New Copper Road! - 11/20/11

I hope you enjoy this revealing installment of Copper Road, because it's the last one you get for the month. I'm taking next week off from CR due to my vacation. It's kinda hard to update when you don't have a scanner with you. (Don't worry about Precocious. I have a good buffer there.) I'm not sure how my trip will affect my blogging. I will have a camera with me, and I can always blog via iPhone if needed - the question is, however, will I be able to fit some work into my busy schedule?

Watercolors for you!

The photos aren't that great, but the finals of these commissions are super awesome! Enjoy. The pieces will ship out Monday.

Commission inks

Here are the inks for the three watercolor commissions I have going at the moment. I must say, after testing out the new paper I'm worried about the coloring process. It doesn't seem very watercolor friendly, but it's all I have. I just have to be extra careful.

I messed up a bit on the couch for the Autumn commission, but I think I can correct it in coloring.

And now, more Derpy!

Here's the final sketch for the Derpy/Bud muffin-lovin' commission. I have never drawn a pony this well before, so I'm gonna trace the heck out of it for the final piece.

You'll note tracing is my theme today. Usually I redraw commissions on the watercolor paper, but this time I'm tracing all three. (The third is the Autumn sleeping on the couch sketch, which was conveniently sketched at the correct size.) I think this is a consequence for me going back and making a finer-quality sketch for each project. Usually I do a rough, get approval and then upgrade the sketch right on the final paper.

On an art geek note, since all three of today's projects have scale issues, I'm doing them on Reeves BFK white instead of the watercolor pad I've been using. This paper is new to me, so I'm not sure how it handles watercolors. (I thought I was buying the same brand I've been using, but it seems that was Arches, not Reeves.)

More Tiffmas

Here's a cleaned-up sketch for the Tiffany commission. The only changes I made from the selected pose was switching the side the tinsel lands on and putting an ornament on the tail. If I get an OK from the client, I will next trace this design onto my watercolor paper and do my inking.

Yes, I said I was going to aim to have my inks done yesterday, but I decided to color comics for NINE HOURS STRAIGHT instead. By the time I finished, I was in no mood to do anything else artistic. Today is commission day instead!

Tiffmas time is here

Here's the early sketch work on another commission: A Christmas-themed work with Tiffany! The original idea was to depict Tiffany atop a tree, but size issues derailed that. Thinking about how Tiffany celebrates the holiday (I have a partially-scripted Christmas arc that might never run) she loves original takes on the traditional tree. Why not make HER the tree this year?

These sketches are me fleshing out how to make this idea work. Ears up or down? How to wrap the tinsel around her? Butterfly ornament or Candy cane in the hand? Regular dress or tree-imitating wide? Arms out or more compact? Looking up or looking at the viewer? Which star is best?

If the client likes the idea (I'm being bad by not providing options this time), it's time to choose the final pose/features and move on to inking. With a little luck, I'll have all three outstanding watercolor commissions inked tomorrow. I'm pushing myself as hard as I can, because my Thanksgiving trip can start as early as Saturday. Still got comics to make in addition to this, so no guarantees.

Copper Road Update! 11/14/11

It's double fun with Copper Road today. First, a new comic was posted on TWC. Vote to see it! Second, I update the Copper Road archive, so you can catch up if you missed any. I didn't realize I had passed 50 strips until just now. Kinda wish I hadn't wasted that milestone on a throwaway strip... since soda chugging for 50 would have been much more prestigious!

Gingerfox

In response to Ms. Monster appearing in the background of the latest Ginger's Bread, I'm one-upping things and throwing a Ginger lookalike (if she was a fox) into my strip. Not bad for a 30-second sketch of her, if I can say so. Maybe my drawing mojo is returning.

Edit: If you're wondering why her dress is so out of character, that's because it's more of me copping a design to fill an already-scripted role than making a true Ginger cameo. (Hence why I said "lookalike.")

New commission sketches

Forgive me for the relative quiet on the blog. I've had a baaaaaad drawing week. Combine that with me focusing so much on buffer building, and you get a barrage of Precocious news posts instead of zesty content!

Buuuuut, I have two new commissions to work on now, so let's TRY to get this pencil working. Usually I offer many sketches for new projects, but today I only offer one and a half for you, because that's all that was remotely showable. Clients, feel free to send me back to the drawing board and/or offer up some more suggestions.



Edit: Here's a second Autumn possibility, by request!



The first commission is to show Autumn asleep, dreaming of blackmail. I chose to show her napping against an Ottoman, clutching her beloved binder.

And here we have a fun one: Bud and Ditzy Doo (or Derpy, if you please) enjoying muffins together! Despite liking ponies, I do not draw ponies unless prompted - so getting a good Ditzy was really hard. Forgive me for the quickly-sketched Bud. He's mostly there to show how the composition will look. (I drew too close to the page's edge and couldn't fit a proper-sized Bud in anyway.)

It's Copper Road time again! 11/11/11

Vote to see it! Let us all brace ourselves now for the silliness that will come on the date 11/11/11. I'm sure the Twitter trending topics are going to be original and interesting!