And then I put another six hours into it.

Which was kind of hard. There was a couple of points where I wasn't too sure what I was going to do next. I knew I liked the color scheme, and I wanted to keep the expressions as unchanged as I could. But then I was also aware that something wasn't working with Yuri (the blue haired one.) So, I threw up a couple of layers and went back to work. I softened some edges, refined a bit of the background, and fiddled around a lot with the shine on the boots. So, is this the final version? For now. And this is a good thing, I couldn't bring myself to move on to another project until I was done with this.

The thing that makes me laugh here, is that I published the previous version to my Deviant Art account and got a very warm reception. The... politics of posting a more improved version right after a popular posting has me mystified. I'm not too sure what comes next. I tell you, that's half the reason I keep this blog going. I can be very frank about what I post, where I think there's a bit of ... decorum (?) to deviant art posting. Of course, this could be me making up rules that don't exist.

Also, I know that Piya can't access my Deviant art page from his work. So, maybe part of it's making life easy on him. /shrug.

In the interest of full disclosure,

Also, couldn't sleep. And I think it's fun to see the evolution of a sketch to the finished product.

The Dirty Pair

Ok, I totally had too much fun doing this image. And look, it even has a background. One of the first sets of "Chicks with Guns" this is more or less an homage piece.

Sketched out first with a Bic blue ball point pen, the drawing was then scanned into the computer via Photo Shop and then finished in Painter. I can't say colored because everything that's not the two girls was done in the computer. And even then they were heavily retouched. I'm very happy with this. And am excited for whatever comes next.

Rolling on,

So I'm doing my best to make good on my threat on posting more. Did this in my sketchbook, and I'm very pleased with it. Good reference ftw, let me tell you what. The color scheme is something I'm very happy about. The rifle came out well too. Those of you with some Mech Warrior pen and paper game experience will recognize the "Blazer". The rest of you can just enjoy a double barreled laser gun. Which, of course, is what a Blazer is.

A little something i've been working on.

Watercolor and Gouache, ref from some old Costume Carnival photo.

I'm still alive, just working on getting it all together. This is where I say I'm going to rededicate myself to this online presence stuff.

More to come.

Crayola, and Gouache. My true loves.

Strange things afoot. I'm neck deep in ideas for different drawings. Mostly characters, mostly things I can't figure out how to market. But I'm moving forward with them anyway. I"m sure something is right around the corner. I'm just not sure what. I've been very happy with what Crayola's been doing for me, marker wise. At the same time I'm going to morn the loss of my Pantone Trias when they finally run out of ink. I don't have any easy solutions for ultra marker replacement. I assume that I'll have to bite the bullet and invest in a boat load of Copic markers. Of course, It's time to invest in a new computer as well. And with all this investing being thrown around. Why not dream big and get a girl friend too. I've started drawing on drafting film. Found some that I've had lying around. The trick to it, is to have very clean hands. The stuff's got an awesome tooth, but being plastic; the graphite doesn't absorb into the pulp. And, if you're not careful, it'll mix with the oils on your skin. Suddenly, you're oil painting.
I've been surfing around. And I can't help but notice this Steam Punk movement. It's pretty thrilling to me. I'm going to have to jump on this band wagon. It seems to me, that it's very much like what I do already, just with goggles. I like goggles. So, from now on. I'm doing more goggles. Throw some gears in there, and I'll be part of this huge genera.

Now, to find a job.

More Crayola

Blasted this out today. I'm quite pleased with it. I mean, it has a color scheme. It has a back ground. Sure they're things that could be refined. But I'm happy with it now.
Things are going well on the homestead. It's dawning on me that the reason artists tend to live in big cities, is that it combats the isolation that's required to put a painting together. I mean, you can't do a serious drawing when your roommate is trying to show you the funniest thing he's ever seen on You tube. There are steps that artist need to keep their studio an "inner sanctum". You can't keep focus in an environment like that. Too much alone time and you start getting, lonely. Now, this is combated by having 700,000 people in close proximity. If you're, say, someplace where the closest 7 square miles net a full population of 3000 people. You might have a hard time connecting back up with humanity. To say nothing about temperatures in the low teens. It's like canning cabin fever. I should put an ad on Craig's list for a muse. They all seem to be elsewhere though. I'm willing to travel. It's staying that brings the complications. That being typed. I'm still working away. Just need a change, is all.