So School Started...

...and apparently I like to draw fan art instead of practice classic techniques and do homework... I just wanna read comics all the time...is that so bad? And then when I'm not reading, I'm drawing them. That's cool right? I'M COOL!!! SO COOL!!! Validation!!!

I'm so cool that the guy at Hijinx Comics remembered my name the other day. Oooooh I was so excited.

Random art dump. These are some of the pictures I've come up with.

This is me and Eric dressed up as our fav superheroes while reading comics. We actually do this, in real life. Also we fight crime. I am Powergirl for reals tho.

Sailor Jupiter. It is my goal to paint every sailor scout in photoshop!

I was so proud of this one! It has story. It has expression. It looks like a comic panel taken straight from a comic! Looooooove it!

Amethyst got all sassy. What the hell iiiiiiis that thing. I know its woven out of mist but what IS it?

Day 24....Horses are hard to draw.

For day 24 I didn't even want to do a horse. It just sort of happened.

On the list, day 24 reads as "a multiple legged monster" so originally I wanted to do a creepy crawly. I was looking at shrimp for inspiration because I love the way they move. However, I found that after scribbling a few shrimp, I just wasn't into the idea.

For whatever reason my next idea was a watermelon with spike spider legs. I'm not sure why. It was a really random idea. I didn't go into that idea because for some reason I was convinced that the design I had in mind already existed. I think that I was thinking of the water melon called walter melon from the aqua teen hunger force movie. Ha! So i nixed that idea.

Lyndsay has been talking a lot about how she's looking into buying a pony so I've had horses on the brain for a while. I ended up drawing a pegasus for today's challenge. It's not really a monster I guess and who can tell if it's even female. Oh well. It's alright. I like it ok. I'm quite sure its the best horse I've ever drawn. I think what I liked most is the red lines in contrast with all the greens.

She's a cubby one!

Day 23 Yokai...And Bad Imitation of Ink Painting.

So according to the all powerful wikipedia, a yokai is a catch term for all japanese supernatural beings. There are so many that I ended up picking one that sounded the most interesting.

A kitsune is japanese for fox but within the realm of yokai, a kitsune is a shape shifting fox that varies in personality. Kitsune often shape shift into young girls, beautiful women and old men. It is said that if you come across a beautiful women alone in the forest, she is a kitsune in disguise.

For my yokai picture I wanted to go for a sumi-e style of painting. I was aiming toward a Hokusai-esque digital painting but...haha....of course one can only ever aim for Hokusai greatness but can never obtain Hokusai greatness. I chose a brush that I hoped would imitate the undulation of an ink brush line but it fell short. However, I have a fondness for the piece, despite it not coming out quite right.

Day 22. Flying Ninja Rabbit Jerks

I'm watching my rabbit fight like ninjas right now. Man, they really don't get along. Rabbits are adorable little jerks and I'm pretty sure they are aware of it! I really should do a rabbit monster. I could make t-shirts with that image! lol

Day 22 is a canine girl! I wanted to pick a specific dog and showcase a specific trait of that dog. I chose great dane as the breed. Great danes are known as racing dogs so I wanted to showcase dog ability to run great distances. I went with a girl runner character. This is dear to my heart because 1.) I used to be a runner and 2.) I used a sketch of the east bay hills as the background. Great danes typically have slender waists and muscular thighs, both of which are traits that I carried over into the character design.

What I like best about the piece is the composition specifically in relation to the background. I thought it would be interesting to have a low horizon that showed a vast background but then trapped that background within the confines of a square box. The character is not confined to the box which I feel pushes the character forward in space.

Eric pointed out the irony of a dog girl taking herself on a walk. I love it! Unintentional!

Day 21....Color Evolution

Day 21 is cat girl! I actually was proactive and did this picture as well as day 22 yesterday! I'm ahead of the game!!

So this cat girl picture was an experiment in color. I tried coloring the piece 2 different was and got 2 very different results. I'm definitely glad I went with the second.

Originally the cat was not in the picture. I wanted the pose to look jumping around playing, as if she was playing hopscotch....but when I add the background, it just looked like she was making eye contact with some invisible thing...so I added a cat.  

first try 

second try

Day 20....Daaaaaw, isn't that cute!?

Day 20 is a satyr girl. Satyr's are normally male but they have female counterparts named satyresses....so I guess this is technically a satyress. Satyrs exist in both ancient roman and ancient greek mythology. According to the all knowing wikipedia, the roman version depicts satyrs as humans that have the lower half of a goat as well as horns. The Greek version depicts satyrs as being mostly human with the ears and tail of a goat. These satyrs are companions of Pan and are follows of Dionysis. My satyr is mostly the roman depiction with the exception of the hare she is carrying. The hare symbolizes a shy satyr. This may be the cutest piece I've done. Shy is just such a cute personality trait to depict!

This one is just all sorts of win. I love the lines, the color, the design and even the fact that I got to incorporate a bunny into the picture! I love it all!

Day 19....Oh Cyclops

Day 19 is cyclops girl. I knew for sure I wanted her to be interacting with her one eye so I thought depicting her applying makeup might be a funny situation. I wasn't sure if I wanted to have her putting on mascara or eyeshadow....I feel like makeup is depicted to often as part of a girl's daily routine so that lead me to depict something a little less talked about....female facial hair.

Not my best peice. It was sorta drawn half heartedly. Even though I liked the concept of the situation, I just wasn't up for the execution.

I did make it a point to incorporate the face that everyone makes when applying mascara! Haha so true.

Day 16, Day 17, Day 18. Three Days Crammed Into One.

So I fell behind. Life happens. Cars break down. Bank accounts become barren. Crying ensues. Full bottles of wine are drinken. All that Jazz. We can all learn a lesson from St. Walker and the Blue Lanterns....(pst...those are the hope lanterns!). So here I have Day 16, Day 17, Day 18. Yea! Drawing marathon! This catches me up to date. I have a lot of free time tomorrow so I might actually work ahead, that way I have time before the semester starts to design and print the book!

Day 16 Ghost

This is my second attempt at this piece. The first attempt was sketched out in photoshop and, after a bottle of wine, was discarded for massive amounts of ugly. I sketched this one, as well as the following two monsters, out on paper first. Then inked and transferred it to photoshop. I just feel like my thought process is different on paper than it is on the computer. Also, my line work is better overall with pen.

I really enjoy this peice. I think its adorable and fun. I was pleased that I got a sense of personality out of my ghost girl. She comes across as quite the little prankster. This piece acheives what I believe slime girl achieves, and thats a sense of story by use of solely character and prop. Coincidentally both pieces have that pudgy simplified style. As for the color, I wanted the feel of a dark, empty, dirty space so the colors are muted as well as on the purple side.

Day 17 Robot

Whenever I think robot girl, I immediately think of a sex robot. This is what sci-fi has taught me! It's not my fault! So I wanted to come up with a robot girl who is aware that robots are used as sexual objects but rejects that idea...in this case with weaponry.

Again, this piece was sketched on paper first, then inked and scanned into the computer.

Features of this robot girl:
 -Buzz saws. Good idea? Or Great idea?
- Wings comprised of automatic guns. How do you reload the ammo? Refer to your handbook, this is   not a FAQ page!
 - A mouth that is not a hole, but instead flaps that move up and down over a screen that shows the                    sound wavelengths of her voice during conversation. Results in a lot of staring at her mouth while she is talking.
- Semi Automatic sold separately.
-Wi-Fi

Day 18 Alien

So I've been told that a lot of inspiration for sci-fi creatures comes from deep oceanic creatures. Things like squids, angler fish, funky coral and the like are used as spring boards for a lot of alien concepts. This is due to their ability to function in an environment that mimics space. These creatures can survive intense pressure, extreme cold or extreme heat, and little to no light. I, however, did not take this approach. Instead I went with my fascination for fungi. The fungi this alien is based upon is the bioluminous mushroom. These mushrooms produce a soft glow from the edges of their gills as well as from the area where the gills and the stem meet.

I was proud that I figured out how to create a glow for this peice. Hooray refine edge! I knew you could do it! The piece would loose a lot of story and effect without that glow. In fact, if I didn't add it the alien would look like a sea creature! I like the expression I got out of this character. I wanted the piece to show an alien girl (princess?) whom is lost. I really wanted scared or disoriented to come across. This creature is able to twist her head around multiple times due to a lack of structure or muscle in that area. The same goes for where her elbows would be. The more twists, the more stressed the alien.

I just can't get over how varied the styles are for the pieces even though I drew them one right after the other. What's up with that?

Day 15. Dragon....I bet she'll want some serious snacks

Day 15 is dragon monster! At first I was hesitant about this monster. I didn't want it to turn out like just a typical dragon with the addition of boobs. However, at the same time I didn't want her to be to humanoid to the point were it looked like I just stuck a tail on a girl. Simultaneous, I was wondering as to why I hadn't been liking my monsters for the past few days. Why did my slime monster turn out so well but all these other ones are all....blah? I've come to the conclusion that slime monster was such a success because she had a definite character....a definite story. She didn't come across as just some flat character that exists and floats around with no personality.

Story was something I wanted to strive for a little more in this peice. I wanted it to be interesting and different. Not just some Dragon.

I thought about what kind of dragon I wanted and settled on a fire dragon. What are traits of a fire dragon? Breathing fire. Exhaling smoke. Being reddish in color. Exhaling smoke caught my attention. What if breathing fire didn't refer to shooting fire from a dragon's mouth, but instead referred to inhaling fire. The idea that a fire breathing dragon was actually a creature that was a stoner crossed my mind. I laughed at how silly it was but ultimately I ran with it. In the end, I like it. I feel like the pose should be more slouched but not all the drawings can be winners!

To cool for school man.

Day 13 and Day 14.... Procrastination Sets In

I just finished day 13 and day 14. I didn't want to fall behind and I am determined to see this challenge all the way through!!!

Day 13 Insect Monster

I don't  like butterflies. I'm not sure why. Something about the proboscis. They are essentially straws that the butterflies suck fluid through the same way mosquitoes use their suckers to feed on blood. Gross. What stopping those demonic butterflies from sucking your eye jellies! Nothing. Cover your eyes. They are coming for you!

There's a whole lot of suck going on in this picture. I wasn't fond of the drawing and that translated into bad coloring. At first I tried slapping down color but I didn't like the way it was going to I switched to straight values...That didn't really work either.

Day 14 Dullahan

So, from what I could find about this creature, these beings are like the depiction of a headless horseman originating from Ireland. I wanted it to be a ghostly headless horse lady but, again, because I was not fond of the drawing, bad coloring ensued. I also wanted there to be a glow emanating from the mist and from the eyes of both the rider and the horse but I was having a  hard time figuring out how I wanted to approach that. In the end, it was a no glow.

More suck. 

Day 12......Say Yes to THAT Dress

Day 12 is zombie girl. I'm so proud that I finished this before midnight....I'm always finishing these circa 3 or 4 am haha NOT TONIGHT!!!

I went with a zombie bride. I know, a little overdone. I just really like the idea of a bride having eaten the groom but simultaneously being aware that she is a bride....so this bride is trying to show her your ring.

This is also an homage to those horrible wedding shows I watch with Lyndsay and Eric. Personally, I think Eric likes them more than me. It's just a chance for us to bond over mutual judginess. Nothing says friendship like judging awful clothes on tv. So to you, here is 'Say Yes to That Dress.'

Day 11...The True Monster....Plus Fanart!

Day 11 is a "true monster," whatever the hell that means. I took it as meaning a monster that is the scariest, beastliest creature to you yourself....so after having a hard day at work I drew this as my truest monster. Lol. Ohhhhh work. So much banging head against wall and screaming at the phone tonight. It went on forever.

Also, I did some sweet Terra fanart! I love the new Terra that teamed up with Power Girl in the Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray series! She's so cute! She rocks!!! Pun intended!!

For this one, I experimented with ways to turn form. I didn't want to have all my shadows to be sharp like cast shadows. Really, I wanted to try and apply what we've learned about rendering form in school. I started with all mid tones. Then I added shadows with sharp edges. With the blending tool I spread them thin to make a smooth transition. Then I cleaned up the smudge in places that weren't even by setting my eraser tool to about a 30% harshness and setting the flow to 1 or two. I repeated this for the highlights. I didn't like that the skin still looked flat so I used a sand texture as an overlay. I think it turned out well! Can't wait to do more!! :"3

day 10.....Happy New Year

Happy new year!!! This is my succubus post. From what I came across, succubi are female creatures that have sex with male humans normally, but not exclusively, in their dreams. Originally they were ugly creatures but over time have transformed into hyper-sexualized beings. Normally they are depicted as having bat type wings, a tail, pointed teeth and having a poisonous pincer that extends from the wrists in order to knock out their victims.

The first succubus was Lilith, Adam's (from the bible) first wife...before Eve. Look it up. Stuff is weird.

Here is my take. She was originally ugly. Real real ugly. Unintentionally real real ugly. But she evolved into something less ugly and more interesting. For this piece I played with overlaying textures in order to make a more dimensional piece. I like it. It's alright. I went analogous with the color scheme.