Tris' Amateur Hour - Now with tablet art!

[Tris]

Hi, I'm Tris. You may remember me from such RO-related projects as "Pwetty Priestess Pantyshot Parade" and "No Jam, 555: A History of Open Beta." I went by the name AsphaltValkyrie on the old Ragnainfo forum, and I am actually female despite having male characters. I'm most familiar with traditional media (pencil, watercolors, oil pastels, etc.) but I recently acquired an Intuos3 and Corel Painter Essential, which I am struggling to master (tips are always appreciated!)

Moving right along; I know I don't have half the talent of the rest of the artists here, and I'll probably rarely update, but I really do put a lot of effort into my scribbles.

I don't do commissions because I don't think my art is worth what I would have to charge just based on how much time I put into it. XD I do however, love art trades, even though I'm slower at finishing them than I'd like.

Here is my (best) recent work;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/finalsephia.jpg

My half of an art trade with awesometastic miss Sepia, and my first tablet-drawn RO fanart!

Art since starting this thread...
Fade to Gray (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/FadeToGray.jpg)
Yagharek and Heron (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/YagBird.jpg)
Kixies and a friend gathering flowers (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Kix.jpg)
Morrigane Set (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/HiukiFinal.jpg)
Six Little Birds (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/TrisBirdsFinal.jpg)
A Sage and his... naked snake lady? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/KK2.jpg)
Piffy and Beezle, literally! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/PifBeez2.jpg)

Annnnd oldies; A few are from as far back as mid-2004, so I apologize for the poor quality of both the scans and the art itself. Hurhurrrrr.

Four More Years on iRO! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/FourYears.jpg)
Yag is a Ramones fan? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/GabbaGabbaYag.jpg)
Homosexuals are gay! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/GheyBlacksmith.jpg)
Transing gift for /\/\aglor (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/ZacFinal.jpg)
Ditto for Petra Arkanian (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Petra.jpg)
Safina… Stretching? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/SafinaCrus.jpg)
Zoro Marimo’s naughty Peco (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/NaughtyPochi.jpg)
Buzz and Yag being manly (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/OOCBig.jpg)
Turynn tourin’ the Sphinx (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Turynn.jpg)
Memory Storm used to be an Alch. True Story. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/EsperAlchieFinal.jpg)
And /\/\aglor used to be a Bard.*gasp* (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/MaglorGift.jpg)
Bootleg outfits for my Sniper/Wiz (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Malemodelslol.jpg)
Sekundis the jailbait Mage boy (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Disfinal.jpg)
Sniper Sniper Sniper, I made you out of clay. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/000_0061.jpg)
Kage is a Scorpio? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Scorpio1.jpg)
Osiris commits grand theft neko (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Ozzy2.jpg)
Coffee+Night=Cofnite (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/CofniteOnis.jpg)

Constructive criticism, smooches and death threats are always appreciated. Cheers!

[Ichigo Pantsu]

Rofl... Mastersmith w/ a thong?!?!?! *_* z0mg. EPIC.
About time you've posted here!
:] You've improved a bit since I've last seen your drawings <3 Keep it up!

[Anselme]

:O Clay sculpture!

Hi Tris! :D

[Peaches]

Tris! xD <33 You made an art thread! About bloody time! I will forever love that picture you made for me. It was one of the best gifts ever. Send me a big version so I can frame it. Seriously. <3

[Forgottenesper]

I didn't see a couple of the drawings you posted, Tris! <3

(You didn't post the one of my priest.. though ;___; )

I lovelovelove<3 you art as always <33333 /kis

YOU SHOULD DRAW MY HP AND BIO (IN A HOMOSEXUAL SITUATION POSSIBLY?) OR I WILL KILL YOU /death threat!?

[Remichan]

PINK BANANA HAMMOCK!
that is all <3

[Tris]

COMMENTZ! Thxbe2u!

@Ichigo - Wow, you're actually the only person who isn't a personal friend of mine who has commented in my thread so far. I was under the impression I was pretty much invisible here. Thanks for making me feel better! XD And I think I turned my Smith gay. He always ends up carrying all the girly headgear I'm too embarrassed to stick on my other boys. n_n

@Ansel - HI! Yar, once in awhile I attempt something in Sculpey and acrylics. This one came out pretty well, with the exception of his head. Damn thing was smaller than a lima bean and hard as hell to get details on.

@Peachy - I was nervous you wouldn't like that pic... Its just so silly and I kept giggling while drawing it. xD If you like I can send you the original in the mail if you don't mind me knowing where you live. *lurkstalk*

@Esperble - Sorry, I really don't like that pic now that I look back on it 4 years later. Gawd, I want to fix it so bad. And I wanna draw your HP/Bio sometime, just probably in PG poses. >.>

@Remi - No gay man should be without at least one sexy thong! ;D

[Peaches]

I don't mind at all! I'll pm you right away. <3

[Awake]

Hi Tris :D It makes me happy you're still using my sig. <3

As for your drawings, I love your colouring and ideas, a lot of them put a smile on my face. What I think you need to work on is making eyes look more alive - possibly by adding more highlights and on a few of the drawings (one of them being of the female Scholar), the head looks a bit too small for the body. :)

[Tris]

I know where Peachy lives.... /gg

And thanks Ditte! Yeah, I have a problem with faces sometimes. I really don't study them as much as I should, so they all end up looking the same. And I don't like to experiment too much since the results usually creep me the hell out. I should do it anyway though. XD

Uh, here's a sketch I just photographed since I don't have a scanner anymore. HAH. Its my Sage, Kaspar Hauser, and "his" Isis, Kher-Minu. The red stain is from an errant strawberry.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/KKsketch.jpg

I want to color it somehow, but I keep hesitating. I think I did quite well with Kasp. His eyes are a little vacant and far-set, but they're supposed to be because he's not a very bright guy. He just needs a nose now. And how's the foreshortening on his right arm? I worked awhile on that. Should I make his legs more visible since his robe is open?

But Kher seems off... Probably because I suck at profiles. I know the lower half of her face should jut out more than the upper half and that her lips and chin should be rounder, but I couldn't make it look right. And the perspective on her left arm is probably off considering she's a bit turned. I had to look at my own back in the mirror to make her look even that much like a normal person. How should I fix that?

Suggestions? *clogs front page*

[Awake]

I think you did really well on the back, actually. :D

One thing I've found helpful when drawing serpents or tails is doing them limb for limb so you can make sure to get the muscle definition right for each of them. Ahh, I can't describe it. Let me show instead.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5872/19617095ny6.jpg
This isn't a correction or anything (just shows how much I fail with this mouse), but it might show how it makes it easier to highlight, shade, bend and flex. Obviously, only the outlines should remain. Fuck, I fail at explaining things.

And about the eyes, when I was younger and wanted to practice eyes but couldn't be bothered drawing faces ('cause I suck at that, too B) ), I'd just draw eyes all over my notes at school. Like, try every single different shape, highlight and colour. It helps a lot to draw from anime pictures, too. Print out a few eye-shots if you must and give it a whirl. Prevents you from getting distracted drawing faces and bodies, too, so you can practice one thing at the time.

[Monni]

LAWL BALLZ.
*random*

Woah, long time no see old chap :D It's good to see you and your pretty drawings again! <3 Peach priestess roxx0rs my b0x0rs!!11one
Your sage looks interesting, I would love to know more about him >w<

[Peaches]

Monni! Where've you been hiding!? D:

And Trissy dear, I got the picture today. It's so fabulous. Kitty and I are going to get a frame for it. Thank you for the personal note! And the teastain! It will only add to the value once you're a famous artist. <33

[Tris]

So, with some input from Remi and Ditte, I decided to fix some parts of the above sketch, color it with watercolor pencils, and bogart my dad's scanner while I was home for Thanksgiving;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/KK2.jpg

Biggest changes:

- Shortened and fluffed out Kasp's coat so that his legs were visible.
- Lengthened Kasp's shoulder cape.
- Made Kasp's body a bit wider.
- Shortened and streamlined Kher's arms.
- Added volume to Kher's hair and rounded out the shape of her skull.
- Made Kher's lower body less squiggly and more realistic.

I'm VERY happy with it for the most part, especially their faces and the shading on Kaspar‘s clothes. The colors are louder and more uneven than in the original, though. I spent about an hour fiddling with the scanner settings, and this was the best I could do. And the scribbles on the sides are ideas for Kasp's backstory I jotted as I was drawing, and color testing.

Input appreciated as always! I love you if you're still reading at this point. XD

[Peaches]

Tris, that turned out awesome. I love your drawings. They have so much soul to them. <3

[Monni]

Monni! Where've you been hiding!? D:

I'VE BEEN SLEEPING AND HIDING IN MY FART SLUMBER!!1one
No actually, I've been very busy with school, VERY busy. O_o I barely have time to do anything but school work, not goodie for me >< *feels rather exhausted* So sorry if I worried you ;3;/


And wow, the picture ;_;! You keep improving my litel faggy gurl <3 I love the bright colours and his hands alot :heh:

[Tris]

Oh, sup, page 2! Thank you Peachy! And Monni should make a new thread here, shouldn't she? I loves her! ;o

Anyway, I recently acquired the last item to complete my Morrigane Set, and I noticed that the illustrations for the items are very pretty. So, I drew them on my Assassin, in watercolor and chalk pastels;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/HiukiFinal.jpg

I feel pretty good about it considering I didn't use any references or advice from my artist friends. I love how the colors turned out, and the background actually behaved the way I hoped it would. *gasp* Oh, and the pendant is wrapped around his leg because his upper torso looked too crowded with it around his neck. That's his name at the top, with the moon below it because his name means "waxing moon" in old Norse. /ho

Once again I apologize for the bad quality. I had to take a digital picture of it since I'm scanner-less. And some of those dark spots are shadows from where the paper warped. I should have taped it to something before I watercolored. And I know there are quite a few errors, particularly in the shading and in the movement of the fabric. And the horrible lack of symmetry on those stupid patterns in the corners. n_n

[Peaches]

I feel pretty good about it considering I didn't use any references or advice from my artist friends.
Tris, all the advice in the world couldn't give your art the natural spark it already has. I am always impressed with your work! This is a brilliant illustration. It looks like a tarot card! The borders are fantastic. I can never make designs like that myself, even with rulers and whatnot. I am very impressed!

[Piffy]

Tris, that's gorgeous! It does indeed look like a tarot card but more than that it makes me think of a Norse runestone. I love it. :>

[Remichan]

i think it turned out really well, Trisface <3
it really shows that you put a lot of time and effort into it. it's probably your best piece to date. i've already told you before that you have a good grasp of proportions. i always loved adding ingame items/weapons/designs into art. you drew the whole morrigane set nicely and it doesn't overpower the assassin outfit design. the border and design elements turned out nicely too. i think my main nitpicky crit would be the trees in the background. good choice but could be executed better. i'd nix the outline and have them as flat negative shapes in the background. the branch shapes are kinda wobbly too but that's a practice/observation thing. personally, i encourage using references, because it helps to get proportions and poses right.

you should maybe consider trying watercolours and pencil crayons. they work really nicely together.

yay for bandaged grape man! overall, he looks really good.

(ps, i also think the blinder was a good call. he really looks that much better without eyes.)

[onis]

mm, yes, this latest work you have of sin is very good. I like the layout and designing very much, there's something to the picture that immediately draws me to it. <3

[Awake]

:D I really like that. The colours are great. My only problem with it is that the trees are quite plain and could use some shading. Drawing bark is really easy - you just pretend you draw wrinkles on the trees and add shades where necessary. x)

The fact that it's coloured with watercolours make it even more impressive because watercolours always smudge out for me. XD

[Piffy]

Personally, I like it just the way it is. I really think any changes to it would just be trying to improve on perfection. The white trees make the assassin stand out against the background ... and I kind of get this "Valley of Death" sort of vibe because of them. xD

[Tris]

HOLY CRAP I HAVE A PAGE 2. And such kind comments!

Tris, all the advice in the world couldn't give your art the natural spark it already has.

Peachy, that's probably the best compliment I could have gotten. I've seen a lot of fanart in this forum that while technically good, seems to lack a lot of heart. I wouldn't want to be that good if my art didn't show how much thought and effort I put into it. I'm glad you and a few others can see it. :3

@Remi - Thanks again! I love drawing items/weapons too. I think you're right about the trees though now that I look at it... The outlines emphasize them a lot, when they're supposed to fade into the background. I probably should have outlined them in pencil and then erased it. And yes, I think more drawing from life would improve my art quite a bit. So lazy...

@Piffy - I actually have been interested in runecasting since I was in high school (I actually started Ragnarok because the Norse theme caught my interest.) I really love the patterns and symmetry of old Norse art too. : D And "improving on perfection?" *squeals*

@onis - Thanks so much! Glad you like it, and thank you for stopping by my thread!

@Ditte - I actually like the trees the way they are. /shy I was trying to make them look faded and not quite real. And watercolors usually hate me too. I use them more like acrylics or oils because I can never make washes and tones look right. >_o

Thanks again everyone!

[Peaches]

Peachy, that's probably the best compliment I could have gotten. I've seen a lot of fanart in this forum that while technically good, seems to lack a lot of heart. I wouldn't want to be that good if my art didn't show how much thought and effort I put into it. I'm glad you and a few others can see it. :3
I'm so glad you appreciated it! Yes, it's terribly true. I think heart is the most important thing in art. Art is expression; it's not all about how amazing you can draw anatomy or use perspective! It's about the feeling it brings ... so I would personally take all criticism, constructive or otherwise, with a grain of salt. It's your vision, not theirs.
Anyway, I totally love it. And you <3
@Ditte - I actually like the trees the way they are. /shy I was trying to make them look faded and not quite real. And watercolors usually hate me too. I use them more like acrylics or oils because I can never make washes and tones look right. >_o
In response to that and Ditte's comment: really, it's only Ditte's personal opinion. If artists were to follow everyone's personal opinions, their art would not be theirs anymore, and would be constantly changing to suit people's opinions! If people want it to be drawn differently, they can go make their own version. xD

[Kyra]

HI I LOVE YOU

[Awake]

Fair enough; I do see how they fit in with the feeling of the picture. But on the bright side, you now know where to look if you ever want to study the art of drawing bark. :V

[Tris]

@Kyra - HI I LOVE YOU TOO. We need to art trade sometime! n_n

@Peachy and Ditte - I DO like constructive criticism. I don't take it personally at all when somebody tells me how I could improve (well, if they actually say they like other aspects of my art, which they always do!)

Okay, at any rate... Here's my entry for the winter theme contest/project dealie over at Rune-Midgarts (http://rune-midgarts.net/) (WHICH YOU SHOULD VISIT. RIGHT NOW.) The theme was something along the lines of "What would your characters do doing winter holidays?"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/TrisBirdsFinal.jpg

So, I whipped out my much hated colored pencils and doodled my soft-hearted, nature-loving Champion helping out some cold, hungry little birdies. Its hard to have a male character do such a thing and not look like a meaty Disney princess. xD

I'm sort of happy with it, but its not my best work. I'm not sure I like the look on his face, and I probably shouldn't have made his chest muscles/collarbone stand out so much, since he's wearing a sweater. And I HATE the paper pores... Somebody told me awhile ago that I should use a watercolor wash on the base paper to eliminate those. I think they really had a point.

Anyway, happy late holidays and new year to everyone, especially the people who actually look at this thread!

I wanna do art trades, but it takes me so long to finish anything. >_>

[Teia]

that looks really nice! I love the bird sin the picture very colorful and nicely done.

[Piffy]

Haha, meaty Disney princess. Actually, what it made me think of was the Beast when he feeds the birds during Something There. YEAH, I KNOW THE NAMES OF THE SONGS, OK? And maybe that's not much better than a Disney princess but ... I like it. xD

Anyway, I love this. I think his expression is wonderful. And I'm drawing something for you ... and I will probably do something else after that. :B

[Monni]

EEEEEEEY! *ugly Ulf-pose with the same grin as Bigfoot*

I adore the winter picture. ;_; Tristan is such a kind and gentle man. I think you did a great job with the coloured pencils; they're a ***** to use sometimes, but if you keep practicing, you'll become better :) (you're becoming better and better already! <3)

I wanna do art trades, but it takes me so long to finish anything. >_>

*raises hand* 8D I would LOVE like to art trade with you! Even though you say it'll take time. HOOHOHOHOOH. *grope*

[moonie]

I thought I did comment before I guess I havent. ;<

I like the last picture you did. His gentle spirit really shines through. I agree about some pictures who lack heart, but yours dont! When I use colored pencils....which is always, I have two brands of pencils because I just happened to but having prismacolors help because they are, how can I say, oily? They smudge on the paper really well and what I have been doing was using the white prismacolor pencil to go over my colors to smooth it out and it would end up covering the paper pores. That probably depends what paper you use as well. I just color on printer paper.

As for trades, I slipped a note on gaia but I'm not there every single day, but if you have time someday, would be awesome to do an art trade!

[Tris]

Comments! *humps* I'm glad my Champ's personality comes across just the way I hoped it would. :B

@Teia - Thank you! I absolutely love birds. I really enjoyed drawing them and I'm glad it shows.

@Monni - EYY BABY! *flashes hairy legs sexily* I'm glad you think I'm getting better. Sometimes I need to hear that. And yes art trade! I think I still owe you one from a long time ago.

@Piffy - Oh man, I haven't seen that movie since it first came out. But I guess Tris is a bit of a beast at heart? I'd love to see what you're drawing too. You say I don't give myself enough credit, but you're almost as bad. /shy

@Moonie - You're very kind! And I do use Prismacolors (I got lucky and found a set ultra-cheap at a swap meet) but I hadn't thought of smudging them like that. I will definitely have to try that! And I draw on heavy sketch paper, which I think might be an issue, now that you mention it. And I would LOVE to do an art trade.

And getting onto new business... I'm going to be server transferring my 3 main characters soon, thanks entirely to donations from some very special people. They were the ones who had the idea in the first place, so I guess I shouldn't feel guilty. but I do anyway. And so, I'm gonna art my guilt away.

Donors in need of thank you art:

Esper Finished!
Clyse? (Would he want one? I don't know him. /shy)
Piffy
Peaches

I also have decided I want to accept art trades now, since... People actually want them and that makes me squeal. They might take me awhile though. I'm a rather slow artist. >_>

Interested art traders (so far):

Kyra Finished!
Moonie
Monni

PM me character info if any of you read this, okay? I make no guarantees on the timeframe, but rest assured I won't forget.

OH GOD I HAVE A QUEUE. That makes me feel so important... n_n

[Kyra]

e.e trade~

You can draw Mimiru xD? (black kitty ears, small ribbons, leaf) hey if you feel adventurous you can draw Kygetsu with her (ah memories).

Who should I draw :>

[Forgottenesper]

TRIS IS SEXY.

[Tris]

@Kyra - I AM. ALMOST DONE. I am retarded slow. I have Mimi in pencil looking rather serene since I thought she could use a bit of serenity. Draw my Sniper or Priest plz? xD

And this is why Esper says I'm sexy! I watercolored this for him and sent it to him in the mail because he paid for almost half of my transfer by himself:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/EsperGift.jpg

This is a TERRIBLE photo of it though because I was in a hurry to get out the door to the post office. The colors really don't look as light and airy as they should, but you get the idea. Its actually one of my better watercolors because the shading worked, and hot damn I love that shade of teal I got for that jewel and those butterflies. TAKE A BETTER PHOTO OF IT PLZ ESPAR. xD

The staff design I recycled from another drawing I did for Esper... 4 years ago? It hurts me to look at it now. >_o

[Piffy]

Yay, you posted it! This is a really great piece of work! I don't think there are many other artists who dare to use watercolours, let alone excel at them the way you do. x3

It's really nice to see some traditional art!

[Awake]

What Piffy said. /ok

I really like how all the different hues of blue turned out. You did great!

[Remichan]

SPARKLE FAERIE PRINCESS!!

i really would like to see a scan/better photo of it, cause this one doesn't do it justice. he's so pretty and dancey and floofy, just like Esper! <3 it did turn out quite well, it's up there with your picture of Hiuki.

[Tris]

Thanks as usual, everyone. You guys are such a great source of encouragement for me. :B

@Piffy - I don't know about "excel," but watercolors definitely seem to hate me less than they used to.

@Ditte - I love blue almost as much as Esper does.. I had fun mixing so many pretty shades of it!

@Remi - Yeah, I hate this photo... My usual strategy for taking photos of my work is to take it outside and put it in direct sunlight, but that day it was dark and raining. And I love the girly pose... It was far too fun to draw. xD

Moving right along. HI KYRA ART TRADE OMGZ.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Mimiru.jpg

Her vampire kitty Rogue Mimiru, who used to get yelled at by my angry snob Priest when we were in an RP guild on Chaos. Meeeeemories! I remember her being a sensitive person who had a really rough life, so I tried to draw her looking serene and content. She deserves a little happiness.

I mostly like how she turned out... Her left eye, ears, hair and shirt fluff please me very much. I tried to fix her right eye multiple times, but it got to a point where the paper was permanently gray and nearly worn through, so I had to commit to less than perfect. /sob

As for the "unfinished" look she has from the ribcage down, I originally just intended the pic to be a bust, but wanted to see what the pose might look like if I extended it. Looks a little stiff and unnatural with her arm like that. It'd probably look better cropped at the waist, but I just wanted to show that the effort was made. *rambles some more*

I hope you like her, Kyra. n_n

[Piffy]

I know you were having some trouble with her face, but I think she came out looking fantastic!

[Sepia]

Beezle+Piffy picture = epic
Tris draw me too ]:

[Peaches]

Beezle+Piffy picture = epic
Tris draw me too ]:
Sepia you're so cute. :>

Tris I love your new picture. All your art has a lot of soul to it, and this one's no different. A lot seems to be weighing on her mind, and even though the pose is a bit stiff, it seems to work well with her distant stare. <3

[Kyra]

Aww Tris! I love it! <3333333

I still need infos from you, headgears and the such xD

And sorry if your men are going to look a little uhm, feminine ^^;

[Tris]

The bottom of page 4? GJ Tris!

Well, this is non-RO art and its not the best thing I've ever done, but I feel like I have to prove I'm not dead. So here's my current Dungeons and Dragons character (NERD ALERT!) in watercolor pencils. I'm not so great at visual character design, but I had fun with this one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/KaiteFinal.jpg

Her name is Ka'ite Kethiat, a Moon Elf fighter in service of the church of the fire god Kossuth. And yes, I did take her first name from the Soul Linker skill just because I like the way the word sounds. She's wielding a spiky chain because its her god's favorite weapon and she's a good little church girl.

Things I like:
-Her shiny blue hair.
-The texture of her chain mail.
-The shading on her greaves.

Things I don't like:
-The way her chain hangs from her left hand. (it should drape right out of her hand instead of projecting out slightly, and her hand shouldn't be closed so tightly.)
-Odd shading in the chest area (how do you hint at female anatomy when said female is wearing chain mail and a breastplate? /desp)
-Generally misshapen head and face. (I need to work on heads/faces more than anything, I think.)
-Smearing on the right part of her chain and her tabard, and warping of the paper. (I blame my cats chasing each other across the table while I was working. xD)

Crap, why do I always end up writing a novel worth of support text when I draw pictures? *scuttles off*

Thx4commentz!

[Piffy]

GORGEOUS AS ALWAYS. <3

[Tris]

Thanks Piff! And come on MSN more often, wuffux. I miss you. ;_;

Anyway, I've been without my artistic mojo for some months now. I just stare at blank pieces of paper and nothing really happens. So I tried to get over it, since I have an art trade and a page for the Rune-Midgarts calendar to work on. My Priest is level 98 now and that gets me thinking about how he'd look as a HP;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/YagBird.jpg

I like him. n_n But it figures I've thought more about what he'll look like than what his build's gonne be. DURR DURR. Added some slight costume alterations, mainly the clasp on his coat, patterns on the shoulders, and addition of the scarf-thing. And the staff is a Survivor's Rod, minus some of the faggy colors.

The bird is there just because herons/egrets match my Priest so well... Slim, quiet, elegant and elusive. Think of it as a spirit guide?

The pose seems a little stiff... But everyone already knows my poses need to be less static. And I think his head is a little small, but he's supposed to be unusually tall and thin.

...Nevermind the paper smudges.

Comments? Criticisms? Anyone? Bueller?

[Sepia]

I like, Tris! :> The bird is a nice touch to balance out the pose and composition.
Where is muh picture woman! errrrr man!

[Tris]

Where is muh picture woman! errrrr man!

Send me infoz! And draw me too 8D! I love art trades muchly because I tend to work harder when I draw for other people. I am a self-conscious she-male! (since male-she doesn't sound as good.)

And thankies for the comment! I actually did get the idea of adding the bird because the composition looked a bit too plain on its own. xD

[Forgottenesper]

I want Tris to draw me sexy bois :(

(or maybe a sexy princess.)

[Adeat]

Bump for Tris!

First of all, there's something about your pictures that grabs my attention, and I mean that in a good way. I'm not sure what it is.

The High Priest picture came out real nice. The blue and the red balance each other out somehow. I also like how you modify the clothes to show animal motifs and they don't look out of place, at least to me! The lineart's nice and clean, too. The heron is a nice touch.

Just a small comment: I noticed that the characters in the last two pictures tend to lean over slightly slanted. You might want to be careful about that for next time. ^^

Keep up the good work!

[Tris]

HI! : D

@Esper - a female SinX seems like a good opportunity to practice how2drawsecksi... Maybe I'll do that when I'm not so swamped? xD

@Adeat - Thanks a lot. I like to think I draw based more on the character's personality than their visual design, and maybe that's what people see. And I tend to think of my characters as sharing traits with certain animals. Either way, I'm glad I have some art allies. And your picture trade is priority #1 for me now!

As for the slanted look, I was trying to make it look like they were leaning slightly, and putting more weight on one foot than the other. just to keep the standing pose from looking too boring. But I guess I need to express that in other parts of the body... Maybe with the hips? /hmm

Anyway, I'm shamelessly bumping my thread with my entry for Kixies' contest in an effort to stay off of page 3. I wasn't originally planning to enter, but this popped out when I sat down on the couch one day after hours of Hugel gambling... :-P

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Kix.jpg

I won runner-up! : D

I do like the basic shapes, feel and coloring of this piece, but I had SO MANY technical problems with it. For one, I grabbed the wrong pen when I did the lineart, so it wasn't waterfast and bled into the watercolors I used for her skin and the flowers. Plus, the chalk pastels I used for everything else smeared all over the place, and that was when I remembered that all of the other pastel pics I've done were digitally cleaned up in Photoshop back when I had access to a scanner. /desp. I guess the heart is still there though. I tried to capture her sweet, gentle personality.

Art trades next for Adeat and Sepia! No more stalling, I promise!

[Sepia]

Grats on winning again! <3 Kixies look so perty.
And yes I am next >:3 You didn't gimme your info though I think..

[Tris]

Thx u Sepia! 8D

So, I've been serving on a jury for a couple of weeks, and I managed to sneak a doodle onto my note pad during a few breaks in the testimony. I felt like drawing a male Scholar, and Adeat's (Joey Madison) was the first one that came to mind:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/JoeyDoodle.jpg

I got a few details about the outfit wrong, but not bad for having no reference if I do say so myself. And that's supposed to be lightning in his left hand...

... And I still owe him a pic of his HP, and Sepia a pic of her Champ. HELP, I DRAW TOO SLOWLY.

[Terri]

*Wouldn't have had noticed detail left out on scholar* xD They have too many details to begin with! xD plusitsalwaysmorefunmoddingminoroutfitdetailsanywa y :3

The one you did for kix is purdiful too~ but HP with the bird is my fav of yours so far. :B

[Sepia]

HA awesome and dont worry about trade I TAKE FOREVA TOO.

lol @ siroma

[Tris]

Omgz comments!

Thanks for the support, Terri! I'm glad to see you on this site. I might guilt trip you into an art trade sometime once I finish the two I have already.

And thanks as always to Sepia. You're so patient. n_n

So, excuse bump!

Anyway, many apologies to Adeat and Sepia for taking so damn long on art trade dealies. I promise I'll have rough sketches at the very least next week. I've been terribly busy lately. In between jury duty, two separate illnesses and being jerked around by 3 different potential employers, I've been unispired, to say the least.

I'm also working on a birthday present for my boyfriend, in the form of a watercolor of his most beloved D&D character. Its proving a challenge because he doesn't like anime style much, meaning I can't use all of my usual artistic copouts, like straight line noses, feminine jawlines, huge eyes, and lack of muscle definition. xD

[Awake]

If I was gonna draw something for somebody non-anime style...


... I'd have to draw a horse or something LOL

[Adeat]

Another bump for Tris!

I love the picture of my Scholar that you did. The outfit is scarily accurate for not having a reference. He's actually a pretty serious guy. He uses a Sage Diary to level with but if you're giving the dagger, I'll have it, too. j/k Love the Siroma.

And don't worry about being slow! I'm super slow, too.

[Tris]

@Ditte - Anime style farm animals plz! Roffle.

@Gray - Thankies for the bump! And I probably should have guessed Sage's Diary (my Sage/Scholar never used daggers either,) but it just looked nifty with the pose. I'm lazy sometimes. xD

Abyway, HAH. Saved myself from page 2. This is the watercolor I did of my boyfriend's D&D character for his birthday. I apologize once again for the quality. I had to take a digital photo of it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/BobFinal.jpg

Le gasp, semi-realistic proportions! I had to ask for a bit of help from Remi on that front; mostly with his feet and shoulders. She's a good teacher!

Overall I'm very happy with how he turned out. I love the colors and I'm very proud of the cloth/leather textures, as well as his body shape. But I kind of hate his face... He's supposed to be an intense, humorless sort of guy, but I think he came off looking more vacant and zombielike. Must work on my eye technique some more. >_o

Comments/critiques are loved, as always!

P.S - My boyfriend LOVED it. Now if I could only get him to play RO... I've been with him for 4 years and I've played RO for 5 years. I have a long-term committed relationship that hasn't lasted as long as my time on my chosen MMO. Hurhurrrr.

[Lachanna]

I see an improvement in this drawing to your others. Keep it up.
I like the colours you used as well, the shading is nice.

[Awake]

Hi Tris!

I like the shading / folds of the clothes vry vry much.

[Sepia]

Looking good Tris! You post art so rarely!
I really like the detail you put into the belt, the feet and hand anatomy came out great. I think the feet are too small even with foreshortening but the rest of the picture with its detail pretty much dont even let you notice it xP
It's also hard to draw a bald char!! GJ my man. Lucky you, I wish remi helped moi too ;__; she's so good <3

[Tris]

Ahh, I have a page 4 now! *happy*

@Lachanna - Thank you! I'm always happy to see more people commenting on my art. Sometimes I disappear. And thanks for the compliment. : D

@Ditte - Hi2u2! And thankies!

@Sepia - The reason I post art so rarely is because... I don't have much to post. It takes me SO LONG to draw that I can't always fit it into my schedule even though I really enjoy it. And I hadn't even noticed the feet! Maybe he's just dainty? And the lack of hair irritated the hell out of me too. xD

[Tris]

Self-bump to prove I've done something! I feel awkward posting on this forum since my art is made of suck and fail compared to most everyone else. But you guys are so damn nice. :S

Anyway, sketch for my art trade with Adeat, who is a super-nifty guy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/GraySketch.jpg

His kickass battle HP, Gray, sitting in Niff. A few things will be fixed before I fill in the lineart and then transfer it to watercolor paper for painting. For now it is messysmudgyblurry.

Gotta change that ghetto misshapen tree, and maybe his Boys Cap, which looks a little oddly placed ('cept Gray has lots of hair, lawlz. Check that braid!) And maybe smooth out the way his coat drapes onto the rock. And maybe I'll move the Lude a bit upward.

The background will probably be filled with a graded purple-ish wash of watercolor, and I will add some textures to the ground.

*chugga chugga Tris train*

[Sepia]

Your anatomy improved a lot man! The details are looking pretty good! And the lude is so cute <3

[Forgottenesper]

zomggg as I said on msn.... HOT DAMN THATS SEXY. Since when did you start drawing delicious delicious chests +___+;

(i think some of my pervyness rubbed off on you!)

[Tris]

Okay, page 2 revival here we go. I finished Adeat's art trade;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/FadeToGray.jpg

I had a lot fun experimenting with this, but I think I kinda screwed up his face compared to the one in the sketch, but I say that about every piece I do. N < better face technique.

And I wanted the background to come out darker and less striated, but the watercolor paper I use SUCKS UP water like there's no tomorrow. I barely had time to wet-in-wet the color before it dried. I should have put on another coat before I painted in the tree. >_o

I hope he likes it!

So, now I have to do things fooooor:

1. Sepia (so she can sexify my HP)
2. Dittz0rz (so she can make me a rockin' ROS sidebar)

Thanks again to my regulars for all the nice comments. :B

[Sepia]

The lude is so cute!! and I love the textured ground. I think the way tree looks is fine, it doesn't stand out too much and lets the HP be the main character.
I think the chain could've used a bit of foreshortening but otherwise the details turned out awesome <3 (I butcher shit if I use watercolor or any paint)

[Cake]

I really like the colour of the background. Usually Niff is coloured almost black like the night, but this looks more like the sun is hiding/rising somewhere.

Also that's a big ass chain I don't wanna mess with D: !!

[Remichan]

good! the new composition and placement of the tree looks much nicer, no? more balanced and intentional. i really love the dark textured ground too and the lude pumpkin glow. i like little details like that ^^ i think i would have liked to see a bit more darker detail and texture in the tree HOWEVER i agree with Sepia that it's nice how it's not overpowering your other foreground subjects. i also don't mind the lighter sky like Cake said, it has a nice contrast between your ground and sky. i think i agree with your comment about his face too, his has this nice subtle smile in the sketch that changed in the final, but oh well.

wonderful job e-husband~ <333

a tip you might want to try later? bringing background colours into your figures. kinda skeery to do with watercolour though. but touches of purple on his outfit would look really good and make him more a part of his environment. and it would tint his red details a sexy wine colour :9

[Adeat]

More bumps for Tris!

And )O@*#&OLFHJDLASDHALSDFFF! I love it SOOO much! Thank you, thank you! The lude definitely cheered Gray up. I think the face came out okay, though. I'm not fussy. :D

I'll get to doing my half of the trade sooner rather than later. I've been involved in stupid things lately and didn't have the energy... /spin

[Tris]

ILU gais, srsly.

@Sepia - Whoa, hadn't noticed the chain. It does look a bit like its on a different plane from his feet. Ewps. And I made the tree a bit lighter on purpose since its more of a character portrait than a scene.

@Cake - Yay! I was hoping to make the chain look scary since he is a battle HP. xD And I'm glad you like the sky.

@Remi - Thanks for noticing the textures. :B I ended up loading a brush with a few different colors and flicking it around for the ground. And unfortunately things often get lost in translation when I go from sketch to final. /sob I'm glad the sky works too, I thought it was too light for Niff!

And I don't think this counts as art, but since I am endlessly amused by my own jokes:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/TrisWeirdness/screenLoki231.jpg

Thx 4 sombrero gift, Remichandesu! Can I pet your boyfriend's luxurious mariachi mustache if I shake my maracas for you?

[Forgottenesper]

Happy Birthday Tris! <3

[Tris]

Thx u, Esperble! You're such an awesome little e-brother. :3

Bleh, I'm hoping to finish at least an RO-related pencil drawing by next week. My new job at the local SPCA is making me even lazier with my scribbles than usual. 8D

[Monni]

I WANNA SEE MORE ART FROM YOU. Because I say so. 8D...
*runs to hide again orz*

[Tris]

ITS THAT TIME AGAIN! This isn't RO related, but I figure its forgivable since I post so rarely.

Anyway, I received an Intuos3 with Corel painter Essentials for the holidays, and actually just got over my abject fear of it a few days ago (I felt like it was too good for me. xD) I couldn't think of a damn thing to draw, so I picked some paperwhites from my personal garden and stuck 'em in a root beer bottle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/paperwhites.jpg

Remi warned me that drawing glass with the scratchboard tool was a bad idea, but I didn't listen. Cramped my damn hand doing so many tiny lines. And I would have done a background, but at the time I didn't know how to work layers, and the thing has too many lines to float cleanly. LOLGJTRIS. The petals of the flowers had such a lovely translucent look to them, which I tried hard to capture with extra gray lines where they overlap. But I'm quite happy with it! Zoom and Undo are my new bffs.

And then there's this acrylic/watercolor thingie I did for Dimp's contest awhile ago. *pads thread with old art people already saw*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Phantentacle2.jpg

If there's one woman who can beat the shit out of a tentacle beast before it has a chance to rape her, its Samus Aran! Phantoon is my favorite Metroid boss. He's just so damn creepy and jellyfishy. And I hate straight lines and right angles rywetuwretuwrthjgjgjkghk.

I hope this tablet thing will make me better able to make my art look clean and a bit more professional. Well, it'll be nice not to have to take as many crappy digital photos, at the very least! We'll see!

I HAVE TO DRAW SEPIA'S CHAMP NOW CUZ ITS BEEN LIKE 8 MONTHS SINCE SHE ASKED. I HAVE BEEN EATING TOO MANY HELPINGS OF LAZY AT DINNERTIME.

[Sepia]

FUUUCK YEAH SAMUS IS THE SHIT I PLAY IN BRAWL

and lOL I cant belieev we're still both doing the art trade we agreed on back in june 22 2008.and sorry for terrible typing, i spilled cola all over my keyborad and it is now pretty much retarded.

i ALREADY HAVE A SKETCH FOR YOUR HP HOHO I WIN

[Tris]

WHAAAAAAAARRRRRRGARBL. My first finished tablet art! Trade for Sepia!
Comments are appreciated, as always! Exclamation point!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/finalsephia.jpg

Holy shit, this was a lot of fun, but it took me for-freakin-ever and I made a ton of mistakes. Note to self; layers exist for a reason. I started with a black lineart, then layered the colors over it... Two main layers. /die And then I would do stupid things like forget to adjust the pen pressure sensitivity, which resulted in my hand cramping into a flesh-colored spider. Or I'd forget what tool I was using to shade, or what brush size.

I realized about 3/4 of the way through the coloring that there really isn't enough contrast in the shading, everything looks sort of washed out... but by then I had been working for a good 10 hours total on it and was coming very close to eating my own head. Maybe I'll go back and fix it later, but for now I'm burnt out and need a break. I'm also still not quite happy with her face, but I never am happy with the faces I draw. xD

All that notwithstanding, I did enjoy working on this quite a bit, and I'm mostly happy with it! Sepia's character design is really nifty; nicely personalized but not so over-the-top as to be unrecognizable as an RO character. I really like her hair, her red phoenix shirt, and her general body shape. And that stupid tree stump, which took me 15 minutes to do, and looks better than other elements I spent hours on.

I hope you like it, Sepiatoodle! It is in reality about 20% bigger, but damn that Photobucket. I can send you the original on MSN or something if you like! NOW WHAR'S MAH MANTASTIC HIPURI-KUN? ;D

Oh yes, and I owe thanks to Remi yet again! She helped me out on trying to streamline the nose, eyes, and general facial shape, as well as working out the positioning of the hands. She has this awesome way of showing me how to improve without criticizing or stomping on my stylistic choices. n_nb

Well, I'm finally done with my art trade queue, even though it only had 2 people in it, roffle. Of course I have a list of 5-6 other RO things I want to draw, that I will hopefully finish by... summer? >.>

And if anyone has any tips for Corel painter Essentials, the Intuos3, or tablet-aided drawing in general, I'm all ears!

[Sepia]

armgrfrfhg you were not supposed to finish it before me LOL OH GOD PRESSURE IS ON NOW It has been 8 months since we agreed on the trade; let's see if I can make it before a year 8D

That is awesome. The face turned out very well, it's serene in a pretty way that tells me it's Sephia, but not so feminine that would destroy her personality. The necessary details are all there and desaturated colors work well together <3
The lack of contrast is definitely what I first saw; the picture lacks depth because of it. but yeah, work on that on your own time, get used to the tablet first! It's a bit hard when you first start, and I still prefer hand-drawing to tablet even to this day. Also, that tree stump looks AWESOME. Even the grass. The only thing I'd note is the left foot, which is a bit too small. But the rest of the anatomy is solid and I seriously love the red part the best, the shading is well done and the phoenix is mindblowngly beautiful and detailed. I really like the design of it.


pressure is ONNNNnnnn man wtf am I gonna do ];

[Remichan]

high priest. birds. tea.
solid Tris HP art equation :D
(ps Sepia! i really like your character designs)

i'm proud of you Tris! you did a good job. you're a great pupil and are learning well. nice solid anatomy in this one from the beginning. just a small bit of futzing in the sketch stage with proportions. the face improved a lot in the end. you should definitely keep practicing them and work with the style you came up with this time. and i am a total fangirl for that stump <3 you gotta love and hate easy things that come out of art like that. keep working with the tips i've thrown at you! you'll get the hang of digi stuff. i wish there wasn't so many small differences in painter essentials so we'd stop getting program tip incompatibility. layers will be your friend someday!

[Tris]

Thanks you two! Honestly, if I didn't have so many good artists looking over my shoulder and giving me tips, critiques and praise, I don't think I'd still be drawing. Now if only I could get more comments from people who weren;t already my friends, lolololol.

I think this piece is a step in the right direction too. Finally, I drew a nose that's not a single bent line, and an eye with lids. Lids that meet in the corners, yet! xD And I'll try to be more bold with coloring in the future.

In other news, I finally started a special ROS for the RO fanfic I've worked on for the past... 5 years. I haven't posted anything in it yet except an intro, but please add it if you're on ROS and would like to take a look at my writing (I consider my writing to be in much better shape than my drawing is, roffle.)

http://rostory.org/skyshadow/

[Adeat]

Promised bump!

I already told you what I thought. xD You're getting better with every picture for sure. I love the phoenix design especially. And I'm also a fan of your story. Can't wait to see more.

[Tris]

Hah, I really don't have anything RO-related or otherwise worthwhile to show at the moment, but I feel like I should at least bump my thread, since its been almost 2 months. >.> So, have some fantasy-based original character concept sketches. I know some of my friends here have said that they'd like to see more sketches...? I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos and wonky reference-free character anatomy.


Lior Iarnason (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/LiorSketch-1.jpg) - Druid/hobo/viking. He's level-headed, talkative and courageous.

Brieta Koreluna (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/AsphaltValkyrie/Art/Brieta1.jpg) - Mage/scholar/dragon. She's smart, socially inept and impulsive.

I hope to do more complete, colored drawings of them sometime in the future. Sorry they've got nothing to do with RO and are sort of ghetto.

And thank you for the bump as always, Adeat! And thanks so much for reading my story. You're such a sweetie. n_n

[Sepia]

I especially like the first oneee oh dayumm OCs ftw.Where are you coming up with these names?

[Tris]

Yay, glad you like them! Costume design is fun.

AND SINCE YOU ASKED.... :D

I really like names. I tend to pick individual ones from foreign languages and mythology. Then I mush them together until I get a first and last name that sound pretty together and/or describe the character. n_n

"Lior" is a name I thought I made up, but apparently it means "my light" in Hebrew. "Iarnason" loosely translates to "son of iron" (iron having a feminine suffix) in Old Norse. The last name follows an Old Norse convention of using a parent's first name and following it with "son" or "dottir" depending on if you're male or female. Most men would take their father's name and vice versa, but Lior took his mother's name. Plot point yadda yadda.

"Brieta" is a variation on an Old Norse word meaning "bright" or "exalted" and "Koreluna" is a combination of "kore" which is the name given to ancient Greek statues of young women, and "luna" for moon. Rather straightforward in its meaning.

My RO characters get some of the same treatment, but with them I tend to go for obscure movie, book and music references as well.

I have too much free time, apparently. Sometimes I'm embarrassed about how much I overthink things like this, roffle.

[Artea]

Did you just put "hobo" and "viking" in the same sentence? Epic ;D Nice touch with the Runes.

Brieta's eyes are a little wonky ^^;; It's hard to describe so I'll just draw:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/763/scan0007n.jpg
The shape is too pointed towards the nose. Eyes have their tear ducts there, so putting a sharp point there makes it look unnatural. The top line of the eye (I hope you know what I'm talking about @__@) is a bit too flat especially compared to how rounded the lower line is and makes the eye shape seem...reptilian(?). In almond-shaped eyes, the top line is rounded near the tear duct, while the bottom line is flat and vice versa.

Solid-looking costume designs, keep it up =D