Air Temple

Step-by-step stages of my newest "Avatar"-inspired landscape.  This one was really challenging and I'm not totally pleased with it, but I definitely learned a lot from experimenting with brushes and composition ideas and such.

  

    

New Processeses..ees

Spontaneous update!  First, a finished collaboration I colored for.  Second is my current project, which I'm working on mostly in Painter after going through about eight different composition ideas.  Last is another work in progress done in a sort of experimental way- more incorporation of drawing and reference, as you can see by the random hand photograph hanging out there.  

New projects

When I started GuildWars2 I was really excited about drawing new characters, but I've actually shelved game commissions for what I think will be a long time.  I'm really starting to enjoy environmental art, even though it reminds me of when I first started to draw and absolutely everything seemed impossible.  I guess I like a good challenge.  My trees are still sloppy and composition still eludes me nine times out of ten, BUT, I enjoy it all.

I'm also starting to doodle out the first tentative design ideas for a project that I've been outlining since the year began.  I think of these graphic novel ideas all the time and inevitably scrap them, but I think this one's the lightbulb that works.  I hashed out the two main characters, but right now there are at least eleven.  So more soon!

Oh, and I've also started messing around with watercolors.  SO hard.

Listening to: Too Afraid to Love by The Black Keys

Reading: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Watching:  Strip Search on Penny Arcade

Looking at: Craig Mullins

Forest

This has been my biggest landscape drawing so far!  They are hard.  Props to... pretty much all environmental artists ever. Loosely inspired by Gunnerkrigg Court but really just an experiment in pushing my drawing further.

Pre-work Doodle

I am trying to squeeze more sketching time into the mornings.  I'm working on a big landscape experiment, and got this one out in the half-hour between that and leaving for work.  I remember hearing a tip recently that it can help to start out a drawing session with working on the things that are most finished, and ending with a completely new sketch.  It helps to keep discouragement at bay.

Guild Wars 2 International Fan-Art Contest

It's a mouthful to say, but basically a really fun chance to start drawing some GuildWars2 art.  The game is so drenched in artsy awesomeness that it's impossible for me NOT to love.  This is the original contest: Pantheon.

I saved some progress screenies before the final picture! Because they're cute.

Experimenting

I have been experimenting more with environmental drawing; not gonna lie it is very fun, though also much much more difficult than I had been prepared for.  There are also some figurative sketches here inspired by different games.