Knight's sketchbook

[dimensional-knight]

@darktiste

Ok. That's in line what I'm trying to do. I used to struggle with building momentum for this kind of practice, but I think I got the hang of it.

I might still face a little more trouble with these figures than with the portraits because I've been doing them late at night and sometimes I'm too tired, but I don't think I'll completely drop the ball here, just skip the days I'm dead to catch up later.


@Leo Ki

Timed practice: I hate the pressure but I love it when something readable comes out which I would have never made this way taking my time. It also teaches efficiency which is vital in a comic, but utmost efficiency has a dark side: It can stick one in a rut and kill imagination.

I'm lazy. Taking the shortest path is my natural mode. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I only ever take my time when I don't have a more efficient approach. It's not that I actively hate sinking time into something, it's just that efficiency is better for time constraints and health. And you know... laziness.

Uh-ho, this last speed painting exorcism would indeed serve the graphic novel very well. Straight to story telling, no drowning into details. I would just refine the eyes a little bit further as a focal point.

(snip)

Smiling at the enjoyable salad of legs and lizards, I suggest also drawing mermaids with very long twisted tails.

Thanks! I'm trying to keep it more sleek, with fewer almost-nervous-breakdown brushstrokes like my default.

Funny you mentioned mermaids! The woman in the water is a folklore figure and yes, a mermaid. That sketch is to keep a more complex idea of her with her full tail in view at bay for now.

I think I'll still tweak this one, add a water lily here and there so it's not so empty because it's a bit too plain for an illustration. Are the eyes bad? I'm a sucker for fuzzy eyes.

The Vess-inspired WIP already has perfectly readable volume and light. You even have the skin-diffused terminator lines at this early stage! It is more stern and dramatic than the original, I like it.

They're so cheap to include (overlay or color dodge) and help to keep skin from looking distractingly dead while you work elsewhere! I also include a couple of hue shifts this early for the same reason. My brain breaks if I try to work on volume-less pieces, and tiny hue+values shift carry a lot of curvature information.

I went full drama because she's an immortal being first and foremost, and a pretty pissed one in the beginning.

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Minor update on the Stardust piece. I try to move from worst area to next worst area so I don't neglect the unfun parts too badly. In the last post it was the barely suggested dress. Next are hands.

I'm using the chance to try new sketching brushes as I solve the outfit. Right fits better the original strong rim lights I envisioned, but I don't like the contrast. Top-rim lights as if from the hair look considerably less flatter. Left has fill light-derived shading only, the outfit planning sketch (red = shapes, white = concentred highlights) + a couple of warps previewing general corrections.



The sleeves were inspired by this lovely take on traditional hanfu sleeves. I'll explore a closer folding pattern in the next outfit pass, but I don't think it'll work because a large part of their appeal lies in the pose and hidden hands.



I graduated to hands and feet for the figures, by the way. It's a lot of the same, I'll only post something when I have complete page spreads that are readable at least.