Archive for the ‘Anime’ Category

7-Star 2011 Week 10

Edit: I can’t stand this being the first item in my blog any longer. The comment below is referring to the image that used to be here.

Ending with a whimper, like usual. I cleaned up an old sketch, and began to lay down my flat colors when the bottom dropped out of my intestines. I’ll try to make it presentable soon, but in the meantime, this is all I can manage. Longer post coming up where I reflect on this batch of weeklies and plan for the next.

As always, thanks to the 12 of you who visit this site.

7-Star 2011 Week 4

I, for one, have never posed like this in my life.

Yeah. Still no witches.

7-Star 2011 Week 2

"...and for the record, no, it looks nothing like you."

Amusing and a little sad: this is one of the best things I’ve ever painted, and it was A) an “easy” piece to make sure I got in before the deadline, and B) three-quarters shorter to complete than last week’s trainwreck*. I have another drawing in the roughs stage for next week featuring the same witch. I didn’t know she’d be in this one at all until about 10:30pm.

I am narrowing in on my cloud drawing technique, so you’ll probably see a lot more clouds in the coming weeks.

Speaking of which (and the 12 of you may have noticed), I’m attempting to include backgrounds in every piece I do this time around. It’s hard, and I have to struggle to work up the energy to try it, but it’s probably good for me.

Not unlike flax.

UPDATE 12:12am PDT: The witch was drawn much larger and then shrunk down to fit in the cloud composition; initially this was just supposed to be a skyscape, then I started feeling fancy. You can see her full-size here.

^{*And now I am intent on doing a poorly done drawing of a trainwreck.}

7-Star 2011 Week 1

This is the second toothbrush I've drawn in my whole life, btw

I gotta learn to manage my time better. I spent all week on this and still didn’t finish the drawing up to the level I wanted it to be. I’ll probably take some time after the deadline has passed and work on the girl, but for the most part, it’s done. Any unfinishedness is a product of my own ego.

But that’s just how things go, I guess. Some nights, everything clicks. Other nights, you spend 2 hours figuring out how to draw toothbrush bristles.

First piece in Manga Studio 4

Digital inking: now with 50% less weeping

UPDATE 1/25/11: The image above no longer has the moiré patterns I claimed to have triumphed over the first time I posted this. It was a problem with the way I exported from Manga Studio.

I’ve had Manga Studio 4 sitting on my shelf, sealed, for like 6 months. I wanted to buy it for a while (since rev 3), then it showed up on sale at Fry’s, and my awesome wife (who had heard enough yearning out of me) picked it up. As is my way with most things I lust after, as soon as I got it in my possession I proceeded to not touch it for the remainder of the year.

I wish I had just installed it straight away, because I’ve been having an absolute blast with it. To be completely honest, I only bought it for the ability to use the screentone tools — my attempts at creating MacGuyver tones in Photoshop have been pretty crappy (and filled with unpleasing moiré patterns), and I’ve wanted to be able to make manga-esque work for just under FOREVER.

But Lo! (I said ‘Lo!’ here) It also turns out the inking tools are perfect for me. I have terribly shaky hands; they’ve been getting shakier since my early 20s for reasons unknown. It’s frustrating. As I’ve gotten better at drawing, my hands have become harder and harder to control, particularly when using a stylus, which seems to pick up every shudder. But there’s something in Manga Studio’s pen tools that seem to completely ignore my stupid hands, and it allows me to get ink-like results without resorting to using the physical media*.

I realize that’s a special case just for me, but still, it’s AWESOME. I’m actually supposed to be in bed, but I am so psyched, I stayed up to draw and gush. If I was still living with my parents and/or 8 years old, I would be in SO much trouble. Actually, I still might be in trouble; I have to get up in 5 hours. Bleh.

Anyway, for the little piece above, I did a rough block-in with Photoshop, then imported it to Manga Studio 4, where I inked it with the G Pen preset (various sizes), and applied tones. No trace of my PS work is left — that’s all Manga Studio. Not saying it’s the best thing I’ve ever drawn or anything, but it was hella fun, and I am excited about the possibilities.

^{*Absurdly, I don’t get “wiggly” lines when using real pens and pencils. Just the digital variety.}