Impact

Six days have come and gone since the last update, and what a busy six days they have been. I started a job at the school that earns me 25 hours a week and graciously works around my class schedule. My co-workers are pretty awesome as well.

I did start painting class, but it's one of things that starts slowly. We started an exercise on Thursday, but I didn't take a photo. Instead behold the new toys I bought for the class:
Brushes thankfully were not necessary as I already owned all the required sizes. I realize any old hand soap would have done, but I forgot it last time and was in the book store already, so just picked that bar up. Also, palette knives baffle me. It's been too long since my days of watching Bob Ross obsessively as a kid. And yes, we have to stretch our own canvases for this course. What a pain.

While I didn't take a photo of the horror that I started in class, I did experiment with the left-over pigment from that session so as not to waste paint.
It's not especially exciting or well-done, but again I was just playing around. I think I'm having issues mentally transitioning from knowing how to use watercolors or acrylics to figuring out oils, which are a whole new battleground.

Also, I have two commissions that need completed, but thankfully I know both the clients well and they are patient. Being at the school either in class or working from 9 - 5 every day does cut into my creative time a bit.

This one's Hetalia, Australia and Wy, having a father and daughter moment (or they will once they have bodies):
Lastly, on something of a whim I bought a car model kit. Well, not exactly a whim, but explaining would take too long. No photos yet, however, as I'm not allowing myself to open it until after I've done some homework.

Stuff's Happening

Yes, it truly is. It's also not happening, which is problematic. Despite all my applications I still have no work, and therefore no work hours during the last week. This is going to make paying rent at the beginning of next month painful enough, so hopefully something will hire and start me this coming week, which is also the first week of school.

Lack of work being the case, however, some sketching was still done. I finished a couple of commissions:

Started working on another one (today):
And did some Hetalia-related scribbles in pen for myself:

I also have another commission to work on after the current one is finished. Something else I've done lately that makes using my tablet easier is watching other artists streaming live while they work. I've picked up some little tricks that make it more fun and save me some work. Sure I could have read a tutorial, but actually watching it happen does more for me. Visual learner and all that.

Commission: Flower

This is one of the commissions I talked about yesterday; a friend's character named Hua (Chinese for "Flower"). She's adorable and was really fun to do. Usually I have trouble with longer muzzled animals, but she cooperated beautifully.

Completion

This was actually completed yesterday within an hour of my last entry, but since I saw no point in posting twice in the same afternoon, I decided to wait and put it up today.

I ended up just using a Photoshop brush on the shirt. It's not exactly like the one on the website, but it passes. Technically the office I designed for Ivan has stuff on the walls, but I didn't want to take away from the foreground with a bunch of clutter back there.

Also, a couple of people have commissioned me and already paid, so that's what you can expect to see in the next few entries.

Sap - Now in Partial Color

Still looking decent. I was planning to add the pattern on the white of her shirt by hand. Then I took a close look at it and realized that would be completely insane. So while I touch it up in Photoshop and maybe add a simple background, I'm going to see about finding some sort of lace brush to download.

It certainly feels nice to be finishing another drawing so soon after my last one.

All Line Up

Okay, this looks loads better now that it's inked and the figures are done. I'm currently undecided on how much of a background it'll have even though I know what Ivan's office looks like (In my head of course, not officially).

Also, Lien is wearing a shirt that I saw online. Isn't it pretty? I'm currently undecided on how I'll do the pattern, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now I'm just pleased that I made it to the inking stage.

Random fact: In Vietnam it's a tradition that only the mother may touch an infant for thirty days after he/she is born. That'd be frustrating.

Onward Ho!

So the art block is still mercifully non-existent, and to keep it that way I'm just rolling with whatever kind of mood I'm in. Right now it's a sappy fan art mood, so you'll have to bear with me until this drawing is complete and it's out of my system.

More Hetalia characters, Ivan (Russia) and Lien (unofficial name of Vietnam), and also a little addition that's incubating. Yes, clothes are coming. This is just how I work.

Dreaming In Color

I finished it! ...I guess that's all I have to say. Too tired for much else

Dreaming In Color...ish.

How is it that I was better at coloring in the lines when I was ten than I am now? Well, either way, here's the coloring progress. Thank God for Photoshop, but I decided to not apply any touch-ups with it until I'm actually done.

I haven't finished with the shading because I wanted something to do to take breaks from the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of dots I have yet to add. Once again, this is the dress I'm drawing.

I'll probably finish this today because I'm in a bit of a pinch. My car is out of gas and my bank account is out of money, so I can't get to work. So uh... if anyone wants to throw a commission my way? That'd be nice. My next pay day isn't until the 22nd.

Dreaming in Pencil... and Ink

If I'm not careful I might actually finish something this week!

Dreaming in Pencil

Last night while goofing around on some vintage clothing websites to find things some of the characters I write would wear, I came across something I wouldn't mind wearing. This one right here .

Now, a lot of dresses on Modcloth are just plain gaudy and awful, and I'd never have an excuse to buy that one, but being an artist means I can not only pretend, but show my imaginings on paper. After this is finished, I'll be totally satisfied. It helps, however, that I don't actually want to buy it to begin with.

Oh, and some scribbles in pen from church...
The lady in black lingerie wasn't supposed to look that skanky, it just happened.

Dabbling

During my continued semi-Hiatus until school starts and I post work from the painting studio I'm taking I've still been sketching. It's mostly fan work, but d the day I cease to draw what I enjoy is the day that I throw away all my art supplies.

To my credit, however, there's a few life scribbles in here too, and an odd sort of gift for a friend. His character, Shane the world's angriest Scot, as a Rabbit from Kung Fu Panda. It's... a long story.
Did these in church. Made the mistake of not having coffee before the service, so that's why there's only half a page. It was a good message, though, about the older brother in the Prodigal Son parable.
And finally, some sketches for a Hetalia fanfic I hope to complete some day (which won't happen. Never does.) It's an Alternate Universe story with Ivan as a noble, Lien as his newest harem-girl, and Rasputin as Ivan's dad's advisor who wants said harem-girl when she's not up for grabs.