Moving Right Along....

Mood is.......: distracted
Listening to..: some commerical
Watching......: CSI: Miami

Got more things to share. I recently booted up my laptop again to pull off the various psd's I'd started up on it. I hope to work on them more now that I'm not worried that my laptop will turn itself off randomly (it's old, it needs to go).



This is from said laptop, and from when Ruthie and I were playing around with a new version of She-Ra (basically, a new generation, new takes on old villains, etc). These are two of said villains- Double Trouble on the left and Catra on the right. It was a fun scenario....it would be a lot of fun to do it as a webcomic or something. (Yeah right, dream big...)



This is for the Unavisi trade going on at the moment. I got Ren this time around and she asked for her bad girl, Oryx. Oryx has a crush on my boy, Nummy (or Numbat). Normally she is quite abusive to him...kinda like how you abuse your crush when you're a kid (except with probably more bruises). I wanted to do something a little more elaborate...but I promised myself I wouldn't let it get out of hand this time. I need to work on my commissions so I'm doing something simple, if not as humorous as I'd like.



And this....is from one of the most awesome comics ever. Bone. Playing with the painting features of Artrage again. Bartleby the stupid rat creature. He's adorable and I love him to itty bitty bits. I think I'll try the Great Red Dragon tomorrow.

Getting Back on the Horse Sounds Better than Getting Back on the Pen, which sounds vaguely dirty.

Mood is.......: lonely
Watching......: Mars Attacks!

Well it's been one of those days. Granted, it's at least been productive. Nothing like having nothing to do and nowhere to go to make you turn to art. Still coming out of my art rut slowly but surely. At least I accomplished some stuff.



This is the finished version of one of my commissions that I'm waiting to get the okay on (and the final payment). I'm fairly proud of it, I think I did a good job on the pose and the atmosphere if I do say so myself.



This is one I've shown earlier, of Cumber and Musk. Frankly, I hate the coloring and might ditch it altogether and start new again. Bleh.



This one is for Ruthie girl. Tis our vampire boys acting like the boys they are. From left to right:
Taliesin, Orion, Beowulf, Aramis, and Jason (and yes, there is a theme with their names if you caught that).

They're ridiculously fun to play off each other because they aren't perfect. They piss each other off, fight, have stupid arguments and purposely annoy one another. Y'know, like real guys do. I rather like Jason's pose (the one on the far right).

These next two are from my little mini crying jag this afternoon.



This is both me playing with Artrage's brushes and such and trying to get a little less structured. I don't know how well I did and I'm not sure I expressed what I was going for really but I like the colors. And I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone which is always good.



This is Tyger, one of my Unavisi. A really quick, quick portrait trying to use the style above with a little more precision. Not great but not the worst thing ever.



And lastly, my next commission. Butters and Ace, who are also Unas. Getting back into the swing of things there. I have an exchange for the group that I just got my person for and I'm very excited. I definitely have some ideas, I just have to refrain from going overboard.

Ciao lovies.

Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping...

Mood is.......: PMSy
Listening to..: Roomie chatting w/ mom
Scent is......: Carnal
Watching......: Avatar the Last Airbender: The Fortune Teller

Haven't felt like doing much lately. In RL or in art. Part of it is that "lovely" time of the month and partly is spiraling back down into my head. I hate my head.



These two are twins from the same 'universe' as the cuddlers from the previous post. Gianni and Carina Valentino. Gianni doesn't like you looking at his sister.

Sketch was done in Artrage and colors were done with Artweaver. Learning the program slowly but surely. I wish there was a smudge tool but the program is still in development so that might be forthcoming.

Grrr.

I have somehow killed my tablet. Well not the tablet but lost the correct settings. (Hell for a time there, my comp couldn't even find the bloody wacom folder/items in said folder). Right now I'm trying to download new drivers but I don't really know if I'm accomplishing anything.

Bleh.

Edit:
Aaaaand just as I post that I fixed it. I guess. God, I'm a twit sometimes.

Edit, Part Deux:


This is really what I wanted to post up here. A friend of mine and I have been toying with the thought of playing 'the letter game' via email sometime in the future. Which of course, has me bubbling with thoughts and possibilities. Above is my main character Helena (aka Lena) and one of her antagonists Jason. I've discovered I'm quite fond of Regency era men's jackets although by no means am I particularly adept at design/drawing period clothes.

So now I can work in peace that I've got that out of my system. And eat. Food would be good right about now.

Learning Curves

Now that You're Clean... by ~pariahsdream on deviantART

Finished version of one of the sketches in my previous post. It still amuses me how art ends up with a life of its own. Take for example, this one was meant to have a cooler tone over all and look like they were in the middle of a hallway with metal walls. Now it's dirty and dank and rocky. Not bad...just different. I'm pleased with it (at least, at the moment ;p).

(Side-by-side)

And this is me screwing around with Artrage and Artweaver. Artrage for the pencils and 'weaver for the colors. The top sketch of Dala and Devil almost kissing is done with the crayon tool which made me want to buy real crayons and a coloring book. >> Nothing is quite so therapeutic as coloring in a coloring book.

The second sketch is Devil, Dala and a small, worried looking Gueira. I've been percolating on such scenarios for a little while now but regardless I think I like the clean lines better. The coloring on this one was done with the oil pastels tool and I need to remember that in 'traditional' media to lay down the lightest colors first.

But for now, back to the commission wheel.

Welcome

Trying out an art blog. I don't know how well this will go but can't hurt to try.

Speaking of which, I've recently downloaded Artrage2 and Artweaver both. So far I'm intrigued. Artrage has a pencil tool that really does seem to mimic pencil lines quite well (there's an example at the end of this post). Artweaver has more functionality and I think I will use to try different sorts of colors. Its pencil tool isn't nearly as realistic but at least it has layers. Both are free to use, although Artrage has limited tools unless you pay for the free version (which is only $25). When I have the money I might consider actually purchasing Artrage.

It's format/design is too kitschy/fugly for my tastes but I can work around it. I prefer my canvas to be functional not 'pretty'. Artweaver on the other hand could use some polishing but I don't mind it looking a bit barebones- it's freeware.

Speaking of art programs, I am/was attempting to Tegaki E with mixed results. It's frustrating on a few levels- no layers, the pen tool isn't sensitive and the canvas is tiny (of course I was using my laptop too so that could've been part of the problem there). Still it's always good to stretch oneself and attempt things you aren't comfortable with.

But yes, I'm sure you're wondering, 'okay, art blog, so where's the art already?'

Coming up!

Tegaki E Stuff:
(Random hot dude who I accidentally named Asuba. Don't ask me. I do like the purple lighting)

(Elena a la Prodigals/'Normal' verse, she's got an Audrey Hepburn sort of vibe...or she's supposed to)

(Phoenix of the X-Men/Excalibur fame- Rachel Summers version, my preferred one)

And the sketch I did in Artrage. With a little PS blurry/copyright:


I have more Tegaki but those are the ones I don't mind so much. Don't know how often I'll be updating but hopefully I won't neglect this.