at the moment. :P) Unfortunately, my scanner butchered the image (as usual), so I resorted to a *shudder* point-and-shoot camera (yes, the point-and-shoot actually looked better than the scanned image. -__-) *sigh* Guess it’s time to buy a real scanner. But regardless, Laura prevailed, and waves her hat defiantly in the face of technology—take that, you fiendish tablet/scanner! :D (2ish hours?)