Inktober 2017, Day 4!

Inktober 2017, Day 4: Invertaur

9x12 pen and ink on bristol paper

2015 sketchbook drawing and re-sketched version.

The Invertaur is a biomechanical vanguard unit hailing from my fledgling scifi story, Paradigm Chimera. I haven't written much for it at all, save for one creative writing prompt during college. I've slowly populated this world with more characters, however, and I enjoy returning to it!

Invertaurs likely come in different classes or 'models,' but they're all MASSIVE and share a hive mind.

INKtober 2016, Day 27!

INKtober 2016, Day 27: Tetzylrach Omnikan
11x17 acrylic ink on smooth bristol paper

Rough sketch. Here you can see Tetzylrach's barrel chest!

"Tetzyllrrackhomniccan" is the 2002 incarnation of Tetzylrach.

Tetzylrach's earliest design (above) was heavily inspired by the Aeons of FFX.

Unfinished 2007 sketchbook page.

2010 study for my Advanced Character Design class.

2010 sketchbook page, also made for Advanced Character Design.

Tetzylrach Omnikan (tet'ZILL rock OM'neh can), the All-Thresher, is charged with dispersing the souls of the departed from the mortal plane. They work closely with their sibling, Ersphe, to ensure safe passage. Unlike their siblings, who may use feminine or masculine pronouns, Tetzylrach prefers strictly neutral pronouns: they, their, them, or it(s).

Poor Tetzylrach was long overdue for a portrait drawing, but this was a bit rushed, seeing as I caught up on five Inktober drawings on Halloween this year. I decided to pull more of the heron influence into their design and gave them head and chest feathers.

I first drew Tetzylrach after a friend introduced me to Final Fantasy X in seventh grade. It had a HUGE impact on how I drew my fantasy world and its inhabitants. I haven't played it in years, but I had a 180+ hour game at one point! It's probably a good thing I don't play video games nowadays...

INKtober 2016, Day 20!

INKtober 2016, Day 20: The Ferals' Death God
9x12 acrylic ink on Stonehenge paper

Sketchbook page drawn June 15, 2015.

 I LOVED sketching in continuous line when this particular sketchbook was current.

Sketchbook pages exploring 3-point perspective, emphasizing a worm's-eye view.

Let this be a reminder I really need to take up figure drawing again!

...and practice perspective.

Came up with a composition I liked better.

Desk setup: lots of Finch reference!

Something's still off...

AHA! Collars work differently at this angle, Jillian!

Finch Cosaat is a tangle of contradictions: sympathetic, but unsettling; timid, yet no stranger to violence; incapable of and deeply wounded by hate.

His status elevates him to near-divinity among the ferals of The Long Hall, despite his subordinate standing among Anne's employees.

I wasn't feeling too motivated to draw last night; staring at my computer screen all day will do that. (But, it was for a good cause: I created a TeePublic shop after one of their employees personally reached out to me, and I had my first sale this morning! A little icing on the cake.)

Eventually, I kicked my lack of motivation's butt and drew something that turned out a little better than I'd thought it would. Another Stonehenge paper pad completed!

INKtober 2016, Day 17!

INKtober 2016, Day 17: Raccheruchhe
11x14 technical pen / pen and ink on Strathmore Windpower Vellum bristol paper

Technical pen sketch.

Skull inked with technical pens; body with pen and ink.

I used Eliot Goldfinger's Animal Anatomy for Artists as reference.

Fixed Raccheruchhe's wing, again using Animal Anatomy for Artists as reference.

Fixing unwanted inks with an X-Acto knife!

Almost finished!

Raccheruchhe (RAW'keh rook), the Restorer, is another one of my terribly neglected fantasy babies. She has taken many forms over the years, but currently has a mixture of sphinx and manticore characteristics. She is the elder sibling of Uyne, Ersphse, Tetzylrach, and Zhaji.

Generally loving with her siblings, Raccheruchhe is the most volatile of The Five. As with her siblings, she is asexual, physically and by orientation. She prefers feminine pronouns.

INKtober 2016, Day 12!

INKtober 2016, Day 12: "I am no glutton, Elwick."
11x14 acrylic ink on smooth bristol paper

Fixed up old sketch I'd started last year.

2010 maquette I'd built for a college class. 

The ink I started off with feathered - not good!

"I am no glutton, Elwick. I am merely what the Fáèl dictate I be: a devourer. Understand, however, that I do not devour the innocent."

Uyné is a gregarious and highly intelligent beast. It's not easy to show, however, when you're feared by evil and good alike. Bobbin grew up with tales of Uyné's indiscriminate gluttony. The Mouth was said to be the most fearsome of The Five: a mindless beast driven by hunger.

Appearances are deceiving, however, and that is the theme behind this interaction. Despite his size, 
Uyné is gentle, and well-finessed with handling delicate visitors.

Book cover art: Chameleon Moon!

Chameleon Moon Second Edition - Regan and Evelyn
11x17 acrylic ink on smooth bristol paper

This is officially the largest inked drawing I've ever made within a relatively short amount of time (read: "working all day, not leaving the apartment, burning the midnight oil" kind of time). :D

Regan - anxious lizard man - and Evelyn - punk rock goddess - hail from Chameleon Moon, a novel written by my good friend, RoAnna. October 11th is going to be a special day: the Second Edition of Chameleon Moon will be available to purchase on Amazon!

Jumping into this right after finishing Tiana's House of Lazarus book cover was masochistic on my part - but I'm happy with the outcome, and knowing that I can push myself to create is a reminder that I can do this. I can DO this, guys!

Early pose idea for Evelyn.

Alternate workplace setup, similar to what I did for the Oaxacan Barn Owl Dragon.

Sketchbook studies!

I used a photo I'd taken of Gary Numan as reference for Evelyn's final pose.

(That show was one of the best experiences of my life, by the way.)

Rough study on 11x15 watercolor paper.

 Fixed Regan and Evelyn's poses; cleaned up pencils!

I made a stand-in microphone out of a hand exercise ball and a small spray bottle.

You know, when I pay $9.50 for a damn nib holder, I DON'T expect this to happen.

I bought two, so there's that.

Details of Evelyn's skirt; using a blow dryer helps speed up the pen and ink process.

HELLOOOO, AFTERNOON COFFEE

 I mis-inked Regan's arm; corrected it with an X-Acto knife.

Regan doesn't smoke like he did in the first edition, so RoAnna asked if I could remove it. Easy fix with a white gel pen. THEN I SMUDGED IT. Thankfully, it cleanup up nicely in Photoshop.

The color-blocked draft above was an attempt to fix placement before I began penciling on bristol board. I made the draft on the right using photos I'd taken of downtown Portland, skewing them to try to match the vanishing point. Though not a final cover image, it's a decent visualization for something RoAnna could use as a future cover.

I'm SO happy I finally made proper fanart for RoAnna's characters, and I can't wait to read the second edition of Chameleon Moon!