And here we have something that clocks in at 1:07, with three layers, two being visible here. Not a full render, but we’ve got lines and some greyscale flats. (Yay hatching!)
Finally, FINALLY, I’m starting to feel comfortable with digital drawing, and beginning to take advantage of some of the tools the medium has to offer. And, pray tell, can I finally start to see some kind of style emerge, now that my drawings are coming together? A style that I actually feel comfortable with? Cartoon realism, with a lean towards the realism, is probably what I’d like.
Now we’re getting somewhere! It’s tough to describe in words how happy it makes me to hear people recognize what I’ve actually tried to draw; bouncing up in down in my chair, hands balled up and clasped together, with nothing less than a shit-eating-grin on my face- might be a start.
As for structure, you’ll see I’ve included my original sketch layer. You know that “line-of-motion” and gesture drawing stuff that art books tend to recommend? Yeah, that stuff really helps (for me, at least). Though, an error I do now see is that the subject’s left leg might be a bit far back. Still has better anatomy than most things I’ve drawn! Getting there. Getting there!
More lyrics today!
The Mario and Luigi RPG series is one of my favorites, to be honest. Aside from its twist on turn based battle, where you must be as skillful with your timing on defense as well as offense, extremely humorous writing, and copious amounts of fury, chortles, see, etc. I find it boasts a consistently superb soundtrack. Yoko Shimomura not only composed the soundtrack for the entire M+L series, but another well known fan favorite series, Kingdom Hearts, and a number of other Square Enix/soft games.
I’ve created a number of lyric sets to these battle themes, since they’re often heard throughout the game and tend to be full of energy. Perhaps in the future I’ll sing these SOLELY for proof of concept, since I’ve got a really wierd pitch range (can’t hit the low notes, voice cracks on high notes), and I want people to better understand how the lyrics are supposed to match up. The tune here is the main battle theme that plays when Mario and Luigi initiate a fight in Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.
Hello everyone.
Meet Sneaky.
Wark.
Skritchscratchnatch - Buck
Hey. Hey. Look. Most important post from there so far. Which is why I reblogged it last. So that it shows up at the top for a little while.
Big plans for this here character. Big plans. We’ll see if I can get my drawing to a comfortable level, then… well, we’ll see!
Oh yeah, feel free to follow the other blog, if you’d like! Sometimes it will end up being barebones practice sketches, WIP’s, and other more boring skill building stuffs, but I can at least promise it will be active! I’ll be reblogging stuff from there that feels more finished, though.
Uh, +1 to coloring skill?
Another speedpaint. This time, I actively decided, “Something simple,” so that I could try out shading and coloring techniques on a more complex scale, rather than needing to worry about the basic structure of the drawing. Yes yes, that’s the reason. Has nothing to do with how I was feeling lazy.
The shadow could have been worked on a bit better. The reverse cross-hatching probably would have better worked with a darker color/closer to the edges of the shadow. Bad as is, but in the future, could be a very nifty stylized shading, if I look into it more.
I’ll try to work in light sources for future drawings; that really helps me out with keeping depth in things, as well as where to put color.
Scritchscratchnatch - Buck
Metal slug aside, the other probable “go to” when stumped for ideas is probably gonna be pokemon. Do be warned there may be Eevees at some point.
I was told there would be bread.
I was not disappointed.
Hum. Yeah, next time I’ll try a speedpaint. I feel that would really help me learn more about coloring (specifically soft shading) and at some other point I’ll do some cel-shading. I wasn’t paying too much attention to light source here, as you might be able to tell.
SO MUCH BREAD.
Right, I’ve made another blog, tracking my attempts to create a thing every day- that thing often being something drawing related, at the moment. Currently I have a post deficit since I had to move, but hey! Otherwise I’m doing pretty good!
In Minecraft, the first thing you’re told to do for survival is to punch a tree.
In Final Fantasy XI, the tree punches back, and you’re unlikely to survive. It’s no Pandemonium Warden V1 (the infamous twelve hour fight where players collapsed from exhaustion), but an unprepared server trying to take it down can take over four hours. Fighting it? Clear out your afternoon. Many factors make this fight one players avoid, but I’ll list the worst three:
-Cramped arena: Players are likely to pull adds while fighting the boss, and downed, damaged, or otherwise vulnerable players have little option when trying to hide, recover, or run, especially when most of the mobs’ attacks are AoE.
-AoE Doom move (humorously called “Tiiimbeeer!” in game): usually clears out a majority of players who are fighting/tanking, which then usually results in the boss going after the backline squishies (basically, one move can wipe about 30 players at once if they’re caught flat-footed)
-Area wide hate: If you helped any player that helped another player, or poked an add, or looked at the entrance to the arena funny, Yumcax is going to be coming for you, and it won’t stop until everyone in the area is fertilizer.
The good news is that everyone can fight the boss at once, so you can have an entire server show up to wreck the damn thing. The trouble is convincing people to do so…
Anyway, today you can see I tried to color my picture! Took longer than expected, but that was mostly because I was trying to figure out how to abuse technology to make future coloring faster. Got very good results, and learned more about Sai’s functions and tools.
I think I might try speed-painting at some point to help understand how color and depth work better, as well as how lineless work… works.
Oh, and here’s a bonus.
None of these posts are being reblogged in chronological order, mind. Just all the ones so far that I happen to like, or seem to have some semblance of feeling finished to them.
Sleepy? Holy crap yes. E3 also took up most of today.
Have a slopy speed-doodle of a Super-Vehicle-001. That’s a Metal Slug for the non-fanatics. Isn’t that a cute little tank?
Skritchscratchnatch -Buck
I do rather like Metal Slug. So very tempted to draw more fanart of it. I donno why I like this sketch so much, but I do.
Perhaps lineart is just practice, and a feel for doing large strokes. That will come with practice and time, it seems! As I drew, I decided that a simple cube would be far too easy to draw, so I added the spikes, and decided to color the monster. I’m pleased with the results, learning a bit about color when it comes to semi-transparent objects, and how to render them. Though the spike in the back could be better…
Spiral Knights used to be a favorite game of mine, then the small dev team fell behind with content and updates to keep the game running smoothly. They’ve been working on the fabled “Gunner Update” for a very, very long time now (perhaps a year?) and have only just gone into their mock beta testing. When it finally gets released, I might give the game another go.
In the meantime, where the game truly seems to shine is in their art department! Ian McConvile gave the game a spectacular art direction, with exceptionally cute monsters and mobs, while Harry Mack churned out one of my most favorite soundtracks. Considering how many promo “updates” with cosmetic items are released, the art team certainly seems to outdo themselves.
At any rate, one of the monsters from Spiral Knights is the simple Jelly Cube. Normally they’re not much of a threat, but the further you advance, the spikier they tend to become.
Scritchscratchnatch - Buck
Squish. I had the right idea for transparent surfaces, but this time, wrong color.
I tend to greet some people with this (from Toki Tori 2, I think) and Zat doesn’t like it much. He can’t handle the gaze of the all derpy and all seeing burd. It’s always looking, even when it’s not. Trust me.
I am not yet very good at drawing human-like figures. There’s a lot to work on here; Zatsudan (the character) looks far too stiff for my liking, basic anatomy is still a challenge, and seriously freakin’ hands why
That’ll improve over time; I may just try and still life things to get a better handle on it.
Skritchscratchnatch - Buck
I don’t like drawing full body shots yet. My anatomy needs work.
Ah! So I missed a day. That’s the result of of a screwy sleep schedule. As such, we’ll get two posts today- with the bonus of one post being my first writing one. Which may beg the question of, “Why is there a video up there?”
One of my absolute favorite things to do with create lyrics to music that have no business having lyrics. Usually, that’s video game instrumental background music. I have loads of unfinished/finished drafts containing bits of rhyme and theme, set to various battle music and other diegetic background noise (I learned a word in uni, so damn right I’m going to use it in the most inappropriate manner I can).
While I generally find I can never settle on a final draft for these things, I can get pretty darn close. Some-odd days of on-and-off work resulted in a lyric set for the final boss music of the classic arcade game series “Metal Slug.” The original score was made by the composers “HIYA!” and “Jim.”
Fun facts: This theme was originally used as the background music for the first part of the final level in the first Metal Slug. In 2, 3, 5, and 7, it was used as the final boss theme. 4, created by a different team than the first three games, didn’t use the theme at all. 6, however, due to continuing the storyline from 2 and 3, referenced the theme in the final level.
Oh, right! I ought to actually give you the lyrics. Here! Enjoy. Uh, these sets that I create are very… themed, so they’ll make more sense if you’ve played the game the music is from.
Would you look at that. More lyrics! And me nerding out about one of my favorite video games.
It’s hard to know what to say, really. Nigh impossible, even. I mean, I understand some of what people are felling, and yet, I feel convinced that I don’t know a thing at all, no matter how much I read or experience. And worse, I often feel like there’s nothing… majorly significant I can do. Maybe some token gestures of comfort, offerings of support. It can alleviate the problem. But not solve it. It’s like the cold medicine to depression; the body has to do its own thing to fight off the cold, but hey, in the meantime, the medicine helps you feel a tad bit less miserable. I think that’s the best way to put it. And like the common cold, there’s no miracle cure for depression that we’ve found. Just a lot of ways to cope with the symptoms instead; to keep going for a while, strong, happy, healthy, before it comes back again a while later from the simplest, most innocuous mistake, like, say, a passing handshake with someone. My simple words will likely do little to change things in the long run, even when words are the most powerful tool at my disposal.
And that can feel crushing.
Because I very well can’t leave a project alone, I’ve created a second draft for that Paper Mario: Sticker Star World one boss, seen here.
I should call it a third, really, as the first one was a bit different, mentioned in the last post. This is probably the finished version, which has tweaks to the first section, and a small rehaul of the second, which I feel fits to the tune much better than the first (and I’m a sucker for simple rhyme scheme in these kinda things).
Like with the last one, the music is themed, so you may not understand it as well or be spoiled if you haven’t completed World 1 of Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Lyrics are under the cut!
Hey, a second draft! Probably a the final or close to- I should work on other things, too.
Oh my god “_________” followed me and all I lve been doing is spamming anon questions
SO
THOSE ANONS WERE YOU HUH
MYSTERY SOLVED
YOU KNOW IF YOU GET AN ANON QUESTION I THINK YOU CAN STILL DO THAT BLOCK USER TRICK THINGY SO LIKE YEAH THE ANON’S USER WOULD APPEAR IN THE BLOCK LIST
Jumping in here randomly (sometimes I just springboard into long silly comments if the mood strikes- I’ve opted not to reblog this from the post that inspired to avoid annoying anyone, and sorry if I offend) but I’ve heard of this trick a couple of times- and thought about it, and seen other consequences. It’s by no means failsafe, and pretty easy to get around if you use your head…
I want this here, too. It’s enough of its own post.
Hey, tonight was a productive night.
Do you recall that post from ages ago how I said I write lyrics to instrumental songs? How about I prove I wasn’t just saying it? My latest muse, as mentioned in another more silly post, is Paper Mario. While I can’t post the one from the 5th part of the music to the 3rd boss battle yet (seeing as I maaaay have to WRITE FOUR MORE SETS) I DID write out a set for the first boss battle!
These lyrics are themed (Read: Themed being a code-word for “might sound corny to you.” You have been warned), so you may not understand them as well if you haven’t played past the first boss of Paper Mario: Sticker Star. As it contains references to the battle, boss monster, and area, it may be considered spoilers.
I posted this to Wuffkatter first, due to its somewhat silly nature, and the fact that the music isn’t quite mine- but it is still my lyric work!
Zat sketched something cute for me; what’s the best way to thank him? This is the result. Enjoy!
Sneaky and Buckdida characters and writing © Me
Zatsudan character and drawing © Zatsudan!
Sneaky’s Christmas Morning
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