Moving into darkness

Here's an update from my watercolor adventures. Hoooo, how did I forget what happens when you try to depict a night scene with a naturally light medium? Layers and layers and layers and layers of paint later, here is where we stand:

This is the current stage of work. Everything is presumably working OK, but the light level is for a "Hollywood night" scene. We're getting to a scary point of the darkening: When do I cross the line that divides "suitably dark" and "loss of detail dark"? I mean, this is a big bright full moon night no matter what, simply because it'd be a silhouette against a night sky otherwise - but how bright am I making this moon? (The stars in the sky will be added using colored pencil or gouache, if you were wondering.)

Basically, I'm hoping this post is a normal process post and not a "where things went wrong" milestone.

EDIT: I sucked it up and pressed forward. Here is a piece I'm pretty happy with:

I color corrected this one to match the actual piece on my Photoshopping monitor, but I know from checking this blog out on my Macbook that screen brightness counts - especially in a piece that's reliant on brightness. Newer screens are probably showing this as lighter than it actually is, but I hope it's close enough for you all to get a sense of the level of light I aimed for.

More Haven sketches

And here's the second Haven project I mentioned in the last post. This one is a watercolor of him casually looking up into the stars, hands in pockets.

This was the initial sketch.The goal here was to see how much of the figure is needed for the composition to work, and how I should treat the background.  The closer I can pull in on the guy means the more defined I can make him, but the scene has to make sense.  For this, I populated a night scene with a nearby tree, and a treeline (and maybe mountains) in the back to contrast with the starry night sky.

Here's another take, with the full body. I gave the character the full Precocious treatment in this one, as I struggled to get a nice balance with the eyes and muzzle. With the feet showing, I didn't need the tree to help locate him, so it's a simple treeline behind him.

More sketches of the head stargazing, with me messing with various things.

This piece can still go in many directions. Aside from choosing the proper zoom, pose, angle and rendering style - there's a question of color.  I've got to figure out how his colors work in the dark - or if a monochromatic approach with various shades of blue would be more interesting.  I've never done a night scene in watercolor, so this should be interesting.

Back to badges

I have a bedroom of junk to begin sorting this evening, but I wanted to do some commission work before the sun set. This is the first of two Haven commissions - a con badge.  Here you have me playing with both colors and poses. Just because I colored the big one doesn't mean that's the final pose. Heck, it doesn't even mean those are the final colors. Obviously, the final will much cleaner.

More sketches of this guy will come later - when exactly depends on how much sorting I get done before I quit in frustration.

The Dynamite Jester - painted

Here's the result of my first watercoloring attempt in... man, a long time. It's neat to get back into that habit. Painting was pretty uneventful for this one. The only hiccup was my inability to make a super vibrant magenta with the basic set of watercolors I have. The photo was taken with my iPhone, because I didn't trust the scanner to catch all the lights properly.

New Copper Road! 7/25/12

This is one is about a mental battle many of us face daily - and one I lose far too often. I think there's less of a statement here than a simple thought progression of a guy who settled on the easy path again. *shrug*

Vote to see it!

The dynamite jester

Here's a sketch for my first commission of the current push. (Note: Plenty of slots are still open, if you're interested!)

Today it's Tiffany, dressed as a jester, juggling dynamite. While the sketch uses colored pencil, the final product will be a watercolor. (I want to take a moment now and high-five myself because I eyeballed this sketch perfectly - the scan is exactly the right proportions for the final piece.) While I used teal and magenta for this sketch, the colors are subject to change. Other sketches used red/blue and green/purple, but I wasn't thrilled with the figure in them enough to bother scanning them in. The layout I've pictured here doesn't have to be a final, but it's closer to it than the other sketches. One last note on the color: The change to watercolors will also cause some variance in whatever colors are selected, but I'll do my best to keep it close.

Edit: Played around with the colors a bit to show another option, just 'cause.

Another edit: The sketch was approves and here's the inked version. Once I get the OK on it, painting shall begin!

SpiderForest Comic of the Week!

Hey, you! Scroll down and read all the news posts! I'm looking for guest strips, taking commissions, moving and hitting up some conventions. You need to know this stuff!

And now, the main event...

This week's comic is the beautiful Between Places! The first thing that attracted me to the comic was the wonderful painterly approach she took in crafting each page. It's unique and it's very effective in telling the story, which is a complex, surreal musing on worlds created by dreamers.

You can start with the story I linked to above, or set about tackling the archive from the beginning! Cheat sheets are also available for keeping track of the twists and turns the story takes, if you want to catch up quick and start with more recent chapters.

Guest Strips and Commissions!

Now that I have your attention... more news!

As mentioned in the other important post (scroll down), I've got a lot on my plate. I'm going to fulfill my promises (the commissions) but I also would like some wiggle room in case of moving craziness (the guest strips).

Guest Strips:

In mid-August, I'm moving from Georgia to Virginia, then heading off to FA: United immediately afterward. After that, expect a crash in productivity as I unwind and figure out how my studio setup will work in a new location. It's better to be safe than sorry here, so I'm asking for guest strips to cover the potential lull. Besides, guest strips are fun! They're a great way to share readers with other cartoonists and I adore the ego boost. (It's a labor of love to come up with a proper guest strip using someone else's characters!)

If you're a cartoonist or aspiring cartoonist, I would be honored to show off your work! My preference is definitely for guest comics, but if you want to contribute guest art, I'll still be happy. (The art will likely be used as a vote incentive instead of a regular update.) I'm looking for seven guest strips, to cover the week starting August 27th.

Interested? Drop me an email to let me know and give me some mental security! If I fail to get enough guest strips (I'm not *that* popular yet) then I'll either hold on to the ones I get for a later date or use them as vote incentives.

Commissions:

I said on DA/FA that I'd be opening up for 'em, and so I shall. Even with the busy schedule, I want to do this because I enjoy it and I haven't had a chance to break in most of my new markers yet! Plus, a little extra spending money with a big move coming up is rather helpful.

Look over my FurAffinity account, since it's more up to date, for several commission examples. I'll have about 10 slots that can be for just about anything - from $10 artist trading cards to $15 badges to $35 full-page commissions, done in marker, colored pencil or watercolor. Each purchase also comes with your choice of a Precocious magnet! More details will soon be found on my FA page and DeviantArt page. The slight increase in pricing reflects the realization that "shipping included" got kinda brutal during the May promotion, when I upgraded my packing method. As always, email me if you're interested, and I'll give you a quote for your idea!

New Copper Road! 7/18/12

Today's comic is a chilling story based a horrifying real-life experience. No amount of scrubbing will ever get me clean. Vote to see the comic! (Vote every single day!)

In moving news, I've been building up my Precocious buffer. I should be able to continue uninterrupted, even with all the craziness, but I haven't ruled out taking a week off at the end of August and running guest art/strips - if only to catch my breath after a wild summer. (Most wildness has been good, at least!) A final decision, along with a post about me opening up commissions, will be posted by the weekend.

SpiderForest Comic of the Week

First off, a reminder that I post front page items for Precocious at least twice a week. If you're not checking often, be sure to scroll down and catch up.

This week's featured comic is LaSalle's Legacy, a story about a ship that is stocked by a bunch of youths! (I object that the guy in his mid-30's is the token old codger.) It's got lots of sailing flair and style. Aside from making me feel really, REALLY old, it's got a neat story too.

I'll let the creator sum if up for you: "In the world of the Twelve Seas, the secrets of necromancy have been lost to the Old World for decades. When a young man discovers that his father's old nemesis, who is now a zombie, is out to kill him, he sets out to learn more about this forbidden art. Along the way, he discovers he isn't the only one curious about the secrets and becomes engulfed in a battle for power."

Finally, a reminder that it's application season for SpiderForest! Do you have a webcomic you think would fit well in the collective? Go fill out an application! Only a week left to get your name in the mix!