My Recent Art

[Solaris]

Okay, rather than add to the old thread (which has a lot of pics in it), I'm starting a new one. I've worked on improving, especially taking into account some suggestions Greg Hatcher made. (No Greg, I still haven't done the real life stuff yet, but I've been trying to pay more attention to lighting, etc., and in some cases using photos for reference material.)

(Some of the pieces featured in this thread have been submitted to Neopets (www.neopets.com). While the character concepts in question, and/or creature concepts, may have been created by that site, the artwork is completely original. By submitting my work to their site, I allow them to use it anywhere, anytime, but that does not prohibit me from displaying my own work in other places, also, according to my understanding of their Terms of Service.)

I have several pieces in progress, but here's something I've completed...

Title: "Join Me."


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/jhudoraday.jpg

[Solaris]

Two versions of a unicorn picture:



http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/night9ca2.jpg



http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/astral8.jpg

The latter pic has my user name across the leg because some of the people on that site will stoop to art theft. Argh.

[Solaris]

I reworked an older pic for the Valentine's contest... here's the old:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/happykoidaythree.jpg


...and here's the new:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/valentine.jpg

[Solaris]

This is the most recent pic I've completed... this was for "Scorchio Day." Basically, Scorchios are a kind of dragon they feature there as pets. The other little critter is a "petpet" called a Symol. (And yes, I'm still working on getting fireworks right. It's not bad for a first time trying, but it could be better.)


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/scorchiodayb.jpg

[howyadoin]

Damn, those are really good. Nice work.

[Solaris]

Thank you, Bret! I keep working on getting better. I can see a difference between the older stuff and the new; it's nice to know others can too. :)

[JadeDragon]

WOOO HOOO!

Great job, Chris!!

I love the one with the Dragon and his Pet.

Im so glad you are being so productive and growing so much as an artist!

Way to go...you inspire me to get back to the drawing board when Im not at work.

Cheers!~~~Patrick

[Greg Blackman]

Awwww, that Koi one was so cute :) Nice one Solaris. Loving the gentle fantasy feel.

[howyadoin]

I can see a difference between the older stuff and the newThat is a fucking huge step.

[Solaris]

Thank you muchness, guys. :) *hugs*

Doing art makes me so happy. It's such a challenge, and can get completely absorbing. I work on it, wrestle with it, curse it, leave it and come back to it, stay with it till the wee hours days in a row, look at it and say "no, that's not right" and erase a whole section to begin again... I think I've found my calling. :D

I used to look out there and see all the fantastic art, that's way beyond my level of current skill, and say "man, if only I could do that... I'll never get that good." And of course, I didn't, because I was already saying "I can't."

Now I look at the art out there and don't see it as competition, or some standard that must be reached before becoming a professional... it's just great art, and often a learning experience just to look at, as well as enjoy. There's different styles, different approaches and techniques, and different levels of skill out there... and I can learn from, and enjoy, them all.

The only person I have to compete with is myself, in striving to continue to improve my craft: my eyes, my motor skills, my ability to envision what I want to create, my ability to remember and/or to see how certain things *look*... and how to portray all that, and get it as close as I can, each time, to what the work ought to be. Praise is wonderful, and I enjoy it; but criticisms are pure gold... because they point out things I might not see, give me tips on how to create an effect or draw something better, etc. Greg's one remark on how I needed to study lighting made me pay more attention to that aspect. I'm still not there yet, but I'm learning more about getting it right.

I can write, and enjoy writing... but I don't quite have the same drive to create it, non-stop, as I do artwork (though I still write some). I am happy and proud to have reached the level that I'm currently at... but I also look ahead to where I want to *go* with it, and there's still miles and miles to go to get there... and even when I do, there'll still be more to learn. Which is why I eagerly look forward to the time when I can go back to school and take art classes. I learned so much just from that one drawing class... and I still come back to the things my instructor taught, and get new insights into them, as I keep working.

Sorry about rambling on like this, but it's become a passion, and it's a good feeling, finally finding my "calling." :)

Greg, thanks---I plan to move on to more generalized subjects at some point, but right now I'm focusing on the fantasy because I love it so much, and because the weekly contests on Neopets gives me some added incentive to get a piece *done*. Heh. Plus, it pushes me to try different styles... from realistic to cartoonish, from the basic critter to an "animorph" version, etc. Their actual images for the "pets" on the site are definitely in the "cartoon" style---which is great too, btw---and sometimes I'll do that; but often, I prefer to try a more realistic rendition of what the creature is supposed to be (i.e. "scorchios" are dragons, "unis" are winged unicorns, etc.).

[howyadoin]

Sorry about rambling on like this, but it's become a passion, and it's a good feeling, finally finding my "calling."Hey, it's your thread. Ramble on.

[Solaris]

Hey, it's your thread. Ramble on.


Hee. I tend to forget that. :D

So do *you* feel that... passion, that addiction... when you're working on a piece?

[howyadoin]

So do *you* feel that... passion, that addiction... when you're working on a piece?Considering how many nights I've stayed up till 5:00 or 6:00 AM lately, I'd have to say yes.

[Solaris]

Considering how many nights I've stayed up till 5:00 or 6:00 AM lately, I'd have to say yes.


Hee. Boy, that sounds familiar. By this point, hubby sighs and gives me *the look* when I'm working on a piece and he's heading off to bed. The look that says "You're going to be up all night working on this, aren't you?" (And no, that's not the "But I wanted to DO something" look, it's the "You aren't getting enough sleep" look. If it was the former, I'd take a hiatus from the work... for a little while, anyway. ;))

[howyadoin]

Hee. Boy, that sounds familiar. By this point, hubby sighs and gives me *the look* when I'm working on a piece and he's heading off to bed. The look that says "You're going to be up all night working on this, aren't you?" (And no, that's not the "But I wanted to DO something" look, it's the "You aren't getting enough sleep" look. If it was the former, I'd take a hiatus from the work... for a little while, anyway. ;))What keeps happening to me is, I close the Photoshop file and start getting ready for bed. Then when I'm just about to get into bed, I open it again to check on one little detail, and suddenly it's 2 hours later.

[Solaris]

What keeps happening to me is, I close the Photoshop file and start getting ready for bed. Then when I'm just about to get into bed, I open it again to check on one little detail, and suddenly it's 2 hours later.


Me too. I look at it and notice something, or go to do one last thing... and its 2 hrs. later when I look down at the screen clock. Sigh.

But, you know... it's fun, too. :)

[JadeDragon]

Me too. I look at it and notice something, or go to do one last thing... and its 2 hrs. later when I look down at the screen clock. Sigh.

But, you know... it's fun, too. :)

I love this new thread of yours, Chris! Like I said earlier, I really love the subject matter that you enjoy as well (Yay dragons!).

I certainly can relate to the obsessive compulsive-ness of the art bug. Ive had it my whole life. I think thats what makes people become better at their craft, a drive that makes them never quite happy with anything they do. Ya just want to go in and tweak one more area, until you realize its morning and ya forgot to sleep!

Keep doing that and your skills will leap and bound towards the heavens. I already see vast improvements on your art over the last few years. I cant wait to see you hit that "next Level"! At certain times, you will feel yourself just "Get" something, you turn a corner and your work is forever improved. Usually its when you have experimented on something and it just clicks and works. Always experiment. I agree with Greg, lighting is so very improtant. Dont be scared to use an extreme light source that casts a dark shadow over much of the figure, leading the eye to the lit details remaining. Just play around with the photoshop tools. Its the best way to discover new tricks.

Anyways, keep it up! I'll keep checking back here for updates!

*Hugs!*~~~Patrick

[Pól Rua]

I have to echo what the others are saying, this is a quantum leap in quality.
Some incredible work. I especially like the Valentine's Day fishies.
N'awwww...

[Solaris]

This one was a quickie---I did it all this evening, and nearly all of it in Photoshop, other than a basic rough sketch for the face. I may go back and rework it some later... but for now, I kind of like it the way it is. Certainly, it's different stylistically than the other stuff I've done so far. :)

Title: Eyes of the Forest


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/eyesoftheforest.jpg

[Greg Blackman]

This one was a quickie---I did it all this evening, and nearly all of it in Photoshop, other than a basic rough sketch for the face. I may go back and rework it some later... but for now, I kind of like it the way it is. Certainly, it's different stylistically than the other stuff I've done so far. :)

Title: Eyes of the Forest


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/eyesoftheforest.jpg

This is a really nice and very creative idea for a pic. Spoooooky!

[Solaris]

Thanks, Greg. :)

I take back what I said about reworking it, though. My hubby got the pic over onto his computer, and played with it with some new software he has... now I'm dying to do the same. Have to wait until he installs the new stuff on my machine, though. :( What he did with it, playing around, has given me all kinds of new ideas to improve the pic, and give it much more depth. Right now it's interesting, and a neat concept, but it's still kind of "flat" and "blah," to me.

[Wannabe]

Two versions of a unicorn picture:



http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/night9ca2.jpg



The latter pic has my user name across the leg because some of the people on that site will stoop to art theft. Argh.

This unicorn looks like it's ready to kick some ass.

[Solaris]

This unicorn looks like it's ready to kick some ass.


Yeah, he's supposed to be in mid-fight. Originally that was a small fireball, not a campfire, but I changed it. I didn't quite get the movement I wanted---he's supposed to have just landed on the two legs that are down, from hopping sideways; keeping the front leg up for a blow, and the other hind isn't down yet from the hop.

This was straight from my head; since then I've found some pics of horse movement to study, which should help with my next unicorn pic.

[Solaris]

He hasn't had a chance yet to load the software (it'll take at least an hour), but I couldn't wait to play around with the pic a little... keep in mind, this isn't the end product yet. :)

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Illusenforest4.jpg

[Solaris]

Here's the same pic, but with more leaves... I need opinions here: do you like the one with more sunset, or this one with more leaves?

Also, eventually I'll get that software installed (!), so this *still* isn't a "final version."


httP://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Illusenforest6.jpg

[Jasper]

I like the one with more leaves personally. They give it more definition and make the picture look more complete. Good Job Chris.

[Jaye]

Here's the same pic, but with more leaves... I need opinions here: do you like the one with more sunset, or this one with more leaves?

Also, eventually I'll get that software installed (!), so this *still* isn't a "final version."

whoa, cool!

[Winslow]

Here's the same pic, but with more leaves... I need opinions here: do you like the one with more sunset, or this one with more leaves?

Also, eventually I'll get that software installed (!), so this *still* isn't a "final version."

I may be a minority, but I like the pre-leaves concept better. Like Greg said, the pre-leaf looks a little "spooky" - like a Druid tree goddess.

And while the colored clouds background is pretty - the coloring throws me off. The original concept felt like I was on my back looking up, the cloud coloring is a sunset panorama, so it doesn't 'fit" was well as the original.

Just some thoughts - I think you're on to a great idea, and look forward to seeing you finish it in a way that "feels right."

[Solaris]

I may be a minority, but I like the pre-leaves concept better. Like Greg said, the pre-leaf looks a little "spooky" - like a Druid tree goddess.

And while the colored clouds background is pretty - the coloring throws me off. The original concept felt like I was on my back looking up, the cloud coloring is a sunset panorama, so it doesn't 'fit" was well as the original.

Just some thoughts - I think you're on to a great idea, and look forward to seeing you finish it in a way that "feels right."

I've thought of several concepts for this... one being making the sky more "nighttime," with some greyish clouds, to enhance that "spooky" feel. :D

[Solaris]

I thought I'd post the pencil rough of something I'm working on...

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Dragongirlscan.jpg

This one, in the end, will have a lot more pencilled detail than I usually do. I'm still trying to get a grasp on pencil lines vs. lines in the end product of a photoshopped work, so often I do a lot of the detailing in photoshop.

You can see that it's definitely "in progress." In some places it's closer to finished, while in others there's definitely a lot of linework, cleanup, and detail finishing I have yet to do. It's in much better shape than what I started with---a very rough sketch. Funny story on this one: I sometimes "play around and doodle". Every now and then, something I was playing with turns out to be something I want to convert into a real pic, as this one was. The funny part is I was fairly tipsy when I started this one. Heh. (We'd gone out for dinner and I'd had some Grand Marniers.) I took a look at the (very rough) rough the next day, said "hmmm... I like the pose, and darned if I didn't get the proportions pretty close right off the bat, for once!", and so I started the rework/cleanup process.

I'll post another scan of the pencil when I get it completed, and more of it either in progress or when it's done, after photoshop.


OH... and it's a girl in process of transforming into a dragon... I'm going to title it "Transformation."

[Solaris]

Still not done yet, but here's an update. It's a bit cleaner, and I shifted/changed some things... but I've still got a good bit of detail work and a little more cleanup to do.


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/dragongirlscan2.jpg

[Solaris]

Sigh. It's sooooo slow going. Here we are at the moment. (BTW, I'm only scanning these at 600dpi, because I don't think my pc will handle 1200 until Troy cleans up my memory... so there's still some detail (shadowing) getting lost...)


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/dragongirlscan3.jpg

[Solaris]

Here's a rough quickie sketch I just finished---this one took about 1 1/2 hrs, but I wasn't being as exacting with it as the one above. This is one of Troy's RPG characters, Gerald, when he is confronted by his very hated nemesis.

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Geraldscan1.jpg

[Solaris]

Now here's the fun of photoshop... you may have noticed that several aspects of the above pic were out of proportion. While I haven't fixed everything that's wrong with the above pic, I *did* alter several areas, taking about 10 minutes in photoshop to do a rough fix... and the results... well, see the two below:

Original pic:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Geraldscan1a.jpg


"fixed" pic:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Geraldscan3a.jpg

[Solaris]

And this is another reason I love Photoshop... how some things turn out when you apply different filters...

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger1.jpg

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger2.jpg

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger3.jpg

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger4.jpg


They are all the same pic, but I find it interesting how they gain a different feel with each filter.

[Solaris]

Oh, and this is a pic of the guy Troy based the character's looks off of... some of you may recognize him... :D No, I wasn't looking at a pic of him when I drew my pic.

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Dramaticpose.jpg

[howyadoin]

Here's the same pic, but with more leaves... I need opinions here: do you like the one with more sunset, or this one with more leaves?Count me in the "more leaves" camp.
Sigh. It's sooooo slow going. Here we are at the moment. (BTW, I'm only scanning these at 600dpi, because I don't think my pc will handle 1200 until Troy cleans up my memory... so there's still some detail (shadowing) getting lost...)


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/dragongirlscan3.jpgI like where this one is going. Very nice job on the musculature.
"fixed" pic:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Geraldscan3a.jpgI think the arm could use a little work. It kinda looks like it's twisting around.

Not much of a fan of that type of shading, either. I think it should be done with the pencil lying flat, rather than with the tip.

Good job on the face, though.

[Solaris]

I agree on the arm, and on some other areas as well (ear needs rework, for example).

Shading is one area where I need a lot of work. (Though, I'll grant you, it's hard to shade "length-wise" with the mechanical pencils I use...they're all tip!) :D

I also need a lot of work on doing hair. Heh.

One of the areas I had most difficulty with, in drawing class, was contouring and shading. We had an exercise where we had to draw an object and indicate it's three-dimensionality only by using lines, not shading. I did a telephone base unit, and found it very difficult. The end product wasn't as good as it should have been, because instead of taking parallel lines all the way across the picture and varying their angle according to the dimensions, in places I also used vertical lines. I could see that, when the instructor pointed it out. That's the kind of thing I need a teacher's eye for, and unfortunately, we had a lot to cover in that class, so we didn't spend a lot of time on that segment.

We also practiced shading using different textured backgrounds. It's something I need to try more, but lately I have been doing the basic sketch in pencils, and working from there in photoshop. I need to do more pencil-finishing, for practice. I think part of the reason I've avoided it is because my photoshop skills aren't quite up to speed, and I still have difficulty getting color around lots of lines. I've tried the online tutorials, but really, I do better when I have an instructor right there to answer questions and demonstrate things.

This particular pic wasn't really meant to be a finished piece, but rather, an exercise for me. I needed to do something where I *pushed* to use contrast, and shading, and especially, work "dirty." Sometimes I approach the paper being too finicky, or hesitant... so every once in a while, I'll do an exercise like this to force myself to... open up? One where I push myself to work faster, harder, and work with "what is" there on the paper, rather than "erase erase erase/rework," like I usually do. It gives... an emotional change to how I'm approaching the paper and the work, and forces me to just complete it as is, best I can. That way I can go back and look at the finished piece and see things like:

hand too big in proportion to arm and face
torso not broad enough for head
upthrust arm not long enough
ear not correct shape
top of hair and back of hair not right (top too narrow, back too broad)
teeth not set quite right
sleeve twisted funny
thumb not set properly and taper not deliniated correctly
iris doesn't have quite the "enraged" look I wanted---needed a bit of white above it
etc.

From there, I know to look at those areas in future drawings and try harder to get them right. :D

Thanks for the input, Bret! :)

[howyadoin]

Shading is one area where I need a lot of work. (Though, I'll grant you, it's hard to shade "length-wise" with the mechanical pencils I use...they're all tip!)Maybe you could do the linework in mechanical pencil and then try the shading in charcoal or something like that. Either that, or practice cross-hatching and that sorta thing.
I also need a lot of work on doing hair. Heh.Yeah, hair's not easy. Especially since hairstyles change so much.
This particular pic wasn't really meant to be a finished piece, but rather, an exercise for me. I needed to do something where I *pushed* to use contrast, and shading, and especially, work "dirty." Sometimes I approach the paper being too finicky, or hesitant... so every once in a while, I'll do an exercise like this to force myself to... open up? One where I push myself to work faster, harder, and work with "what is" there on the paper, rather than "erase erase erase/rework," like I usually do. It gives... an emotional change to how I'm approaching the paper and the work, and forces me to just complete it as is, best I can.Ah, okay. In that case, I think you're right to use that approach. You might want to look at breaking the process down even farther, though. Try some life drawing, and make sure there's a very tight time limit. Those constraints will often force you to try solutions you normally wouldn't have.

[Solaris]

Maybe you could do the linework in mechanical pencil and then try the shading in charcoal or something like that. Either that, or practice cross-hatching and that sorta thing.
Yeah, hair's not easy. Especially since hairstyles change so much.
Ah, okay. In that case, I think you're right to use that approach. You want to look at breaking the process down even farther, though. Try some life drawing, and make sure there's a very tight time limit. Those constraints will often force you to try solutions you normally wouldn't have.


Ooo, good idea! Thanks! :D

[Nikita]

Wow, really nice pics Chris. (did I mention that I love unicorns?...Dig your unicorn pics) I like the way you experiment with different shades of the same color in some pics. Some of your pics have such a "smooth, silky" feel to them. Do you ever look at someone's paitings and suddenly feel the urge to need a chocolate Dove Bar? That's how some paintings make me feel. Like they are smooth and silky goodness flowing on the page or canvas.

[Solaris]

Wow, really nice pics Chris. (did I mention that I love unicorns?...Dig your unicorn pics) I like the way you experiment with different shades of the same color in some pics. Some of your pics have such a "smooth, silky" feel to them. Do you ever look at someone's paitings and suddenly feel the urge to need a chocolate Dove Bar? That's how some paintings make me feel. Like they are smooth and silky goodness flowing on the page or canvas.


Wow, thanks! :) I had no idea I was doing such tasty art. :D ;)

[howyadoin]

Do you ever look at someone's paitings and suddenly feel the urge to need a chocolate Dove Bar?Only if it's a painting of a chocolate Dove Bar.

[Solaris]

Only if it's a painting of a chocolate Dove Bar.


I dunno, Bret---I've seen quite a few paintings in my time that made my mouth water for *something*... :D

[Nikita]

Wow, thanks! :) I had no idea I was doing such tasty art. :D ;)


LOL. No problem. (I can compare almost anything to some kind of food I love)

You even added the "special effects" to your paintings like something "sparkling" or "glowing". That is so hard to do. Very cool.

[Nikita]

And this is another reason I love Photoshop... how some things turn out when you apply different filters...

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger3.jpg

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/anger4.jpg


They are all the same pic, but I find it interesting how they gain a different feel with each filter.


These two are cool. (I haven't learned how to use Photoshop yet) I like the "glowing" one. It's like he's being enveloped in light. Your darker version of him above makes me think of old black and white sketches I used to see in stories like The Raven (by Edgar Allen Poe). Kind of a more haunting feel to it. (I was real into spooky stories when I was younger so I dig "haunting" art)

Actually, I like your shading. I think it's pretty good. I can see the muscle texture in his face and hands.

[cleofus1]

dynamic and beautiful...i hate to post at the ass end of such a long thread but i wanted to know if you were going to post an updated branch lady? i really liked that one...

[Solaris]

Cleofus, yes, I plan to do another version of the "forest eyes" pic, but haven't done it yet. :) (And thank you! ) This really isn't that long a thread... take a look at "A pic a day" by JadeDragon! Hee.

In the meantime, folks, I was playing around with painting in photoshop, working on a space background. Once I got it finished, I decided to try putting something into it, hence the "phasing unicorn" in the pic. The unicorn is the only thing hand-drawn in this (from a prior pic); everything else I did in Photoshop, from scratch.

So without further ado...

Title: Unicorn Rising

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/unicornrising2e.jpg




Oh, and here's a smaller one I did:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/unicorns2.jpg

[cleofus1]

what version of photoshop do you use and what are the specs on your computer?

[Solaris]

IIRC I'm either on 5.0 or 7.0 for photoshop right now---can't remember if hubby's installed the 7.0 or not. I think he did.... As far as computer specs go, about all I can tell you is we have Windows Office Suite (is that XP?) and that, while my machine has a lot of memory etc. I need to clean off my main drive and burn copies of my pics or load to an auxilliary drive, because I've got so much on there right now it's slowing my computer down for saves and stuff. :D I tend to save several versions of a work in progress as PSDs because PSDs don't lose quality for saves like jpgs do, because they provide proof of my work (in case of art theft), and because sometimes I'll go back to an earlier version of a pic and take it in a new direction.

My main problem with photoshop is that you have to work in really small scale, print inches-wise, to have it move quickly when saving and working. Photoshop, for some reason, lies about the inches with the on-screen guide. i.e. if I printed out that larger pic in the previous post, it would print as *maybe* 2 inches wide. But, if I try to upsize it to, say, a 32 x 17, it loses all kinds of quality. I have *got* to learn Adobe Illustrator, because it works in vectors(?) and won't lose quality like photoshop does, in upsizing.

The alternative is to work in really large pics to begin with... which takes anywhere from 5-30 seconds or more for the computer to process each little change and impliment them. Sigh.

That's about the most I can tell you. Hubby is the computer guru. :D

[howyadoin]

My main problem with photoshop is that you have to work in really small scale, print inches-wise, to have it move quickly when saving and working. Photoshop, for some reason, lies about the inches with the on-screen guide. i.e. if I printed out that larger pic in the previous post, it would print as *maybe* 2 inches wide. But, if I try to upsize it to, say, a 32 x 17, it loses all kinds of quality. I have *got* to learn Adobe Illustrator, because it works in vectors(?) and won't lose quality like photoshop does, in upsizing.

The alternative is to work in really large pics to begin with... which takes anywhere from 5-30 seconds or more for the computer to process each little change and impliment them. Sigh.Photoshop's a pretty memory-intensive program, that's for sure. Realistically you need a big, fast computer with a shitload of RAM to make it sing.

And yes, trying to upside from 2 inches wide to 32 inches, you're lucky to have any quality left at all. That's a 1600% size increase. Even increasing an image by 200% is tricky.

As for the ruler, it's not an indication of size onscreen; it's an indication of size in the file, and it changes whenever you zoom in or out.

But if you're trying to take measurements within the file, just use the Measure tool. And keep in mind that file size is also affected by resolution.

[Solaris]

Bless you, Bret. :) Advice always appreciated, art OR computer technical!

[Nikita]

Cleofus, yes, I plan to do another version of the "forest eyes" pic, but haven't done it yet. :) (And thank you! ) This really isn't that long a thread... take a look at "A pic a day" by JadeDragon! Hee.

In the meantime, folks, I was playing around with painting in photoshop, working on a space background. Once I got it finished, I decided to try putting something into it, hence the "phasing unicorn" in the pic. The unicorn is the only thing hand-drawn in this (from a prior pic); everything else I did in Photoshop, from scratch.

So without further ado...

Title: Unicorn Rising

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/unicornrising2e.jpg




Oh, and here's a smaller one I did:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/unicorns2.jpg




Ooooooo! Solaris! My goodness! GORGEOUS! Hey, are you familier with the artwork of Sue Dawe? She does a lot of unicorn pics and your unicorns remind me a lot of her stuff.

http://search.ebay.com/sue-dawe-unicorn-poster_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1

Wow, really beautiful Chris.

[Solaris]

Ooooooo! Solaris! My goodness! GORGEOUS! Hey, are you familier with the artwork of Sue Dawe? She does a lot of unicorn pics and your unicorns remind me a lot of her stuff.

http://search.ebay.com/sue-dawe-unicorn-poster_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1

Wow, really beautiful Chris.


Thank you! Heh---I've got to draw some more unicorns, so I can have a variety to add into pics like these. That top one for instance... I really want to have a unicorn running, moving through it's different steps, in the pic, rather than a static picture that's just "phased" across the frame.

PS, no, but I'll go check her out asap! :) Thanks.

[howyadoin]

Bless you, Bret. :) Advice always appreciated, art OR computer technical!I do what I can. And I'm always willing to answer questions.

[Nikita]

Thank you! Heh---I've got to draw some more unicorns, so I can have a variety to add into pics like these. That top one for instance... I really want to have a unicorn running, moving through it's different steps, in the pic, rather than a static picture that's just "phased" across the frame.

PS, no, but I'll go check her out asap! :) Thanks.


Sorry, I get a tad over-excited about unicorn art. I love horses and I was addicted to anything that resembles a horse when I was younger. Unicorns are cool because they are horses with fighting weapons stuck on their forheads.

Anyway, I really loved Sue Dawe's unicorn artwork growing up. She does other fantasy paintings too but she's known for the unicorns.


Damn, I need to get Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

[Solaris]

Sorry, I get a tad over-excited about unicorn art. I love horses and I was addicted to anything that resembles a horse when I was younger. Unicorns are cool because they are horses with fighting weapons stuck on their forheads.

Anyway, I really loved Sue Dawe's unicorn artwork growing up. She does other fantasy paintings too but she's known for the unicorns.


Damn, I need to get Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

I love unicorns too... and pegasi, and winged unicorns. :D Guess you can tell. Along with dragons, they're my favorite mythical animals.

[howyadoin]

Damn, I need to get Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.Yeah, you really do. I bet there's stuff in Photoshop in particular that'll rock your world.

[Nikita]

I love unicorns too... and pegasi, and winged unicorns. :D Guess you can tell. Along with dragons, they're my favorite mythical animals.


Like I said, kindred spirits you and I. ;)

I look forward to seeing more of your unicorns, pegasi, and dragons in the future.

[Nikita]

Yeah, you really do. I bet there's stuff in Photoshop in particular that'll rock your world.

I'll have to check the prices on it again. I did check out Adobe Illustrator and that was way too expensive for me to get yet. But maybe Photoshop could be an option.

I'd have to say Chris's stuff has inspired me to at least check it out.

[Solaris]

Here's a piece I'm currently working on... this first pic is one I'd done a while back, and worked up to that point, then left a while (my starting point with it yesterday morning):


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora1o.jpg


This is where I've taken it so far... I still have a lot of work to do on it, but it shows the progress:


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora1wa.jpg


And these are two pics done by Neopets, of Queen Fyora and a Faellie petpet (basically, their versions of what I'm working on):

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/fyorawithstaff.gif

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/faellie_pink.gif
Copyright 2000-2005 Neopets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission


PS---Anyone know why my pics lost some red tones when I put 'em up here? The originals have more of a purple-burgundy tone, but here they're showing blue-purple... ??? (And we just color calibrated my monitor; it's not that... besides, I'm still seeing the originals as the reddish-purple in photoshop; it's just here that they're showing bluish.)

[Nikita]

I like her face a lot. (very cute picture with her holding her little furry buddy)

The kind of pick that gives ya nice warm fuzzy feeling. :)

[howyadoin]

Anyone know why my pics lost some red tones when I put 'em up here? The originals have more of a purple-burgundy tone, but here they're showing blue-purple... ??? (And we just color calibrated my monitor; it's not that... besides, I'm still seeing the originals as the reddish-purple in photoshop; it's just here that they're showing bluish.)Where are you hosting your pictures? Some of mine that are hosted at Photobucket look decidedly different on their site than they look originally.

[Solaris]

Where are you hosting your pictures? Some of mine that are hosted at Photobucket look decidedly different on their site than they look originally.


On Troy's site. Guess I should ask HIM, huh? :D

But I don't think I'll wake him up for it---one of us with insomnia is enough. ;)

[Solaris]

Okay, still in progress (this one is taking FOREVER!) but here's the latest version of my Queen Fyora pic:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora3a.jpg



And here's a little playdoh thing I knocked off for Shoyru Day:
http://hanamoira.com/Chris/shoyruday.jpg


OH, and here's a reference pic of a Shoyru:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/shoyru_blue_baby.gif
Copyright 2000-2005 Neopets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission

[Solaris]

Okay, here's the latest incarnation of the pic... I'm also going to attach a downsized version of the same pic (size limit on attachment demands smaller size), just to see if there's a shade difference in the hues.

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora4c.jpg

[howyadoin]

Okay, here's the latest incarnation of the pic... I'm also going to attach a downsized version of the same pic (size limit on attachment demands smaller size), just to see if there's a shade difference in the hues.I don't see any difference between the two.

[Solaris]

I don't see any difference between the two.


Dammit. No, there wasn't.

I have a feeling I may have used some colors the RGB system doesn't recognize... so it would show on my pc fine, but alters the shade on other systems. Argh. Gotta ask Troy in the morning.

PS---It's leeching out some of the red tones... most of the pic has more of a "burgundy" color than the "bluish grape" it shows here.

[Solaris]

Troy says it's a problem inherent with jpgs---they lose gamma resolution when saved, and the only thing that *won't* do so is a tif---but browsers won't read tifs. (He says you have to have a special attachment to view tifs via a browser.) I tried gif, bitmap, and a different color system than RPG (not CMYK, I know that one's for printing), and it still did it.

*sigh*

He pulled it up through various browsers, by-passing his site, and it still showed a loss of color richness.

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora4cccc.jpg

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora4caaa.jpg

I played with the color settings, and this is *closer*... I'm getting there.

[Solaris]

I did this Seawolf for Fenris for his birthday. So far it's just the sketch, but I've gotten the background nearly completed, and am ready to integrate the sketch and start coloring it.


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/seawolffenris1.jpg

[Solaris]

Here's the one I'm going to enter into the contest for Fyora Day (in a couple of months) on Neopets (she's the Faerie Queen). I did everything except the "shooting stars;" those are actually from photos of comets.

Title: Reflections of Fyora

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/reflectionsoffyora1a.jpg

[cleofus1]

very nice...

[Solaris]

Here's the latest on the Fyora pic... still have a few things left to do on it...


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyora6.jpg

[DarkBlade]

The earlier versions of that kinda remind me of Princess Glimmer.

As for short time life drawing, I suggest using Finn as a subject. Unless he's just completely engrossed in a movie or something, he'll keep moving around and do the limiting for you!

[DarkBlade]

Also, I think "Unicorn Rising" would work better if you had different poses for the faded back ones, indicating running or charging or something.

[howyadoin]

The earlier versions of that kinda remind me of Princess Glimmer.

As for short time life drawing, I suggest using Finn as a subject. Unless he's just completely engrossed in a movie or something, he'll keep moving around and do the limiting for you!Genius. I must remember this technique myself.

[Solaris]

Also, I think "Unicorn Rising" would work better if you had different poses for the faded back ones, indicating running or charging or something.


Yeah, I'm planning to do that. I've gotta do a "running" series.

Good idea on the Finn thing too. Thanks, hon.

[Solaris]

FINISHED AT LAST!!! YAY!!!



Title: Royalty is in the Heart

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyoralastfullsize.jpg

[Nikita]

I did this Seawolf for Fenris for his birthday. So far it's just the sketch, but I've gotten the background nearly completed, and am ready to integrate the sketch and start coloring it.


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/seawolffenris1.jpg



Awe. You're so good at faces. He's got such a sweet face. I just want to scratch behind his ears.

[Nikita]

FINISHED AT LAST!!! YAY!!!



Title: Royalty is in the Heart

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Fyoralastfullsize.jpg


She has kind of an "out of focus" look to her. Cool.

[Solaris]

Thanks, Nikita. I was going for a "soft focus" look for her.

[howyadoin]

Thanks, Nikita. I was going for a "soft focus" look for her.One trick that comes in handy in Photoshop is flattening a picture, duplicating the layer and blurring the shit out of it. Then you can play with the opacity of the blurred level and even mask out parts of it out so some areas are blurred and others in focus.

Another Photoshop toy to play with, basically.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

I like this newest piece, in particular the gentle feel I get from it.

I like the design of the headgear and the colour choices.

I do miss the lineart the piece had in the previous tests as they gave your work more shape definition but all in all, it works.

Did you use a Wacom tablet to create your piece?
I think the best thing that ever happened to me in terms of computer graphics was to buy myself my precioussss Volitos tablet, it really helps give a more natural feel to the work, bot in the creative process (mouses are evil) and the final result.

Good stuff. :)

[Solaris]

I like this newest piece, in particular the gentle feel I get from it.

I like the design of the headgear and the colour choices.

I do miss the lineart the piece had in the previous tests as they gave your work more shape definition but all in all, it works.

Did you use a Wacom tablet to create your piece?
I think the best thing that ever happened to me in terms of computer graphics was to buy myself my precioussss Volitos tablet, it really helps give a more natural feel to the work, bot in the creative process (mouses are evil) and the final result.

Good stuff.


Thank you, Zeu. :) No, I do a pencil of the figure(s) in the pic, darken and clean up lines for the scanner, scan, then do the background work and all coloring, etc., in Photoshop with a simple mouse. I *have* a very old Wacom pad, but almost never use it, because it didn't work well for me. Hubby has told me all the types of pads are much better now than my old one, so when we can afford it, I'm getting one of the latest pads and trying again with it.

As to the line art, I'm attempting with many pieces I'm doing now to work over the line art, so that it has a more realistic and less "cartoon style" feel. I *like* both styles---but going for the realism is making me work on examining how edges of things look in real life, and learning to portray that. I'd like to master both styles, because both can work in different types of pictures... but my current thrust to "move beyond the lines," so to speak, is forcing me to hone my eye to details the line art let me ignore, and I'm able to apply that back to general color/shade variances *inside* the lines as well. :) I'm not dropping the line art completely; just moving in a different direction for a while. After I've worked without it for a while, I plan to go back and work *with* it, and study how to better use line art *within* a piece... because my "pencil/ink" shading/texturing sucks canal water. :D


Bret: Thanks mucho for the tip! I hadn't thought of trying that, so I'll work with it. I still don't know how to mask stuff in photoshop, though. Haven't had the time to try the online tutorial in it. What I really need is to get into a photoshop workshop with someone, so that I can get some one-on-one with the instructor, and have them right there to answer questions that I have that aren't in the tutorials. I tend to learn much better that way; it's how my brain is wired. Anyway, eventually I'll be doing that, once we get funds for it.

However, as I continue to use Photoshop, I keep playing with it, and learning more about little ways to use it, so it's not all bad. :D

[Solaris]

I'm working on another piece, but this time I'm gonna wait until it's finished to post it. Like the last one, it's taking a very long time---lots of detail work. I can't wait to get it done, but it's so SLOOOOOOOWW going. Argh.

I'm happy with nearly all of how it's working out, though. There's one part that's giving me a headache, and I've taken it as far as I can right now, so I'm working other areas and may come back to it later, when the rest of the piece is done.

At any rate, I especially like this one, because it's given me a chance to concentrate on an area Greg H. pointed out that I needed to seriously work on: light and shadow.

I *might* have it finished in a couple more days, depending on how much work I can get in on it. *crosses fingers* I'll post it as soon as it's done. Anyway, that's why I haven't put any new pics up lately---this one is eating all my art time and attention.

[Solaris]

Ooookay. I plan to go back and add a bit more stuff to the pic, to tie it together and add interest... like, for example, adding dripping water from the hooves and tail... but other than that, this one's finished, and I'm tired of waiting to post it, so here it is:


Title: Sunrise Peophin


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Morningpeo4ab.jpg


I'm doing much better with light and shadow, I think... but from this one in particular, I noticed that I need to do some *serious* study on how to portray metallic surfaces. These all came out rather dulled-looking... I've got to take some close looks at shiny metallics. Anyhow, it's still pretty darned good! :)

[Solaris]

And here's a new dragon pic:

Title: Fires in the Lair

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/scorchioheadflame5.jpg

[Solaris]

Something different...

Here's a collaboration between myself and Troy... Our friend who owns The Diner just turned 69. He's a big racing fan (and used to run the "World of Wheels" car shows), and in particular, Dale Erndhart Jr. (sp?) is his favorite racer.

We came up with this for his birthday present. Troy took a photo of the Diner, found a pic of D.E.'s car being worked on, and superimposed it on the Diner photo. From there, both he and I worked on it to make it look like the car is actually in the parking lot (and Troy did the logo in the left corner). Once we got it done, I played with it, changing the style from a photo to a painting print... this is the result:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/DinerRacer1.jpg

I think it turned out pretty well. :)

[howyadoin]

Bret: Thanks mucho for the tip! I hadn't thought of trying that, so I'll work with it. I still don't know how to mask stuff in photoshop, though. Haven't had the time to try the online tutorial in it.Give me a couple days, and I can put a little how-to together for ya. Layer masking isn't really that complicated.

(I might need a subtle reminder if you haven't heard from me by the weekend.)

[Solaris]

Give me a couple days, and I can put a little how-to together for ya. Layer masking isn't really that complicated.

(I might need a subtle reminder if you haven't heard from me by the weekend.)


Oh, sweet! Thanks, Bret! Could you throw something in on how to use the "replace color" function (under Image: Adjustments) also? I've played with it half to death, and never gotten it to work for me. Argh.

Okay. Seems to be my time for collaborations. Here's one, the first time I've collaborated with someone besides Troy. The original artist goes by celticzero on deviant and on neopets. She's done a colored pic of her pet Hissi (that's the neopet version of a coatl), and allowed me to borrow the pic to use as part of one I'm doing for her. Anyway, I recolored the hissi a metallic gold, and here it is:

Title: Golden by Celticzero and CAllen

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/goldhissi1.jpg


I'll ask her if I can post her original, too. She does some great work! :)

[howyadoin]

Oh, sweet! Thanks, Bret! Could you throw something in on how to use the "replace color" function (under Image: Adjustments) also?Replace Colour is one of the few features in Photoshop I don't use, actually. Never had any need for it. But I'll try to whip up something about layer masks tonight after work.

Incidentally, what version of Photoshop are you using? I'd hate to spew out a bunch of stuff that doesn't apply.

[Solaris]

Replace Colour is one of the few features in Photoshop I don't use, actually. Never had any need for it. But I'll try to whip up something about layer masks tonight after work.

Incidentally, what version of Photoshop are you using? I'd hate to spew out a bunch of stuff that doesn't apply.


We're on 7.0. Thanks!! :)

[howyadoin]

We're on 7.0. Thanks!!Hmmm. Near as I can remember, you could have layer sets in version 7. On your layers palette, is there an icon like a folder?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Etcetera/palette.jpg

That's the layers palette for the robot jazz thing I'm workin' on. The folder icon at the bottom (circled in red) will create a layer set that you can drag various layers into. Two immediate advantages to this:

It makes it easier to organize your layers, which is a biiiiiig help if you've got a shitload of layers (which I usually do).
It also enables you to mask off more than one layer at a time.The icon that looks like the front of a dryer (circled in blue) will create a layer mask. The idea here is that you can mask off parts of a layer (or layer set) without actually erasing those parts. Which is a huge help if you change your mind about how it's masked, or just for fine-tuning the mask.

You can also move the contents of the layer independently of the mask if you choose. Or blur the mask without blurring the image, so it stays in focus but the edges that show are fuzzy.

Anyhow, that's a few introductory details. I'll show you more tomorrow.

[Nikita]

Wow, the car pic/painting is really cool Chris. I can "see" all the brushstrokes. That is amazing. Damn, I have got to get some of these programs toot sweet!

Very cool stuff.

[JadeDragon]

Chris!

Im so excited to see you learning Photoshop. I was sooooo intimidated by computer art programs before I jumped in a few years ago. I didnt know what a "Mask" was until I was forced to learn it on the fly as part of my job. It actually took me a year to start figuring out how all this photoshop could be used to make my job as an illustrator more enjoyable. I just wanted to pencil all the rest of my days, but I learned that new art techniques liberate the true artist inside you to it's greatest potential.

I was prepared to suck at being an artist for a while as I acclimated myself to a new way of thinking about art production. You are way ahead of me when it comes to learning new things at an early stage in your art career.

And you are doing GREAT!!!!

I see a huge jump in technique and style in your latest piece: "Sunrise Peophin". I love that painting! It is clear you are learning from each piece. Keep going for it, girlfriend! I see a maturity and a learning curve I only wish I had displayed at such an early stage of my experimentation.

Im about three years in now and I have to say, every new day and project challenges me to try new things with Photoshop (and a couple other programs). Everything comes down to the illustrator inside you, learning to use new tools in a way that brings your imagination to life. Its frustrating to me sometimes because I just want it to magically appear on the paper or monitor how it exists in my mind. But with practice it gets closer.

Im using Photoshop CS2 now....its a little bit different from my old comfy shoe of PS CS...some of the layer linking is giving me fits. But new tech will always be a challenge. I bet ten years from now almost all art in the computer will have an easy 3-dimensional aspect to it.

Im glad to see that our bud Howya is here giving sage advice on all thing PS.

There are a lot of specific things you guys have covered here in this thread that I would love to drop a couple of my pennies on. Im gonna try to come in and do that from time to time.

Cant wait to see more!

Yer pal~~~JadeDragon :)

[Solaris]

Thanks, Patrick! :D

My most recent piece, "Golden," is actually a collaboration with a friend. I realized something with it: I tend to do a lot of "correcting" in the "painting" stage. Basically, my pencil work is just a rough draft that lets me get the basic lines and proportions in, and then I rework it from there as I "paint" on the computer. And I approach it *exactly* as I would an oil painting, except that I can rework areas, blend, etc., a lot easier on the pc than with oils. I used to try penciling for oil paintings, but found that I couldn't get the detail I wanted, drawing on the bumpy canvas. I like the very fine texture of the paper I work with for the pencils, and it's brightness. Then once I get it cleaned up a bit and scanned, I go from there.

The collaboration made me realize that, because there was almost NO correction I needed to do to this girl's picture... I just took it and went straight into the "color, how do I do this in metallics?" mode. It made me realize how much I'd been depending on the 2nd part of the process to correct drawing flaws. So... I need to hone my drawing.

BUT... with each pic, I'm also learning new stuff on getting details conceptualized and *into* the pic. The peophin pic had sucky metallics. The Golden pic was a metallics study, and went much better. I'm working on another piece that includes metallics, and it's coming along pretty well. I'm also working, with this current piece, in bringing in "reflected" colors consistently. The subject will have reflected colors from his armor, etc. on his skin, and the armor will show reflections of his skin, etc. That's something I've touched on only lightly, so far.

I know a lot of people wonder why I get so hyped on doing Neopets pics. I figured it out: I like doing what I would call "mythological themed" pictures. I love doing stuff that relates to mythological creatures... sort of a sub-genre of fantasy, I guess. Neopets offers a lot of fodder for that. My most recent is what you might call an "anthro" version of a Hissi---which basically is the Neopets's redo of a Coatl.

Now, thanks to 13th giving me a poke to remind me that these guys take portfolios, once I get a bit more built up, I'm going to send in a bunch of this stuff to WotC, and see where it goes. In the meantime, both Troy and I have applied to the DragonCon Art Show. Cross your fingers that we get in!

Gotta run; GREAT to hear from you hon, and will give you more info later!

Chris :)

[Mutate]

Solaris, your art reminds me a lot of a UK comic artist called Graham Higgins (he drew the comic book adaptions of the Discworld novels). I really like like the cartoony fantasy style.

[JadeDragon]

Solaris, your art reminds me a lot of a UK comic artist called Graham Higgins (he drew the comic book adaptions of the Discworld novels). I really like like the cartoony fantasy style.

You see? Already being compared to pro artists across the world. :D

I am getting such great inspiration watching you expand your artisitic horizons. Really reminds me of that thrill of discovery and feeling of accomplishment every time I would do a new piece of artwork.

Thanks for the boost!~~~~*HUGS*~~~Patrick (post more please!)

[Solaris]

Thank you, guys! :)

I WON! I got into the NP Art Gallery, after 11 months of trying! It was my Fyora pic that finally made it in. I'm so happy!

[JadeDragon]

Thank you, guys! :)

I WON! I got into the NP Art Gallery, after 11 months of trying! It was my Fyora pic that finally made it in. I'm so happy!

Congrats, Chris!!!!

Way to go!!!~~~~Patrick :cool:

[howyadoin]

Thank you, guys! :)

I WON! I got into the NP Art Gallery, after 11 months of trying! It was my Fyora pic that finally made it in. I'm so happy!Fuckin' A. Well done, Flamey.

[Solaris]

Thank you muchness, guys! I am still thrilled over that.

I've also done something else (taking the initiative, as it were---not related to winning the contest, btw):

One feature on their site is something called "neohomes": basically, you can purchase a "plot of land" (aka a square screenbox divided into a 16 piece grid, which has 3 levels to it) upon which you can build your home. You build (and pay) room by room... and each room has it's own screen.

Along with this, of course, is furniture, furnishings, etc. that you can buy in the shops (with your points) to decorate the room. For a fair number of people (yes, me too) it's become a point of artistic expression... plus it satisfies that "let's move the furniture around, dear" instinct many have. Heh. (Patrick, I'm sure you remember seeing some of the house plans I'd drawn up, in that notebook.)

Anyway, the artists for TNT (the neopets team) have to handle ALL the art for the site... so often, there's some significant things missing (shape, color, function, etc.) for furniture and the like for neohoming---they just can't do as much as many of us want.

I propose to help fix that, and get myself a paying job in the process. :D

I've come up with several designs and original ideas for furnishings etc. for neohoming... and I've drawn/colored them. I collected a bunch of them together and put them up on a photobucket account. Once I got enough to show variety, originality, ability to work with size limts/requirements, and my ability to "match" their style for this stuff... I sent them an email, along with a link to the photobucket album.

Going through their regular employement channels, you basically have to live in the area of L.A., Tokyo, or one other city (forget where). That sucks, especially in this day and age. So, I decided to see if I can't prompt them to change that, on a limited basis.

My proposal to them was this (boiled down):

Take a look at my work. If you like this stuff and want it for your site, why not do it this way: hire me on a "contract employee" basis. I send you pics; you decide which ones you want out of them, and you pay me for them on some scale we agree upon (i.e. x amount for x number of pics chosen, for example). That way we avoid entirely the "hours worked" stuff, or "pay for all my work." Instead, they just pay for what they actually want to use... and I get a little money in, from time to time, to help with household budget. (Plus, as a neohomer, I now have more of the items needed that I'd like to use in my own neohome, available in the system!) My one caveat was that I simply canNOT move to LA. If we're gonna do this, it'll have to be that I send them stuff, etc.---basically, that we handle it electronically.

I have no idea if this will work. The odds are slight that it will, but I figured "nothing ventured nothing gained"... and there's the chance that the approach is original enough (with enough initiative and "chutzpah") that they may at least *consider* it. If they don't buy it, the only thing I've lost is some time doing the artwork---and I've still gotten the "practice time doing a certain style" out of THAT---so it's a "no lose" situation for me. :)

I used three different contact routes to send the email through---didn't want some flunky in HR to dismiss it out of hand (on the grounds of "oh, if she's not in LA, there's no way"), when someone higher up might well consider it.

It's a long shot, but why not? So, wish me luck, folks.

[Jaye]

best of luck, Solaris, let us know if they respond

[Solaris]

Thanks, Jaye! So far nothing...

Oh, and here's the piece I did for Mattbib's "Draw me an X: Decimation" contest (it's a depowered Magneto, who can't even lift a quarter to call someone who cares... :D):

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Magnetowithshadow.jpg

[howyadoin]

Thanks, Jaye! So far nothing...

Oh, and here's the piece I did for Mattbib's "Draw me an X: Decimation" contest (it's a depowered Magneto, who can't even lift a quarter to call someone who cares... :D):

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Magnetowithshadow.jpgI don't like the gradation on the top of the helmet, but otherwise that's fuckin' awesome.

[JadeDragon]

HAHAHHA! Dang, Mags looked PISSED!

Cool X-Men drawing, Chris! Real nice job on the foreshortened perspective. That's a real tough angle to draw a hand, but you nailed it! Nice job on the color seperations too.

Oh and best of luck on the home design work! I could tell when I was looking through your sketchbooks that this was something you are absolutely passionate about. I can TOTALLY see you make a career out of that! Let us know how that works out!

Hope you are well! *HUGS!*~~~Patrick

[Solaris]

Thanks guys! :)

Yes, Bret, that bugged me too... but I was at the deadline, and couldn't piss in the cereal any longer. :D ;)

Confession: it's not 100% drawn (and that's not a requirement). In order to get the general proportions and positioning right, I got Troy to pose for me, took a photo, and used it as a baseline. Here's the pic:


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/troypose.jpg


As you can see, it was a big help for general proportions and for the hand positioning... but with his shirt sleeves and it bagging down over his belt, was almost no help in doing the arm and chest muscles, etc. Also, I didn't want Troy's face, I wanted Mags's, so there's some very significant changes there.

[Nikita]

Very nice work Chris. Love Magneto's face. :D Congrats!

[Solaris]

Thanks! :)


I don't do them very often, but here's an abstract I did the other day.

Title: Ribbon dance


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/ribbondance1.jpg

[Solaris]

I *think* I'm finished with my peophin pic now... Here's the last version, and the final version afterwards:

(PS: Peophins levitate by magic, and can breathe both under and above water. This one had partially dipped down into the water, and then leviated back up above it.)


Title: Sunrise Peophin


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Morningpeo4ab.jpg


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/forlarryandmisty.jpg

[Solaris]

It's been a looong time since I posted anything here... shame on me. Heh.

Okay, a while back Troy got me a copy of Poser. (If you haven't run across it before, it's a program that lets you generate basic figures and manipulate them. I've finally gotten around to messing with it, and am having a blast. :D I also now have DreamSuite and Mystical... two very nice manip. programs.

Right now, I'm working on a pic that's totally kickass (heh---once you see it, you'll get the pun in that!), but here's the first one I finished using Poser. The first pic is the figure as Poser rendered it (I'm not sure where nudity in art falls under the CBR guidelines, so I put in black boxes---those aren't in Poser); the second is what I did with it in Photoshop:

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/poselfcbr.jpg


Title: Sun-Worship Faerie

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/faerglen5ccsmall.jpg

[Solaris]

Yay! I'm finally done with that pic!!! (It's been obsessing me.) She's a D&D character, Monk class. The first is the finished pic, and the second is the original Poser pic:

Title: Monk

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/monk.jpg


http://hanamoira.com/Chris/monkprotocbr.jpg

[Typo Lad]

Holy effing hell Chris... you're a Poser goddess!

[Solaris]

Holy effing hell Chris... you're a Poser goddess!


Hee---thanks! :D

Well, Poser is a nice little shortcut, like some of the other programs... but it doesn't do it all for you, by any means. In fact, it has problems in particular with body joints, and often they have to be completely reworked. BUT, it gets all the parts in the right places, and pretty much the right proportions---but most important for me, it lets me pose the body and get pretty accurate perspective. I'm still learning a lot, because it takes so much to go from basic Poser figure to finished piece (especially since I tend to rework the face a lot)... and along the way, I'm continuing to learn *how* parts and figures look, and under what conditions. In particular, I'm still working on my study of light and shadows---which is why that Monk piece is so rewarding. :D I'm pretty darn happy with that. In fact, I've started the ball rolling, trying to get in touch with people at TSR/WotC, to see if I can market some of my art for their magazines, books, and other products. *crosses fingers* I love doing Fantasy creatures and D&D characters, so this is right up my alley.

Still have to learn how to use Poser to apply basic clothing sets; I'm just starting out with the product. Also, I'm not thrilled with most of the hair sets they offer, and usually end up trying to rework the hair, with mixed results. I'm hunting on Deviant for a good tutorial on hair.

BTW, if you've never browsed Deviant before, go to my account (user name Solarisguardian), and check out some of the pics in My Favorites. You can use those to see the users' full galleries---some of them are beyond belief awesome!

[JadeDragon]

Hi Chris!

Its been way too long! Im so excited to see new posts from ya. And the fact that you are embracing new technologies thrills me to no end. :)

POSER is a fascinating program. Blended with photoshop or painter I think the possibilities are endless. Similar to the process we use in game advertising where we mix 3-d posed models with masked photos, painting and photoshop trickery.

I have been a subscriber to a fellow named "Randalthor" at "Renderosity.com" for a couple years now. He does a new image practically every day.

Not sure if this link will work cuz ya have to be a member, but heres the latest piece he posted.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1327518

Im sure you will be good competition for him in no time, judging from your first awesome attempts!

Anyways, just wanted to applaud you for continuing on your artistic journey! YOU GO GIRL!

Yer old pal, Patrick :)

[The Mirrorball Man]

Very good work Solaris. The pose, the lighting, everything looks great. The problem is always the same of course, and it has nothing to do with you: no matter how talented the artist is, Poser images always look like Poser images.

[Solaris]

Hi Chris!

Its been way too long! Im so excited to see new posts from ya. And the fact that you are embracing new technologies thrills me to no end. :)

POSER is a fascinating program. Blended with photoshop or painter I think the possibilities are endless. Similar to the process we use in game advertising where we mix 3-d posed models with masked photos, painting and photoshop trickery.

I have been a subscriber to a fellow named "Randalthor" at "Renderosity.com" for a couple years now. He does a new image practically every day.

Not sure if this link will work cuz ya have to be a member, but heres the latest piece he posted.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1327518

Im sure you will be good competition for him in no time, judging from your first awesome attempts!

Anyways, just wanted to applaud you for continuing on your artistic journey! YOU GO GIRL!

Yer old pal, Patrick :)



Aww, thanks Patrick! :D And great to hear from you!

Troy got me subscribed to Renderosity yesterday, showing me the wonderful free and paid sets for adding figures, backgrounds, etc. I'll have to go check out Randalthor.

While I love the versatility of the various components... I still want to do my "from scratch" stuff, too. One of the neat things for me, in working with those components, is that they're learning tools. I learned a good bit about skin tones and reflected lighting working on my Monk pic. I also found myself remembering something Boris had said, about how skin is lighter/darker in various areas of the body (depending on thickness, texture, etc.), and that it subtly reflects the color tones around it. I tried to keep that in mind, especially in working on the face: I wasn't happy that the original figure's face was so dark in the "lit" areas of it. It was way too flat and monotoned. Probably the face, and that bent leg (its original knee looked like a robot joint, not a human knee and kneecap) were the hardest parts of the pic for me. But what's nice about Poser, and getting to choose the 3 light colors and positioning, is that it lays out the basic lit areas for you. Then you can go in and work from there.

Troy's gotten some freebie packages with the subscription he took. I look forward to using the clothes and hair sets---I need to study how they look on the figure. Eventually I want to make my *own* clothing and hair. (Elaborate stuff, not just the simple photoshopped stuff I did for these two figures.)

BTW---you noticed how both the Monk and the Faerie had lip highlights? As I was working on them, I was remembering one of your female faces, and how I'd noticed that the highlight was "offcenter" to the mouth... but it looked right and natural. I kept that in mind, while working on their placement. :D

Once I have learned enough on the various elements, I want to go back and start training my hand in drawing them for scanning... but first, I need to train my eyes, to *see* what they are, and know what looks right for positions, poses, lighting, etc. I think that's gonna remove a lot of the "trial and error" element of my drawing---it usually happens because I can't *quite* visualize how the shape, lines, etc. will look---so I just keep drawing until it looks as "right" as I can get it. I look forward to having a good solid image in my head, so that when I draw it, I'm just comparing the lines on the paper to that image. My drawing should speed up a lot at that point! Hee.


I don't know if I've said as much before, to you, but I will be forever grateful that the advice you gave me, and the talk we had about your own career and learning as an artist, gave me the inspiration to go for it, and most especially for me, the confidence that I *could* do it. It's one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me... and one of the toughest for someone to pass on to me. I've had (and fought) confidence issues all of my life---when someone manages to give me such a strong belief in myself and what I can do, it's extraordinarily rare. By your words and your example, you did so for me. I can't thank you enough, hon.

[Solaris]

Very good work Solaris. The pose, the lighting, everything looks great. The problem is always the same of course, and it has nothing to do with you: no matter how talented the artist is, Poser images always look like Poser images.


Thanks! :)

Well, rather, I'd say that Poser images always look like CG animation. There's plenty of vid games and toons/movies out there that, no matter how hard they try to get close to reality, *still* have that "it's CG" look to them---even if they look way cool. For instance, the river in the first Ice Age movie, or some of the water scenes in "Finding Nemo" looked *almost* real... but there's still some kind of subtle difference that tells your eye (it's CG). Doesn't stop them from being beautiful, or cool *shrug*. Honestly, the same can be said for many "realist" artists with paint and canvas---very few get to the level of "realism" that you have to look really hard to discern if it's a painting or a photograph.

As for whether or not you like the "CG" look, that's up to the viewer. :D It's one style that I really like, but I do like other styles too. I do bear in mind that, for all the great masters, they had to master realism first, before they moved on to their own unique expression (Picasso comes strongly to mind as one). Programs like Poser, IMO, are a wonderful tool for learning more *about* realism... and they can also allow you to produce some pretty cool art! Heh.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Thanks! :)

Well, rather, I'd say that Poser images always look like CG animation. There's plenty of vid games and toons/movies out there that, no matter how hard they try to get close to reality, *still* have that "it's CG" look to them---even if they look way cool. For instance, the river in the first Ice Age movie, or some of the water scenes in "Finding Nemo" looked *almost* real... but there's still some kind of subtle difference that tells your eye (it's CG). Doesn't stop them from being beautiful, or cool *shrug*. Honestly, the same can be said for many "realist" artists with paint and canvas---very few get to the level of "realism" that you have to look really hard to discern if it's a painting or a photograph.

As for whether or not you like the "CG" look, that's up to the viewer. :D It's one style that I really like, but I do like other styles too. I do bear in mind that, for all the great masters, they had to master realism first, before they moved on to their own unique expression (Picasso comes strongly to mind as one). Programs like Poser, IMO, are a wonderful tool for learning more *about* realism... and they can also allow you to produce some pretty cool art! Heh.
Hey, I got nothing against Poser, and I certainly have nothing against CG art, and believe me, I don't care about realism. All I'm saying is that when I see a Poser image, the first thing that springs to my mind is "hey, Poser", and the second thing might be "that's pretty good".
Actually no, strike that, usually, the second thing that springs to my mind is "well, that elf chick isn't wearing much", but I swear that the THIRD thing is "that's pretty good".

[Solaris]

Hee---that "Hey the elf chick isn't wearing much" comes to me, too---usually along with a "and that's pretty darned nice!" :D

[Solaris]

Here's a couple of new ones. Neither is the complete pic---I'm still working on the full body frames---but once I got the faces pretty much done, I couldn't resist.

Here's a pic of one of Troy's characters:

Title: Mage

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/doctorwhitehouse.jpg

This one is my new user pic for Deviantart:

Title: none

http://hanamoira.com/Chris/Hroditechrisuserpic.jpg

[Nikita]

I haven't been in this forum in a while. Very cool images Chris. Deviant Art showcases a lot of cool artists. I keep forgetting about that place.

[Solaris]

Thanks, Nikita. :)

This still isn't finished yet, but it's close to it. I've still got some work to do on her body (mainly her legs), add in her sandals, etc... but I couldn't resist putting up the full pic, even in it's unfinished state.

The title of the pic, when finished will be "...Of All She Surveys"


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Iloneproof1a.jpg

[Solaris]

http://solarisguardian.deviantart.com/

Here's the finished Pic (I'll be selling prints of it soon on Deviantart, if anyone wants one; my user name there is Solarisguardian, see above link) :

Title: ...Of All She Surveys


http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/angel50pct.jpg


And here's a closeup:

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/angelcropped1jpg.jpg

[Solaris]

Well, while I'm also working on some minor stuff, my next big project (already in swing) is for a Deviant club contest, involving a good bit of photomanipulation (using some stock photos from a couple of members). The theme is fairytale/fantasy/myth/parable... after searching through the stock photos, I went with several (2 of people, the rest of objects) that made me think of "Snow White." Some of the ideas are still amorphous, but I think I'm going for a more modern version, where Snow White in the Queen's mirror is actually her child self, representing her conscience... and she's sending in shadowy huntsmen (fears, lusts) to kill "Snow White" and let her live in peace with her sins---while ignoring that she'll be killing the natural and joy beauty within her.

Because of contest rules I can't post the pic here... but when I'm done and have submitted it, I'll post a link here to the pic on Deviantart.

[Solaris]

Here's a quickie I did last night... a photomanipulation that took maybe 2 hrs.


http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/44243101/

[bert]

Here's a quickie I did last night... a photomanipulation that took maybe 2 hrs.


http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/44243101/


wow. . nice stuff, Chris.

hard to believe that is a "quickie".

(goes to look further back in the thread)

[Solaris]

Thanks, bert!!! :D

Here's a new one... another quickie, and something I did entirely in photoshop and with a mouse:

Title: Fractile Dreamer

Dreams haunt the stained glass... her impression lingers.

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/fractiledreamer.jpg

[Solaris]

Another "abstractish" one...

Title: Cherry Blossoms in Spring

(This is at 50% of the original size)

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/Cherryblossomsinspring50pct.jpg

[Solaris]

Haven't had much time at all for art lately, but managed to finish this piece...

title: Golden Unicorn

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/sunlustrestorm.jpg

Hope you like it.

[JadeDragon]

Hi Sweetie!

Thanks for the PM, Im so glad you told me to come check out your new art!

Wow, Im so impressed by the Golden Unicorn. You have progressed so much with your drawing and painting skills! Way to go, Chris!

I love the lightning as well. Nice technique! Also very good gesture and attitude, a great joyful spirit comes through and also a sense of regalness.

Loving it! Cant wait to see more!

Hope you and the family are doing well! *HUGS*~~~Patrick

[Cam63]

Haven't had much time at all for art lately, but managed to finish this piece...

title: Golden Unicorn

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/corn8aaa.jpg

Hope you like it.

*Hugs Solaris*

Good to see you, kid.

[Typo Lad]

Holy crud.

GOOD art. The unicorn actually looks equine. Consistant lightsources (I'm a jerk about lightsources).

My only quible is the wings look like they're too far up on the body. Which is a silly quible, since it's a mythical beast.

[Solaris]

Thanks, guys!

It's good to see you too, Cam, and you Patrick and Morts! :)

I'm a bit bugged with this because I should've done a different angle on the wings (I'm still learning wings), and even though I've done a bit more work with various focal fields to try to blend the unicorn in with the background, it still "stands out" a bit from the sky behind it. Oh well. It was a good learning experience.

Morts, I think the problem with the wings is that I drew the wrong angle... they should have been angled a bit more like a plane's wings, rather than in the more upright position they're in. And I agree, they bug me a bit too. :D

As for "equine," well, I've always preferred unicorns looking more equine than goat-like. ;) A horseman could tell you that I made a few errors on the "equine-ness" of it, but overall it's pretty darned good, and decent proportions. Re: the lightsources... me too. I'm still learning that as well, and am quite happy that I remembered to add in the blue-green shading on the unicorn, where it would reflect the sky's color.

This is the first piece I've had a chance to finish in a long while... I've been so busy working in both yards, doing everything from putting in new retaining walls and plant beds, to getting new plants and trees installed. It takes a long time, doing it yourself, and I'm pushing really hard to finish, because some of the plants I bought to put in are getting mighty unhappy with still being in their pots! :D

As to other matters, I'm doing a lot better than I was before... gotten "centered," and have weathered the storm. When I can get more time to be on the computer, I'll try to post more on CBR in general.

Speaking of which, gotta run back out and do more work on a plant bed... catchya later!

[Solaris]

Okay, I kept tinkering with it... I THINK this is the final version. :D

Title: Golden Unicorn

http://www.hanamoira.com/Chris/portaluni.jpg

[stealthwise]

There's some really cool work in here, right on.