When I went to post this LJ wasn't working for me, but here it is.

It looks... I dunno. Odd. Whatev. No reference, just from my head.


( Drink Moar! )

Maybe I'll get one done today, we'll see.

Here's a very, very quick doodle because I want to get back to the books that inspired it. (Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody mysteries, and no, I'm not a 40 year-old woman, thank you very much.)

20 minutes or less, with reference photo

( Ozymandias )

The character of the same name in the books was someone I always compared myself to.

Alrighty, time to post my doodle again. This one is very, very rough at the moment, still a work in progress. The final version will, if all goes well, use none of this lineart. It's just there to help me position things.

The reference image for this is here:

( A reference image Allie found for this prompt )

The style I'm hoping to do the image in is based on Three Panel Soul's comic style, which in final version is also essentially without lineart. Here's a gif that demonstrates it pretty well:

( Three Panel Soul art style reference: )

So, last, and definitely least, is the rough I drew that I want to turn into something like the above. It looks really pretty bad, I know, but if I can figure out the TPS coloring method I think it could be pretty awesome. It's hideous, but bear in mind it's not what it's supposed to end up looking like, it's just a template for where the color blocks will go.

( So here's my doodle: )

Okay, snack time.

Today's doodle is inspired by nothing in particular except the weather. Trying a couple new coloring and texture techniques. Feeling much more comfortable with my tools.

It could use some more work, but I think it's not too bad.


( Snowball fight! )

For some reason it reminds me of Peanuts.

For those of you planning to join us... (Myself, Allie, Lindsay, Jess D., Cat?, J-parm?)

Plans for tonight and tomorrow are as follows at the moment:

Tonight -

If there's enough time before dinner I'm planning to make buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate), so come early if you want to get your hands sticky, or just hang out.

Christmas eve dinner tonight, here, around 7:00. We can't get out very easily to the grocery store, so at the moment I'm thinking the menu will be something like:

Mashed sweet potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Meatless stroganoff - for the potatoes, or on pasta
Gravy

A more substantial entree and more potatoes would be good if we can get out to the store.

Maybe some rolls or something, we'll see.


Christmas eve is when my family usually did presents, so we may sit around the tree and open some gifts this evening.


Tomorrow -

Leisurely sleep in, maybe open more presents if we didn't do them on christmas eve.

Some kind of breakfast, pancakes and eggs or something maybe.

A fun day of hanging out.



That's about it. If you have feedback about these plans let me know.

If you still don't have somewhere to be, I hope you'll join us, just let me know that you're coming.

Today's doodle is largely inspired by yoshitaka amano. I wish it were much further along, but I started it a couple hours ago, got to about this point, and then had the world crash on me. After restarting it all again I've only just remade it to this point.

It is a better pose than before.

No reference images or anything, just from the head. I'm getting better at it.

( work interrupted... )


Okey doke.

Alrighty, another doodle up today. I didn't get to this one until fairly late because I was busy cleaning my studio and installing software, blahdy blahdy blah.

But it's done. No lineart for this, just playing around with brushes and color and transparency and layers and such. About an hour's work, not really successful, but c'est la merde.

( Not that you wanted to see more snow. )

Tomorrow I'm considering coloring line-art that I'd done some time ago in a notebook. If I can get it to scan. Tragically, I did it in non-photo blue pencil with the intention of inking it by hand. I don't think I want that to be the plan anymore.

...

For all those folks who are stranded out here, if you can't get out by Christmas the Howse has been planning to have Christmas here all along, and you're welcome to join us.

Unfortunately Allie is stuck in CA trying to get back here, but Lindsay, Jess. D, and I at least will be here, also possibly Anna S. Hopefully Allie will make it.

So feel free to join us, we'll try to make the best of it.

It looks like horror's going to be a theme for a little while. It's a fun way to play around with anatomy and posing (and I don't have to make them look good. phew)

I think I'm going to actually spend more than one day working on this one. Spent about an hour or so, so far, doing the pencil on my tablet. I was going for an extreme back-arch and I didn't quite get as grotesque as I would like, but it's not too bad. Once I finish the pencil I'll ink the lines and maybe try two or three different coloring methods.

Inspirations: the coraline picture from yesterday, Princess Langwidere, some more of Jace Wallace's work

( It always follows you! )

Now I have to decide whether or not to do one tomorrow (I don't have work tomorrow).

Alrighty, some procrastination means that today's doodle is seriously quick and even more dirty. Not using the tablet today. Just a crappy number 2 pencil with no eraser and some decent paper.

Given the tools, the choice of a horror subject was appropriate I think.

Inspired by coraline. Half-an-hour, no erasing, no cleanup. (no good).

It's crappy, but it's got character, and the character it has, I like. I think I may do a series of these. Maybe the next ones won't suck so hard.

( Don't say I didn't warn you )

Right on.

Here's the next one, inspired by my favorite breed of dog and one of my favorite Anime series, Cowboy Bebop.

It's a fairly straightforward little doodle. Mostly working on coloring and shading.


( The doodle! )

Feeling much more comfortable working with my tablet these days. Every day a little better.


Edit to add a missed " to my tags. Sigh.

Here's a work in progress, just started today. It's the first thing I've done now that I've set regular office hours for my creative stuff. 2pm to 5pm mon-thurs (feel free to IM me and tell me to stop goofing off, I'd love the encouragement)

I pretty much abhor the idea of public scrutiny, so I think it'll be worthwhile to just go ahead and get used to it.

I'm trying to improve my technique by copying some of my favorite artists. This one comes from Jace Wallace. It's a study of hair, and since it's not done yet, I'll just show you that part.

( The work-in-progress )

Edited to add the lj-cut.

Hello fellow snow-struck folk. Here's a friendly reminder to be very careful driving. Look what happened a couple years ago:

What a Lovely Name is a pretty awesome service where you can find lists of names based on a combination of personal attributes. Useful if you're the type to use a baby name site to find names for your characters.

Just about the most awesome thing I've seen.

Just wanted to let you know that we'll be having a little bit of a viewing party for Obama's half-hour ad this evening at 8. If you'd like to watch it with us, feel free to drop by!

Tragically it appears our TV just died.. I'm not quite sure what we did to deserve this. We've got a backup TV in place but the experience... she will not be the same.

Sorry guys. Hope you show up anyway.

Reposted from katealaurel



take a picture of yourself right now.
don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair... just take a picture.
post that picture with NO editing.
post these instructions with your picture.