Black Magic Woman

Lulu sketch

I started this sketch of Lulu about 2 weeks ago.  Finished it up yesterday.  The final version is pretty close to what I had originally envisioned when I started sketching it.

In Final Fantasy X, Lulu casts magic using voodoo dolls as her weapons (all of which are floating around her in the sketch).  I found some of the dolls tricky to draw as I was unable to find much good in the way of reference pics.  

I know Lulu wears a variety of necklaces, all of which were excised both for the sensuality of the image and because I wanted to move on from this sketch.

I've started working on my next sketch.  I'm not yet sure who the character will be as I'm still composing the body.  At this point in time, I'm thinking a lady from the Resident Evil universe.  I shall not harp on the topic at this time...

Practice Makes Perfect

Lulu WIP

I started working on a sketch for the The Warriors of Final Fantasy tribute over at Game Art HQ (the Deviant Art group page can be found here).  I opted first to take on Kuja, then Beatrix, and Freya before finally landing on Final Fantasy X's Lulu.   

The pic to the right is of course not finished, but it's what the final version is more or less going to be.  I encountered quite a bit of anatomical difficulty with constructing this image.  But I learned some things while studying how I could improve.

I think part of the key to creating good art is understanding how the muscles lock in together.  If you can keep the layout of the underlying musculature in mind, it can keep you on the right track when building your pose.

Whenever I compose any picture, I usually will draw the body completely naked first before adding any clothes.  So sometimes that means I spend a good chunk of time defining a form that is soon to be overwritten and erased.  Maybe there are faster ways, but I need to understand where the underlying form is before I can clothe it.  Of course, sometimes it's simpler to just leave it unclothed... 
 

 

Comic Book Script Writing

I grew up reading many comic books.  They, along with video games, were my earliest inspirations for wanting to be an artist.  The beautiful pictures, the cool designs, the covers, and the stories...all were amazing to me as a young boy.  Fast forward about 16 years.  I am now going to create my own. 

Granted, this would not technically be my first comic book.  I assembled some small ones when I was little.  But what separates this project from the others is that I'm going to approach it in a more professional manner.

It's currently titled Seraph and will revolve around a woman chosen to be the last defender of mankind against evil itself.  There's more to it than that, but that is the gist of it.  At this point in time it will be seven total issues, one of which will be a prologue issue (or Issue #0).  

Much of the content that will be in Issue #0 would normally have been revealed through exposition and flashbacks if it were written as a novel as originally planned.  Since comic books by their nature need to be concise with storytelling, the prologue issue will serve to set up most of the key points prior to the main storyline beginning.  

One thing I've learned about writing a comic book script is that there isn't really one single way to do it.  The format I'm using for the time being is going to be a simple Page/Panel/Narration/Dialogue layout.  I'm sure as time goes by I'll adjust it as needed.  

 
 I'm still very much early on with it, but I think I will enjoy the process...

Resurrected!

It's been almost a year since my last entry on this blog.  I have been active in my art since then, of course, but I haven't been documenting it here.  Where to begin?

First, I have not yet finished my magazine project.  It's been floating around in various stages of development.  It very much remains near the top of my priorities list.  I have my plan for it roughly laid out.  It's only a matter of executing it.  My original vision for it was to be something similar to Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue, though now it will be more akin to American Curves and Playboy.  It will be interesting for sure.

So what's new?  Since I wrote my last entry in August 2012, I have changed jobs.  I went from working 2nd shift to graveyard shift, which was quite a toll on me physically and  mentally.  Even now some eight months later I am still not particularly settled with it.  But I have my reasons for staying, chief amongst them financially as I've not yet found a way to monetize my art.

What's coming up on the horizon?  Besides working on my magazine project and the occasional fan art, I'm also aiming to develop a comic book series based on a story that I was going to write as a novel at one point in time.  It will be a daunting task for sure, but one that I feel is a necessary evolution for myself both creatively and personally.

Is that all?  On the creative front, yes.  However, my mind is always ticking and churning, so something else is never far away.  I want to eventually see about constructing my own dedicated website soon, but I don't think I yet have enough reason or material to.

I will be turning 26 in a little over a month from now.  I know that this path I've chosen as an artist is unlikely to ever become something terribly lucrative and I know that I haven't even begun to yet endure the trials and tribulations that such a career requires.  But it is what I've aspired to do since I was a little boy.  Specifically, creating comic books is more or less what I've been aiming for (the perfect marriage between my writing and drawing talents).

I think the only thing that's ever stopped me from becoming more than I am at this point is me.  And it's been long past time for me to stop it.  

I'm going to aim to write at least one post a week, maybe more if I have something especially notable to share or discuss.  As always, you can keep up with my works at my Deviant Art gallery here.  See ya on the flip side.

"There is no knowledge that is not power."