Clothed, Clarice and Igraine - ink, pencils

It's forever since I managed to do any drawing. But, inevitably, I start playing a new character and want to draw them in a variety of compromising situations.

Bits of this are borked and it's too late to unbork them, but feedback is as ever very much appreciated. Tell me what works and what doesn't, stuff am getting worse or better at  - and why, if you can! :D It's all immensely useful.

This has ended up being something of an exercise in colours - it's finally dawned on me that if I'm using white to prevent colour uptake, it's because my control is shite and I should work on that. Also in fabric folds, ugh. This is partly Porange's fault, for voting that it was funnier to colour Clarice Obviously Unwell than Obviously Fine. Pale humans are really difficult to colour - probably because the colours become that much more subtle. Good exercise for me - I'll have to keep working on that one in particular, maybe larger face next time so I have more area to play with the shading. I redid the shading on this so many times, the paper started to die. It died really badly around Igraine's face, mostly because I fucked up her jaw and ended up rubbing out ink. She's a draughir. Clearly she's just peeling.

Finished - colour. Clarice does not like physicks. Not one bit.

Finished - colour, slightly cooler lighting. That bastard shield curve is somehow borked.

Not sure which shot is more faithful to the colours. I don't know what possessed me to try and draw Igraine's hand like that, it's awful. Also ugh, the arm. Her proportions look out of whack generally - the HAIR makes her head look even more disproportionately large than it already was, and makes the face look too small for the head as usual. Hair doesn't fall like that, but I'd inked it before I realised. Grr. On the other hand, drawing other people's PCs scares me, and I'm not displeased for a first attempt.

Closeup - Igraine. It doesn't matter whether it's true, Clarice. She doesn't believe you.

 Closeup - Clarice. Are all Dawnish terrible liars? Enquiring minds want to know.

Inking stages, for completeness:

Brushpen.

Fineliner only.

Pencil, draft 2.

I always make the sodding heads too big. Thanks to porange for her help :D

Initial pencil draft. Attack of the giant heads. Yeahhhh.

Bath - Meredith, naked, NSFW, colour

It's finished! Thanks to porange for suggestions on how to colour the water. Tricky. Does it work? Stupid camera has rather bleached the colours, but such is life. (I blame porange also for the higher indecency level in the coloured version. Because I can.) Her right hand is the wrong way around. This will annoy me forever but OH WELL. Skin is really hard to do with my pencils. This is white underlay, then yellow ochre, then rose. Underwater skin omits the underlay, because otherwise there is no colour uptake at all by the time I want to put the blue for the water over the top. Maybe I should get myself some skintoned pencils.

Full length. NSFW

Head. NSFW. I'm fairly pleased with her expression. (Sodding bloody philtrum.)

Lower half. NSFW.

What works and doesn't work with the colouring/anything else? It's hard to tell onscreen I realise, but I'd especially like to hear comments/tips on the water and such, as I've never tried that before and it's difficult.

Bath - Meredith, naked, WIP, NSFW

Aaaaages since I've properly drawn anything. I've forgotten why I started drawing this, but I blame #larp and porange. Morvanian pinup! Or smut. Or something. Whatever it is, Meredith can be saucier than she dresses. Ask Keshrel.

Pencil. NSFW. In the first incarnation the hands were the wrong way around. XD

Fineliner. NSFW. I cocked this up - I've done that thing I do with the philtrum. Rarrgh,

Brushpen. NSFW. Surprised how much better it looks this way.

I cocked up the tub, but it's the figure and the water I'm more interested in - the tub was just me being careless. Tried to address the recurring face-too-small issue in this, but have I gone too far the other way? She has so much hair I can't tell. I have no idea what possessed me to combine the horrors of hands, feet, nudity, water and perspective. Eurrgh. Is that foot still too damn small? I think it might be. Bastard thing. Debating whether to go for Magic Opaque Water, or try something far beyond my skill level with colouring. Hmmm.

What's wrong (and/or right) with it? :D

Lying down, Heresy and Evelyn

What with the culture shock of full-time work, it's forever since I've drawn anything. I'd had this image in my head for a while, so I decided to end the shite-drought by attempting something with two figures in awkward positions! Because I'm a masochist! :D

Heresy awake before Evelyn is not something that happens every day. Or even every month.

With permission from Evelyn's player. He looks slightly grumpy. Or pained. Maybe it's his disposition. Maybe it's because he's attached to Heresy, the poor mad fool. Maybe it's Maybelline.

Things this picture contains that I suck at: 1) fabric folds b) awkward postures c) composition. She's too close to him - her left leg must be right next to him d) men, generally e) people larger than me, generally f) someone else's actual face g) everything!

Despite this list I'm currently fairly pleased with this one. Doubtless this will change. I remain convinced that her head is too big, but the ruler and skull ref tell me otherwise. I dunno.

What's wrong with it? :D

Clothed, standing, coloured

Quick and dirty (but SFW), this - was bad and didn't draw the skull. It probably shows. Bloody hands. Slipped up on the inking a few times, which is annoying - made her neck too wide, and correcting it has left her with uneven shoulders. Oh well. Compositionally I probably shouldn't have gone for blue for the dress, but she isn't the sort to much care. Colour has been bleached a little, but it was shoddy anyway. I'm fairly pleased with the skin though - rose on brown on yellow ochre, no underlay.

This isn't actually Heresy, the nose is different and she's younger. Could be her first cousin in another universe though, she has the same attitude to life. I think her name might be Gifreda.

I think they had a small decorative rapier-type sword in mind, Gifreda. Would you have the heart to take it away from her though?

Inking slips apart, what's wrong with it? :D

Clothed, sitting (Halhigil)

I was too lazy to colour this, so I had a go at shading in biro instead. This one is fudged all over the shop; I have no excuse but idleness. His hands shouldn't be hidden by that paper, unless they're both curled up, but he has hyooge hands so they shouldn't be hidden. I just started inking then couldn't be bothered to fix. Very Bad Self. He should also have a foot visible but oh god feet.

So yes, not very polished, this. Halhigil is a very old RPG character of mine. This is not amazingly faithful, but it's the best I've ever managed to get him yet. Elves are usually of the willowy persuasion. Halhigil... isn't really. Don't mention it to him. He's a little touchy about it.

Brush pen, fineliner and biro. What's borked apart from the above? :D

The plaits are the only thing stopping the hair from taking over the world. He has *gratuitous* amounts of hair.

Clothed, standing (Heresy) FINISHED

Finished the bugger! God her skintone is difficult. I'd have thought fair skin would be harder than a deeper sligtly sallow complexion, but it's really not. Suspect my lack of a decently brown-toned pink doesn't much help, but I'm reasonably satisfied with what I did with what I have. (brown on yellow ochre, no white underlay) Salt-and-pepper hair is difficult too - haven't managed that very well.

Curious how much more manic she looks in this than she did in pencil. Colours a bit dulled by the fading daylight.

Full length. She looks orders of magnitude more manic in the fullsize original.

Top. OK, she does look fairly manic here. I think it's the whites of the eyes. Also her irises are off. Grr.


Plain inking, for completeness. Is kind of terrifyingly psychotic.Was thinking about doing it monochrome ink except for the red.


What's borked? :D