From my sketchbook

[ravenf6]

I learned something today: work and having a migraine don't mix. It drove me nuts, but I'm getting over it....

I've got two pieces to put up tonight: something unusual, and something I've wanted to do for a while:

First off is something I'd never thought I'd do- THis is the result of a heavy Metal Slug Session last night:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/SoldierHeartless-MordensForces.jpg

Yes, the unthinkable has happened- General Morden has made a pact with the Power of Darkness!! I took the idea of the megalomaniac converting his soldiers into Heartless and this was what I got- I altered the machete and bombs to match the Heartless style, which didnt' take long to do. It took under 30 minutes to draw this one, but I loved it from start to finish.I'm thinking of coloring this one since I found a good paint program a month ago.. Drawing heartless is so much fun.... ;D

Next up is something is something I wanted to try: drawing myself in manga form:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/ravenf6selfaw.jpg

The clothes are what I would consider to be my usual style, as for the Heartless necklace, I actually have one that I wear frequently, but I left the 'X' out since I still have my heart (I had finished this one up at the same time I did the Morden Soldier Heartless ) As for the sword, that was influenced by two of my characters, Edgar and Solrac. The only nitpick I have is with the skin- it's hard to find an exact color for skin, other than that, this piece came out exactly as I wanted it.

After doing the MSH, I'm getting a few more strange ideas, if I can grasp them properly, I might put those up here in the future. Comments are appreciated if you something to say. Hope you like what you see, folks.

[ravenf6]

This is the first time I've uploaded this much in a week in a long time. But since last week, I've been getting ideas and turning them into form.

It's also been 4 years since I joined this forum, so I felt another update would be appropriate.


The first aw of the night is something a bit simple. I've been feeling nostalgic, so to that end... I drew a chocobo.

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/Chocobo.jpg

The Final Fantasy games hold a place in my heart as a gamer. As I made one journey to the next, I always remember smiling when I get to dealing with these whimsy birds- It's hard not to smile around these fine-feathered friends. Fun fact: these birds were said to be inspired by Miyazaki's first classic, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. They served as steeds for Lord Yupa, if I remember.

The next one originally came up after I finished my Morden Soldier heartless last week. I made another Legends OC. Say hello to Dirge:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/MMLegendsOC-Dirge.jpg

Not much is known about Dirge except that he was a 1st Class purifier unit. After a mysterious series of events, Dirge retired from the front lines and has traveled around the numerous ruins, working as a sort of 'undertaker' for fallen bureaucratic models and mother units- salvaging the shells and prepping them for recycling, rebuilding for those who would be reactivated, etc.

I'm tinkering around with him in terms of personality and combat, but I've got one thing nailed- his mastery in great scythes like the one he wields. As for colors, I wanted something neutral, which seems to fit him well. As for the eyes, I'm considering leaving them pupiless as they are, or if I change my mind, red eyes. But that's in the air for the moment.

I'm considering doing something to commemorate my 4 years here, but whether I go through with it or not, that's a tale for another time.

Hope you guys enjoy the aw. Feedback, if you have any, is appreciated.

[HF]

May 11, 2010 19:57:43 GMT -5 ravenf6 said:

Say hello to Dirge:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/MMLegendsOC-Dirge.jpg

Not much is known about Dirge except that he was a 1st Class purifier unit. After a mysterious series of events, Dirge retired from the front lines and has traveled around the numerous ruins, working as a sort of 'undertaker' for fallen bureaucratic models and mother units- salvaging the shells and prepping them for recycling, rebuilding for those who would be reactivated, etc.

I'm tinkering around with him in terms of personality and combat, but I've got one thing nailed- his mastery in great scythes like the one he wields. As for colors, I wanted something neutral, which seems to fit him well. As for the eyes, I'm considering leaving them pupiless as they are, or if I change my mind, red eyes. But that's in the air for the moment.

I'm considering doing something to commemorate my 4 years here, but whether I go through with it or not, that's a tale for another time.

Hope you guys enjoy the aw. Feedback, if you have any, is appreciated.

Hello again ravenf6.

For some reason, I feel a bit of Kingdom Hearts influence in Dirge's design, and that I can see interesting potential in it (I might even give it a sketch myself, if you don't mind).

Constructive Criticism, right? Hm... I can see that you do not use shading in your drawings. As we know, what we see is just light reflected off surfaces, with different levels of colors (chrominance) and brightness (luminance). You have got the former, so it's good to take drawing a step further by getting the latter down.

For starters, have you tried using a light shade of gray to make the round dimensions of the body stand out more?

[Musashi]

Looks really nice as always, Raven. Does Dirge have feet, or is he like Juno?

[ravenf6]

May 17, 2010 22:29:17 GMT -5 Musashi said:

Looks really nice as always, Raven. Does Dirge have feet, or is he like Juno?

Musashi: I wasn't thinking of that at the time, but for all intent purposes, Dirge has feet. I'm planning a new work for him in the future...

Tonight's additions take an unusal turn for me: I've been in a small horror fix lately, we're seeing a few monsters from the old arcade shooter, Zombie Raid:o ... Let's get to it, shall we?

First off is the Mad Scientist: i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/ZRMadScientistbase.jpg

Ugly looking thing, eh? You don't see this creep all that often, but his shriveled design intrigued me- he's sinister and a little twisted, so I found it easy to go nuts when I decided to draw this guy- lots of skin folds, wrinkly clothes, and that face plate add a nice touch. More or less, this creep wants to raise an army of monsters and zombies, at first to sell to the highest bidder, but now, to rule the world to show up those who snubbed his research... and this was a good while before Resident Evil came along (ZR is considered by some to be the precursor to RE in terms of the "zombie menace" schtick in gaming).

Next up is a werewolf: i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/ZRwerewolf.jpg

you really can't have an old-style horror game without one of these creeps, it's like having cookies, but no milk. Anyhow, I liked how these creeps were made to look man-like, but not all the way, hence the pectorals (you don't see the feet when they pop up in front of you, which is the case in this aw). These wolves were fast and can take you by surprise if you're not fast on the trigger. While I'm not good at drawing monsters, I felt pleased with trying my hand at this beastie and the MS..

While I'm developing a fondness for drawing monsters, tonight's last addition is something I wanted to sink my teeth into for a while. After drawing Lachesis, Dragged asked me if he could use her for his stories. We both must have been thinking the same thing, 'cause I wanted to draw a mecha for Lachesis, much in the vein MM Juno had..... and rachet it up a notch: Behold! the Behemoth Mecha!!!

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/Behemothmecha.jpg

I had initially planned Lachesis subsequent forms to pay tribute to the Breath of Fire series- particualry, the dragons. For this mecha, I wanted to do the behemoth dragon, which has a sort of ankylosaurus-like design, but I could never make it work... until yesterday- at which point, I carved out this creature from nothingness, and gave this shell a sparkling life! Mwa ha ha ha ha!

*takes a deep breath* Overall, I'm surprised with this- it came out exactly as I wanted to... which is rare, and that this is serious attempt at mechanical design: If I was a digger, I'd be scared to be staring this bad boy down....

..and that's it for tonight, I hope you guys liked my trip off the beaten path.

[HF]

May 27, 2010 20:37:42 GMT -5 ravenf6 said:

Dirge has feet.

Ah.
At least the perspective I used on my attempt could cover it (in case you missed it in my post).

[Musashi]

Really like the detail on the mad scientist, specially on his face. The werewolf's physique and shape reminds me of how they appear in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow--not a bad thing, mind you. Looks like he's about to get ready to tear some innocent flesh of the night, hah.

Last but definitely not least, the behemoth mecha. My favorite of this batch by far. It's just really nice looking in general; well proportioned and segmented. The design is very well done too. As always, all the attention to little details really helps in the overall picture's effect and charm.

[Mr. Ninja]

First off, the mad scientist looks like something out of Monsters Inc. Thumbs up for that.

Next, the werewolf. I really liked the texture and facial structure, although I would have liked to see a bit more shading. P.S. Nice ten-pack.

And finally, Behemoth Mecha. I really liked this one because it was very detailed and looked great. By the way, it looks like something out of the Mega Man X series.

[ravenf6]

Long time, no see, folks.

I know I've been gone a long time, life and school really do a number on you. Also, I've been having trouble coming up with anything... But, for the moment, I have decided to brush up on a few basics- eyes, hands, etc to improve my skills and hopefully, add more works to this place in the future.

I have only one work for tonight, but it's something I've been wanting to do for a while:


i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/GuybrushThreepwoodMightyPirate.jpg

Yep, it's Guybrush Threepwood, the only non-undead pirate to know the Secret of Monkey Island. Well, five secrets, actually...

I keep having nagging thoughts when I've been drawing, lately. So when doing Guybrush, I thought, 'to heck with it! throw that junk out the window and draw something, blast it!' and, to my surprise, Guybrush came out just right. I pretty much stuck to his Curse of MI outfit since it was pretty simple. After doing this, I'm tempted to try doing his version from LeChuck's Revenge: SE... maybe even LeChuck, or Elaine as well..

Not much tell what I've got planned for the future, but there's a few things I've wanted to do for a while. Hope you like how the mighty pirate came out..

[ravenf6]

Hey, folks.

I got something I keep forgetting to put up for a while. With all the news surrounding Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, I felt an itch to scratch around in the sketchbook. I satisfied that desire by drawing this:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/DeathLoI.jpg

It's Death in his Lament of Innocence attire. This would be the first time I tried my hand at Ayami Kojima's style, and let me tell you: it's tough. At first, I did the simple lines, but there were so many that I wasn't sure it was going to work- so many folds and little touches to work with. If you're not prepared, Kojima's style will make you see stars. This was also the first time I experimented with graphite pencils, after playing with them, I was able to tame these lines into a tangible form, darkening and shading where needed until you see the finished results here.

I'm utterly pleased with the shading: the robe has more depth than my previous works. Death's posture sort of has a welcoming vibe on the surface, but that scythe he wields is all business.. I put in the floating spirits to add a little contrast to Death's dark robes, so to put it bluntly, this is one of the finer works I've done in a long while- Pencils, sweat, and grit: that's what went into this work.

It makes me sad to remember that I have college and work to worry about, otherwise, I'd love to do more stuff like this. I don't know when and if I'll sort that all out anytime soon, so additions might be slim for a long while. Never the less, I hope you liked this addition.

P.S: I put the info in that corner since I'm contemplating watermarking my works from here on out. If anyone knows how that can be done (I don't have Photoshop, btw), any help would be appreciated.

[Dashe]

Nice Death. Regarding watermarks, what software have you got on you? You'll have to download one that lets you use layers and transparency if you've only got MS Paint.

[ravenf6]

I might have to get a good digital pen before I experiment with Photoshp.. Then there's the other half of the school semester to deal with..

Anyhow, I've got something to add. Not much, I'll admit.
I thought of this when I was figuring out what to do about Halloween. I was gonna chose something, but then I thought, 'let's do something different...'

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/KHMasterXavrencolored.jpg

After a good bit of KH:BbS, I immediately thought of doing this. It took some time, given that the costume had a lot of detail (and straps), but for the most part, I did what I set out to do with this work.

I added the keyblade and the Phantom shadow (though I wish I didn't have to cut it off...) to add more to my costume... Looking at it this way, I might could turn this into something interesting. On a minor note, the face didn't take me that long to do (it usually give me trouble), nor did the overall pose: after getting the body how I wanted it, it was just a matter of drawing the clothes over it.

Afterwards, I just cut out what I could for a sufficent avi, and the rest is history.

It's been a while since I've drawn something in one sitting, pity that may not happen any time soon... Still, I hope you guys get a small kick out of it...

[ravenf6]

Whenever I'm not mired in work or school, I find myself spending a little time on PS Home. It's a strange, but interesting place to go chat and do who knows what, depending on where you go.

Today's entry came as a result for one of those trips.



In the shops, you can buy costumes for your avatar, so when I found this outfit of Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island), I had to get it right away. Not long after, I also picked up Ryu's Headband (Street Fighter IV). The two set off an interesting combination and has become something of a signature for me- I'm probably the only pirate who frequents the Mos Eisley Cantina, among other things.

This was a simple work, had not trouble with it until I got to the hair- orignially it was a spikey mess that I could not pull off, but not wanting to lose the asthetics of the costume piece, I drew the hair based off of Ryu's SF Alpha design, which worked better than I thought it would.

For the moment, I'm taking a break. Between school work and working on the 10 year event going on, I'm feeling a little spent, so I might not add anything until I can get some work done. Not anything exciting, but I hope you guys like it.

[ravenf6]

This has gotta be the longest time since I've made an update. 10 pg research papers are abominable...:11:

I did scare up two things while trying to juggle the work and studies:

I drew this first one last week, during a break:
i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/fencinglessonlineart.jpg

Edgar's teaching Scythe how to fence, and from the way things are looking, Scythe's having a little trouble...
I was watching a few Popeye shorts, "Choose yer 'Weppins'" in particular. Looking back, the proper thing would have been to draw rapiers, but then cutlasses were used in the aforementioned short . The drawing came out pretty good, since I'm not used to drawing movements and poses.. I might color this, someday...

For the next one, I've been busy on the gaming front: I picked up Muramasa: The Demon Blade on black friday. I loved it so much, I wanted to cut my teeth on something from it, so I drew one of the two protagonists, Kisuke:

i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/ravenf6_tc/Kisuke.jpg

Despite early worries, this design was pretty straight-foward and easy to work with. Kisuke's an interesting character, as well- he's a little stoic, but he acts surprisngly human for a ninja wielding a demon sword. I might draw more this guy, probably enjoying a meal at the local teahouse- some of the food items look mighty delicious..

Nothing spectacular, but it feels good to be able to draw again.

[HF]

Not bad.
Hey, tell me: What kind of pencil do you use for your drawings?