Graver

Oh, nice work there, Jar guy! I love that style, nice and clean. I'd love to see more work from you... and is it just me, or has he gotten a might touch bord of pointing?

Well, Mystic, I don't know yet, but if it does, you'll be the first to know. I'll need your okay if things change beyond what was already approved And thanks for the vote of confidence there.

Well Gill and all, good to know I'm not the only one who's suffered the woe's of corrupted files and the hells that such brings. In this instance, though, it's not the loss of the pencils that bothers me... hell, I scanned those it and I can always do them again. I'm used to that as I screw things up on quite a regular basis. That's just a little extra time, no thing. It comes with the territory of working in traditional media... no save feature and no undo button

The big thing is the boards. I am now out of the boards I had been using to paint on and the new ones are totally inferior. They warp, buckle, soak up[ the paint and, when heavy water is applied, they dry splotchy instead of smooth. The surfaces that I have been painting on are no more and a lot of the effects and just how the paint looked was a result of the surface. Now, I have to find a new surface to paint on which means a whole different approach to putting the paint on the surface, a whole different set of pro's and con's, certain things I was able to do on my old surface I probably wont be able to do, but then again, there might be some things that I will be able to do that I hadn't. It makes me really consider moving digital... at least I'll know my surface will be consistent I even found an old wacom tablet on ebay with painter 9... that I'm winning for a ridiculously low price (and no one else had better run a search for it and out bid me! )

Change is usually greeted with frustration and cries of W T F I guess, and while I shall dearly, dearly miss my old boards (they really were things of great awsomness... they were like paper that I could sand and scrape and they would never warp or buckle even after being submerged in water!). The boards they are producing now even buckled a bit after I strapped it down and applied one coat of gesso . But ya, I'll miss those boards, but change can be good. I'm playing with watercolor on gesso right now and it has given me some new ideas for other directions to go. That and I guess it's good I lost the work I had done... I was getting a bit too stiff with my work (the whole reason I stopped oil painting in the first place) and it's time I did reassess my approach. This incident has given me some ideas for other directions to explore, so it's not all bad. But, damn it, I am going to miss those boards and hoepfully people won't mind if my work takes on a slightly different look.

I miss those boards already..

Okay... ran into a snag tonight *pounds head into wall*. Apparently, they changed the formulation of the multimedia board I use for these watercolors or something. The boards I had been using I had sitting around for a couple of years. Either way, the last of those was used for Hems. The new ones I ordered, however are completely inferior in quality! *pounds head into wall some more* After the first wash of color, not only did the board begin warping slightly, but the color actually soaked into it (it's not supposed to) and ended up drying in a weird bleeding pattern... hell, in one spot it bled clean through to the back side! *pounds head into wall again and again*

I'll try to come up with a work around... maybe using gesso on the board... or *pounds head into wall* something... I don't know. I'll have to start over as the pencils are wrecked now. Might be able to get a print out and do a transfer, but things are going to be a bit delayed until I can think of something that will yield the quality of the previous works.

Either way, things are going to be delayed, but, hopefully I'll have some forward movement very soon... or kill my self, which ever *pounds head into the wall several more times*

WIP to the left, WIP it to the right, but don't WIP it too hard 'cause your pants are too tight!

Well, since most everyone seems to like to watch the process of my pieces (or any piece for that matter) here is another WIP. Currently on the chopping block is Mysticfire, that transdimensional fiery type guy.
Here's the pose that was decided on in the end for him, a mysterious traveler with a touch of the brooding to him.

And Here's the pencil rough. And before anyone mentions it, I realize the belt is ridding a bit too high which makes his torso look a bit short and weird. It's been fixed, just not rescanned. Ya for those things I don't catch until after I see the scan

More to come as, well, it comes.

Well, damn, after reading this thread, an odd idea up and got all stuck in my head. So now I guess I have give this a shot... I might be able to sqweeze it in over a couple of evinings before the first.

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Cute freckles, great fabric textures. Looks very nice, I can't wait to see it done.

I'm not sure that I agree with Graver on the placement of the center ridge of the sword, though. If it was a flat 2D shape, that line would be off-center, yes - but a sword isn't. I just pictured it as being tilted slightly downward from straight-on towards the viewer, the way the angle of the hilt suggests, with the line being pushed down a little bit to show the sword is sorta diamond-shaped when viewed from the front.

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Oh ya... good point. I so still haven't been able to get my brain to turn back on yet. Sorry for the bad advice there Pep.

In this instance, what might be needed to correct the sword then is to just move the clover on the blade down a bit as it's currently sitting on the upper half of the blade as opposed to the center.

It looks pretty good there Juggs (and I thought I had seen that pose and snake somewhere before ) And it looks a lot better cleaned up. However, as for the mist, I think your main problem with it has been the fact that it tended to be more or less and all over kind of effect. I know that's how it is for the most part irl, but the next time you tackle mist, you might want to pull out that artistic license and put the mist in much like you would have the snake, as a thing that wraps around stuff, that twirls and flows. You'll be able to then heavily mistify some parts while leaving other parts very defined and crisp. This will give you another tool to direct focus and eye movement while still conveying misty without obscuring everything. Just a thought

Wow, I love the end result here. The rough painterly aspect of it is GREAT!

Okay, so looking at it again.. and i can find nothing wrong, only awsomness! It's shapping up wonderfully so far! I love how simple yet complex your drawings tend to be. They look so simple at first but then you start noticing all the little details you put into your work like the suppa rough tongue of the dragon. Keep going girl, I can't wait to see this one done!

Great piece so far Pep. As for the eternal debate on the sword, I'd agree with Rox... no cutting there, Looks like she is holding the flat of it against her upper shoulder blades as opposed to having the edge rest on her shoulders. As for the oddness of perspective with the sword, it looks to me like the bulk of the problem actually arise from the line you have going down the center of the blade. That center does no line up with the hilt's, handles, or clovers center. Move that line up a bit so it lines up with the center of the handle and I think you'll be golden!

As for the rest of it, GREAT job!!! I love the meaty quality of the figure. She's good and solid feeling, almost like I could just reach up, pluck her out of my monitor, and take a big ol' bite out of her... niiiice!

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Freaking awesome Graver, simply amazing. Though, she looks rather playful after having slaughtered those CoT..

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First off, she didn't slaughter anyone; she arrested them... with a katana.

And secondly, thanks all for the kind words! I'm glad this piece went over so well but mostly I'm glad that it has the Hems stamp of approval, that's what really counts in the end after all

Oh, and as requested a couple of times, here's a slightly larger version of the piece, but it won't be here too long. I can't put the large one on photobucket and this one is just on a temporary host 'till I have my website up and active.

HemilyTiger: slightly larger.

Edit: I put a link there that actualy works now. Yay me and my mad bad typing skillz

Well, ya hooked me right there with Opera... and then Phantom of the Opera... I gotta check them out. To date, though, I haven't found anyone who can top Therion in operetic metal (well, any album from Degal on... before that... they were still finding themselves )

Alright, finally, I am finished with HemilyTiger chasing those butterflies!

HemilyTiger: Chasing Butterflies

Granted, I did say I would have it done by Sunday night, but... it's still mostly dark outside and I haven't slept yet, so, for me, it's Sunday night, so I win! hah! I was a bit worried about the colors on this one for a while... the yellow always looked too damned acidic for my tastes but, for once, I stuck to it with the hope that the finally colors and heavy reds I had planed would balance it out, and I am damned pleased that it happened that way. I never have gotten along very well with yellow.

Oh, and, Jimson, to answer your question from my WIP thread, yes, this is hand done. It watercolor with a touch of ink to finish it off. I'm not too good with digital work and all I have to work with is a mouse... but I gots piles of brushes

Either way, I'd like to thank all those who are patently standing in line for their patience. Up next, I'll be warming up to take on Mystic Fire, and tackling the heavenly body of Battle-Angel (you won't believe how long I've been waiting to deliver that cheese bomb ) followed by the Imperial. Stay tuned kids, 2+2=4, and for the love of god, stay in school 'till they kick you out!

Well, currently I'm listing to Wumpscut (all the albums, bit no, not all at once ). Current song: Our Fatal Longing.

I tend to make sound tracks of a sort for the pieces that I'm working on. For Hems' piece, I pretty much painted the whole thing to a play list comprised of Wumpscut, Samael, and VNV Nation. I'm not too sure why I went with that line up for Hems, but, eh, it worked. For the TA pieces, it was pretty much Therion with a touch of My Dying Bride and Tiamat... they seemed to fit.

(so does that help make it belong in the art forum?)

Oh, and Hems, Rasputina... niiiice. I need more of their stuff... one of these days. Heard a little Nightwish, but not enough to recal more then the fact that I heard something by them

looks good Scarf... um, but then agaiin, it is 6 in the morining and my eyes are tellin' me to stop looking at things or they'll kill me. I'll make a better post after sleep, ya, that's it.

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You have a style that makes me feel like I am diving into a Brother's Grimm story.

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<3 teh katfood! That made my night.

And I have a bit more to add...

Getting close

Still got a bitto fill in and a lill' more detail work, but it's close. I'm aiming for a Sunday night compleation... but now it's time for food and sleep

Hehe, that turned out quite nice... and your right, the dragons expression is one of the best parts of it!

Sir Replete: "Whiteness the grandeur of my TERRIBLE blade and TREMBLE foul wyrm!"
Dragon: "Oh, yes, scary, truly... terribly... scary, yes. Wait, what blade?"
Sir Replete: "This one, the one that I, Sir Replete, have slain 10 fold and 2 dragons with!"
Dragon: "Oh, oh, riiight. Honestly, I didn't really see it."
Sir Replete: "Do you mock the instrument of your own immanent destruction, foul wyrm?"
Dragon: "Mock? Oh, lord no! No no no... I would never... mock you... or your... 'terrible blade', no. Not me. My, um, eye's just aren't what they used to be. Would you mind scootching just a bit closer so I could have a proper look at that 'terrible blade' and tremble properly?"
Sir Replete: "Soon enough, foul wyrm, you shall have a MUCH closer look just before you DIE!... hey, did you just sniff me?"
Dragon: "Who, me... oh, no... I mean yes. Yes I did, but you smell quite pleasant. Do you happen to have any commutical diseases?"
Sir Replete: "Oh, no... I was tested just a few months ago and haven't had any... hey, wait a minute, that is none of your concern, foul wyrm! Are you prepared to tremble before I send you back to the hell that spawned you?"
Dragon: "hum, yes, I think I am. Yes, quite ready no. Here, just step into my mouth... I can acutely see the sword best from there..."

Or, and alternate conversation...

Sir Replete: "Whiteness the grandeur of my TERRIBLE blade and TREMBLE foul..." *chomp*
Dragon: "What... I didn't eat him, nope, not me... not at all..."

Well, nothing like a nice pair of marry janes to hammer home the feeling of the playfull inocence of pure unspeakable horror. Nice!

Much much much much much much much much much much much... um... much better

Not only is the pose 1000% better (looks like she's really makein' her self zip through the skies now) and the eye glow looks quite nice... her hair even looks better. Did you do anything to that?

Either way, great job!

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So you're a redhead?

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Only 'till the dye fades

Oh, and I truly Love how Dark turned out! So cute... and evil incarnate, and cute, and innocent, and blackest evil... yay! But, although she's wearing shoes?

Just a small update on the going of Hems... still got a lot of work but the lower left hand corner is finnaly getting in shape... just gotta get the rest of the painting there as well

Hems: Color01

Gotta stop before my eyes fall out. More tommarow

Okay, first off, I have to totally second Kat on that cityscape... damn! Nice work there. The texturing you did on Plas' outfit isn't half bad either. However, for latter reference, you could have done a bit more with the pose. That's a very classic flight pose, but you didn't wring it for all it's worth. In such a pose, it's almost like the hero is flying due to their shear desire to reach the sky, like they are grabbing a hold of it and pulling themselves up into the heavens. Plas seems... very bored with the whole matter and is using that pose to fly because, well, she had to do something with her arms, and, hey, why not... eh. For a more dramatic flight shot, her shoulders (and as a result, her ribs) should be angled to the side, like she's really REACHING for that height. The shoulder of the arm that is outstretched should be pulled forward while the other shoulder is pushed back. The hips should be opposite the shoulders (remember contraposta?) which would give the spine an excellent curvy bend. The more bent the spine, the more dramatic the pose, the more strait the spine the more uptight and boring the pose

As for the eye glow, a very simple on could be achieved in PSP by creating a new layer and coloring in the glow in the darkest purple that the glow is to be over the eyes. I did this in about 1.5 minutes. Once I put the color down, I used the smudge brush to pull the color out to each side and then I just set the layers blend mode to dodge. It's not all thgat good, but it's a starting point and can be worked off of. Seriously, take some time to just fiddle with the layers in PSP, what all the blend modes do, and fiddle with the tools... best way to learn it.

Good work so far, but you really need to push your post production skills.

Okay, another update is in order as the pencils are finished! Technically, they were finished last night but since the CoH board mods had apparently gotten wind that MMOArt was getting all updated which made them go and updated the boards in an attempt to one up Gill, I couldn't post the progress last night... silly mods. Either way, here's the...

HemilyTiger: Penciled

And Mist, I know the scabbard's still arching the wrong way... I didn't read that post until today, but it has been fixed. Thanks for pointing that out as I would have never known such a thing... ever. Though if I didn't know that, it does make me wonder if a tiger girl who still hasn't mastered reading would know that...

And Wombat, I is so honored I get to be your new role model! YAY! It's always good to think about what your doing. Asking your self "why?" is a very useful tool. Not only will it give you more power and control of your pieces, but knowing why you made something a certain way, or why you put x near y will help you trouble shoot and more quickly come up with solutions to problems you might be having. Also, asking your self "why" in regards to your ideas is also very beneficial as it will help you develop strengthen the idea through beneficial improvements, it will also help to avoid any accidental idea theft... which is very easy to do. Just a few days ago, I was discussing an up coming piece and getting all the information on what it should have and possible directions I should go with it. As the character was discussed as well as things that should possibly appear in the piece, a great idea for the look and layout of the painting suddenly came to me out of no where. I knew that idea would make a great looking work of art... and shortly after I found out that I was so certain that it would because it already had.

Either way, yes, go forth and THINK! But be careful of over thinking things. I don't know if Starchasm will be willing to slap you around as well when you start turning a simple sentence into the epic of Gilgamesh

Now, if you'll excuse me... *looks back toards his apartment door...* THE HORROR! *grabs the golf club and runs out screaming "Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn!"*

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so Graver does your new found mega sexy super stardom mean we will be seeing even less of you on coh :P

Ps

I would work you into more Teen Squadron pics but now that your a name brand it seems too much like kissing up :P SO NO PICS FOR YOU

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Ah man! Curse my sexy brand name stardom! CURSE YOU!!! But at least I'll always have the Mad Hatter Abby... I do so love that one sooooo much.... so much.

However, I will actually be logging in a bit more then I had been these past few months... mostly on the weekends though. And, hey, I logged in for close to 6 hours last Sunday night (from about 9est to 3 est)... and it was like a ghost town. Where were you, huh?