A picture book journey of my designs and artwork that I constantly work on as I develop arthritis. If you want me to make a graphic, come on in and let me know! Beware when reading, I'm unapologetically foul-mouthed sometimes and I like cracking dad...
This is a side view of Shanoa, my main character in Fragged. It's basically her first time in the VR world and she's rendered speechless by what she sees. The reason she looks different here is that the VR projects an image of herself that she chooses and in this case she chooses to look like her friend instead of herself.
Unlike previous art in this book, I've gone down the line art path. It's easier to divide the parts I have to color without the color accidentally bleeding into other parts of the painting.
This is also a live painting. This means that I'm constantly updating this page while I paint the picture.
Painting Process So, I started with a crappy outline. I used a thick, round airbrush just so I wouldn't be slow myself down with the details. Outline first, details later. It looks like a caveman's drawing.
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Rough sketch or chicken scratch, whichever you prefer to call it. I have a feeling I ducked up her shoulder/back area. Oh well. [Regret is at 5%]
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Next was my sloppy attempt at line art. I should've fixed the bumps in the line art to make it seem smoother, but I didn't. [Regret is at 10%]
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I set up a palette I wanted to use. The colors are dark, but Shanoa isn't a bleached, pale Asian so it suits her. I filled in all of my base colors except for the eyes and lips.
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Now onto detailing, arguably the best and worst part. I started on the shading and carving of the face. I'm careful to keep my light source in mind so that I don't accidentally fudge the lighting up. I also changed the colors of my outline so that they match the area they're in. I also did the lips really quickly and filled the eye portion with a dull silvery white color.
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Here's the close up of the lip and nose area. You might notice that I've started on the ear. Also, here's a quick look at my workflow and the infinitesimal amount of layers I use. Because my line art wasn't fluid at all, you'll see little pixel bumps. [Regret is at 15%]
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I added the eye and gave it some shine to mirror the reflection we usually get when light hits it. I started giving her a hint of red in certain places just so her skin color isn't flat. Also, I changed my workspace a bit to make room for the overview tab which lets me keep track of the overall look.
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Well my "I-fricked-up" meter has gone into overdrive, so I drew her torso again. As you can see, I had to draw a mini reference because I have no depth perception. [Regret is at 60%]
Anyways, aside from that, I started on her eyelashes and gave her some contour. The roots and back of her hair got some highlights and slight shadowing.
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*Had to discontinue this painting. I took too long in between painting sessions that I no longer loved it as much as I initially did.*