Week 33 Gets Shady

The blog title is a terrible pun. I must be in good spirits.

I read a tutorial on digital coloring recently that insisted that shading with harder, less blurred brushes made the art look more confident and steady. I tried it out and find that I must agree. Just a different brush made this look bolder than my usual shading method. This is also one of the first times I've drawn arm hair.

I'm not sure what to do for Week 34 but finishing so quickly gives me time to think it over.

Week Twenty Nine Finally Ends

It's Friday and I'm worn out, so all I have left to say for this is "Happy Early Birthday" to my friend Ember!

Hetalia fanart in case anyone forgot.

Derailing from Week Twenty-Nine For A Bit

The first painting of the semester for Intermediate painting was something like completed last night, and so transferring it from my house to the bus to my first class to the actual painting studio was a bit of a chore since oil paint is never in a hurry to dry. Anyway, there were things I wasn't happy with and thanks to the critique I know what I can do to improve it... which will happen eventually. At least by the end of the semester. For now, it's time to consider my next painting.

Also, here's a fun little thing that I painted during a craft therapy-session with a couple of friends over Labor Day weekend. If woodworking and I weren't mortal enemies, I'd take off the front and re-attach it with a hinge so that I could decorate the inside too. Alas, it's not meant to be.

I'll try to have my friend's birthday drawing done by the end of this week, since that's kinda what I meant to do for Twenty Nine anyway.

Week Twenty Seven All At Once

After obtaining SAI today, I decided to run myself through a crash-course in using it and enjoying it while I was at it. I also decided to do something rather... self indulgent... before I head back to the land of academia and creating according to the professor's orders.

That pipe he's holding looks awful, so just stare at the pretty man instead.

Ivan from Hetalia.

Week Twenty Six Ends

This could afford more polish and adjusting, but it's at a point where I'm find leaving it the way it is. Week twenty six ends tomorrow officially and I've got writing and other things to do, so we'll consider it done.

I'm still not sure if this is the eye that's green, but there's so much blue in this picture already that we'll assume it is for now. If I'm wrong, I can flip it around later.

Week Thirteen: All Together (Artistic Nudity)

Despite uncertainties about finishing this commission about half way through the week it is, in fact, finished within seven days of when it was started. Since I didn't update during that time, you'll have to take my word for it. I'm really eager to draw something fun for myself as a reward this coming week.

Also, some fun things from my Figure Drawing class, including a page of gesture warm ups, which are between ten to thirty second poses. This is the first page I've done of them that felt like it was worth posting on the internet anywhere.

Week Twelve: All At Once

So I guess last week should have been Week 11 the whole time. Oops.

Anyway, the third of the four commissions is now finished! It's a friend's character and her husband's character. I don't think their real-life counterparts were expecting but I thought the subject matter would be all too cute.

Anyway, since this commission is only to be inked, I'll spend the rest of the week planning out the last one and doing some personal sketches and art homework.

Week Ten Finally Ends

As planned, the commission is finished and it's the first day of April! Today officially starts a new week and also thankfully a new month. I was getting very tired of March. This next week will revolve around finishing another commission, but one that won't take as long so there should be time to do some sketching for myself as well.

Week Six: There She Is

Since her face is no longer terrifying I will label this drawing a success! Week 7 has been decided on and, homework allowing, will be started this evening.

That's all I have to say about that. :)

Week Five: Works for Me

I like to think I'm someone who learns my lesson from doing something stupid the first time around, but apparently not. After staying up until five in the morning on Saturday night I'm sleepy enough that I wouldn't be surprised if I nod off sitting on the drawing horse in my Figure Drawing class later today. It's my own fault, of course. I was with friends and family over the weekend and I usually conk out at 11 when I'm with them. This weekend, however, I wanted to hang out as much as possible, so I downed more coffee at about 7 that evening and wasn't ready to pass out until we'd watched two other movies and were half-way through the steaming pile that is Van Helsing.

Anyway, I did color in my drawing as planned. The background can wait until some unlikely occurrence when I have nothing better to do, but for now it's time to move on to Week 6.

Also over the weekend I completed my art assignment of three expressive busts. Only two are shown here because the other was so awful that no one needs to see it. At least it's done.

Week Four: The Time Has Come..

...to declare this drawing done! The only changes from last night are the lighting and some blur to make the background more background-y, but I was honestly too tired to be bothered with it last night.

This was good practice getting back into using my tablet, and a good learning experience. It also more than makes up for how plain last week's drawing was.

Next week will be a re-do of one of last year's projects.

Week Three: Something

This background is... something, like the title says. A decent background idea just wouldn't come to me. A spaceship interior would have a lot of gray, and the characters do too. So just... random brown. Or something.

Anyway, it's done! I can take the next two days off from Weekly Art, aside from planning Week 4.

Week Two: Sweet Completion

The only reason this is being updated now instead of several hours ago was that both my lighter green markers went completely dry and a perilous drive to Michael's had to be made through the snow to spend about thirty seconds finishing filling in the background. Whining aside, however, it was worth it.

This is going to be the last of the semi-Art Nouveau backgrounds for a while. They're fun, but there needs to be a bit of variety. Possibly also the last fancy dress for a bit. My next two ideas don't really call for either of those anyway. Also, here's some sketches of a few of my characters done during class on Friday.

Also, great computer news! My new battery for the "dinosaur" (named Marvin) came in, and it turns out that replacing the RAM cards with some that hold more should fix the crashing issues. Said replacements have been ordered and should be here next week, so there will be digital art this year after all!

Week One: Perhaps Just Inspired By...

This was finished two days ago, but the cat is sitting on my lap finally forcing me to be still and focus long enough to update.

In the end, there's not a whole lot about this that still screams "Mucha", but there are enough similar elements to at least still claim that it was inspired by him. All that aside, it turned out nicely. It's also considerably brighter and more colorful than most of my work.

To my credit, however, yesterday was spent taking down Christmas decorations, shopping for some necessities, and cleaning my entire house aside from the dishes that I'm putting off for as long as possible.

Background noise: Scrubs

Colorful + Design Blog

I am pleased to present you all with an entry in which everything is finished and in color! Yes, as you can see above, this includes that obnoxious painting assignment. Overall, however, it could have turned out worse. I didn't really "get" it until the last couple days, which is why I think the teddy bear is the best part. The critique for it is on Tuesday.

This one had nothing to do with school, but was an art therapy painting I did while my counselor was over on Friday. It was relaxing (which was the idea), and I did absolutely no planning before I put the brush to the canvas. I just let it happen, and as a result I'm not really sure what's happening on the bottom half there.Lastly is the commission I finally finished for my friend. He actually didn't pay for it to be in color, I just chose to do that because it took me so long and I appreciated his patience.

Also, as mentioned in the title, I started another art blog of sorts on Tumblr. I started it in my Digital Tools class for my chosen project, and the idea behind it is character and costume design, and also a sort of portfolio for myself. A lot of the images are "re-blogged" from others, but some of my past assignments and recent projects are there as well:
http://echeinigisfashionablynerdy.tumblr.com/

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.

Dreaming In Color

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

Week 25: Outside the Skull

I think the highlights on "Black" need to be fixed, but other than that we're good. Top-notch? Not at all, but they're out of my brain and maybe they'll leave me in peace to get other things done.

Also, as of tomorrow I will be fully moved into my new apartment! Photos, however, won't be shown until it's more set up. For the most part wall-hangings are up and furniture is where it needs to go, but there's still clutter. Maybe after my internet is hooked up tomorrow.

Week 24: ...In Space!

When I sat down and opened Photoshop yesterday I wasn't expecting to finish this all at once. But who am I to deny a good artistic roll? There's some errors still, but over-all it was a good relaxing means to get back into the whole Weekly Art thing. I'm thinking of taking out the line along the back of Corvus' tail, though. It looks rather bulky.

Background noise: Finally signed up at Pandora

Week 20: Seeing Starz + Role Call

Okay, so touching it up and signing it only took five minutes instead of thirty. Could it be pushed farther? No doubt. Will it be? Nope. It was an effective learning experience, which was largely the purpose from the beginning.

She is pretty dang cute.

Also, the sketches I did while out down town today. I'm horribly rusty with gesture drawing, and it shows:
ROLE CALL: So, really curious, who out there reads this thing? Not that I'll stop if I have a tiny readership - I have every intention of seeing this blog through to the end of the year and beyond. And for those who do read it, what would you like to see me do differently that would make this whole thing more interesting? Without readers the blog sort of doesn't have as much of a point as I would like, so feedback from you guys would be wonderful. :)