Porcelain

The Cold Ruins of a Once Great City

  

I have to draw more.

Nezra is a new d&d character I made up months ago for a new campaigne that started and soon died. Because she is only the second d&d character I've ever created, I grew attached to her, and wanted to complete a design of her.

My drawing ability is circling the drain at the moment. I really have to kick back into gear or I think I'm going to fall into a ditch and not be able to claw myself out of it. 

I have to draw more. Even if it's shit things like what today's DD looks like. It's something! I've been up and down with my depression but it's time I tried. At least, right now, I want to try.

So Nezra, originally when I created her she had an acid breath ability, so I figured she'd be like the black dragon you see in Baldur's Gate 2 - it's the first dragon to ever encounter in the Baldur's Gate games. That dragon left an impression on me, so with that dragon in mind (it has a name, cbf finding it. It's a stupidly dragon-ly name) so the colouration flowed from what colours I remember of that dragon onto Nezra. The sketch I used is something I have had in my sketchbook when I was planning her design. I wanted to draw a body base to act as a mannequin so I can design an outfit for her. 

For her body design I was thinking Wonder Woman, with muscles but retaining a powerful feminine vibe. I also want to incorporate plates and scales into her skin. Idk how that's going to work yet. Eh.

I want to get her head right, so if I revisit this picture I want to come up with variations for the head scales (this has given me grief in my sketch book) as well as change her colouration. Since her original design conception, at some point during the play of the d&d campaigne she was part of she switched her breath type to radiant, so I want her design to possibly reflect that - to either retain the acid dragon roots with holy accents, or to scrub the acid dragon roots from her appearance and just make her radiant. I dunno. I look forward to playing around with the ideas - so I SHOULD.

When I draw something, especially when I use a sketch I've scanned that needs fixing, I make variations of the one picture which result in multiple save files. Most of the time when I am about to "drastically" change the appearance of some aspect to a picture, I make a save png of the current progress before continuing - just incase I don't like the new direction I've taken and want to back track. 

But sometimes I don't save variations for everything I do, so tonight I decided to record myself as I draw to see what I look like. I'll edit the footage and upload it somewhere to laugh at later. This is something I've sort of wanted to do for a while to post on this blog. The way I colour and process of creating illustrations always changes for me. So I've meant to do this to document how the fuck I did something two years ago, or something.

Sigh. 

Upcoming experiment is to do colour something from greyscale to full colour. It's a technique I've watched only a few times, once by Zhu Zhu and another recently by Artgerm (Arthero), so I'd really like to try my hand at that sometime. It looks like a handy technique.

Video I started watching. Adding it for viewing reference later.

少年ナイフ

Felix - "Despite how fucked you feel, don't abandon your passions."

Televators

Prom Night

Insteaad of doing my assignments I redrew a sketch I had of Alsoomse.

Run Boy Run

It has been a very long time since I last posted.
Brafkgh. Today's song

I wish I could be bothered to list all the changes that have happened since my last post, but I'm still that lazy sack of shit that I've always been. Aww yeah!
But for real, I haven't done much drawing. I haven't been enjoying my graphic design course. I feel like I'm wasting my time that I could be investing into improving my art and begin projects I'd really like to fulfil.
One of them is to make Hybrid into a comic and publish it. I'd print it through a website that has affordable prices, and then go from there. I still really want to get Venus out too. And get back to Starbits/ibbits! I haven't touched that for 5 months now.

Recently I had an art theft on dA. They reposted my Alsoomse picture and pretended that they drew it.
It was a lesson in copyrighting and signing my images. I didn't think this crap was worthy but it just goes to show, I can't be too careful. Ssssssso. Look! I signed today's DD!

Yesterday I made a facebook page for my art. I'm going under the name Oni Odyssey, the name of my very first art blog. Will heavily feature the new Oni character I came up with today. Like Artgerm's Project Pepper (I think that's what it's called) he uses his OC as the subject of his study picutres. Oni is going to serve the same purpose for me.

I watched an interview of Woodkid where he explained the creative purpose of The Golden Age, and the narrative behind the songs. I liked the concept of it. He's a cool guy.

DA:O

Today I began designing another DA character: a female Tal-Vashoth.
I don't know what exactly inspired me to design this character, but I'm having fun!

As a creative exercise I want to create potential DA3 party characters.
I'm going to resurrect the Deep Roads elf design I had from last year. I worked on her (I don't think I ever gave her a name) class build, I'm thinking she'd be an arcane thief-type character. So far there aren't any thiefy mage class types in Dragon Age. I want to make a fan character with a new class for the Deep Roads elf. I'll have to research into how to build her story. Basically, she started out as a gender-bent Fenris, but then I wanted to shape her into something unique and different from Fenris. So far she hasn't strayed far, but visually I want her different. She relies on augmenting her armor and skin with lyrium in order to perform magic, which is part of the Fenris influence. But she's a work in progress.

Today's DD is for the female Tal-Vashoth. She was born into the Qun but discontent with her role, she left the Qun to pursue the warrior life. So she'd be a warrior class, either wields two weapons or one two-handed weapon, but I haven't gotten much farther than that. I want to research qunari lore more to come up with a unique class for her.
When Dragon Age 3 was first announced at the begining of the year, I immediately started thinking about what characters we'd be introduced to with this new story. I understand that it's going to be set in Orlais, but hopefully there will still be a qunari presence. I think it would be cool if a Tal-Vashoth will be available as a party character, because we haven't had one yet. We had Sten, but he was Qunari. I'm also especially interested in female qunari. Concept art of them exists for DA2, but there wasn't any present in the game.
I lost my shit a little bit when Nyreen was announced for Mass Effect, introducing us to the first female turian we got to see in the game. She has a stunning design. I'd like to see something similar for DA3!

So, hmm. Yep. This yet-to-be-named female tal-vashoth character I want to design brings me satisfaction in that aspect. xD
(Also because for the longest time I've wanted to design my own powerful-looking character!)

I want to be able to draw muscular women. Hopefully this character will give me some practice.
Today I used 2 refs:
- DA2 female qunari concept art (linked above)
- Artgerm's Wonder Woman

Black and Gold

An End, Once And For All

(untitled)

Shut Up And Let Me Go

Alright, so, I'm shit at keeping promises.

Looks like I'm lovin' yellow lately.
I didn't realise until I uploaded the past few days worth of DDs. Hmm!

I volunteered for another project to take on: I want to help ibbits make pixel items.
I started on pizzas today.
I don't think they're great, but I don't have an eye for pixels yet to see where I've gone wrong.
This is why I want to help ibbits out by making pixel items for them, so that I can help myself get better too in the process.

This week I quit on Oekaki Deli. Or at least am on hiatus, still undecided.

The Capital of Uhra

^King Tolten.
This DD is what it looks like when I abuse the dodge tool.

(untitled)

(untitled)

Lelianna's Song

Laggy laptops make Erika go... something something.

(untitled)

Feeling lazy today.

Fenris Theme

そらのサカナ

(untitled)

Luvotomy

Spent too long looking through BlackMilk's museum this evening.

Photo used in DD.

Other things I did today:

Wake Up

I can't get my tablet to work tonight. I'm not sure what's going on. :(

The Boys

Today I found myself talking to the course co-ordinator for a design course that runs downtown. I hadn't given any thought into doing a design course, but I'm really tempted.
It offers things I'm interested, but I'm concerned that I'd be entering the course on a diploma level without a design background. Hnnnggg?

It offers logo design and user interface design, which is something I really want to get on.
Got some thinking to do over the next few days.

Unrelated, but this song and clip are addictive.


I watched Django Unchained tonight. I wanted to try a very speedy portrait paint for the movie, but had to whip up something real quick for this eveningu and ended up with bikini girl up there.

Thane

I've noticed that when I attempt realism paintings using a reference, they turn out quite wonky and slope to the right. I thought this might have something to do with my glasses, and having a different prescription in both lenses.
Maybe not, haha. I took my glasses off 1/4 of the way into this, and it still turned out wonky. Ah well.

I want to animate these so I can watch how I painted them and pick out what I'd do differently next time. I want to remember how I make the fixes and adjustments!
Just looking at the upload now I can see that I didn't get a lot of the symetry of Thane's face correct here.

Anyway!

Character Design: An Introduction
^^^an amazing, wonderful person put this together.

Can I Have A Word

Assassin's Creed III Main Theme

Look at this amazing artist's tumblr! OFF RECORD
Maaannnnnnnn. I love her style. Makes me wish I had something similar x'D

Purgatory

^What my speed paints look like. This was about 45mins. UGH!

Shape Da Future

Disappointing...

The Concept of Love

JET SET RADIOOOOOOOOOOO.

Shopping list:
http://vvstore.jp/feature/detail/1713/
http://vvstore.jp/feature/detail/2587/
http://vvstore.jp/i/vv_000000000018570/
http://vvstore.jp/i/vv_000000000035124/

An End, Once And For All

Aaaand with this bronze turian, I have now surpassed the number of DDs I did last year!
Hoorah for hitting the little mile stones.

Plum Song

^More Okami influence.
Not a paint brush god, but just a really bad attempt at a sumi-e Tsuki.

Smithereens

For fun I want to create Okami brush god versions of Starbits (if that's what they're still called after ibbits?)
This was done in under 5 mins because I'm fuming over losing the DD before I started this. Laptop overheated, then crashed and burned. Really can't use this laptop anymore!

Deeper Deeper

Finished today's DD with 10mins+ left on the clock. I wanted to fix some line work in photoshop, but failed to save the picture in any format beflore closing it.

FUCK!

So, yeah. I lost today's DD because I'm a super genius. 8'D

(edit)

False alarm, I actually am a super genius.
I accidently saved over a different document though, shit. Ah welp.

Today I was looking into getting Corel Painter 12.
It's expensive, and I don't think my laptop could handle running it without suffering tremendous lag.
I struggle enough just trying to run Photoshop Elements :C just another program I want to get when I'm eventually able to afford a new PC.

I don't really like this song, but it's been reeling in my head all day.

Bass Down Low

^OC Coconut.
I was aiming to make this look like a magazie cover. But, reh.
Also wanted to make this SHINY.
What I wasn't aiming to accomplish was positioning her awkwardly off-centre.

Aria T'loak pic from yesterday "finished"

I did a naughty thing today... I ordered the Bishoujo Liara T'soni statue on ozgameshop.
When she arrives I'm going to be drawing more asari figures.

Oh mang, and memory lane right here.

End of Line

^What was intended to be an Aria T'loak doodle.

I wish You

(untitled)

Touchpad doodle!

If I ever feel better

We Came To Smash

Eclipse of Time

His name is... Vice!
I've finally settled on his name.

Three Wheels Work:

Emma 01

Junk:

derp hands

I found a way to emulate that dry brush look some artists look. I wanted to try my hand at it

Leaving Earth

 

売買ノ街

^The latest version of the Batucada.
The shell/armour they have is inspired by the turian exoskeleton. I want them to look more fierce, but to also appear noble. Or... stoic? Owf. I don't know.
Look at dem fins. They're the most noteworthy change here.
Some progress doodles: Yeah... Yeahh...

Creation

Ahh~ I love the turians from Mass Effect.
I focus too much on faces, so I can't remember how the rest of their bodies appear. I remember reading that their fingers are tipped with talons?
Ref: Garrus Vakarian

I kind of want to make a turian OC. Meh. Probably won't happen, too much of a challenge for weedol me.
Ooo, but drawing this gave me an idea. Aria is one of my favorite non-party characters. What if, as a drawing challenge, I switched her race to...

HMM! Now THAT I want to draw.

Freestyler

Laggy laptop wouldn't let me do much for a DD. Stuff just wasn't happening, so I got fed up and went to sleep. Hoh!

Welp. I got something done before I spent the massive amount of effort into today's DD.
I finished the Alsoomse pic.

An Uncertain Present

Alsoomse

***

Winter 365

A for JB

Boy, am I struggling.
There is an icepack wrapped in a teatowel under my laptop to prevent it from overheating.
Pro poverty tips to overcoming your lagbeast of a laptop that frequently overheats.

Last night I came up witha drawing challenge for myself.
I've forgotten so much of how to draw and what my style is about that I've realised I need to start from the beginning again. The first time I really wanted to push myself and get better at drawing was when I was in either Year 9 or 10, when I would frequent a Teen Titans oekaki. I drew the most basic, boring pictures. Looking back I can say that, but at the time, man I was so proud of the shit I popped out. I would only draw one style repeatedly; just lines and basic colouring all in oekaki pixel.
I doubt I can produce that basic level of oekaki drawing now, because I can see the flaws as I draw, unlike when I was starting out like then.
So. my drawing task is to develop the Batucada which I started in 2010 and get it polished. Also to develop an anthro character. If the Batucada gets released to SBP (if it comes back) I feel like it would need some support by introducing a Batucada NPC. So far the story I'm giving this NPC might result in two NPCs being developed, but I need to take this on one step at a time.
Work on the Batucada, work on the NPC, and then maybe the second.

I want my groove back. My art mojo. I definitely have the mojo this time, but the groove is missing.

気になるあの娘

Today is ridiculously hot in Ballarat. I wanted to get some work done today but there have been complications, and this hellish heat.

I found an artist on deviantart... this morning? Last night? I can't even recall when.
His name is Andrew Ryan and he is extremely talented. He is doing just the things I hope to be doing!
He's only 25 and soso talented. Bursting at the seams with talent! Ah, it was a reminder of how far I have to go. I wanted to get a lot of work done today.
I'd seen his works before posted on Facebook, a few from the Dragon Effect series of illustrations he did were posted I think on the Mass Effect page. Creative and amazing, reeeally adore his work.

Because of the heat my laptop has been overheating, thus making it a pretty undesirable way to get drawings down. I needed to get pencil drawings done today, but then life happened. Fuck.

Hey, finally, a FENWIF.
and that's all I did today. woo.
now I'm going to sketch watermelons. I was standing in the "fresh" produce area of coles today, eyeing watermelons.
I was like.
I.... must draw you-- um, some. I must draw some.

チャイナアドバイス

Magic and enchantments.

Candlekeep

^Working on my tiefling character. I can't get him to look how I want him to.
Does his outfit looks a bit familiar? I stole the shape from Thane Krios.

The comic book store dt stocked a Thane action figure. I want to buy it, but the one they got in stock is kind of faulty. Hnngflhfhf.