Thanks, Charlie ... The blurry parts are the areas I have no confidence in doing, so I know I really need to really work on defining better. I love looking at tutorials where they go from the blocking to the final details, but I feel like when I use my own reference pics, I can get mid-way before I start getting lost on how to make it to the final pic. I'm getting more confident on lips and eyes, but I'm still getting confused on the nose, ears, skin wrinkles, and even jawline D: Oh well, at least I'm learning with each piece
rofl, sorry about that, Verene... I guess I did kinda do a ninja edit post on yours XD I should have sent a PM I was done >_< Anyway, you're very welcome And it wasn't a pain! I learned so much from your piece so thanks again for letting me use her as my model
Good work with the colors there (and the eyes too, thats hopeless for me )
The one thing maybe is the jaw and cheeks, he got a more skinnier face if you see what i mean (a bit more sunken in, maybe shading there to?) else good work
(oh and he should look a bit psychopat (fitting for a sniper eh?) with my asuran sunglasses since his face in game got a lot of shading, so more shading to the paople
Last edited by miriforst; Jan 05, 2011 at 09:24 AM // 09:24..
Oh wow, for some reason I totally missed those sketches you did of my dervish. They look awesome! I love the action pose in the first one, but I'm also really, really liking the one with the Norn proposing to her. It's such a funny idea! I think I like that one the best, if you don't mind continuing with it. No need to draw the norn, just the hand holding the flower is enough.
Can't stop giggling at the idea of Cassia playing hard to get... XD
My only suggestion would be distribute the lines where you refine shapes just a bit more. There are a few areas where the details are really clear, but other parts where some of the character's information gets lost (ex: the nose on the portrait).
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Was gonna say this. Good thing Charlie covered it already . I had that habit when I started too.
Thanks Miriforst I want to work on trying to get faces closer to the reference pics you all provide. Right now, they look more like the models I'm using so it's easier for me to learn how to shade properly. Now that I know you want him to look more psychopathic, if you'd like, you can post some close-up shots of his face, and I'll readd him to my list for another portrait pic I won't be able to start until probably March or April so take your time, and the offer's always open (assuming I'm still updating this thread XD) as a thanks for being one of my starter guinea pigs
lol, thanks, Pery I hadn't picked out one of the sketches yet so I'll go with "Cassie playing hard to get"
thanks, Raven Eyes and lips are now my favorite things to paint! Still hate noses and ears though D:
Oh, and did a general update to my first post so that I have both a drawing and writing thread. I put some links to some of the older GW fanfics I wrote That way, I can just keep track of one thread when I want to post my stories and people interested in the Wintersday part 2 story know where to look ^_^
This is a non-GW short story that would probably be equivalent to a speed-paint but in a writing sense. I found about a lit contest that you have to write a story based on a pic in 900-1100 words. Since they had already extended the deadline, I basically found out about the contest and whipped this up as a 'speed-write' and posted it 2 hours later, because I was panicing about not making the deadline D:
Here's the ref pic: http://sandara.deviantart.com/art/the-dark-177505362
and here's my story It was good practice to limit the length of a story I wanted to write. I ended up having to shave off 200 words anyway even though I was really trying to stay within the word limit while writing it >_<
Against the Darkness
by ~ThistleXandra
Elisia tightened the cloak around her, trying to ward off the cold and failing. Snow slipped inside her left boot as she tried to trudge through the white and barren valley. Her breaths came out in visible puffs as she looked up to the dark sky, wondering where the stars were, praying they would return.
"Please return," she whispered, quickly wiping away a tear before it froze in the bitter cold. Her only source of light was a blue crystal given to her by her grandmother. It illuminated the darkness before her, gently humming as if encouraging her to continue.
At long last, the crystal dimmed, signaling that she had arrived at her destination. She looked around, seeing nothing. She twirled in place, but all she could see was snowy emptiness. With a sob, she collapsed to her knees, ignoring the stinging cold of the snow against her skirt.
How could this be my destiny?
Her aunts and uncles had been the mothers and fathers to her since her own had been taken away before she had known them. For sixteen years, she was a normal and happy girl under their care.
Then, the darkness came, and the stars were extinguished. When it appeared, the sun was dim, barely able to chase away the darkness before disappearing beneath the horizon to rest. Snow covered the lands and vegetation and animals started to disappear. Her family whispered to each other, sending furtive looks at her when they thought she hadn't been looking.
On the seventh day of snow and darkness, it was her grandmother who finally told her the truth. With her vision gone for decades, her grandmother, Anya, lived in perpetual darkness, yet she knew how to go directly to the fireplace and light it. Warm golden light filled the tiny room, highlighting the emptiness within the stony walls. With her face to the fire, Anya informed her, "They were never supposed to love you."
"Grandmother?" Elisia asked, sitting next to her on the fur carpet. The fire made her frown and the wrinkles in her grandmother's face more pronounced.
"You were never ours to keep," she said, her breath catching as her voice filled with thick emotion. Elisia's brows went together. She had never seen her grandmother display emotion. "You are a Priestess of Light, and you should be protecting us, not living with us."
"I think you're confused, Grandmother," Elisia said gently, putting her hand on the old woman's shoulder.
"No!" she said fiercely. She grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it before removing it from her shoulder. "My son and your mother left you in our care while they fought against the darkness." Her lower lip trembled as she thought about her eldest, the child she would never see again. "You should have been with your own kind… her kind."
"Grand-" she started before being interrupted by a painfully tight squeeze. The fire reflected in the older woman's eyes flickered and made her look mad.
"In the war against the Darkness, the Army of Light must have lost, and you may be the only one left to rid our world of this curse."
Elisia pulled her hand away, her heart racing, "I don't know why you think-"
"Because it's true!" she hissed, getting to her feet and moving to wall next to the fireplace and wiggled a loose stone. She turned around, her palm open, and Elisia could see a blue crystal shining with some mysterious light. "This is yours."
She instinctively reached forward, feeling as if she was getting something she had long missed.
"You have to save us all," her grandmother told her, putting her trembling hands on her shoulders. "May the Light be with you."
* * *
Knowing she couldn't dwell on memories, Elisia stood, her body trembling, her heart sad. Somehow, it was her destiny to save the world against a force that an army couldn't stop. She was to save the world when she couldn't even figure out what she was doing in the middle of a barren valley. She had followed her heart, knowing to trust the crystal and use it as a guide, hoping that it would lead her to the way to save her people.
"What am I supposed to do?" she howled. She threw the crystal into the ground in frustration, the snow taking on an eerie blue glow.
In reply, the air became thick, and she felt the hair on her arms rise. She went to her knees, desperately digging through the snow to retrieve the crystal. Instead, it seemed to move just out of her reach. She froze at the sound of a large screech above her. With shallow breaths, she fearfully looked up to shadows morph before her into a monstrous creature.
It was more than ten times her height with four legs ending in sharp talons. Dark feather wings sprouted from its back as it let out another shattering scream that made Elisia cover her ears. A tail whipped snow behind it as obsidian raptor eyes stared at her in hatred.
She looked down, seeing a glowing light where her crystal had fallen. She moved back as a ball of light erupted from the ground and quickly reached forward to catch the crystal before it fell back to the ground. A snow-white unicorn appeared before her, urging her to get on its back.
"Use your heart!" it called out in an ethereal voice as they fled from the charging griffin.
"What?" she called out.
"Your heart's wish!"
As she held on to the unicorn, she closed her eyes and searched her heart. She wanted her family safe. She loved them, and it was her heart's greatest wish that they be safe. Her hand began to glow white under the brilliant blue of the crystal. Out of instinct, she pointed her hand at the griffin, palm out. A ray of light appeared and shot through the charging beast. With a defeated cry, the shadows dispersed, and the creature was gone.
The unicorn stopped as Elisia's heart raced at the impossibility of what just happened. "You did it, Elisia."
"How do you know my name?" she asked tentatively.
"I was born waiting for you," it informed her. "Look up above."
She did to see a single star in the blackened sky. She gasped, "A star has returned."
"It won't be easy. There are many more creatures of the dark, much more dangerous than the griffon to defeat."
"We'll be ready," she whispered, her heart finally accepting her destiny.
Here's the latest art attempt I started today:
It's about 5% done, but I'm planning on finishing enough of it to make it my new avatar, then work on Raven's workshop, then work on this a bit more, then Pery's Dervish, then work on this a bit more...at which point it'll probably be 10% done since I'm so slow XD
Felt like redoing Omens' piece today as a new B/W with some color This means I finally finished something I like for each of my 5 original models, YAY!
You are getting better so fast Thistle! Its unbelievable The face looks like it could be a real person (versus game faces ) Looks good. I think the part you should improve on at this artwork is the shadows of the armor. They can be a lot darker, and sharper. Just play around with colors a bit, don't be afraid
Love the detailing on the armor. :3 And her face looks so happy and serene...
Like Tommy's said, you're improving at an unbelievable rate. It's wonderful seeing each new drawing from you, and seeing what you come up with and how you develop your skills.