Chess and Ladybug

This is one of those rare occasions where I've got two pieces of art to share today-one of them is even part of my finals for fall quarter!

Chess Is King-Cover: The ultimate cover for a tale of political intrigue, drama, and espionage.

Inspiration: This was the last of my three finals for Vector class. In this one, I could do whatever I wanted. I had a lot of ideas, but unfortunately I ran out of time, so I decided to do something for my Chess concept. Because they're very instilled in negative space and grayscale, they work very well in a graphic design-oriented program like Illustrator.

Tools: Adobe Illustrator, physical sketch.

Miraculous-Ladybug and Chat Noir: Fighting evil on a daily basis, these teenage heroes are always ready to swing into action!

Inspiration: So if you've seen this week's Wildcard Wednesday, you'll know where this came from. But for those that haven't, I got some new drawing books last weekend, and I practiced some action poses on Ladybug and Chat Noir. I took the sketch in with me to school, scanned it, and worked on it in Illustrator. I did do line work for this, but when I took the eye off of the line layer so I could see the unbound colors, I loved the way it looked. 

Tools: Adobe Illustrator, physical sketch.

Wildcard Wednesday #21

This week, we can expect: no sad stuff! (Unlike last Wednesday) Showing off two new original characters and some practice leading up to one of the Saturday pieces.

Desoldri #2: Well it took forever, but I think I've finally settled on designs for this lady and her friend in the picture below. This young woman's name is Desoldri. Her name and the concept of the story she's in came to me in a dream, where a land lived under a fixed solar eclipse, so there was no sun and it was always night. No one believed there would be light again. But under mystical circumstances (which I can't talk about because it's still in development and SPOILERS!), Desoldri is granted the powers of the sun and sets off to restore daytime to her land.

Desoldri #3: Kurian is one of Desoldri's friends and her sole companion in her quest to restore the sun to their land. During the solar eclipse that got fixed, he looked into the sun's rays and was blinded, but once Desoldri is given the powers of the sun, she restores his sight. You can actually find a drawing of blind Kurian in Wildcard Wednesday #17.

Action Practice: This weekend I bought two drawing books from Michael's - one on exaggerated expressions, and one on comic book action. Everything I know about drawing the human body I've taught myself over the last year or so, through books, the Internet, images on Pinterest, etc. I intend to continue teaching myself until I can nab a life drawing class at Metro. These were practice from the comic action book, and I used what I learned to make this...

Miraculous Ladybug #3: Because who better to practice action poses on than superheroes? I like drawing Ladybug and Chat Noir in little funny/dramatic situations as well as any other fan artist, but to draw them in such dynamic movement like this? It's the best! During some of my work time in Vector class, I scanned this sketch in and did some work on it in Illustrator. You'll get to see the finished result this Saturday!

Cupid and Psyche-Miraculous Parody

Cupid and Psyche-Miraculous Parody: When Theo comes to Ladybug and Chat Noir for an art project, Ladybug is less than happy with what they're imitating.

Inspiration: This year I went to Nebraskon as Ladybug, so I thought I'd do a throwback post to some Miraculous fan art I did a while back. This was inspired by one of the most beautiful sculptures ever, Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova. I thought it would be funny to draw a scenario where Ladybug and Chat Noir have to imitate the sculpture, because of course Chat Noir would love it.

Tools: Pencil (tracing), Prismacolor pens, Faber-Castell markers, and Faber-Castell watercolor pencils.

Hawkmoth's Phantom

Hawkmoth's Phantom: They say the Phantom of the Opera is just a legend from the past. But with Hawkmoth's darkening akuma, that legend could well turn into a reality.

Inspiration: This year I was finally able to scratch an item off my bucket list-to see Phantom of the Opera, one of my favorite musicals, live. I'll never forget it-the moment the overture played and the chandelier began to rise, I was afire with chills and every hair stood on end. The whole production was amazing, and I fell even more in love with the musical.

This also coincided with the time I was really starting to get into Miraculous Ladybug. So I made this crossover piece of fanart.

(Another crazy week plus going with my sister to her orientation at Doane University got away from me, so no new art! Just getting some more of the Miraculous Ladybug art I shared for her blog post on here)

Tools: Pencil (outlining), Prismacolor and Sharpie pens, and Faber-Castell watercolor pencils and markers.

iMiraculous

iMiraculous: By day, these two are just an ordinary girl and a famous model in school. But by night-well, actually still by day-these two become crime-fighting heroes, defending Paris from the darkening influence of Hawkmoth/Le Papillion.

Inspiration: Growing up, I always loved the iTunes ads with the dancing silhouettes against colored backdrops. It still remains one of the most visually fun and pleasing things I've ever seen. And when I was too lazy to draw Ladybug and Chat Noir in full detail and left them as silhouettes, I knew just how to finish it up.

(Also, this has been a crazy, exhausting week that by the time Saturday came up on me, I had many good ideas but no new finished pieces. And since my sister shared some of my Miraculous Ladybug art on her latest blog post (check it out here: The Night Owl Review), I figured I'd start rolling some of them out while I get some new pieces and even an animatic out in the future.)

Tools: Pencil (outlining), Prismacolor and Sharpie pens, and Faber-Castell watercolor pencils.

Wildcard Wednesday #2

On today's Wildcard Wednesday, we can expect: Chell and Wheatley escaping warehouse hell miraculously. (New feature: sketches with a * will most likely be finished for Friday postings in the near future)

Project Pineapple #1: My sister is going to Doane College in the fall to pursue a future in acting. But to do this, she's taken a summer job to help pay for the gap in scholarship funds. It's been brutal for her. It's a warehouse job where for the first couple of weeks her feet her from all the walking around, she's solitary in her duties, and the job has been sucking away at her soul. So as part of a thing my family's been doing to help her feel better (called Project Pineapple, because Psych!), I'm making a comic that's based around her journey but set in an exaggerated, more fantasized setting with a character that can (hopefully) help her learn to stay strong through it all.

Miraculous Ladybug Sketch #2*: Oh, these two. Their love square sends me to bed in anguish every night like you wouldn't believe. Also, I found out that apparently they're going to release Miraculous comics July 21st, coinciding with San Diego Comic Con. And not only that, but they're also going to be extensions of the previously established Miraculous universe, so we'll be getting new stories! It's the perfect antidote for the season two wait.

Portal Sketch #1*: One of my biggest loves is Portal. I love the characters. I love the humor. I love the technology. I love the music. I love everything about these games! You can be sure to see more of these two plus GLaDOS in the near future.

Wildcard Wednesday #1

On today's Wildcard Wednesday, we can expect: Miraculous Erlking playing chess while offering a bouquet in Wellington Wells.

Erlking Sketch #1: This is another original concept I'm working on inspired by one of the most surreal dreams I've ever had. The basic plot is that Mallory Kean (left, the grumpy one) discovers that her sister Belle (middle) has been kidnapped by the Erlking (right) to become his bride. Mallory makes a deal to switch places with Belle so her sister can go back to the mortal realm. But how will Mallory escape? (Characters are still in early development)

Erlking Sketch #2: A less than pleasant interaction between Mallory and the Erlking.

Chess Sketch #1: This is another original concept I came up with. A few years ago, I was thinking about the fashion in the movie My Fair Lady and chess. So I came up with a bunch of original designs for human personifications of the chess pieces. And slowly but surely I've been working on a story for these characters. More will be revealed in further Chess sketches. From left to right are Lorenzo (black bishop), Emily (black pawn), and Arthur (black knight), comrades who often do intelligence work for the Black King, Ernest.

Miraculous Ladybug Sketch #1: I absolutely love Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir! (French dub, to be specific) And the only way to survive waiting for season two is to draw fan art. There'll be plenty of these going around, along with some finished pieces.

We Happy Few WIP #1: While waiting for the game We Happy Few, I've been drawing and revisiting a lot of gameplays and live streams. But I've never been able to see what happens when you offer a Wellie a bouquet. And the developers have said absolutely nothing about Miss Thigh High's character. With those two thoughts in mind, I'm making my way through a bouquet interaction between Arthur Hastings and Miss Thigh Highs.